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bookmark_borderRecipe: The EASY Way to Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree

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Hey earth muffins! My absolute favorite cookies are pumpkin chocolate chip, so I am a huge fan of pumpkin spice season. When grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago, I saw that pie pumpkins were on sale… 🎃 So I thought it would be fun to try to make my own pumpkin puree! Thanksgiving is coming up soon, so this recipe would be perfect for your delicious pumpkin pies (and of course any other pumpkin-themed baked good). Let’s jump right into the recipe!

A picture of a bowl of orange fresh pumpkin puree with the words Easy Pumpkin Puree around the bowl
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What You Need
-Pie pumpkin(s): I used two small ones which made about 2.75 cups of puree
-Large spoon
-Large knife
-Baking tray (must have some sort of lip)
-Water
-Blender (or some sort of Nutribullet)

What To Do:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using the knife, cut off the stems of the pumpkins. Be careful you don’t cut off any fingers!
3. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise.

 

4. Use the spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy bits in the middle of the pumpkin. I suggest roasting the seeds as a tasty snack and then composting the rest! 😊
5. Place the pumpkin halves FACE DOWN on the baking sheet. Add about 1/4th of an inch of water to the bottom of the pan.
6. Pop into oven and let bake for 60-90 minutes. The pumpkins are done when a fork can slide in easily (mine took about 65-70 minutes).
7. LET COOL!
8. Scoop out the pumpkin “meat” and put into the blender. Blend until smooth.
9. If your pumpkins were a bit watery, you can drain some of the water out to get a thicker puree consistency. You can also add some water if it is too thick. My pumpkin puree was absolutely perfect straight from the blender, so I skipped this step.
10. Either use in a recipe right away, pop it into the fridge to use up within a few days, or freeze it. As I wanted to be able to use the puree for cookies throughout the year, I measured it into 1 cup portions and froze in mason jars. 😀 Ta-da! Your pumpkin goodies are just waiting to be baked!!

What are your favorite pumpkin recipes?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderWhat “Experts” Say About Using Natural Birth Control Methods

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Hey earth muffins! If you have been following Life of an Earth Muffin for some time, you will know that I use the Femometer (and both the Basal Body Temperature and Cervical Mucus methods) as a natural form of birth control. As many people have not thought about using natural birth control, I wanted to share what “experts” say on the subject… Let’s jump right into it!

A picture of a female doctor in a white lab coat pointing her finger at a speech bubble with the words Natural Birth Control? Here
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*Doctors: The opinions on using natural birth control differ for every doctor. My doctor laughed in my face when I told him I wanted to use something natural, so I haven’t discussed the matter with him any further. Check with your doctor to see if natural birth control is right for you!

*WebMD: When looking at the natural family planning page on this infamous health website, it says that natural birth control isn’t as effective as other forms of birth control: about 24% of women will get pregnant… However, I find it weird that they would put a percentage on their website for all forms of natural birth control instead of breaking it down by method, as some natural birth control methods (like “pulling out” or using just a calendar to count days) definitely have a much higher pregnancy risk.

*Planned Parenthood: In their article about natural birth control methods, Planned Parenthood says that using natural birth control will result in about 12-24% of women getting pregnant. Again, they group all of the methods together. This article then goes on to say that this percentage can be reduced, meaning natural family planning can be more effective, if you use multiple methods together (which is what I am doing!) and/or use condoms as well.

*American Academy of Family Physicians: The AAFP did a study on natural birth control, and they actually do break their results down by type. The percentages are how many people will get pregnant using the certain method

Method                           Typical Use         Perfect Use
Condom                               18%                    2%
Cervical mucus                    3-22%                 3%
BBT & Cervical mucus        2-8%                  <1%

I think these results stress how important it is for couples to know how to use their birth control method in the correct way!

*Medicine Net: This article goes into detail about less popular types of natural birth control (things like douching), but it states that overall natural methods can be as much as 98% effective if they are continuously a commitment.

