@miniMum

Getting away from it all, or the Hotel Effect

2012-01-25T14:24:00.000-08:00

My kids will, out of the blue, ask if we can stay in a hotel. This is unrelated to how close to home we may be.

And often, I wish I could say yes.

Why?

With a better than average home, with all the comforts of home, why oh why would we want to stay in a hotel? We only choose the budget ones anyway, so what's so special?

Well, what do you see when you open a hotel room door? No problems!

Uncluttered - mostly, you just see furniture. Invitingly made beds, clear tables, tidy sink spaces.... You can only clutter it with what you've brought, and you left most of your stuff at home. You probably brought so little you can pack it all in less than 1/2 hour - compare that to your last house move. Yes. I know.

Clean - someone else cleaned this already. It's so uncluttered that it probably didn't take long. If you have to wash dishes, there aren't many supplied anyway - about enough for one family meal.

Cosy - Those dishes? You can wash them a couple of steps away from the dining table, while still chatting to the slower eaters.

Easy!

Most of us don't want to live in a hotel all the time, although I am in love with tiny houses and The Everyday Minimalist did spend some time this way. Most of us would eventually miss something that we can only find at home - and that might simply be space and privacy.

But we can get some of the goodness of hotel living in our own homes.

Declutter!

You can't say too much about decluttering, and most of it's been said before. Having only what you really need is the key to sanity and cleanliness in the home.

Here's just a start on decluttering tips:

Should it stay or....?
Outsmarting your inner hoarder
Zen Habit's tips and more Zen Habit's tips
Down with clutter
And almost anything at 365 Less Things

Work on your entrance

You won't get the "ahhhhhh" factor if you open your door into chaos. Try it for yourself - step outside and do a grand entrance and really look!

What's there that doesn't need to be?
What's messy that could be organised?
What's visible that could be hidden?

Retreat!

After you've made a perfect entrance, choose one other space in the house to keep as your "hotel away from home."

If you can't keep the entire house sane, make sure you have this one retreat where you can relax and unwind.

And if you sell enough of your unwanted stuff, maybe you can hire a cleaner for your "hotel"!

You gotta have dreams...

Have your say...

What are your favourite tricks to make your house look professionally fabulous?

The 99% don't need models

2012-01-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

This controversial story about model sizes is the news of the day on my social networks - opinions range from "I still prefer skinny women" to "it shouldn't matter what size you are as long as you're healthy" and anywhere you like in between.

Statistics prove that model sizes have been getting skinnier and skinnier, and the outrage goes into a stampede.

Many of us care deeply about our body's health and attractiveness. Many in the vegetarian and vegan world enjoy that their food helps them increase their health and attractiveness.

And there's no question that the pictures we see influence what we consider beautiful.

But there's a gigantic assumption behind this controversy - so let's question it.

Why do we have models?

It could be....

They help us choose our clothes by showing us what the clothes look like.

Well, this is the only possible excuse there could be for the entire modelling industry. If only it weren't a total con.

At any size, a model doesn't look like me...or you

For the 99%, no model is your size or shape. S/he has been picked specifically to look really good in clothes and in pictures. When s/he wears clothes, they don't look like they will on you. And that's before posing, lighting, makeup, hairstyle, and airbrushing.

The only thing a model sells is a fantasy - a hope that you will look that good if you bought those clothes.

It works - advertisers know it.

At a logical level, most of us know the truth. That model does not help you pick clothes that suit you. But that professional image goes straight through your logical brain without touching the sides and makes you want what you never needed and will not get.

To your health and happiness

Of course, pursue your own best road to a healthier body and life.

But that doesn't include an argument over anorexic models vs overweight (average) models They're all unreal commercial images, unworthy of your personal aspiration and acceptance. There are lots of beautiful people in the real world, and that includes you!

If you are concerned about our runaway body image problems, stop supporting the industries who use models. There are enough good-quality and attractive secondhand clothes to get you through the rest of your life.

You really don't need to see what they look like on the model first.

Workout #1 really worked!

2012-01-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

I've been following my own advice.

As suggested in Productive Workouts, I tried on all the clothes I owned. It took time and commitment. And look at the results...

I thought I'd done a good job of clearing out clothes already. But trying them all on in a short time worked better because I could:

really see and feel if the clothes fit
make firm comparisons: which clothes are better or which I have too many in a type

Two of these shirts were actually in my current active wardrobe - but although they are good quality and comfortable, they are unflattering because of size and cut (and I only allow that in my exercise clothes).

And as I hoped, this exercise added extra motivation for improved fitness, since there's nothing like the nostalgia of remembering how you used to love wearing that.

Naughty bits

I also had fun rediscovering my lingerie collection. Yes, you don't have to be a size 6 to enjoy these!

I tried everything on and moved what I want to keep from the storage box into a drawer (emptied by previous decluttering). I even found a short lingerie wrap that I can use as a summer dressing gown for a bit of well-deserved luxury.

Another triumph for Shopping At Home!

5 Productive New Year's Workouts

2012-01-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

Resolved to have a fitter New Year? Here are some free holiday workouts that leave you with more than just an endorphine rush.

Caution: Don't try all of these workouts in one day without medical advice.

1. Try on all the clothes you own - a foolproof way to get rid of a few things and step down from holiday eating.

Hey, the workout's not done until you've folded and put away everything!

2. Empty your worst storage closet, declutter, and replace.

3. Get in the garden - check out container gardening if you have no garden space (those big pots are great for for weightlifting).

4. Clean the fridge and pantry.

5. Play tag with the kids (or other fun-lover of your choice).

Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas wrapup - frugal and eco-friendly

2011-12-17T15:57:00.001-08:00

My three year old daughter loves to paint. She brings her paintings home for me and tells me all about them.

You get the picture. She can draw people and things, but she's still a creative abstract painter.

So what do you do with stacks of these paintings that only a mother could love?

Beautiful and useful

Using kids' artwork as giftwrap solves two problems:

How do I wrap my presents?
What do I do with stacks of paintings that all look the same to me?

Family and Eco-Friendly

Wrapping gifts in alternatives to giftwrap is not just quirky and frugal, it's important. It doesn't take much imagination to see the built-in waste of producing, packaging, buying, and disposing of square metres of decorated paper every holiday. According to Earth911:

As much as half of the 85 million tons of paper products Americans consume every year goes toward packaging, wrapping and decorating goods. Also, wrapping paper and shopping bags alone account for about 4 million tons of trash annually in the U.S.

So does it look cheap and weird?

You decide:

More like unique and colourful!

Don't own any small perpetual artists?

Of course, not everybody will have this alternative.

If these other wrapping alternatives don't suit, you could offer to babysit for your favourite family for a few hours, buy some old newsprint and paints, and have a giftwrap making (I mean fun painting) session!

Secondhand Smarts - Merry Christmas!

2011-12-15T01:44:00.000-08:00

In my last decluttering post, I reported acquiring from as well as donating to my favourite charity shop.

Here, I brag about my savvy purchases.

This pile includes:

A brand new Dora Memory Game in original plastic (we have it already; this one goes straight into the present box for some other lucky kid)
At least 50 Lego pieces, including three anthropomorphised animal figures
3 gorgeous butterflies
A dressup mask (so I can play along with Labyrinth)
Masses of sidewalk chalk
Mini bubbles
Alphabet craft stickers
Coloured paper, decorative pencils, coloured pencils, modelling clay and crayons
Bratz and My Little Pony activity books (Princess Bratz is leaving the house quickly, one way or another!)
2x goggles and surf socks in my son's size (both on our shopping list)
Slinky
Magnifying glass

All for $32! I paid that much, even secondhand on TradeMe, simply for that amount of Lego.

These have been wrapped festively and frugally - stay tuned for family and eco-friendly wrapping help!

Make your own vegan holiday chocolates

2011-12-14T01:42:00.000-08:00

Vegan specialty chocolates are expensive! Making your own chocolates from molds is so easy I'm not sure I should share the secret. Especially because we're trying to eat less sugar.

In less than 1/2 hour you can have a special yummy handmade vegan
gift for your mother, your child's teacher, or any other loved one.

