2018: Reducing single use plastic

I am unashamedly frugal, sometimes to the embarrassment of Mr Fork. I take great pride in being eco conscious and reducing the impact that I personally have on the environment. Now that I have children, it's important to me that they learn to be respectful of our planet as well. Two years ago, I put up a list of ten things I do to help the environment (and you know, also save money). This year, I'm going to step it up a bit and try even harder to reduce my household waste and single use plastic items.

There are so many things that are simple to do, and don't even have to cost much, if anything at all. Here are some more of the things I already do, and some ideas that I'm working toward as well.

Say no to consumables. Who needs plastic straws, paper napkins or utensils when there are awesome glass or metal straws, fabric serviettes, and cute reusable utensils out there? I've had my glass straw for years, and I love it. I've been reading a lot about beeswax wraps and I really want to find a good source of local beeswax so I can start making my own (and you know, maybe use up some of my fabric stash while I'm at it!).

Avoid plastic shopping bags. Similar to the above, but it needs saying again. Our two major supermarkets have plans to phase out plastic bags this year, which I think is a great idea. It's easy to put cloth bags in the car boot, and I always have a small fold up bag in my handbag for incidental purchases. I've also embraced bringing along mesh bags for my produce shopping so I can avoid those thin plastic ones they offer. If I have a choice between pre-packed produce, or picking my own and using my own bags, it's a no brainer.

I got these ones as a Christmas present, and they come with their own handy little bag to stash them in when not in use. They're so simple to make though that I'm going to whip up a few more with some of the mesh material I have in my stash.

When I get my produce home, I can also prolong it's life by storing it in my fabric Swag bags (which are awesome by the way!)

I'm also lucky enough to have some bulk health food stores near me. These stores let you scoop and weigh your own produce (like nuts, flours, salts, beans etc) from bulk bins and either use the brown paper bags in store (which are compostable) or bring your own container to hold them. 

Use reusable bottles and cups. It's important to stay hydrated, but not at the cost of all the litter it generates. A friend of mine recently moved to the beach and has been telling me horrifying statistics about the amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean and on the beach. There are so many bottle options out there - foldable ones for the space conscious, insulated ones to keep your water cold (or hot!), glass, and ones with super cute covers like my beloved BBBYO ones! (the 'bits' below are barley from when I brewed up barley water to soothe a chest infection)

I'm also a huge fan of reusable coffee cups - I have one at home and one at work for ultra convenience. Many of the coffee shops near where I work even offer a small discount for bringing your own cup. I've heard statistics that it can take more than 500 years for a plastic coffee cup to break down, which is horrifying.

I've noticed a huge shift in awareness when shopping, and many shoppers now bring their own reusable bags as a matter of course (could be that some shops have started charging for terrible quality plastic bags as well). Where I used to get odd looks for bringing my own coffee cup to a cafe, now I'd say from my own observations that there are more BYO cups than not. This is definitely a movement I'm happy to get behind and so pleased to see individuals and businesses taking up.

Do you bring your own bags and cups when out and about? What are your tips for reducing plastic consumption?

Mornings

Mornings are like...

Sweet milky breaths

Small arms with hidden strength

Homemade sourdough, slathered with nuttelex and vegemite

Coffee, brewed fresh and hot, steaming nicely

Triumphant hens clucking to herald fresh eggs

Early morning light

All before 6:30am!

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What do your mornings look like?

Five things I need every day

They say all you need is love. Well, that's all well and good, but to make my day run smoothly, I need a few extra things in it too. Here are my top 5 daily needs:

1. Coffee. I just have one a day, but it has to be a good one. No instant stuff. I buy beans from my favourite coffee roaster and make my brew with a plunger, then a dash of soy or almond milk. Once I've had my coffee, the day can start properly.

2. Cuddles. I am a tactile person. I love snuggling and cuddling and holding hands and being touched. Except when Jimmy wants to touch me all. the. time. Then I get over it quickly and start to feel touched out. Still... tactile affection is a winner. This picture makes me smile every time I see it. Jimmy crawled up after his feed and thought this was a perfectly acceptable way to fall asleep. I just love his chubby little arm cuddling my head!

3. Touch free time. Much as I love my babies, being constantly needed by someone, constantly touched, constantly on guard in case they get into trouble... it's draining. I definitely need a few minutes of time to myself each day, usually at night before bed. I have quiet time, read a book, catch up on emails and news, and just unwind from the day.

4. Movement. Working in IT, and having a baby to nurse, huge parts of my day are spent sitting down. When I can, I like to get out and move. This could mean I take the kids to the park. Or I find some great tunes and we all dance like mad things around the house. More trivially, I might get off the bus a stop or two early and walk a bit more. I just feel better if I've gotten up and done some exercise for the day.

