Go Green with SodaStream

I remember when SodaStreams were all the rage when I was a child in the 70's.  I wanted one so badly.  I wanted to "get busy with the fizzy" as I sang along to the TV ads.  Sadly, my parents didn't feel the need to satisfy my craving for a fun-filled fizzy drinks maker.

Who'd have thought that all these years later the retro fizzy drinks maker of my childhood dreams would make such a massive resurgence to become the most sought after gift of Christmas 2010!  It has a sleeker and more chic image, but it is still the same fun gadget I coveted in my youth making sparkling beverages from ordinary tap water!

These days the SodaStream offers much more than just a way of making fizzy drinks at home, it now has a much more important role.  The impact on the soft drinks market on the environment is massive.  The average household consumes over 500 litres of soft drinks and disposes of more than 500 plastic bottles every year. Less than half of these are recycled.  SodaStream is committed to help reduce the impact of the soft drinks market on the environment.  They offer an environmentally friendly alternative to buying ready made soft drinks and fizzy water.  The re-usable bottles last for 3 years, and so they reduce the amount of plastic we thrown away.  It makes much more sense to reduce and re-use packaging than constantly throw it away and buy in more.  Doing the maths...this means that over the life of the SodaStream, the average family would save over 117 kg of plastic packaging!!  This doesn't even take into account the impact of the manufacture of the bottles and the transport of the soft drinks to the shops.  SodaStream's 'Active Green' solution minimizes the huge eco-footprint made by the soft drinks industry!

Putting the fabulous environmentally friendly factors aside, can the SodaStream really offer a replacement for the drinks I buy for my family?  I was lucky enough to be offered a SodaStream Drinks Maker to try out and review Inside the Wendy House with my "Tiny Testers"!  There was a lot of excitement on the day it arrived...the much coveted item was welcomed into my family at long last!

My first impression was that the design was very modern, sleek and would look great in the kitchen.  This isn't a novelty item, it's a serious must-have gadget!  It came with two re-usable litre bottles with lids, the gas cylinder and a sample of three concentrates.

 The Concentrates are available in more than 30 flavours, including isotonic drinks, diet drinks, fruity flavours and mixers.  A £3.29 bottle makes up to 12 litres of sparkling drink.  This is a fraction of the cost you'd expect to pay in the shops.  If you're a fan of sparkling water you can just carbonate your tap water and make massive savings!  This sparkling water can be added to fruit juice to make really healthy homemade fizzy mocktails! (My favourite is orange juice, cranberry juice and fizzy water!  So refreshing with the promise of warmer weather  fast approaching!)

We were sent the Cranberry and Raspberry and the Orange concentrates to try.  The girls made a demo video of how to make Orange Flavoured Fizzy Drink.

It really is very easy and the drinks taste authentic and are good quality. 

New for the 21st century SodaStream have just launched their SodaStream Fizz with  patented in-built Fizz Chip technology which allows consumers to see exactly how much fizz they are putting into their water and also how much gas is left in the cylinder on a digital display.  You'll never be left feeling flat with the "Fizz"!

My family are really enjoying having the SodaStream.  It is fun to use, makes great tasting drinks and fizzy water at a fraction of the price of shop bought drinks and is reducing the amount of waste we produce.  It feels good to know we are doing something positive to reduce our carbon footprint, while still enjoying a treat and having fun!

Here's one I made earlier.

Cranberry and Raspberry...yum!

Fred chooses the next flavour.

A treat for Fred :)

**SodaStream is available from Argos, John Lewis, Lakeland and other quality stores as well as online at www.sodastream.co.uk

Listography....Pet Hates

This week's Listography subject is Pet Hates.  I was struggling with this one last night.  Maybe I'm just too mellow at the moment after reviewing the self-help hypnosis mp3!  However, as ever I refuse to be beaten by Kate's topics and I've been extra vigilant this morning and have indeed come up with my list all based on things I experienced today that really irked me!

1:  Finding toast crumbs and Marmite debris in the butter.  Why do people think the "scrape the icky stuff on the knife back into the butter" method of toast making is a good idea?  It's just eww!  

