Devonport Whole Foods

Here's one for any of my New Zealand readers.

I'm currently living in Auckland and I'm always on the look out for new options when it comes to working towards my sustainable lifestyle. And recently I heard about a place called Devonport Whole Foods. Not surprisingly this little store is situated in Devonport and really is everything you'd want in a local eco-friendly store.

Along with being a coffee shop they provide a number of organic and whole food options for purchase. I originally stumbled across them because I was looking for more information about my eco-friendly house products I had been buying (dishwashing liquid, laundry powder etc) and I found this store provides refills. Bonus! So not only can I now ensure that I are using plant based products but I can also re-use my recyclable packaging. What a great find.

Now for me this store isn't quite local so I know I will have to limit my visits to around monthly to reduce travel times. But I decided to check it out this weekend to see what kinds of things I could get there. And I wasn't disappointed.

They have an array of household products available for refills including dishwashing powder, laundry liquid, fabric softener, shampoo and conditioner. Currently all of these are from the eco store range and you check out a video here of the eco store company interviewing the owner of Devonport Whole Foods.

But that's not all they have. Here is just a small sample of some of the other items you can get refills for:

• Red wine vinegar
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce
• Olive oil
• Curry powder
• Spices
• Black Pepper / Salt

And that's just the ones I made note of!

While I was there I was in the need for laundry powder but unfortunately they were out at the time, so if you are traveling from outside of the suburb it can be worth giving them a quick call before hand if you are needing something in particular just to make sure they have it in stock on that day. But otherwise why not just go for a cup of coffee?

It's a really friendly atmosphere and they are more than happy to help with any of your questions. I really couldn't recommend this place enough. 

If you want to go and check them out they're open during the week and on Saturdays from 9am - 1pm. 

Address: 63c Lake Road, Devonport, Auckland

Phone: (09) 445 9598

Weekend Baking: Scones

 Somehow I have never made scones before. Which now really doesn't make sense to me as they are one of the easiest things to make ever! So few ingredients and really quick cooking time.

They are absolutely divine with a bit of jam and cream for a special weekend afternoon tea.

This is the recipe I used and I was very pleased with the outcome. They were crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle and straight out of the oven they were delicious!

3 cups plain flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
75g butter
1 - 1½ cups milk, approximately

1. Preheat oven to 220 deg C. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. 
2. Cut butter into the dry mixture
3. Add 1 cup milk and quickly mix until a dough forms (adding a little more milk if necessary). Knead a few times
4. Press scone mix out onto a flour surface and cut into 12 equal portions. 
5. Place on an oven tray and and brush tops with milk
6. Cook for 10 mins or until golden brown. Cool on a rack covered in a tea towel. 

Yummy!

Product Review: Next Generation Laundry Soaker

A laundry soaker to make your whites whiter that uses phosphate free biodegrable ingredients, not tested on animals and comes in a recyclable container. I have used this soaker in two ways; the first to supplement my washing powder in white loads, and the second as a full soak for tougher stains.

Unfortunately I wasn't as impressed by this product. I didn't notice any significant difference in the whiteness of my clothes and I have a few stains on one particular white top that still haven't come out yet (maybe they never will). I don't think I would buy this again, instead I'm going on the look out for other options for my whites than your standard laundry soaker. I've just never really found one I'm satisifed with. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

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.