Got a whole hour? You've got an impressively rich dessert treat for a party. And your children can join in the fun.

You need:

Chocolate molds
Vegan chocolate

Chocolate molds

A chocolate mold is a tray with the shapes for your chocolate. Each one will cost you less than a box of chocolates and you can use them to make hundreds and hundreds of chocolates over the years.

You can buy molds at homeware shops. Novelty flexible ice cube trays can often be used as chocolate molds. (I want the strawberries and the Legos!)

Molds which have simple shapes and small to medium size chocolates are best for beginners. General purpose shapes are good value for money.

My molds

Easter eggs
Flowers and leaves
Santas, candy canes and snowmen
Stars
Train set
Numbers and animals

So I can handle:

Christmas - Santas, candy canes and snowmen/Stars
Birthday Boy - Train set/Stars/numbers and animals
Birthday Girl - Flowers/Stars/numbers and animals
General Gift - Flowers/Stars
Easter - Easter eggs/Flowers

Vegan chocolate

We have Pams brand vegan chocolate (which contains palm oil). I recently scored a bargain on vegan Belgian chocolate from our bulk store, and I suspect I'll struggle to go back to Pams!

1. Melt chocolate
I first melted my chocolate using an everyday bowl, plate to cover, and a few minutes in the microwave. So easy!

Recently, I had some failures with this method and the choc ended up dry and crumbly - unknown problem (new chocolate? new microwave? old memory?) It was frustrating and wasteful enough that my husband created a double boiler with a small metal mixing bowl and a small saucepan.

The double boiler method is quick and just about foolproof. I don't even worry if the water touches the bottom of the bowl - it works anyway. Make sure water doesn't get into your chocolate as you stir it into smooth perfection.

2. Spoon into molds

You don't need to be perfect - you will still get nice chocolates even with slightly under or overfull molds. Nobody has complained yet.

Less is more when you're first learning. Fill about 2/3 of the mold and gently tap the tray until the chocolate settles into the shape. Add more slowly as needed.

If you overfill, don't worry! A bit of flat edge around the shape is no big deal. And you can either wipe away spills on the tray or leave them to crack neatly away after the chocolate is cool.

3. Chill out

Make some flat space in your freezer (recommended) or fridge. This can be on top of other stuff.

Put any unused chocolate back into the double-boiler while you wait.

Chocolates will be ready after about 10 minutes in the freezer. Look for a smooth surface all the way across - partially chilled chocolate will look different in the middle.

4. Tap out your treasure

On a clean surface (I use a plastic chopping board), turn over the molds and gently tap and wiggle until the chocolates fall out. (This can be the trickiest part.) You may want to use a clean paper or cloth towel so the chocolates can't break when they land.

Store immediately in layers separated by paper towels or waxed paper. Store in a cool place - in this climate and season, the fridge is the best bet.

Then watch everyone try to get on your "nice" list!
5. Cleaning up

Warm water is vital for cleaning hardened chocolate from bowls, trays, and utensils. Don't scrub! Apply warm water and then wipe away the chocolate like magic.

If you used a double boiler, you will have some warm water all ready.
If you lick... I mean scrape all the chocolate off your bowls and stuff while it's warm, cleanup is much easier!

Constant decluttering

2011-12-12T12:52:00.001-08:00

These left us a month ago.

When I feel like I never want to see X again, I'm going with that feeling!

OK, I'm not throwing all the toys away just yet, but there are plenty of other candidates.

Remember that things keep coming in, so things must keep going out.

I probably should have let someone else drop off the donations bag. Continuing the Christmas spirit, I did not leave the charity shop empty handed.

These left today (note this bag is wider than half the sofa!)

Girl clothes on their way to another family

I've continued my paper decluttering successes and reduced some major stacks with a new resolution: Keep Some.

I have some company stocks and a long-held bank account, both of which have generated many years of statements (back to the 80s!).

I've been afraid to get rid of anything just in case I get into trouble without the records but also haven't yet decided what I want to do with them. So the statements pile up.

My triumph

I've kept one statement from every year, plus anything that looks tax related. So I have records in case someone should demand them, and I also have much much less paper!

Left: gone! Right: kept

Challenge

Find 10 things today that you will never use again - bin them or put them in your donations bag. (Start a donations bag!)

Real Food Part 2: Eating Less Sugar 5 Ways

2011-11-29T11:46:00.001-08:00

The Real Food series helps you eat more real food in the real world. In Part 1, we ate more whole grains. Now let's learn how to do what we know we should - eat less sugar.

What's so bad about sugar?

White sugar goes beyond being a refined food - it is an extract. All that is left from the refining process is empty calories - calories with no nutrition. Sugar tastes addictively great, but like stripped grain flours, that's a natural sign of a very rich calorie source.

Rotten teeth and bouncing blood sugar don't bother you? Here are some more of sugar's problems.

Dr Michael Klaper vividly describes systemic sugar damage - the sugar spreads through your bloodstream all over your body (eyes, organs, skin), combines with proteins, and then oxidises. The effects mimic the aging process - your skin, eyes, muscles, etc, start to fail.

When I indulge in high-sugar treats, I always have a hangover the next day. I can't feel the problems in my kidneys and blood vessels, but as a contact lens wearer, I can attest to that eye thing.

How to give up sugar

Dr Klaper worked with a buddy to commit to no refined sugar. Hey vegans! Like dairy, you may not understand how sugar hurts you until you give it up.

Too hard? A sweet tooth is largely a matter of habit - you expect the sweetness you're used to. While you know if you choose cakes, cookies and candy you're choosing sugar, sugar's not just in special treats anymore.

The American Heart Association suggests no more than
- 6 tsp added sugar (women)
- 9 tsp (men) per day.

Start with these tricks to cut out everyday sugar surprises.

Don't drink sugar

Drinking is meant to quench your thirst, and water does the best job. When you drink calories, they go down quickly, don't satisfy your appetite, and you'll eat more.

Help your health - avoid:

Soft drinks and energy drinks - e.g., Coke with its 38g (10 tsp) per can or Red Bull with 27g (7 tsp) - CSPI tells you all about liquid candy
Juice - your mother may have told you to drink your juice, but even unsweetened apple has 23g (6 tsp) per glass. Juice has some nutrients but not enough to be worth the sugar hit. Yes, it's healthier than Coke, but if you want nutrients? Eat the fruit. Compare the fruit with the juice.

Some health experts recommend fresh juicing to get a super hit of nutrients - this will beat supermarket juice but here are Dr McDougall's pros and cons.

"Unsweetened" juice blends may contain deionised juice (juice sugar water). And someone's buying those sweetened fruit drinks!

No juice? What to do? Drink water, water with a splash (lemon, lime, orange, molasses), herbal tea...
Coffee or tea with sugar - If you have several cups of tea with a few spoons of sugar each, it adds up. Going gradually will get you there: today, only use half the sugar or one spoon less. Or use healthier sweeteners (see below).

Don't wake up with sugar

Most breakfast cereals, especially kids' cereals, are super sugary. 85% of 85 cereals in this cereal list have 10% or more added sugar. Indefensible, yet someone is buying them. Lots of someones.

Confused about cereal sugar amounts? Here's help. But honestly, the taste should give you a clue. Nobody stops misleading health claims on the box either.

Even plain old cornflakes, ricies, and weetbix are not far off 10% added sugar. They're processed products and along with the milk or milk substitute most people use, that's sweet enough. If you're spooning extra sugar on top, you need a taste bud readjustment.

Cut back, cut back again, and use healthier sweeteners (see below).

A breakfast that you sweeten yourself, like porridge or whole grain toast, is a better bet. And you can use healthier sweeteners (see below).

Say No to sugar on the go

We eat less food at home and more while travelling - snack food is a huge business. Too many snack foods are labelled healthy when they are anything but. This trick works best with healthy hippie food that corporate food companies have stolen. Like...

Yoghurt

This is just one story about yoghurts which scream lowfat but have an entire day's worth of added sugar (6tsp) in one tiny pot.

Most often used in small children's lunches or for women trying to be health-conscious!

Try a plastic container, some natural yoghurt, and only a couple of tsp of fruit, jam, or even sugar. Word to the wise - vegan soy yoghurt contains no lactic acid so needs less sweetening.

