Green People Eyeshadow and Eco Tools Brushes

I haven’t regularly worn eye shadow for a while, partly out of laziness but also because I’m not that great at putting it on.  I’d run out of a staple brown a while ago and, because I love Green People’s mascara, decided to give another of their make up products ago.

The case is a firm cardboard making it far more environmentally friendly than the conventional plastic.  I like that!  It comes with a small applicator that’s on the flimsy side – again better for the environment than the ones usually provided – and perfectly functional.  There’s also a small mirror.

I love the colours.  They’re flattering and go on very easily.  They last well, don’t smudge and don’t irritate my eyes.

I used Eco Tools eyeshadow brushes and found them to be very good quality and easy to use.  Mine came with instructions on the back of the packaging making them pretty foolproof, even for me!

Fröknäcke

Fröknäcke is a Swedish cracker made from seeds, oil and water so gluten free, vegan, healthy, tasty and versatile.  Eat with jam, honey, nut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, or faux gras, or crumble to use as an alternative to croutons on soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup polenta
• 1/2 cup whole flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup rapeseed oil
• 2 cups boiling water

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150 °C.

Line a baking tray with oiled grease proof paper.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir in oil and water.  Leave the mixture for around 15 minutes; it should rise.

Spread the mture thinly on the lined tray and bake in the oven for about 1 – 1½ hours.

Enjoy!

Aubergine Parmigiana

I love aubergine parmigiana but find frying the aubergines makes the dish too oily so grill them instead.  Adding sugar, red wine vinegar and a bay leaf to the tomatoes gives the sauce a lovely rich flavour.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 aubergines, cut into 1/2 cm slices
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• Olive oil
• 1 heaped tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• Bay leaf
• 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Mozarella, torn (optional)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

Put the sliced aubergine on an oiled baking tray, drizzle some oil on the top and grill until the top is brown.  Turn and grill on the other side.

Meanwhile sauté the onions, garlic and oregano until the onions are soft.  Add the tinned tomatoes, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and simmer until the sauce thickens.  Remove the bay leaf.

Put 1/4 of the tomato sauce in the bottom of an oven proof dish then a layer of the cooked aubergines, another layer of tomato sauce and aubergines, then the tomato sauce and torn mozarella.

Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and turned golden.

Serve with a salad.

 

Stripped Skincare Moisturiser

After being impressed with Stripped Skincare‘s exfoliator and eye makeup remover I thought I would give their moisturising oil a go.

Like the other products, it comes in a glass bottle.  The dropper means you can control how much you use, and you really don’t need a lot.  I wasn’t sure whether using oil would clog my pores but it’s been the opposite.

I’ve been using the moisturising oil since the middle of November, either once or twice a day depending on how my skin feels.  We’ve had a long winter and I like to get outside regardless of the weather, so on very cold days I’ve used 6 drops instead of 4.  At no point has my skin felt tight or dry, just soft and smooth with no red patches.  The large pores across my nose have reduced significantly.

I’ve spent a lot more on less effective moisturisers and so impressed that I’ve taken it into work to let colleagues try!  This is probably the best skincare product most people don’t know about.

Pancakes

For me, a perfect Sunday morning starts with pancakes and coffee.  Not the big, thin pancakes but thick, light, fluffy ones served with berries or nuts and maple syrup.

Makes 10 large pancakes

Ingredients:

• 200g gluten free plain flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp honey (optional)
• oil for frying (optional)

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients then add the egg, almond milk and honey and whisk into a thick batter.

Add pancake-sized quantities of batter to a hot pan (with oil if you’re using it).  When bubbles start to form in the top, it’s time to turn them over and fry on the other side.

Enjoy!

Tropic Skincare Lipstick

With my new-found confidence in lipsticks I wanted to try a reddish one to brighten up the winter months.  A representative from Tropic skincare was at an allergy fair so I decided to try theirs a go, and went for Rosehip.

It’s not a vibrant red but, for someone trying to be a bit more adventurous with cosmetics, is just enough.

The black and gold case makes the product feel luxurious and I really love the design of the packaging.  Push the base in and it springs out of the container, preventing any messy mishaps in a bag.

It’s a soft, creamy texture and very moisturising but needs to be re-applied quite frequently.  It’s vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free, and doesn’t contain chemicals such as parabens and SLS (the list is here).  I’ll definitely be checking out their other colours.

Holiday … on Merseyside

I decided I needed a break from the day job so took some time off and headed off to a frequent haunt of Merseyside to catch up with friends for a couple of days.

