Stuck with a mountain of Christmas leftovers? Fear not, festive foodies! Dive into the joy of transforming your holiday surplus into a crispy yet soft treat for the tastebuds.
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đ˝ď¸â¨ This Boxing Day, we're here to spice up your kitchen with our playful take on the timeless Bubble and Squeak.
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đĽđĽ Ingredients:
400g mashed potatoes (or mashed up roasties!)
200g cooked Brussels sprouts
150g leftover veg
1 finely chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp Organic Coconut Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
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đŠâđł How-to:
Heat up the Coconut Oil in a pan.
Saute onions until golden, then add garlic.
Toss in your veg, fry until nice and crispy.
Mix in potatoes and thyme. Season to taste.
Press into the pan with a spatula to fill and shape your patty
Fry until crispy on both sides and voilĂ !
]]>Our miracle ingredient strikes once again!
Thatâs right: Coconut Oil, of all things, can help soothe hay fever symptoms đ
All you need to do is apply a little coconut oil around the edges of your nostrils which will trap most of the pollen before you breathe it in.
Apply it at night time, early mornings and when out and about, near green spaces for optimum results â making sure to reapply whenever you rub
This simple trick will also act as   a natural moisturiser around the areas of the nose that usually get sore from rubbing with tissues â win win!Â
And it doesnât stop there⌠Some other coco-goods may also come in hand when fighting hay fever season.
Did you know that dairy products stimulate the body to overproduce mucus, making blocked ears and noses a lot worse? And sugar â which is a natural inflammatory and causes our blood sugar to spike, leading to a crash and sudden release of adrenaline, as well as histamine â will further exacerbate hay fever symptoms?
Hence, a great way to prevent the above is by simply making a few smart swaps!
How about swapping normal cheese for a vegan version? Dairy milk for a plant based alternative? We are big advocates of our UFC Velvet Unsweetened Coconut Milk (you can also get the oat version of it!), of
Cooking cream for our Organic Coconut Cooking Cream? So easy!
And weâre not asking you to fully ditch sugar either⌠did you know Coconut Sugar has a low glycemic index which wonât cause your blood sugar to spike? Hence, no crash and further release of adrenaline/histamine, and no worsening symptoms!
See, a healthy diet, a few adjustments here and there and a little coconut oil around the nostrils, and you wonât even notice hay fever season is here!
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https://www.rsvplive.ie/life/health/struggling-hay-fever-experts-recommend-18458938
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-coconut-sugar#1Â
https://www.dailynews.com/2015/04/13/anti-inflammatory-foods-for-better-health/
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]]>Truth is, Daisy is as cool as she seems to be on social media. The kind of bohemian looking mama that makes you want to fill your house with exotic plants, wear the most beautiful flowy dresses, learn about artesian coffee and buy nothing but wooden toys for your kids. Yet, she manages to keep it so real, youâd feel a hundred times lighter just by chatting to her.Â
When asked a little bit more about herself, Daisy couldnât help but reply with ââI feel like since having a baby I cannot even remember who I am or what I enjoy doing anymore thatâs not baby related.ââ To all the new mamas out there⌠Relatable, at the very least. But as she sipped on the berry smoothie she shared with her little one, she continued to say ââand, you know, Iâm vegan, have been for 7 years⌠just got married in New York which was amazingââ â right, not exactly the most baby related answer youâd expect.
We were aware of the vegan part, but a New York wedding? That needed to be addressed too!
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Daisy: ââMy dad took me there for my 21st birthday as it was one of the places I had been wanting to go my entire life. I used to be obsessed with Sex & The City and Gossip Girl. So, me and Dolly, my husband â so weird to say that still! â have been back every year since then. We were going to go this summer anyways and we just thought that since we had a baby, maybe we should just get married? Someone I follow on Instagram did it and I hadnât realised you could just go and get married. I thought you would have to be American, or that it would be a really complicated process, but you literally just pop into city hall and do it!
I really didnât want a big wedding, so it was perfect, very lady back and very cheap.ââ
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We then wondered if veganism and sustainability had come with the same spontaneity into her life.
