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How to made this decadent Reader favourite: 5 Minute Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie (with Easy Homemade Chocolate Chips!)
Bars and cookies | Desserts | Recipes

How to made this decadent Reader favourite: 5 Minute Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie (with Easy Homemade Chocolate Chips!)

Hi there!

I'm Kezia

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Mum, wife, bee keeper and 5am coffee drinker based in West Sussex, England. I'm also a blogger who doesn't really love the internet. But I love the power of community for bringing change, and I'm here to help you make sustainable choices feel easier and more manageable. From reducing food waste to embracing second-hand treasures, I want to navigate this journey together. Join me for budget-friendly food tips, ethical fashion, and building a whole home that loves people, planet, and personal health. Step by step, with no judgement along the way! Read more...

KEZIA NEUSCH • lower footprint living, on a budget!

the.whole.home
As I grabbed it from the sewing machine and ran ou As I grabbed it from the sewing machine and ran out the house to the bridal shower a little frantically my husband said “once it was in your head I knew there was no point even trying to stop you doing that project so I stayed silent.” 🤣 . Correct. . I was so so happy with how this turned out though. This was my 9th little project in a year of learning to sew and I definitely prefer simple cotton/linen fabrics with no give/stretch/shininess but I’m learning slowly! And I love this so much more now it’s not a jumpsuit. One day I’ll learn to not do things laaaast minute. 😜 . What do you think?!
WHAT SHOULD I PICK?! Having quit new clothes, I lo WHAT SHOULD I PICK?! Having quit new clothes, I love seeing what’s out there to help people shop second hand, and selection/price wise… I’m so impressed by @thrift_plus_uk 👏 . They landed in my DMs and offered me £100 credit to shop a more sustainable second hand summer outfit and these are some of the things in my cart - what would you pick?! . They also have a refer a friend link which can get you £5 off so comment if you want that cos £5 can go quite a long way, which I love! . . And once whatever we choose arrives, stay tuned for a more full review and try on! #prgift 🥳
Such an exciting knock on the door! 🐝 . I didn Such an exciting knock on the door! 🐝 . I didn’t think these were from my hive cos mine have a decent amount of space in there, but they don’t tend to swarm that far from the original hive so I’m not sure until I get in there! . . The last swarm I rescued was from in between floor boards one story up in a loft so this was SO much easier and quicker 😂 . I came home at 11pm and put them where their hive will be, then carefully moved them in in the morning and they’re happily buzzing in and out! 🥳 Hopefully they stay!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot as the flags I’ve been thinking about this a lot as the flags have gone up everywhere we walk, live and drive. I love what we’re celebrating, but I’m also looking at our world now with so much sadness. The children still in the same position now - living in war, starvation, violence now as they were 80 years ago. And in remembering and celebrating history, I want it to affect my now. My choices. . I’ve talked a lot in this journey of ethical and sustainable living about banking and moving our money away from banks that invest in fossil fuels and in arms. It’s a great step (among others) that we can all take to say “no” - to both of those things that are so important to our family. ❤️ . We used Triodos for savings (they’re less easy for every day I find but the savings accounts are better) and then Monzo for every day and for ethical, sustainable kids accounts. They also have a very practical budgeting app that’s just brilliant for every day getting organised and hitting budgets. 10/10 recommend those two if you need ideas! Drop a comment and I’ll send them to your DMs to remind you. . And if you want a reminder with links to your DMs for those two and a blog on how we use them to budget easily drop a comment and I’ll send them over. . ❤️ #veday
Day 858 of #nonewclothes and this journey of findi Day 858 of #nonewclothes and this journey of finding my own style without the cyclical fast fashion and high street dictation of what “in.” It’s been the best journey and much slower when you’re not just trying to buy buy buy the solutions but find things slower, used and more gently. . Style to me now isn’t just how things look, it’s got to be bigger than that. Style includes the story of a piece. Where did it come from? Who made it? In what conditions? What’s it made of and how does that affect the planet? Will it last? When it’s too broken to wear where will it go and who will that then impact? That ALL has to come into what we call style. I’m not a big style expert BUT I know true style has always been about a story much bigger than solely what a piece looks like. But as consumption has grown we’ve been told it’s just about looks, and that we deserve cheap and more and now. We need to change that. 💪 . And I love all £2 of these @stbarnabashospice charity shop earrings SO much!
