[nelimyb]

Free recycling guide for Western Australia

Free recycling guide for Western Australia

The other day I went to a recycling info presentation. So many people are confused with what they can and can’t recycle so I made a little list/guide that you can stick near/on your recycling bin, or keep on your phone to check!

You can view and download it here: WA recycling guide

Please note: what you can and can’t recycle will vary from council to council, so it is best to double check this…

View On WordPress

[nelimyb]

Creamy, delicious, homemade almond milk recipe coming your way!

Tools you need:

High powered blender/ food processor (I used a thermomix) – if you don’t have a high powered blender, you could try making almond milk with nut butter and water – blend 1/2 cup nut butter with 3 cups water and some maple syrup!

Nut milk bag or cloth mesh bag

Making your own plant milk is also an easy way to reduce your waste if you scoop and buy your almonds plus dates from a bulk food store in a jar/container from home. Not only is this a great option for a milk to reduce your waste for this but it is also an option where no animals are harmed in the process.

You can also replace the almonds with other types of nuts –  such as cashews, macadamias or hazelnuts for a different flavour.

Making your own plant milk can also be great fun! You can experiment with flavours by adding things like cocoa powder for a chocolate flavour, or some frozen or fresh strawberries, or some vanilla paste/essence for vanilla. I like to add a touch of turmeric, some cinnamon, and cardamon when I warm up the milk for a delicious wintery drink.

RECIPE:

serves about 1-3 people. keeps for 3-4 days when refrigerated and stored in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

1 Cup raw almonds

3 cups filtered water

2 dates that have been soaked in hot water (optional) (can subsitute for 2 TBSP maple syrup)

a pinch of salt

Steps:

Soak the almonds in just enough water to cover them all for 24-48 hours.

Drain the almonds and rinse them with water.

Blend the almonds with 3 cups of filtered water, the dates, and salt in a high powered food processor/blender (I used a thermomix).

Strain the mixture through a nut milk bag or a cloth mesh bag. Don’t throw away the pulp! You can use the pulp in baking, bliss balls, and for raw desserts 🙂

Store the almond milk in the fridge in an air-tight glass bottle or container for up to 3 days.

Easy peasy. You can adjust the sweetness and saltiness to your preference!

Let me know how you go making this recipe in the comments down below ❤

xx

Neli

See how you can make your own gluten-free bread here!

how to make your own almond milk! homemade almond milk is an easy peasy way to enjoy a plant-based milk without buying excess packaging/plastic👍🌏 I love using this homemade almond milk recipe in my morning smoothies 💛 Creamy, delicious, homemade almond milk recipe coming your way! Tools you need: High powered blender/ food processor (I used a thermomix) - if you don't have a high powered blender, you could try making almond milk with nut butter and water - blend 1/2 cup nut butter with 3 cups water and some maple syrup!

[nelimyb]

One of the struggles of gluten-free bread is buying it plastic free. Usually, if you are able to eat gluten, it is easy to go to your local baker, take your own bread bag or get your bread in a brown paper bag – and you have plastic-free bread.

A way you can reduce your plastic, and waste in general, is by making things from scratch – that is one thing the ol’ oldies before us definitely did well. So, I think it is about time we go back to our roots, channel our inner nans in the kitchen, and start cooking/baking our favourite store-bought items from scratch.

In all seriousness … though I am not your nan, I do have a pretty sweet recipe for you. It is probably the best tasting gluten-free bread I have ever had and though it is denser than bread made with wheat flour,  it has a beautiful buttery flavour to it – you HAVE to try it. Whether you eat gluten or not, this is a bread you will love.

Best enjoyed within the first two days after baking (because freshly baked bread always tastes best).

*  this recipe is adapted from Dr. Bergs healthy bread recipe that you can find here.  *

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

Flour mixture:

2 cups almond meal/flour

2 cups arrowroot/tapioca flour

2/3 cup coconut flour

2 tsp. sea salt

Yeast Mixture:

4 tsp. active dry yeast

2 ½ cups water

4 tsp maple syrup

3 tbsp. black chia seeds (optional)

4 tbsp. psyllium husk powder

Coating:

3 Tbsp Soy milk ( alternatives: any other plant milk or aquafaba)

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together the flour mixture ingredients in a large bowl.

In warm water (be careful that it is not too hot or the yeast will not react! About 40°C is what you want) add the maple syrup, then the yeast. Let sit until the foam layer has formed on the top [see photos] – if it hasn’t done so in 10 minutes, then the water was most likely too hot or too cold, so try again.

Mix together the chia seeds with the psyllium husk powder and then add into the yeast mixture. Whisk until it thickens and becomes sticky.

