This week's Organic Veg Box

 

 

Tonight I received my £15 Organic Veg box from Trinity Farm. I am so chuffed with what we received I can't contain my excitement! And yes I get excited about organic produce and I don't care! For £15 I received:

1. 1 huge green pepper
2. 3 onions
3. 6 red potatoes
4. 2 leeks
5. handful of carrots
6. 2 garlic bulbs
7. 3 beetroot
8. 1 cucumber
9. handful of cherry tomatoes on the vine
10. bag of kale
11. 3 lemons
12. 3 clementines/satsumas (not entirely sure)
13. 2 avocados
14. 5 apples

When I added this up in my head roughly from what I can remember at Morrison's it wouldn't be too far off £15 anyway so I feel extremely happy paying the extra amount knowing the goodness outweighs price by far.

 

So how am I going to use the produce in the week and plan meals around it. Well I will show you.

 



Saturday - Spag Bol with organic onion, organic mushrooms (from last weeks box) and organic green pepper and carrots.
Sunday - Jacket Spuds (I work on Sunday's so something simple which Luke can prepare!)
Monday - Sausage and Lentil Casserole with organic onions and garlic.
Tuesday - PANCAKE DAY using organic lemons of course ;)
Wednesday - Haddock and Leek Pie - using organic onion, leeks and potatoes
Thursday - Aldi special pizza, homemade organic potato garlic thins and mushy peas.

Midweek lunch - garlicky kale and butter bean salad using organic kale and garlic.

All the salad bits and fruit will be used for Luke's work lunch and mine and Ben's consumption. The beetroot I am considering making a healthier alternative beetroot chocolate cake. The carrots will also be munched on raw with hummus throughout the week too.

I like to make sure there is no waste at all. I do still have to nip to the shops and buy berries and bananas and spinach but I am sure as the months go buy and these come into season I won't need to.

I'd love to be able to buy organic everything including eggs and meat but that's not currently feasible for us so I feel this little step in the right direction is a positive starting point.

Have you started to buy anything organic?

Hurry up Spring!

Daffodils in washed yogurt pots which will be used for growing cress soon!

Cranberry and Orange Scones.

Lately I'm feeling happy. Well I usually feel happy but lately life is busy and full of things to look forward to and people to see and I like that.
Today the weather feels almost Spring like with the sun shining and my daffodils blooming. We went with my mum and dad to Carsington Reservoir and had a beautiful, albeit undeniably chilly, walk by the water. Benjamin played on the park and looked at the ducks and then we all went to the café for a hot cup of coffee.  

At the weekend Benjamin attended his first birthday party, which he enjoyed, especially as it was a princess party ha! On the Sunday, we had an afternoon tea party for Luke's sisters 30th birthday and we all took something to the buffet. My contribution were Joanne Wheatley's Orange and Cranberry scones with butter and jam. They didn't turn out as nice as these competition winners but even so they were all eaten. Can't have been that bad!

After reading 'The Snow Child', I read the second in the 'No.1 Ladies Detective Agency' series - 'Tears of the Giraffe' by Alexander McAll Smith in about 5 days (which is quick for me) and I am now on to the third 'Morality for Beautiful Girls' which is proving to be just as good. I am missing reading on my Kindle but I had already collected these books from various charity shops and its quite nice to flick between Kindle and actual book.

I am also feeling happy because I am beginning to plan vegetables and fruit I want to grow in our garden! With the help of my favourite book ALYS FOWLER - THE EDIBLE GARDENER of course.

Alys had a TV Series a few years back and after that I ordered the book. I am not a very good gardener at all but her books simplify it all and encourage me to garden more. She lives in Birmingham and has turned her garden into a self sufficient paradise. She feeds herself primarily from her garden and it just shows you how it is possible. She also keeps chickens and is now interested in bee keeping.

Our garden is quite small and but two years ago when we first moved into our house I tried growing a small amount of vegetables to see how I got on. I grew some runner beans and some potatoes. Also lettuce and some strawberries.