2:  Spitting in the street.  Again, just why?  On the school run I passed a charming tracksuited man complete with cigarette in one hand and dog lead in the other hock a greenie onto the pavement, just as I drove by.  It was the whole hocking process with its animated throwing back of the head  to achieve the required trajectory of the phlegm projectile that repulsed me the most.  I couldn't hear his guttural shifting of the tar ridden foreign object in his windpipe, but I could just imagine it *gags at thought*.

3:  Call Centre Phone Calls that ring off when you pick up the phone.  The ring tone mocks you as if it knows the fact you were sat relaxing, feeding your son, only to be thrown into a frantic frenzy of activity to get the call (hoping that it isn't school to tell you that your kids have been sick!)  I unlatch my disgruntled toddler, which in itself is a feat...he has vice like jaws!  I stumble over the obstacle course of abandoned toys that Fred leaves strewn across the floor.  I try to climb over the safety gate but my knee twinges painfully as I cock my leg up, so I fumble with the opening mechanism and end up bashing my thigh against the unforgiving metal surround.  I slide across the kitchen floor to grab at the phone, slightly breathless now ...just to hear the click followed by silence.  Geez thanks for that!

4:  Piles of things to go up to the bedrooms sat on the dogleg of my stairs.  The ever growing mountain that I refuse to remove now consists of Kizzy's notebooks, pencil case, two board games, a jumper and a money box.  Ella's contribution is a shopping bag containing the things I bought her last time we went shopping that she really needed!  I look at this as a social experiment...how high will they let the pile grow before they decide to transfer the objects to their rooms, or do they just consider this little bit of space as extra storage?  I don't know...good job I'm not one of those obsessively tidy women...I would've keeled over in desperation at the slovenliness of my children by now.  I may need to up my nagging though soon, before I fall over it...probably in my haste to get to one of those annoying call centre phone calls.

5:  Delivery Men that stink of cigarette smoke, whose in vehicle smoking habit taints my parcels.  I hate taking delivery of a parcel that stinks like an ashtray containing 20 B & H fag butts.  The smell lingers so long and starts to permeate my house.  I feel the same about library books which stink of cigarette smoke.  You open the book up and the stench explodes into your face.  I sniff before I borrow now!  It serves to remind me why I am so glad that they banned smoking in public buildings. People have a right to smoke if they wish, but I have a right not to have to smell their smoke!

Rant over!

The Gallery...Simple Pleasures

This week's theme is Simple Pleasures.  There is nothing as intoxicating as the sound of a baby's laughter.  Pure unadulterated joy expressed in an earthy chuckle full of delight.  The latest thing that sends Freddy into fits of beautiful giggles is the hair drier.  Feeling the warm air blowing in his face is his simple pleasure.  Delighting in his happy peels of laughter is mine!

Choco Puffs...a Breakfast Evolution!

The Honey Monster may soon be called the Chocolate Monster following the release of Sugar Puffs' latest breakfast evolution.  In a chocolatey twist on classic Sugar Puffs, natural wheat puffs are glazed with chocolate flavour syrup.  Fortified with vitamins and iron, Choco Puffs contain no artificial additives and are a good source of dietary fibre.

We were sent a box of Choco Puffs to try out Inside the Wendy House for the purpose of this review.  As we don't usually buy chocolate breakfast cereals, I was interested to find out more about them.  Freddy was quite curious too, he liked the brightly coloured packaging and the Honey Monster on the front! ( The Honey Monster is back on our TV screens after a two year break, this launch coincides with his return!)

The Facts: 30g of Choco Puffs contains 112 calories and contains B vitamins and Iron essential for a healthy diet.  A bowlful contains 14% of an adult's RDA of sugar.  It is low fat and high in fibre. They are suitable for vegetarians and contain nothing artificial.  That all sounded pretty good to me!

Testing:  My tiny testers enjoyed trying the Choco Puffs.  Freddy prefers his cereal dry and it makes a perfect snacktime treat for his Munchkin Snack Cup.  It's a much better option than a chocolate bar or a biscuit, as it has the extra benefit of the added vitamins and iron. It makes a good finger food for a hungry toddler with a high demand for energy.

Kizzy has hers for breakfast and again as an after school snack...she says "They are really nice.  I love the chocolate flavour and the puffy texture!"  Again they make a good alternative to high fat, low fibre snacking when she gets home from school hungry.  A real chocolatey hit!

