I love a good kitchen hack! This idea was inspired by finding ways to use what we have, to make what we need. You can save money, simplify your kitchen and avoid a melt-down when you realize that you need buttermilk to make your favorite buttermilk biscuits!
Don’t be caught without baking powder, buttermilk or sour cream again – just take a look at these simple steps to make your own…
Tell me – have you tried making any of these yourself?
I met my friend, Liv, at my new office (which, I have to tell you all about!). She’s created an awesome website called Stretch City sharing what yogis love – so I thought I’d share my recipe for a no-fuss Salad Jar.
This is for all of us who want to eat well, but need real solutions to help us make those healthy choices, especially when we’re so busy. We come home tired, we leave the house early – it’s a constant battle for all of us. So the trick is to set yourself up for success. That’s where this jar shines! It takes just minutes to prepare and you’ve got your own stash of grab-and-go health food to take out with you!
The key (with all things) is simplicity – so, to build your salad jars what you do, is stock your pantry with ingredient that are ready to eat. Things you could imagine choosing at a salad bar. Keep it low fuss – no chopping required, that way you can just toss everything together. Here are some ideas:
TIP: for the dressing, I’m simply using the oil from my marinated feta (yum) and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
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With all these ingredients, I can make 3 jars of salads. I priced it out to be $4 per jar. If you eat at salad bars, you’re already excited about the money you’ll save! Make them quickly in the morning or the night before, either way – because the wet and dry ingredients stayed separated, your salad won’t go soggy. Just make sure you always keep the jar standing upright!
You can eat from the jar, but it’s awkward and hard to mix. Try to keep a bowl at work that you can use, or buy a collapsable bowl to carry in your bag. The ingredients are just suggestions – it’s your world, it’s your jar – do your thing!
Thanks to Abi for the beautiful pictures! He’s available in Singapore for freelance photography, drop him an email.
ps – life’s not all stress. Take this jar out for picnics and fun afternoons at the park too! And if you’re in Singapore or Hong Kong – make sure to check out Stretch City to keep feeling your best!
We’re learning how to make the best homemade jam straight from a professional jam maker! Joey produces a line of artisanal jams, GSH Conserves, and brought us into his own family kitchen to share one of his most popular flavours – Mango Lime.
It’s so good that it took great restraint not to lick the bowl – but in my own kitchen, I make no promises!
Making your own jam at home is an experience that I hope you give yourself.
Joey’s passion for it is absolutely contagious – and I think that it’s incredible he’s sharing his recipe and process with us!
Unopened they’re good for 1 year. Opened jars should be kept in the fridge and consumed within 1 month.
Making jam is a 3-step process. Prep. Cook. Bottle. The entire process takes 1 hour and you’ll end up with jam for months! This method of preserving food has been part of the way we eat since the beginning. It’s how we preserve the season to enjoy throughout the year.
Thanks to my friend Joey, I’m here to tell you that you that making jam is beyond easy! You don’t need any fancy equipment, you don’t need a complex recipe.
Fresh produce, patience and presence is all that’s required!
Pureed mangoes, freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar. Simple. The lime zest, we leave right to the end so that it keeps its bright color. In this recipe the lime juice adds flavour but also reacts with the sugar to help the jam set.
Let it cook for about 20 minutes, boiling away the moisture and reducing it to fruit and sugar. You’ll see your jam transform from a puree, to a gel like consistency.
It’s a bit of science a bit of magic. Joey warns us (and we should listen up!) to watch over the jam as it cooks. This is where the practice of presence comes in – if you get distracted and leave the pot bubbling away, you can burn the sugar!
Give it a good stir and watch over it lovingly.
When jam cools, is when it becomes firm. So, to test the readiness while it’s still hot – you can preform the Frozen Plate Test. It’s very technical stuff, here’s what you do: Before you start cooking, place a plate in the freezer.
