Xmas recycling

So, what did you recycle at Xmas? I hope it was a lot. We had the usual plus wrapping paper (without the sellotape on), tetrapaks, plastic inserts from cake boxes, crisp packets and more. By the time the bin men came to collect it a day late, the bin was almost full. Hurrah.

I also sent off a lot of stamps to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. The next charity to benefit from us will be the Woodland Trust. I took down all our cards today, and will take them to Sainsbury's and put them in the box for cards to go to the Trust. What will you do with all your cards?

We still have a lot of festive goodies to eat, so still lots of recycling to do. Hurrah.

I wish you all a happy new year. One of being green, natural and eating healthily (after all the goodies have gone that is).

Xmas eating with intolerances

So it is Xmas time now, and what do we eat when we have intolerances to milk, soya and gluten. Here is my list:

Turkey - we have bought a breast joint from Iceland, which is usually v nice and don't get any waste. We have managed to find gluten-free stuffing by Hale and Hearty from Sainsbury's. Spuds and veg are fine. We will have our usual veg stock we have with roast dinners.

Puddings - we have bought Freefrom toffee puddings, but the only custard we find is one made with soya. It's only once a year. I have also got Sheep's milk yogurt with live bacteria in (good for the digestive system). We already have ice dessert. We did buy Ballybleat ice dessert the other day. It is v nice but too creamy in taste to have much of. We have bought gluten-free mince pies and bakewell tarts. Though I did cheat earlier in the week and had mince pies from a bakers, and paid the price. I ended up with IBS for a couple of days and now am trying not to have any naughties today.

Biccies etc - We bought pink wafers and shortbread fingers, both are freefrom. We tried Raspberry Golden Crunch biccies the other day and they are v nice - bought from Holland and Barretts.

Crisps - Mum will have Walkers baked crisps and I have Sunbites. We have also bought a mixed pack of Walkers and Pringles for our family visitors on Boxing Day. I also have pale peaunts and Mum has salted peanuts.

Sweets - we have Turkish Delight and mallows. Dark chocolate. I expect to get some more sweets from my brother on Boxing Day. We have a tin of Quality Street for visitors, and Mum has already had one.

Lunch - probably left over turkey with salad stuff, goat's cheese and hard boiled egg. We also have bought mini breadsticks for the family. Any left over will be eaten by me as Mum can't eat wheat for sure now.

I think that's it. Next year I will be v good and not have any dairy stuff again. Definitely no baker's mince pies. Learnt my lesson already.

Mouthwashes

Do you use a mouthwash with alcohol in? If you do, like I did, did you know that the alcohol can dry your mouth out? I read this somewhere a while ago, so bought a bottle without alchohol in. I had trouble finding one as they either had no alcohol and nasty chemicals in, or alcohol. I managed to find one, DentyActive, that is alcohol-free and no chemicals in except fluoride. I went to the dental hygienist the other day, and she told me that if you use alchohol mouthwash and non-fluoride toothpaste, then it can cause tooth decay. Prob cos as the alcohol dries the mouth out, there is no saliva to wash out the germs in your mouth, and the fluoride helps protect the mouth. So I have compromised. I use my organic toothpaste in the morning. In the afternoon I use mouthwash with fluoride. In the evening I use fluoride toothpaste. So it can build up and protect over night.

So, I would advice to find a mouthwash with no alcohol in. I did find that it was strong in the mouth and I had to dilute it, even though it said not to on the bottle. This new one, is strong in flavour but you don't need to dilute it. It is fine.