Teenager Ella grabs handfuls from the box on her way past and calls them "Delicious chocolatey puffs!"  They got a thumbs up from all three of the children.  They also loved the quizzes on the back of the pack, which were a great fun addition!

As part of a balanced diet, Choco Puffs can provide a fun, friendly, fortified, delicious start to the day.  They are a perfect option for reluctant cereal eaters and would encourage breakfast consumption in even the fussiest eaters.  It has been proven that eating breakfast helps aid concentration, keeps you alert and keeps energy levels up. Vitamins and iron are essential for healthy growth and development. Choco Puffs taste like a sweet treat, and yet they can give your child a good wholesome, nutritious start to the day.  As my children discovered they also make a great anytime snack!  I was impressed with Choco Puffs...I even tried a bowlful myself and I have to say they were really tasty and very more-ish!

With a RRP of £1.99, Choco Puffs are available now from Sainsbury's and Morisson's.

A Massage for Your Mind

 

As a busy mum, my mind is sometimes trying to focus on half a dozen subjects at once.  At night I find it hard to switch off and sometimes struggle to get to sleep.  I can become forgetful and unfocused.  This doesn't help me juggle all the aspects of my life.  It becomes a vicious circle.

When I was offered a complimentary copy of  Massage for Your Mind to review, I was keen to try a holistic approach which could help with relieving stress, releasing anxiety, boosting self confidence,  aiding positive thought and improving sleep.  It sounded amazing and just what I needed!

The 18 minute mp3, Massage For Your Mind is a Hypnotic Loop which can improve mental calmness, physical relaxation, confidence, competence and better sleep quality.

Listening to Peggy Melmoth's hypnotic script, I was taken down deeper and deeper into relaxation.  The evocative music and sound effects help create an atmosphere of calm.  I was taken on a journey through a woodland with its sights, sounds and smells leading me into a hypnotic state.  After this I'm not exactly sure what happened!  There were affirmations of my abilities, my confidence and my self-esteem, but I don't recall the wording, rather a sense of contentment and calmness.  Being counted back into the room, I awoke feeling like I had had a power nap.  I felt brighter and quite peaceful.  My mind really had been massaged and I felt positive.  I felt as if my mind and body had their batteries recharged.  I'm not sure yet of the long term   benefits, but in the short term I feel pretty confident that it is having a beneficial effect on my wellbeing.

I will continue to use this Massage for Your Mind mp3.  Repetition strengthens the power of the hypnotic suggestion and makes the results more effective. Three sessions a week will keep me chilled out!

A Massage for Your Mind is available to buy as a download for £8.99 from the Holistic Heartbeat download store.  It's a good all round self-help hypnosis mp3 to help you cope with the challenges of everyday life.  It can be used  for general mental and emotional wellbeing or it can be used if you wish to target confidence and anxiety issues.  Well worth a try!

Crock Pot Saute Slow Cooker

Root Vegetable and Lentil Casserole Recipe for a Slow Cooker.

As a busy vegetarian mum with a hungry family to feed, I'm constantly on the look out for ideas for making good, wholesome meals (in the most labour saving way possible!) So I was over the moon to be offered a Crock Pot  4.7 litre Saute Slow Cooker to test out Inside the Wendy House.

The Crock Pot Saute Slow Cooker comes with a gorgeous 4.7 l removable earthenware pot in a lovely grey slate colour. This is plenty big enough for a family of five. It can be used on the hob for sautéing, in the oven, in the microwave, in the freezer and in the fridge.  It is also dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.  It has two heat settings and also a setting for keeping the cooked food warm. The inside has a stick resistant coating.  The Crock Pot comes with a recipe booklet containing 15 original recipes from Phil Vickery.

I've not had any previous experience with Slow Cookers but I've heard so many good things about them.  I was excited to see how well it would cook my root vegetable and lentil casserole.

Recipe:
4 carrots
1 leek
1 swede
3 parsnips
4 sweet potatoes
2 onions
2 garlic cloves

4 oz red lentils
1 pint of organic veggie stock
1 carton tomato passata
teaspoon of rosemary
teaspoon of thyme
ground pepper

I chopped it all up the night before and next morning I threw it all in the pot and added the liquid.

The ingredients ready to be cooked.

