VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #4

It's the very last post of our Veganuary!!! I am aware that the month of January consists of 31 days, however after a straight 4 weeks and 28 different meals I'm sure I've gotten my point across.

Vegan food is normal food - you eat many of the same things as us regularly. Meals need not be based around a meat item but there are substitutes if that's what you're into. The misconception that it is all rabbit food has been well and truly busted, especially this week, when I've shown that it isn't all healthy. 
There is so much variety, so many options for people of all dietary requirements and levels of cooking.
Lastly, I need to reiterate yet again that it is affordable. All of the food you have seen this month came from one online food shop at the start of the month which cost around £80...what you don't see is our breakfast foods, snacks and all the other bits that also came on that shopping order. You can eat healthy, hearty, filling, comforting, unhealthy, delicious, cruelty-free food on a budget.

Check out the previous 3 weeks posts here and week 1 for more of an explanation onto what Veganuary is >>
VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #1
VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #2
VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #3

Day 22 - Breakfast for Tea! 
Usually it'd be toast and rashers of Cheatin', but the bacon sub we were able to get this time was small pieces and so in a roll!
Many people may also have tomatoes and mushrooms etc but it's a well-known fact that they are gross so I don't partake.

Day 23 - Basic Mash, Veg and Gravy. 
A lot of people have a 'Sunday' dinner. We don't.
But once a week we do have a basic potato and veg, occasionally with vegan sausage.

Day 24 - Enchiladas, Seasoned Chips and Mushy Peas.
Mr H knocked it out of the park with these homemade enchiladas this night.
As I've reiterated through these 4 posts so many things can be bought as kits, pre-made or frozen too.

Day 25 - Penne Pasta with Sauteed Green Pepper and Onion
At this stage in the month, we are running low on lots of ingredients, especially fresh veg.
Usually in this circumstance we'd have had courgette or some other greens mixed in.

Day 26 - Takeaway...
So the unexpected happens to everyone and although it was Broccoli Delight on the menu (see here),
we did end up having to order a quick - fully vegan - pizza takeaway due to Mr H working late.

Day 27 - Burgers, Garlic Potatoes and Peas
Another later finish equals another quick tea.
We're running out of options and are due a shop haha!

Day 28 - Fried Rice and Veg
One of our favourite meals is super easy and filling.
Frozen veg keeps us going with only being able to have one food shop per month.


Something Sweet - Chocolate Covered Cinder Toffee (Homemade 'Crunchie')
When it comes to things like cake, traybake etc we often make our own as vegan alternatives are harder to come by. 
This is a basic cinder toffee I made, cut into sections and dipped in melted dark chocolate.
Mr H then got fancy and drizzled it with some vegan white chocolate. 
 

And that's it. Our month of sharing how normal vegans eat is over. I hope you were able to get some inspiration for simple things you can make whether you are already vegan, vegetarian, in the midst of converting or just curious to the diet. I'm sure I'll be back at some point with more animal-friendly food posts but until then you can check out all of my others here - there are so many you could have a different meal each day of the month and even have plenty to spare.

Thanks so much for following along. Feel free to share!
Until next time...

[Click to see full size. Our full 4 weeks of meals]

My 90 Mile Hike at Home

 

On January 11th I began travelling the distance of Hadrian's Wall...from my living room.
Years ago I had planned an actual, in-person, trek of Hadrian's Wall. However, those who had initially said they were going to do it with me, all dropped, out one by one, and left me alone which would be an unsafe journey. After that, I never had another opportunity to complete the challenge...until now.

I have taken part in multiple other virtual distance events, raising money for a range of charities including Born Free and Saving the Survivors, so obviously the internet often advertises different events to me and at the start of the year I came upon The Conqueror Events Series who provided me that opportunity I needed. 

There are multiple reasons I decided to sign up to their 90 miles (145 km) Hadrian's Wall Virtual Challenge but the most important is that I am using this as a fundraising event to try and raise funds and awareness for an amazing animal rescue shelter in Serbia. Click here to view my Just Giving and read more.

