Minimalist Cleaning

I'm feeling very minimalist lately as you might have noticed ... I always thought I was but recently I have realised there is a whole new level of anti-consumerism I can aspire too (eye-rolls from the mother in law no doubt).

If think we could even live in an RV I should at least be able to seriously declutter our wee house (its about 1200 square feet so perfectly sized for 4 of us).

One of the areas that is getting some of my attention these days is the cleaning cupboard. Actually cupboards, I have both a laundry one and a kitchen one, and they were embarassingly full. I have written before about using natural cleaners, and I do ... but every now and then I buy something when we are on holiday, or the mother in law buys something to help out, and ta-da, cleaning products start to take over the cupboards.

What would I take into the RV?

- baking soda and vinegar
- ecostore multipurpose cleaner
- ecostore dishwashing liquid
- ecostore washing machine powder
- napisan (because sometimes you need more grunt with kids!)
- essential oils (lavender, clove and tea-tree)
- a few spray bottles
- a copy of Shannon Lush's 'Spotless'
- a large pile of dishcloths and teatowels.

I am pretty sure I could clean everything with these ... baking soda and vinegar clean most things, lavendar repels insects and flies, clove repels mould, tea-tree is antiseptic, multipurpose cleaner in a spray bottle for most other things.

Now, I just have to be brave enough to bin the last of my 'extra' cleaning supplies ... wish me luck!

Always too much stuff

Those of you who read my post on simplifying will know that I strive for a simple, uncluttered, unhurried life.

A big part of that is managing possessions. It is all too easy to accumulate stuff, even though we try very hard to avoid the 'mall trall' and anything made in China. But somehow, it creeps in ... gifts from our generous friends and family, hand-me-downs, stuff the kids have outgrown, and of course, sometimes we just buy 'stuff'. And if I am not constantly 'decluttering' it gets out of control so fast.

At the moment my kitchen is getting a purge when I struggled to fit the juicer, the food processor and the slow cooker all in the same cupboard. Of course I can justify all 3 items as 'essentials', along with my electric egg-beater, my immersion blender, the toaster, the jug, 2 frypans, a crepe pan, my potato ricer, my hand egg-beater, 3 white square platters, 2 milk jugs, .... the list goes on and on.

I have decided to apply the same rule in the kitchen that I do in my wardrobe - if it hasn't come out in a year, then I don't need it. So that means I can keep my oh-so-perfectly-seasoned crepe pan, but only 1 fry pan. I can have 2 square white platters, but number 3 is surplus. And really, the slow cooker is starting to look a bit questionable too. Of course, some things I will keep because I am a teeny bit sentimental ... my nana-in-law's silver cutlery, my beautiful cake stands, my husbands beloved but unused beer glasses.

But everything else can find a new home.

One blogger who is my role model here is Sara Janssen. (I've raved about her before)You can read her new blog 'The Happy Janssens' if you need inspiration. 2 adults, a five year old and a 9 month old baby living in an RV. Enough said.

A devoted Christian, Sara feels that she is following the path of Jesus by not owning too many things, and many other faiths share a similar view. Vietnamese Zen Monk Thich Nhat Hanh talks about the importance of simplicity as part of the spiritual path, and one of the precepts his followers seek to adopt is:

Simple, Healthy Living - Aware that true happiness is rooted in peace, solidity, freedom and compassion, and not in wealth or fame, I am determined not to take as the aim of my life fame, profit, wealth or sensual pleasure, nor to accumulate wealth while millions are hungry and dying. I am committed to living simply and sharing my time, energy and material resources with those in real need. I will practise mindful consuming, not using alcohol, drugs or any other products that bring toxins into my own and the collective body and consciousness.

There are so many areas in my life that can be further simplified ... and the gains are great. Perhaps a new thought for me should be 'what would I talk if we lived in an RV'.

What would you need?

Toddler snacks and lunches

For some reason, I find lunch the hardest meal of the day. If Munchkin and I had our way, we would have sushi every day ... but the budget of doom doesn't allow it and my one attempt at making it was an un-mitigated disaster. I love cooking, but I'm rubbish at anything fiddly and sushi is definately fiddly.

From time to time we fall into the trap of having marmite or peanut butter sandwiches every day for a week or so, which quickly gets boring, and means that I am personally starving my 4pm and start eating everything in the cupboard (including peanut butter by the spoonful). So, as a general rule I do try to put a bit of effort in. (as always, my apologies for my dreadful photos but I thought they might give you some ideas!)

While I do often bake little things for snacks and lunches (I must get around to posting some recipes), a lot of the time I want things that are really simple and quick. In the interests of nutrition I very loosely aim for a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruit. I thought I would share my 'master list' of lunch ideas, many of which double up for snacks.