Muesli (granola) bars

This review from Oz says it all:

Cereal bars can be loaded with sugar (most more than 20%) and saturated fat (more than a packet of chips).
Some brands contain ‘fruit’ that owes more to chemistry than agriculture.
A piece of real fruit is a much healthier snack.

We are vegan but with careful label reading I have discovered some supermarket choices with wholegrains and an acceptable sugar and fat content (Pams and Nature Valley).
Cut sugar in baking

If you do home baking, you're in a great position - the hand that controls the sugar scoop.

Almost any standard cake or cookie recipe can have 1/3 of the sugar accidentally not find its way into the mixture and you will probably not notice.
(Exceptions are recipes like meringues or marshmallows where the sugar, not flour, is the main ingredient)
For more reductions, experiment by replacing some of the refined sugar with the healthier sweeteners (below). I often use molasses, soft bananas, and stevia extract to replace lots of the refined sugar.

Choose healthier sweeteners

Fruit

If you can't face plain oatmeal or cornflakes, then dried, canned, or fresh fruits are your 5+ a Day option to the sugar bowl. Raisins, bananas, strawberries, apples are easy. Get as exotic as you like with other fruits.

Juice is off the beverage list, but it is a healthier choice than sugar in baking.

Molasses

Unsulphured blackstrap molasses is my fave breakfast and beverage sweetener. The major byproduct of sugar refining, it has the nutrition of the sugar cane with lots less actual sugar.

Caution: Very strong flavour! To start, use only a teaspoon or so in porridge or a hot drink and 4 Tbsp in baking. Increase when acceptable.

Blackstrap molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the daily value of each of those nutrients. My vegan kids have been enjoying molasses since they started porridge.

Sugar Substitutes

Of the commonly used sugar substitutes, only stevia is naturally derived from a plant. I use both stevia leaves and extracted stevioside (the sweet chemical in stevia), with the usual assumption that the stevia leaves are a healthier choice. But you don't need much stevioside - it is so sweet that its scoop has a bowl about the size of the pupil of my eye.

Sorbitol and xylitol are also becoming popular as more natural low calorie sugar substitutes.

I'm scared of artificial laboratory based sweeteners like aspartame, cyclamate, and saccharin: their origins, their skewed and inconclusive testing and often corrupted results. I don't use them or buy products with them. There are other choices to make your life a little sweeter.

Cost $$

Molasses, fruit and stevia may cost you more than refined sugar. Some healthier cereals cost more (but there's always great value porridge!) Choosing water with a splash instead of Coke and fruit juice is definitely cheaper.
In the end, decide where your best investment lies. Hint: it's your health!

What difference does it make?

Let's define an Average Person - during one Average Day she consumes some normal stuff:

one can of Coke (10 tsp)
two glasses of juice (12 tsp)
two cups of coffee with 2 tsp sugar each (4 tsp)
a bowl of average (36% sugar) cereal (3 tsp)
one popular snack bar (4 tsp)

Total: 33 tsp of sugar from these foods alone! Remember, the AHA recommends 6 tsp.

She could have chosen some other (still normal) stuff:

3 glasses of water with a splash (1 tsp)
two cups of coffee wtih 1 tsp sugar each (2 tsp)
a bowl of cornflakes (1/2 tsp)
a natural snack bar (1 1/2 tsp)

Total: 5 tsp - she has a real chance of being sugar healthy today.

After one year

At this rate, she could avoid 10,220 tsp of sugar - that's about 2.5 kgs!

In time, cutting sugar out altogether might seem very possible.

Coffee, tea, or mess?

2011-11-28T19:31:00.001-08:00

My next decluttering area volunteered itself during my recent Use It Up challenge - our tea/coffee shelves. Too many Use It Up candidates equals a decluttering challenge!

These shelves have an awkward location. I have to lean sideways over the kitchen bench to reach them, so only the lower shelf is really easy for me to reach. And the minivac installation makes it worse. What can I say? It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Result? Everything ended up piled on the lower shelf. When I saw that the bags of tea I actually use had been tossed up to the top shelf as clutter, I knew there was no time to lose.

Strateagy

Accessibility is key for this type of project. This is the high-use kitchen; these are hospitality items you want to gather at a moment's notice with one hand while preparing kids' nibbles and carrying on a conversation with the other visiting mothers.

So I want all the regularly used items on the bottom shelf or the front of the middle shelf. We don't have that many kinds of tea and coffee we like! So what is all that stuff on that shelf?

Declutter

This was all clutter!

We had:

two half full containers of decaf instant coffee
two nearly empty tea boxes and one small opened bag (I don't need breastfeeding tea anymore!)
two half full tea boxes
a jar of old mint

Teabags in plastic bags will keep longer and take up less room the more are used up. Cut the labels from the boxes to keep inside the bags.

During the declutter, I also enjoyed the very last of the Wildberry teabags (blue and purple box) with some of my stevia leaves from the last Use It Up challenge.

Reorganise

I found a canister for all the teas, including one plastic bag with the stray anonymous teas. This is on top so I will use them up first.

I rehomed the salt and pepper. I moved unopened tea and coffee to higher shelves. I also moved the opened coffee packets up because my husband is the coffee drinker and he's taller.

And for my last trick, I removed the minivac installation. I can think of at least two better places for it than in this tight corner.

Enjoy!

Before

After!

Use it up! - Stevia is naturally sweet...

2011-11-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

I'm still working on the last Use It Up challenge, (gluten free baking mix).

I missed a golden opportunity to use some of this baking mix when I baked 40 plus mini chocolate chocolate chip vegan cupcakes for the Vegan Society New Zealand's stall at the recent Grey Lynn Festival in Auckland, New Zealand.

There would have been several takers for gluten-free cupcakes among the hundreds of cupcake devotees.

But spring is here and I've succeeded in my winter resolution to use up my big bag of Barley Tea.

While I was up in the (very cluttered) coffee/tea shelf, I noticed another prime candidate for the series.

Stevia

Stevia is a plant with a naturally very sweet leaf. The sweet chemicals steviol glycosides are many times sweeter than sucrose but do not induce a glycemic response and have been shown to protect teeth, not decay them.

Due to the strong flavour, stevia may never entirely replace sucrose, but it's always good to know about healthier options. Stevia will appear again in my Real Food series - Use Less Sugar.

Growing Stevia

These dried stevia leaves were from the last harvest of the stevia plant my mother gave me when we lived in our previous house. More than 4 years ago.

Each year, I only needed to shake the seeds from the flowers and water the new shoots and presto - a new stevia bush!

Sadly, during the move I did not nurture the plant into its next regenerative season and no longer have a stevia plant. Mom? I'm ready again...I promise!

The leaves are still sweet in my tea after all these years. I even chew and eat the sweet leaves as I drink the tea.

I will use up these leaves in hope of a fresh supply someday...

Your Thanksgiving Turkey - now in living colour!

2011-11-23T21:01:00.001-08:00

I grew up with turkeys on my dinner plate or as cartoon figures drawn around five little fingers.

Like any animal, there's always so much more to learn!

Like the Native Americans (Indians), turkeys are another victim of colonial naming confusion so great that I hope you can explain it to me.

400 years ago, the English market confused the American bird with an African bird that they already called a turkey because it was shipped via Turkey.

Turkey life....

Wild turkeys live in woods in parts of North America. They were introduced to New Zealand (where I live) around the 1890s. The large park near my parents' house generally hosts a flock of wild turkeys.

They spend their days foraging for food like acorns, seeds, small insects and wild berries. They spend their nights in low branches of trees.

Yes, wild turkeys get to fly!

They weigh about 8 kgs and can live up to 13 years (average 3-4 in the wild). Turkeys have sharp full colour eyesight and fast evasive action when in danger including running (up to 29 km/hour) and flying (up to 88 km/hour).

Turkey talk...

Wild turkeys communicate using a wide array of different vocal calls, including gobbles, clucks, putts, yelps, and whistles. Strutting is also used by males as a form of communication, to attract females and intimidate other males.

Turkey love...

