Monday 9 October 2017

10 ways to live more sustainably.

Recently I re-found a document called "75 Ways to Live More Sustainably in 2013". Thankfully it doesn't only apply to 2013 and has some good tips for more sustainable living...

We are constantly trying to live a clean and sustainable life, for us and for our environment. From the list, lots of things we do well, others are stupid, and others we want to work on. Let me share 10 with you:

  1. Start reading the labels on your food. This is how we shop (when we go to the shops), we don't read the nutritional information, but the ingredients list. What is actually in the food. We don't buy food if we don't know what it is or the list is super long.
  2. Switch to reusable grocery bags when you shop. If you're not already doing this, then I think you should. Sure, the grocery bags can be good for some bins as bin liners, but half the the time they have holes in them and can't be used. Save landfill!
  3. Buy second hand... everything. Buying everything second hand is difficult, but you might as well try. We try to source as many of our homewares second hand but I'm sure there's heaps more we could be getting. I'd recommend, if not buying second hand, then buy local and support local businesses. Often their practices are more ethical.
  4. Start composting. We do the best we can. I wrote about our composting solution here, but since then we have also added a tumble composter because we had too much to compost (there's so many things you can compost). But before composting, try using some of those scraps... make bone broth or green scraps pesto or reinvent meals to use some of those old looking veggies.
  5. Adjust your thermostat. Keep your house cooler in winter and warmer in the summer. We have air con but try not to use it too often. Instead we close our blinds in the late afternoon to keep the sun out or the heat in. And we close the doors to the rooms we're not in to keep the heat in or open the windows and doors in the summer. We also have blankets nearby for cold nights. 
  6. Eat less meat. This means we will be able to afford to buy better quality meat from animals that have been treated humanely. I don't do this as well as I should. I go through phases. I really believe that animals that have been treated well serve our bodies better when we eat them. We try to buy organic/free range but I want to be better. The price difference should be worth it!
  7. Share the good news. I enjoy telling people about Jesus, but this point is actually about sharing about sustainable living. Here I am sharing with you. I want to be better though. Often I don't feel like I am well enough informed... but the more I talk about it the more I grow and learn. I'm just sharing what I know and hope to see change cause maybe you haven't thought about it!
  8. Try natural remedies first before heading to the doctor. I try to find the source of the problem. I no longer (well, very rarely) treat headaches with panadol instead with rest, water or a massage. Our bodies aren't meant to ache, so find out why they do and change that instead. I also use essential oils, food and other goodies to help my ailments.
  9. Become a nudist. This is our announcement that we are saving water and energy from washing; money and sweatshops from not needing to purchase clothes; and getting more Vitamin D, naturally. What a brilliant idea... JOKES! I think instead we might just wash less (on cold and line dry), purchase ethically made clothes that we need, and enjoy the sun when I can.
  10. Reduce, reuse, recycle. I have so many ideas for this. But do it. Start thinking outside of the box. I make my own dips that I store and serve in old glass jars. I make my own cards from brochures, envelopes and magazines and give others wrapping paper that has been used before. Think about what you can reuse.
I hope these tips and thoughts have been helpful and have given you an idea of what you can do to live a life better for the planet, your body, and your wallet.

Saturday 7 October 2017

40 weeks of pregnancy.

Every Tuesday for nine-isn months I had my photo taken.

See when I stopped fitting into my black clothes...
Or when we hung an artwork...
Or when we were on holidays...
Or when I really popped...
Or when I was way to tired to smile...
Or do my hair...
Or what I wore to my baby showers...
Or when I had a baby!

Watch my belly grow!

                                       

Friday 6 October 2017

road trip snacks.

We do a lot of road tripping... and I always pack our own snacks. I generally pack enough food to eat for eight hours straight so I asked on Instagram if anyone was interested in any of my ideas for car snacks...
and some people were.

So here we are..

Sorry in advance to people who like to follow a recipe (I'm one of them) but all of these ideas are a bit vague. Play around with the quantities or find recipes online. Hope this is a helpful starting point.

Sorry also to those who don't like to make food and want to buy it. I think it's much better to make it yourself – cause it's cheaper, often healthier and customisable, but luckily for you at the end I have added some ideas of healthy snacks that you can buy.

P O P C O R N


When you think of popcorn you probably think of the movies or those microwavable bags. Unfortunately neither of these types of popcorn are all that good for you, but popcorn, made a little differently, is actual an awesome healthy snack, easy to prepare and very yummy (especially if you make a range of favours)!