Protein
- hardboiled eggs
- omelette strips
- canned tuna or salmon
- freedom farms shaved ham (hooray, you can now buy this at the supermarket)
- leftover meat especially sausages

- cubes of cooked tofu that has been marinated in a little soy sauce
- chickpeas whole or as hummus
- chunks of edam cheese
- yoghurt (great for dipping fruit)

- feta cheese

- fried haloumi cheese

Carbohydrate
- pita bread triangles
- small sandwiches with marmite, jam or honey
- baby pinwheels (cut crusts off a slice of bread, butter it, roll it up and slice it)
- pasta - penne or spirals
- couscous (best eaten outside - its really messy!)

- israeli couscous

- breakfast cereal
- bagel slices
- mini crackers

- new potatoes (cold with mayonnaise for mummy!)

- pastry shapes

Vegetables
- avocado chunks

- cucumber slices
- cherry tomatoes
- frozen peas
- broccoli (my daughter loves broccolli so we eat it A LOT)
- grated carrot
- bell peppers (red, yellow and orange are the sweetest)
- grated beetroot, carrot and apple mixed together
- sweetcorn

Fruit
- apples
- pears
- mandarin segments
- grapes
- banana slices

- persimmon slices

- gorgeous summer stuff like strawberries and blueberries

- tinned peaches, pears or pineapple

- kiwifruit

- dried apricots, sultanas or apples

Leave me a comment and let me know whats on your lunch table at the moment.

Messy Play Recipes

Here are my favourite messy play recipes, from my Playcentre days.

Finger painting

"Finger painting is a touching, feeling, colour experience. What children need to get finger-paint basics is finger-paint which feels good and looks good. The secret to getting it feeling good is in the making and the stirring. The secret to getting it looking good is tempera powder. Tempera gives it the strong opaque colour which is ideal for expermenting with colour mixing, tints and shades. The tempera colours you need are a cool red, a cool blue, lemon yellow and white" Pennie Brownlee, Magic Places.

Ingredients
1 cups corn flour
1/2 cup cold water
2 Tbsp lux soap flakes
2 Tbsp tempera powder
Boiling water

Into a large bowl put corn flour and water, whisk it until all the corn flour is combined.

While stirring the corn flour and cold water mixture, add the boiling water (try 1/4 cup at first) very quickly and stop when the mixture 'grabs' (this is quite cool!)

Stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth, thick and translucent.

Gradually stir in up soap flake and mix until the mixture goes white. If it is still too thick add a little water, stirring constantly until the finger-paint is smooth and creamy. Add in the tempera powder and stir.

It will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

Slime
In a plastic mixing bowl place equal quantities of lux flakes and boiling water. Stir well, and then when its a little cooler, get the kids to help you beat it with a handmixer.

Gloop
Add just enough water to 1 cup of cornflour to form a thick paste.

If you want to use natural colours from plants, check this out!

Winter Soul Food

Getting some really amazing fruit and veggies delivered has been a real inspiration in the kitchen. Even though I will never get to cook the vegetarian feasts I dream of while married to my Hubby (although this post gives me hope!) I base our meals around vegetables, and then ‘add meat’ as a side dish.

I allow at most 200g of meat per meal for the 3 of us – so 1 kilo of meat does five meals here. I use lentils, beans and lots of veggies to bulk up what we have, so that no one goes hungry.

I thought you might like the recipes for a couple of favourites that I have cooked this weekend in my slow cooker. I wish I could take decent photos of my meals - I have tried but trust me, I'd put you off ever cooking them. You'll just have to imagine what they look like!

Hairy Chest Pea Soup

OK – that’s not the most appealing title I could think of. But my mama used to make pea soup in winter all the time, and always used to say ‘this will put hairs on your chest my girl’. I think she meant it would warm me up and give me strength.

My version doesn’t have the bacon bones she used but its just as good I promise. This makes a huge batch – easily ten servings. I always make a soup on a Friday night to serve whoever is helping with renovations on Saturday (our working bee day) and any other hangers on. I just freeze any leftovers.

2 onions, finely chopped
4-6 fat cloves of garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp mustard powder
1 cube organic vegetable bouillon (I use Rapunzel)
3 large carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, sliced
2-3 celery stalks, finely diced
500grams split dried green peas
1 ½ litres of boiling water

Pop it all in the crock pot overnight on low. Puree it if you are that way inclined (I’m not but I like lumpy soup). Season with salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg, and serve with crusty bread.

One Curry – Two Ways

Hubby insists on meat, but really I’m just not enjoying it at the moment, so this curry works great for us. Again, I throw it all in the crockpot – and we get about 5 servings (I freeze it) from this so its seriously economical.