Then pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. I use a thermomix to knead the dough from here on for about 2 minutes – but you can easily do it by hand, mix the mixture with a wooden spoon until it comes together, then take it out and knead it. Knead the dough until it sticks together nicely – it will be stickier than most bread dough usually is!

Then, roll the dough into a ball and place in a bowl with a damp cloth over the top. Let it sit for an hour to rise.

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan forced).

Place in a lined bread-shaped baking tray, (or alternatively you can roll it into bread roll shapes and place on a flat baking tray).

Coat bread with soy milk (or any plant milk), you can also use aquafaba (chickpea water) for this. This is optional; it will just help the bread become more golden on the outside!

Bake bread in the oven for 35-40 minutes (baking time will vary depending on the size of the bread, so check it every 15 minutes!) until it is golden on the outside. I also like to make a tic-tac-toe cut on the bread by doing long diagonal lines across the top and then going the opposite way to make the pattern [see photos] – again, optional!

When it is ready, take it out and let it cool completely on a wire rack before cutting it.

You’ve done it – your nan would be so very proud of you right now – and if not, well, I sure am. Enjoy!

xx

Neli

Find out more about why you should quit plastic here

    Easy & delicious gluten-free, vegan bread recipe. One of the struggles of gluten-free bread is buying it plastic free. Usually, if you are able to eat gluten, it is easy to go to your local baker, take your own bread bag or get your bread in a brown paper bag - and you have plastic-free bread.

[nelimyb]

I’ve been living in bunbury for the last week and a bit and there’s something about being down here on my own and far away from my comfort zone that has been so liberating. for a long time now I’ve been wanting to live by myself and it is definitely something I still need to fully experience. at the moment I am temporarily living on my own and I am really really enjoying learning to enjoy my own company and to be my own lil motivator. I can feel my relationship with myself growing each day and in my opinion that’s my most important relationship right now. though it may be clichè, it really is true that if you can’t give love to yourself you can’t expect to be able to give love to anyone else. 🌷🌿🌻🌱🌹 (at Western Australia)

[nelimyb]

lessons from a dog: 🐾 be excited about the world around you. about new opportunities, about people. everything. 🐾 give love but also remember to accept love. 🐾 let yourself be playful. 🐾 forgive. ———————————— a lil concept @sonjatennberg and I thought about on our walk, dogs have the best outlook on life! we can all benefit from being a lil more like them 🐶 ———————————— P.S. I was very excited to be photographed with meeko - a true ig model 💚#blessed (at Perth, Western Australia)

[nelimyb]

if @goldenlotusvegan could open up in here in perth asap, that would be MUCH appreciated 🙃 best tofu curry of my LIFE 🥦🙌 #missyou . P.S. spot our byo reusable straws 👀 (the twirly things are stirrers that they re-use) being plastic-free when eating out is eazy peazy, you just gotta remember to ask for no straw with your drink👍 (at Golden Lotus Vegan)

[nelimyb]

my perspective has shifted A LOT over the last couple of weeks. in so many ways. and I wanted to share it in case it helps any one that may be feeling some what similar so... here are all the lessons I have learnt & re-learnt in April (so far): ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* - dwelling in past regrets is so completely unproductive and it finally fully clicked this month when I wrote this: “I no longer suffocate myself in what ifs because I trust that what has unfolded in this very moment is so utterly beautiful it may just outshine it all” - [15/4/18 snippet from a 4am sleepy neli journal entry]. - life is about embracing duality. we need one emotion to feel the other. we need to let ourselves feel everything in order to be able to let the bad sucky feelings go (or else they will remain stagnant in us which ain’t good for our mental + physical well-being). and it also means that even when I’m going through a period of unhappiness, I know I have felt happiness before and it will return and boi will I be grateful for it. - social media is freeeakin COOL. we live in a time where we are given a VOICE to a much larger audience than ever before. I have learnt and overcome so much bc of social media and I want to always creatively express the things/lessons that I wish I had known earlier with mine. - take the risk if it is something that has even the slightest chance at making you genuinely happy. just try new things and live and trust it will all work out splendidly despite the odd unfortunate occurrences. - life’s pretty sweet, and all I really need to easily remind me of that is the people I love, the ocean, 50s music (elvis, mostly), and videos of cute cows (they’re all cute) in sanctuaries. 🐮🎶🌊🖤🤙 (at Coffs Harbour, New South Wales)

