The Kids' Trashy Holiday Challenge

Seaside recycling bins at Barry Island.

 "We knew you'd take this photo" shouted my children in unison

I kept it all low key. I didn't go on about it.  There were no daily weigh-ins, no photos or any intrusive monitoring. I just planted a simple seed of a challenge, that was all, and observed the consequences that would come!

And the challenge I set my two children was to see who could create the LEAST amount of rubbish during the last week of the Easter holidays.

Of course, my youngest son - formerly known as the Bin Saboteur from the days when he'd throw banana skins in the recycling bin - remained true to his reputation and thought it would be much more fun to see who could create the MOST amount of rubbish.  However my instructions were clear..and it was noted that there would be a tenner in it for whoever could generate the least.  I know it wasn't necessary for a financial carrot to be dangled, but I was also experimenting with motivations and sadly it was only when some cash was mentioned, did the interest and excitement start to build. 

I soon realised that the last week of the holidays was probably not the best time for such a challenge, as I'd set my sights high and was hoping for at least one boy to attempt zero waste.  However, this is real life, and for them it also became a lesson in trying to dodge the rubbish that the world throws at you, especially with a long-distance train trip to Bristol and Wales, including a mini-excursion to the seaside too.  With a varied week of activities planned, naturally there would be many surprises.  What I hadn't planned for was that I would be one of the biggest culprits of them all.

It all started on Day One of the challenge, when ironically I'd been to a Zero Waste meeting in Ipswich.  On my way home, I picked up the children from Holiday Club to find quite a lot of tuna pasta left in my youngest's packed lunch.

When we started talking about it,  he told me that it was my fault for giving him too much food when he doesn't really eat that much.  He simply couldn't eat any more, despite lots of encouragement from the staff, so he left it and the container was then packed into his bag.

And do you know what, he really did have a point.  This conversation got me thinking about the amount of food he eats at home.  He has always had a smaller appetite than his brother, but at home he also has the luxury of choosing how much he wants to put on his plate and if there are leftovers, quite often they are covered for later or fed to the chickens.  With many solutions preventing this leftover food becoming bin waste, it's a topic that rarely gets brought to the table these days.

However, when sending him off with a packed lunch, my natural concern was that I didn't want him to go hungry, so I admit to packing him off with plenty!  It's very rare that the children have packed lunch as we rely so much on school dinners, but it certainly got me thinking about the challenge that many parents face when planning such meals and juggling the idea of waste.

Of course, the former "Defender of the Bins", his older brother, stepped into the role of the Jedi warrior very well, returning home with an empty container on each occasion, quite proudly stating that he was the least rubbish of the two.  His competitive streak was truly shining through.
 
By the end of the week, they had done pretty well.  Admittedly they ended up with the odd crisp packet as a result of my own weak moment, but I was really proud of them and impressed with their growing awareness of why it is important to continually drive down the amount of waste that's created.  They started to talk about environmental matters and the need to preserve resources and reduce energy.  I'm not a preachy mum at all and was pleased that this came from them, not me.

And the idea worked well in many ways...highlighted by the way they rejected a pack of their favourite sweets in the supermarket, telling me that they couldn't recycle the packaging.  I should add though, their next suggestion was to head for the sweet shop where they could come away with some "pick-and-mix" sweets in a paper bag.  The next day, whilst in Bristol, they also swapped their favourite ice-lollies for locally-produced ice-cream in a cone, not that they knew it was manufactured locally.  That was simply a very happy co-incidence. They even took an interest - allbeit a small 'we're used to this by now' - in the promenade recycling bin at the seaside resort of Barry Island.

And as for me.. forewarned is indeed fore-armed.  The boys will need a packed-lunch next week when the school hall is being used as a ballot station for Election Day.  So this time I'll get my 6 year old to choose exactly the amount of food he wants to take in with him and give him some responsibility on the matter...my only concern though, is that he'll forget about the lessons learned and with eyes bigger than his belly I'll be busy arguing him down!

Kids eh!  However, after such a successful week, which left them feeling good about themselves, the next experiment is to get them to keep a food diary and record how much of their own school dinners they waste.  I'm not sure when we'll kick that one off but I can't wait to see what they say. I might be in for a shock, so please do wish me luck and keep watching this space!

P.S. You'll be relieved to hear that no chocolate was wasted in the Cannard household over the holidays and all eggs came in just cardboard and foil and the only bonkers bit of rubbish created was the polystyrene cartons at a chippy in Barry Island...shocking!  Whatever happened to good old paper wrapping eh! 
____________________________________________

Recipe: Tomato and Basil Spaghetti with Herby Garlic Chicken

This is an easy mid-week meal, that can be made to look particularly sophisticated! Spaghetti, coated in a scrumptious fresh tasting tomato and basil sauce, and topped with shredded chicken, that has been flavoured with thyme and garlic. Give it some fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a some grated parmesan, and you've got yourself a delicious, sexy and healthy dinner for two.

