Michelle Tant

A lot has been said in the media of late about our Carbon Footprint – the principle being that every human activity either directly or indirectly causes greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere and this contributes to climate change. I’d like to reduce my carbon footprint but its actually really hard! Funnily enough there is one thing I do which has a zero carbon footprint (CF), and that is breastfeeding! The production of baby milk substitutes has a high CF due to the rearing of the cows, the production of the cows feed, manufacture and transportation of the milk powder, the manufacture of the product itself, then there’s the packaging – tins, plastic etc. The long shelf life of formula milk means that a hard wearing container is essential. When I sit here and breastfeed, my carbon footprint is minimal… I say minimal because I do admittedly need to breathe… #justsayin But as I’ve already said, living greener doesn’t just have to mean drinking out of used yoghurt pots and we...

As a mother to three gorgeous children, the way I look at the world has changed somewhat. As I’ve explained before, I’ve always been concerned about world and environmental issues, but now it’s not just about the world that I live in, it’s the world that my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will live in. More to the point, will there be a world left for them? In my attempts to live a greener, more environmentally aware everyday life I don’t always succeed, I am not a perfectly green person but I am doing the best I can. I guess what I’m trying to say is just do what you can; whatever you do, it is one more person doing one more thing and all those one things add up. This is not a wishy washy philosophy, there is power in numbers and I really believe that. It does still mean of course that I have to get up off my chair and do something. Here in the UK, the buzz phrase for reducing waste is REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE . How can I REDUCE? • The landfills in the world can’t take...

I was brought up to have an awareness of the world around me, my Nan was a green campaigner, specifically protesting against the development of nuclear weapons and so I feel like it’s a part of me somehow, in my genes if you like! So it was no surprise to my mother I would imagine when I came home with the leaflet from a petition I’d signed to stop the testing on animals for cosmetics etc. I was as furious as any 12 year old can be and I started writing letters, to the Prime Minister, to the cosmetics companies, to my local paper, anyone who would listen, but mainly those who wouldn’t. At times, as a young person, I felt utterly overwhelmed by the enormity of the issues of animal cruelty, what could I do? As I grew up I carried on with the letters etc and a couple of protests at school, I learnt about other issues going on in the world, injustices towards children in the developing world, continuing prejudices on my own doorstep… It really sometimes feels like too much. How is it that ...

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The last time I made a genuine effort to lose weight was before my eldest was born and I lost 33lbs. Quite impressive even if I do say so myself. Now I have around 14lbs to lose, the byproduct of birthing 3 children. Not that I can blame them entirely of course, but everyone needs a fall-guy right? A small note on the picture I chose for this post - only I know the enormous amount of willpower going on in that picture of my son and his birthday cake! It's not a trait I possess in spades, nor a trait that his Father, who does admittedly have more than me, has passed to him. What a little angel. I absolutely see the benefit and yes necessity of losing that weight and getting into shape but my inclination seems to have packed its slimline bag and trotted off into the chocolate laden sunset, leaving me wondering whether 'just one' makes a difference. Believe it or not, I used to run. I ran the 5k women's challenge in Londons Hyde Park. It was a brilliant experience...

Now I only need to write essays for fun! Yes, its all done. All that's left is to put the folder in the post. It's out of my hands. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the writing aspect of the course, as I did immensely, its just I feel ready now for a period of writing without having to worry about getting my references perfect. Or in fact, write without referring to anyone. Love blogging. The relief is palpable. I sat down this evening without that moment of thinking "I should be writing an essay". So now I can start looking forward. I have a break planned, as in, I'm not starting teaching until I've started back to work, settled in a little, when life has started to get used to the new rhythm if my being back at 'normal' work will bring. I'm looking forward to teaching, to start building to my own experience, to improve, to become a better breastfeeding counsellor. To start working with women. I've said it before and I'll ...

The last time I was served Gnocchi it was with a cheese sauce and it was almost enough to put me off for life. So it was with a certain amout of trepidation that I had a go at this recipe. It's very easy to put together and takes about 45 mins or so. You'll need... Salmon fillets 2 x Courgette sliced diagonally A red onion in wedges A lemon in wedges too 400g of potato gnocchi Handful of olives Handful of fresh rocket Fresh parsley to garnish Olive oil Pepper Put the courgette, red onion, lemon, gnocchi & olives in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and put in a preheated to 200'c oven for 30 mins. Take out and stir the vegetables then put the salmon fillets on top, sprinkle with pepper and put back into the oven until the Salmon is cooked, around 10-20 mins, depending on the size of the fish. Take out, set aside the cooked Salmon while you mix in the rocket. Serve the vegetables onto plates, place the fish on top and garnish with the parsley. Eat and enjoy! I was c...