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Daisy: ââI did it for Veganuary. My mum is vegetarian and has been for ages, so I didnât really eat that much meat when I was younger. I used to be one of those people that say they are vegetarian but will still eat bacon sometimes. Then when I went to university, I just had a moment where I realised âwow, meat is really expensive!â, so I stopped buying it and slowly went vegan. Now, when it comes to sustainability, that only synced in much later on. My dad works in environmental design and he always has worked with really big companies to help them reduce waste and environmental impact. So, I feel like itâs a subject thatâs always been on my radar somehow. Iâve always recycled and have tried to pick a lower waste option, but if Iâm being honest it hasnât been something that was super important to me until about 3 years ago. And still now I wouldnât say Iâm zero waste, Iâm not perfect. I have a keep cup, but I always forget it, so I end up having takeaway coffee cups. But itâs something thatâs become more important since having Juni. Iâve always known I was going to have children, but seeing an actual child that is yours, and knowing that you need to try and help the world as much as possible, so they get to grow up in a nice environment⌠I mean, sheâs going to be here for a lot longer than me. That itself puts everything into perspective â which is quite funny because having a baby can involve a lot of waste!
Since having Juni, thereâs been loads of middle-of-the-night-amazon-purchases and plastic involved. Itâs a process and weâre getting there. We started off by saying weâd only give her the wooden toys, and it would all be natural, but then we realised she actually only likes all the plastic and horrible stuff, so she does have some of that too. Though, we are really lucky that both of our families are really good when it comes to this and for Christmas this year weâve only bought her second-hand toys, or from independent makers.ââ Small victories, hey?
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As someone who seemed to acknowledge the imperfections of the process towards a more sustainable life, we questioned if Daisy had any sustainability tips to share with other motherâs out there, her take on the overwhelming responsibility of trying to succeed in all areas and, as a bonus to make things a bit lighter, her favourite plant-based meals to cook at home!
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Daisy: ââTo be honest, I think that if youâve just had a baby then thatâs not the time to start trying to focus that heavily on other areas. You can always opt for reusable wipes or nappies, but the most important thing is raising your child to be a compassionate person, because they are the ones that are going to live in this world for longer. If youâre focusing on that job, then I wouldnât worry so much about the rest. There is a lot of judgement already with being a mum and I just donât think itâs healthy to put that extra pressure on yourself.
I think I probably use more plastic and create more waste since being a mum, because I rely on convenience a lot more than I used to but Iâd like to think thatâs counteractive by knowing that Iâm going to raise a compassionate, hopefully sustainable person and put them out into the world.
That being said, if I was to give one sustainable tip that actually makes life a lot easier as a mum, that would be to rent your babyâs clothes. There is this really good rental clothing company called Bundlee, and they just send you a bag of clothes every month depending on how your baby grows. I wouldnât say you get enough clothes to rely solely on that, but they definitely send you a good amount of basics which you just send back at the end whenever your baby grows out, and thatâs been amazing because they just grow out of stuff so fast! We do still have to go on a few emergency shopping trips but knowing that thatâs coming at the end of the month stops you from buying stuff youâd just eventually have to get rid of all the time.
Now, my favourite plant-based meals to cook, hm⌠At least twice a week we make a stir fry with tofu and satay sauce because itâs the quickest meal to make. Dolly always makes spaghetti balls, because thatâs something his mum used to make all the time. I tend to also make cashew, creamy, cheesy pasta⌠but Dolly doesnât like that really, he is more of a junk food/fake meat vegan, while Iâm more of a healthy one. So, we have to strike a balance in between.ââ Anyone else playing devilâs advocate when it comes to healthy eating at home?
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To finish off our conversation, as we were about to tuck into our coconut bacon sandwich (you didnât think weâd go out to a coffee shop and not pick something coconutty on the menu, right?), we asked Daisy what was the one thing about being a mum that drives her #coco and if she knew what kind of world she wanted to leave for her daughter.
Daisy: ââBefore I had Juni I used to work quite a lot, almost always 6 days a week and if there ever was and extra shift, Iâd take it because I needed to be busy, I needed to be productive at all times. I never used to sit and do nothing, so at the beginning that used to really drive me mad. It feels like youâre doing nothing, which you obviously are, because youâre raising a child! But having so many things to do and not physically being able to do them, or mentally even, itâs exhausting in itself. Even when Dolly takes Juni out so I can do stuff, I still sit there just thinking about her and that really annoys me because Iâve got so much to actually do, but I just want her to come back so I can play with her. So, just not having that time to be able to do the things you need to do is what really drives me mad. Though now I try and see it as a positive, that sheâs made me slow down. I think itâs a mind-set people get when you live in a big city, that you need to be âgo go goâ at all times, and thatâs just not a sustainable mind-set to have. And I guess that answers your next question too. The world Iâd like to leave for her is not this one. Iâd love for her to grow in a world where people take it slow, appreciate the little things, eat some plant-based food and act nicely to each other. But, mostly, Iâd just want her to live in a world where she can be herself and feels accepted for who she is. And I feel like weâre getting there with this country, but there is still a long way to go.â'
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