5. Order. The state of my house, in particular the kitchen, often reflects the state of my mind and moods. I can't feel restful and calm if I'm surrounded by mess and disorder. I don't need things to be spotless, that's an impossibility with small children, but I need things to be tidy and ordered. Before I go to sleep of a night, I make sure I've done a quick whip around the house to make sure toys are put away, discarded clothes are in the laundry, dishes are done and the kitchen, dining and lounge rooms are looking presentable. I feel much better if I wake up and I'm not presented with a huge visual list of things I was too lazy to do the previous day!

So that's what helps me have a good day. Do you have any things you need to make sure your day is the best it can be?

The Jam Pantry - Bean Scene #4

I was going through the photos on my phone and noticed a little bit of a trend.

1. When I go out to breakfast, I like to order avocado on toast. Whether this is because it's the only menu item without meat, or whether I just love avocado on good crusty bread, I can't say.
2. I frequent cafes with lovely wallpaper.

So, here is another example of a cafe that has gorgeous wallpaper, a delicious avocado dish and enough pizazz and variety to make me want to go back and eat there all over again! 

The Jam Pantry, located at 2/575 Logan Road at Greenslopes is the latest offering from Nims and Gideon (formerly of Comfort at my Table). It took me a little while to find the place, but it was worth it. Parking is all on the surrounding streets, but after the meal, I was pleased I had a little bit of a walk to let my food digest!

An obvious neighbourhood favourite, I was very glad our little group had booked when I saw the crowd waiting at the front, and I was definitely glad when I saw that we were located in the little semi private room with the most gorgeous wallpaper. Apparently it's one of the most photographed parts of the cafe!

There's an all day seasonal menu with lots of good, non pretentious food. Each dish generally has some sort of house made condiment included, hence the name of the cafe! Condiments, preserves, sweet treats and loaves of bread can all be purchased to take home as well if you can't get enough of them while you're there!

There are seasonal blackboards for special items which change regularly according to the creative whims of the chef, as well as the type of foods that are in season. So many delicious things on there, that blackboard is sure to keep diners coming back to see what the menu has flipped over to!

Of course, I couldn't go past a plate of avocado on toast ($14), and this was a lovely homely serving. Big, generous chunks of perfectly ripe avocado atop crusty filling bread with some lemon, salt and pepper. Good, honest, filling food!

Special mention needs to go to the drinks. Our table fell madly in love with the hot chocolates, which were declared creamy, decadent and oh-so-moreish! The chai lattes were also a hit, and my small soy flat white really hit the spot. Cappuccinos were served with chunks of real chocolate sprinkled on top. So good!

So good in fact, that I dragged the family back there for breakfast because I couldn't stop talking about it. The toddler was a big fan, and why wouldn't she be when they serve such gourmet babycinos ($3)?!

I'll definitely be back to see what Nims will cook up next... whatever it is, it's sure to be a winner. Also, I want a jar of that gorgeous fig jam I saw while it's still available!

Do you have a favourite local cafe?

 

The Rabbit Hole Cafe - Bean Scene #3

When Mr Fork sends Ellie in to ask me what I want for breakfast, what he generally means is "do you want to go out somewhere to get {him} a big meaty meal?" However, often I'll have been up late feeding Jimmy, so I give him the hairy eyeball and try to close my eyes for 5 more minutes of peace. That idea goes out the window when a certain toddler starts jumping next to me in bed chanting something about babycinos.

At that point I give in and get dressed, leaving the decision of where to go up to Mr Fork and his pint sized babycino-guzzling partner in crime. One of the places that we know has something to suit everyone in our family is The Rabbit Hole Cafe.

Located at 5 The Corso, Seven Hills, parking is easy, and the Campos coffee is always speedily delivered and unfailingly good to drink. They're open from 7am every day - just pick a table and order at the counter when ready. I  like to sit inside so I can look at the pretty wallpaper.

The all day breakfast menu has never failed to disappoint (Ellie is a big fan of the children sized pancakes with strawberries ($10), while Mr Fork loves the big breaky ($22), not pictured as he started gobbling before I could get to it).

Of special note, this is a dog friendly cafe, and there are always diners there with well behaved hounds in tow, which is a trend I fully support. It also helps to amuse Ellie and Jimmy as they like to point (and squawk in Jimmy's case) at the doggies outside while we wait for our meals to come out.

The smashed avo ($14) is a bit fancy here, served with fresh sliced tomato, lemon, sprinkled feta and some rocket.