Each spring male turkeys try to befriend as many females as possible. Male turkeys puff up their bodies and spread their tail feathers (just like a peacock).

They grunt, make a "gobble gobble sound" and strut about shaking their feathers to attract females for mating.

Turkey family
After the female turkey mates, she prepares a nest under a bush in the woods and lays her tan and speckled brown eggs. She incubates as many as 18 eggs at a time. It takes about a month for the chicks to hatch.

When the babies (known as poults) hatch they flock with their mother all year (even through the winter). For the first two weeks the poults are unable to fly. The mother roosts on the ground with them during this time.

Turkeys protect their poults from predators by hiding them in long grass. Turkey mothers will band together to attack hawks.

Basically, turkeys are large, intelligent birds. They are as varied in personality as dogs and cats.

Your holiday turkey

No prizes for guessing that farmed turkeys get the same raw deal as other farmed animals. Yes, the story is horrible. There is no happy ending...or beginning or middle. If you buy a supermarket turkey, you owe it to him to read this.

Factory Farm Turkey Life

Your turkey was bred, fed, drugged, and genetically manipulated to grow as large as possible as quickly as possible. He needed to be market size when he was slaughtered at 5 months - a tiny fraction of his natural lifespan.

Turkey feed generally contains antibiotics and animal by-products, and commercial turkey feed is designed to promote fast growth.

In 1970, the average live turkey raised for meat weighed 8 kgs.
Today, he weighs 13 kgs.

According to one industry publication, modern turkeys grow so quickly that if a 7-pound human baby grew at the same rate, the infant would weigh 1,500 pounds at just 18 weeks of age.

He never once got to fly.

Factory Farm Turkey love

Your turkey's mother was artificially inseminated because her male partners were too big to mate with her.

Factory Farm Turkey family

Your turkey was hatched in a large incubator and never saw his mother. When he was only a few weeks old, he was moved into a filthy, windowless shed with thousands of other turkeys, where he spent the rest of his life.

To keep your turkey from killing others in such stressful conditions, parts of his toes and beak were cut off, as well as his snood (flap of skin under his chin) - with no pain relief.

Factory Farm Death

Millions of turkeys die in the first few weeks of life in a factory farm from "starve-out" - they stop eating because of stress. Others die from organ failure or heart attacks because they're unnaturally big and fat. And slow-growing turkeys get killed right there in the shed by farm workers - so that unsaleable turkeys won't waste any more food.

Your turkey survived long enough to get to slaughter.

Factory Farm Slaughter

He was thrown by his legs into a large crate packed with other turkeys. He was lucky because his legs didn't break like other turkeys in the worker's hands. He also avoided dying during his truck trip with no food, water, or temperature control - millions of other turkeys aren't so lucky.

At the slaughterhouse, he was hung upside-down by his weak and crippled legs and his head was dragged through an electrified "stunning tank," which immobilized him.

Your turkey should be thankful to be successfully stunned - some of his neighbours dodged the tank and were completely conscious when their throats were slit. If the knife misses, they are scalded alive in the tank of hot water used for feather removal.

Conscious choices

If you struggle to feel thankful for that bad taste in your mouth, remember that these millions of turkeys are only mistreated because people keep buying them.

Even if it is a long family tradition, you still have other choices.

Free range/organic turkeys

I don't wholeheartedly recommend this, because:

I'm vegan
You won't always know how much better a free range or organic turkey is, compared to the standard factory farm product. You will need to do your research.

But investing in an alternatively raised turkey is a blow struck against indefensible factory farming.

Go easy and cheap - go vegan

Yes, you can skip the bird and still celebrate until you burst!

Here are just a few samples:

I'm a huge mushroom fan, so these huge mushrooms get my vote!

And of course, you can't go past my Frugal Vegan Stuffing - anyone can make this.

Happy Vegan Thanksgiving - Frugal Vegan Stuffing

2011-11-21T14:16:00.001-08:00

Just in time for Thanksgiving and early enough to plan for Christmas - my other easy "use it up" bread crusts recipe: Yummy Vegan Stuffing.

Not for the birds! This is the dish to take to your family Thanksgiving so you can give thanks for vegan food.

After all, stuffing is the original alternative to fill up tummies so you don't eat so much of the expensive meat - happy to help out there!

Overview

You need:

any size oven-proof dish with cover
enough vegetables to quarter fill the dish
enough starch (wholegrain bread crumbs, oats with a bit of flour, etc) to fill to the top (or a bit over)
liquid, herbs and salt

My stuffing

I used a large dish (my new/old Corningware 2.5L) and:

Vegetables

1 thinly sliced courgette
1 cup creamed corn

Other good stuffing vegetables:
Use mild vegetables that will cook into softness easily

celery
mushrooms
peas

Starch

It's been long enough since the Frugal Fruit Pudding that we have collected more bread crusts in the freezer. And these are 90% wholewheat crusts (thanks to our supermarket instore loaf range). So hooray - we are gradually eating more whole grains!

I grated these into crumbs using the food processor.

I also used 1 cup of dry oatmeal.

Other good stuffing starches:

Cooked rice
Wholewheat flour (no more than 1/2 cup)

Add the starch and mix in the vegetables.

Extras

Add richness (if desired) to your basic stuffing.

I used a handful of sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Other good stuffing extras

Sesame seeds
Chopped cashews or walnuts
Slivered almonds
Olives
Chopped meat replacement

Liquid/Salt
In a small bowl or jug combine:

4C (approx) liquid - water or vegetable broth
2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh from my friendly neighbour's tree)
salt to taste

oil (optional) If you use some of the healthier rich extras listed above, you may not need any oil. The richer the stuffing, the more "normal" this will taste. Up to you...

Herbs
(Stir into the liquid)

1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional - I happened to have a little bit of parsley from the garden)

Later, I'll show you what happened to the rest.

Pour combined liquid over the mixture in the dish. The starch should be all wet but not floating. Add more plain liquid (water or broth) if needed.

Cover and cook in the microwave on high for about 10 minutes.
I put the cooking dish on a dinner plate to catch bubbly drips.

You can brown the top in the oven before serving.

Sorry, I can't photograph how good this smells!

And I highly recommend Lani Muelrath's Forks over Knives Mushroom Gravy on the side!

What's your favourite animal-friendly holiday dish?

Real Food Part 1: Hate Whole Grains? Here's help!

2011-11-15T12:41:00.001-08:00

First, watch Dr John McDougall: Lowfat foods vs whole foods

Whether you're seeking a healthy weight or just plain good health, you need to find your way to whole foods.

Whole Grain Health

Fats

Your body needs some fat. Not lots of unhealthy fat from doughnuts, fries, butter, or steak. Just the right amount of the essential fats in whole grains and other whole plant foods.

Brown rice has 3 times the fat of white rice, but the weight-conscious should still go brown because of the...

Fibre

Whole grains have more fibre - refined grains have the fibre removed. For example, brown rice has more than 3 times the fibre of white.

This makes your food

Slower to chew
More filling in your stomach
Cleansing to your digestive and circulatory systems

Vitamins and minerals

When grains are refined, nutrients leave too. If you think iron, magnesium, and essential fatty acids are important, think hard about whole grains.

Refined grains? Stripped grains, more like! You're being cheated - the majority of grain foods for sale are stripped grains.

Here's a great primer: Whole Grains 101

For more data, you can't go past the fully searchable USDA Nutrient Database.

We hate whole grains! What do we do?

Many of us were raised eating stripped grains or just envied those that were. Your mouth may be telling you that white bread and white rice just taste nicer.

That's a natural body response to a richer calorie source. So is gaining weight.

If (like me) you don't need richer calorie sources, you can gradually increase whole grains in your family's diet.

Go Gradual

Add 1/4 whole grains to your usual serving of grains.

Whole grains have more flavour and adding just a bit is a great way to introduce that taste to the family palate.

Bread

A bit of whole wheat plus a lot of white flour is a very popular standard loaf. Make your own or buy it.

Rice

Learn how to cook brown rice and mix it into the white rice dish before serving. If you usually flavour your rice, you will hardly notice the change.

