213/365 Skincare

I have a very basic skincare routine that I perform each day. Using products with simple, minimal ingredients that are as close to nature as possible.  For me it is important to use organic ingredients, I am very passionate about this. Our skin is our largest organ and I only want organic/natural ingredients being absorbed into my body. So what does my routine look like? In the morning I simply splash my face with cold water, pat it dry, spray some rose water on and add a drop of rosehip oil to my hands and massage into my face.  At night time I use my homemade oil cleanser and a bamboo cloth to wipe my face clean.  It does take some time getting used to an oil cleanser as your face doesn't feel squeaky clean but it does feel lovely and soft.  I again use my rose water as a toner, a drop of rosehip oil and dab it under my eyes and use the other oil to moisturise my face and neck. As a body moisturiser I will often use coconut oil, jojoba oil or a lovely body butter I make. As far as face masks I am not as routine with them but do have a lovely one by Mokosh that I try and use once a month.  Have you tried to make your own face or body products before? Do you have a skincare routine you follow?

142-143 Simple living and toddler days

It has been a goal of mine is to make more products for our home.  This is my second time making air freshener for the bathroom, it is super simple and works well.  I found the recipe here if you would like to give it a try.  It only needs a few simple ingredients and is free from nasty chemicals making it much better for you than the ones you buy. 

And I had my little friend come and visit today so we had lots of fun playing with play dough.

40-43/365

 It's almost Valentines Day and I haven't even made a card for my hubby.  We don't tend to do too much more than that these days.

 A posy of crepe myrtle Miss 10 picked and gave to me after school.

 Washing day today so I made up a batch of this washing powder.

It was a rainbow dinner tonight.

Have you got any good vegetarian dinner dishes you'd like to share? I'm running out of ideas lately.
Have a lovely Thursday.

Chicken Stock

Last night we had a roast chicken for dinner but this time instead of throwing out the left over carcass I kept it to make my very first batch of chicken stock.  I've been reading Rhonda's book, not quite finished yet, but knew she would have a recipe for making your own stock I could try.  It is simple to make and with all of the ingredients on hand, even enough celery from my only and very tiny celery plant, was added to the pot.  It took a couple of hours to make but the smell was delicious, the warmth it created in my cool house was comforting and then their was the self satisfaction of creating something from scratch.  The humble roast chicken fed us for dinner, fed us for lunch as sandwiches and then has been turned into stock which will be used in dinner tonight.  I can't wait to try dinner tonight I hope it will taste just that little bit more homely with my homemade stock.  So next time you have a couple of hours spare give it a try.  I halved the liquid in this recipe because I had just one carcass but used the same amount in vegetables so here's hoping it still works well. Here's Rhonda's recipe for you to try.

1kg beef bones or 2 chicken carcasses

olive oil

6 litres of water

1 onion, chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped 

1 carrot, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, to taste

½ cup parsley, chopped

1. Set the oven to 200℃ and roast the bones in a baking tray for 1 hour with a small amount of olive oil drizzled over the top.

2. When the bones are golden, put them in a stockpot and cover with the water.  Add the vegetables, herbs and salt and pepper, then bring to the boil.  Simmer for 1 hour with the lid on.

3. Pour the stock through a sieve to remove the bones, vegetables and bay leaves.

4. Allow to cool.  If the stock has a layer of fat on it when it's cooled, skim this off with a spoon. (If you have chickens, give it to them on some stale bread.)  When cold, stock can be frozen, or stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Have you created something lately that has left you feeling happy with self satisfaction?

A bit of this and a bit of that!

I'm sorry I've been a bad blogger this week and haven't posted but I'm back today and I have pictures to show you. So how has your weekend been so far?

So far so good on the productive front! I did my housework today not very exciting but I'm a bit of a fuss pot and like to do it all once a week and I'm pedantic enough that I like to do it on a certain day too. I know I get told all the time that it doesn't matter it will still be there tomorrow but I love routine so it suits me. And then it was outside and into the garden. I finished planting my seedlings, finally and have only lost a few to the heat but it felt good to get out and get dirty. My friend gave me some organic corn seeds which I thought I would give a try so they are in the garden too. I usually buy seedlings so I hope that my wish for a garden of fresh organic veges works. As I type they are getting a good watering in from the rain so they are getting a good start.

A week ago I shared with you some mango seeds, care of my bestie friend, that I was trying to sprout in some water, well here is the result. So today I planted them into a pot and put them in full sun so cross fingers I might have a mango or two to plant in the ground.

One of my regular blogs to visit, Mel at Day to Day, did a post a while ago on making your own dish washing liquid. It seemed quick and easy and I wanted to give it a go. I bought some of the ingredients at my local health food shop as well as having the vinegar already in the cupboard at home. It doesn't soap up at all but it seems to get everything clean and smells fresh with the lemon essence, mine is a bit strong because it kind of came out a bit quick when I was making it but I love citrus smells so it doesn't matter. Check out her post for the recipe.

With the girls back at school I got back into the kitchen and made a couple of yummy things to put in their lunch boxes, Chocolate Cherry Slice out of the Super Food Ideas magazine and Apple Banana Bread out of the Woman's Day. Here are the recipes for you to give a try, the Chocolate Cherry Slice was a favourite but the girls enjoyed eating both of them which is great because Miss 6 can be a bit lets say, choosy when it comes to food.

Chocolate Cherry Slice (Makes 24 pieces)
1 cup plain flour
½ cup self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
⅔ cup caster sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
100g red glace cherries, chopped
200g butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract desiccated coconut, to serve

Chocolate Icing
1½ cups icing sugar mixture
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
50g butter, softened
2 tablespoons boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 180°c /160°c fan forced. Grease a 3cm deep, 16cm x 26cm slice pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at long ends.
2. Sift flours and cocoa into a large bowl. Stir in sugar, coconut and cherries. Make a well in centre. Add butter and vanilla. Stir to combine. Press mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool completely in pan.
3. Make chocolate icing - Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add butter and boiling water. Stir until smooth. Spread icing over cooled slice. Sprinkle with coconut. Set aside until icing has set. Cut into pieces and serve. You can store slice in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Apple Banana Bread
125g butter, chopped, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ cup very ripe mashed banana (about 1 large banana)
2 small green apples, peeled, cored, chopped
1/4 cup milk Butter, to serve

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180°c. Lightly grease a 10 x 20cm loaf pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift flour and soda together. Fold banana, 3/4 of apple, milk and flour mixture into creamed mixture until combined.
4. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with remaining apple. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until cooked when tested with skewer. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Serve spread with butter. *Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. This cake can also be frozen.

I hope you are having a good weekend whatever you are up to.

Take Care
Smiles Catherine xo