Pop some organic (because most corn is GMO) corn kernels in a saucepan (or you could do it in a glass microwavable container with a lid) in a little coconut oil til all the kernels are popped then... go crazy with the flavours!

To make, combine the ingredients with coconut oil (or butter or another oil) over heat and then mix through the popcorn (or alternatively, just sprinkle them over while it's warm – that's what I usually do!)

I love:
  • sweet and salty (rapadura sugar and Himalayan salt)
  • spicy (cumin, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne, salt)
  • chocolate (cacao, maple)
  • cheesy (nutritional yeast, cumin, garlic, onion)
  • nutty (nut butter)
Be adventurous and experiment with your favourite combinations. Share with me some winning combos!

Warning: they're pretty addictive!!

N U T S

Nuts are amazing in their health benefits (especially if they've been activated [soaked and dehydrated] to help with digestion) but did you know they can also be flavoured and made even more delicious.

All you need to do is combine nuts and marinade in a bowl, then pop them in the oven (at about 170C) until they're golden (about 15 mins but keep an eye on them cause you don't want them to burn!).

Try:
  • Tamari almonds (just tamari and almonds)
  • Rosemary Walnuts (rosemary, salt, olive oil and walnuts)
  • Honey Walnuts (honey, cinnamon, sesame seeds, coconut oil and walnuts)
  • Paprika and Rosemary Almonds (paprika, rosemary, honey, salt, olive oil and almonds)
  • Cinnamon Cashews (cinnamon, coconut sugar, coconut oil and cashews)
  • Nacho Nuts (nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, olive oil and cashews)
One again, so many flavours to try. Experiment with your own combinations or ask Mr Google. And yet again, they are super addictive and delicious! Or just eat them on their own; they're yummy!

A P P L E  C H I P S  ( O R  P E A R S  O R  S W E E T  P O T A T O )


I've written before about apples as I buy them in bulk and I'm always on the look out for recipes to use them. One of our favourites is super easy apple chips. You just need a mandolin (or a knife) and a dehydrator (or an oven). Slice 'em thin and dry 'em out and eat away.

As above, you can also flavour them in lots of ways. I've only tried this recipe: Cinnamon Baked Pear Chips (with pears and apples) and it was yum but I'm sure there are many combos that are gooooood!

For a more savoury option, try slicing sweet potato super thin and baking them for a yummy healthy snack.

T R A I L  M I X

Trail mix is filling, easy and transportable and if you find it in your handbag a couple of months later, you'll probably still be ok to eat it. The good thing is that you can just chuck in whatever you have on hand:
  • almonds
  • walnuts
  • dried figs
  • goji berries
  • puffed rice
  • coconut
  • cashews
  • pepitas
  • sunflower seeds
  • sultanas
  • cacao nibs
F R U I T  A N D  V E G

Want no prep? Then grab an apple, banana, mandarin or pear (or whatever else is in season) and eat that. Full of goodness and deliciousness.

Or cut up some carrot sticks, celery, capsicum or cucumber and munch away (cutting optional). You can easily take some dips with you too...

W A T E R

Don't forget your water bottle (or two). The plastic from the number of one-use water bottles consumed in Australia makes me sad as well as the negative health effects from the water (yes, they actually sometimes add baddies to bottled water) and the bottle (no, they're not BPA free).

But actually, when I'm road tripping, I often crave sugar to keep me energised. If you stop for a drink, my guess is you'll be more likely to purchase a bottle of soft drink than water anyway. Resist the temptation, save some money and serve your body, by drinking water.

We also always bring our keep cups filled with a cup of tea... as well as a thermos filled with hot water and some tea bags. Sometimes we stop for a coffee and the staff happily rinse our cups with boiling water, add our new drink and off we go.


I F  Y O U   J U S T  W A N T  T O  B U Y  I T
  • Tamari Almonds: Woolworths sells in their Macro range (look in the healthfood aisle)
  • Popcorn: there are heaps of different types of popcorn you can buy in the supermarkets. Just be sure to check out the ingredients and buy the one with the least number of ingredients (i.e. corn and salt).
  • Dried Fruit: you can buy dried fruit in many places but most of it has added preservatives. Check the labels and try and find ones that don't (steer clear of dried apricots, they pretty much always do).
  • Sweet Potato Chips: you can find a range of veggie chips in the healthfood aisle or Red Rock Deli and Kettle do sweet potato chips which I believe just have sweet potato, oil and salt.
  • Trail Mix: Aldi does Seeds and Sultanas, and I'm sure there are a million other ones out there too. Just check that the ingredients are just what you want to be eating... 
Hope this is gives some good ideas of some delicious snacks for the road and makes you less hangry on your trip and saves you money for the actual holiday! Snack on.

