40 Day Plastic Free Challenge

40 Day Plastic-Free Challenge: Day Two

It seems my lent challenge idea was not so novel after all. This article in The Metro dates back to last year but it is probably  even more relevant today as the situation is worsening but on the plus side is being addressed more and more than before by companies and individuals alike. Time for the government to step up now especially reading about the actions taken by other countries around the world. The plastic bag issue is probably the most commonly addressed here in the UK but what about other packaging?

Day two of my challenge is to stop buying shop -bought bread. My family takes in pack lunches to work and school nearly every week-day plus there's the weekend too so we probably go through a loaf or more each week. Unfortunately we cannot recycle these plastic bags very easily at the moment and I do not live near a local bakers where I can nip in with my 100% cotton produce bag asking for a fresh white loaf. My parents lived in a remote hamlet in France for a bit and a local baker in their van would do the rounds with fresh bread of the day...sounds idyllic doesn't it?

Is there a gap in the market for surburban London perhaps? So the other option? Bake them myself.

I've had a bread machine for several years now but only really used it as a nice treat - fresh bread on a Sunday, Hot Cross buns at Easter or Foccacia bread for buffets and picnics for example. It gave up on me a couple of weeks ago and the manufacturer had made it impossible for us to replace the motor belt which was the only thing wrong with it. So that's another conundrum I'm faced with - disposing of electronics but maybe that's for another post.
Anyway back to the bread, I think the main advantages include the unbeatable taste of freshly baked warm bread (obviously), the amazing aroma (another obvious ..even at 6.30am this morning when it woke me up), plus you get to know exactly what is in it and finally no plastic bags to put in the bin. (Note to self - find bulk supplier of yeast rather than all those small sachets.) So are you sold on the idea yet?
The main disadvantages I suppose are timing and planning - no more last minute dashes to the convenience store but if I have all the ingredients in bulk it should not be a problem (crossing my fingers). The other downside is that it does not go as far - no matter how hard I try I cannot cut it thinly enough. So doorstep sandwiches it is.

Tried some wholemeal rolls for a change too today hoping that they'll stay fresh a bit longer than sliced bread.

Join me for Day 3 tomorrow for more zero waste antics. Again would love to hear your stories.

40 Day Plastic Free Challenge

As Lent starts I thought I would try something different and do 40 days of cutting out single use plastic - not sure if this is easier or harder than giving up biscuits! Many of us are probably stuck in the same old routine of buying plastic milk bottles, toiletry bottles, plastic wrap and so much more. So I am using this as a much needed nudge to change my behaviour one day at a time. The going may be slow and there may be many mistakes along the way but hopefully I will find some easy swaps and great alternatives to use going forward. Why not join me on my journey? Wish me luck...

Day One: Naked Toiletries

Shampoos and shower gels are purchased regularly in our house and I wanted to cut down on the plastic bottles as well as choose a more natural product that inevitably ends up down the plug hole and out into the world beyond. I often walk straight past Lush thinking that the strong scents wafting out would give me a headache the moment I walked in the store. But I had heard much about their naked packaging as well as their much publicized opening of their new store selling waste-free products only so took the step over the threshold.
When I walked in I did not know were to start so commandeered an assistant and asked for help choosing naked a shampoo bar and a facial wash bar to get me started as I was running low on the usual bottled stuff back at home. They're not cheap at approx £7 a go but I think they last about 80 washes. The assistant asked about skin and hair qualities before we started and she even let me test them on my hand to get a feel for them. I eventually chose a honey based shampoo bar and a Jade based facial bar. They will take a bit of getting used to but I will let you know how my skin and hair feel at the end of this journey. My daughter was with me and of course she did not want to feel left out so she got a lavender bubble bar which you can break off in chunks for each use. I will review these items and update the blog later on once they have all been used a few times.

I would welcome your stories below about products you have tried and other great places to buy similar waste free products.
Be sure to join me tomorrow for Day 2 of my 40 day zero waste challenge

Fiona's Lime, Courgette and Coconut Loaf

I wanted to share this tasty recipe with you which is proving popular with friends, family and at cake sales. I know, I know courgette...but trust  me it works. It adds moisture and a nice texture to the cake and with the lime syrup that is added at the end this is guaranteed to please. It is so very morish that one slice never seems to be enough...but it contains one of your five a day! So enjoy and please leave comments below letting me know if it worked out for you.

