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Archive for In the home
Home-made Mayonnaise
Shop bought mayo lasts a long time, but is often full of additives and other nasty stuff we cannot even begin to pronounce! That is why I have started to make my own..yip that is right make my very own mayo!
It is actually very very simple..here is how I did it with just a bowl and a fork!
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks (free-range of course;)
½ cup of oil (not olive oil)
wholegrain mustard
tiny pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions:
Simply beat your egg yolks in a bowl until they are nice and fluffy. Give your partner a shout and ask them to VERY SLOWLY pur a little oil into the egg yolks while you continue to whisk.
*** If your mixture starts to form lumps do not panic, simply stop pouring in the oil and mix until they have gone.
Keep mixing for around 3-5 minutes, if your arm is sore then you are doing it right 
The mixture will start to thicken, once it is at a nice texture, add 2-3 tablespoons of mustard, a little tiny bit of salt and pepper and mix together..and there you go done!
The shelf life of this is around 2 to 3 days, yes it is shorter than that you buy in the shop but it is much better for you and much tastier.
A great way to use this mayo is to make you own coleslaw, so cut up some cabbage, onion and carrot and add a little of your mayo – lovely!
The Quest to Grow My Own Vegetables!
First of all Happy New Year to you all!
The last 6 months of 2010 have been …well hectic to say the least. New job, new house and yip I have even started to grow my own vegetables.
Let’s rewind a little…each week I visit the supermarket (as most of us do;) and when the time comes to pay for my goods I always think to myself ‘how on earth is it that much?’. When I get back home, unpack my shopping backs I started to realise that most of this stuff I could indeed grow myself.
So this is where it began, no longer will I be paying for someone else to grow veggies for me and kindly wrap them in not so friendly plastic. Off I went to my local garden centre..and for pennies picked up the following:
- Tomato seeds- Cucumber seeds - Egg Plant seeds
- Morning Glory seeds (local favorite here in Thailand)
- Spring Onion seeds
- …and of course some large pots and soil so I can sit them on my veranda all in all cost me under £10!
Oops and I must admit my girly shopping addiction came out also during my trip leading me to also buy a red and also a yellow rose bush…just to keep things looking pretty 
So around a month later, we have ‘some’ signs of life, my tomato, spring onion and morning glory are reaching for the sun yippee…although I may have to wait a little while yet until I can tuck into them…although it is very much worth the wait as I know exactly where my food has come from and the cost will in the long run, be much cheaper than the supermarket charges me.
Also I have a massive addiction for spinach at the moment, so I popped some cuttings/roots into a pot too and they are growing like weeds so maybe in a couple of weeks I can enjoy a lovely salad with my own home-grown spinach.
Why not give it a try? If I can do it (and by the way I am definitely NO Alan Titchmarsh!) then I am sure you can too
Check back soon and I will pop some photos up of my progress.
Save Money And Grow Herbs At Home
My weekly food shopping used to cost me a fortune, often costing around £80 to £100, apart from cleaning products I found that the highest costing items on my bill were actually fresh veg and herbs. It got to the point where I considered not buying them, but my friend suggested growing them at home instead.
Now my garden is not exactly big, and I have never really considered myself much of a gardener. In the past the most gardening I have done is quickly mow the lawn so to me this was something new. However I was very suprised at how easy it was to do – so much so I felt silly for not doing it before.
First thing we done was to check out my cuboards for things I could use to plant my herbs in rather than go and buy them. I had an old tin, plastic container from last nights takeaway (bad I know!) and an old small pot. This is a great tip if you too want to grow herbs at home, scout your home for tubs and tins and re-use them – this saves you money and is a great way to recycle, you can use other things such as egg boxes, tins and even cans. If you only have one tub then don’t worry as there is no harm in growing more than one herb in the same container.
Next thing was to get some seeds, I spend £5 in total for basil, coriander, tomato and cress seeds and another £2 on soil. When I got home I simple divided the soil between each container and planted my seeds. As I said before I have not got a huge garden so I have simply popped some plants on my window lege inthe kitchen and some outside under my kitchen window.
All I need to do now is water them and watch them grow. Easy…and it means I am eating fresh organic herbs whilst knocking at least £10 off my weekly food bill!
14 Months to 50: One real womans account of her new healthy lifestyle
Whilst doing some research for Organic and Green Living I came accross a very interesting blog by a lady named Lisa. Lisa is 49 years old and is undergoing a lifestyle change. Her aim is to stick to a healthy lifestyle in a bid to get healthier thus be extra fabulous by her 50th birthday – and by the looks of it she is doing just great!
Lisa is sharing her journey via her very own blog named http://14monthsto50.wordpress.com within readers can follow her lifestyle changes. Some of which include what exercise she is doing and what delicious fresh veg she is growing! I have found this blog very inspiring and I am sure she is doing the same for many more men and women!
One great area of 14 months to 50 is the ‘what’s in my fridge section’ here readers can see what food Lisa has, browsing through her blog you will find loads of fab tasty recipes all of which include some of these organic or fresh ingredients.
I wanted to share the 14 months to 50 blog with my readers as it just goes to show that it is never too late to start a healthy lifestyle and show that real people such as Lisa are making changes for a healthier thus happier life. Be sure to check out her blog or her facebook page http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/14monthsto50 and maybe you too can pick up some fab tips to try at home.
Green Celebrities
Cate Blanchett is one celeb that is known for her green ethics. The famous beauty has been widely reported to have made it her personal mission to turn the Sydney Theater companies building green…not literally although that would be amusing to find the building simply painted green
Joking aside Cate has generously stated she wants to kit the building out with energy efficient and environmentally friendly additions such as rainwater systems and solar panels. Cate is one celebrity that does not just do stunts like this for publicity – this is proven by the fact that her very own Sydney home is very eco friendly and also has features such as solar panels.
Well done Cate!
Easy Green Tips To Save Money At Home
Here are some of our quick tips for going green at home. All of these tips are easy to follow, don’t take much time or effort and can be done by all of us. Best of all they will help reduce your bills:
- Look at your lamps and lights….are you still using traditional bulbs? if so then this is the first way you can save cash by going green at home. Instead of traditional bulbs opt for fluorescent light bulbs (also known as CFL). They can be picked up at all DIY shops and even your local supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys. By switching to a CFL you will cut your energy use down by 75%!!! Not only that but if you go for a 25 watt CFL bulb they will last around 10,000 hours, which is about 10 times more than the average 75 watt bulb we all usually have. In terms of cash that would save you around $83 as the bulb lasts longer and uses less energy!!
- Our next tip is even easier and if followed will save you around $200 each year….all you need to do is unplug all appliances that have a lovely LED light on them when you go out, go on holiday or go to bed. This includes things such as your TV, radio and computer. Of course your partner or room-mates may not appreciate the fridge being turned off each night…so you can probably skip that one
- Our final easy green tip may require a little effort but it’s still very simple. If you have old mobiles or electronics lying around the house or in the kitchen drawer then do not simply throw them away…instead recycle them with companies who will pay for them! Yip that’s right those old brick sized phones are of use and best of all you can make some cash from them. Look on the net for companies that recycle phones such as http://www.fonenet.com just send your phone off to them following their instructions and then you will receive payment according to the age and condition of the phone which can be anything from £10 to over £200!!