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teething tools.

It's no secret that I'm into natural medicine and believe that we have been given so many tools to help deal with our symptoms. Yes, I believe there is a place for conventional medicine but I think we use it too freely and often unnecessarily. I started writing this post when our little girl only had 3 teeth (she now has 7) and we have treated her teething naturally and plan to continue doing so. Here's how:


amber teething necklace
Our little girl has worn hers since she was 8 weeks old and her teeth have come in with no dramas.. ok, this last one was a drama... but 6 out of 7 is pretty amazing! She's almost had no excess saliva which is a win! It's worn around her neck (or you can get bracelets or anklets) and the natural properties of amber work by being grounding and anti-inflammatory (it's not to be chewed!). To be honest, I don't know if it works or if she's just a "good teether" but it's not doing her any harm so I'm not taking it off!


something to chew on
Chewing on something hard is soothing and the pressure against her gums is relieving. She has a wooden ring that she likes to bite down on and I often wear necklaces, designed for her to chew on (for her teeth and just cause she likes eating things!). She also likes buttons on my cardigans and my fingers ;)
Something cold is also helpful: celery, rusks (check out my homemade recipe here) and I keep a rubber ring in the freezer for her to chew on! I've also heard good things about a cold or frozen face washer but am yet to try... because I'm not that well prepared with a washer in the freezer.


brauer teething gel
My number one go-to is this gel! It always settles her down. I think she likes the pressure of me rubbing the gel on, but I choose this over Bonjela, not only because of the ingredient list but because it is an anti-inflammatory where Bonjela just numbs the gum. I prefer to get to the root cause rather than just mask the symptoms.


essential oils
I have a blend of essential oils designed specifically for teething. I rub it on her jawline and let it work its magic. Essential oils are pretty amazing!

breastmilk
Did you know that breastmilk is a natural anaesthetic? It's pretty amazing! When she's teething, I let her feed as often as she wants (ok, I let her do that when she's not teething too!) and she receives comfort and pain relief. Except when her last tooth came in, she refused all milk and food during the day, but I trust her and that she knows what her body needs.



How do you deal with teething? We have another 13 to get so any other tips would be amazing!

Wednesday 4 October 2017

easy and yummy 3 ingredient fritters that are almost everything free

Pretty much every week I make a batch of hummus. It's a good snack, easy to make, and tastes great. But I seriously hate waste and when I found out that you can use the liquid from a tin of chickpeas (or the water you've soaked them in) I was so happy! Only problem is, I started saving it and then didn't use it in time... I don't know how long that stuff can sit in the fridge.

Most recipes that use aquafaba (the more appealing name for chickpea juice...) are to make meringue or mousse, and it needs to be eaten that day. I, 1. don't have time for that, and 2. believe it or not, I can't (ok, shouldn't) get through that much meringue in a day!

So when I came across this way of making fritters, I was excited! I was using the aquafaba, making something easy that would last (and could be frozen), and is something my daughter can actually eat (as she reacts to many things, egg whites included, meaning normal fritters aren't possible).

   

So here is the easiest and best fritter recipe I've made:

<<< T H R E E  I N G R E D I E N T  F R I T T E R S >>>

gluten free :: dairy free :: egg free :: fructose free :: nut free :: soy free :: vegan :: vegetarian 

I N G R E D I E N T S :
  • 3 cups of grated veg – so far I've tried sweet potato, and a mixture of sweet potato and carrot
  • 1 cup of flour – I make ours gluten free, I've used besan flour, and a mixture of buckwheat and rice flours
  • liquid from a 400g can of chickpeas

M E T H O D :
  1. Mix all of the ingredients together until well combined. 
  2. Roll mixture into approximately 16 balls.
  3. Heat coconut oil in frypan.
  4. Place 3-4 fritters (or however many fit) into your frypan and flatten with the back of a flipper.
  5. Cook for a few minutes then flip and flatten again.
  6. When golden, remove and repeat until all fritters are cooked.
  7. Serve warm or cold, for the whole family. Eat them by themselves or with eggs and avocado, with a salad, or part of a nourish bowl. Yum!
<<< >>> <<< >>> <<< >>> <<< >>> <<< >>> <<< >>> <<< >>> <<< >>>

These are intended to minimise waste, so don't chuck out the chickpeas!!

If you need some ideas of what to do with chickpeas, here are a couple:

Yum! 

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