To give a quick background on the shelter, based in Kragujevac, Serbia, it is called Vucjack Shelter and has been ran by Dejan Gacic for over 20 years. They have rescued, provided medical attention, fed and sheltered the growing number of stray dogs who are abandoned, discarded, starved and abused from the surrounding areas.
Dejan never turns an animal away and as of October 1st 2020 the shelter is the home to over 900 dogs, 130 cats, 13 wolves, 2 fox and 1 jackal. (The video shown above is from 2018 so numbers etc are outdated). 

Following life at the shelter online show photos and videos of happy animals being cared for by wonderful people, but in tough conditions. With the global pandemic and a harsh winter here, donations are needed more than ever. With so many animals and a lot of work, I wanted to raise some funds to contribute to the staggering costs they incur from food and vets fees to building of new winter shelters, rent for the home where the very ill animals are housed and way more.
I urge you to check out their website Vucjakshelter.org as well as their social media pages Instagram.com/vucjakshelter to get a true look into life at Vucjak Shelter. You can sponsor individual dogs, sign up to a monthly donation via their Patreon or give one-off donations to help them keep running.

As of writing this (January 26th) I am currently 50.6 miles into the total 90 miles! Along the way, I am able to view my surroundings on the street view map, receive 'postcards' from certain interesting sites along the wall and at every 20% marker they donate toward the planting of a tree - they have helped plant 450,000 trees since August 2020 which is so cool. 
I mentioned that I am doing this all from my living room, without the help of a treadmill or bike, while fighting against arthritis, asthma and back pain issues. After putting on 4 stone in 18 months, making all my ailments way worse I had to take action and get my body back to some sort of fitness. Going for walks outside like we used to isn't an option, I've tried using a cross trainer and I couldn't take to it but, after looking into options, bought a mini rebounder and it has been such a great purchase! Low impact on my joints as well as lots of fun. From running, jogging, walking, jumping and everything in between I've managed to work out for around an hour a day minus 3 this whole month. My fitness tracker converts my efforts into miles and I post them on my 'The Conqueror' app, tada!



If you'd also like to take part in one of their virtual distance challenges, click here! They have a range of events, based all over the world, starting from 21 miles ranging all the way up to 2,280 miles. After I've completed this one I'm hoping to join the 'Ring Road' in Iceland which is 828 miles...a bit of a step up from 90 haha!
Once I do reach the finish line at Bowness-on-Solway and my medal has arrived (yep, you get a fancy medal too!) I will be sure to write another blog post to bring my challenge to a conclusion, as well as show off the rest of my postcards and hopefully update on the status of my fundraising.

No matter how many events I do take part in or even organize I always struggle to raise money despite succeeding in the challenge/event. I am an unpopular loner with no friends, I don't work therefore have no colleagues and the charities I strive to help are always for animals, often lesser-known which seems to put people off. Therefore, this will be my last. My family and I regularly contribute in many ways to multiple organizations and that will continue but I will no longer be asking for sponsorship etc. 
That being said if you are able to spare the odd pound, please please consider supporting my efforts for this super special shelter. Again, my Just Giving page can be found here >  https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hallow90miles < and I am more appreciative than you will ever know if you decide to be so kind as to donate. Thank you and thanks to those who have already sponsored. 

Until next time...

VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #3

 

It's week 3 of Veganuary!!! Check out the previous 2 weeks posts here  and week 1 for more of an explanation onto what Veganuary is >>     

VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #1

VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #2

In short, my husband and I are vegan and Veganuary is a challenge for non-vegans to try the lifestyle for a month to see how awesome it is! I've decided to publish an extra post here each week of January sharing our evening meals each day to prove how basic, easy, down to Earth, cheap, simple, varied, nutritious, tasty and more vegan food can be. The majority of vegan options in restaurants and recipes I see online are complex and over the top, most completely not fussy eater friendly. Mine are.

See below for lots of delicious ideas that you can tailor to your own needs, tastes and dietary requirements!

