Updates 22/08

I thought I'd start sharing odd updates now and then to let you know how I'm going in all my attempts to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

It has been a stressful week unfortunately due to my cat getting sick and needing a vet visit. She is on antibiotics and should be fine this time next week but she is getting plenty of cuddle time from us.

I have made great progress since deciding to cut the grocery bill. I have set myself a realistic target for my weekly grocery expenses and have kept to that target in the past couple of weeks. The major difference has been switching to lower cost meals which has been very effective.

I also had a big win at home last week! My boyfriend has agreed to try one vegetarian meal a fortnight. Trust me, if you knew my boyfriend you would know how much of a step forward this is. I hope to eventually have one vegetarian a week to help cut our grocery bill and to reduce our meat intake. I also want to ensure we are eating fish at least once a week too therefore limiting our red meat intake even further.

Photo credit

I have been trying to determine the best way to shop in bulk in order to reduce packaging when the bulk store is so far away. I was very torn with myself between the packaging versus the long distance travel to the bulk food store. In the end I decided to email the lovely couple at rubbishfree.co.nz who are just incredible and they were nice enough to respond to my dilemma. Matthew was able to point out for me that it is important to look at the full distribution impact as the items you buy at your local store may have travelled from overseas and there may have been a large number of production steps which result in waste all the way along that production cycle. He also suggested that if I buy in large bulk every 6 months than the impact of my travel would be even lower. This has definitely given me something to think about and I a currently writing out a list of all the items I could stock up on at the bulk foods store in order to limit my trips there. I hope to visit every 3 months until I get to a comfortable familiarity with the process and then expand to 6 monthly visits.

Product Review: Next Generation Dishwasher Powder

First off yes I use a dishwasher. I battle with myself over this one a lot but ultimately with our household working full time having a dishwasher just frees up our nights to focus on other activities.

The latest dish washer powder I have tried is Next Generation. Next Generation uses phosphate free, biodegradable ingredients, is not tested on animals and comes in recyclable packaging.

I have found that Next Generation does just as good a job as many of the other top brands out there and I've never had a problem with dishes not coming out clean (note I tend to rinse all my dishes first). It also has a really pleasant smell (citrus) and price wise is pretty competitive against other brands.

Product Review: Earthwise Multi Surface Cleaning Spray

With a Citrus & Mint smell, Earthwise Multi Surface Cleaning Spray is made from plant based cleaning agents, uses biodegradable surfactants and is safe for grey water and septic tanks. It is not tested on animals and comes in a biodegradable bottle.

I really like this spray. It has such a pleasant smell and works really well at cleaning around my stove and bench tops. I have only used it in the kitchen and dining room but I'm very pleased with it. I'll definitely happily use this again.

Sunday Brunch

There really is nothing better than a Sunday brunch.

Recipe

Made from It's Easier than you Think - Jo Seagar

Buttermilk Waffles with Banana & Maple Syrup

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs separated

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 Tblsp runny honey

125g melted butter

Heat the waffle irons.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Beat egg yolks and caster sugar in another bowl until thick. Stir in buttermilk, honey and melted butter. Slowly pour buttermilk mix into dry ingredients and mix into a smooth batter.

Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form, fold gently into the waffle batter.

Lightly coat the hot waffle iron with non stick spray. Pour 1/2 cup of the mixture into the iron and cook until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Store each in a warm place until ready to serve.

Serve with sliced banana and maple syrup.

Weekend Baking: Chocolate Slice

Every now and then I like to make something a little less healthy and a little more oh so chocolatey goodness! This was one of those weeks. When I was a little girl my mum used to make the most amazing chocolate slice made from vanilla wine biscuits. It was my favourite thing in the whole world but unfortunately somewhere along the way she lost the recipe. Well recently I spotted a recipe online that looked like it was the same thing so I had to make it. It was close, but not quite the same but hopefully I'll have a good enough base that I can now tweak it until I get it perfect. Of course that's not to say this one isn't delicious, cause it is! It's just not quite the same as the one from my childhood.

Regardless of that, this is such a simple and easy to make slice that I definitely recommend you give it a go.  Warning: chocolate overdose may result.

Ingredients
175g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
4 tablespoons Cocoa
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
1 egg, lightly beaten
250g plain biscuits : crushed (I use Griffins Super Wine)

How to make it

In a saucepan melt butter, sugar and cocoa over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Stirring to ensure sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat add coconut, egg and biscuits. Press mixture into a baking paper lined tin/dish. Chill for an hour, or you can leave it in the fridge over night. When cool, you can ice it.

Chocolate top

250g Cadbury dark cooking chocolate, chopped coarsely
50g butter

Method 

Melt chocolate and butter in bowl over simmering water. Spread over slice.Then set in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Recipe copied from original post here

Cutting the grocery bill

I recently stumbled across this old post at beautythatmoves.typepad.com which is a new blog I'm following and it got me thinking. After reading through many of the comments from a number of people willing to share their grocery bill online I realised I spend far too much on groceries.

This isn't quite a new revelation. I don't have a budget set out for grocery shopping so it's quite easy to just buy what I feel like at the time. And since moving back home to New Zealand from London I have noticed a considerable increase in the percentage of my income that goes to food, sadly because food costs here are higher.

So I have decided to finally tackle this issue head on and attempt to cut my spending on the grocery shop. I made the decision about two weeks ago and I have seen incredible improvements.

Firstly I have set myself a weekly budget that I am going to stick to. It is a fair budget that reflects the number of people in the house and the variety of food we like to eat.

When I shop I tend to shop at three different locations. The butchers, local fruit and veggie store and finally the supermarket. So I have to track my budget across all three but I find the supermarket is where my budget usually falls over. Cheese, toiletries, and laundry/kitchen items are usually the high ticket items that throw out a week.

I have always been one to plan out my meals but often I just plan based on whatever I think will be tasty for that week. Now I am thinking about the cost of all the ingredients. Looking for low cost meals isn't as difficult as it sounds. I find recipes that are high in vegetables and low in meat definitely cheaper. I also have been finding ways to swap out ingredients for cheaper options. Italian inspired meals are the worst as pancetta, olives and cheese all come at a high price here. But that doesn't mean I have to forgo them completely. I simply look for alternative options or stick to the tomato and mushroom based recipe, bruschetta anyone?! Yum!

Meats can also be tricky, I like to be flexible and replace out meats in a recipe based on what's on special. I would love to cook more vegetarian options but with my meat loving boyfriend that is a tough one. But I have started to reduce the amount of meat I put into each meal and he hasn't noticed a thing ;)

I'm also trying to make as many items at home as I can. I recently baked my own bread buns and have made home made muesli bars.

I'll keep you posted with how the next couple of months go but I have already noticed a decrease in my weekly spending just by trying out these few small changes.

I would love to hear other tips for how you reduce your grocery shopping bill.

Sunday Baking: Home made muesli bars

I love muesli bars and they are a really easy thing to make for yourself. I found a great recipe in a magazine that I tried out today. I mucked up the proportions a little so isn't holding as well as it should but it tastes great.

100g unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dried apricots (finely chopped)
1/3 cup dried cranberries (finely chopped)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 180dec C. Grease and line a 18cm x 26cm slide pan.
Place butter and honey in a small saucepan; stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down and simmer for 2 minutes.
Combine the butter/honey mix with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
Press mixture firmly into the pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until brown.
Cool in pan and cut to size.

I also added a couple of chocolate chips on top too but they are an optional extra.