Month: April 2020

3 Simple Mindful Activity Ideas

3 Simple Mindful Activity Ideas

Find some mindful activities that help you balance your life. Below you will find a list of my favourite mindful activity ideas to unwind from busy periods in my life.

Delicious Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup

Delicious Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup

Recently I had lots of overripe tomatoes from a neighbour and wanted to try something new with them. I settled on vegan roasted tomato soup and it was delicious! The tomatoes I got from an app called Olio where I started collecting leftover food which 

6 Top Zero Waste Tips

6 Top Zero Waste Tips

Let’s be honest: we are trying our best to live zero waste but it can be difficult at times. Maybe your partner is not convinced of zero waste living or thinks it is not important. Maybe you live in an area without a zero waste shop and find it difficult to shop in a sustainable way. Don’t worry, the zero waste lifestyle is a step by step approach. I will share with you my top zero waste tips in this blog article. Feel free to share your own top zero waste tips in the comment section.

What Is Zero Waste Living?

The idea, of course, is that you produce no waste or as little as possible. Sometimes it is more specific to disposable plastic packaging as the plastic is one way or another polluting the environment.

You most likely will have heard of the mantra Refuse – Reduce – Reuse – Recycle which sums it up nicely. Try to refuse items if you can, if you can’t try to reduce or reuse them and try to select items which can be recycled. If you are a beginner these are my top zero waste tips you may be able to adapt easily in your life.

Top Zero Waste Tips

1. Less Shopping

Let’s start with an easy top zero waste tip: one of my first steps was to shop less for items I don’t really need. The easiest for me personally was clothes as I never enjoyed shopping for clothes in the first place. I now only replace items if my clothes break beyond repair and buy most clothes second hand. Over time this approach helped me save a lot of money. I also love the feeling of making a great bargain for an item I really needed.

Also, consider purchasing fewer meals in plastic packaging. So that would concern a lot of processed food which is marketed as a great way to save time and quickly cook a “healthy” meal. This is rarely the case. Be more considerate of what you are eating and purchase food if you can in bulk from shops that use little to no packaging. Yes, these shops exist and had a recent surge of interest. More people are now keen to bring their own containers so they can be re-used. The benefit: you only purchase what you need, rather than what is being marketed to you.

2. Cook More Food From Scratch

This can be a tricky but rewarding step. Of course, ready-made and processed food come in a lot of extra packaging and you are more flexible when buying ingredients. However, it usually still comes in not recyclable packaging. If you are lucky to live close to a Zero Waste or Bulk store try and shop there. Yes, it may seem more expensive at first but if you keep accounts and regularly cook from scratch you will notice that you end up spending less. If you need ideas head over to my recipes section. It is actually really affordable to make your own oat milk, granola or bread for example.

Top Zero Waste Tips

3. Zero Waste Cleaning

There are lots of nearly forgotten tips and tricks on how to clean without chemicals. Did you know you can clean your stainless steel pans with white vinegar or tomato sauce? Did you know you can replace your old plastic toilet brush with a more sustainable one? There are so many smart ways of cleaning your house with Zero Waste methods. Be inspired and share your own tips in the comment section!

4. Recycling

Find out what items can be recycled in the area you live in. Sometimes recyclable items are picked up with the normal rubbish collection or you have to find specialists who recycle more unusual items.

Also consider which items still have value. My favourite strategy to get rid of items who still have value is to sell them on flea markets or through online market places. If the item does not have much value or you just want to get rid of items quicker than selling them consider donating them to a charity of your choice.

There are also online platforms, like Freecycle, which allow you to pass on items which hold little to no value to you but may come in handy for others, sometimes even just as parts. My friends are always surprised to hear of what I was able to pass on: old cardboard boxes – check (great for moving house), old headphones which do not work anymore – check (for parts) or old magazines. Someone might find them handy. Over the past few years, my old items have been used in art projects or repurposed which makes me incredibly happy.

5. Find Joy In Activities Shared With Others

Buying a shiny new object gives you a short burst of positivity. You added a new item to your collection and it may or may not get used or admired in your home. Why not spend more time on activities like exercise, going for a walk in nature or volunteering to get that positive boost? There are so many activities that you can enjoy with family and friends. If you need some me-time, why not try one of these activities and focus on yourself? Yes, that is ok too – we all need some me-time every now and then. And some need more than others.

6. Sharing Is Caring

Recently, I’ve tried sharing apps to reduce the amount of waste being produced. The concept is simple: someone purchased something which they did not like or just did not end up using. You can add these items on the platform and whoever is interested in them will contact you and arrange for collection. It is a very easy process and everyone I met so far when collecting items was super nice. My go-to app is Olio and not only have I received items that were given away, but it also helped me declutter. Definitely one of ma favourite top zero waste tips!

We have managed to get complete meals from Olio. We collect a lot of fruit and veg and my favourite was a roasted tomato soup that I made from some tomatoes which were past their prime.

Some platforms also allow businesses to distribute their unsold goods. My favourite platform is Olio which has a section for food and non-food. Not only do I help to reduce the waste in landfill but it also helped me cut down the cost of food in our household.