Day 15 - Homemade Hot and Spicy 'Chicken' Pizza with Wedges
A basic dough is quick and easy to make and you get to decide the toppings. What's not to love?!
Of course there are also many pre-made and frozen vegan pizzas now available in stores!

Day 16 - Siracha and Spring Onion Mash with Broccoli and Sprouts
Mash, but exciting! I love mash but to mix it up a little I added spring onions and siracha.
A nice addition to a basic veg filled dish.

Day 17 - Tacos (Black-Eyed Bean and Soy 'Chicken' Filling) and Garlic Potatoes
Mr H is the taco maker/expert in this house, so these are his creation.
Super yummy!

Day 18 - Pesto Pasta with Peas
Another take on pasta.
This time gluten-free fusilli with green pesto and peas!

Day 19 - Spicy Smashed Potatoes with Green Beans and Broccoli
This was a new-to-me meal. I took inspiration from a recipe I'd seen online and twisted it for us.
Small potatoes boiled, flattened on a baking tray and covered in a specially made paprika sauce,
before being put in the oven to crisp up. So good!

Day 20 - Paella
Usually I use red pepper with this dish, however we only had yellow and green so looks wise it's not the norm.
This is obviously a little more of a faff to make, but it's so good and filling. Worth a try!

Day 21 - Spicy Lentil Soup
With being fussy and such there are only a couple of soups I like.
Today was meant to be Leek and Potato however online food shops once a month often mean you don't get what you order.
We also only had 1 carrot left, so I got crafty and made up a take on my usual lentil recipe.

Something Sweet - Alpro Chocolate Pots!
YUM.

That's yet another week down and in 21 days we have not had one repeat meal! 21 different meals! All 3 weeks meals are also all made from only one online food shop at the start of the month that cost around £80...and we have enough food for the rest of the month too. Don't tell me vegan eating isn't attainable or affordable! So many people try to say how expensive it is or how difficult it is or how limiting it is - well I fully disagree. We are not well off, live off one income and manage to put together all of these interesting, hearty, varied meals. 


For more of an explanation why vegan is the way to go, without graphic imagery etc, listen to this >

Our Eco Journey - Pets

 

Before I continue, please feel free to check out the other posts in Our Eco Journey:

The Bathroom
The Kitchen
Out and About
50 Things I Don't Buy

This has been in the drafts for many months and it's time to get it up. We try hard to bring an eco-friendly outlook to all aspects of our lives, that includes with our 10 babies, however it's more difficult with animals because first and foremost their care and needs have to be met to the highest standard. They don't have the choice to say what they want or don't want and although there are many arguments and thoughts about raising animals, we are personally doing what we can to give them the best life we can. I mention this not only because of the list of items below but because we are obviously vegans that do not feed our animals a vegan diet. My choices should not impact their basic needs. So there are probably more eco-friendly pet products but we place our pets health, safety and happiness first.

That being said, here are the things we have been doing and using to be more eco-minded when it comes to our little family. 

Beco Bowls
We love these! I'm going to share exactly what it says on their website because they word it best -
''A sustainably made bamboo food and water bowl that will last for years in the home, before naturally breaking down once disposed of. Natural food dyes are used to create bright colours.''
All of our animals minus the snakes use these! That means we own 10 in different sizes and colours!
We also have the litter scoop from Beco.

Eco Toys
Of course our spoiled guys and girls have accumulated a lot of toys over the years, some not so sustainable, however, those that aren't are sewed and washed to extend their lives often. We do have a few more natural options made for the likes of hessian, natural rubber etc and even some that have been made from recycled plastic bottles. 

Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags
With the amount of these that we go through, it's a must that these are biodegradable. I think all those sold should be. It's disappointing to walk along and see that someone has gone to the trouble of picking up their dogs poo but instead of taking it to a bin to dispose of, they've flung it to hang in a plastic bag from a branch or bush.

Compostable Food Bag
We've chosen to feed our dog and guinea pigs a dry food from a brand who has a great environmental ethic. They try to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental effects in numerous ways but one is with a compostable food bag! Read more about what Harringtons are doing here.

