In the last few years particularly, I have found myself easily spending €50 to €70 per week on my daily lunch. If you eat your lunch out every day, you might not realise just how much it is costing you. A soup, sandwich and a drink doesn’t give much change from €10! I very much doubt I would spend that same amount if I pepared these lunches at home!

If you take this saving and calculate what you could put away over a 5 year period, it equates to quite a tidy sum!! Perhaps the Take your Lunch to Work campaign can take over from the heady days of SSIA schemes!!

I admit, taking your homemade lunch takes a little bit more organisation, but once you get in to the habit of it, it′s both financially rewarding and generally much tastier and satisfying!! My first tip is to invest in some good reusable containers and perhaps a flask if you fancy a hot drink – this also makes sure you′re cutting down on waste – so it′s a double whammy!!!

I already hear some of you groan at the memory of the soggy tomato sanger at the school lunch break!! But fear not, there is so much more choice there now!! Fill you lunch box with some fresh cut bread and a slice of parma and brie, and you have an epicurean feast to compare with the best deli in town!! I personally love to make a bowl of pasta twirls every few days, keep them in the fridge and use them to make a different pasta salad each day (you can′t beat tuna, sweetcorn & a good dollop of low fat mayo!).

Also don′t forget leftovers, this is definitely the easiest way to organise your take to work lunch. This is the easiest way to make your lunch: just make extra dinner the night before. Nearly every office has a microwave oven and you will be happy to have a bowl of last night’s beef stew, which will probably taste even better than it did right from the oven. Other leftovers don’t even need to be re-heated, such as poached salmon or a piece of cold chicken. By planning ahead you can steam some extra broccoli, saute an extra chicken breast, add another sweet potato to the oven, or boil some eggs while dinner is on the stove.

Two other suggestions that I think important, if you want this to work for you – firstly, just because you bring your own lunch doesn’t mean you shouldn’t really enjoy what you’re eating. Prepare and eat meals that you will look forward to eating and you won’t feel hard-done by nor be tempted to toss your homemade food in exchange for a slice of pizza.

Finally, even if you don’t have to leave the office to buy your lunch, give yourself a break. Take your lunch, and a friend, with you to a park bench, or do a quick visit to a nearby museum, browse in a bookstore, or just walk around the town. We need our lunch breaks not only to refuel our bodies but also our minds! So come on, join me Save money, Eat Better and Get Greener!!!

Spring is in the air and as the weather finally changes, everyone around me seems to be coming down with a cold. Like so many Irish folks, I am sensitive to foods containing gluten.  And, I try to stay away from dairy in the damp weather.  And, I’m a vegetarian, hmm…. No meat, no wheat, and (mostly) no dairy.  Alas, I’m a professional cook so I spend a lot of time creating recipes to suit a variety of diets. Here’s one of my favorite cold weather  meals that’s tasty, satisying, easy to make and good for ya! (more…)

It never fails to amaze me that no matter how good my intentions, I still spend the last 4 weekends in the lead up to Christmas on the batter.  Whether it′s work related, partner related or family and friend related there always seem to be a plethora of dinners, parties or shindigs to attend. (more…)

Waste not want not – in these times of green awareness and financial concern, it’s more important than ever that we don’t waste precious resources. Yet in the USA, the average American dumps about 14% of the food they purchase every year. In the UK, a typical family throws away £50 worth of food – every month! If this sounds familiar, here are a few simple steps you can take to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, food waste in your household. (more…)

There are several areas that you can make eco-friendly, earth-friendly and healthier choices to Green Your Halloween.

Food

Focus on making healthier foods more fund to eat.  For treats consider organic candies, dark chocolate and low fat foods like licorice.

Costumes

Reuse your costume from before. Create a costume from reused or recyclable items or clothes.

Decorations

Decorate with reusable items or recyclable ones like newspaper, leaves, sticks, branches, cornstalks, cardboard boxes.

Activities

Attend Local fireworks or Halloween festivals.  Focus on treating others rather than ‘treats’ or volunteering your time to fundraise for a good cause.

What could be nicer than always having a big bowl of fresh, organic probiotic yoghurt ready in the fridge.

Making it is easy-peasy and I usually do it while having breakfast. It’s half the price of commercial stuff, and because it has fewer ingredients, it has fewer ‘food miles’ as well.  What could be better.

If you’ve made yogurt before, you probably bought some commercial live yogurt to start, and then saved a fwe scoops from each batch to start the next until, after a few goes, it lost its potency and you had to start again with fresh shop-bought yogurt. All of which was costly and unpredictable.

Well, not any more.

My new, foolproof technique has one crucial ingredient: some probiotic “pixie dust”, aka commercial yoghurt culture.  In other words, the culture that commerical yogurt producers use.

I sourced a sachet from someone selling yoghurt at Dublin’s Temple Bar food-market; it cost €10, and is good for 200 litres of milk… two years later I’m still using it (just store it, sealed, in the freezer)

Or, you can buy a box of 10 sachets here, and sign-up nine friends to share the box with you!