If you’ve ever wanted to brew some budget friend If you’ve ever wanted to brew some budget friendly fermented “soda”, with the weather heating up now is the perfect time to have a go at making kombucha! . We make a batch weekly and it’s such a great cheap, non alcoholic fun drink to have around. For the cost of 6 tea bags and a cup of sugar you get 2 litres of delicious kombucha. The process felt a bit intimidating before I started but it’s SO easy. 1️⃣ Brew a strong sweet tea (the bacteria eat the sugar, not you!) 2️⃣ Add the scoby and a bit of booch from the last batch (you can buy one or just start with a bottle of unflavoured good live booch) 3️⃣ Let it work its magic! . If you want links for the starter kit we used, the recipe, and the compostable tea bags etc drop a comment and I’ll send them over!
If you’ve been here a bit you know I share FAR f If you’ve been here a bit you know I share FAR fewer products than I used to. The more I’ve learned, the more I’ve changed the way I do this - because living more sustainably means buying less, consuming less altogether. (And that’s a more budget friendly way too!) But it’s also true that buying some things just is part of life, and brands do play a big role in this journey (good or bad!). In that I always love seeing what the truly green, innovative, transparent brands are doing and I’m so encouraged by brands pushing things forward in educating and innovating. 💪 👏 Last week @evolvebeautyuk sent me their newest launch that’s using new technology to push the beauty industry forward with new options and ideas: 🌟 new refill bottles made in collaboration with Pulpex—a fibre-based material made from PEFC-accredited, FSC-certified wood, fully recyclable in your household paper and cardboard streams. But if it’s not recycled (the reality for a huge proportion of recyclable items) it will break down quickly in a natural environment to. So no landfill ever. These bottles are a world first in beauty—plastic-free, liner-free, and with a carbon footprint up to five times lower than glass or plastic alternatives. It’s being used by a few big brands but none in the beauty space. And like any option, there’s no one size fits all and we need a range of sustainable options but I LOVE @evolvebeautyuk’s commitment to finding lowest impact ways (across all scopes not just superficially) to run their business—and this is a real shift in how packaging could work in a lower-impact future. Two of their products are now available in this new format: 🧡 African Orange Aromatic Hand & Body Wash 🍓 Superfood Shine Shampoo The ones you see in the video! And in a world of greenwashing I love that as a brand they have all their sustainability claims vetted by @provenancehq and @bcorp. 👏 . I’ll pop links (affiliate ones cos yes I’m going to claim the tiny bits where I occasionally do still believe in brands 😂) in my stories or comment below for them, and if these don’t seem like particular products you’d use, the Evolve brand as a whole is my go to for skincare!
The juggle, and my kids only seem to grow more and The juggle, and my kids only seem to grow more and eat more. 😂 I always look at the food shop and wonder how it becomes food for a week but it always does. Drop a comment ⬇️ and I’ll send you a day by day, meal by meal vlog of everything our kids eat in a week from a shop like this cos I think it’s helpful to see! . But my keys are careful meal planning, listening to that meal plan, adding some foraged and home grown greens, and eating every scrap so nothing is leftover. Also buying most things in their simplest form I truly believe saves us so much money. It takes a little more work, but it makes the budget go so much further. . 🍴 THIS WEEK’S MEAL PLAN: . BREAKFASTS ➡️ waffles, granola, yogurt, pancakes, toast. LUNCHES + DINNERS: Butternut soup and focaccia, Pesto spaghetti + lentils, Pizza, Frittata and potato salad, Baked beans on toast, leftover Mac and cheese, bacon rolls (for a football tournament), tacos, and leftovers. . We do tend to eat similar meals on repeat but it takes some of the mental load out of the planning and making food on a budget. If I had a private chef and infinite budget we’d probably eat a much wider range of foods. 😂 But we start with a sustainable veg box, add pulses and grains, a bit of dairy and occasional meat, and keep it simple. I try to add new things in and get creative, but I’m also keeping my sanity and no one’s complaining so… 🤪 . *a few of these are processed, organic bacon, organic baked beans, pesto, and they’re all things that are also cheaper substituted with fully unprocessed options at home, but we’re trying to find balance. Bacon was a special request we have maybe once a month, baked beans are an easy protein rich meal that helps in real life, same with pesto. Sometimes a little more healthy processed food makes this possible rather than aiming for 100% no kind of processed anything, and getting depressed and overwhelmed!
Second hand gifts do NOT have to mean thoughtless Second hand gifts do NOT have to mean thoughtless and second best… even if you don’t sew extra bits! We love searching out little treasures for the kids’ friends parties and it’s a great way to be thoughtful, sustainable, and more ethical on a budget! Sometimes we’ll pair a charity shop item with sole fairtrade chocolate, sometimes with a book from B corp @worldofbooksofficial, or with some coins stuck to a kid-made card. . Sometimes we know the recipient will understand our values, and sometimes we add a little note explaining why we shop this way and how we chose it with so much love. . This time at the last minute (while my kids ate dinner that night before!) I decided to make a little bag from a second hand duvet cover and I added on the “h” while we watched a date night movie! Metal health creativity meets sustainable gifting… win win. 😂
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KEZIA NEUSCH • lower footprint living, on a budget!