Spaghetti with chicken and tomato and basil sauce (serves 2)

250g diced chicken
½ tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar

210g spaghetti
1 tin chopped tomatoes
10g fresh basil leaves, torn (plus extra for garnish)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 vegetable Oxo cube
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
Grated parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. On a roasting tray, place the chicken, sprinkle with chopped garlic, thyme, olive oil, and seasoning, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the tomatoes, fresh basil, sugar, vegetable bouillon, and extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan on a medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Blend, season to taste, and set aside.
3. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Once ready, take the chicken out of the oven and shred it with a fork. Drain the cooked pasta and mix into the tomato sauce, making sure everything is hot.
4. Put the spaghetti with the sauce onto the plate. Top each plate equally with the shredded chicken, some more fresh basil, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with some grated parmesan. Serve!

The shed is declared open for International Downshifting Week

Well, whaddya know!  If there was one thing missing in my life it was the attendance of an official opening, but not to fret, that's now done and dusted as tonight my good friend, author and broadcaster Tracey Smith, arrived in town and officially opened my shed!

Many of you might already know Tracey as the author of The Book of Rubbish Ideas, but her other passion is downshifting and this week she's on a tour of the UK to promote International Downshifting Week, which she founded seven years ago to help people discover simple ways to achieve a better work-life balance.

The week runs from 23 - 29 April and throughout her tour, Tracey has been visiting villages, towns and cities right across the country to encourage folk to think about not only what they can do for themselves but also how to help share skills amongst their communities.  Tracey's community blanket project is a good example of this, where groups of friends have been gathering together this week to share their knowledge of knitting and create blankets that will be useful to vulnerable people during the winter months.

So after attending a "knit-in" in a friend's garden in the heart of Suffolk - where I was proud to have contributed a couple of rows (anyone who knows me will easily recognise what an achievement that is) - Tracey returned home with me to officially open The Shed!

And it's not just any old shed you know.  It really is my gateway to a better work-life balance, so it is appropriate that despite it being erected last summer, it's now received its official opening during International Downshifting Week.

It's the place where I organise my seeds, blog, listen to the radio, read, catch up with my friends and on the odd occasion watch TV through the magic of Wi-Fi.  It's also been a physical place of temporary refuge where I once locked myself out of the house and huddled under a few blankets with the kids and some market provisions until my husband arrived home a few hours later.   I even had my first live radio interview from the shed in recent weeks too...a feature about sheds on our local radio station no less.

As Tracey Smith said whilst "opening" the shed this evening,  "Every woman should have one.  Tis a space to be creative and expressive".  I couldn't agree more.

So, should you ever be pondering a new 4x4 for your commute to work, I would strongly suggest a 6x4 instead.  It might not have wheels, but it's sure got legs and can take your inspiration and creativity to new places, leading to new opportunities of which you'd never previously have dreamed...even if those legs belong to the spiders who live there!

And bunting is of course optional!

"The Shed", as featured on BBC Radio Suffolk's
  Mark Murphy's Breakfast Show, 

For inspiration on how you can get involved with International Downshifting Week, more information can be found at www.downshiftingweek.com and if you are considering getting yourself a shed for either work or leisure-time, do check out www.shedworking.co.uk for ideas.

Recipe: Mexican Spiced Potatoes and Green Peppers

Well, my lucky parents are sunning it off in Cancun (Mexico) at the moment, and whilst im stuck in (to be fair, quite a sunny) Blighty i thought i would make a nice Mexican dish to make myself feel slightly less jealous. I say slightly- my mum has been texting me about some of her escapades out there- she has swam with Manta Rays man! Arghhhh here comes the green eyed monster!!! And what's funny is that for my Film Studies A2 lvl we have been studying Mexican cinema too! Anyway, this is such a super tasty dish, lovely by itself but also very nice as a tortilla filling, with salsa, lettuce and sour cream. Ps: Yes i know, Lancashire cheese is hardly traditional Mexicana! But it goes well so why not?!

Mexican Spiced Potatoes and Green peppers (serves 4 as part of a mexican feast!)

1 kg potatoes, (I use red rooster) peeled and diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
3 cloves very finely chopped
100ml olive oil
1 tsp mild chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sugar
Handful coriander, roughly chopped (plus extras for garnish)
Salt and pepper
A couple of tablespoons of grated Lancashire cheese (Optional garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and boil the potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
2. Put all the other ingredients, except Lancashire cheese, into a large mixing bowl. Add the potatoes with PLENTY of salt and pepper, mix together well, so that all the ingredients are well mixed and all the ingredients are coated well in the oil and spices.
3. Pour the ingredients from the mixing bowl into a roasting tray, and put into the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and stir around a bit, and cook for a further 15 minutes.
4. Transfer the roasted mixture into a large bowl, and garnish with extra coriander and Lancashire cheese.

