Incredibusy

Let us exist responsibly ~ consciously ~ sustainably

Bento Power book – @shisodelicious

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I stumbled across Sara Kiyo Popowa’s fabulous instagram account whilst looking for inspiration for vegan recipes, as so many of my clients are vegans, I think I found her through the hashtag #veganuk and I’ve been IN LOVE with her feed ever since.

Sara is the artist and photographer behind the colourful, bento power plant based Instagram account Shiso Delicious @shisodelicious. [https://www.instagram.com/shisodelicious/] And she’s created a BEAUTIFUL book – Bento Power.

And when I say beautiful, I totally mean it – The bento Sara makes is based on the Japanese original: rice (grains) plus a number of small side dishes packed in a bento box and taken to school or work.

We love the layout of the book, and of course the beautifully styled photographs – and, oh, she’s pretty lovely herself too!

Bento Power: Brilliantly Balance Lunchbox Recipes.

Sara has created more raw and whole elements than typical bento, quicker to make with less side dishes and they are plant based (there are eight egg recipes in the book, the rest is vegan). She uses the Japanese principle of FIVE colours in food: white, black, red, green and yellow, as well as five flavours and five qualities – traditionally included to make a meal complete. 

Sara’s bento also uses her own five nutritional elements of carbs, greens, protein, fruit/veg and sprinkles and incorporates flavours and methods from her multicultural upbringing in Sweden, exploring her roots in Japan, and life in London.

animated gif of bento power book

Sara’s book launch was held at the wonderful http://www.benkandbo.com
a London venue set across three floors with a yoga studio and meeting room on 1st floor, a public cafe and lounge on ground floor as well as the members only area in lower ground floor with loads of light streaming down the large open staircase adorned with indoors plants. Come work, eat, drink coffee, do yoga, play piano, read books, meet people or simply just be.

Bento Power by Shiso Delicious Book Launch Party, Photography: Gini Rhee.

For more information on the book please see Sara’s website http://www.shisodelicious.com/bento-power/ or Amazon (available in the US March 2019)

Smoothies and Bamboo Straws and Saving the Oceans

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Smoothies and Bamboo Straws

February is here and I’m still feeling that I’m in need of some vitamin D – we’ve been experimenting with smoothies (and a guilt of all the plastic straws we have ever used hanging over me).

kiwi-and-ginger-and-kale--smoothie---incredibusySo first – smoothies – make it up as you go along, however here’s what’s in this one (makes two portions)…

  • Almond milk (a good source of Vitamin D and in a recyclable carton)
  • Thumb sized chunk of ginger peeled and grated (purchased loose from the local store, no plastic* – bonus)
  • Banana (Fairtrade, and try to buy loose, after all, they have thick skins, nature’s packaging at its best)
  • Kiwi Fruit (high in fibre, vitamins C, A and E and a good source of antioxidants)
  • Handful of Kale (right, this is where Riverford organics comes in handy – no plastic bags!)
  • Squeeze of Lime

The-Last-Straw-gif

So let’s talk #TheLastStraw – I’ve always been frugal, and used the same plastic straws over and over again at home; and now in bars and restaurants, it’s great to see so many of us re-training ourselves to say ‘no thank you’ to straws in our glasses, as although using one straw doesn’t seem like a big deal, – it is estimated that the UK and US alone throw away around 550 million plastic straws every day. Each one of those straws is used for an average of maybe 20 minutes (probably just once) the problem with plastic straws is one of sheer volume.

If you’d like to find out what you can do to cut down on your plastics, and how you too can work to inspire a generation to save our oceans check out both the @oceangeneration and @theglobalgoals instagram pages.

We can all work together to raise awareness, encourage attitude shifts and create behavioural change – starting with the simple plastic straw – try a bamboo straw.

More that you can do to tackle the plastic problem:

Do you have bread bags, polythene, toilet roll bags, bubble wrap etc you want to recycle? post it to Polyprint. accepts recycling from the general public. Please visit their website for details.   ♻️

Mid writing this post about Smoothies and Bamboo Straws and Saving the Oceans, I happened to have a chat with Eve Broadis from fairtradescotland.co.uk who has been telling me about their exciting tartan news (more on that soon). Meanwhile follow @fairtradesco on instagram, and take a look at the funky tartan covers they have been making for the Suck On That bamboo straws!

