Homemade Bath Bombs

My 3 year old loves bubble bath. No surprises there I'm sure, but trying to find some that doesn't have a ridiculously long list of chemical ingredients? Well it might surprise you how difficult that is.

I have found a great alternative way to make bath-time fun- Homemade bath bombs!

Kids love how they fizz and they leave a lovely layer of nourishing almond oil on the skin. If you like you can add rose petals or body glitter for extra fun. You can even add lavender oil as a 'before bed' relaxant if that suits your purposes.

They are also great for adults and make really nice gifts.

Here is the recipe:

* Brush the inside of a set of silicone moulds with almond oil. There are so many shapes to choose from- I like to use stars and have a mould with 6 stars approx 8cm across.

* In a glass bowl mix 10 tablespoons of bicarb soda and 3 tablespoons of citric acid. 

* Then add 9 teaspoons of cold-pressed almond oil, 5 drops of whatever essential oil you like and 3-4 drops of food colouring if you like colour.

* Wearing rubber gloves, mix together thoroughly and pack firmly into the moulds.

* Put aside for 2-3 days to dry completely then remove carefully from the mould and add one to your bath.

* This recipe makes about 4 bath bombs.

Enjoy!! 

Healthier household cleaning....and it smells good!

Had to share another great product I've come across, with multiple uses!

Eucalyptus oil has long been known as a useful product for the removal of stubborn greasy/gummy substances, but we have found another few uses for it.

We were always those annoying people to come and stay with, you know, the ones who don't leave any smelly spray in the loo to cover the unpleasant odour of life's necessary activities...

Well, I have always been opposed to cans of chemical-laden room deodorants. Not to get all hippy or anything, but they actually smell toxic to me, so I have avoided using them where I can, including not buying them for use in my own house.

My brother, who is well and truly in the camp of covering life's unpleasant odours with as much deodorant as possible was so put out by my attitude that he actually started to bring his own toilet spray whenever he and his wife came to stay!! Imagine!!

Something had to be done. After telling him that his spray wasn't welcome, I compromised and began searching for a better option and we've found one: Eucalyptus Oil in spray form.


This is a great product, it smells good, it is a natural disinfectant and it can be used for cleaning. You can use it as a stain remover on your clothes and as I mentioned before, it is a great degreaser for kitchen cupboards.

For me it's right up there with vinegar and bicarb soda in my healthier home cleaning arsenal.

Funnily enough it is actually found in the medicine section of the supermarket, not the cleaning section, but it is well worth the search.

Homemade Bread

I have always wanted to make my own bread, nothing like the smell of it baking and how soft and delicious it is fresh from the oven. The effect of paying upwards of $6 for a decent loaf these days is further inducement.

Some of the lovely ladies in my mother's group make their own bread and have been bringing it to share at our get-togethers. It is absolutely delicious and they promised me it is also easy, cheap and relatively quick to make. 

This inspired me to finally give it a try, so I asked for the recipe and last night I attempted to make my first loaf of bread. And what do you know? Success!!! 

I was so proud of my first little loaf. It reminded me of scones, particularly fresh from the oven.

For this one I used basic wheat flour, but even if you use organic spelt flour or any other specialty flour it works out at about $1.20-$3.20 a loaf. The recipe:

300grams of wholemeal flour

200grams of plain flour

300mls room temperature water

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

1 x 7gram packet of Tandaco brand dry yeast

* Mix all dry ingredients together

* Add tepid water gradually and turn mixture out onto a lightly floured bench to knead

* Knead well.

* Form dough into a ball, place on a breadboard, cover with a clean tea towel and then set in a warm place to rise for about 30-40 minutes.

* Knead dough again and place into a greased loaf tin (butter or olive oil), score the top with a sharp knife diagonally a few times and brush with butter or olive oil.

 * Leave to rise in a warmish place for at least another 40 minutes (can be much longer though).

