Comments on: Plastic Challenge: Ellen Simpson, Week 3 http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/2011/05/plastic-challenge-ellen-simpson-week-3/ Take the challenge. Collect your plastic waste (both recyclable and non) for one week or more. Then photograph, tally, and post it here. What can we learn about our habits and lifestyles by examining our waste? And what changes can each of us make to leave the planet a little less trashy? Sun, 12 May 2013 02:50:10 +0000 hourly 1 By: Ellen http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/2011/05/plastic-challenge-ellen-simpson-week-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2336 Ellen Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:25:50 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/?p=1389#comment-2336 Cool, I will give coconut oil a try! Thank you!

]]> By: Fonda LaShay http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/2011/05/plastic-challenge-ellen-simpson-week-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2335 Fonda LaShay Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:17:15 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/?p=1389#comment-2335 Not a silly question at all :) Coconut oil is used more for baking. It is a matter of taste, but some say it does have more of a flavor (sweet) while some say it is the best to make fried potatoes in. It is not coconuty tasting though in my opinion, just smells coconuty.

I use lard or butter for frying or cooking veggies or meat and oil for salads – as oil will oxidize (go bad, causing harmful chemical reactions) in heat, so I think it is best to play it safe :) Just say if you have more questions, I am more then willing to answer them..

]]> By: Ellen http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/2011/05/plastic-challenge-ellen-simpson-week-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2334 Ellen Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:26:43 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/?p=1389#comment-2334 Fonda, that books sounds interesting, and I will definitely check it out. I don’t know a lot about cooking, so this may be a silly question, but would coconut oil give a coconut taste to things? So, if I wanted to use it for something like pancakes, would it make them coconut-flavored?

Beth, I had no idea that you can sometimes get bulk oil at co-ops…maybe they have it at the one I go to, and I don’t even know it! If I can find the Spectrum Organics ones, that would be great too. Thanks for the ideas!

]]> By: Beth Terry http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/2011/05/plastic-challenge-ellen-simpson-week-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2333 Beth Terry Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:48:53 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/?p=1389#comment-2333 Hi Ellen. The Spectrum brand includes all kinds of oils in glass bottles. However, they do have plastic caps.

http://www.spectrumorganics.com/

You can usually find it at natural foods stores. Also, some coops/natural foods stores sell oils in bulk and let you fill your own container. Don’t know if that’s available near you.

]]> By: Fonda LaShay http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/2011/05/plastic-challenge-ellen-simpson-week-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2332 Fonda LaShay Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:21:12 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/?p=1389#comment-2332 oh! here is her book link if you are interested… http://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-What-Eat-Why/dp/1596913428/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

]]> By: Fonda LaShay http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/2011/05/plastic-challenge-ellen-simpson-week-3/comment-page-1/#comment-2331 Fonda LaShay Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:19:52 +0000 http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/?p=1389#comment-2331 Hi Ellen, I am going abit off the plastic free road here.. to the food side..

For the oil.. You could always use coconut oil or just butter. I know there is alot of controversy over using fatty fats, but they are natural and traditional. If you have the time and like to read, I suggest ‘Real Food: What to eat and Why’ by Nina Planck. It is one of my favorite books. She explains how the modern oils are processed and how they are linked to many problems of disease and obesity.

For example, canola or sunflower oils.. when they are not cold pressed they are extracted under heat. which makes the oil go rancid. To make the oil better again, they treat it – process it with pasteurization and bleaching agents.. refining it .. still when they do this they can say it is just 100% oil.. ek.

I know that this is not to much about plastic, but butter is in paper, lard can be bought from the butcher and coconut oil is in glass… so it kinda is. Sorry to preach though, I just wanted to explain myself since you asked about plastic free oils :)

]]>