Suck On That is a social enterprise founded in Cambodia in 2017, with the initiative to promote the use of bamboo straws as an alternative to plastic. Their straws are reusable, environmentally friendly, and fair trade.

It is the first and only Fair Trade straw in the world so that means that they ensure that the straws are made according to all the 10 WFTO (World Fair Trade Organization) Fair Trade principles. Suck On That is partnering with two WFTO Guaranteed Members to not only have a positive environmental impact but also a positive social impact.

These bamboo straws are hand crafted by Khmer villagers, creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged Cambodian communities. Suck On That are passionate about supporting Cambodian villagers through fair employment and ensuring a safe working environment. Follow them on instagram to keep up to date with their news.

Suck On That will be distributing the straws through wholesale and retail to businesses and individuals fed up with wasteful and environmentally harmful plastic straws. Contact them here: http://suckonthat.com/#contact

I asked Eve to tell me why Bamboo vs paper or Aluminium straws?

Eve: “I picked up the metal straw in Cambodia – at a cafe where we were telling the owner that she needs to ensure bamboo straws are sourced sustainably – there are lots of people thinking ‘wild bamboo’ is more natural – not realising that once it’s gone it’s gone! Replanting is about sustainable livelihoods 👍 buying these straws mean producers can plan for the future rather than live a a hand to mouth existence.

Paper straws mean more trees will be cut down and metal straws are not good either due to the process of the metal having to be heated to high temperatures and the overall process and working conditions of the mining metal workers**.

So my job – as a WFTO GS (World Fair Trade Organisation Guarantee System) member is to look at the whole supply chain and guarantee is the best there is! 👍

**Once mined, aluminum within the bauxite ore is chemically extracted into alumina, an aluminum oxide compound, through the Bayer process. In a second step, the alumina is smelted into pure aluminum metal through the Hall–Héroult process.”

Really pleased to share this article on bamboo straws – we will be stocking them with lovely WFTO Tartan pouches – watch this space – coming soon 👍

Posted by Fair Trade Scotland on Monday, 29 January 2018

 

Read more about plastic in tea bags here

 

Further zero-waste reading:

Plastic Free Conditioner from JustLittleChanges 

Easy Coconut Oil Deodrant DIY from allotmentrecipes

Planning to cut waste from eachlittlestep

Getting stuff done in the kitchen from juicyfig

Zero waste and some recipe ideas from spotofearth.com

 

Instagram #sgiew challenge #sgiew_WARMTH

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Launching another so good in every way instagram challenge – #sgiew { #sgiew_WARMTH }

OK – so we spent the afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch, 14yo wanted a giant pumpkin to carve … “not this one son? at 80p per kilo this one will be much cheaper?”

Needless to say, we loved our last theme #sgiew_autumn so much that we wanted to keep those warm colours going – so add #sgiew_warmth to your photos over the next couple of weeks for a chance to WIN…. a wonderful prize from our guest judge and sponsor this week Sara at @castawayknitting – the prize will be a £25 gift card for your choice of goodies from her Etsy store – so get those ‘warm hues’ onto your instagram feed, follow us all and tag us

This is how to enter:

1) follow @sogoodineveryway, @castawayknitting and me @incredibusy (plus @willowdaygram who represents #sgiew over in Scandinavia, check out her gorgeous feed!

2) show us your WARMTH photographs here on instagram over the next couple of weeks – we’ll find them if you….
.
3) add the tags #sgiew and #sgiew_warmth for a chance to WIN a £25 gift card to spend

. so you know, join in!)
Sounds fun right? Let’s go!

Oh and… a nod to @robertsonandrhodes, one of our grid winners from #sgiew_autumn – told you we’d have a go today!

UPDATE
I’ve posted the winner!
November 16th 2017

What a lovely grid… top left to right:
@trish.sweetnellie
@capturebykaye
@coldatnight
@freshairwildhair (please send us a DM with your details)
@fareisle
@early.bird.post
@blowyinthewind via @lewesmapstore
@charissharpe

Star Wars ethical Kids Shoes

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Star Wars Shoes for kids – perfect for dress-up at Halloween, and every mini-cosplayer you know!

The highly anticipated Star Wars TM | Po-Zu range offers a gender-neutral collection of seven footwear styles for children here.