Morning cereal

If you enjoy a hot cereal like cream of wheat (semolina), add 1/4 the amount of natural oatmeal when cooking.

If you already like oatmeal, replace 100% of it!

Home cooking

If you make cookies or cakes, replace 1/4 of the flour with whole grain flour. Fresh baked foods are softer and you might even be able to use 1/2 whole grain flour right away.

This vegan pudding was made with breadcrumbs from 30% wholewheat bread.

Next

After a month or two of enjoying better nutrition, try adding 1/2 whole grains. (Mark it in your calendar.) Your taste will have adjusted - enjoy your success!

Real Food Part 2

Coming up: Learn some practical ways to enjoy sweetness with less refined sugar.

Co-sleeping Forever, or Why Blame Co-sleeping?

2011-11-10T13:58:00.001-08:00

The boys get some rest.

Recently, in Gisborne, New Zealand, a tiny baby died in his mother's bed.

The death is a tragedy. Another tragedy is the reporting.

"The tragic death of a Gisborne baby has highlighted the risks of adults co-sleeping with babies."

We are being instructed to believe co-sleeping is risky.

Not the mother leaving a 1-month old baby illegally with her 12 year old son so she could go drinking (and return to continue parenting drunk).

Barbara Sturmfels described this media insanity well (commenting on Facebook):

Tragic yes, and tragically avoidable, but once again bed-sharing gets simplistically blamed by the coroner and the media for a baby's death. It's the alcohol that's the risk factor, not the bed-sharing. Bed-sharing is safe if it's done safely.

When a baby dies in a car accident at the hands of a drunk driver, does the news report say "The tragic death of a baby has highlighted the risks of driving with a baby in the car"? It says "... the risks of driving drunk..."

Safe sleeping guidelines are free in public hospitals and Plunket clinics throughout the country. Each misleading story drives some of us to repeat these guidelines as loud as we can without screaming. The Coroner's Office and the Herald must know it.

Why do they blame co-sleeping?

Because that's the best they can do.

They can't make irresponsible people into responsible parents. Some will drink, smoke, abuse drugs, and otherwise endanger their children - no matter what.

They can't make sure parents will always have a support person - a caregiver and/or a friend who will say, "Stop drinking, you've got a baby." (Legend).

Driving drunk is illegal and can ruin your career - and some people still do it. Parenting drunk? We're an alcohol abuse culture. It's a growth industry.

Safesleeping guidelines would not have saved that Gisborne baby. The news report painted a vivid picture ofconsistently unsafe parenting.

It takes a village, and there is no village.

At the Coroner's Office

"Another drunk mother smothered her baby in bed."
"Tell them not to co-sleep."
"But you know co-sleeping can be done safely."
"I think they're not reading the pamphlets! Another baby is dead! I can't face another family ruined forever! Tell them not to co-sleep!"

This approach is shortsighted - our families:

miss an irreplaceable bonding experience that benefits other cultures
risk unsafe co-sleeping due to ignorance and exhaustion

But the approach won't change. The alternative to the blanket ban is blanketing the community with safe-sleeping (and parenting) information and laws like the drink-drive or family violence campaigns. We're talking about a sweeping culture change from the highest level - which will not happen.

No motivation for change

Even unsafe co-sleeping does not kill very many babies. Unsafe co-sleeping notably kills very few babies from politically influential families.

And our society prefers to separate child and mother as soon as possible, so the mother can be an income-generator again.

And free pamphlets are not going to stop that.

Educate yourself

Our community must keep spreading the word. Here are some words to the wise - not soundbites.

Response statement (to the 2008 blanket ban).
Co-sleeping truth and lies
Should babies co-sleep with their parents?

Another myth put to bed

Your offspring may still want to sleep with someone when they're fully grown - but it won't be you. (Thanks Pinky McKay)

Co-sleeping with my kids

Alex started out in bed with me. My birth trauma meant I couldn't sleep while he was nearby, so he ended up in a separate room. I remember waking and searching through the covers for my baby.

I wish I could have bedshared longer with Alex. He was a baby who needed lots of attention night and day. I wish I had tried bedsharing again later instead of walking the halls several times a night for so long.

With Nadia - different birth, different house, different result. Nadia and I eased naturally into co-sleeping with a crib alongside the bed. Instead of the traditional nuclear family setup, for more than three years we have had the girls' room and the boys' room. One parent there for each child.

Independence Day (and night)

Nadia sleeps through pretty well now - I thought we might make changes as a special occasion when she turned 4.

But discussions about sleepovers had Nadia suddenly putting her hot pink pillow onto her very own bed - the lower bunk that was Daddy's. She wanted to "giggle all night" with Alex.

She still has company and usually a feed to get to sleep. And she's always back in our bed by morning. She is welcome. Some nights she goes back and forth and back again. I love this natural transition - she shows her own readiness.

It's nice being able to read myself to sleep in bed again. I've earned it. And it was worth it.

Eat More Fruit and Whole Grains - Frugal Vegan Fruit Pudding

2011-11-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

I like to cook with what I have. And this healthy fruit pudding can be made with practically anything.

Of course, I used my garden-fresh organic rhubarb. With this recipe, I also transformed the bread end collection from our freezer from trash to treasure.

Overview

You need:

any size oven-proof dish with cover
enough fruit to half-fill the dish
enough starch (wholegrain bread crumbs, oats with a bit of flour, etc) to fill to the top (or a bit over)
liquid, spices and sweetening

My fruit pudding

I used a large dish (my new/old Corningware 2.5L) and:

Fruit

3 cups rhubarb
2 cups sliced canned apple
1 ripe banana

Rhubarb needs special attention as it's a very stringy and bitter plant. I sliced the rhubarb stalks thinly in the food processor, and put them in the dish with:

1 tsp baking soda (reduces the sugar needed)

1/2 cup water

and cooked them in the microwave until mushy (5 minutes).

This gave me time to do more preparation.

When all the fruit is ready, add it to the cooking dish.

Starch

Does your family eat bread ends? Yeah, I know. We always have collections of them in the freezer. I grated these into crumbs using the food processor - that filled the rest of the dish. If I'd needed more, I would use dry oatmeal and no more than 1/2 cup ww flour.

When all the starch is ready, add it on top of the fruit.

I like to mix my fruit in with my starch, but you might choose to layer instead.

Spices (optional but recommended)

1/2 tsp of cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or ginger stirred into the mixture

Liquid/Sweetening

In a small bowl or jug combine:

3C (approx) liquid - water, juice, or any milk substitute depending on how rich you want it
Sweetener of choice to taste - since I used rhubarb, I needed lots more sugar than for just bananas and apples. One source suggests adding 1/2 cup of sugar for 3 cups of rhubarb.

I always add sweeter fruits along with the rhubarb to reduce the processed sugar needed. Raisins and dates give lots of sweetness.

I use a couple of Tbsp of blackstrap molasses along with plain sugar to add flavour and important vitamins and minerals
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
3 Tbsp custard powder (optional) - this results in the pudding setting solidly. You will have a crumblier but still very nice dessert without it.

Pour combined liquid over the mixture in the dish. The starch should be all wet but not floating. Add more liquid (water, juice, milk) if needed.

Cover and cook in the microwave on high for about 10 minutes.
(I put the cooking dish on a dinner plate to catch bubbly drips.)

Served with a fresh garden strawberry and covered with soy yoghurt and the most delicious caramel soy topping (won from Angel Food and going on the shopping list).

Have more rhubarb? Vegan Rhubarb Cake and more!

Have more bread ends? Stay tuned for my vegan stuffing recipe, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Planting for Summer - the toilet rolls rocked!

2011-11-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

The summer squash seeds love their free biodegradable planters and showed their appreciation with big green leaves.

And the beans we planted at Small Poppies were going bonsai for lack of soil depth in that cute little decorated pink tub...unlike my planters, which are an ideal shape for deep little roots without needing lots of soil.

Trowel in hand, I investiged our kale and parsley jungle for some available real estate. I approved some subdivisions, cleared some weeds, and began.

It's hard to let go of such faithful producers as the kale, but my sprouts need their turn in the sun. So I stripped the last kale leaves (hello soup), shook off clouds of seeds, and pushed them over.