When your jam start to form into a gel, drop a bit onto the frozen plate, it will cool very quickly and give you an indication of how firm it’s going to be.
If you can’t find dedicated canning jars, you can use basic glass jars that have a lined cap. Make sure to sanitise your jars first, it’s easily done in a hot oven for about 15 minutes. Then you’re ready to fill them up with delicious jam.
Don’t touch the jars, they’re hot!
The jam inside expands during the canning process, so important to leave a little room between the jam and the lid.
Joey has his professional tools to fill his jars, but at home a spoon or ladle will do!
Again, you don’t need special equipment for canning – you’re simply submerging the jam jars into hot boiling water to kill off bacteria and seal the jars. But, you do need plan for how you’ll get them in and out without burning yourself!
Bring your pot to a boil, then turn it down to simmer. At that point submerge the jars in and make sure they are fully covered with water. It takes about 15 minutes for this pressure to seal the jar shut. To get your workflow right, while you’re cooking the jam set a large pot of water to boil so it’s all ready to go.
And you’re done! So, what do you think, will you give jam-making a try? I hope you do and let us know how it turns out! A big thanks to Joey and his adorable sidekick for sharing!
Do check out his shop, GSH Conserves and his full range of jams!
One of my favorite ways to simplify my life is by getting the most out of the things that I already have!
Picture this – you wake up in the morning and blend up a super healthy green shake. Instead of throwing away the peels, you save them for the evening. When you come home, you’ve had a busy day and want to relax. Take out those peels, and give youself a lovely 15 minute steam treatment. You breathe in the orange essential oils, you feel good and you get a quality facial too!
Orange essential oils found in orange peels are a great astringent for the skin. With the steam, it helps to open the pores and really clean them out – it’s especially good for brightening up tired, dull skin. Here’s a great tip: Follow your steam treatment with a very gentle Home Microdermabrasion. Your skin is going to glow and feel amazing – you’ll love it!
Green shakes and facials – talk about beauty from the inside out! 🙂
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I’ve tried a ton of different organization tips – and my current system is the best that I’ve ever managed. Recently my schedule went on overdrive and I saw myself skimping on my meals – the fresh salads, green shakes and juicing…
Here’s what I did: I took an afternoon to organize my fridge to work better for me, to make it easier for me to eat better.
I set up a system that would be easy to maintain, to help me plan my grocery shopping and make home-cooking manageable. That way, even if my brain says just eat cereal, my fridge says how about a green shake first?
It makes all the difference! I want to show you my favorite bits – and, if you think it looks crazy in there – I won’t argue with you , but I promise you it works!
Set up dedicated, ready-to-go food containers. I got this idea from Jamie Oliver and tried it right away! You have to do this – it works so well. It takes 10 minutes to prepare, but then for the rest of the week, getting fresh greens on your plate, juices and green shakes – takes seconds.
Try this tip: Wash and dry your leaves fully. Then, wrap them in a cloth and in separate containers labeled: Salad, Green Shake and/or Juice…. Everyday you just grab your container and you’re pretty much set! When your bucket is running low, you know right away that you need to stock up again. Easy!
When you use half a tomato or avocado, how do you store away the leftovers? You can buy specific containers, or you can wrap it in plastic wrap – but that’s super wasteful… I started using old jam jars and not only is it ridiculously cute, but it actually keeps everything fresher! My cuttings don’t dry out, or stink up the fridge of garlic and onion…
Try this tip: Keep a dedicated space in your fridge for your jars. You can have one for your tomato, one for garlic, that half a carrot… Or one day if you’re in the mood, you can go ahead and dice up a whole onion and have a supply on-the-ready for a hot pan!
Rather than digging in the back of the fridge searching for something, I put in a few office paper trays to act like a pull out shelf! It’s awesome! Plus you naturally group like items together, so it helps to keep you fridge organised and find what you need!