The collection also includes styles for grown-ups –  shoes, boots and sneakers inspired by the main characters in the Star Wars films under license with Lucas Film and Disney.

The whole family can wear these to great ‘Me and Mini-Me’ effect. Personally we LOVE these CHEWIE BOOTS – Ottie the Dog was a bit confused by them as you can see – and we had some fun with Boomerang creating gifs with the 12yo son – he just didn’t want to take them off!

This is the first foray into Kids’ Shoes for award winning ethical footwear label and pioneer, Po-Zu – and we have to say we are a little bit in love with the entire range.

My absolute favourite is the BB-8 – an orange hi-top sneaker, available size 30 – 35 for kids. Also – and by popular demand and allegedly a special request by Brian Herring, the BB-8 Puppeteer – this striking baseball boot style now also available for grown-up men and women too!

As with all of Po-Zu’s shoes and boots, from their ‘heritage range’ – the collection is handmade in their eco factory in Portugal. No toxic glues are used in the production, and all are hand stitched (there are some amazing videos on their YouTube channel – like ‘through the round window’ – factory visits, watching how they make the shoes – fascinating – watch here)

The High Tops in Orange, Black and Red, and the Chewie Boot are all vegan; the Rey Boot (perfect for Rey Cosplay) is vegetarian, and the black and the white Stormtrooper Boots are made from Chrome Free Leather.

If you’ve seen True Cost Movie – you’ll know why this is so important. If you’ve not seen it – watch it – essential viewing. https://truecostmovie.com/watch-now/

And if you’d like to see these boots visit the Museum of Brands  – to celebrate the cutting edge launch of Star WarsTM| Po-Zu footwear collection, there will be a new exhibit.

Open from Friday 1 September in celebration of Force Friday, until Sunday 12 November 2017, this exhibit showcases sustainable shoes inspired by the Star Wars characters including Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, BB-8, Chewbacca and the First Order Stormtroopers.


For photos:

Star WarsTM | Po-Zu: http://bit.ly/Po-ZuAW17StarWars
Po-Zu Mainline: http://bit.ly/Po-ZuAW17
View ‘The Making of the Resistance’ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e61hZMlJUA

For press, sample & interview requests, please contact: Kate Osborne, kate@po-zu.com

kids-shoes-Po-Zu-Star-Wars

About Po-Zu:

Po-Zu is a London-based award-winning sustainable footwear brand, launched in 2006, and currently ranked as the UK’s Number 1 Ethical Shoe Brand by The Ethical Company Organisation. The word Po-Zu comes from the Japanese ポーズ, meaning ‘to pause’. It is their mission to provide feet with a unique respite and to halt
the damage that modern footwear manufacturing causes to people and planet.
Po-Zu has incorporated some ground-breaking glue-less shoe constructions that are designed for disassembly, biomimicry designed shock-absorbing coconut husk Foot MattressTM, and sustainable materials such as PiñatexTM (an alternative to leather using pineapple fibre), organic cotton, natural cork and pure woollen tweed.
Po-Zu launched in 2016 a knowledge-sharing foundation in order to promote sustainable practices within the footwear industry.
The Better Shoes Foundation centres around an open-source website highlighting current best practice in design, material selection, manufacturing, transport, consumption and post-consumer life.

A Delicious Soup Cleanse and Detox from Pep and Lekker

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A Delicious Soup Cleanse and Detox from Pep and Lekker

I’m not one for faddy diets, but I am in a bit of an unhealthy place at the moment – eating too much bread (bagels mostly… pretending to be healthy by mushing up an avocado and some fresh garlic) and working from home, with a 12 year old son who regularly bakes banana loaf, it gets so that I end up having an afternoon cake and tea fest… bad!

I’ve also been having one too many coffees – totally blaming the intern, she just keeps making a cafetiere and I can’t say no!

Pep-and-Lekker-incredibusy

So I thought I’d give a ‘detox’ a go –  and having recently been introduced to Pep & Lekker and their range of delicious soups suitable for diet, cleanse and detoxing… gave it a try!

Now the OTHER thing about working from home, is that my other half ALSO works from home… so we BOTH signed up – that way I wouldn’t be tempted by bagels and cake right?!