Terracycle Cat Food Pouches
If you have a cat you'll be aware of the sheer amount of these pouches that you go through in a month...and we have 2 cats. It's not always an option to use something that is eco friendly in the first place but thankfully the Terracycle scheme (click to read more) deals with these. We clean them out thoroughly while doing our normal washing up, let them dry out and box them all up to drop off. 
Currently we have an insane stack because the drop off point isn't accepting them right now, plus I can't go anywhere. They'll keep until we can get them taken though.

Wooden Cat Litter
I've always used this option with my previous rabbits and such, so when Mr H and I moved in I got him onto this option for the girls. Wooden litter is obviously made from a natural material. It's renewable and biodegradable and also technically recycled itself as it is made of waste from other industries.
There are many other benefits too including price!

Homemade Hay
In the summer when cutting our grass we were able to save some of the good stuff and dry it out to give to the Guinea Pigs as some additional fresh hay. 

Veg Offcuts
Not only do we use offcuts from our own vegetables at home but Mr H often brings a big bundle of broccoli stalks, fresh parsley offcuts and more home from work (he is a head chef) which the Guineas always love. 

Sustainable Treats
We may be vegan but we know that it is not in the best interests for animals to be so. Some people will argue that certain pets can survive on an all-vegan diet, however, we aren't those people haha. 
That being said when it comes to their food and treats where possible we stick to certain brands and certain 'animal products'. For example, I never buy anything including lamb, duck and exotic meats for Baker - we stick to chicken and turkey mainly.
Brand wise we enjoy those who put the effort in to have recyclable packaging, organic ingredients and higher standards where animal products are concerned. Baker loves Pooch and Mutt, Lily's Kitchen and Whimzees the most!

I've really enjoyed compiling this series and can already see changes from some of the other posts, which definitely reflects in the title 'Our Eco Journey'. Sadly, there are also a tiny handful of things that have taken a step backwards over the past year what with a global pandemic and such. While I'm on the subject, I have to stress how important investing in a reusable/washable mask or a few is. Please do not use disposables unless you are in healthcare, elderly care or another profession that calls for it. These among other things like disposable cleaning wipes, excess plastic and an increase in single-use disposables have presented a huge dilemma for our planet. All I have heard during this time is how great it has been for the planet with fewer cars on the road and a decrease in pollution from places of business, but it's been forgotten how bad one use, throw away culture has become.
For now I'm going to leave it here and perhaps revisit this series in a year or so to see how we have (hopefully) progressed.

I hope these posts have helped or inspired someone out there. Thanks for reading!
Until next time...

Pages Per Day // December

 

The last of our page tracking numbers for 2020 is finally here. The last Pages Per Day.
I have now decided, well we have, that after recording our pages for the first half of January we actually aren't going to carry this on through this year. It's just an extra task that takes time but serves no real purpose. Reading isn't about numbers or competition and we've known that all along. We did this to give us motivation and see how well we were doing but we are in a great routine with reading and have many great books to get around to in 2021.

Days 1 - 7 =  264
Days 8 - 14 = 264
Days 15 - 21 = 264
Days 22 - 28 = 193
Days 29 - 30  = 92

Monthly total = 1,077

Days 1 - 7 =  503
Days 8 - 14 = 270
Days 15 - 21 = 586
Days 22 - 28 = 162
Days 29 - 30  = 166

Monthly total = 1,687

December was a good reading month! You'll see in our quarterly round-ups how many books we actually got through, but I know I for sure super bypassed my TBR list which was brilliant. 

Below is a total of these monthly 'PPD' posts along with what Goodreads has told us our yearly pages read were. I can only assume the discrepancy is where books on Goodreads include cover to cover as numbered pages.
Mr H annual page total (minus January) - 12,781 [GR - 13,918]
Mrs H annual total - 15,167 [GR - 16,632]

More on all that in our 2020 Goodreads Overviews though...

Until next time!

VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #2

It's week 2 of Veganuary! To read more about what Veganuary is and why I'm putting these posts together, make sure you check out the first post here > VEGANUARY! What We Ate This Week #1 

In short, my husband and I are vegan and Veganuary is a challenge for non-vegans to try the lifestyle for a month to see how awesome it is! I've decided to publish an extra post here each week of January sharing our evening meals each day to prove how basic, easy, down to Earth, cheap, simple, varied, nutritious, tasty and more vegan food can be. The majority of vegan options in restaurants and recipes I see online are complex and over the top, most completely not fussy eater friendly. Mine are. 

Vegan doesn't mean eating crazy things like mushroom stroganoff, pulled-pork-style shredded jackfruit and sticky sesame cauliflower, vegan simply means eating without any animal products. 

Keep reading below to see how a normal couple eats on the daily!

Day 8 - Burger, Chips and Mushy Peas
My favourite Quorn hot and spicy burgers again, Mr H had bean burgers,
you can find many other burger alternatives. Including 'beef burger' replicas etc. 

Day 9 - Mash and Veg Dinner with Sausages
I am so annoyed that this night I forgot to take a photo. Mr H actually made this and it slipped my mind.
Therefore the photo above is from a previous meal and features more potatoes and is obviously minus the sausages.

Day 10 - Quesadillas with Smashed Garlic Potatoes
The lack of greenness makes this photo less appealing to the eye,
but these cheesy quesadillas are just as flavorful as the non-vegan originals. 

Day 11 - Gluten-Free Spaghetti with Sauteed Broccoli and Peppers
You'll learn from these posts that broccoli is one of my favourite foods.

Day 12 - Baked Potato and Beans with Mixed Leaf Salad
Super basic, not too high in calories and semi-healthy.
Mr H added vegan cheese to his which you can do too!

Day 13 - Balti Curry with Brown Rice, Peas and Chips.
An actual down to Earth and real-life menu includes things like leftovers.
We had leftover Balti Curry from last week so it was used tonight.

Day 14 - Homemade Creamy Broccoli Soup
As a picky eater, my soup range was always limited to Lentil.
Last year I added Leek and Potato and now I tried making/eating Broccoli for the first time.
It wasn't bad but with certain taste and texture aversions, it'll take a while to get used to.

Something Sweet - Oreos!
Although there are obviously hundreds of options for snacks,
sweet treats and such I still want to share just one thing we may have eaten each week.
This week I had some Oreos. I ordered different ones but online shopping means substitutes.

That was another week in our vegan meals. I hope it showed that it isn't all tofu, mushrooms and seeds. You can be a fussy eater, have other dietary requirements, not be the best cook, have little time to prepare meals and still be vegan. If you love animals or care about the future health of our planet or even just want to improve your own health, please consider giving vegan a chance. You can see more of our meal ideas in these posts here.

For more of an explanation why vegan is the way to go, without graphic imagery etc, listen to this >

The Birds of 2020 // January - March

 

It's no new information that I love wildlife and birds. Many of the daily photos I take (pop over to Adventures of the Hallows to check out my 9th year of Project 365) feature the birds I encounter in my life be it in my garden from the window or out on adventures. Therefore I've decided to look back on the birds of 2020 each quarter and count how many species I was lucky enough to photograph. 

January

Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Fulmar, Stonechat, Starling, Coot, Black-Headed Gull, Cormorant, Coal Tit, Robin, Black Bird, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Wood Pigeon, Magpie.
15 Species photographed in January.


February

Fulmar, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Song Thrush, Mandarin Duck, Mallard.
8 species photographed in February. 4 new this month.


March

Black Bird, Magie Pie, Mistle Thrush, Rock Dove, Wood Pigeon.
5 species photographed in March. 1 new this month.

That totals different 20 species total from January through March! 20! That's so cool and 9 of those photos were taken from my own home. The Fulmar was a real highlight of the first quarter of 2020, photographed at Marsden Bay where there is a great population of breeding kittiwakes, fulmars, razorbills and herring gulls and I look forward to the day we can return and photograph them again.

Until next time...!