This year I think it would be nice to try a few new things like herbs, carrots and maybe even cucumbers. I haven't quite decided yet.

At a car boot last year I picked up the Field Guide to Birds of Britain and Ireland for 10p!! I was so chuffed as this is something I hope to do with Benjamin one day. I remember when I used to go to Brownies, the only badge I ever managed to achieve was my bird watching badge! (I didn't attend long which explains my lack of badges)
When I picked Benjamin up from playgroup this week they told me they are bird watching and are making bird feeders and all of this probably excites me more than him! Ahh well.

Hurry up Spring!

X

Great British Sewing Bee

The second series began last night on BBC2 and it sets to be as brilliant as the first. There is a brilliant variety of contestants all with their own unique ways of accomplishing a finished item. I love the tasks they are assigned and I always think how I would tackle them myself and which fabrics I would choose.

If I could sew half as well as the contestants I would be over the moon! I've never had lessons but I've just watched youtube videos and worked from my Cath Kidston Sew book. My granddad bought my first sewing machine - a Singer Tradition. My mum has helped me along the way too but I could really do with a beginners sewing course to master the basic skills i.e. making a button hole, inserting a zip or making my own bias binding. 

I've made a basic top, cushions, bunting, door stops, lavender pomanders etc. I still haven't finished my ice cream patchwork blanket here which should have been finished for the cold months as I haven't budgeted for the fleece backing but this is now on my list for next month. I also want to make a simple skirt too and have been looking at Colette patterns. Nothing too scary, just something to settle me back into my sewing. Me and my mum were going to go halves on a pattern and share it if we like the same design.

I know it shouldn't take a programme to set me off again but it does. Life just gets in the way sometimes and the programme is a nice reminder of where my heart lies.

I know I've said it before but check out The Little Tailoress Sewing Blog - Google it - because I am actually in love with her and everything she makes. She is a very clever lady. Even if you hate the idea of sewing your own clothes she will be sure to convert you.

 

 



The Snow Child - No Spoiler

I know I'm a bit late on this but I've only just got round to reading The Snow Child. I felt that because of the cold weather and the possible onset of snow, that it was still acceptable to read it!

It's a truly magical tale of an elderly couple who, on the first eve of one particular snow fall, create a snowgirl who magically comes alive. Mable and Jack never had children as they lost a baby once upon a time so the snowgirl, Faina as we come to know her, fills an important gap in their lives and we follow their new journey together. But will it last?

I know it sounds a bit away with the fairies and I don't usually go for books like this but it is lovely to read and, although a bit slow to start with, the pace picks up and you just can't imagine how it will end. I could possibly put it in my top favourite books I've read so go on, pick up a copy!

Now I am reading the second book in the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McAll Smith - Tears of the Giraffe.

What are you all reading?

ORGANIC VEG BOX and some yummy food!

 

My amazing ORGANIC veg box as it was delivered.

A few bits of what was inside.

Mixed tomatoes!

Mixed leaf salad and lots of cabbage.

I know recently I've been raving about Aldi and now I am about to sound contradictory. I've been going on about how important it is to buy organic on one blog post and then on another blog post saying how cheap the veg is at Aldi. Of course it is cheap because it is sprayed with pesticides (chemicals) to prolong the shelf life. It is a money making scheme!
I have been reading James Duigan's Clean and Lean book and he puts it so plainly! Would you spray your bunch of grapes with hairspray and then eat them? Of course you wouldn't and that's almost what you are doing when you buy non organic produce.

So the other day I just thought enough is enough and decided to Google organic veg suppliers in Derby and the first result that came up was Trinity Farm on the edge of Nottingham. They have over 20 years experience in the organic field and grow all their own organic veg and produce boxes which they deliver to your home. They also sell organic meat and pantry supplies. The farm is mostly run by volunteers who have a passion for their work and they do not charge a delivery fee but ask if you would like to donate £1 to their petrol costs you can.

There are a variety of options to choose from and I opted for the £12.50 veg/salad/fruit box. There are no contracts and you can choose as and when you have your boxes delivered. The man on the phone did warn me that as this was the smallest box it would likely be enough for two elderly people rather than two adults with a child, especially if we eat fresh food every day, which we do.

