Quinoa Milk - so good for you!

My latest try out is this milk made from quinoa.
A bit on the pricey side (around £3.15 a carton), but well worth it, when you taste the delicious, nutty flavoured, smooth, creamy tasting milk. I easily drank it on it's own, which is good for me, cos sometimes some milks can be a bit hard to swallow unless on cereal.
Our baby liked it too, in fact he guzzled it down and wanted more, that has to be a good recommendation!

I would definitely treat myself to this yummy drink again. it's very good for you and very tasty.

For interesting info about quinoa, click here.
It's high  in protein and essential amino acids.
It's a good source of dietry fibre and phosphorous and is high in magnesium and iron. A complete protein source.

Ever stuck for what to do with left over cabbage?

A cabbage goes a long way. Nice steamed with a cooked dinner, but even feeding a few people, usually leaves some left over. So what do you do with it? Feed it to a friendly rabbit? Make cabbage soup? mmmm, maybe - I'll have to work on a recipe for that (cabbage soup that is!)
How about spicy sauteed cabbage. I admit it doesn't look too inviting, but it tasted delicious. So now thatIi have that recipe, I'll never have waste left over cabbage again! It's quick, it's tasty.
Ingredients: cabbage (any cabbage, any colour, any amount and the cabbage doesn't have to be pre-cooked), olive oil for sauteing, cayenne pepper, now experiment with this, as we tend to like spice food, so try a small shake the first time, as cayenne pepper is hot. Add garlic, again adjust to taste, as we are BIG fans of garlic, and I added 4 large chopped cloves. A shake of natural sea salt (or not if you prefer). That's it simple. All in a large deep sided frying pan, turn up heat, and saute. let it brown slightly, keep turning it. It doesn't take long, as it's nice to have the cabbage textured (but not crunchy!) and not all over cooked. Voila! Spicy cabbage. Serve hot, with vegetables of your choice, a lovely addition to any meal.

Careful when shopping at Sainsbury's!

Sainsbury has added fish to one of it's olive oils. Not nice Sainsbury's!
And the bottle is stacked amongst it's ordinary olive oil. making it a very easy mistake to pick up by mistake. I mean, even if you're not vegan, would you really want your olive oil tainted with fish? Yuk! Double YUK!







The label is very similar to their other olive oils. OK, so it has in small print omega oil from fish. But who really reads the small print? Well I will be from now on. I don't expect my olive oil to be fishy. And you know what..... you can taste the fish in it too! AWFUL!
Come on Sainsbury's leave it out, keep the olive oil pure as nature intended, and shoppers expect.

Update on my Ikea lamp.

Ikea not such a good idea. days of glorious sunshine, and the light still does not work. Faulty product or not suitable for UK environment? Either way, I've given up on it, and given it away.
Fab idea but if the product doesn't live up to expectations, it's just no good!

However, I've found another light product that I'm super impressed with - a wind-up torch. It works, and I've used it when the fuse box blew. It does what you'd expect it to do, and is easy to wind up. I like it. Can't remember where I bought it, but it may have been a garden centre or somewhere like that? anyway, I recommend it as a good little gadget, put it in a safe place, and next time the power goes out, wind it up, and hey-presto- you have light. easy peasy, and it's light and compact, so easy to keep anywhere.

The world of reusable nappies..........................

The world of reusable nappies gets ever so complicated. Different brands and different fabrics, different fits and different washing instructions.
I was glad to find a washing powder that has been made specifically for reusable, nappies. Potion made by TotsBots fits the bill.
It has been designed to be used at a lower temperature of 30degrees, so saving on heating water costs to the pocket and planet.
Not tested on animals and stated as vegan. Excellent buy!

Reusable is so much better for so many reasons! at least that's what I think...

There are many versions of reusable nappies on the market. They come in a range of colours, patterns, sizes, fabrics. Something for everyone. But where does a novice start? We had that predicament. We researched the market a bit, and tried quite a few makes, but in the end it's very much try it and see what suits the individual.
We found the type that suits us the best (as in seems to keep waste in best) is the PopIn by Close Parent. They have a good selection, and seem comfortable, easy to use, adjustable, washes well, and will keep baby dry for about 2 hours or so. Some of the others we tried, leaked very quickly. Some seemed less comfortable around the leg. So all in all these seem to fit our need. We still use disposable for night-time or going out, as the reusable do not keep the waste in as long, so going anywhere for longer than an hour or so  would be difficult, and overnight would mean too many changes. However, while at home, we happily use these reusable nappies. It's a compromise, but every little counts!
But, now here's a big BUT! reading about the impact on disposable nappies (diapers) v reusable, apparently there's a big debate going on. Now without going into the whole argument, briefly summarised it's about landfill v energy and water use (for washing nappies) and the land needed for cotton for reusable. More can be read by googling the subject or click here for one article about the debate from familiesonline. So I guess it's about personal choice. And now I'm off to do a bit more reading about the pro's and cons of nappy types!

