Recipe - Amanda's Perfect Porridge

No one could have failed to have noticed the sudden drop in temperature in Ireland at the moment. I now have a grand total of three hot water bottles in my bed to keep me warm at night. In the morning there is nothing like a good bowl of porridge to help me warm up. I sell Jumbo oats from Rossinver and they have been flying off my stall at the Naas Market. My personal preference is for oatflakes, which make a lovely creamy porridge. I get mine from the health food shop and Flahavans do a lovely organic one that you can pick up in most supermarkets.

For all you porridge novices here is my fail safe quick microwave porridge recipe.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/2 a cup of porridge flakes or oats

1/2 a cup of milk

1/2 a cup of water

1 tbsp honey

A sprinkling of toasted mixed seeds (optional)

Method:

Pour the oats into a microwavable bowl with the milk and water.

Stir

Put in the microwave at full power for 2 1/2 minutes

Stir in the honey and seeds(if required)

Serve and enjoy

GM Free Petition

On November 28th 2007 the European Commission is making a decision about weather to allow two new strains of GM maize to be cultivated in Europe. These new strains could, amongst other things, have a hideous effect on our wildlife.

To find out more check out GM free Ireland's website. To add your signature to the petition follow this link.

Why Organic Skincare

I have been using and selling organic skin care products for well over a year, but whereas people are beginning to understand the reasons for eating organic food, the benefits of using organic cosmetics are probably not so well know. Although there are strict regulations in place for the labeling of foods as organic these do not apply to skin care products. This can be quite confusing for the consumer, how can you be sure that the bottle of moisturiser on the shop shelf does not contain harmful chemicals?

It is widely believed that a percentage of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your blood stream and a few years ago there was quite a scare when some chemicals, such as parabens used in preserving skin care products and deodorants, were found to be present in breast tumors. No conclusive evidence has been found to link cancer and these chemicals but the scare alone has driven many to seek non chemical solutions. 

The amount of chemicals present in the everyday creams, gels and soaps that we use is quite alarming. A quick look at the side of a bottle will bamboozle you with long names such as methylchloroisothiazolinone, phthalates, polyethylen glycol which appear alongside more familiar ones such as formaldhyde. Some of these chemicals are harmful by themselves, for example methylchloroisothiazolinone is thought to be linked to gene mutations and nervous system disorders, phthalates to genital abnormalities and infertility and formaldehyde to cancer and respiratory irritation. The real worry is that nobody knows what long term effects these chemicals will have when they are combined. In the past, clinical studies on mice have shown that mixing some pesticides can cause conditions similar to Parkinsons Disease an effect never anticipated when the chemicals were used on their own. 

In order to avoid these chemicals we must choose organic but how do we know which ones really are organic? 

Although it is not a legal requirement, if you want to be sure it really is organic,  look for certification on the packaging. Some certification bodies are stricter than others. I always feel like I can trust the Soil Association and I believe the Australian Certified Organic label has one of the strictest set of rules for certification of skin care. Always look to see what percentage of the ingredients are organic. The soil association will approve a small amount of non organic ingredients to be used in the formulas it certifies but these will always be a very small percentage of the end product.

Some of the best known brands of certified organic skin care are: Essential Care, Spiezia from the UK, Miessence from Australia, Dr Bronner from the States and I'm glad to see a new Irish brand on the market Nadur Organics who are in the process of becoming certified.

Organic Product Review - Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

Every now and then a little package will arrive for me in the post. Sometimes they come from my suppliers, sometimes from potential suppliers and sometimes they are just things that my friends and family have picked up for me.

Recently I received a package that contained a variety of soaps. I have to admit, I wasn't madly excited when I found a small bottle of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap amongst them. I first encountered these liquid soaps at the Organic Products Show in London earlier this year. I stood there while a salesman tried to describe the special qualities of the soap while spraying my hand over and over with water and soap. I probably had so many substances sprayed on my hand that day that any benefit of the liquid soap was lost on me. For this reason Dr. Bronner sat in my bathroom cabinet until, one day, out of desperation, after unexpectedly running out of showergel, I grabbed the little bottle.

From that moment onwards I was a convert. One of the problems I often encounter with organic skincare products is that they don't produce much foam.  I have been told the reason for this is that a chemical agent is used to create this foam. As certified organic products do not contain chemicals they usually also do not contain foam. Dr Bronner, which is 100% certified organic does foam, the bubbles don't last for long but they are lovely whilst they do. It also doesn't smell of anything, I don't mind this, I often find the cocktail of scents that I pour on myself in the bathroom can be a bit overpowering. Some of the soaps in the Dr. Bronner range are scented. I am currently using their peppermint soap bar, which does have a mild peppermint scent but nothing compared to the other products in my bathroom. For some people this could be a disadvantage but it is easily solved by adding a drop or two of organic scented oil to the bottle.

The thing I love about this product, and the reason I will be stocking up on this for myself is that it makes your skin feel amazing. It doesn't dry it out like other products yet it leaves it remarkably clean. I use an organic moisturiser after showering and it used to be a race to get it on to my skin before it starts to shrivel.  After using Dr. Bronner I can relax before moisturising. 

There are disadvantages to this product, aside from the lack of scent and the quickly fading bubbles this is an American product. That means it has travelled a long way to get here. I am sure that Dr. Bronner is busily off setting it's air miles but it is probably still better to buy an organic product closer to home. Even with this considered I will still be buying this product over and over again. I love it!