DAIRY FREE VEGAN BANANA CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

I made these yummy treats last week when dying for something chocolatey (and package free). I found a recipe online and forgotten which and where it was but had jotted it down in my notebook - I recall it being a gluten free version and as I'm not allergic to gluten I used up my own ingredients.

They are super easy and quick to make and made up with ingredients usually always in your cupboard (well mine anyway :) and those bananas that you've been neglecting over there....

Ingredients - 

• 3 Ripe Bananas - all mashed up
• 1/3 cup Dairy- free Butter / Margarine 
• 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cups Caster Sugar
• 1 1/3 cup Flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Dark or Dairy- free Chocolate pieces broken up (I tied up the pieces in a tea towel and used a rolling pin to smash them up)

Method -

• Preheat oven to Gas 4 / 180
• Mix the Sugar and Butter in a bowl until smooth
• Add the mashed Banana and mix
• Put the rest of the ingredients in and combine together 

• Line your muffin tray with cases (you can make your own from 20 x 20 squares of parchment paper - just press the paper into the cup of the tin and define the creases)
• Spoon in the mixture evenly 
• Place in the oven for 15 mins (Gas Mark 4 / 180)
• ENJOY!

 I wrapped some up in parchment paper ( it says 'No Dairy' on the tag) and gave them to my sister who loved them and wanted the recipe! (so here it is ELF!)

These were yummiest when still warm and gooey but pop them in a tin to store where they'll be good for a couple of days. 

You can probably freeze them if you like too! 


Let me know if you've given these a go and if you added anything - I was thinking of adding some raisins next time. YUMMY!!



Thanks for reading

Juliette x

THE BEGINNING OF A JOURNEY TO ZERO WASTE

January was basically like this -

-Watching TV - Bea Johnson on 'This Morning'
-Who's Bea Johnson?
-WHAT? Only a litre of rubbish a year?
-Ok, Shes cool
-Zero-waste lifestyle?
-Google - Zero waste
-Eyes opened
-Ok, that's cool
-My kinda vibe
-Let's get on this awesome band wagon!
-Looked around me - what I used, wasted and chucked away
-Bought Bea Johnsons book - Zero Waste Home
-Read that in two evenings!
-Itching to re-evaluate my life!

February..

-Reading up on this and that - what can I change in my life?
-Refusing all plastic bags!
-Skipping stuff in plastic packaging where possible
-De-cluttered EVERYTHING!
-Bought a stainless steel flask
-Made my own hankies and produce bags
-Glass Jars Please!!
-Replaced  a lot of shop bought products for homemade or natural alternatives
-Got a pack of bamboo toothbrushes
-Minimalism? I thought that was just a style of interior
-Is zero-waste the same as minimalism?
-Note to self- get into minimalism
-Seeing plastic rubbish everywhere!
-Obsessing over recycling - even more than before!
-Got inspired by zero-waste, eco friendly, minimalist instagramers and bloggers
-Started my own blog - Hello!

 Zero Waste, has it changed my life?

I suppose so, and for the better!
I've always thought of myself as 'green', a litter-bug hater and a serious recycler. I've always hated waste and hoard junk until I can either mend it, reuse it or upcycle it. But I was blind to so much rubbish that I suppose became so normal! There was so much more I could have done - or not have done, like to stop consuming, purchasing and contributing to all that waste and land fill rubbish! It's become so normal to use plastic straws and bags and styrofoam cups and paper plates - that only get used once and then disposed of and it is just totally UNNECESSARY.
It's early days for me on the zero waste wagon and it's breaking those habits which is tricky - e.g -using that plastic wrapped hand wipe at a restaurant the other day! UGH


I'm still using products in plastic/un-recyclable packaging - like mascara, moisturiser and face wash- I will continue to use until the likes of these run out and I'll look for alternatives when the time comes - I've been so tempted to chuck everything away and start using natural alternatives now, but it just doesn't make sense to waste it. The containers will eventually end up on the land fill - but at least I can delay it for a while and use up the contents.
I have thrown/given away unused, toxic and unnecessary products (like deodorant), found alternatives and will never go back! But I'll leave that for another post..

I wonder how long until I really settle into this transition. How long it will take for the strange looks to not bother me. And how long will it be until all the rubbish and plastic waste used and left by others will stop giving me anxiety!!


Have you been trying to reduce your rubbish/trash?
What's that number one disposable/waste product you will never go back to?


Thanks for reading!

Juliette x

LUSH SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER BAR REVIEW

I recently purchased these two little plastic-free delights from LUSH!

The SUGAR DADDY-O Conditioner bar on the left and the MONTALBANO Shampoo bar on the right.

I mainly purchased these as I am trying to lessen the amount of plastic I purchase and use, and want to go down the more natural route instead of using all those chemicals you find in so many beauty and cleaning products.
So after ditching the plastic bottles of shampoos and conditioners, I looked to LUSH to find they have unpackaged, almost natural and vegan alternatives!

They were £5.95 each which I haven't spent on a single hair care item in a very long time (usually I spend £1-2 on a bottle!!) But I wanted to give it go, maybe they'll last ages and ages!

So far I've washed my hair using these little guys 3 times - the smell of the MONTALBANO Shampoo bar is yummy yummy yummy - I love citrus smells and chose it purely because of this. 
It lathers up really easily, seems to clean pretty well and leaves my hair with a light fragrance. I would definitely treat myself to this again.

I chose the SUGAR DADDY-O Conditioner bar as it's purple and claims to help banish brassiness from blonde hair. 
I'm not a huge fan of it so far- It doesn't lather, it oils up in your hands but not much at all- they say to stroke the bar onto wet hair, but it slips out my hands and is hard to hold on to as I do this and it doesn't feel as if it's leaving behind any of its oils on my hair - I just find it annoying and I wonder how it'll fare as it gets smaller and smaller to grasp.
The first time I used it I really didn't think it conditioned my hair at all as I was in the shower, but after rinsing, combing (which was surprisingly easy as my hair gets very knotty) and drying, it did feel nourished.
The second time I washed my hair it felt heavy and greasy - due to this, on the third wash I gave it a really good rinse and an extra one to be sure. 
Well I write this after that wash and as I've been waiting for it to dry - it does feel like there is a residue left on the hair when I run my fingers through and I know it's going to get greasy again pretty quickly!

SO, I don't think this conditioner bar is worth its price for me, I don't think it makes much of a difference to brassiness and leaves my hair a bit oily - but I will continue to use it until it's finished as I don't want to waste!

All in all - these products don't have any waste - no plastic bottles and no harsh chemicals -Woo! Go LUSH, let's have more products like this! 

I will be looking into homemade alternatives to cleaning my hair once these have run out - I have been noting some ideas on Pinterest and look forward to trying new things.

Do you make your own shampoo and conditioner? If so, what do you use?

And if you have tried any of the LUSH bars for your hair, what do you think? And which do you recommend? 

Thanks for reading!


Juliette x