We went for the three day Cleanse Package – the organic, vegan soups arrive part defrosted (so you are ready to start with day one) and part frozen so make sure you have enough room in your fridge to defrost them (and I’d suggest popping them on a tea towel or tray to soak up/contain the condensation as the soups and broths defrost)

So – every day for three days, I mostly ate:

–        4 mugfuls of Beautiful Broth 

–        2 soups (Ravishing Red, Gleaming Gold, or Gorgeous Green) + a portion of nutty seed bites.

–    and snacked on an extra portion of nutty seed bites.

The soups are incredibly ‘pretty’ and there are three recipes  :

Ravishing Red – this beetroot-based soup is high in many nutrients including vitamins A, E, C, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and manganese and contains protein and B vitamins. (these nutrients are actually in all of the soups)

Gleaming Gold –butternut squash, sweet potato and fresh turmeric and ginger.

Gorgeous Green – broccoli and spinach. And in Gorgeous Green there is also courgette, pea and fresh mint…

Nutty Seed Bites  – I thought these were great to have as a snack during the day as I often get a bit peckish! Their own recipe. Made with buckwheat flakes, chia seeds, hemp and much more, oh and gluten free too.

and I LOVED the “Beautiful Broth”….

Pep-and-Lekker-natural-soups-incredibusyAll of the soups are home made, and incredibly healthy. Made from organic vegetables, packed with nourishing vegetable protein. They’re creamy with blended nuts and are gluten and dairy free too.

3+day+cleanseInterestingly, they use no flours, potato, starch, yeasts or sugars in their soups and broths either.

So what are you waiting for, if like me, you simply are looking to break the cycle of not-so-healthy-eating, and coffee-drinking, go for the three day programme – I felt great, and positive about what I was doing and eating, I didn’t particularly have major hunger pangs, (although on day 2 I went for a short run, so had a lightly dressed avocado salad for supper) – I felt hydrated and well – and ready to rethink my diet in general.

There are five day options available too – which I may try later in the summer – needless to say, delicious and I would highly recommend.

In fact, how would you like to WIN your own THREE DAY DETOX worth £70?

As we loved this 3 Day Cleanse so much, I’m giving you the chance to win one. Worth £70 (UK only). If you would like to be in with a chance of trying out this detox, then simply follow the rules below:

Terms and Conditions for the Incredibusy giveaway

  1. Tag your own foodie photo on instagram with #sgiew_nourish and of course #sgiew too
  2. Follow me @incredibusy on Instagram by clicking this link.
  3. Follow @pepandlekker on instagram here.
    Bonus points…. just nice things to do 🙂
  4. Follow me on Twitter by clicking this link.
  5. Follow me on Pinterest by clicking this link.
  6. Tag a friend in the comment section of my Instagram post dated Tuesday 27 June 2017 to spread the word…

Pep-spinach-brocoli-soup-for-insta

And that’s it. Your entry is only valid if you have completed at least the first three of these steps. The giveaway is open UK only, and as guest judge, Pep and Lekker will choose a winner at random on the 09/07/17. Good luck!

UPDATE – we have a winner!

Thank you for joining in with #sgiew and Pep and Lekker’s theme for the prize of a £70 cleanse at @pepandlekker #sgiew_nourish
And without further ado, the nine on the grid are
1. @willowdaygram
2.@shannacrowell
3.@d097
4. @gfreeb
5. @niki.at.the.cottage
6. @breakthefast_
7. @pears39
8.@visualcri
9. @thinlyspread
With the overall winner of @niki.at.the.cottage . Congratulations from @pepandlekker @incredibusy and @willowdaygram , loved your photograph!

WINNING GRID sgiew_nourish

sgiew selfcare – a photo challenge sponsored by Sophie la girafe cosmetics

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We thought it was time for some ‘self care’.

The theme for #sgiew therefore is #sgiew_SELFCARE so what do you do to relax and find time for your #self?? A bath 🛀? A run 🏃? A good book 📚?