Try this tip: Buy a few office paper trays which will be cheaper than going for a specialised refrigerator tray. Think about how you can group like items together, maybe one tray for snacks, another with fruit to grab and go. Maybe one that has all the making for your kids lunchbox sandwiches. What ever fits your needs!
Leftovers are fantastic and a smart thing to have around on a busy schedule – unless of course you forget about them! Get serious about labelling and dating everything. No one will make fun of you (too much) I promise!
Try this tip: keep a roll of tape and a sharpie near your fridge. If you can find erasable label stickers, go ahead and place on on every tupperware container to make it easier for you!
I hope these tips help you! I’d love to know what works for you!
We all know what it’s like when we’re busy and hungry – we tend to make bad choices! And then, we just end up feeling annoyed with ourselves! It’s crazy. We need a good plan. That’s why I put together this list of quick meals for on the go. This is for all of us who want a healthy meal on the ready, to help us keep up the energy and feeling good!
1. Frozen Soup – freeze a big batch of soup in muffin trays. Great for the office, pack a portion in a container – it will defrost throughout the day and just heat it up for a healthy lunch!
2. Quinoa Cold Salad – You could easily make a few jars of this. It keeps well in the fridge and you’re set for the next couple of days to grab-and-go!
3. Fruit on the bottom yogurt cups: This is my kid’s new favorite… and I’m not complaining!
4. Get set up – buy a bento box: If you don’t have a bento box yet – go get one! When you have the right equipment, it makes packing healthy lunches much easier! PS – here’s my recipe for a 10 minute Spanish Omelette
5. Celery and Peanut butter: then again, packing a snack can be this easy too! 🙂
6. Healthy travel tips: Traveling? Plan ahead and pack a supply of healthy treats, snacks and meals!
7. Wrap it up! Wraps make an easy and portable meal for on the go!
8. Salad in a jar! Not only is anything in a jar completely adorable, but it’s really practical too! Keep your wet and dry layers separate until you’re ready to toss it all in a bowl (or just eat straight from the jar!)
9. Chili and Cornbread: You prep ahead (the chili and cornbread dough) and then just bake the whole thing in a jar! I bet that you can freeze them unbaked… defrost it in the fridge over-night… pop it in the oven first thing in the morning – and win the prize for best lunch in the afternoon!
10. Pasta in Jar – It’s too easy! Cook, jar, eat! Here’s my recipe for a super easy tomato sauce!
11. Snack Attack – Roasted Chickpeas and “Cheesy” Kale Chips. Be prepared for the munchies! These are my two absolute favourite zero-guilt snacks!
12. Plan ahead! When I get super organized – everything runs smoother. This idea for day-of-the-week snacks is great. Sure, your fridge may look like a crazy person’s – but you’ll be smiling! 🙂 But, do try to create no-waste packing solutions!
13. Keep it Light. Sometimes you just need a boost of energy – give this green juice a go!
14. A sweet treat! Not just for dessert – it’s for breakfast, lunch and everything in between!
Eat well and enjoy!
A few months ago I had lunch with a friend, Maggie who shared her konjac noodles recipes with us. She produces a line of body and face sponges made of konjac, and she enjoys exploring different ways of using this beauty food… Well, she’s done it again! Check out these dessert jellies – you should of seen the smile on my face when she presented them to me!
Not only was it incredibly fun to eat flowers, the these jellies were also delicious! Sweet, but light and with a fresh pop of blueberries. Trust me – gather the ingredients and give this recipe a go! Can you imagine how pretty they would look served at dinner party, birthday or even for Easter brunch! Your friends will go crazy for them! Plus, Maggie tells me they were super easy to make 🙂
Konnyaku (konjac) jellies are generally served with fresh fruit pieces inside. Some of the tastiest fruits are mangosteen, mango, blueberries, red berries and strawberries.
