The thing that has turned out to be the hardest in this experiment of mine is food. I've got the cleaning covered (baking soda fixes all evil!), and apart from Galumph's shirts and whatnots the other day, we're not really buying much of anything else.
But the food involves a lot of walking around to gather ingredients that don't come plastic wrapped, and a fair bit of frustration as it's quite common to get to the shop and discover the milk is late in coming again. Thank goodness I live in the area I do, though - for example, there's an organic grocer, three independant bakeries for bread baked goods, a fish shop and a cheese shop, all in walking distance from chez Jorth. I think this experiment would be nigh on impossible if you lived in a very small town or in the country, where these food opportunities didn't exisit. It would also, I dare say, be rather difficult to achieve if you worked outside of the home (not that being a full-time mum isn't working, but at least I have the freedom to scoot off to the shops whenever I can).
The other food issue is expense. It's certainly not cheap to eat this way, although I dare say the food is far better for us, and tastes much better too. Having reread that sentence, a thought has struck me - maybe the food isn't actually that expensive. Maybe I'm just paying the real cost, rather than a 'watered-down, government subsidised farming, buy in bulk and rip off producers' cost. Excuse the pun, but it's definitely food for thought.
Since this post is all about the food, I'm going to jot some breakfast ideas down. It seems to be the meal I'm having the most trouble with. Dinner is fine, and lunch is usually dinner left-overs, but breakfast is turning into a bit of a nightmare! Yesterday, for example, I had soup for breakfast, because I was too tired to think of anything else. How hard can it be, I hear you ask. Well, while most cereals come in a cardboard box, they also come with a plastic liner on the inside, so they are out, and we are running out of our supplies that we started with. And if I haven't kept on top of our bread situation, then it all goes up you-know-what creek. So, some breakfast ideas, for us all.
Note: The below list presumes that all ingredients come in paper/glass/nonplastic packaging.
- Porridge, by itself; with raisons + cinnamon + grated apple; with stewed rhubarb + apple
- Toast, with butter; with jam; with coleslaw + cheese; with tinned sardines; with baked beans; with feta + cucumbers; with chutney + cheese
- Eggs, scrambled; poached; fried; on toast, mixed with dinner left-overs
- Fruit and yoghurt, either fresh, or stewed i.e. apples, quinces, pears
- Pancakes with honey; lemon + sugar; jam + cream; maple syrup; compote + cream
- Muffins; with rhubarb + apple; apple + sultana; orange + chocolate; feta + spinach
Whew! Any ideas you guys have would be greatly appreciated, so c'mon - leave a comment!
McDonalds does a good breakfast.
ReplyDeleteIs tupperware plastic? Is it OK to use tupperware?
ReplyDeleteI have no good suggestions for you as I think you have some great ones - you probably don't realise it but you have quite a gourmet list going on there. Im loving your perserverance !! And what a great excuse to eat eggs every morning!
ReplyDeleteI'm coming for breakfast at your place...your list sure beats the options Chez Fairlie!
ReplyDeleteI adore eggs, but the Master has that allergy thing going on they are supposed to get over before age 3 or 4.
ReplyDeleteHe's cool with cakes and baking, but full-on eggs turn him into a foaming-at-the-mouth rabid bad-boy .. and then he vomits and returns to normal.
And this kid ? Robust as all get-out .. not your vomiting kind, so it must be nasty for him :(
Making your own muesli would be my idea ( I love homemade muesli ) - you can get your fixings by the scoop in many place I can't even tell you .. Brunswick St comes to mind, but it's all a haze now.
You'd need a good glass container with a good seal though ( cork ? )
You don't want my weevils to come a'calling :(
Hi - I am really enjoying following your no plastic challenge! I have been trying not to buy things in non-recyclable plastic as a first step and that is nearly impossible! I knew a health but who ate breakfast cereal with fruit juice instead of milk - orange I think. Maybe squeezing your own in the morning would be easier than chasing about town for milk.
ReplyDeleteMmmmMmmmm! Thanks for the brekkie ideas!
ReplyDeleteMy little girl likes stewed fruit, museli and yoghurt all layered in a drinking glass "like a rainbow", eaten with a long spoon. Not terribly original in the ingredients department, but all the attraction is in the presentation - and it's super quick and easy. You can get all your museli grains from a market... get them to place all the ingredients you want in one paper bag.
ReplyDeleteNever mind giving you ideas.....I'm noting down all yours! And I've had a good look at that link to the baking soda thing. Brilliant. I'm definitely giving that a go. I hate all those chemicals but forgot we must have been cleaning things way before they were invented.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Breakfast at your house sounds sesational already..How about some beans from the markets and cook them up with some onion and home grown tomatoes and Basil for good measure, a slice of home made sough dough bread on the side.
ReplyDelete2. Eggs benedict
3. Corn fritters with grilled tomatoes.
These all sound fandabbydozy! We are eating bircher museli these days. Bung the museli in a bowl, add grated fruit, a few nuts, splosh on some milk and cover, leave in the fridge overnight. Yum!
ReplyDelete