Written By Michael Ofei
11/11/2018
I remember experiencing appealing brands for the first time in elementary school.
One of my closest friends always wanted the best of the best brands. He would only wear Nike shoes, he loved to talk about TAG Heuer watches, and his dad worked for a Lexus car dealer, so of course, we never heard the end of that!
My older brother is also into expensive brands. Often quoting his premium Diesel jeans or Hugo Boss suits.
Admittedly, I was also quite severely drawn to brands, and I still am. I remember when I bought my first Spalding basketball. I loved this ball because I knew it was the same brand used in the pros. Playing with this Spalding, made me feel like I was Michael Jordan every time I stepped onto the court.
This brand of basketball to most was insignificant. But to me, this ball meant everything. It shaped my identity and gave me optimism. And to the credit of Spalding, that’s the point. / Read More »
Written By Masa Ofei
04/11/2018
How often do you take lunch to work with you? Every day, once a week or maybe a couple of times a month? I’ve really tried to implement this in our household but was always falling short because I’d be planning on taking dishes that would just take way too long to prep. Sound familiar?
This is how this Mediterranean pearled couscous salad came about. I’d been keen to try pearled couscous for years but never really knew what to do with it or if it was an ingredient I’d be able to find easily. I managed to get my hands on some in a local bulk store a few months back and thought to experiment. It seemed like the perfect ingredient for a cold salad that would be easy to take to work or school. / Read More »
Written By Michael Ofei
28/10/2018
A lot of folks associate minimalism with decluttering. We define minimalism as the process of identifying what is essential in your life and ruthlessly eliminating things that are non-essential.
But once you’ve paired down your things, commitments, relationships, to create space for the things you care about, there’s a crucial step that follows, saying no.
“The real power of minimalism lies in what you’re prepared to say no to.”
Saying no, against your natural urges to not feel like you’re missing out, is the greatest challenge.
In our adolescence, many of us were consumed with the thought of having people say yes to us. We didn’t want to feel left out in school. We wanted our peers to like us. So when confronted with the thought of saying no now, it almost feels counterintuitive.
Luckily, I’ve discovered a nice little hack to make saying no a breeze. Let’s get into it, shall we? / Read More »
Written By Michael Ofei
21/10/2018
For the first time in months, I went to Woolworths, which is the largest supermarket chain in Australia (Americans, think of Walmart). I was on a mission to find organic tofu which was unfortunately wrapped in plastic—but we were willing to make the compromise this time around.
I quickly grabbed the tofu and took the opportunity to browse the isles to see if there were any new vegan products. As I was looking, I couldn’t help but do some people watching.
I saw lots of interesting things as I was essentially judging my local community. There were young adults in gym wear buying lean meat and pre-packaged chopped vegetables. I saw mothers with trolleys filled to the brim with packs of juice boxes, Wonder White bread, dairy milk, caged eggs, the list goes on.
It was quite horrifying to watch folks buy products that are not only harmful to the planet and animals but also to themselves. / Read More »
Written By Masa Ofei
14/10/2018
I’ve been trying to get into the habit of experimenting more with desserts in the kitchen, and this Peanut Butter Caramel & Chocolate Slice has certainly motivated me even more!
It’s smooth, rich, sweet, and balanced. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is not one that you can really fail with. When I first thought of making a tart, I didn’t think that it would be this hard. Hard because it was impossible to find a pan that was not non-stick or aluminium! When you know that they are unsafe, even if you use it every now and then, I didn’t want to bring that into my home. I also called around my local charity stores thinking they might have one, but apparently, it’s a rarity, as most people that buy them, hold onto them or dispose of them if the non-stick wears off or the dish is no longer doing what it’s meant to do. / Read More »
Written By Michael Ofei
07/10/2018
We came into the world empty-handed and will leave the world empty-handed.
In our lifetime we have a finite amount of resources at our disposal. Let’s make it count!
At the time of writing this article, I’m living in Canberra, which is the capital city of Australia. It’s an incredibly wealthy city with high levels of disposable income.
However, like many rich cities, most of this money is spent on shit we don’t need. Even worse, we spend money on products and services that do more harm than good. / Read More »
Written By Masa Ofei
30/09/2018
Ever since we embarked on the minimalist journey over three and a half years ago, I’ve created this ideal in my head. Asking myself “am I portraying what minimalism is?” on a regular basis.
I love minimalism and what it stands for but it’s different for everyone. Being intentional with everything in your life and eliminating the unnecessary, the clutter, and the things that weigh you down is how I define it.
One thing that I’ve had a lot of challenge with has been the aesthetic. I’m a very visual person. I like things to be tidy, clean and pretty. Having that kind of standard, I find myself spending time cleaning, tidying and resetting visual standards after use all the time. Maybe a little obsessive some might say? / Read More »
Written By Masa Ofei
23/09/2018
I’ve had Miso Glazed Eggplants when I’m out for dinner and have absolutely loved them! I’ve always seen restaurants using the bigger, Italian style eggplants, but not the thin long Japanese variety that I’ve utilised in my recipe. You can also use Chinese eggplants, which are lighter in colour than the Japanese ones. / Read More »
Written By Masa Ofei
16/09/2018
Do you ever pause to look at what’s in your bin? I mean, really look at what you roll out onto the curb every week for the rubbish truck to come and collect?
We never used to think twice. Food scraps, packaging, leftovers that went off, cleaning waste (paper towel, tissues), you name it—it was most likely in our bins.
Fast forward to today, we put our bin out every 3-4 weeks and that only has the one-half bag of rubbish in it normally. The reason we get rid of the bag is that it’s made of compostable materials and starts to fall apart in our bin after a while. Along with dust from the vacuum and maybe some of our dog’s poop, that’s all we’ve got. / Read More »
Written By Masa Ofei
09/09/2018
I used to make a delicious creamy cauliflower bake with cheese and cream before I became vegan. It was quite a heavy, rich sauce.
The first few months of being vegan, I wanted to recreate a white sauce that I liked for dishes like this leek and mushroom pasta. So I set out on a mission to recreate a vegan and healthier alternative. Once I landed on the fact that cashews make things nice and creamy and thicken a sauce up really well, this was my base for a lot of different dishes. Creamy sauces and curries are the ones I use cashews in regularly. / Read More »
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