Share your photos on instagram, and add the tags – and follow guest judge and sponsor Jonna Sophie la girafe cosmetics, @sophielagirafecosmetics for a chance to WIN some #organic #vegan skincare…
And don’t forget to pop over to our hosts @incredibusy and @willowdaygram for some inspiration!
⠀
sgiew selfcare winnersUPDATE – winners announced:

Just delighted for @Sophielagirafecosmetics – a new instagram account (which you really must follow – to support them, after dear @instagram managed to lock them out of their account FOREVER!) ⠀
⠀
And we’ve all found some lovely new (and old it appears!) profiles to follow through their hashtag as guest judge #sgiew_selfcare – so without further ado, here are Jonna’s favourite nine, with a special mention (and #organic #vegan prize of Sophie la girafe skincare) going to….@itsmotherland who clearly needs to put her feet up and have some ‘me time’… (and delighted to say I had a lot of #selfcaresunday yesterday, and personally love all of the book, tea and flower action going on with this grid!!)⠀
⠀
1) @geoffreyandgrace⠀
2) @featherandwild⠀
3) @vreckles_world⠀
4) @mielcafeco⠀
5) @darlingbudsofme⠀
6) @tending.to.vanish⠀
7) @teawithruby⠀
8) @itsmotherland⠀
9) @_wohnblock_⠀
⠀
Thank you all for your support, from me, @sogoodineveryway @willowdaygram and @jonna_jalkanen, and taking the time to enter this theme. We have another launching 09/05/17, and can’t WAIT to tell you more, so make sure you tune in after the (UK) school run, shall we say 16:30 GMT?? See you then you lovely people x⠀

Sophie la girafe cosmetics collection

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Sophie la girafe cosmetics – a collection of vegan, organic loveliness!

Sophie la girafe Baby – an award winning certified natural and organic skincare for babies (and sensitive skin all ages)

Sophie-la-girafe-cosmetics-incredibusy-giveawayYou may well be familiar with Sophie la girafe? She is a natural rubber teething toy – born in France, on St Sophie’s Day way back in 1961 – she’s OLDER than me!!

I used to work up in North London, and EVERY baby in every cafe on my lunch break was clutching (and chewing) a Sophie la girafe. I worked for Green Baby back then, and we stocked Sophie la girafe in the Islington and Notting Hill stores, so I knew her well, and always had a really soft spot for her – babies just seem to love her!

And now you can use Sophie la girafe cosmetics too – This is such a lovely collection of products – I’ve made a little video about them HERE (and had to wait until Pickle the Dog had left the building as she goes bonkers when she hears Sophie la girafe squeaking!)

My two favourites are the Body Lotion, as I have really dry skin, prone to allergic reactions, it was an utter joy to find that this lotion does not irritate my skin AT ALL! Easy to apply and fast absorbing, my skin feels nourished and the body lotion provides moisture, protection and relieves inflammation.

And the Hair & Bodywash – which is enjoyed by all of my family. I have henna red hair, and this is a gentle, light shampoo which doesn’t strip my hair, and leaves it soft and manageable.
It has a light natural scent, and an easy to use pop up lid which means the kids don’t waste a load when they knock it over into the bath (yep).

If you’d like to try the full range, there is also a starter kit £12.95 – which includes Sophie La Girafe Baby Face Cream 20ml, Baby Body Lotion 20ml, Baby Oil 20ml and Hair and Body Wash 20ml.
Dermatologically tested and Ecocert approved, with 99.4% ingredients of natural origin; 24% total ingredients from natural farming
No allergens, scent allergens or strong oils included, Gluten, nut, fevefew, chamomile and calendula free
100% vegan and – Includes greeting card for gifting!

Hope you enjoy our little video, and if you’d like to WIN some of this gorgeous skincare, (along with some vegan, natural rubber Eco Flip-Flops from Olli World) please complete the rafflecopter form below. (or visit the rafflecopter on my Facebook page here)

Ts and Cs can be found HERE.

Sophie la girafe Baby made certified natural and organic skincare range
loved by babies, children and parents already in 27 countries, and growing.

No SLFs, (sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate (SLFs) which are used in a broad range of personal care products as emulsifiers, surfactants or foaming agents)  N0 microbeads (those little pieces of plastic smaller than a grain of sand, you wash your face, it goes into the waterways, are ingested by fish, and other wildlife, and end up back into our bodies – hmmm….) Pretty good skincare I reckon!

#sophielagirafecosmetics #sophielagirafe

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Organic and vegan Sophie la girafe cosmetics

Olli vegan and natural rubber Flip-Flops

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Olli vegan and natural rubber Flip-Flops

I’m sure like me, you’ve bought several pairs of flip-flops in your life – but have you ever really thought about who made them and where they were made? And indeed, WHAT they were made of??

