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…that make you happy to be alive.
The Jacaranda in the backyard is in full bloom.
Nick and I began the day with a cycle to the beach and a swim, before coming home, buying some awesome smoked bacon from the butcher across the road, and having very tasty bacon and eggs.
Simple things. Life is wonderful.
I’m not the only one in the family who likes making things hand made…
Nick asked me the other morning what I’d like for dinner, and I told him what I’d really like was a homemade lasagne. Now, lasagne is one of our favourite dishes, and we happen to have found a local place that makes a killer lasagne… but we’d never ventured one of our own.
Lo and behold, when I arrived home from work at 8p.m. - homemade lasagne!
Jamie Oliver, eat your heart out!
Mmmm. And let me tell you - it was awesome! There is still some in the freezer… And no, you can’t have any! It’s mine, all mine!! (Well, and Nick’s, too).
Okay, my mushroom kit is finally growing!
I followed the instructions on the box… which meant I didn’t open up the casing for a few weeks. I was supposed to wait until the compost turned white, but I got impatient!
So, I spread the casing over the compost, and preceded to spray it every day or two with water, as instructed. I have been spraying for weeks… and finally, some baby mushies are appearing!
I shall photograph and share with you all in the next few days. But I am really looking forward to some fresh mushrooms fried in butter. Mmmm. So unhealthy, but so tasty!
Well, my month of accepting no bags from shops is up… and it was a success!
I have avoided taking any plastic bags… now, if I could just vanish the receipts as well….
The best thing to come out of this whole process is the habit I have formed. I am now used to thinking about taking a bag with me when I go shopping - in fact I now usually just have a green bag in my car. And I’ve moved to walking to the supermarket more - especially as Nick’s been away, and I’ve been buying much less food! So, I’ve developed two new positive habits that I intend to continue.
Now, if I could just cultivate the habit of not-being-messy…..
Did anyone else out there do the No Bags Challenge? How did you go?
And not just any yoghurt folks. Oh no. There is one, divine, unique, I-can’t-get-enough yoghurt.
It is, by far, the best I have ever tasted.
I am really, really, lucky that it doesn’t come in a bigger container…
I get this from Mrs. Flannery’s. In fact, it’s the main reason that I go there! I originally bought it for Nick - he loves his rhubarb, and I don’t think I’d ever even tried anything rhubarb before this. I think he had a few spoonfuls of the first tub - maybe - but I ate the rest… Give it a try if you get the chance! And hey - you get to support a great local company by doing so as well (for my non-Aussie readers… sorry!).
I have just polished off a midnight snack of Cruskits, topped with avocado, Dijon mustard, cheese, and sprouts. Lovely, yummy, lentil sprouts, to be exact.
And it got me to thinking - there is surely not a simpler, space-and-time saving method of growing fresh nutrients than sprouts. I have them in salads, sandwiches, as a snack… they are tasty and versatile. And anyone can grow them. As long as you have a window, and a jar, all you need are seeds and water and you’re on your way.
Here are my some of my lentils, in their dormant state:
Do they look a bit boring? What?? Who said that - the essence of all life, boring? I don’t think so…
And, after a few days of soaking, rinsing, draining, and a little kitchen-bench sunlight, we have the ‘finished’ product:
This is my sprouting jar that I bought from Mrs. Flannery’s (an organic grocery chain in Queensland). But, while it is cool, it’s unnecessary to the process - all you really need is any old jar with a bit of Chux held over the top with a rubber band.
These were soaked overnight, then rinsed twice a day for about three or four days (can’t quite remember…) and you can see the roots quite clearly, as well as the little leaves starting to appear:
Just look a them… yummy.. I usually sprout Mung beans, but I wanted to try lentils, and I have to hazard to say I may just possibly like them more.
Now, lentils and mung beans are really cheap to buy in bulk. For lentils, you can get them in a big bag from any supermarket for a few dollars, and mung beans can be bought from a good organic grocer, or often a health food store.
Nick and I tried an experiment a few months ago - we actually planted some of our mung beans to see how productive a plant would be. We got about a good full hand full of seeds from about 6 planted, so not bad - it might be something we do on a bigger scale one day. But in the meantime, I’ll just buy the seeds in bulk.
Oh, also, you can buy them through companies like Eden Seeds - and if you haven’t checked them out already - go, go now! (If you’re an Aussie, that is). They are my favourite heirloom seed providers, and I love looking dreamily over their catalogue and planning my future garden.
So, in short, if you’re not sprouting - why not?!
Since I started this blog I’ve been thinking about the things I do - and the things I should do - to live a more sustainable life. There are so many things - but I narrowed the list down to ten straightforward, simple steps that we can all take towards this type of life.
Have a read here. And please leave me a comment if you can think of something simple that I have neglected!