500gms lamb, diced
1 cup kidney beans, soaked overnight
3 tins chopped tomatoes
1 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large carrots, sliced
1 large onion, diced
1 large kumara (or sweet potato), sliced
1 Tbsp each of tumeric, ground coriander seeds, ground cumin (if you can grind them from whole seeds so much the better)
1-2 tsp chilli powder, more if you like it hot (fresh chillis would be better of course)
1 – 2 tsp ground ginger
500 ml veggie stock

Its great with rice, yoghurt and naan bread. I can pick out the lamb for hubby’s plate, and Munchkin and I love the beans.

Recipe: Healthy Toddler Muesli Bars

OK - to be honest I'm not sure anything with this much butter is really truly healthy, but compare the ingredients list with commercial kiddy muesli bars and this one definately wins out.

I tried a bunch of different recipes and then cobbled this one together. You can chop and change within the dried ingredients - let me know if you try it what you think!

125gms butter
½ cup honey
2 cups rolled oats (or a mix of similar grains)
1 cup rice bubbles (lightens it up for little tummies)
¼ cup LSA powder
¼ cup dried chopped fruit

In a large saucepan melt the butter and honey. Then take off the heat, add the dry ingredients. Press well (use your fingers) into a 20 x 30 slice tin that has been lined with baking paper. I line it so that the baking paper comes up over the sides so that I can get it out of the tin without it breaking up.

Then bake at about 160 degrees celcius for 40 minutes or so. Leave to cool completely before cutting it.

Nourishment

After my self pitying post the other day, I decided I needed to take action to get some more energy. About the same time, my wonderful health-obsessed aunty gave me Skinny B*tch to read - a book that, despite is title, is all about the health benefits of a vegan diet.

I've mentioned before about on-again-off again-vegetarianism, and although I never went Vegan, reading this book reminded me of the many many benefits of taking a whole-foods natural approach to your diet.

So, I've been making all sorts of changes around here - and I'm delighted that I am really feeling so much better.

Some of the changes that are really working for me are:

- I'm taking my multivitamins and Omega 3s religiously.
- I've cut out soft drink almost entirely, and dropped my tea and coffee to one cup a day.
- I'm starting my day with hot water and lemon instead of tea.
- My daily walk is longer and faster.
- I'm doing a little bit of yoga in the evening.
- I'm getting a delivery of organic fruit and veggies and eating heaps more of them as a result. (Thank's Munchkin Mama for putting me onto this place!)

This has also inspired a bit more creativity in the kitchen.

Some of the highlights this week have been:

Couscous with parsley and mint from the garden, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, chopped tomato and some feta cheese.

Spicy vegetable soup - onions, garlic, pumpkin, parsnip, carrots, tomatoes with cumin, coriander seed and chilli powder. Next time I'm going to try it with chick peas.

Pizza - I made some pizza dough in the breadmaker and had roasted pumpkin and kumara, caramelized onion, red capsicums and of course, some mozzarella. I used some spicy plum sauce for the base - and put some lamb on Hubby's side.

I'd really love to know what you find gives you more energy. For me, its such a virtuous cycle - once I start making positive changes I have the energy to keep on going.

To Market To Market

One of my absolute favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is to visit a Farmer’s Market. Wandering around the stalls, buying beautiful fresh vegetables, fruit, bread and other goodies, drinking a coffee, listening to a live band and eating something sinful … it just doesn’t get any better.

My absolute favourite is the Matakana Farmers Market, right in the centre of Matakana village. I just adore the atmosphere at this market, somehow I am transformed into the crystal wearing, basket carrying, folk singing bohemian earth mama that I long to be.
At Matakana they, of course, have an incredible selection of organic fruit, veggies, breads, and other lovely food stuffs - as farmers markets do. But there are all sorts of little extras - organic buckwheat crepes made by Rainbow Valley Farm students, amazing mustards, whitebait and mussell fritters, freshly made vietnamese spring rolls, gourmet beers - its foody heaven. And to top it all off, you can then take your goodies, get a coffee and sit down by the river, listening to a wonderful live band.

Sadly, Matakana is nearly 2 hours away from where I live, so visits there are a special treat.
For my weekly fix I head to Oratia Farmers Market, which is newer and not quite as large as Matakana, but still fabulous. I was there this morning, and as you can see in the photo I brought home a rather delicious haul - apples, pears, plums, green beans, tomatoes, carrots, courgettes, capsicums, eggplants and some stunning bread - and I spent less than $20. I think that is incredibly good value, especially given that the majority of the produce is organic.
I managed to resist the temptation to try the icecream, and our ‘budget of doom’ meant I couldn’t buy the salmon, freshly made pasta or gourmet olive oils … but it was lovely to look.
Buying from authentic Farmer’s Markets means you are buying fresh, local produce. Supporting local farmers you are making alternatives to the big name retailers viable.

Its ethical, its sustainable, and the food tastes better. What more could you ask for?
For a list of Farmers Markets in New Zealand visit www.farmersmarkets.org.nz