Sunday, 29-04-18

Good morning!

It was quite a culinary day yesterday, what with making (or finishing off) the cordial and the sort of candied peel plus enjoying two pikelets with a couple of little poached eggs.  I followed Mr F-W's technique for poaching and they came out beautifully, perhaps for the first time ever.
And I wish I could remember how I made the kidney bean and veg curry because it was so tasty!

I thought that once the gallbladder problem was sorted, I'd start feeling hungry between meals like I used to do.  However, there's been no change on that; I'm finding that each meal fills me up and keeps me full for much longer, despite the smaller portions.  Maybe habits really have changed or maybe, just maybe, it's early days and the rumbling dragon will pounce in a few days' time.  Hoping it doesn't though.

Today's food: (after a conversation with someone, I'm putting in a bit more detail for a while.
B:  porridge made with 30g oats, a splash of milk and water with stewed rhubarb and strawberries and maybe a sprinkle of that candied peel - and about 60mls plain yogurt, of course.
L:  homemade tomato and lentil soup - just one bowlful and while Beth will probably have some bread and butter; I won't.
D:  100g (ish) roasted chicken, mini roasties (one potato), runner beans; fruit yogurt
Ss:  apples

From the freezer:
The fruit for the porridge
The tomatoes for the soup and when I made it I also threw in a couple of titchy pots of (homemade) tomato and red pepper sauce that I found sulking in a corner of the freezer
The roast chicken was precooked and frozen and the runner beans were frozen too.
In a couple of months I'll be freezing this year's crop, so must use up what's already there first.

Into the freezer:  jars of St Clement's cordial

The frugal factor:
The fruit is from the garden/allotment
The tomatoes were last year's crop too
I'm going to use free range chicken* from now on (more expensive but I will have less) but I have what's in the freezer from previous purchases and I can't waste that - that would be worse than using it.
The runner beans are also last year's crop.

*I've been watching back to back River Cottage programmes on the good food network.  I didn't catch his programmes first time around (there's not a lot of time for telly-watching when you're a teacher) but am thoroughly enjoying them now I have the time.  It's a bit of a 'thing' for him, isn't it, using animals that have been reared with kindness and proper regard to what they are.
I like to be frugal - to make the most of what I have - and have every understanding of those significantly constrained by budget but that isn't my situation so - well, I'm not militant but, for me, that's the way I am going from now on.  I still intend to stretch things out as much as possible though.

But I do have to use up what I already have in first.


Edit:  I DID post the recipe for the curry.  It's here. 
http://my30-30challenge.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/recipe-kidney-bean-and-vegetable-curry.html