Frugal planters - priceless!

Planting into the garden using the biodegradable planters was so easy! I could see little roots all ready when I unfolded the end, and the cardboard was well soaked from Nadia's last watering effort (I didn't know she read my blog!) The structure protected the tiny plant and roots from the usual transplanting damage.

It was like moving a sleeping baby wrapped in a warm blanket.

My 3 year old could safely and easily plant these. I had to plant the bean sprouts from their loose soil.

Three summer squash, two bean sprouts, and a harvest all for me...

I added more parsley to the last kale and the rhubarb is happy again.

We also have the first strawberries.

There were several. What's the shelf life of a fresh garden strawberry? Who knows?

Coming soon
What to do with all that fresh organic rhubarb - it's vegan, frugal, fatfree, and fabulous!

More Vegan Waffling - Sticking to it

2011-10-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Our waffle maker had made its last wholewheat vegan waffle, but I got lucky with Freecycle with another waffle maker in great condition. Guess who was pleased with herself?

Try...

But then I tried to use it. This waffle maker was a different shape and a smaller area, so I set the timer a bit shorter.

Not short enough.

Have you ever cleaned a waffle iron with burned on batter on both sides? Ugh.

Twenty or so minutes later, I set the waffle iron outside to dry properly. I have a sneaking (and mostly illogical) fear I might have shorted out our other waffle maker by trying to clean it, and I didn't want any water at all in the electrical areas for the next try.

Try...

Our vegetarian au pair, Filip, was keen to do the next waffle. He made lots of waffles back in Germany, and I hoped he could work some magic.

Sadly, he also faced a long cleanup job. But he reported crucial data - the waffle was already getting too brown on the outside while still drippy in the middle.

Did I get just what I paid for? Was this a defective waffle maker? Maybe it could only cook non-vegan waffles?

We'd both had enough experimenting for one day, and the (again painstakingly clean) waffle maker went to hide in the cupboard. I was tempted to give up and buy a new waffle maker that understood me.

Learn...
Before giving up, I did some research, starting from the brand on this sturdy old waffle maker - Ralta. From there, I learned a lot about waffles.
Our other waffle maker was Scandinavian style (heart-shaped with diamond spacers).

Our new one is Belgian style (square with squares). (pic)

You can also have American waffles (circle with squares).

Belgian waffles need a doughier batter with extra rising ingredients, not the drippy one I used before to cover and fill the large heart-shaped area of the Scandinavian style. There's no time for that water to cook out.

The Belgian recipes looked more involved and I feared I might be choosing between no waffles or complicated nonvegan waffles. But I found my dream recipe for 100% Wholewheat Vegan Belgian Waffles. Instead of yeast and eggs, I can use baking powder and vinegar to make the waffle rise in the 3-4 minute cooking time the Belgian waffle needs.

For true Belgian waffles, you can't cheat like this because it changes the taste, but luckily I don't care. I just want vegan waffles from my free waffle maker!

Then, and only then, Try Again

Just like magic, in about 3 minutes the thick batter slid gently off the waffle maker onto the serving plate as golden brown waffles.

My next challenge is to learn to make perfect pancakes on my cast-iron skillet so I don't need a waffle iron.

Free eco-friendly planter - from the trash!

2011-10-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

My winter parsley and kale are rapidly going to seed as the sunshine hits the garden. I cleared the kale and made a whole crock pot of soup.

If I want juicy tomatoes, tender squash, lettuces, a cucumber or two - then there's no time to waste. I need to get the summer seedlings going. (Luckily, the strawberries are doing what strawberries do all by themselves.)

I could always use small plastic pots, but the kids and I really enjoyed the clever Peat Pellet (used at a Small Poppies session) for planting.

It was fun to watch it grow with added water, and satisfying to plant the healthy seedling straight into the garden with no root disturbance and no plastic container.

I don't need to check the price to know they're not frugal enough for me. What to do?

It's easy.

Make your own free biodegradable seed planter

Take one empty toilet paper tube.
From one end, fold the circular edge down (4 folds) to roughly close off the hole.

Press the folded end as flat as possible, using your fingers both inside and outside of the tube.
Fill with moist soil.
Repeat with as many tubes as you have. If you run out, another one will be ready soon.
Plant and enjoy!

Hints

Use promptly after making.
Use a containing box (the planters may not stand up well on their own).
Before planting, open the bottom end of the tube and wet the whole tube thoroughly so the roots can get out to the soil.

Here's a lineup of my hopeful planted seeds along with a couple of baby lemon trees (I really want a lemon tree) and beans...

Good luck to us all!

Top Clutter - Paper Rules

2011-10-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

As promised, the first in the Top Clutter series: Paper Rules!

Now that the filing cabinet is in its proper home, DH and I teamed up to declutter more stacks of old paper. The target? DH's filing system ever since we moved to this house - one poor filing basket.

Easily 90% of the stack was clutter. Bank statements, insurance information, and papers that were never important. What a warm feeling, especially because I burned it all in the fireplace. (Spring is not here every day yet.)

Broken from years of overloading

Paper!

We can't yet live without it, so we need to learn to live with it.

Here is your new attitude:

Keep Nothing
File any exceptions
Review exceptions often

Keep Nothing

You don't want to keep any pieces of paper. Each piece you keep is a layer in a looming stack next month that will waste lots of time to sort or lots of space to ignore.

File any exceptions

Will I get in trouble?

A tiny minority of papers are so important to your government that they must be exceptions. Birth certificates, passports, tax documents - these need to be kept in their original form. If you don't have them, there is a chance you could end up in serious trouble.

A note reminding you what to pack for your child's school trip is not most valuable in its original form. Stay out of minor trouble by putting the information you need into whatever daily reminder system you have - then get rid of the note (because there will be another note tomorrow and they will gang up on you).

The more complex your financial situation, the more gray areas there will seem to be. Again, ask yourself, "Will I get in trouble if I do not have this record?" If you have the only copy and don't know how to get the information again, it might be an exception.

Will I lose money?

If the paper represents enough money to be important to you, it might be an exception. Receipts may be crucial when something goes wrong.

Some papers (like passports) can be replaced but only for a fee or with a waste of time. This is another reason to make an exception.

Will I be unhappy?

Some papers mean something to you - they are sentimental. This is a good thing - as long as you have the space and energy to store these mementos.

As you look through mementos, most of them may give you a little buzz. Ask instead whether you would be unhappy if you never saw it again? Would you notice and miss it? Could you keep just one of a group of mementos?

These rules may sound tough, but even using them strictly, you will still have more paper than you really want to handle.

Filing

If you don't have a system, you won't find what you kept when you need it. You may need a plastic stack tray, an accordion file, or a 3 drawer filing cabinet. We have a 2 drawer filing cabinet and I'm not sure we need that. It might be that we need it but need to use it better. Work always in progress.

In any case, design your storage for your papers, not somebody else's guess at what you need. You may have totally different categories now and 5 years from now. Be flexible.

Review exceptions often

Within 2 years, most important papers aren't.

Tax documents are supposed to be kept at least 7 years and I would be wary of tossing them even then. They could get you out of trouble years from now that you didn't even know could happen. You can research IRD (or IRS) horror stories at your leisure online.

But as the years pass, some papers like receipts will no longer be needed.

Papers with a short shelf life need to be filed front and centre. Book yourself an appointment at least once a year to sort and toss.

Stop your paper

Your job is much easier if you can stop paper arriving in the first place.

Online bills and statements

Electronic communication has partly replaced paper. We are able to choose to read and pay lots of bills online. Ironically, having switched power suppliers to EnergyOnline, we now receive paper statements again. I just emailed them about this, and the great news is that we can get online statements.

But National Bank claim that because our bank account has an overdraft, our "statement cannot be suppressed". I've requested and am still awaiting a logical explananation.

Ads
Someone is regularly ignoring my "NO ADS" message on our box - perhaps because it is in nail polish but probably because they can't read. I probably need to get another official badge instead.

In our neck of the woods they are even sneakier. I enjoy our free local paper - but of course it isn't free. It comes with ads inside it - printed inside and bundled inside.