Why natural rubber flip-flops?

When Heather Shuster was oh holiday in Hawaii she forgot to pack her flip-flops, she looked to buy some replacements, yet all she could find were cheap designs made with plastics and PVC materials.

This inspired Heather to take on the challenge of creating a collection of eco-friendly flip-flops, using natural rubber, Olli, which launched last week on Kickstarter. However, again she was alarmed by the substandard working and living conditions on very low pay, that the rubber plantation workers had to endure.

Heather and her sister Holly joined the Fair Rubber Association, which means Olli only purchases rubber from audited plantations that maintain Fair Trade standards that include safe working conditions, medical care, and a fair wage. Olli pay a premium for their rubber which goes directly to the rubber tappers.

WATCH the video here:

Why buy Better Shoes?

I’ll be honest, it took a massively shocking wake-up call for me to become more aware of these issues in the fashion and shoe industry – The Rana Plaza Disaster 24 April 2013 (read more on that here) – followed by meeting the brilliant BetterShoes.org founder Sven Segal. Better Shoes Foundation is an initiative to promote sustainable development in the global shoe industry, launched by Po-Zu.com

Tread better

Almost every flip-flop and sandal available to buy is made of synthetic materials. This sounds harmless. But these materials are made of chemicals that can be detrimental to your health. So these Olli eco-friendly Flip-Flops from Sri Lanka protect the environment and workers.

Fair, natural and sustainable, softer and more durable than plastics… these fair trade natural rubber flip-flops are biodegradable too.

Be part of the solution, caring about sustainability as much as who makes them – every step makes a difference

The Olli Kickstarter campaign is set to run for 30 days with a goal of $10,000. There are many pledge options available, up to a pledge of $70 which entitles a supporter to five pairs, a massive 52 percent off retail.

The shoes are set to deliver in July and can be shipped worldwide.

Following the Kickstarter campaign, the Flip-Flops will retail for $29.

A range of colourful solid and mixed colour unisex styles are available.

WIN---organic-skincare-and-Olli-Flip-Flop-with-logoWIN a pair – Giveaway

We have a little giveaway for you, which closes at the end of

FASHION REVOLUTION WEEK 24-30 APRIL 2017 

We are giving away a pair of Black Olli Flip-Flops in the size of your choice, from Euro sizes 36 to 46, and Sophie la girafe organic cosmetics have added some luxury vegan body lotion and SOS cream for face and body too, so that you can get those feet and toes ‘beach-ready’ too!

For a chance to win, complete the rafflecopter form below, go subscribe to incredibusy on YouTube where we will be sharing more ethical fashion, zero waste, upcycled crafts and vegan and vegetarian delights – sustainable living in style….

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Relevant sites to visit:

Olli’s Kickstarter

fairrubber.org

bettershoes.org

Truecostmovie.com

Fashion Revolution.org

olliworld.com

instagram.com/olli.world

facebook.com/olliworld

twitter.com/olli_world

 

Ts and Cs

WIN a pair – Giveaway worth £45

We have a little giveaway for you, which closes at the end of
FASHION REVOLUTION WEEK 24-30 APRIL 2017
We are giving away a pair of Black Olli Flip-Flops in the size of your choice, from Euro sizes 36 to 46, and Sophie la girafe organic cosmetics have added some luxury vegan body lotion and SOS cream for face and body too, so that you can get those feet and toes ‘beach-ready’ too!
For a chance to WIN fill in the details below!

 

**Ts and Cs**
1. Entries must be submitted by midnight 30 April 2017. 
No purchase necessary.
2. One winner will be chosen at random. There is no alternative prize and the prize is non-transferable, non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
4. The winner will be drawn on the 3 May 2017
5. This prize draw is not run in association with YouTube.

Quick and Easy Vegan Pancake Recipe (no banana)

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Quick and Easy Vegan Pancake Recipe (no banana)

Making pancakes is a bit of a tradition in our family – at the weekends, the boys will get out the big mixing bowl, the flour, the scales, and get making!

vegan pancake recipeWe have been experimenting with making a vegan pancakes, to try to get them JUST right (as they can be quite WRONG sometimes!!) and we think we’ve cracked it – no pun intended, in fact no egg related products are featured in this blog post AT ALL!