I’m happy to confess that I have a soft spot for Liverpool and spend some time there with work.  There’s so much culture, history, beautiful architecture, and, of course, the humour.  It’s a city but feels so open.

I’d heard about the old docks (the first commercial wet dock in the world!) and kept saying that I would go on the tour, but every time I called to book it was always full.  Now I know why, and thankfully this time I got lucky.  We made our way into town and headed to the Maritime Museum, arriving slightly too early so headed for the Customs exhibition, Seized!  It was fabulous!  That’s somewhere else on my list to re-visit.  The tour started at the museum but headed across the road towards the Liverpool One shopping area and into a door I’ve walked past many times but never noticed.  The guides, Danny and John, really know their stuff and are so funny.  I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who goes … but it’s an hour incredibly well spent.

We headed off to Brasco for food, somewhere I’ve been quite a few times before.  They have a good selection of tasty gluten-free veggie food, and handy for both the Albert Dock and city centre.

The following day was spent in Southport, first for a wander around the town, taking refuge from the rain in the beautiful Wayfarer’s Arcade, then met up with friends for coffee and a chat at the Lakeside cafe.  It’s not somewhere I’ve been before but it was nice, had a lovely view over the lake, and had gluten-free cakes on offer.

Wayfarer’s Arcade

Wayfarer’s Arcade

Lakeside Cafe

I hadn’t been to the historical city of Chester for years so we decided to spend my final day there.  It was a really nice day exploring and we discovered a gluten-free gem in the Marmalade Cafe on Northgate Street.  There’s an incredible choice of gluten-free veggie food and gluten-free dairy-free cakes.  I’ll definitely be going back to Chester and Marmalade soon.

My mini holiday over, it’s back to laundry, thinking about lunches for next week, getting on top of the gardening, and having to wake up when the alarm clock goes off.

 

 

Gentle Cosmetics Lipstick

A few years ago I owned one nude coloured lipstick.  I wore it at to work, at weekends, on dates … When I had to give up gluten I looked at everything I risked ingesting, including my lippy.  And my old faithful had to go.  (I have a problem with waste, especially when something’s almost new, so it was cleaned up and given a very good home with a very appreciative 15 year old.)

For a couple of years I just used a Danish lip balm then came across the Gentle Cosmetics shop in Southport’s beautiful Wayfarer’s Arcade.  It was in there that I found my new “go to” lipstick!  It’s vegan,  gluten free, organic and a gorgeous colour.

I went for is Ellie, a really flattering purple-brown.  The texture’s quite hard so it lasts a few hours before needing to be re-applied.

I pop in anytime I’m passing and always find the lady in there so helpful.  She always remembers me even though I’ve only been in a couple of times and we have a good chat.  That’s one of the things I find so special about independent shops.

Curried Chickpea Burgers

I’m trying to eat healthily and cut out as much processed food as possible.  Making interesting lunches to take to work can be a bit of a challenge but I find curried chickpea burgers tasty and filling.  It also helps to use up whatever vegetables  I have in the fridge.

Makes 5 large burgers or 10 smaller ones.

Ingredients:

• oil for frying
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• frozen spinach
• any other vegetables, e.g. celery, mushrooms, potato.
• 1 tin of chickpeas
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tsp curry powder
• a pinch of chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt – you could use grated garlic
• gluten free checkpea flour (also known as gram flour or besan) – I use Doves Farm.  If you don’t have chickpea flour, plain flour will do but won’t give the same firm texture.
• salt and pepper

Method:

Heat the oil and sauté the vegetables until the onion is translucent and the spinach defrosted.

Drain and add the chickpeas then add the spices.

Mash up the mixture – I use my trusty hand blender – and mix in some flour to absorb some of the moisture, mix and shape into patties.  If using plain flour, coat the burgers in some more flour.  If using chickpea flour, it helps to wet your hands to stop the mixture sticking to them.

Heat the oil and fry until they’re brown.

The burgers can be frozen, defrosted and baked in then oven.  Enjoy!

Stewed Fruit

I love having stewed fruit in the freezer.  It’s quick and easy to make, uses up any surplus fruit, and handy for deserts such as crumbles, added to ice cream or custard, or as fillings inside puff pastry.  It’s real comfort food.

For stewed apricots …

Ingredients:

• Apricots, chopped.
• Sugar
• Water

That’s all!

Method:

Put the chopped fruit into a pan with a splash of water and a small amount of sugar.

Cook on a medium heat, stirring frequently.  Add more water and sugar if needed.

It really is that simple!

There really isn’t any limit to what you can do … plum and cinnamon (one of my favourites), apple, cinnamon and raisins, or rhubarb and ginger …