If you haven't stopped the ads arriving, you can certainly reduce their impact. Plan not to let them land anywhere but the recycling place. If your recycling place is not convenient enough, make it so. I used to let the kids play with ads and their pretty coloured pictures, but they know about buying now.

How do you handle your paper? Are you happy with your system?

Next in the Top Clutter series: Toys! (kids and grownups )

Us vs Them - Sports and the 99%

2011-10-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

New Zealand is on the brink of a climax that has been building for months - playing as the favourite in the final of the Rugby World Cup 2011.

We haven't won since the first Rugby World Cup more than 20 years ago - and fans have experienced all the almosts and the disappointments along the way - so this match is a highly emotional one.

What we tell our children

Be a good sport
Be a good winner
Be a good loser
It doesn't matter whether you win or lose as long as you play your best.

Have we been modelling this? Or are we being more basic?

Good sports

Cheering for our side is only right. But are we actually prepared to be good winners... or even losers?

Generally we haven't done badly. And it seems the All Blacks don't get as much into the strategic cheating as most other teams I've watched them play.

But our game could use some real improvement.

When the All Blacks won against Australia in the semifinal, we went from a moan "Aussie has the better team" to a taunt "The airport's that way!"

There are anti-French articles including every possible variation of "France didn't deserve to win."

Whatever that means.

Probably that we don't like the French much so we wish Wales won. Also since France has knocked the All Blacks out of the World Cup twice, we really don't want a rematch under so much pressure. But it's easier to pretend that there are some extra set of rugby union rules that means France should have just lost instead.

We have an ex-coach blaming the referees from the backseat. Can unpopular sports decisions be criticised out of existence? Isn't that all part of the grand spectacle of sports...that must be handled gracefully if you're to play?

Us vs Them

This transformation of real people into objectified enemy symbols is a bit scary.

We can see it it acted out in real life with the clashes during the 99% occupations, including our own local one in Auckland.

First, the obvious 99% vs 1%, referring to extreme wealth inequality.

Lines are also drawn between the police and protestors to a frightening extent. The respected writer Naomi Wolf was arrested simply for asking the police to justify their actions.

And some people who consider themselves normal hardworking people separate themselves from the 99% protestors and their stance.

"The All Blacks are going to win!"

My 6 year old son has been so pumped up by his school and other promotions that he will need therapy if we do lose. In the excitement of the match, he sees no reason not to wish all sorts of harm on anyone in the way of our promised victory.

He is lucky enough to have a strong team to support. And if we lose? Should the less rugby-mad suffer through a country's wailing and mourning? Remember the children, and try to set a good example...

Finally

I hope the All Blacks win.

Remember that we are all "us", and you will win too.

Secondhand smarts - picture perfect!

2011-10-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

I have a few historical Secondhand Smarts stories waiting, but this one is just so cool!

Our waffle maker has made its last wholewheat vegan waffle, and the kids always love me more when I make waffles. So I entered full secondhand shopping mode.

I checked on TradeMe and down at (you guessed it) my favourite charity shop. I did not find a waffle iron. Nor did I find an exercise bike, which I've been prescribed as physiotherapy. But I did find....

Smile!

I have wanted one of these for years, but even a small one is so expensive I hadn't bought one. Now I have a big one - and that's no Photoshop fake, it was only $20!

(The backroom guy literally just put it on display as I walked by and I didn't let it gather any dust.)

Oh, and I got a small pedal exerciser from TradeMe and a good old-fashioned waffle maker free from Freecycle.

Pardon the expression, but retail and weep!

Welcome Summer! Easy frugal fatfree vegan banana ice cream

2011-10-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Already down a kg by now...

I couldn't resist the bargain - $3 for 8kgs of overripe bananas! A sign as clear as a robin that warm weather is here in New Zealand.

Time to make some freezer space for banana ice cream makings. Whoops, no more room. Better take some of the frozen ones out and make a treat for the whole family.

Preparation

Peel 4 ripe bananas and chop into roughly 2cm chunks
Contain and freeze until firm (I use plastic produce bags)

Ice Cream!

I hear a juicer works really well to do this. I use a food processor (processor blade, not slicer).

If frozen solid, leave bananas to sit for a few minutes
Separate frozen pieces and put in processor
Add liquid: 1/2 cup water, vegan milk, and/or another (unfrozen) ripe banana
Add extras: vanilla, molasses, cocoa, chocolate chips, coconut ....?
Process. This is noisy!

You may need to stop the processor and stir unmixed banana lumps in.
You may need to add some more liquid (if you have no creamy bananas at the bottom).

Your patience will be rewarded with a smooth creamy cold treat that you'll wish you'd discovered sooner. Surprisingly it doesn't taste much of banana - my mother is not a banana fan and still loves this. And so does everyone else!

The banana boys

15 Years Vegan - Food++

2011-10-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

Going vegan means avoiding animal foods and other animal products. But it doesn't stop there. This change changes you.

I went on a vegan diet for my health (translated: "to lose weight") - these days that's called a plant-based diet. It worked a treat and I'm featured as one of Dr McDougall's early Stars. I've kept most of the weight off, even after two kids, which is great for me.

And while I was learning how to eat only plants, the best information around was from vegans.

Vegans talk about food

One huge myth about vegans is that they're not that into food (so that's why they don't care about giving up animal foods). BIG lie. Pop into a vegan potluck someday to learn the truth. Don't forget your plate.

But vegans don't just talk about food. Food is just the most obvious marker of a society doomed by its dependence on killing animals for food and other body products.

Vegans examine basic assumptions I grew up with and expose the propaganda.

Vegans talk about health

Eating animals is bad for human health - everybody's. I learned to look beyond the personal concern for my own body and imagine my country as healthy instead of in a health crisis caused by rich animal foods and rich processed foods.

Vegans talk about hunger

Most of the food livestock eats could have been fed to a starving person.
Most of the land growing food for livestock used to feed people (if it wasn't simply being the earth's lungs).

Vegans talk about happiness

I did not go vegan for the animals. But now that I have shared the vegan perspective, I cannot go back. I won't return to the dissonance of pretending that a package of sliced flesh on a supermarket shelf is just another product.

As if I could choose flesh or a can of beans, and it makes no difference.

I can't pretend that a slice of cow or sheep is dinner when a slice of cat or dog is horrifying. I may not be able to help all the cows in all the fields I see, but I am happier knowing they are not there because of me.

Vegans talk about hurting

It might just be possible to eat an animal without hurting her much. But most animal producers don't bother because they want to make more money.

Animals get hurt - in horrifying ways and numbers - in their lifetime role as your food. Vegans and other animal rights activists risk their own safety to show it to you.

When you ignore suffering, your personality changes. When you eat animals, you ignore suffering.

Vegans talk about the world

The world is overpopulated - with livestock. Not people. End of story.

Without livestock overpopulation, we could

feed all our people, and more
solve much of our pollution
save the world (maybe)

I haven't lost animal foods, I've gained awareness. Talk about a win-win.

Professional sports are rigged

2011-10-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

The "accidental" tackle? Photograph: Ross Land/AP

In case anyone was confused or upset about last night's Rugby World Cup semifinal between Wales and France, relax.

Professional sports cannot exist without funding, and a consistent source of funding is impossible without controllable results.

Advertisers must be able to count on viewers (advertising works wonders, but people must watch)
In sports gambling, the house must be able to win

If you think that's not enough motivation, perhaps you're not aware of the amount of money involved in those two areas. With all the focus on the economic benefit to New Zealand of hosting the RWC, there been little press about the benefit to our sports gambling company, the TAB.

The biggest gambling losers are those who really can't afford it, but we encourage it anyway.

Rest assured that it's economically irresponsible to allow a professional sports match to just happen - too much is at stake.

The most recent example - Wales vs France (15/10/11)

This is hardly the first match I've watched that's awkwardly supported this economic truth, but it's a great example. Sports-wise, this game made no sense.

It was only a guess for us viewers who might win - Wales were perhaps favoured. But Wales' captain made a textbook dangerous spear tackle near the beginning of the game. In itself, this is almost inexplicable - a player experienced enough to be the captain making such a high and spectacular spear tackle accidentally. This is obviously debatable - make your own decision.

