Simple Solution: Lazy De-Wrinkling

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Simple Solution: Lazy De-wrinkling

I don’t like to iron. Back when I had good intentions, all of our wrinkly, unwearable clothes remained crumpled in a corner forever. Eventually, I came into possession of Bounty’s Wrinkle Releaser spray, and it worked wonders. A few spritzes and a few shakes later, my clothes were smooth…but sticky. Touching a wrinkle-released shirt with damp hands was a recipe for goo.

Simple Solution: Lazy De-wrinkling

After a few uses, I realized that the key step in eliminating wrinkles seemed to be vigorouslyshaking out the clothes after spraying on the product. I decided to experiment using plain water. And…

Simple Solution: Lazy De-wrinkling

…it worked! A few light mists with a water bottle, a few vigorous shakes, and our clothes relaxed into smooth, supple fabric. I use the spray bottle frequently to smooth out clothes that have been stored in drawers or come out of the dryer looking creased. It works every time. Thinner fabrics like the shirts pictured here need about an hour or so to dry out after a light misting, but thicker fabrics like suit material or sweaters look fine almost immediately. Note, however, that you shouldn’t try this method on clothes that can’t get wet.

Has anyone else used this trick, or are you devoted to the iron’s crisp edges?

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White Bean Hummus by Hand

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White Bean Hummus by Hand

Prepare yourself for an overwhelming amount of granite/fake granite in these pictures! I made a big batch of white beans and had trouble using them up. Some went into soup, others went on tacos. I didn’t feel like adding any to pasta, so when my friend mentioned white bean hummus, I was inspired. My friend mixed her white beans with beets, and she said the result was delicious but that its color was off-putting. Given that this was my first time grinding up white beans, I decided to stick with a more traditionally-flavored hummus. And it’s fantastic! The texture is very similar to normal hummus, but it carries the white beans‘ earthier taste. As for the process, I might be making all of my hummus by hand from now on!

White Bean Hummus by Hand

To make it, add 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds to a mortar, and grind the seeds up with a pestle until they turn into a thick paste. Add a small drizzle of sesame oil to the paste to enhance its flavor, and grind it in as well. Alternatively, you could use 2 tablespoons of tahini- my jar of tahini seems to have disappeared during my move.

White Bean Hummus by Hand

Add 1/2 cup of white beans to the mortar, and grind them up until they form a thick paste. The base of your hummus is now ready to be seasoned and flavored.

White Bean Hummus by Hand

Squeeze in some lemon juice, and season the hummus with salt. Combine and taste. You can thin the hummus with a teaspoon or two of water if needed. I also stirred in some smoked paprika for a little bit of color and added flavor. I just realized that I never added olive oil, as I would with normal hummus, but I didn’t miss it at all. Use a spatula to scrape up the hummus from the bottom of the mortar to be sure that it is fully combined. Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, and serve it with pita chips or raw vegetables for scooping. I am surprised by how much I enjoyed making this hummus by hand as opposed to using a food processor. I had much more control over the hummus’ texture; some areas were deliciously smooth, and other areas retained a degree of shapeliness. These two textures married perfectly into a rustic and substantial treat.

Shopping list:

  • Tahini OR sesame seeds and sesame oil
  • White beans
  • Lemon
  • Salt
  • Smoked paprika
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An Activity Tracker for the Privacy-Conscious

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An Activity Tracker for the Privacy-Conscious

I have really wanted to get one of the new activity trackers that have recently become available. Between Stella walking duties and daily life in a walkable city, I imagined that I walk a relatively significant distance each day. I was curious just how much. Last year, I bought a $5 pedometer, but Stella chewed it up before I got into the hang of using it regularly. The wide array of wearable activity trackers attracted my attention because they are inconspicuous and capable of gathering a lot of data throughout the day. Unfortunately, every single activity tracker I researched (and I think I researched all of them- Fitbit, Polar Loop, Misfit Shine, Nike Fuelband, Garmin Vivofit, Jawbone, LG Lifeband, Spark) require the wearer to create an account in order to access the data that the device records. If I bought one of these trackers, I would have to create a mandatory account with the company, connect to the Internet, and upload my data from the device before being able to see it. In that process, all of my data would go to the company. And that is not ok.

Pedometer

I am extremely uncomfortable creating a 24/7, date- and time-stamped log of my physical activity and sending that information off to an unaccountable company. Although the companies that sell activity trackers are most likely to use the data for profit, they could also disclose that information to the government or allow it to be stolen. I am keenly aware that taking advantage of nearly all technology requires some privacy tradeoff. But for me, the cost of giving up control over very personal and detailed information does not outweigh the benefit of knowing how far I walk each day.

Pedometer

I have to assume that I am not alone in this calculation, but until I am able to find a product that lets me keep all of my data exclusively on my own computer or phone (let me know if you are aware of one!), I came up with my own solution. I bought a pedometer more advanced than my $5 version, one that personalizes its calculations based on height, weight, and stride length and stores 7 days worth of data. Then, I created an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my numbers. I even set the spreadsheet up to automatically chart my data on colorful graphs! Here’s the file you can download and use yourself 🙂

There are some obvious drawbacks to using a pedometer instead of a wearable activity tracker- it doesn’t log my activity at all hours of the day, and it can be challenging to figure out how to wear the pedometer with some outfits. I also have to log my data manually, but the memory function and relatively few data points keeps that from feeling burdensome. Even with these drawbacks, I am grateful not to worry that an unaccountable company is collecting my data on a very granular level.

So tell me, do you use an activity tracker and love it, have a different interpretation of the privacy scale, or have another low-tech way to track your activity?

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