*Natural Womanhood: If you are interested in trying out natural birth control, I would definitely recommend looking into blogs (like this one) and YouTubers who speak about the different forms. No opinion is more valuable than those who actually find success using these methods! This post shares that natural methods (with typical use) are 92% effective: the birth control pill is usually only 91% effective!

Overall, there are so many differing opinions on using natural birth control. There is a lot at stake when it comes to getting pregnant, so the decision truly depends on whether or not you are comfortable putting in the work to ensure that your method is as effective as possible. Definitely do as much research as possible, and give yourself a few months to perfect the method using your individual cycle before you fully trust it!

What are your personal thoughts on using natural birth control?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderMinimizing Waste When Eating Fast Food 🍔

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Hey earth muffins! When I first started my journey towards living zero waste, I realized that low waste living and fast food do not mix. I wouldn’t say I ate fast food a lot, but I definitely would eat it whenever I traveled or was busy and didn’t have any other options on campus. When making steps towards living sustainably, it is important to remember that you can’t be perfect – and that you are allowed to eat fast food if you want! Here are some of my personal tips to reduce waste when eating at your fave fast food places 😀

A photo with a cheeseburger on a black background with the words Low Waste Fast Food
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1. Order it for “here” instead of “to go”. Instead of getting your food in a bunch of unnecessary packaging, you can then either take the food and leave or eat it in the restaurant.

2. Use your own utensils and napkins! This is an easy swap when making your kitchen zero waste, so I definitely suggest doing the same when you eat out.

A picture of a set of bamboo eating utensils for zero waste dining

3. Put sauces on your food inside the restaurant to avoid single use packages… OR bring your own containers to fill up inside to use on the go!

4. Bring your own water bottle to avoid all the plastic cups and straws. This will also ensure you are staying healthy and not drinking all of those nasty sugary beverages.

5. Know the menu and order what comes in the least packaging. If the burgers come in plastic, maybe opt for the fish sandwich that comes in a recyclable cardboard box.

A picture of a fish sandwich in a cardboard box

6. Order the vegetarian options!! Fast food and unsustainable meat practices go hand-in-hand, so avoid what you can by ordering the veggie options. Some of my personal choices are the vegetarian bean burritos from Taco Bell and the veggie burger at Burger King. 🤗

How do you reduce your waste when eating fast food?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderReview: Mad Hippie Mineral Mascara

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Hey earth muffins, happy Monday!! Today I will be sharing my thoughts on another sustainable beauty product: the mineral mascara from Mad Hippie cosmetics! 🤩 Mascara is one of my favorite makeup staples, so I was beyond excited to test out this product – let’s jump right into the review!

A picture of the Mad Hippie Mineral Mascara with the words Mad Hippie Mascara Review
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What I LOVE:
1. It makes my lashes look extremely long! I have always preferred mascaras that make my lashes longer than those that make them “thicker”/clumpy. This mascara does an excellent job of coating each lash, enhancing their natural length.

2. The wand is perfection. It is both long AND thick, which allows me to apply it so easily. Definitely my favorite mascara wand of all time!

A picture of the wand of the Mad Hippie Mascara, a perfect length and width

3. It smells like roses. When looking at the ingredient list, it is clear that their is no rose in the actual mascara, so it might be smelling like the sweet almond oil… 🤔 Regardless, it smells SO good!

4. The container is sustainable!! One of my biggest challenges with trying out new makeup products since I started my journey towards low/zero waste is to find products that are in sustainable containers. This mascara is made of a sugarcane bioresin plastic tube that can be recycled after it is used up. While recycling is by no means the best solution to the struggles of our planet, it beats the plastic tubes that can never be recycled!

5. It is made of simple ingredients. As it is a mineral mascara, there are no synthetic waxes, dyes, or coal tar inside the formula. Compared to the Clean Faced Cosmetics cake mascara I typically use (which only has 4 ingredients!), it includes more ingredients in the formula… But much fewer than those in drugstore/high end products.

