25 Handmade Gifts Under

Great blog post I 'Stumbled' upon.

25 Handmade Gifts Under

Homemade skincare

My skin is very sensitive and prone to redness and there are very few products that help (and unfortunately the ones that do cost a small fortune). I have always hated the idea of putting chemicals on my skin anyway, so I though I'd have a go at making my own treatments.

Sugar and Oat Body Scrub


Demerera Sugar
Porridge Oats (I use Asda Smart Price)
Olive Oil
Milk


The amounts don't really matter, so long as you use just enough oil and milk to soften and loosen the scrub - the sugar shouldn't dissolve.
Rub over skin as part of your cleansing routine.

The sugar and oats act as exfoliator and the milk and oil soothe and moisturise.

Keeps well in the fridge for up to 24 hours - after that it becomes too soft.

Turmeric Moisturising Cleanser

(to make 1 treatment)

1 level tbsp Natural yoghurt

1 level tsp Runny honey

1/2 heaped tsp Ground turmeric

Mix together into a loose paste.  Rub onto skin after washing and rinse off well.

Yoghurt acts as a soothing cleanser and honey moisturises.  Turmeric is known to ease redness and also acts as a very light exfoliator.

Keeps well in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

*Be warned - this is best used in the bath or shower as it will stain clothes.  If you don't usually wear make-up it is best to use this at night as it may also leave your face tinged slightly yellow.  Towels may also suffer!


Lemon and Rosewater Toner

Lemon Juice
Rosewater


This works well in the little travel spray bottles you can get from places like Boots. Simply mix 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts rosewater and spray lightly onto skin.

Rosewater is an anti-inflammatory and astringent while lemon juice lightens skin, reducing scars and redness.

*Be careful not to use too much lemon juice, as the acid may do more harm than good to your skin if not watered down sufficiently.


I've been using the Turmeric and Rosewater treatments every day for about a week now and the improvement is definitely noticeable.  Angry red spots that had refused to back down in the face of the usual acne treatments have shrunk right down and the scars I have from previous acne have gone from purple to light pink.  And it is much kinder to my skin, the environment and my bank balance.  Success!

Sheena x

Plectrum Holder Necklace

My husband just gave me a lovely surprise - a Plectrum Holder necklace made from a recycled spoon from 'Hairy Growler Handcrafted & Recycled Jewellery'.  Hopefully he is making his way through my 'wish list'!

Guacamole

Just discovered this stop motion film - so clever!  I love the 'diced' ingredients.




Sheena x

Trying Something New Part 2

I realised that our tea on Sunday provided the perfect opportunity to test out the quinoa.  We were going to have citrus turkey with broccoli and rice, but since I remembered the night before to get the quinoa out to soak I was able to use it in place of rice.

And it worked brilliantly.

CITRUS TURKEY WITH 
BROCCOLI AND QUINOA 
to serve 2 adults and 1 child


Soak 100g quinoa in 1 tbsp natural yoghurt and 450ml warm water overnight at room temp.


Sprinkle 3 turkey steaks with a light dusting of cornflour.  Fry until golden and cooked through then put to one side.

Nathan certainly enjoyed it!

Put 1tsp of honey, 1 tbsp fresh grated root ginger and the juice of 1 orange in the frying pan and fry over a low heat.  Mix 1tsp cornflour with 1tbsp cold water and add to the frying pan, stirring constantly.  Fry until syrupy.  Peel and segment 1 orange and 1 pink grapefruit (unfortunately I couldn't get one of these and had to use segments from a tin of grapefruit salad in juice, which didn't work as well) and add to the frying pan along with the turkey steaks.  Heat gently until warmed through, then sprinkle with chopped chives.


Meanwhile, chop florets from 1 broccoli and steam or boil, covered, in a little water for 5-10 mins.
Boil the quinoa, covered, in the soaking liquid for 20 mins before draining in a fine mesh sieve.  Put it back in the pan with the lid on and leave to steam until ready to serve.  Fluff a little with a fork.

Serve and enjoy!