Ingredients

125g butter, cubed
225g self-raising flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 limes
1/2 medium courgette, peeled and grated
30g dessicated coconut

For the topping

Juice of 2 limes
200g caster sugar
Dessicated coconut for decoration

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c/ gas mark 4. Line and grease a 2lb loaf tin (I use the pre-shaped liners).
2. Mix flour and salt together then rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
3. Stir in sugar then add eggs, lime juice and lime zest and mix.
4. Stir in grated courgette and coconut and stir gently until just combined.
5. Spoon into loaf tin and bake for 45 - 55 minutes. 
6. Insert a skewer to test. Cool slightly in tin.
7. Meanwhile mix lime juice and syrup together. Prick surface of cake and pour over syrup leaving it to sink in. Add a sprinkling of coconut whilst syrup is still sticky.
8. Lift from tin to cool completely.

Notes:
I use a fan oven so adjust accordingly.
I found that using 2 limes and 200g of sugar for the syrup was a bit too much so try adding half, letting it sink in for a while and then adding the rest.

This month's project: Beach Hut Door Stop

Happy Midummer Everyone!

If the sun isn't shining where you are then this month's craft might be just the antidote. I have been a lover of coastal themed crafts and decor for a while now and my beach themed Pinterest board is growing steadily with lots of ideas on how to use all those lovely beach finds.

Beach Hut Door Stop

I came across a great competition from Hilarys Blinds that inspired my to get that sewing machine out that has been sitting idle for too long. And boy I'm so glad I did! I am feeling very proud of myself in getting this project finished in two days. Now, for a procrastinator such as myself that is one hell of an accomplishment (she says giving herself a pat on the back). Hilarys Blinds sent me a metre of a gorgeous cream and raspberry fabric called Hatti Raspberry (how could I not choose this as both my Gran and my daughter have that lovely name) to do something magical with. The stripes reminded me of vintage beach style but rather than choosing a simple beach tote bag to make I opted for a beach hut shaped door stop.

I started by drawing out the front elevation on the back of some cereal boxes (that I keep for such crafty occasions). I used this as a starting point and with a ruler measured out the side wall, roof and base. I wanted a contrasting fabric as the roof and door etc and thought that denim would add a nice touch. Again, I had a stash of ripped jeans that I kept for such an occasion. Once I had cut all the individual pieces out I then went about designing the door and decorations. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter as a template for the door decoration and also cut out some triangular pieces of denim for the bunting. Having only used bondaweb once before I gingerly ironed them on etc and they worked a treat! Back to the sewing machine and I zigzagged round the bunting and door as tidily as I could. Well as tidily as any sewing novice can!

Then the fun really began. I laid out the pieces in a cross shape and started joining them all together, allowing 0.5cm seem allowance. (Tip: Whatever your seam allowance add this again to the top of the side walls. I did not take this into account and had to adjust the angle of the roof to accommodate. See picture below.) Once I sewed the 4 walls together I added the base and then the 2 roof parts. I then attached the bottom of the 3 remaining walls to the base working my way round. Then finally I sewed the apex of the hut to the roof parts.

Template Plan

When I got to the roof I used part of a waistband form the jeans I cut up earlier as the handle. But this proved quite hardwork as it would not go through the sewing machine and I even bent a needle whilst hand-sewing it together! I then turned it all inside out through the conveniently left hole and started to stuff the beach hut with old t-shirts etc that my husband had recently cleared out (Thank you!). Amazingly 2 carrier bags of fabric went into this beach hut - I wanted it quite tightly packed so that it kept its shape. I suppose you could use sand or packing beads but I'm all for recycling and the t-shirts did just the job. When I was happy with the shape I then closed up the gap with a ladder stitch and it was ready to go!

So, all I have to do now is keep my fingers crossed as the prize money would, my husband just pointed out, enable me to buy my very own beach hut style craft room for the back garden where hopefully my sewing machine would get to see the light of day a bit more. Still got some fabric left so maybe some matching book ends?

xxx

Seven days to a happier me

Has it really been a year since I last posted? 

Well, I seem to have lost my direction in a lot of things and just got bogged down with daily life, not knowing where I was heading and most importantly where I wanted to be heading. So a bit of soul searching is needed - a cliche but oh so true especially after becoming a mother. I've never been very career driven and can't remember when I was a child what I wanted to be when I grew up. I'm still not sure what I want to be but I have come to realise that maybe not everyone is career driven in the traditional sense. Someone recently told me that I was a "homemaker". I took this as a compliment and it got me realising that this is probably where my strengths and passion lie and to therefore pursue actively and be the best I can be at it. 

I made a list of what is most important to me and happened to come up with 7 chore activities/areas which fits in nicely with the week. So I'm thinking of allocating each item a day and making sure I do something to improve, fine-tune or fulfill that area/need. Then hopefully it will kick start a lifestyle change and I'll be doing more than one conscious activity/task each day to get me where I want to go.