Recipe: Chickpea and Spring Green Curry

This is a delicious vegetarian curry, using nice seasonal spring greens and lots and lots of coriander. I LOVE coriander! Oh and I get these beautiful delicious 'young spring greens' from waitrose- i'm not sure how long they'll be selling them for. But yeah definitely go out and buy them, cause they are so flavoursome and tender, and you dont have to remove any of the stalks or anything. In the picture here i have got the natural yoghurt on top as a garnish, but actually I reccomend to stir it into the curry before serving- I reckon it all tastes nicer that way.

Chickpea and Spring Green Curry (serves 2)

3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
120g young spring greens, roughly chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 large handfuls chopped fresh coriander (plus extra for garnish)
2 tsp dukka (a mix of toasted ground cumin, coriander and sesame seeds)
2 tsp garam masala (plus a little extra for garnish)
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
250ml vegetable stock
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
Extra coriander and a sprinkling of garam masala for garnish

1. Put a deep frying pan on a high heat. Stir fry the spring greens in the oil, cumin seeds, garlic, and seasoning for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, take the spring greens out with a slotted spoon (to drain the oil off) and put them into a bowl. Set aside.
2. In the same frying pan, adding another tbsp of oil if needed, lower the heat and fry the red onion, garlic and 1 handful of fresh coriander, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the dukka, garam masala, chilli powder and chickpeas and stir all the ingredients to coat the onions and chickpeas in the spices. Add all the other ingredients, except the reserved spring greens, natural yoghurt and garnishes, and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the spring greens and another handful of fresh coriander, stir in, and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the natural yoghurt and serve, garnished with MORE fresh coriander and sprinkled with garam masala.

Recipe: Wild Garlic Roasted New Potatoes

Another scrumptious recipe using the lovely british seasonal ingredient that is wild garlic! A very tasy little side dish i've got here- not many ingredients, it just really lets the flavour of the wild garlic and good english new potatoes shine through. It is important to use small potatoes, and to bunch them all together (although not completely piling them up!) in the roasting pan, otherwise they will not cook together thoroughly and you'll end up with crunchy potatoes. Next time I make this, if i have a chance to go and pick some more wild garlic before their season is over, i'm going to make quadruple what I make here- it is just too good!

Wild Garlicky Roasted New Potatoes (serves 2 as a side dish)

500g baby new potatoes, quartered
10 wild garlic leaves
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp sugar
Plenty of salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. In a food processor blend the wild garlic, herbs, olive oil and sugar until smooth. In a large bowl mix together the potatoes and garlicky oil, and add plenty of salt and pepper, making sure the potatoes are all nice and coated.
2. Pour onto a tray and bunch them up together (don’t spread them out). Roast in the oven for 50 minutes. Remove and serve!

Recipe: New Potato Salad with Wild Garlic

Now, wild garlic- have you ever tried it? If you havent, you MUST, it is fabulous! Now i'm not much of a "forager" per say, not like these chefs that go out picking their own mushrooms and catching their own seafood and things, but wild garlic is very easy to identify and collect. It's not like I could mistake it for something else, and end up ruddy poisoning someone! As you can see with the pictures here, wild garlic leaves are thin, dark green, and the plants have white flowers. The flowers can also be picked and consumed- they look lovely as a garnish! You will know it is wild garlic when you pick it- cause all you need to do is smell it- it has a very pungent garlicky smell! Infact often, when you get large patches of it like this, you can actually smell the wild garlic in the air- it's amazing!

Now, it's hard to make potato salad look pretty- but this dish is soooo tasty- and healthier than your adverage potato salad too, cause it uses yoghurt instead of mayonaiise (cause I aint a big fan of mayo). Wild garlic is seasonal to the UK in April/ early May, and can mostly be found in wooded or shady areas. It aint around for much longer now, so get out there and start picking!

New Potato Salad with Wild Garlic (serves 2 as a side dish)

1 heaped tsp smooth Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp walnut oil
Pinch of sugar, salt and pepper
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
6 wild garlic leaves, finely chopped
8 cooked (cold!) new potatoes, quartered

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and pinch of sugar, until it emulsifies (just like how you would normally make vinaigrette).
2. Mix the Greek yoghurt and wild garlic into the other ingredients until well combined. Mix the potatoes into the finished sauce (not too vigorously! You don’t want to mash the potatoes!).
3. Season to taste and serve!