Time for a change

Yes … it is time for a change here.  For those of you who aren’t closer by I thought I would update you on the changes afoot for myself and the family.  You see 3 weeks ago we got a house bus and our plan is to hit the road in it come Christmas this year!!  It is super exciting and a dream that has been many years in the making however the reality is starting to hit home as I have to sort, de-clutter and prioritize what will come with us.

Our new home

On the whole we don’t have that much stuff but when your kitchen space is suddenly about a quarter (maybe even less) of what you have then things start to get interesting.  As I open my kitchen cupboards and begin the process of deciding what comes, what is stored and what is given away I realize just how much sits there waiting for an occasional use.  Three sizes of cake tins, two loaf tins, three different kind of muffin tins …. now it will be down to one of each.  Do I sell things which haven’t really been used yet …. like that Tupperware thing that looked so good at the party??!! ….. do I start using them or do I just store it to deal with later?

No more of this stockpile … Not even sure I’ll get my flour jars on.

Even our shopping habits are going to have to change with our limited cupboard space on the bus.  At the moment we do one weekly shop and a monthly bulk co-op order however I can already see that this will have to be converted to a few little shops in the week.  We just don’t have the space to stockpile or have things just in case any more.  Our cooking and baking will also all have to be adapted to a tiny space and while I’m welcoming the challenge I’m also aware that there are things I haven’t even considered yet.  Things that I’m sure will come to bite me in the you know where once we start the shift from house to bus.

My new kitchen!! There is a fridge/freezer opposite and a few other  little cupboards to the side but pretty much this is it.

So please excuse me if the blog is a little late or non-existent in the next few weeks/months as it will be due to our focus on sorting and using up the stockpile of food, which I doubt will be that exciting to share, rather than baking up a storm and trying new recipes.  Soon enough though I’m sure I’ll be in the swing of things and bringing your recipes from on the road 🙂

I’ll keep you posted and until next time, I hope this finds you healthy, happy and full of the joys of life.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Refined Sugar Free Feijoa Chutney

It is raining feijoa it seems and wherever we look or go fruit is littering the ground!  We love them here; fresh, as jam, as chutney in baking…. you name it we will have a go.   Our own tree isn’t that great at producing big fruit however the kids always manage to find a feed when they are out playing.  Yesterday though, while visiting the Mother in Law the kids managed to collect several large bags from the place where she lives.

Feijoa, washed and ready to use.

So over the next 2 weeks at least…. maybe more depending on how many more people give us Feijoa…. I will share a few recipes that we use.  This week I thought I would share a Feijoa chutney recipe which I have adapted to use honey instead of sugar.  This yummy recipe comes from ‘Vegetariana’ by Susie Shaw and Wendy Baxter (which was a freebie with an magazine many moons ago and doesn’t seem available except on the link given for a Trade Me sale) so I’ll put down the original recipe and just add my honey modification in brackets.   Another point is they didn’t use the skins in their recipe whereas I do (waste not, want not) so my instructions are below rather than theirs.

Yum!! Feijoa Chutney for our stores

Feijoa Chutney (makes 4.5 x 225 gm jars)

-12 Feijoas

-2 cooking apples (I used large eating apples so it was sweeter)

-1 tsp mixed spice

-450 gm sugar (150 gm runny honey)

-2 onions

-250 mls cider vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar… guessing it is the same)

-1 tbsp salt (I just did a few grinds of himalayan salt)

– 1 tsp cayenne pepper ( I use 1/2 this amount or none)

• Top and tail the washed feijoa and chop into chunks (size depends on what you like)
• Dice onion along with cored and peel apples
• Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil
• Simmer, stirring frequently for around 30 mins
• Pour into clean jar and seal.

Until next week and another recipe …. man I’m on a roll at the moment!… I hope you are enjoying the fruits of your life.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Can a leopard really change its spots?

I grew up with lots of those old sayings being.  They were said so often that part of me took them as truth.  Sayings such as   ‘A leopard doesn’t change its spots’; ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’; ‘Better the devil you know’;  ‘Tide and time wait for no man’ and ‘Better safe than sorry’ all made me think that life just was…. no chance to change what you had because that may lead you into danger of some sort.

Can a leopard really can its spots?

I still carry those beliefs deep down I think, and maybe you do too,  because every now and then they resurface when I am facing a ‘new’ path or re-thinking how I am living my life. I find myself doubting that anything I do will actually change how I live, how long I survive or how well I live. Thankfully though,more and more when I encounter new possibilities I am breaking though those old saying and entrenched beliefs.

Just the other day I saw a photo about how the body constantly rebuilds itself cell by cell, which (exaggerated as this photo may be) made me think.  If we are constantly re-building cells then surely if we are carrying out a habit for long enough we can effectively be the leopard who did change its spots.  We can create a new us that doesn’t have to fit within the constraints of other people’s beliefs.

Thanks undergroundhealthreporter for the image.

I have read about lungs repairing themselves once people stop smoking, about seemingly miracle cancer cures once people changed their mindset and life styles and seen pictures of 70 year old women who look in their 40’s so maybe the same is true on a smaller scale. Maybe in sticking with a new habit long enough we are sending powerful messages to ourselves which enable us to feel different and truly be different than we were before.

Maybe that change in eating habits, those regular catch ups with positive people, that releasing of negative emotions and that regular exercise can all create a ‘new’ us who can enjoy life to the fullest simply because we are taking actions that nurture us and nourish us. Simple actions that make us feel better. It is food for thought that I’m going to chew on anyway next time I have an ‘attack’ of scepticism. 🙂

Hope this finds you chewing on your own food for thought.

Arohanui

Y

http://www.becominghealthy.co.nz