Part of the excitement of the box is not knowing what they will be sending and trying different recipes around what they send. At first I was worried how it would fit into my menu planning however it was easy. All I did was wait until my box arrived on Thursday afternoon and wrote a menu around what they sent me. I wanted to make sure every item was used up and it was!

The salad all goes in Luke's lunch boxes, sandwiches and salad accompaniments. The veg is all used up in our meals. The avocado's can be used for salad but I made healthy chocolate puddings with them (2 mashed avocado's, juice and zest of one orange, tablespoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of coco powder) the fruit was eaten as and when and the lemons were used to make my morning cleansing tea and also lemon drizzle cupcakes. I used the courgette to make pea and courgette soup.

Admittedly it was a bit small for us. Luke has 3 portions of fruit every day with his lunch alone so it doesn't include what me and Benjamin have. I had to go and buy bananas and a few more courgettes for my soup. So this week I have ordered the next size up which is £15 just to see how this compares and how I can work this into our food menu for the week.

Although it might not always have enough of what you need, it makes you try different food which you might not always choose to buy yourself. I mean I haven't had kiwi's for years as my mum was always allergic to them so it's nice to try them again!

Deliciously Ella's Cinnamon Pecan Granola

Superfood Salad

Madeleine Shaw's Carrot and Tumeric superfood Soup

The above pictures are from the week before I ordered my Organic Veg box. I get so much inspiration from the blogs I follow and now I honestly believe I couldn't live without Deliciously Ella or Madeleine Shaw!

I made Deliciously Ella's cinnamon and pecan granola as an alternative to my breakfast porridge. You can find the recipe on her website and I urge you to try it! I love breakfast and I like to be full so this was perfect.

I then made this superfood salad which lasted a couple of days in the fridge. It has roasted butternut squash, broccoli, cranberries, wild rice, puy lentils and pumpkin seeds. BURSTING with goodness basically.

What have you all been making lately?? Care to share?

Finally, I made a batch of Madeleine Shaw's Carrot and Tumeric superfood soup so I could freeze a couple of bowls. It really is delicious and warming on these cold winter days. Be careful when making this though as it stains almost every utensil you use!

Broken Laptop and a fun Valentine's

My laptop is completely and utterly BROKEN. That explains my absence recently so I am sorry for that. We are in the process of fixing it but for now, I am round my parents typing this! Just so you don't think I've gone AWOL.

We had an amazing Valentine's day/weekend. We don't usually go out of our way to celebrate Valentine's but we hadn't had a night together - alone/kid free - so it seemed like the perfect excuse.

On the night before Valentine's day we went to a brilliant new place called Red Carpet Cinema at Barton Marina. You can go and have a two course meal and watch a film for £19.50. Our meal reservation was at 6:15 where I had the nicest chilli con carne I've ever had followed by a chocolate brownie with dark chocolate ice cream. The price didn't include drinks but I had a nice glass of red wine along side my meal. Then at 8 o'clock we walked into the cinema, which is cosy and adorable and nothing like these big chain cinema's you go to.
We watched 12 Years A Slave which was thrilling yet harrowing at the same time. A definite must see!
Then, as it finally sunk in we were kid free, we were giddy with excitement at the thought of going into town for a drink, so we did! Such rebels.

On the Friday, Ben was at nursery so we went to visit the cafe where my good friend is the Patisserie Chef called Cool River Cafe and Patisserie in Matlock. We had been meaning to go and see what she has been up to for a while but it isn't always easy with Benjamin. I had the most amazing slice of quiche and salad followed by a blackberry and frangipane tart. Yes we were being absolute PIGS this weekend! Sadly, I only remembered to get my camera out as I tucked into the tart. Woops.
Then, we realised we were still kid free so excitedly met my parents for a cocktail at Revolution de Cuba in Derby. I had a passionfruit mojita so it felt sort of healthy...yes?
Somehow we also managed to squeeze in bowling..albeit wobbly bowling where I absolutely beat Luke.