7. Swap Liquid Soap For Soap Bars

Most liquid soap comes in plastic bottles but the switch to soap bars is actually very easy. Not all soap bars are being packaged in recyclable material but I noticed a trend that more are being made available without plastic packaging. Also soap is easy to make at home and if you don’t feel like making it yourself check out a few independent shops who sell handmade soap and support a local small business! I found many of these when browsing artisan craft fairs.

I hope my top zero waste tips will help you with your own zero waste journey. Remember that no one is perfect and little steps are better than making no efforts at all.

This is just a short list to get you started. If you have other top zero waste tips feel free to share them in the comments. Always remember: be gentle with yourself and don’t compare yourself to others. Every bit you do is helpful. 🙂

How To Clean Stainless Steel Pans Easily

How To Clean Stainless Steel Pans Easily

We’ve all been there: You cook something delicious and when it comes to cleaning the pan you realize you managed to burn your stainless steel pan and you cannot figure out how to clean it. Learn how to clean stainless steel pans easily. If you 

Easy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

Easy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe

Banana bread is one of my favourite sweet treats. It is not too sweet and can easily be mixed with other ingredients like chocolate or blueberries. This recipe shows you step by step how to make a wonderfully moist vegan banana bread. It is so 

Best Family-Friendly Vegan Pizza Dough Recipe

Best Family-Friendly Vegan Pizza Dough Recipe

Have you ever wondered if you could make your own pizza from scratch? The answer is yes and it is so easy! The ingredients are probably already in your pantry so why not give making your own vegan pizza dough at home a try?

Pizza is a go-to quick meal fix for us. We love choosing our own toppings. Preferably simple and just a few toppings to really taste them. Nothing is stopping you though if you want more elaborate pizza topping.

You could even get your family involved. It is so much fun making the dough together. In my family, it was a tradition that we kids would prepare the dough. This gave our parents a break and we kids loooved preparing pizza. After we made the dough, we could always use our favourite topping for our part of the pizza.

Vegan Pizza Dough Recipe

Make Pizza With The Family

Making pizza dough at home is so easy you can even get your kids involved. It’s a lot of fun mixing the dough and then spreading it on a pizza baking sheet (or if you are like me any big baking sheet you have – I love a good thin pizza base).

Now, what do you need to make this vegan pizza dough recipe? Not much actually. Just flour, yeast (or sourdough starter), water, olive oil and a pinch of salt.

I added some pictures so you can see what the dough consistency should look like.

Vegan Pizza Dough Recipe

Here are the ingredients you will need to make pizza at home.

Ingredients

  • 300 g flour
  • 1 pack yeast
  • 200 ml water
  • some olive oil
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

Take a bowl and add the yeast to the water. Wait for the bubbles to form so you know that your yeast is active.

Mix all the remaining dry ingredients in another bowl and make a well. In this well, you can now add some olive oil and water/yeast mixture and knead until the dough is just a little sticky which should take about 5 minutes. If you are unsure how much oil you will need I suggest to add it at the end. Just a little bit so your dough forms a ball.

Cover the dough with a clean tea towel and let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Now you can roll the dough out or if you are like me just wing it and try your hand at stretching it by hand. Then just push it in the corners of your baking sheet.

Add the toppings of your choice. Get your family involved in this stage. It’s fun if everyone adds their own toppings.

Bake in the oven for about 12-14 minutes at 180ºC.

Yield: 2 Servings

Pizza Dough

Pizza Dough

This recipe is fun to make. Get your kids involved to make the dough and everyone can add their favourite toppings!

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300 g flour
  • 1 pack yeast
  • 200 ml water
  • some olive oil
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Add the yeast to the water and wait for bubbles to form.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well.
  3. Add the oil and water/yeast mixture and knead until the dough is just a little sticky which should take about 5 minutes
  4. Cover the dough and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
  5. Roll the dough out or if you are like me just wing it and try your hand at stretching it by hand. Then just push it in the corners of your baking sheet.
  6. Add the toppings of your choice.
  7. Bake in the oven for about 12-14 minutes at 180ºC.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2 servings

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 612Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 74mgCarbohydrates: 115gFiber: 5gSugar: 0gProtein: 16g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

Recommendations

My recommendation for pizza dough is to pre-bake the pizza dough. This will ensure your toppings will not get burned while baking. Recommended baking time is about 12 – 14 minutes and I sometimes find that is not enough for the dough to be crusty. Another trick is to sprinkle some olive oil over the pizza and that will ensure your pizza to be extra crispy.

This vegan pizza dough recipe can be made ahead of time if needed. Just prepare the dough per instructions and then freeze for when you need it. I like to keep my dough either in a ball or already prepared and pre-baked. This way only the toppings have to add.

What are your favourite pizza toppings? Any crazy combinations that your family loves? Share them with us in the comments.

If you enjoyed the recipe and want to find more head over to my recipe section and join my Facebook Group which focuses on homemade vegan recipes that are affordable and healthy.

Be Food-Savvy And Spend Less – 3 Top Tips

Be Food-Savvy And Spend Less – 3 Top Tips

Times are a bit strange for many of us. We spend much more time indoors and have more time on our hands to prepare food from scratch. Many people struggle with what kind of recipes they should try and how they can make the most