A few of my favourite kitchen things!

Well, its been a while since I've been on here, about 2 years in fact, that's how old my middle boy will be in a few weeks, and that's why I've been too busy to blog about all things green, environmental, sustainable and organic - all the things which I love and strive for.  But things are hectic in this house of rascal boys - 3 of them in fact, the youngest is nearly 6 months and it doesn't get busier than having 3 under 5 - well in fact it could but lets not go there.

So to get back into the swing of things I thought I would start out with a few of my favourite things at the moment!

Hilary Foods Peanut Plus+ and Hilary Foods Cereal and Nuggets, we were lucky enough to trial both these products and they are a winner.  The banana and honey cereal has protein from 3 sources which is fantastic for fast growing little bodies (and big ones!) and they are super tasty with or without milk.  Hillary Peanut+ combines peanuts, grains and honey along with added vitamins and minerals with crunchy bran crisps to boost crunch and fibre, it is totally different from any other Peanut butter I have ever tried, and its yummy!! 

The other product I am loving in this hot hot weather are Zooey Freeze Pops, which are BPA free (always a must for me!) ice block mold they give a decent amount of ice block and the holder is perfect for little hands, big enough to grasp and catch all the drips, one of my best treats for the boys is to make a green smoothie with spirulina, coconut water, banana and spinach out of the garden, any left over gets frozen into these molds, its a healthy and yummy treat on a hot summers day!

Laundry Liquid

I'm very pleased with myself - I have made 10 Litres of Laundry Liquid at the cost of around $2, I'm very lucky my husband used to bring our Laundry Liquid back from the US (way cheaper over there) but I thought this would be even better and so we saved the super large containers that he brought back and refilled them!  I followed 2 very similar recipes one from http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/08/various-recipes-for-green-cleaning.html and the other from http://www.wendylsgreengoddess.co.nz/Cleaning_Recipes.php  


Making your own Laundry Liquid is even do-able for the super busy - its quicker than whipping down to the supermarket to buy it, cost effective and kind to the earth - just have a go!  Check out both these websites, there are recipes for all sorts of cleaning and beauty substitutes, which they kindly share with us all for FREE!!!


Here is Rhonda's recipe from Down to Earth http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/

Laundry Liquid - Makes 10 litres
You may add any essential oil of your choice to these homemade cleaners. Oils like tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender or rose are ideal but are not an essential ingredient. They are not necessary to the recipe but do not detract from the effectiveness by adding them. Use essential oil and not a fragrant oil.

Ingredients
1½ litres water

1 bar Sunlight or generic laundry soap or any similar pure laundry soap, grated on a cheese grater OR 1 cup of Lux flakes

½ cup washing soda – NOT baking or bicarb soda

½ cup borax

Tools

Saucepan
10 litre bucket
Slotted spoon or wooden spoon for mixing
Into a medium sized saucepan add 1½ litres of water and the soap. Over a medium heat, stir this until it is completely dissolved. Make sure the soap dissolves properly or the mixture will separate when cold.

Add the washing soda and borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat.

Pour this mixture into your 9-10 litre bucket then fill the bucket with hot water from the tap. Stir to combine all the ingredients. The laundry liquid will thicken up more as it cools. When cool, store in a plastic container. I use one of those 10 litre flat plastic box containers with a lid. Use ¼ cup of mixture per load or monitor to see what works well for you. I keep a ¼ cup measuring scoop in the box to measure the mixture into the washing machine.

This detergent will not make suds when you wash as it does not contain the chemicals that supermarket detergents add to make suds. You do not need suds to wash your clothes or for the detergent to be effective. The agitation of the washing machine does most of the washing. Additives loosen the dirt and grease. If you use the greywater from your laundry on your garden, leave out the borax.

Dryer Balls

Further to my post on Laundry Solutions I have come across another laundry helper - Dryer Balls.  Dryer Balls have spikes on the outside to lift and separate clothing, allowing the heat and air in a tumble dryer to circulate more freely.  Clothes dry more quickly and you use less energy.  They also soften your laundry naturally by physically manipulating the fabric.  The can cut drying time by up to 25% (and who doesn't want to save power these days considering our August power bill was $650 eeekkk)  Laundry balls will last up to five years and they are hypo-allergenic too, brilliant!!  It is the safe, easy way to soften fabrics while saving money on chemical fabric softeners, dryer sheets and energy. Clothes will dry up to 25% faster too. Dryer balls are reusable over and over again and they last for years! 

How do I use the dryer ball?
Simply place both of your dryer fluff balls (there are 2 per pack) into the dryer with your laundry and set the dryer to desired heat setting. 

I've just ordered mine off TradeMe for $5, the same seller also does 3 Washing Balls and 2 Dryer Balls for $40

Toxic Products especially Nail Polish

Did you know that the average adult uses at least 9 personal care products per day, exposing them to 126 synthetic chemicals? And that 89% of 10,500 ingredients currently used in personal care products have NOT been evaluated for safety!  Let me start with most mainstream skincare products these days have some level of toxicity (im not talking about Natural or Organic products) and by skincare I refer to face care products, toothpaste, body wash, makeup, hairspray, shampoos, liquid soaps, moisturisers and deodorants and that's just naming a few!


Nail polish seems to have an even more toxic recipe, traditionally nail polish has many chemicals in it including (but by no means limited to) toluene (solvent), formaldehyde (preservative and polish strengthener) and Dibutyl Phthalte (DBP) (plasticizer - allows movement and keeps polish adhered to the nail)  Toulene effects the central nervous system and is a possible reproductive and developmental toxin (definitely not the best to use if you are pregnant!)  Formaldehyde (also called formalin) is the chemical used to preserve dead bodies and may cause allergic reactions in some people and is also a carcinogen (can cause cancer)


As for DBP, studies suggest that phthalates cause birth defects in laboratory animals and recently been shown to cause reproductive organ birth defects in boys particularly and has been banned in Europe after the EU banned it along with many other personal-care product ingredients known or strongly suspected to cause cancer, mutations and birth defects.