It's the perfect meal to start the day, and keeps me going nicely without snacking, until lunchtime and beyond. I love a cafe that's equally lovely for adults, children and hounds, which is one of the reasons we keep coming back. And I have it on genuine toddler authority they do a great babycino!

Do you have a favourite local cafe?

 

The Chocolate Room - Bean Scene #2

Wandering around Westfield Garden City with a sleeping Jimmy wrapped on me, I was loathe to go home and therefore have to unwrap him, put him in the car and wake him up. How fortuitous then, that I came across The Chocolate Room just as I was thinking about food (that happens often, the food thoughts).

Located at shop 1370, within Garden City on the corner of Logan and Kessels Roads in Upper Mount Gravatt, I couldn't go past a place that so blatantly screamed out 'chocolate indulgence'! Especially when I saw that they had a special deal for a coffee and cake at $6.50. Just take my money already!!!

The server was lovely enough to let me change the coffee to a hot chocolate, because if I'd had another coffee, Jimmy would certainly have been up all night as payback. I was even more chuffed when I realised that they have over 20 flavours of hot chocolate drinks!! I'll say it again for emphasis. TWENTY FLAVOURS!!! They even had no problems with me changing to soy milk (an extra $0.50).

Much deliberation saw me choosing a coconut hot chocolate, with a side of apple and raspberry crumble. The things I do for Jimmy!! My hot chocolate came out in one of those nifty little mugs which unfortunately remind me of a bedpan. Not that I'd let that stop me from enjoying this frothy cup of deliciousness! The coconut flavour was mixed into the drink, and there were also some little pieces of desiccated coconut on top. It was delicious and definitely not overwhelmingly chocolate/coconutty at all. Jimmy is too little for marshmallows, and I don't eat them so I definitely appreciated that they were left on the side instead of added into the drink.

The crumble came out presented as a piece of art in itself. There was a big dollop of cream (again, I don't eat it but it's very generous) a swirl of chocolate sauce and a sprinkling of more chocolate, and the crumble, which was more like a little tartlet was heated just enough so that it was warm but not so hot to burn the roof of your mouth off. It was also delicious, which is important as no amount of presentation can make up for bad food in my books!

The staff were lovely, and were obviously dedicated and devoted chocolate lovers themselves. Service was fairly prompt, but even if you have to wait awhile, there is plenty of chocolate deliciousness to appreciate  and tempt you in the display cabinets and on the walls.

With such a delicious range of chocolate and sweets, I didn't look at the savoury menu in detail, but I know that there are some lunch and sandwich options available. Since there are 20 flavours of hot chocolate alone, I'm fairly certain I will be making this one of my regular cafes when I need a chocolate hit!

Do you have a favourite local cafe?

Hallowed Grounds Espresso - Bean Scene #1

While I was cleaning out the photos I had on my phone, I realised that there were quite a few of coffees and edibles from various places I frequent. Instead of deleting them all, I thought I'd write posts about some of my favourite places to share. Some of the pictures were taken just because so they may not be the best quality but I'm sure the deliciousness will show through!

As a mother, there are few things I appreciate better than a really great coffee. Well... maybe a really great coffee home delivered to my hand while steaming, perhaps with a side of warm scone with jam... I digress. If I can't have my coffee delivered, the next best thing is having a great cafe close by. Enter Hallowed Grounds Espresso. Located at Shop 2, 1417 Logan Rd, Mount Gravatt, there is plenty of street parking around.

Seating is either on the footpath or in the cosy interior on an eclectic mix of tables, benches and chairs.

You order at the counter inside, which is beside a display cabinet full of cakes and sandwiches. If you're eating in, you get a painted spoon to take back to your table. Coffee is freshly roasted Elixir coffee, which has not yet failed to disappoint. If the cakes and sandwiches on display in the cabinet aren't to your taste, there is an all day breakfast and lunch menu options as well. Many of the items are vegetarian and can also be easily adapted to be vegan friendly as well.

Smashed avocado on sourdough, with feta $11.50

It is through Hallowed Grounds Espresso that I discovered these locally made awesome vegan cupcakes. The one pictured below is peanut butter and jam and it tasted amazing! Obligatory shot, with a fork (see what I did there?!)

Vegan cupcake, peanut butter and jam, $5.50

Staff are friendly and chatty, and happy to make suggestions if you need help. They have managed to crate a little community driven cafe - regulars are recognised and greeted with glee. Dogs are welcomed outside, and treated with fresh water and doggy treats. The cafe is chock full of interesting posters, collectables and even things for the kids to play with (thank you!!). It's the little things (like thank you notes with your coffee) that make a cafe worth going back to again and again. Hallowed Grounds Espresso have that.

Do you have a favourite local cafe?