[nelimyb]

going op shopping is kinda like going on a lil treasure 💎 hunt that gives you fun, unique, and good quality clothes 👗👚👖👜 whilst saving you money 💰 and (most of the time) giving money to charities instead of big cooperations who are usually treating their workers really unethically ☹️👎 it is also super gentle on the environment as it gives good quality, wearable clothes a second life - a chance to be used and loved again, instead of going straight to landfill = less polluting the earth & decreasing the amount of clothes being produced in fast-fashion shops which are destined to just to end up in landfill when the season ends😣 it’s a winwinwin 🌏🌈🕺so go on and give away or donate ya clothes and if ya haven’t tried op-shopping yet, get onto iiit👛 . . P.S. this skirt was op-shopped/thrifted and it’s one of my fav items of clothing I own 🙃 (at Nannup Music Festival)

[nelimyb]

they build a wall between us. they use lies such as ‘you need to eat meat for protein, dairy for calcium, that animals are slaughtered humanely, fish don’t feel pain, etc.’ all lies. we send innocent animals to a slaughterhouse for ‘food’ and believe that something humane happens as they are killed for their dismembered bodies to end up onto our plates. they dress it up with labels such as ‘organic, grass fed, free range, RSPCA approved’ (or cartoons with smiling animals on the logo) to make you feel better when it in actual fact does not change anything about the process. lies aimed to drive you further from the truth - and why? because the truth is a living nightmare. ignorance may be bliss but knowledge gives us the utmost power to make meaningful changes in this world. I’m not here to comfort your ignorance, I am here in the hope to expand your circle of compassion, to raise your awareness. I am here to stand up and speak out until that wall that has been built from years of social conditioning crumbles to dust. how can we ever expect a more peaceful world when we still allow for the most innocent + vulnerable beings to suffer - to be murdered, tortured and mutilated on a mass scale for no reason other than taste? something we can easily get from plant based alternatives. with no necessity for our health it is pure cruelty - it is not, and never will be, humane. . luckily for us it just so happens that a cruelty-free diet has also been shown to be the most healthy + healing way of eating for our bodies AND also the most sustainable environmentally-wise too. the only thing we miss out on on a cruelty free diet is violence. 🌱🌏💚🌈 so if you’re interested (but maybe overwhelmed) in making more cruelty-free choices feel free to send me a message or check out: www.challenge22.com if you are after any further guidance. I promise it is waaaay easier than you think. . P.S. thank you for the lovely messages. thank you to the amazing group of people who organise and attend these vigils, who pour nothing but love and support into the hearts of strangers, and thank you to everyone who stays open minded, curious, and compassionate. ✌️ (at Perth, Western Australia)

[nelimyb]

forgot your reusable bags and produce bags? no wooorrrries... just ask/ look for a cardboard box laying somewhere around the shop for your veg and put loose items e.g. spinach, herbs, etc. in a mushroom bag. sometimes people put silly things such as oranges or lemons or a bunch of bananas in plastic produce bags out of habit but they forget that nature has already made the fruit a protective skin that we can either wash or peel away anyway, so it’s a super unnecessary use of plastic when you think about it... 🤔obviously having your own resusable produce bags and shopping bags is the best way to reduce our waste, but if you ever forget, there are still plastic free options! #saynotoplastic #plasticfree 🌱 (at Perth, Western Australia)

[nelimyb]

every situation, every place, and every person carries a ray of golden light within - only if you choose to see it will you find it. 👁💫 • this is the perspective I choose to have. I don’t find wallowing or getting stuck in any kind of regret or sadness productive to my growth at all. I used to try and label myself with how I was feeling - “I’m just an anxious person” or “I’m depressed” - I thought that it gave me closure, or some kind of validation, but I was wrong. yes, I experience periods of anxiety and depression sometimes and that’s okay. in fact it is so okay to experience these, but they are not who I am. now I just try and allow myself feel all my emotions fully, I learn from whatever has happened and then I let it all go (usually by writing it all out and processing it that way). sometimes terrible things just happen and i don’t understand why and if it really just isn’t something I can find a specific lesson out of, I know that it probably happened to me to teach me resilience, or strength for the future, or maybe taught me a little bit more about myself somehow - maybe even just a reminder to let go of the need to understand everything. whatever it is, whatever happens, I know that it is all happening for me, not to me. and this changed everything. • also, happy monday! it’s a brand new day and a brand new week, so let’s do what needs to be done to make it a goooody one 🌞🌻🌈🌿 (at Nannup, Western Australia)

[nelimyb]

I recently watched the documentary ‘A Plastic Ocean’ (a must watch by the way) and also attended a beach clean-up at my local beach. Though I have been consciously aware of the harmful effects of plastic, it really hit home the other week. I was inspired to research and find out more about plastics, and more about plastic-free living – so that’s what I have been doing, and I want to share it all with you. I hope that this series will provide you with simple solutions to help you quit plastics so that you can live a happier, healthier, and more planet-friendly life 🙂

So.. firstly, let’s talk about why quitting plastic is so important…

Currently, we produce 300 billion kilograms of plastic. In the last ten years, we have produced MORE plastic than the whole of the last century. More than 8 billion kilograms of plastic ends up in our oceans and it is predicted that in 32 years, in 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than there is ocean life.