Vegan by chance, eco by design.

I went shopping in Ikea recently, and found this solar charged desk light. A fabulous idea, and I had to have one. Now, I know the UK is not very sunny, not even in summer are we guaranteed glorious sunshine! But I assumed that if they were selling them in the UK, they would be suitable. Well, hmmmmm, maybe I have to wait until the summer for my final judgement on this, but so far, it doesn't work :(
The instructions say the initial charging time is 12hours of sunshine, outdoors sunshine, not through a window. I've put the charge pack outside for several days in various places outdoors, on days when it has been sunny, and so far ....nothing...... No light.
The solar pack pushed out of the light base easily, so it is simple enough to charge. it's a great idea. Free power for lighting, and portable -  it's quite light and the arm is flexible (bendy) so could be used anywhere. But without being able to get enough sunshine to charge it up, it's a waste of money. It may be just a money making gimmick, it may be a fabulous energy saving, eco deivce, that I can sing praises about, while saving money and helping the earth, but so far, it's just a desk light that doesn't work. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a happy surprise in the summer!

Trying to replace plastic in the home, one item at a time ..........

I won't claim to have done any research on this. I'm just going by what feels better for me. But lately i have been thinking a lot about replacing plastic in the home. Of course I already use re-usable bags for shopping, recycle what I can, and am trying to only buy things I need, rather than for the sake of it. But I am concerned about the effect plastic has on our well being. I use containers for storing food, in the fridge for keeping food fresh, and it occurred to me that the kettle is also plastic. it would be wasteful to just throw it away, as it works perfectly well. So I decided I will give it away to someone who doesn't mind plastic and really needs it. I bought a metal kettle.I may be wrong in thinking that metal is better (stainless steel), but my instinct tells me it's better for my body and the environment. As for performance, - the metal kettle is noisier, quite a bit noisier. and of course the outside of the metal kettle gets a lot hotter, so careful around it! At first the water tasted add, but after a few boils, it seems to taste fine. Now I must do some research into the benefits of a metal kettle as opposed to a plastic one, and I'll post my findings when I have.......................

Not such a website geek!

I've tried, oh how I've tried, but I cannot get on with a website! I've tried Mr Site, couldn't suss that out, tried 1and1, but no joy there either, my latest attempt is with Bluehost, but things are still not going right. I want a website that is easy to use, that I can update myself, and looks good. I tried the site feed from this blog, to go to my website, but no, after the first few feeds, it seems to have stopped, so I've just deleted the feed, as I didn't want my posts to be hanging in mid air (cyberspace), and gone back to good old blogger, that I understand on a basic level, maybe this is as good as it gets for me? If anyone has any ideas on how I can get a website that i can easily use and update as I please,, without spending a fortune on web designers, I'd like to know. oh, and if anyone wants to have a look at my pathetic attempt at a website via blue host, the address is: www.veganessa.com  .
Any ideas on how to improve the site would be gratefully received too!

Superdrug - They label products suitable for vegans!

What a super surprise I had when I went into a Superdrug Store and found that they label the products that are suitable for vegans.
So instead of just buying the one thing I had gone in for, I ended up with a basket full of moisturisers, toiletries, oh, everything I could use, and all labelled vegan! So, other shops, how about you follow the good example of Superdrug and give vegans a clue as to what is suitable for them, after all, it can only increase sales!
Thank you Superdrug, and WELL DONE!

Freedom Frozen Dessert .............. for Allergy sufferers and everyone else!Recipe Free From... * Dairy * Sugar * Gluten * Soya * Egg * Nuts * Artificial flavours or colours Suitable for vegetarians, coeliacs and vegans

An interesting introduction to Freedom Frozen Dessert.
Available from a range of large Supermarkets, as well as independent retailers, so easily available. I happened to spot the Vanilla flavour at a local Adsa store, and the "vegan" labelling drew me to it. I had to try some. A new vegan product always has to be tried! It reminded me of a glace rather than an ice-cream, and was refreshing and sweet. I liked it. i like the company's profile and history. I like the fact that it can appeal to such a wide audience, why shouldn't allergy sufferers have treats too. A fabulous idea, and a lovely product. It was kinda luxurious without the guilt! or at least that's what it seemed like to me. Now I want to try the other flavours, mmmmmmmmm quite fancy the chocolate one right now!

Tasty Vegan Treats

It's been a while since I posted any reviews, so I thought I'd make up for it with some sweet treats.

LazyDays Tiffin is the perfect chocolate treat. It's rich, smooth chocolate, with biscuit bits and raisins. Sensational, and every bite to be savoured and enjoyed.  truly a plush, delicious, luxurious, decadent treat. I love them with a cup of tea.

 

They melt in your mouth and leave a very satisfying sweet chocolatey taste afterwards.

What more can I say, try some, you won't regret it.