Now dont completely freak out, here are two things to consider: one is that nail polish makers are under pressure to reduce or eliminate potentially toxic ingredients and in 2006, several makers agreed to phase them out.  Two, these chemicals are found everywhere in everyday mainstream skin care products and I mentioned above.


The good news is that there are alternatives, try and change not just your skincare products but also all your cleaning products to ranges like Ecostore, Baby Bird or alternatively get Wendyl Nissen's book 'A Home Companion' and 'A Domestic Goddess on a Budget' (I'm waiting on tender hooks for her new book on baby care to come out!) or check our her site, Wendyl's Green Goddess and try and make your own, she lists all her recipes on her packaging and on the site, well done Wendyl!

Look for skincare products that are organic or as natural as possible (don't go by what they are called, such as 'Natural Essences') actually check the ingredients and if you dont know what to look for or if you dont understand what an ingredient is, dont buy it until you have checked it out here - if in doubt, check it out!  Take control of what you use in your house and on your body, you DO have a choice, especially if you are pregnant - remember everything that you breathe in or use on your skin goes directly to your baby via the umbilical cord.

And at Rejuvenate I only use natural or organic products and that goes for what I clean the room, the sheets and the towels with.  My nail polish products SpaRitual are DPB, Toulene and Formaldehyde free and the SpaRitual manicure and pedicure products are made with certified organic ingredients!

Arrange a Better (and more beautiful) Bouquet

A lovely bunch of flowers bought from the florist or the supermarket may have been grown in a greenhouse thousands of miles away (Kenya is the largest supplier of cut flowers to the European Union).  Apart from the environmental issue of transport over long distances, the boom in horticulture in some developing countries has a high social and environmental cost.  In Colombia, the flower industry uses enormous amounts of polluting pesticides and exposes poorly paid garden workers to chemicals that may be carcinogenic or toxic.  In drier regions, such as Kenya, horticulture requires substantial amounts of water and, as a result, overuses local water resources.


Flowers especially Roses imported into New Zealand (which let me say most Roses that we buy at florists or supermarkets are imported - I'd be surprised to find any that aren't) are dipped and sprayed with anti-fungals, virus and bacteria killing toxic chemicals.  So not only are they bad for the environment becuase they have been transported from overseas, grown using pesticides, and large amounts of water but they are really unhealthy to have in your house.  We have always had huge Lavender hedges growing around our houses, and I always plant Iceberg Roses, so we always have a supply of flowers in the garden for vases all year round.


If you want a traditional bouquet, seek out organic or Fair Trade flowers, Look for the Fair Trade or VeriFlora labels, which ensure your flowers come from farms with high environmental and labour standards.  And consider buying or giving a potted plant from a local nursery as a gift rather than a bunch of flowers.  Check out the Give Plants website on how to send a plant rather than a bouquet - gosh I'd love to receive one of these, they look amazing and it will last far longer! 

Make Up - Do you think about what you are putting ON your body's biggest organ - the skin?

I came across some amazing blogs recently one is Anya's Green Baby and Anya has written a guest post on Kanelstrand Organic Living, this post was about Make-up and some great alternatives and what to look for when you choose Make-up.


When we are 'greening' our homes and clearing out the toxic chemicals quite often we forget about one of the most important things which is to check the products we use on our skin and hair, she has put this beautifully in her blog, check it out and re-think what you use and why:

http://blog.kanelstrand.com/2011/05/time-to-save-superwoman-from-her-make.html

Whats really in your Sunscreen?

I know its the wrong time of year for us but I just received an email from 'Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' and thought id share an excerpt with you:


"Have you ever wondered about the claims on the bottle of sunscreen in your medicine cabinet or beach bag?  Environmental Working Group (one of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' founding organizations) has released its 2011 Sunscreen Guide.


Of the more than 600 beach and sports sunscreens analyzed, EWG can only recommend one in five.
Why? For starters, the sunscreen industry continues to use misleading, sky-high SPF ratings that may protect against UVB rays that cause sunburn but leave skin at risk for UVA damage.
Plus, many companies are still using retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A that might actually speed the development of skin tumors on sun-exposed skin, as well as hormone disruptors and nanoparticles (a particular concern for spray and powder products), both of which  present other potential health threats.
Fortunately, there are companies making effective and safe sunscreens. Find safe options, see the "Hall of Shame" and learn more about sunscreen safety: Read EWG's 2011 Best Sunscreen Guide"


I have the most amazing sunscreen available at Rejuvenate, USpa's Organic Sun Defence SPF 20, this unique moisturizer created by Uspa from the ground up provides sun protection as well as offering anti-oxidant benefits and soothing hydrating properties. The Green Tea extract provides powerful antioxidants to assist in the fight against signs of aging and sun damage. The Aloe Vera nourishes and hydrates by infusing the skin with humectants. Uspa Organic Sun Defense also contains light Rose Oil, Lavender Oil, and Vitamin E to help soothe and nourish the skin. This is the perfect combination for your defense against the sun. Screens harmful UVA and UVB rays. PABA free/fragrance free. Regular use of sunscreens can aid in the prevention of some skin cancers and premature aging of the skin. Highly hydrating without leaving a residue or white tint.  Sunscreen by Uspa Screens harmful UVA and UVB rays. PABA free/fragrance free. Regular use of sunscreens can aid in the prevention of some skin cancers and premature aging of the skin.


And my wonderful Sensé Daytime Protective Emulsion has an SPF15 in it, perfect for everyday use!