To make 2-litres of yoghurt:
You need:
2-litres of milk (full-fat works best, and I like to use organic)
A pinch of  probiotic  culture (less than 1/8 of a teaspoon works fine)
A timer (essential, so that you don’t forget the heating/cooling milk while doing something else, such as eating breakfast!)
A large bowl & lid to culture the yoghurt
Somewhere warm (I’m currently using a ‘nest’ made out of a sleeping bag (!) in a draft-free cupboard; but I’ve also used a tea-cosy over the bowl, and a south-facing window on a sunny day; and in winter, the warming plate from an old wine-making kit)

Method:
1] heat the milk until nearly boiling (about to lift off!) about 10 minutes.
2] Cool the milk, until it drops to about 45° (so you can just bear to stick a (clean) finger in it and count to 10).   I sit the saucepan uncovered in a sink of cold water for about 10 minutes; remember, the timer!  (if it gets too cold,  just heat it up again a little)
3] Pour the warm milk into the bowl (plastic is best for staying warm; if using glass/metal, preheat the bowl).
4] Add a pinch of the culture, and stir well.
5] Cover, and place somewhere warm and undisturbed for about 10 hours, or over night.
6] Cool fully, before refrigerating
7] Enjoy!

While culturing, try not to disturb it, as this can upset the process.

The bacteria double in number every 20 minutes, so if the yoghurt hasn’t set even after 10 hours, it may just need another 20-40 minutes (happened to me just the once); because it has probably cooled by then, simply transport the bowl (carefully) and set it in a basin of boiling water for 20-40 minutes.

This may sound elaborate, but it really is very simple.  Once you get the hang of it, you can do it in the morning while having breakfast, and come home in the evening to a batch of fresh organic yoghurt, and for a fraction of the price of commercial stuff.

And no plastic rubbish!

And, if you like that, I have a 101 tips for saving time, money and resources in my new book, Drive like a Woman, Shop like a Man.

(c) Mary Mulvihill 2009

I love meat! The fact is I am not alone, the majority of Irish people eat meat.  I have never been tempted by my vegetarian friends to join them in their exclusion of all meat dishes (although some of the best cooks I know are vegetarians).

Those who practice vegetarianism do so mainly for ethical reasons.  In the most part they do it as part of a larger practice out of support for animal rights.

However there is a growing number of people who are going vegetarian in order to save the planet.  It has long been known that the livestock sectoris a ”major player” in affecting climate change through greenhouse-gas production.  The farming and slaughter of cows and other animals generates an estimated 18 % of total human-induced greenhouse gas emissions globally.

Livestock emit methane and other greenhouse gasses through excrement and belching. Estimates reveal that cow manure and flatulence generate 30 to 40% of total methane emissions from human-influenced activities!

So there are plenty of reasons not to eat meat but I have to admit that I would really struggle to make the leap to a full fledged vegetarian!  My love affair with the Sunday Roast is just too strong!

But I am willing to compromise, and becoming a flexitarian seems to be to the perfect solution!  This way I can have my cake and eat it, I mean steak!!

If we as a nation decided to reduce our meat eating days from 7 to 4, it would mean a very significant change to our carbon footprint.

Without posing any threat to the meat industry, we should think about the following when choosing to eat meat:

If you eat meat for both your breakfast and dinner, try and eliminate it from one of these meals.

When you′re eating out try not to choose meat choices for both your starter and main course.

Purchase Meat with Less Packaging.

Check out fresh organic meat at your local farmers′ market.

Use Your Leftovers from home and the restaurant.

Buy Meat Direct. You can reduce your carbon footprint by buying locally.

Spend More. There is no denying organic and local meat will empty your wallet faster, but cheap meat costs a lot when you factor in its long-term effect on the environment and human health.

Support Your Local Butcher.

Now that sun has well and truly said hello, we are all optimistically dusting off the barbecue. But have you ever considered whether you are having a green barbecue?

Rumours that gas is the greenest option ignore the fact that it is a non-renewable fossil fuel, of which supply is not guaranteed, and that the any outdoor cooking is energy-greedy. When buying your charcoal, buy from sustainably managed forests and look for an Irish brand (failing that choose a UK brand). Also look for lump charcoal which has not undergone chemical processing.

Also don’t forget to…

• Avoid plastic – bring out your washable plates, glasses and cutlery.  It may cost a little extra effort on the washing up front, but in my book it creates a much nicer atmosphere to use the real deal. I love using a mismatch of vintage plates, bowls and cups – it gives a real sense of summer on the table.
• Use washable napkins or at the very least recycled paper napkins.
• Choose local and if possible organic food. Your local farmers market is a treasure trove of excellent bbq ingredients; local meats, fish, the freshest fruit, vegetables, condiments including dressings, chutneys and homemade dips etc..Check out our directory for your local Farmers Market (use the Directory Search on the right hand side to search by location).

Cork forests are endangered, but suprisingly if we choose wine with real corks instead of plastic and metal caps, we’ll ensure the preservation of these forests through the power of supply and demand.  (more…)

It’s amazing how a simple thing like keeping a jug of water in your fridge can reap so many benefits saves water, saves energy as well as benefits your health!!

For one thing it will eliminate reaching for that disposable plastic bottle which has a colossal carbon footprint!!!!

You are also more likely to drink more water if you see an inviting cold water jug whenever you open your fridge door keeping you hydrated and avoiding nasty alternatives. Also, did you know that when you leave tap water to sit a while, the chlorine present from the filtration process evaporates! This means you are enjoying a refreshing altogether healthier drink!!

If the above hasn’t already convinced you, there’s more!!  Your ice requirement will also be cut out (and therefore you will save the energy needed to create it), and also you won’t need to let the tap run while you wait for a cooler temperature, cutting down on waste!

Who knew that being green had such far reaching consequences!!! Now I’m off to hug a tree!!!