I went through my whole childhood not even blinking an eye at the thought of food wrapped in plastic, or when using plastic cups, bags, straws, cutlery, bottles, etc.

Plastic is such a widely used material because it is very durable – but because it is so good at being durable, it is also indestructible. This means that it will never biodegrade; never break down. It will only ever break apart into smaller and smaller and smaller pieces until they are about only a one-one thousandth of a one-one thousandth of a millimeter. Scary, huh? What is even scarier, is that all these pieces of plastic we use need to go somewhere – putting them in the trash, unfortunately, doesn’t make them magically disappear.

So, how can we call plastic items ‘disposable’ when they never go away? Where do they go? …

The answer is into the ocean. Washing up on small islands – destroying the health of communities and villages. Into the stomachs of sea animals, which leads to many diseases and death as a result. And finally… plastic ends up in the stomachs of us, humans.

Did you know that these toxic chemicals in microplastics are associated with serious health conditions… such as cancer? And when fish or mammals consume these microplastics, the toxins release into their fatty tissues?

Toxic chemicals. Yikes.

Micro-plastics have been found in many of the sea animals that humans consume, and so humans basically consume the toxins that have dissolved into the fatty tissues of these sea animals.

Meaning, if you eat seafood, there is a definite chance you’re also eating harmful chemicals from plastics.

While there is evidence that seafood is not necessary for a healthy diet [15], there is not yet enough evidence to show the long-term effects that plastics are having on our bodies, as it is still considered an emerging factor of concern.

We do, however, have some research showing the current health implications that the use of plastics has on our health, including associations with:

Cardiovascular, liver, urologic, genital and endocrine (hormone-related) diseases [14] :

Endocrine disruption and Infertility in humans, from the chemical BPA, found in plastics [1]

Lower quality of sperm in males [4,6]

Increased risk of diabetes, obesity, and liver dysfunction in humans [2]

Cardiovascular disease and hypertension [3]

Developmental and reproductive toxic effects [12]

Genital, prostatic, endometrial, ovarian and breast diseases from affected biochemical and toxicogenomic mechanisms [13]

Affects childhood behavioural outcomes [5]

Development of the brain [7]

Asthma and allergies [8, 9, 10, 11]

And lots, lots more…. but I think you get the point.

However, it is not only eating seafood that puts us at risk of getting toxic chemicals in our systems. Other ways that these chemicals from plastics transport into our body include from:

Plastic food containers

Food wrapped in plastic

Cosmetics and personal care products

Flooring and wall coverings

Medical devices (tubing and blood gags)

Varnishes

( [1] and more info can be found on http://www.plasticoceans.org website )

For all these reasons, it is urgently important that we reduce our plastic use – or better yet eliminate it. For this reason, I will be doing a Planet-Friendly series; all about simple ways that you can reduce your plastic use and waste in your daily life.

Join me in saying no to plastic! Together we can make a difference to our oceans, our health, our planet – and most importantly our home, and the home of our future generations.

xx

Neli

The research papers + references:

Rochester, J.R. (2013). Bisphenol A and human health: a review of the literature. Reproductive Toxicology 42132-55.

Ropero, A.B., Alonso-Magdalena, P., García-García, E., Ripoll, C., Fuentes, E., Nadal, A. (2008). Bisphenol-A disruption of the endocrine pancreas and blood glucose homeostasis. International Journal. Androl. 31, 194-9.

Shankar, A., S. Teppala, C. Sabanayagam. (2012). Bisphenol A and Peripheral Arterial Disease: Results from the NHANES. Environmental Health Perspectives 120 pp: 1297-1300.

Meeker, J.D., S. Ehrlich, T.L. Toth, D.L. Wright, A.M. Calafat, A.T. Trisini, Ye, R. Hauser. (2010). Semen quality and sperm DNA damage in relation to urinary bisphenol A among men from an infertility clinic. Reprod. Toxicology 30 532–539.

