Stock Bag

My last post was about how we reduce waste in our house. It didn't list everything as I wrote quickly on my phone and some of the things we do deserve their own post.
One of these things is the stock bag. I stated that we have worms, chickens and compost bins and this is where our kitchen scraps go. This is true....but not entirely. I have a large zip loc bag in the freezer and when I peel carrots, onions, garlic, zucchini or use celery, the peels and ends go in here.

So what do I do with a bag full of frozen vegetable scraps you ask? Simple. When I make stock (which is a great way to utilise bones), I grab out a couple of handfuls and through them in the stock pot. This way stock gets great flavour, all the vegetable gets used and at the end the compost still gets it, but I have the base for a delicios soup or stew or sauce. Really easy. If your a vegetarian you can do the same thing but use more of the scraps and no bones. When I make the stock I pour it into large glass jars (leaving room for expansion), then freeze. This way I've always got some on hand and it defrosts really quickly on the counter or by putting the jar in some warmer (not hot - you'll crack it) water.

So now when I buy chicken I don't buy parts, I  buy the whole thing. That way there is a couple of meals plus bones which then leads to a couple of more meals. Easy isn't it?

In other news I'm back working 5 days but have shorter hours for 3 days. Money wise it's great, time wise it's better than 5 full time days and I've got a new challenge. I'm no longer with babies, I'm with 3 - 4 year olds and they are mostly boys. I think having a new room and the challenges that are associated with that are great as it's re-inspired me with my job. Having 3 days off was great but this way I still have afternoons at home, can still have time to prepare meals and can still pick Stella up from school. Also I got to have a few weeks "break" which has helped me recharge my batteries!

What do you guys do with your scraps? Or what new challenges do you have at home or work?

Waste Not Want Not

In any house there is always a lot of waste. Food that never gets cooked, leftovers that never get eaten. General house hold rubbish. Add a baby into the mix and then you also have nappies and wipes. I try to limit our household waste - we only have a small otto bin and I try not to have it full. Below are some ways I reduce our waste, some I've been doing for a while and some are new editions.

* recycle everything! I save glass jars to re-use. Some news paper gets saved for the dog or garden. Tins, plastic etc gets washed & recycled. I try not to buy things with too much packaging.

* compost. We have 3 compost bins.

*worm farms. We have 2 worm farms set up and a 3rd ready to go. Worm farms are great for kitchen waste.

* chickens. Garden waste, kitchen scraps, leftovers all go to my girls. I bring lunch leftovers home from work for them as well.

* using re usable shopping and produce bags.

* meal planning/shopping lists. This cuts down on wasted food.

* cloth nappies and wet bags. I still use disposables but I try to use cloth nappies a couple of times a week. Wet bags are instead of using plastic bags for dirty/wet kids clothes.

These are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head. What are some ways you reduce waste?

Still Here

I realise I've been M.I.A but I'm still here. It's been school holidays so I've been doing stuff with the girls & family. At the moment I'm at another dancing eisteddfod- sometimes it seems like I live here! Then I think it's something Stella is passionate about, she wants to be professional dancer someday.I believe in supporting my children so if I live at eisteddfods, so be it. I'm a really, really proud mumma at the moment as Stella participated in the South Pacific Dance Championships and came first for her grade of ballet!! She worked really hard and deserved it.

In non dancing news I've been continueing with making various yoghurts. Both Breanna and the cat enjoy the Viili. As soon as its out I have to fight the cat off! With the water kefir I've been adding ginger and its fantastic. Last night I made muesli (granola). I didn't soak the oats but the nuts & seeds were soaked so not all bad. Next time I will pre soak everything, yes there will be a next time because it's delicious. I could just eat it with a spoon (and I may have done that last night).

I'm still getting asparagus from the garden, and I'm trying to be creative with snow peas. I do t know why they cost so much in the shops as they are easy to grow and very prolific! I made ranch dressing & it's a great snack with snow peas. Radishes and beet root are almost ready, tomatoes are starting to flower and the summer cabbages are going great. It's been lovely to sit in the garden with my morning coffee now that the weather is warmer. I look forward to watching all the changes in the coming weeks.