Sheena x

Trying Something New

I got a new cook book from the library the other day - Renee Elliot's 'Me, You and the Kids too'.  I had seen a couple of recipes from it in a free health magazine I picked up at our local health food store and thought it looked pretty good.  (If the recipes are successful I'll definitely be buying it as it will be a great help when we have another baby).
The only problem I've found straight away is that some of the ingredients necessary for the recipes can only be found in specialist stores and are therefore pricey.  Renee Elliot is an advocate for organic whole foods, which is great, but not exactly affordable for everyone.
However, I would love to start adding some of her suggestions to our diet (though I'll have to be sneaky or Mike will refuse to eat them - he's 25 and I have yet to cure him of his fussy eating!), and I'll have to be careful that it doesn't take us over budget.
So, first thing I did was check out her list of 'wonderfoods'.  Most of them are already staple parts of our diet  - apples, avocados, broccoli, garlic, nuts, oils, sardines, seeds, yoghurt.  Others I had seen in the health food store but wasn't sure how to use them and some I didn't have a clue what they were - amaranth, kefir, kuzu, miso.  I may eventually get around to finding them, but it really isn't high on my list of priorities, and I have a feeling they're going to be too expensive anyway.
I decided I'd nip to the health food store and grab a couple of the ones I'd seen - buckwheat (for anyone who is on a gluten-free diet, the name is misleading and it is actually related to rhubarb) and quinoa to begin with because she says that they contain magnesium, which should be great for my migraines, and I shouldn't have too much difficulty using them.  500g of each cost me just over £2 for the buckwheat and £3 for the quinoa (I used 'Tree of Life Organic' for both), so it was more than I would generally pay for porridge oats or rice, but I shouldn't need to use as much of them.

I haven't used the quinoa yet (I'm probably going to put Renee Elliot's 'Quinoa-Stuffed Tomatoes' on our menu board for next week as a way to introduce it to Mike), but the buckwheat was a definite success for me and Nathan.

BUCKWHEAT PORRIDGE

I soaked 60g of buckwheat at room temperature overnight in 1tbsp of natural yoghurt and 310ml of warm water*, as suggested in 'Me, You and the Kids too' (this ensures that you get the best of their nutrition).  I also got out a handful of frozen blueberries to defrost to go with it in the morning.
*I think next time I will use at least part milk, as I prefer a creamier taste to my porridge.
The next morning I put the buckwheat and liquid in a saucepan and brought it the boil before simmering for 25 minutes.  This gave a texture similar to rice pudding.  I also put a chopped apple in another pan with a little water and stewed it for a while before mixing in the blueberries and a small pinch of ground cinnamon.
As the buckwheat wasn't as creamy as we like, and also to make the meal more economical, I then made up a small amount of Ready Oats (Asda's own brand) with milk, in the microwave.  I then mixed half of the buckwheat porridge into this (I put the rest in the fridge to do the same the next day) and mixed in the fruit.

Delicious and extremely good for you, and I wasn't hungry until gone 11 o'clock, which is amazing for me!

Sheena x

Fantastic Snacks

I must confess that I often eat out of boredom.  I'll be sat at my desk while Nathan naps or plays by himself and I constantly need something to pick at.  This used to be cake or biscuits, but recently I have started making snacks that are healthier but just as tasty (with a sneaky small chocolate or sugar fix to satisfy my cravings).  I also put some in a small tub for Nathan for him to eat while we're out shopping or running errands and, for such a small snack, they keep him quiet for a while.

All ingredients can be used in varying amounts depending on your preference, but be warned - only make a small amount at a time as they are very moreish and you may end up eating more than you intended!

BANOFFEE  MIX

Dried banana chips, chopped (I use 'Whitworths')

Mini fudge or toffee pieces 

Pecans, chopped

STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE

Dried banana chips, chopped (I use 'Whitworths')

MOVIE MIX

Dried strawberries, chopped (I use 'Urban Fruit')

White chocolate drops

Flaked almonds

MOVIE MIX


Plain popcorn (I pop my own from raw kernels)
Pecans, chopped
Toffee or fudge pieces or sauce
Melted plain chocolate mixed with a little veg oil and milk

CHOCOLATE ORANGE MIX

Orange infused raisins (I use the 'Nakd' range)

Dark chocolate drops

Hazelnuts, chopped


APPLE CRUMBLE MIX


Dried apple, chopped (I use 'Urban Fruit')
Cinnamon spiced raisins (simply sprinkle with some cinnamon)
Oats and crushed ginger biscuit mixed with a little melted butter then lightly toasted in a frying pan

MINT MIX

Mint infused sultanas (these are harder to get hold of, so I just soak some sultanas in some mint oil for 10 mins or so)

Dark chocolate drops

Flaked almonds

FIG ROLL MIX

FIG ROLL MIX

Cinnamon spiced sultanas (simply sprinkle with some cinnamon)

Dried figs, pureed and made into balls before rolling in sesame seeds

Sponge fingers, chopped

PINA COLADA MIX

Dried banana chips, chopped
Dried pineapple, chopped (I use 'Urban Fruit')
Coconut flakes
Pistachios, chopped


CHRISTMAS MIX

Cinnamon spiced orange infused raisins (I use the 'Nakd' range then sprinkle with cinnamon)

Dried cranberries

Honeyed almonds

SUMMER MIX

Dried strawberries, chopped (I use 'Urban Fruit')

Dried cherries, chopped (I use 'Urban Fruit')

Yoghurt coated fruit chips

More ideas would be very welcome!

Sheena x