6. This mascara will last all day through rain, sweat, and tears. 😅 Trust me.

7. The brand is vegan and cruelty free! I will always support these types of companies and brands!

What I DISLIKE:
1. You need to use some sort of soap to take it off. While this might seem like a weird con to most people, I usually just wash off my makeup in the shower… So I don’t like the fact that I need to take an extra step to get this off. However, as I said above, this mascara doesn’t budge during the day so I guess the extra time to take it off is okay.

2. It is a tad pricey… But most sustainable beauty products are pricier. This mascara can be bought on the Mad Hippie website for $19, while the Clean Faced Cosmetics mascara is $12-16. However, there are many sustainable makeup brands that are WAY more expensive… But, I thought I would mention it none-the-less. 😊

A picture of the Mad Hippie Mineral Mascara over the paper it came with that says, Welcome to the Revolution
Definitely go check out this mascara!

What is your favorite mascara currently?

*I was sent this product for free; all opinions are my own!*

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderThe Ultimate Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fabrics

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Hey earth muffins! If you are on a journey to live with less waste (like I am!), one of the major areas that needs to be addressed is buying clothes. In my opinion, there are two options:

1) Go thrift shopping! – This is my personal preference 😀
2) Buy sustainable fabrics when buying new

The struggle with the second option is that you will need to avoid fast fashion when choosing fabrics that aren’t so hurtful to the environment. Fast fashion is a terrible thing in general, so this is extremely important. Many “cotton” and “polyester” fabrics have microplastics in them that are released in the washing machine… We definitely do not want that! Buying from the thrift store can lessen this issue, as the microplastics have already been released and you are saving any new microplastics from leaching into the water stream. There are many other problems with unsustainable fabrics as well: huge amounts of water usage, chemicals/pesticides affecting the land and leaching into water, unethical treatment of workers, the list goes on.

A picture of sustainable fabrics including wool, hemp, bamboo, cashmere, and organic cotton, with the words The Ultimate Guide to: Sustainable Fabrics! in the center
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SO, if you decide that you still would like to buy clothes that are brand new, I suggest searching for these fabrics:

~Organic cotton – Normal cotton uses huge amounts of water and pesticides, making the “fabric of our lives” an unsustainable choice. If you really love cotton clothing, I suggest checking out 100% organic cotton fabrics. While there is still a lot of water involved, this at least helps avoid the chemical/pesticide aspect of producing the cotton. If the cotton is 100% organic, it will also be biodegradable!

~Silk – This fabric is extremely sustainable and efficient when it comes to water usage and land use; plus, it is biodegradable at the end of its life! However, the silkworms are only able to produce a small amount of fabric making it a more time intensive process. Some vegans also disapprove of the treatment of the worms.

~Wool – This fabric is renewable as it comes from sheep! 🐑 It is biodegradable as well. Take caution to research where the company sources its wool, to make sure the sheep are treated ethically and are taken care of properly.

~Cashmere – Just like wool, this fabric is renewable because it comes from goats! Fast fashion increased demand for this product, so many farmers started shearing their goats too early… This obviously puts the animal at risk of dying from the cold, so I would personally suggest only buying cashmere secondhand.

~Hemp – Growing hemp takes very little water (and the plants are naturally extremely pest-free, which makes pesticides not necessary). This fabric is also biodegradable, making it an excellent choice!

~Bamboo – Just like hemp, bamboo can be grown basically anywhere with very little water. 🎍 It can be used to make anything from kitchen utensils to fabric, making it an amazing sustainable choice! It is also biodegradable.

~Linen – Another great option, linen is biodegradable if it has been untreated. Flax grows with very little water, and almost all parts of the plant are used in the production process making it extremely low waste.