On the Saturday Luke didn't have football so we decided to have a family day and take Ben swimming. I personally hate swimming on the basis that it takes so long getting ready afterwards (well it does for me anyway!)

The card I made for Luke - inspiration off Pinterest of course.

What Benjamin made me at nursery. The best kind of Valentine's.

Blackberry and Frangipane tart.

Passionfruit Mojita.

It was a whirlwind of a couple of days and we haven't been as busy as that in a long time. We overspent on what we budgeted for our Valentine's but we felt we just needed it. Although I enjoy budgeting it is nice to have a blast sometimes and just have some fun!

A quiet week

 

 

 

I've had a poorly boy this week. Temperature. Sickness. Runny nose. Poor little mite. And Luke has been on nights which means I have to tiptoe round our two up two down house and that is not fun I assure you. Household jobs have had to be put on the back seat (I obviously don't mind this) and I've been nursing my little boy instead.

 

In the mean time ,whilst he has been sleeping, I've been cooking some delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Cooking is my release and I can't get enough of it. If I could have a day to myself I would shut myself in the kitchen and cook up some yummy delights.

 

I made an amazing Cinnamon Pecan Granola which you can find on my new favourite website Deliciously Ella. It is perfect in the morning with fresh berries and keeps you full like porridge does. With all the different nuts and seeds it is bursting with Omega 3.

 

I'm enjoying the Clipper Organic White Tea. It was on offer at Morrison's £1.80 for 50 bags. On the website it is £1.90 for 26 bags so I was really pleased with this. I'm trying to avoid caffeine and this is the perfect alternative as it is full of antioxidants - more than green tea - which is brilliant for your skin.

 

I appreciate this down time as next week is looking a lot more fun what with Luke having a 4 day weekend so we can have some well deserved family time. It's also Valentine's day and we have a day and night planned. Exciting times!

 

Fingers crossed my boy perks up and get's back to normal in no time.

 



Buying Organic and my new pledge.

Apparently fresh fruit and veg is less nutritional now because of the way it is grown. Even people who eat their 5 portions a day might still be lacking in the essential minerals and vitamins if they choose to eat non-organic.

But eating organic comes at a cost. Literally! It is so expensive.

The items you want to be buying organic are your meat (grass fed meat), eggs, fruit and veg.

This week our family bought two 1kg bags of bananas, a bag of braeburn apples, a four pack of golden delicious apples, bag of oranges, 3 lemons, 2 packs of blueberries, red grapes, celery, cucumber, plum tomatoes, 4 gem lettuces, rocket, pack of 3 peppers, spring onions, 2 packs of leeks, swede and button mushrooms.

We buy SO much fresh produce. Luke has a salad every day for his pack lunch and takes 3 pieces of fresh fruit with it. Ben absolutely adores grapes and bananas and I love my berries and golden delicious apples to snack on. I make a cleansing lemon drink every morning and I whip up a salad most days. I also like to include lots of fresh veg in the dinners I make.

The trouble is I can't afford to buy organic. I shop at Aldi and look out for the weekly Super Six Veg offers. Blueberries are 69p a pack this week! Where else would I find this offer?

I understand you get what you pay for but how can I afford to go Organic?

What we need to remember is the CLEAN FIFTEEN and DIRTY DOZEN.

Here are the CLEAN FIFTEEN. The products we don't need to worry so much about buying Organic.

1. Asparagus
2. Avocado
3. Cabbage
4. Cantaloupe
5. Corn
6. Eggplant
7. Grapefruit
8. Kiwi
9. Mangos
10. Mushrooms
11. Onions
12. Papayas
13. Pineapples
14. Sweet peas (frozen)
15. Sweet potatoes

What I mean buy this is that these fruit and veg have been tested and the results show the lowest levels of pesticide residue.

Now here are the DIRTY DOZEN. The products we should always try and buy organic.

