Cook in bulk

As a student sustainability has always been important to me. In regards to food, economical sustainability has been a major question to me and I can probably count on my hands the times I’ve bought lunch on the go. I have always had an interest for cooking, and a mind for saving a few pennies so bringing my food has been natural to me. For a student, it’s almost a must. After graduation, I continue seeing it as a must.

Beside allowing me to eat exactly what I wanted, I know exactly what is in it. It is more economical: buying in bulk it’s cheaper and I don’t have to waste money on fast food. Its also more environment friendly: I can use healthy, near produced products to make my lunch and I use recyclable containers thus minimizing every-day waste. It’s a win win in every way.

Welcome to my tea shop!

What do you like?

As you might guess from this picture, I love tea and have waaaay to many kinds of tea. I do however use only tea in bulk and no tea bags. My primary reason for this is that I can find more exciting flavours and variations that way. (And I get to use my cute container)

That I make use of less packaged products that way is simply a plus. Tea in bags are processed one extra time as they are cut to tiny pieces. I´ll readily admit that I don’t know much of the manufacttring process but what I did find after a quick search was that the filter paper the tea bags are made of is abaca. This is the leafstalk of bananas, a kind of hemp. Sadly though, I don’t know much more of it.

However, it is logical to see that bulk tea cuts out half the process the tea goes through since there is no cutting and no packaging. Thus, a lot less machines and time is needed to make bulk tea. That saves the environment through energy usage, and raw material. And also, using bulk tea there is less waste. But mainly, the taste of bulk tea is awesome.

Pick it up

One of the lovliest seasons are here!
The free apple picking season.
I live in an apartment, which means that I don’t have a garden.
Lucky enough this fruitbat has sniffed her way to a wild apple tree. These babies are going to make some nice applesauce and pie. This weekend I’ll try to have time to actually climb up in the tree and pick the big ones. Isn’t it nice how the smallest of things, such as an apple tree, can make you happy.

 

Why not share our thoughts on sustainable believing?

Recepie for one of the greatest moments: listen to The Greatest by Sia while eating the greatest candy ever on the way to the greatest person on earth.

Berries is without any doubt the best candy one can ever find. Perfect. And the greatest.

Suprise gift

On monday I visited my mom and she had just got a bunch of tiny mint plants from her friend who apparently had way to many. Mint is a bit holy for me and my mother – we love it. She gave me three of them and they are now happily living on my balcony. I love to have fresh spices and such on the balcony so I don´t have to buy a whole new plant when I need leaves for something special , plus I can pop them in anywhere I want (come to me virgin mojito). Yhey for awesome suprise gifts!

I also have my rosemary, which I must say I´m not as good at using. I need to learn when I can put it in so I have a use for it. Now it sits there being decorative most of the time.

Todays choice

Today we visited the amazing Carrières de lumières. If you are ever in southern France, visit it. And if you’re not, youtube it. It was truly amazing and almost overwhelming.

Afterwards we strolled through Le Village which is located right next to it. There we found this beauty. Fresh fruit is generally in abundance here, unlike home, but look at those cups! It’s cardboard and not plastic! I was overjoyed!

The sign said rawfood and stuff to but I didn’t try any of that as we walked on with our fresh lemonades. Thought the village they also had other wonderful sustainable products, sush as unpacked and locally produced soap, fresh and local olive oil, ketchup and jam in glas jars. It was adorable and really nice. And it gave me renewed energy to search for fresh and local products at home – from veggies to bread, oil and candy.

It was an awesome day and I really wanted to share this small sustainable joy 🙂

Chocolate chip cookies

I bought an egg replacement powder a couple of weeks ago.
Yesterday I baked chocolate chip/nut cookies and they turned out great!
So I wanted to share the recipe with you guys:

Chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients
170 g dairy-free butter
2 dl brown sugar
1,5 dl cane sugar (or normal sugar if you like)
1 egg + one egg yolk = 2 teaspoon egg replacement powder +2,5 tablespoon water
5 dl flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
200 g of chocolate chips
Nuts of your preference

1. Set the oven on 170 degrees
2. Melt the butter and whip it together with the brown and the cane sugar.
3. Mix the egg replacement and the water in a small cup so that it blends, then add it to the butter and sugar mix.
4. Mix all the remaining dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then combine the two bowls and make a firm dough. Mix in the chocolate.
5. Let the dough rest for approx 20 min in the refrigerator.
6. Make 25 small balls and spread them out on at least 2 baking sheets. Pro tip: if you want thick cookies don’t press out the balls too much, I let mine stay almost as balls.
7. Put them in the oven for approx 10-12 min.
8. Embrace your inner Cookie Monster (I’ve had 7 of them in less than 24 hours<333)

Drinking and great stories?

I am what I would call a natural abstainer. I don’t refrain from drinking from moral grounds or bad experiences, but because I don’t like the taste. For me it doesn’t make sense how you have to “get used” to it to enjoy it, so I’ve simply not tried to. And happy that way – non-alcoholic wine is faaaar better tasting!

You’re assumed to like alcohol (especially as a young adult) and to have ample experience. Sometimes that actually makes me feel left out or embarrassed that I don’t drink. And I hate that. How can drinking be an expectation?

When I went to gymnasium (our collage) my two best friends were an absolutist and a religious non-drinker. Drinking was never even on the agenda. So when people share stories of the time they got drunk and puked or that crazy thing they did intoxicated –  I have no story.

More than awkwardness on my part, it leads to some people viewing me as taking the high ground and thinking I’m better. Now they become protective of their drinking – claiming it to be the height of youth- or they clam up and become embarrassed.

It’s rarely a smooth thing. It is however just a choice. I don’t judge people for it, just I don’t want to be judged for my choices. I would advocate a white drinking style for anyone who cares to listen (because I do believe it to be healthier and safe for those around me), but I would not force it upon someone.

Advocate or not, I do sometimes which I had a crazy-drunk story just to be part of the group. Which is quite sad. So for that reason, I wish drinking weren’t a norm – but a simple choice. We’re getting closer to that though, and a lot more people are choosing a to go white. So at least I’m in good company.

Day 4- the sloppy lunchbox

Today went good actually.  I started work a bit later so I had a loong breakfast and enjoyed some tv-series. I made a smoothie bowl consisting of frozen pineapple and banana plus some lime juice and zest. The taste was very refreshing and nice, so it’s a recommend recommend on this one (;  I also made it a bit nicer by carving out half of a pineapple and using it as my bowl. Zero waste, you know.

Todays lunchbox, which I did not take a picture of, was a sloppy mess of everything thrown into a glass container. Some rice, lentils, beans, tomato sauce, grated carrot and zucchini. It was ok, but could have been nicer. I’m just a bit too lazy/ have a lack of time to make something proper.

Right now I am enjoying a bowl of (also sloppy and not so picture friendly) whole grain pasta with kidney beans, tomato and a vegan red pesto. Nice and filling, but not that beautiful.

I also made a kind of banana bread this morning. It turned out good, but not perfect. I didn’t use any recipe and it was kind of hard to bake without bakbig powder or such. The ingredients I used were bananas, oats, mixed nuts, peanut butter, chia seeds and aquafaba.