the.whole.home
As I grabbed it from the sewing machine and ran ou As I grabbed it from the sewing machine and ran out the house to the bridal shower a little frantically my husband said “once it was in your head I knew there was no point even trying to stop you doing that project so I stayed silent.” 🤣 . Correct. . I was so so happy with how this turned out though. This was my 9th little project in a year of learning to sew and I definitely prefer simple cotton/linen fabrics with no give/stretch/shininess but I’m learning slowly! And I love this so much more now it’s not a jumpsuit. One day I’ll learn to not do things laaaast minute. 😜 . What do you think?!
WHAT SHOULD I PICK?! Having quit new clothes, I lo WHAT SHOULD I PICK?! Having quit new clothes, I love seeing what’s out there to help people shop second hand, and selection/price wise… I’m so impressed by @thrift_plus_uk 👏 . They landed in my DMs and offered me £100 credit to shop a more sustainable second hand summer outfit and these are some of the things in my cart - what would you pick?! . They also have a refer a friend link which can get you £5 off so comment if you want that cos £5 can go quite a long way, which I love! . . And once whatever we choose arrives, stay tuned for a more full review and try on! #prgift 🥳
Such an exciting knock on the door! 🐝 . I didn Such an exciting knock on the door! 🐝 . I didn’t think these were from my hive cos mine have a decent amount of space in there, but they don’t tend to swarm that far from the original hive so I’m not sure until I get in there! . . The last swarm I rescued was from in between floor boards one story up in a loft so this was SO much easier and quicker 😂 . I came home at 11pm and put them where their hive will be, then carefully moved them in in the morning and they’re happily buzzing in and out! 🥳 Hopefully they stay!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot as the flags I’ve been thinking about this a lot as the flags have gone up everywhere we walk, live and drive. I love what we’re celebrating, but I’m also looking at our world now with so much sadness. The children still in the same position now - living in war, starvation, violence now as they were 80 years ago. And in remembering and celebrating history, I want it to affect my now. My choices. . I’ve talked a lot in this journey of ethical and sustainable living about banking and moving our money away from banks that invest in fossil fuels and in arms. It’s a great step (among others) that we can all take to say “no” - to both of those things that are so important to our family. ❤️ . We used Triodos for savings (they’re less easy for every day I find but the savings accounts are better) and then Monzo for every day and for ethical, sustainable kids accounts. They also have a very practical budgeting app that’s just brilliant for every day getting organised and hitting budgets. 10/10 recommend those two if you need ideas! Drop a comment and I’ll send them to your DMs to remind you. . And if you want a reminder with links to your DMs for those two and a blog on how we use them to budget easily drop a comment and I’ll send them over. . ❤️ #veday
Day 858 of #nonewclothes and this journey of findi Day 858 of #nonewclothes and this journey of finding my own style without the cyclical fast fashion and high street dictation of what “in.” It’s been the best journey and much slower when you’re not just trying to buy buy buy the solutions but find things slower, used and more gently. . Style to me now isn’t just how things look, it’s got to be bigger than that. Style includes the story of a piece. Where did it come from? Who made it? In what conditions? What’s it made of and how does that affect the planet? Will it last? When it’s too broken to wear where will it go and who will that then impact? That ALL has to come into what we call style. I’m not a big style expert BUT I know true style has always been about a story much bigger than solely what a piece looks like. But as consumption has grown we’ve been told it’s just about looks, and that we deserve cheap and more and now. We need to change that. 💪 . And I love all £2 of these @stbarnabashospice charity shop earrings SO much!