We have made QUICK pancakes previously with bananas, but (a) they weren’t vegan, and (b) not everyone likes bananas….

So  – what do you need, well, you could just watch the YouTube video HERE – as I will talk you through the recipe stage by stage, in fact, do that, but come back here to pick up the ingredients list…

YOU WILL NEED: (to make eight small pancakes)

DRY ingredients:

I cup of Self Raising Flour (you can use plain flour, if you do, just double the quantity of baking powder)

1 teaspoon of Baking Powder

1 dessert spoon of Fairtrade Sugar

WET ingredients:

a few drops of Vanilla Essence

1 cup of Soya Milk (or any nut milk)

1/3 of a cup of Water

1 teaspoon of Coconut Oil, extra virgin organic melted…

Garnish:

Organic Maple Syrup

Blueberries, or any other seasonal soft fruit

A dusting of icing sugar (optional, but makes the pancakes more instagram-mable!)

Vegan-pancakes-incredibusyTo make the pancakes:

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, the flour, sugar, baking powder – make a well for your wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients, the soya milk, water, vanilla essence, and melted coconut oil.

Whisk up the ingredients, and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

vegan pancakes for pinterestWhen you are ready to make the vegan pancakes, take a large ladle full of the batter, and pour slowly into the hot frying pan – we like to use a small cast iron pancake, they are easy to clean, and get nice and hot (you will need an oven glove, or tea towel to hold the handle of the frying pan, as that gets hot too!)

Let the first side of the pancake cook through, and gently lifting the edge with a spatula, to check the colour, flip the pancake to cook the other side.

Tip the pancake onto a waiting plate and garnish with maple syrup and blueberries, or if you are more traditional, lemon and sugar! Dust with icing sugar.

Do go and watch the YouTube video here to see JUST how quick and easy this recipe is, and I promise, you’ll LOVE these!!

 

Oh, by the way, I’m also on twitter/incredibusy too… Erm, funnily enough on Google+, Facebook and Pinterest!

 

Ethical and Luxury Scented Candles – WIN

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Ethical and Luxury Vegan Scented Candles – WIN

Ethical and Luxury Vegan CandleOh how we love a scented candle – for as long as I remember, we’ve burnt candles in our homes, wherever we’ve lived around the country.

They signify so much joy for us, whether filling the top of the birthday cakes, and the ceremony of blowing them out and ‘wishing’ – to a relaxing night in by the fire, candles flickering on the mantlepiece.

However, I find they just don’t last as long as they should so we’re trying out a new range, we mentioned this brand, M&J London, in our ‘be my ethical valentine’ post last week.

M&J London – all of their candles are vegan, soya candles, made by hand in London, using essential oils, combined together to make the most amazing aromas, and the scented candles are all hand poured into a recycled-glass jar – which in turn, some 60 hours later, you can wash out and use as a drinking glass!. The candles arrive in stylish boxes, which are printed and produced here in the UK, printed with eco inks in London.

And I have to say they smell AMAZING – and with a burning time of up to 60 hours – I’m delighted!
– Large candle: burn time of around 60 hours.
– Small candle: burn time of around 30 hours.

On top of that, M&J donate a percentage of their sales to a UK based women’s charity, www.niaendingviolence.org.uk in fact, £1 for each Large and 50p for each Small candle sold.

So, they are a #giftforGOOD right?! Let’s Give one away to you!

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A Scented Candle WORTH £35:

1) Click here to Watch this video all the way through

2) Give this video a ‘thumbs up‘

3) SHARE this video on your social media_ (example tweet or facebook post: WIN an  @mjethicalluxury candle – watch @incredibusy’s video on #YouTube to find out how https://youtu.be/azD3st1j-KU?list=PLV7XW3Qc_8jU86nbRT8rTXsl-z52mthrt via @incredibusy #veganUK) remember to tag @incredibusy_

4) Comment below the video to tell me why you would like to win and where you have shared the video (via twitter, facebook etc)

5) Subscribe to incredibusy’s YouTube Channel http://bit.ly/1OVHKCD for weekly Thursday videos, like this one!

Add your details on the rafflecopter form below, so that we can contact the winner…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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New Land ALBIS Ambient

M&J candle

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