While there are many “sustainable” fabrics on the market, you must still do your research before making purchases. The rise of the “going green” movement has resulted in many companies stating that certain products are “sustainable”… But that doesn’t mean they actually are! Make sure to look at all the tags and do your research to see the OTHER implications that resulted from a fast fashion brand using a sustainable fabric: water usage, shipping from across the world, the conditions of the workers, where the dyes have been sourced, etc. In my opinion, thrifting is always the best option, as I don’t trust fashion corporations to completely change their practices. That may sound cynical, but I hope that one day fast fashion will stop existing altogether.


What fabrics do you look for when shopping? 

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderHow to Zero Waste Your School Supplies!

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Hey earth muffins! I know that the school year started last month, but my masters program has some quarter classes, which means I will be starting a few new classes in a week or so. 🤓 Because of this, I need more school supplies, and I was inspired to share my best tips for keeping your school supplies low/zero waste. In this series I have tackled everything from the laundry room to periods, so I hope this is helpful to all of you still in school!

green background with various colorful school supplies such as pencils, rulers, and paperclips, words say How to Zero Waste Your School Supplies across the middle
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~Use actual pencils: Mechanical pencils might be “easier” because you don’t need to sharpen them, but they are made of plastic (and as you all know from my Plastic Free July posts plastic should be avoided!)… ✏️ Wooden pencils are so much better!

~Buy a refillable ink pen: If you go through a lot of pens, I suggest finding one that is refillable. This allows you to not throw away the pen each time it runs out of ink! This gorgeous bamboo pen is only $29 on Amazon, and it comes with an ink covertor to easily add ink (which is under $10 on Amazon as well!).

~Reuse old notebooks and folders: I have yet to take a class where I used a whole notebook in one semester, so I definitely suggest recycling the pages you have notes on and then reuse the rest of the notebook for a new class. The same goes for folders!

~Buy school supplies from the thrift store: As I mentioned in my Collective Thrift Haul, I recently purchased a binder for only $1. You can always find school supplies secondhand; make sure to also donate any unwanted school supplies at the end of the year!

~Utilize any paper that you can find!: My office recycles a bunch of perfectly good paper, so I like to take a stack home to use for school. 😊 Look for paper that you can take home as well!

~Avoid printing out assignments at all cost: Read articles online instead and take notes either on the computer or in your notebook (as writing down your notes helps you learn the material faster!).

~Rent your textbooks or buy the online version: When you buy a hard copy of a textbook, you most likely aren’t going to ever read it again when the class is finished… And that is just wasteful! Renting is cheaper and allows other students to use the book after you. The same goes for an online version.

~Use your “big” school supplies (ex. backpack, lunchbox) until they are totally un-usable: I used to buy a new backpack and lunchbox every year for school, and that is extremely wasteful. My current backpack and lunchbox have lasted me my whole undergrad and will definitely make it through my masters program as well! I have absolutely LOVED my High Sierra Swerve backpack, so I would definitely recommend it 🥰

A picture of a navy High Sierra Swerve backpack, which can last many years before it must be thrown away

~If you have to buy new, look out for products made with recycled materials!: I bought my planner from Walmart for only $8, and it is made of all recycled paper. Buying secondhand should always be the first option but this is a nice alternative.

How do you keep your school supplies sustainable?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderReview: LUSH Herbalism Face Cleanser

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Hey earth muffins! As I mentioned in my Plastics I Refuse to Give Up post, I started using the Lush Herbalism face wash over the summer. I have been using it for a few months now, so I thought I would share a review of the Lush Herbalism cleanser with you all today! 😀

An image of a jar of Lush
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Pros:
~This face wash makes my skin feel SO healthy and moisturized! I had been using Proactiv for a year or so before making this switch, and that always made my skin feel super dry. I love that my skin feels nourished and clean after using this face wash!

~Helps prevent new breakouts. The reason I started using this product was because over the summer my skin freaked out with Proactiv. It has been a few months now, and I am still dealing with some of the scarring left over from the incident. This product definitely helps my sensitive skin in preventing any new zits from forming, which is a huge bonus!