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Cherry tomatoes
4. Cucumbers
5. Grapes
6. Hot peppers
7. Nectarines (imported)
8. Peaches
9. Potatoes
10. Spinach
11. Strawberries
12. Sweet bell peppers

+PLUS

• Collards and kale
• Summer squash and zucchini

Apples and potatoes, when tested, contain the highest levels of pesticide residue. Even a single grape contained 15 different pesticides! How crazy is that!

Unfortunately even after knowing all of this my budget still doesn't allow me to buy everything organic so my new pledge and the next best thing is to BUY LOCAL.

I am going to my local farmers market this week to buy produce which has been grown nearby and this is far better than buying vegetables which have been imported from Chile and Spain. I'm going to buy Derbyshire honey which we all know you are supposed to eat your local honey and I am going to continue to support my local businesses.

For now, until I can afford to, this is the best I can do for my family.

Where to Shop?

I may sound like no other 23 year old girl but I am coming to my wits end at where to buy my clothes from?

I am fed up of expensive high street brands where a) you don't know how the clothes have been made and in what conditions, b) they are mostly overpriced, low quality items that don't last very long and c) the styles available at the moment are horrible!

Unless I want to wear a neon crop top or some shapeless gingham dress (which I am sure I once wore at school?) then I really shouldn't be heading to my local shopping centre.

I want quality over quantity. I'm not interesting in showcasing my 'Primark Haul'! I want organic cotton and items made from sustainable sources in fair trade environments. But of course I still want to look stylish.

So what are the solutions?

1) Sew your own. I can see you rolling your eyes thinking why would I do that! I urge you to visit my new favourite website The Little Tailoress as she can inspire anyone to start sewing with her fantastic creations.

Last year I made me first garment which you can see in this blog post. It was massively rewarding making my own piece of clothing just to know exactly what has gone in to making it. I still wear it all the time and once you have bought a pattern you can reuse it over and over to create so many different versions of it.

You can choose what you make i.e. skirt
You can choose the type of item you make i.e. pencil skirt, A line skirt
You can choose the type of fabric used
You can tailor the fit specific to your body

Remember this series last year? I'm hoping there will be another one this year. Anyway, one of the contestants Tilly has a website and blog which I follow and you can too HERE. She makes so many of her own clothes and she also has a book coming out called 'Love at First Stitch' which I think is a brilliant name. I really recommend you check her out!

2) Charity Shop 'til you drop. With buying second hand you just don't know what gems are waiting to be discovered. You could find vintage pieces or shirts a bit too big but maybe you could cinch in with a belt or a cardigan for 50p. Buying things you know everyone won't have whilst supporting charities at the same time. Even if the charity shop doesn't have a changing room (most do) it almost doesn't feel too bad if you buy it and it doesn't fit.

I once bought a lovely green dress for £1.50 and it is the item in my wardrobe which has had the most compliments. I also bought a gorgeous black and gold chunky necklace for 25p and it looks like I could have paid £10+.

Not only can you buy fashion items for yourself, charity shopping is great for house hold items and kiddy items such as toys, blankets etc.

3) ASOS - Green Room. If you're still a bit too scared of buying second hand and prefer buying brand new pieces check out ASOS's Green Room where they sell brands such as People Tree and ASOS Reclaimed which are all feel good buys. They also have the Marketplace on the ASOS website which I suppose is a bit like an eBay where you can buy and sell your own clothing and accessories.  

4) Style with Heart. Style with Heart is a gorgeous website collating all the eco/organic/fair trade clothing websites in the UK. It will introduce you to some great new brands such as Sea Salt and Lowie and although the prices may be slightly higher than you would pay in Dorothy Perkins etc. just remember you are investing in feel good, quality clothing. A lot of them are British made so remember it is great to support our clothing industry too.

The point I am trying to make is that when I look around these high street stores I don't find anything to entice me anymore. I rarely see an item of clothing and think 'Wow I have GOT to buy that' and it is especially harder to part with money when, for example, a simple cami top is £18 in Topshop currently. People on minimum wage would have to work 3 hours to purchase said cami top and I can't justify paying that amount.

What about you? Do you feel the same? Or am I just a strange 23 year old girl...