I popped the lid on and set it to high at 8.30am before the school run began.  At lunch time I turned it down to low and then went out.  I was a little nervous leaving something cooking while I wasn't home, because I'd never dream of leaving anything on the hob unattended!

I arrived home at 4pm post school run.  I wish I could convey how good it smelt when I opened my front door.  The smell of delicious, rich stew was so homely, welcoming and comforting.  I gave it a quick stir and allowed it to continue cooking until we had dinner at 5.30pm.

The cooked stew.

I served up enough for three adults, one teenager, one 8 year old and baby Freddy.  There was ample.
The vegetables were soft but had all retained their shape.  The sweet potato usually disintegrates when I cook it on the hob, so it was nice to actually taste it as an individual vegetable rather than have it smooshed up!

Testing the end result.

Messy but yummy!

The family tucked into their stew.  Ella said, "It was cooked to perfection".  Kizzy said, "You can taste all the individual vegetables in it. The taste was like it had come from a five star restaurant!"  Freddy tucked into his bowlful with gusto!

Next time I think I will finish it off in the oven with cobbler on top, because I did miss having my cobbler!  As the dish is ovenproof it will be really easy just finishing it off at GM6 for 20 minutes. I am reliably informed that you can cook perfect suet dumplings in with the stew!  The Crock Pot would also be brilliant for making soups, curries and chillis, which would be ready to eat at the end of a busy day with the minimum of fuss.  This Crock Pot Saute Slow Cooker is definitely going to revolutionize my mealtimes...it's an impressive, stylish and very useful addition to my household!

Movie Meme Week 2...Black and White

This week's theme for Metal Mummy's Movie Meme is Black and White films.  For me, this week is easy.  The film I have chosen is one of the greatest movies ever made.  Terrifying, moving and inspirational in equal measure, this 1932 film by Todd Browning is my choice for this week. I give you "Freaks".

Set in the travelling circus, the film centres around the sideshow performers.  Browning made the brave decision to use real people in the role of the "freak show" performers rather than using make-up and props.  They are shown as honorable and trustworthy people with a strong sense of community.  The "monsters" of this film are the two "normal" circus performers who conspire to murder one of the cast to steal his large inheritance. 

Cleo the beautiful trapeze artist seduces and marries the midget Hans for his money.  The other side show performers hold an initiation ceremony to accept her into their community.  She is drunk and lets slip that she is having an affair with Hercules the strong man and mocks them all, making it clear that she never loved Hans and only wanted his money.  Although humiliated, he sticks by his wife believing she will grow to love him.

It is only when another performer overhears Cleo and Hercules discussing the murder plot to poison Hans, that the performers group together to wreak their bloody revenge on the two antagonists. In one of the most shocking scenes, the performers crawl through the mud in a torrential storm, carrying knives to hunt down their victims.  They mutilate them.  The very end is a bit daft...they somehow turn the beautiful but evil Cleo into some kind of half human, half duck creature!  I'm sure in 1932 that was quite a shock ending, but her squawking actually is quite funny!

Making this film hurt Brownings career.  Outraged critics cut more than 30 minutes from his final cut including the castration of Hercules in the revenge scene, emasculating the bullying tyrant.  For years this film was considered massively controversial.  Audiences would vomit. It was banned in the UK for 30 years. However, in the 70s and 80s it became a cult film.  In 1994 the film was finally recognized for preservation as being "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" and was ranked 15th in Bravo's list of the Scariest Movie Moments ever.  It finally found its rightful place in cinema history.

It was never exploitative and the lives of the sideshow performers were portrayed with a tender sensitivity. It is these incidental  slice of life segments of the film that really make it for me.  I discovered the actor Johnny Eck through this film.  Born without legs and with a truncated torso he was dubbed as the "half boy".  His real life story is completely inspirational and he is most definitely one of my heroes!  His strength, athleticism and acrobatic ability shows how any obstacle can be overcome.  He'd say to able bodied people "What can you do that I can't, except tread water?" His upbeat attitude was infectious and inspiring.  

I'd really recommend checking out this film if you ever have the opportunity.  It is shocking, but it is also life-affirming and heart warming.  The actors are amazing and inspirational...it is a film unlike anything I've ever seen before or since.  It's a real piece of celluloid history.