~There are fewer ingredients/chemicals, making it better for my skin. I plan on writing a whole long rant about how Proactiv ruined my skin, but the major reason I stopped using it (spoilers, I know) is that it bleached one of my dark shirts. If it can literally bleach a dyed fabric, what is it doing to my skin?! I feel much happier that Lush makes products with fewer ingredients and additives!

~The packaging is made of recycled plastic and can be brought back to the store! While I try to avoid as many plastic containers as I can (check out my Why I Use Bars Over Bottles post!), many Lush products still do not have a “naked” form… But hopefully they will one day! I love that you can bring back 5 of the black tubs to any Lush store and receive a free face mask in return – definitely a great incentive to get people to recycle their containers!

~A little goes a long way! This cleanser is used a bit differently that others, as you have to take a dollop, get it wet, and then apply. Because of this, the product will last much longer than a typical bottle (which I love!). Plus, you aren’t paying for water in your face wash. 😊

A image of a hand with some of Lush

~Saves water in the shower. Because it is a more hands on process, I don’t actually wash my face in the shower anymore, choosing to wash it after getting out. This saves water and makes my shower time even shorter.

~Smells very fresh! This product has over 1,000 reviews on Lushusa.com, and many people seem to think it smells bad. I think it smells nice, but maybe I am in the minority…

Cons:
~Takes more time than other “normal” cleansers. Like I mentioned above, this cleanser is more hands on, but I don’t think that is a bad thing! However, if you can’t add a couple more minutes into your beauty routine then this cleanser is not for you.

~I am not a fan of the ground almonds. I understand that they act as a natural exfoliate (thank goodness there are no plastic microbeads!), but I sometimes think they irritate my skin as they can be very sharp!

A dancing almond, showing that Lush

Thanks for reading my Lush Herbalism review! What is your favorite Lush product?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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bookmark_borderWhy I Use Bars Over Bottles 🧼

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Hey earth muffins! I think one of the easiest switches I made on my journey towards living zero waste was replacing my plastic products with bars. This isn’t difficult to do, especially now that companies like Lush have a lot more “naked” options. This post outlines the best reasons why you should also replace your plastic bottles, so let’s jump right into it! 😀

picture of plastic shampoo bottles next to a stack of shampoo bars, suggesting that you should choose the bars over the bottle
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1. 
There is less plastic packaging. If you want to be more sustainable, it is a much better alternative! Many stores like Lush and Whole Foods sell these products in absolutely no packaging, which means you can avoid all waste by bring your own container/bag to the store. Plus, you don’t have to worry about recycling the plastic bottle at the end, which as I mentioned in my Ultimate Plastic Recycling Guide, isn’t actually good for the planet.

2. 
You get more product, which is better for your wallet! How many times have you been unable to get all of the product out of a plastic bottle? There are many hard to reach places, which often forces you to toss before it is actually all gone. Many “naked” products use concentrated ingredients so that they will last a longer time; my Jumping Juniper shampoo bar lasted me 98 washes!!

3.
These products are often more natural. I am all for avoiding any unnecessary chemicals/additives, so I love that I am able to reduce them by buying bar products. This is especially true if you buy locally or off of Etsy, as I have found that even Lush items have more ingredients than I would like.

4.
They look so much better in the tub! 😍 Just peep my side of the shower versus my roommate’s. Plastic bottles are usually obnoxious colors with a million words, so I am a huge fan of having products that don’t visually clutter the room. I love my Ethique soap container that keeps my shampoo bar and soap dry so that they last even longer; I would definitely recommend checking it out, as it is only $15 and is biodegradable after a few years of use.

a picture of the inside of the shower in my apartment, showing the comparison between a side with no plastic bottles and one with plastic bottles

5.
They work just as well! I think many people are concerned that these products aren’t as effective as the brands they know and trust… And that is just untrue! Sure, you might not love everything you try out, but you will definitely find products that you LOVE!

What “naked” products do you use currently?

Love,
Jenna ♥

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