Health. Primal Nutrition. Exercise. Motherhood. Sustainability & Creating various things.




Loving......

The new podcast Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso and Chrissy Gower.

Sarah and Chrissy are both Mother's who are not only thriving on the Paleolithic Diet themselves but have  transitioned their children from an "Unhealthy Standard American Diet" to a Paleo style diet that is rich in meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruit while avoiding sugar, grain, some dairy and processed food.

What makes me enjoy this podcast the most is the girls realistic approach to nutrition. They spend 40mins answering listeners questions about Paleo nutrition in general as well as during pregnancy, breastfeeding and different stages of childhood and touch on practical subjects such as 'high protein snacks for lunchboxes', 'how to deal with family who don't understand your food choices' and 'What to feed active paleo teenagers'

Homemade Cleaning Products Part I: The Bathroom



Making homemade cleaning products has been on my 'To Do' list for ever so long as I know it has great benefits for the health of my family, the planet and my wallet.

I've had a couple of failed attempts in the past but have decided I'm going to tackle this project one room at a time and first up is the Bathroom......
You Will Need:
  • Borax (there are a few sellers on trademe)
  • Baking Soda 
  • White Vinegar
  • A Small Shaker 
  • Essential Lemon Oil 
  • Old Toothbrushes
  • A Spray Bottle 
  • Soft Rags
To Prepare:
Recipes thanks to Meagan
  1. With a ratio of 1:1 combine the borax and baking soda in the shaker
  2. Fill the Spray bottle with white vinegar and add a few drops of the lemon essential oil
To Clean Showers, Baths and Counter Tops:
  1. Sprinkle the baking soda & borax mix over the surface area and give it a good scrub with a soft rag, using an old toothbrush for any hard to reach corners.
  2. Spray on the vinegar solution and, with a new rag, wipe any residue clean.
To Clean Shower Glass, Chrome Taps and Mirrors:
  1. Spray on the vinegar solution and buff with a dry rag
To Clean Toilets:
  1. Mix 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 cup vinegar, pour into basin and let it set for a few minutes. 
  2. Scrub with brush and rinse.


Involving Toddlers in the Kitchen


At 21 months, Jacinda is starting to show a desire for Independence and to 'help' with everything that I do. This can be a challenge when it comes to what I call my weekly 'bake and make' time when I prepare our snacks for the week ahead. When possible, I let her be involved by standing on a chair next to the bench and playing with some of the ingredients or pressing the button on the food processor (which, by the way is a great thrill!) but sometimes it is just too dangerous for her to be within reach of the bench space, such as when knives or hot things are part of the process, when this is the case a tantrum is never far away because she is too little to understand why it is that she can't help Mama.

Today, I gave Jacinda a couple of bowls, a wooden spoon and some dry ingredients (we used lentils and rice because they are inexpensive and easy to clean up) and she had a blast mixing them up and pouring them from bowl to bowl while I made some of our good ole' favourites......

Sesame Crackers to have with almond butter or the pumpkin & kumara dip I bought today

Avocado Deviled Eggs  for afternoon tea today and

Cocoa and Coconut Snacks  for lunchboxes this week


Any other ideas out there for safely involving toddlers in the kitchen??


Sunday Snapshot.....


Making frittata for lunch....

Saturday Snapshot........


Hope you are all enjoying your weekend too.



Knitted Dishcloth Pattern


This little project is quick to knit up and will save you buying dishcloths from the supermarket. 

All you need to know is how to Cast on, Knit, Purl and Cast off

You will need: 
4 ply cotton 
3.25mm needles 

Cast on 39 stitches 
Row 1-10: Knit Stitch 
Row 11: K6, P3, K3 repeat to last 6 sts, K6
Row 12: Knit Stitch 
Row 13-28: Repeat last 2 rows 
Row 28-38: Knit Stitch 
Cast off


Loving......

The simplicity of this acoustic living blog