* Place in a pre-heated 200-210 degree Celsius oven for approx 20-25 minutes or until top is golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

* Turn bread out of tin and place on a wire rack to cool.

* Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting the end off and slathering with butter :)

The type of flour you use is all up to you, this is just a standard wholemeal loaf. 

I am actually really excited to try a few variations, like spice and dried fruit or olives and chilli flakes, the options are almost endless!!

Have a great time making this, I have really enjoyed it and will be making plenty more of my own fresh bread in future! Mmmm....

We recently took a fantastic mini-break to Central Victoria and stayed at the beautiful Hurlstone Homestead.

As you can see below the Homestead is gorgeous, surrounded by lovely gardens featuring mature trees, ponds, a lake and plenty of lush green lawn. It seems incredible that this oasis was little more than a dusty paddock 25 years ago.

Our extremely personable hosts Marg and Kerry Atley were happy to share the history of the property's transformation and to tell me about HelpX, a program that I'll certainly be making use of the next time we travel.

HelpX or Help Exchange, is a program which links B&B's, farmstays, lodges, ranches and sailing boats with travelers. The general idea is a that of a cultural exchange, whereby travelers work for 4 hours per day in exchange for meals and accommodation. The exact conditions and length of stay can vary from place to place, but you can view host and traveler profiles on HelpX's website and get in touch to sort out all of the details before you even arrive.

For anyone starting a new venture, farm, hostel, etc, it is a great way to get some helping hands on the scene if you have a room to share.

Every time I have traveled I find that it is the experiences which bring me into close contact with the local community that provide the richest experience and the best memories, not the overnight stays in homogeneous 5 star hotels.

If you feel the same way then you might want to consider checking out HelpX before you plan your next trip.

Enjoy!

Eco store products

In a bid to a live better, more wholesome existence, closer to nature and with as few nasty chemicals involved as I can manage in today's world, I went looking for some better beauty/cleaning options.

I loved idea of buying cleaning products that use no harmful chemicals but found that most of the products available online or in Organic supermarkets were horrendously expensive compared to the regular chemical-laden varieties.

I understand that these products use better quality ingredients and therefore cost more to produce, but trying to live better on a budget made these products pretty much out of my reach.

Then there are the super-natural options, made with vinegar, bicarb soda, coconut oil, lye, lemon juice etc... We do use white vinegar as a surface cleaner, but I haven't yet found the time or sufficient motivation to make my own beauty and cleaning products using these ingredients (though it is on my agenda).

In the meantime I have found a great line of products which are not that much more expensive than the products I used to buy and which are readily available in major supermarkets.

Eco Store products are clearly labelled, made using natural ingredients, free from 'nasty chemicals' (their words), not tested on animals and highly concentrated for increased value.

There are plenty of different products and a great online store- for a full range, check out the website: http://www.ecostore.com.au/

We have tried several and can highly recommend the following:

Orange and Patchouli Handwash

Conditioner for Dry/ Damaged Hair


Lemon Dishwashing Liquid


Laundry Powder


Soap- Coconut

Soap- Lemongrass

Soap- Goat's Milk

Homemade Muesli Bars- with variations...

We love muesli bars in this house, I used to buy them every week with my regular shopping. My husband would take them to work and they would make great snacks for myself or my daughter when we were on the go.

Then one day I read the ingredients closely and discovered that a bunch of things I wasn't so keen on lurked in even in the best & most health conscious bars. Things like sugar syrup, glucose solids, glycerol... and some had shockingly high sugar levels. Plus they were about $5 for a box of 6 bars.

So I decided to make my own and started searching for a really great Muesli bar recipe.

Luckily enough, one of the wonderful Mums in my local mother's group had a delicious, healthy and cost-effective recipe she was happy to share.


I have added a few bits and pieces to really squeeze as much goodness in as possible, and here it is, a great recipe you can make on Sunday and use all through the week in school lunches, for snacks, or as a great pick-me-up with a cup of tea!