The IRB has also said that in rugby union a spear tackle should be a straight red card.

But this was just the start.

A team without a captain

Now Wales had one less player than France, for the rest of the game. My DH immediately said "That's it. Wales has lost." That's the only logical conclusion (and was, in fact, true). With competent and similarly skilled teams, the loss of one player, especially the captain, must disadvantage one team so much that the other team can use their otherwise similar skills to win.

But DH's logical conclusion would have led many viewers to stop watching this economically vital semifinal. Some will watch anything looking like rugby, even commercials and endlessly repeated highlights. But most only want to watch something exciting, and a foregone conclusion for teams you don't otherwise care about is not exciting.

It was a late game, and many viewers would have found something obviously better to do - in bed, with a book, doing the dishes...

How to save the money (I mean match)?

Immediately two (otherwise inexplicable) things happened:

1. "Wales is going to win"

One commentator said this almost immediately. He continued to repeat this absurdity until the late stages of the match. He even said, "Would it be unprofessional of me to..." and broke into some silly pro-Wales chanting. Yes, normally, that would be not only embarrassing but unprofessional. But he did his job - he kept some viewers glued to their screen, hoping for a sports miracle.

2. France didn't try

Anyone who knows enough about rugby to argue with this knows it's true. Wales was down one man and France kicked for the corner again and again instead of trying to take advantage of their numbers to score tries.

Even the commentators mentioned this difference between the playing of the two teams - make your own decision on how unlikely this behaviour is in a professional team in a semifinal. Instead of being fired up by their obvious advantage, France relaxed. Apparently they were exhausted by the experience of having only 15 men against 14 men.

That transformed what should have been an ever widening (and viewer discouraging) scoreline to a nail-biting finish.

The last mystery

Wales was twice in position in the end game to kick a drop goal and pull ahead. They did not need a try to pull ahead, they only needed a drop goal. They declined both scoring chances, instead continuing to batter the defensive line fruitlessly.

The last chance was in the final minutes of the match and was so obvious it was comical. Wales passed the ball to each other and attacked more than 20 times with no real hope of getting a try. The clock ticked down to the end and they still did not take their only real chance at scoring and very real chance of winning instead of losing.

In sports terms, this was insane. The commentators said, "The question will always be asked, should the ball have been passed to (the kicker)...?"

Only if Wales was supposed to win. From the result, I'd guess that the brief was for Wales to lose by a small margin. Possibly the early spear tackle was part of that strategy. I assume that this is a better result for the TAB.

Couldn't there be another explanation?

In that game, in isolation? Possibly. Feel free to entertain me further with one.

Given the money involved? I use Occam's razor, and I say no.

So why watch professional sports?

It's sociable, and it's often fun.

But like the opera, remember that when the plot doesn't seem to make sense, that's because it's just supposed to happen that way.

Relax and enjoy the show!

Our little secret - to Rena

2011-10-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Danielle Eubank

It's a day and it's a drain
And all the streets are all the same
In every city of every name
The planet over

It's the way a drop of rain
Seeking leaf and root in vain
Must wash away a city's shame
And hide it in a river

It's a farm who lays a claim
Nature's veins as sewer mains
Running off away from blame
To find an ocean

To the beach the people came
Can we save, can we explain
What swims beneath that oil stain
Our little secret

(c) Jess Parsons 2011

Rena oil spill

Go Vegan in one day...using everyday household items

2011-10-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

Think "I could never go vegan"? This is for you.

I promise, there are no weird foods in this vegan day.

Breakfast

Choose from two satisfying hot breakfasts:

Toast and Jam

Have as much as you like - most supermarket breads are vegan

Porridge

Add brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, raisins, bananas, cinnamon, and/or vanilla

I eat oatmeal every day. I may not be able to wait until breakfast.

You might think porridge needs milk. Did you know that oats are so creamy that you can buy oat milk?

No time to make porridge? No problem! Pour boiling water over oats in a bowl or pot at night. They'll be cooked by morning and only need a quick reheat.

Drink

Water, juice, tea

Need a morning snack?
You might not, after that great breakfast. But if you do...

Apple, Banana, or any other favourite fruit...
Cashews, peanuts, pistachios...

Lunchtime

Sandwiches

Decisions, decisions:

Peanut butter and jam (or banana)?
Lettuce, tomato, avocado with BBQ sauce, ketchup and mustard?
Marmite and refried beans?

If you've never met Marmite, you'll probably think it's a weird food. But millions of kids love it, and you know how picky they are. It only took me 24 years to like it.

Want something hot? Baked beans or creamed corn...on toast.

Afternoon snack

Salted Popcorn
Pretzels and Mexican bean dip

or
Maybe you're feeling junk food deprived with all this great eating. Don't despair, vegan junk food is here.

Oreos are vegan!
Plain salted potato chips and corn chips are vegan!
Ritz crackers are vegan!
Krispy Kreme Fruit Pies are vegan!
Little Debbie Cake Donuts are vegan!
Even cute little Sweet Tarts are - you guessed it - vegan.

Here's a whole list for you to drool over.

Of course I don't recommend any of these foods, and I don't recommend being a junk food vegan. But it's not all lentils and lettuce in here.

Dinner

Easy Asian Rice

Rice: white or brown or both.
Veggies you like: maybe broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, peas, corn...
Soy sauce

Steam the rice and the veggies
Add soy sauce
Serve and enjoy!

This might seem to be an overly simple meal - but when it was just DH and me both working fulltime, rice, peas, and corn with soy sauce was an easy enjoyable regular for us. No wonder I love that man.

That's it. Vegan day complete without any weird foods (except the Oreos). That didn't hurt much, did it? The great thing is that it didn't hurt anybody else, either.

What next?

If you think vegan food could be more exciting than this starter menu, you're right. Vegan food, just like other food, is just as exciting as you want to make it. Check out:

for more inspiration than you could use in a lifetime.

A long healthy one.

What I learned by growing my own

2011-10-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

In a previous episode I showed off my winter window tomato garden.
The small tomatoes have continued to ripen and deliver a sweet treat every once in a while. Like this morning!

The larger ones have sadly not advanced from their pale orange stage despite my efforts to help ripen them - probably due to insufficient light or light hours.

Larger tomatoes would need more sun to heat up their volume, I suppose, and the experts indeed confirm that smaller tomatoes ripen faster.

That's a learning experience in itself. I read that "staying power is all you need", but their skins started looking tough so I finally gave up on ripening them and cut one open. (I planned to add them to my vegetable soup.)

Look closely...

Those are sprouts...inside the tomato!

OK, so I found that there's nothing new on the internet and many people have already discovered that tomato seeds will sprout inside a tomato. It is safe to eat them, even though they looked a bit dry and too gunky inside even to add to my vegie soup.

But it was quite frankly exciting to do it myself. And the green ones did fine in the soup. Yum!

Top Clutter - the Series

2011-10-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

I'm proud of my many decluttering successes and the new look of our home.

So how do I protect that success? New clutter is always arriving to fill up empty corners.

There are some very simple and effective methods to recognise and prevent new clutter. Attitude is key.

Know your enemy

Ours are:

Papers
Toys
Projects

Each of these include Grownup and Kid versions and deserve their own post. Stay tuned to hear all about Paper!

In the meantime...

Be aware - beware! When you take something in your hand, make sure you know where it will land.

Ups and downs...

2011-09-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

On the up side, you can now like @miniMum on Facebook. Check out the cute wee button on the right - just above the angels.

Now you'll never have to miss the latest installment of our minimalist adventures.

But wait! There's more!

@miniMum will also post the best of the best links on parenting, minimalism, breastfeeding, nutrition, health, frugalism, and many more.

But I won't be selling anything.

The down side, or a learning experience...

Recently, I spoke to some of the older children at my son's school about plant-based nutrition and health. I enjoyed it, it was great practice, and it was very well received.

Today, I accepted their invitation to the exhibit based on their individual learning experiences (of which I was a part). It was a disappointment (if not entirely a surprise) to find that all their nutrition displays showed standard nutrition information. Not one whiff of revolution.

I wonder what the feedback forms will tell me?