Pour konnyaku liquid into the fruit-filled moulds 3 times, each time filling 1/3 of the mould (this ensures even distribution of the fruit pieces & petals)
I had to grab a few pics from our breakfast – these little french toast bites were a huge hit with the girls! If you could of seen there faces light up when they sat down for breakfast, it’s exactly how I want them to feel everyday! Sure, I let them sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top – my mission is more about creating beautiful meals together, than stressing over a little sugar… We had a blast making it, and even more fun eating it up. Give this quick breakfast a go and see what you think! 🙂
Creating an efficient kitchen gives me a weird sense of excitement – but it’s because I know that when my kitchen is in order, I get happy about making food – and I believe that’s exactly how we need to feel! I’ve also thrown in a few extra ideas that will not only help you feel happy, but also incredibly clever as you reduce on waste, save money and make life easy!
Lids drive me insane! This looks hopeful….
Talk about using the most out of every space. This storage idea is smart for small kitchens like mine
No more tossing out forgotten (but perfectly good) food. Keep a roll of tape and a marker handy, you’ll reduce waste and save money! Clever you 🙂
No more scraping – simply pour hot milk in a near-empty jar of Nutella, or hot tea in a near-empty jar of honey and enjoy!
Don’t have a double broiler? Save your money and fashion one yourself!
If you love green shakes, here’s a great way to prepare a batch of greens ready to go!
Make healthy, yummy frozen pops to please a crowd – and you don’t need special molds or a popsicle maker!
Give yourself a little extra chopping room, with this weekend DIY. All you need is a chopping board and set of legs – I reckon Ikea has you covered for both!
Save on the washing up, serve a presentable meal on the very pan or chopping board you prepared it on!
photo by: Michael Graydon
These flavour cubes not only make your meal delicious, but are also a great way to preserve your herbs! Double win!
Keep that recipe up in view, but out of your batter!
Imagine how proud of yourself you’ll be, to open your fridge and find this…
Use the inside of your cabinets to tuck away little bits and bobs. Hang tools, notes and recipes!
You can’t cook a happy meal with fruit flies buzzing around. Use this tried and tested tip to get rid of them!
How about you? Any killer tips to share with the Little Green Dot community? Let me know in the comments!
Whether you want to grow your own veggie garden, windowsill herbs or a simple pot of mint – the secret to healthy, thriving plants is in the soil. A good compost can make all the difference. And, if you grow edible plants, it will produce healthier food for you.
It turns out making your own compost is far easier than I thought. Nature basically does all the work, and you get to recycle food scraps and make use of those greens you forgot about in the back of your fridge.
To learn this process, I went straight to the experts. Edible Gardens invited me on a private workshop headed by Nova who grew up learning from her father, an organic composter since the 70’s.
Nova taught me a simplified version for compost making. For those of us who don’t necessarily have a green thumb, a lot of space or a ton of time – we can still do this!
Nova demonstrated the compost in a wire frame, so that we can see the layers going in. But, at home you’ll use a plastic drum container with a lid.
The brown materials provide carbon, a good source of energy for your compost. The greens provide a good source of potassium, nutrients and minerals. Total ratio is 3:1 dry to wet.
Nova adds coffee grounds, egg shells, chicken manure and ground bones to enhance the soil. Each adds its own nutrients, minerals and the manure is a great fertiliser. For extras – you can add paper cups and cardboard to your pile too – what a great way to recycle them!
Nova makes her own growth promoter, a solution of effective microorganisms made by fermenting fruit scraps, water and sugar. It’s incredibly beneficial for your soil – She shares the recipe on her blog – check it out here!
it’s magic!
think of it like making a stew, you add your layers of flavour, close the lid and leave it alone to slowly simmer…
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That felt like a lot of info to pack in there, but I promise – the process was easy and quick. Once you fill your bin, it’s just a matter of waiting for nature to do its thing. Once a week, check in on it, give it a turn and that’s it. So how do you use your compost? To make the best soil mix for you potted plants! I’ll be asking Nova to share her recipe for that too – so go get started on that compost, and check back in!