If you’ve ever wanted to brew some budget friend If you’ve ever wanted to brew some budget friendly fermented “soda”, with the weather heating up now is the perfect time to have a go at making kombucha! . We make a batch weekly and it’s such a great cheap, non alcoholic fun drink to have around. For the cost of 6 tea bags and a cup of sugar you get 2 litres of delicious kombucha. The process felt a bit intimidating before I started but it’s SO easy. 1️⃣ Brew a strong sweet tea (the bacteria eat the sugar, not you!) 2️⃣ Add the scoby and a bit of booch from the last batch (you can buy one or just start with a bottle of unflavoured good live booch) 3️⃣ Let it work its magic! . If you want links for the starter kit we used, the recipe, and the compostable tea bags etc drop a comment and I’ll send them over!
If you’ve been here a bit you know I share FAR f If you’ve been here a bit you know I share FAR fewer products than I used to. The more I’ve learned, the more I’ve changed the way I do this - because living more sustainably means buying less, consuming less altogether. (And that’s a more budget friendly way too!) But it’s also true that buying some things just is part of life, and brands do play a big role in this journey (good or bad!). In that I always love seeing what the truly green, innovative, transparent brands are doing and I’m so encouraged by brands pushing things forward in educating and innovating. 💪 👏 Last week @evolvebeautyuk sent me their newest launch that’s using new technology to push the beauty industry forward with new options and ideas: 🌟 new refill bottles made in collaboration with Pulpex—a fibre-based material made from PEFC-accredited, FSC-certified wood, fully recyclable in your household paper and cardboard streams. But if it’s not recycled (the reality for a huge proportion of recyclable items) it will break down quickly in a natural environment to. So no landfill ever. These bottles are a world first in beauty—plastic-free, liner-free, and with a carbon footprint up to five times lower than glass or plastic alternatives. It’s being used by a few big brands but none in the beauty space. And like any option, there’s no one size fits all and we need a range of sustainable options but I LOVE @evolvebeautyuk’s commitment to finding lowest impact ways (across all scopes not just superficially) to run their business—and this is a real shift in how packaging could work in a lower-impact future. Two of their products are now available in this new format: 🧡 African Orange Aromatic Hand & Body Wash 🍓 Superfood Shine Shampoo The ones you see in the video! And in a world of greenwashing I love that as a brand they have all their sustainability claims vetted by @provenancehq and @bcorp. 👏 . I’ll pop links (affiliate ones cos yes I’m going to claim the tiny bits where I occasionally do still believe in brands 😂) in my stories or comment below for them, and if these don’t seem like particular products you’d use, the Evolve brand as a whole is my go to for skincare!
The juggle, and my kids only seem to grow more and The juggle, and my kids only seem to grow more and eat more. 😂 I always look at the food shop and wonder how it becomes food for a week but it always does. Drop a comment ⬇️ and I’ll send you a day by day, meal by meal vlog of everything our kids eat in a week from a shop like this cos I think it’s helpful to see! . But my keys are careful meal planning, listening to that meal plan, adding some foraged and home grown greens, and eating every scrap so nothing is leftover. Also buying most things in their simplest form I truly believe saves us so much money. It takes a little more work, but it makes the budget go so much further. . 🍴 THIS WEEK’S MEAL PLAN: . BREAKFASTS ➡️ waffles, granola, yogurt, pancakes, toast. LUNCHES + DINNERS: Butternut soup and focaccia, Pesto spaghetti + lentils, Pizza, Frittata and potato salad, Baked beans on toast, leftover Mac and cheese, bacon rolls (for a football tournament), tacos, and leftovers. . We do tend to eat similar meals on repeat but it takes some of the mental load out of the planning and making food on a budget. If I had a private chef and infinite budget we’d probably eat a much wider range of foods. 😂 But we start with a sustainable veg box, add pulses and grains, a bit of dairy and occasional meat, and keep it simple. I try to add new things in and get creative, but I’m also keeping my sanity and no one’s complaining so… 🤪 . *a few of these are processed, organic bacon, organic baked beans, pesto, and they’re all things that are also cheaper substituted with fully unprocessed options at home, but we’re trying to find balance. Bacon was a special request we have maybe once a month, baked beans are an easy protein rich meal that helps in real life, same with pesto. Sometimes a little more healthy processed food makes this possible rather than aiming for 100% no kind of processed anything, and getting depressed and overwhelmed!
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