Braun, J. M., K. Yolton, K.N. Dietrich, R.Hornung, X. Ye, A.M. Calafat, B.P. Lanphear.(2009). Prenatal bisphenol A exposure and early childhood behaviour. Environmental Health Perspective, 117, 1945-1952.

Rozati, R., P.P. Reddy, P Reddanna, R. Mujtaba. (2002). Role of environmental estrogens in the deterioration of male factor fertility Fertility and Sterility 78 Pages: 1187-1194. 

Miodovnik A, A. Edwards, D.C. Bellinger, R Hauser. (2014). Developmental neurotoxicity of ortho-phthalate diesters: Review of human and experimental evidence. Neurotoxicology 41 112-122.  

Bornehag, C.G., J. Sundell, C.J. Weschler, T. Sigsgaard, B. Lundgren, M. Hasselgren, L. Hägerhed-Engman. (2004). The Association between Asthma and Allergic Symptoms in Children and Phthalates in House Dust: A Nested Case-Control Study. Environmental Health Perspectives. 112 1393–1397.

Jaakkola, JJK; Verkasalo, PK; Jaakkola, N. (2000). Plastic wall materials in the home and respiratory health in young children 90 pp: 797-799.

Kimber, I., Dearman, R.J. (2010). An assessment of the ability of phthalates to influence immune and allergic responses. Toxicology 271, 73–82.

Tsai, M. J. P. L. Kuo, and Y.C. Ko. (2012). The association between phthalate exposure and asthma. Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences 52 528-536.

Skakkebaek NE, Rajpert-De Meyts E, Main KM. (2001). Testicular dysgenesis syndrome: an increasingly common developmental disorder with environmental aspects. Human Reproduction 16 972–978.

Singh, S. and S.S.L Li .(2011). Bisphenol A and phthalates exhibit similar toxicogenomics and health effects. Gene 494 85-9.

Singh, S. and S.S.L. Li (2010) Phthalates: Toxicogenomics and inferred human diseases Genomics 97 148-157.

Nutritionfacts.org (2015, August 13). Food as medicine: Preventing and Treating the Most Common Diseases with Diet [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0IhZ-R1O8g

For more research papers check out:

https://www.plasticoceans.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Plastic-Oceans-High-Level-Science-Summary-Version-4.pdf

https://www.plasticoceans.org

https://nutritionfacts.org

Why quit plastic? Why now? Find out in my recent blog post. I recently watched the documentary 'A Plastic Ocean' (a must watch by the way) and also attended a beach clean-up at my local beach.

[nelimyb]

today I am grateful for this lil ocean warrior @sinead_ella in my life ☺️ she has been a massive part of my growth as a person and teaches me so much about how I can live more ethically. she’s a lil ball of inspiration and brings out best parts of me when we are together. thank for existing and inspiring me to do better everyday. I am soooo grateful for our beautiful soulship/friendship. 🐠💛🐠 #gratitudeisyou 3/10 (at Coogee, Western Australia, Australia)

[nelimyb]

not only does @roho_bure_vegan_icecream have delicious vegan ice cream but they also have gluten free waffle cones - which is a dream come true, thank you❣️ so grateful to live in a country where I am privileged enough to have an abundance of cruelty-free options, and even more grateful for the options that are also gluten-free for my sensitive tummy ☺️ #gratitudeisyou . also, this one piece swimsuit is ethically produced and 78% of it is made out of recycled nylon - I think that’s pretty sweeet 👙 (at Roho Bure Vegan Ice Cream)

[nelimyb]

last night was ✧ magic ✧ I went for a (bumpy) sunset swim with @sinead_ella before meeting up with some pretty souls to talk about intentions and to watch the super blue blood moon in all its beauty, with the ocean right next to us. . ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* it was even more magical 🧙‍♀️because somehow, after walking the wrong direction and getting lost, we were at the same place and same exact time as @chelsea.cecilia , who just drove down to the beach to watch the sunset and is someone who I’ve been wanting to meet for a lil while now ~ crazy how the world 🌏 can bring people together so unexpectedly - so she came along to this lil gathering and took this beautiful photo 📸 . ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* I am so grateful for this world, for the ocean, and to be able to witness such a rare moon eclipse, with such magical people, in my lifetime 🌒💫 #gratitudeisyou (at North Beach, Western Australia, Australia)

[nelimyb]

we are all connected. when we create suffering towards others, we create suffering within ourselves as well. when we give love towards others, we give love to ourselves as well. (at Perth, Western Australia)

[nelimyb]

✧ TACO Thursday🕺✧ pulled bbq jackfruit with heaps of good stuff + topped with some cashew cream sauce ~ this was such a good dinner 🤤🌮 (at Perth, Western Australia)