Here are the basic ingredients:

1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of finely chopped dates
1/2 a cup of self-raising wholemeal flour
1/2 a cup of desiccated coconut
1/2 a cup of soft brown sugar
155 grams of butter
1 tablespoon of honey

Here is the super healthy deluxe version with lots of seeds:

1/2 a cup of rolled oats
1/2 a cup of rolled spelt
1 cup of finely chopped dates (see note below)
1/2 a cup of self-raising wholemeal flour
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup soft brown sugar
1/2 a cup of 'freedom foods' rice puffs
1 teaspoon black chia seeds
1 teaspoon linseeds
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons pepitas
2 teaspoons flaked almonds
155 grams of butter
1/2 a cup of honey

**NOTE- the quality of the dates is important- if you use dry dates you will get a drier, harder muesli bar. The softer and squishier the dates, the better the texture of your end product.

Some Variations-
* Use sultanas and dried cranberries and chopped macadamias/almonds - halve the amount of dates.
* Use golden syrup instead of honey
* Use rice/millet/barley flour instead of wheat flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* Use lots of chopped nuts
* Use mixed dried fruit instead of dates- cherries, apricots, sultanas, currants, blueberries, mixed peel.
* Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top before slicing for an indulgence :)

Directions:

- Add all ingredients except the dates, butter and honey to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

- Chop the dates finely.

- If the dates are nice a squishy (and they should be) add them to the bowl and rub them through the mixture so that you don't get big lumps of date in your muesli bars.

- Chop the butter into smaller cubes, add this and the honey to a small saucepan and heat on medium until all the butter has melted- do not allow to boil.

- Once melted, add the butter and honey to the bowl and stir thoroughly.

- Empty the mixture into a slice tin and press it down firmly and evenly into all the corners

- Cook in a pre-heated oven on 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, or until light golden brown on top and a bit darker around the edges.

- When cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes- slice into bar-sized portions while still warm.

- Allow to cool fully, then pack in an airtight container in the pantry (after trying a slice of course).

- Will keep for a week. Enjoy!!

Homemade linguine

Had a great pasta making day with some friends today! It was a lot of fun and fantastic to have your own pasta made with ingredients you know and trust (free range eggs for example).

We let our kids run around and play together (you know, decorate the wardrobe with felt pens, jump off the couch onto bean bags etc...) whilst we got together in the kitchen and made pasta.

We brought our own flour and two people had brought fresh eggs from their own or their neighbours' chickens. I decided to go a step healthier and bought some bio-dynamic wholemeal spelt flour from my local organic shop.

This was the basic recipe:

200 grams of plain flour
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil

**NOTE- if using wholemeal flour, use 150 grams of wholemeal flour and 50 grams of plain flour. Don't sift wholemeal flour.

- Sift the salt and flour together (unless using wholemeal flour).

- Lightly whisk eggs and olive oil together

- Either combine in a mixer with a dough hook or place the flour in a mound on a clean surface, make a well in the centre, place the egg mixture in the well, and gently fold the flour into the middle until completely combined.

- Knead the dough into a smooth ball.

- Cover in cling wrap and let it 'rest' in the fridge for 30 minutes. This makes the dough more elastic and less likely to fall apart.

- After 30 minutes unwrap the dough and roll it flat with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Either cut out desired shapes or cut into thin strips and put through a pasta machine (several times through the flat roller on progressively thinner settings and then through the cutting roller) for spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine.

- Lay the pasta on baking paper or hang it over a pole (chair, rack, wooden spoon resting between two saucepans- anything much will do) to dry for a few hours.

- If transporting- place in a container with a little polenta and shake it around a bit, this will soak up some of the moisture and prevent it from sticking together.

- When cooking, fresh pasta doesn't need much time. Add to boiling salted water for as long as it takes the pasta to rise to the top of the water, remove and drain immediately.

- Add your favourite sauce, or just olive oil, cracked black pepper and Parmesan cheese and enjoy!