50p a day til christmas, healthily?!-Weezl's next challenge (part 2)

cw18

I used to freeze pre-made sandwiches, then pull them out in the morning. By lunch they'd have defrosted (in a cool bag without a freezer pack - no fridge available), and if I'd put in a yoghurt or carton of pure juice from the fridge it also helped to keep them cool

carebearbecky

Plum_Pie wrote: »

By 'upset', do you mean 'made them writhe with envy'?!

Why yes, yes I do... That and they want to know why the rest of the cake hasn't made an appearance, only my piece. The bloody cheek!:rotfl:

cw18 wrote: »

I used to freeze pre-made sandwiches, then pull them out in the morning. By lunch they'd have defrosted (in a cool bag without a freezer pack - no fridge available), and if I'd put in a yoghurt or carton of pure juice from the fridge it also helped to keep them cool

Ahhh, excellent... I was a bit worried they'd still be frozen come lunchtime! Don't want to break my teeth!

cw18

guess it depends on your timings and how warm/cold your office or work environment is..... I was on the road by 7am and had my lunch break at noon (worked in a generally reasonably warm office, with a desk by a not-so-good radiator)

hmkn

Hi all, haven't had chance even to lurk for a few days, so doing a bit of speed reading to catch up...

Congrats on the allotment jt. As you said perfect time to get it ready for spring:j . And you can spend the winter planning what you're going to plant (our library has lots of great books) . Just don't do so much to start with that you get fed up

Belated t'pennyworth on the nappy debate. I have 3 children and used to sell real nappies as an agent, so I've tried loads of different types.
I found that it wasn't much hassle TBH, it's just a question of expectations and routine. The friends asking how on earth I managed were the ones bottle feeding (though choice) which I found far more time consuming than washing some nappies (MIL suggested I ironed the flat terries :eek: . I didn't :rolleyes: .)

DH and I just got in a routine of washing every third day. The rest of the time the wet nappies were in a lidded bucket and we discovered (the whiffy way) that not soaking them was waaayyy less smelly and much easier when you come to get them in the machine than keeping water etc in the bucket.:D
This is where having full time washable nappies is actually easier than doing a bit of both (regularly, not just holidays etc) because you get into a routine.

As other posters have mentioned choice of nappies is completely personal (hence I worked for a company that sold a mixture of styles. I don't think there is one perfect nappy), so I just have a couple of personal suggestions-

Rinse the nappies before you wash them, whether they're wet/dirty. Washing machines recycle a lot of water and you want to get the urine etc out first.

Few child care providers now would refuse real nappies, in my area anyway, especially if you show them how things have moved on and they won't have to use pins!!
.
Don't wash nappies at 30 C even if you get a machine that could. They need to be at 40 to stop the stale wee smell.

Get an agent from a company that sells lots of types of nappies to show you what she's got. If there isn't a local company/shop to you try Lollipop or Twinkle Twinkle. She can come to you or you can go to her and spend as long as you like asking questions and actually see some nappies 'in the flesh' (they are often v different to how you imagine). There will be no pressure to buy anything. Have a think and maybe order a couple of different types to try, then order more once Fergus has tried them out. As already said newborn nappies are...unique (and squirty :rotfl: ) but you'll get an idea. I would avoid online interviews myself.

My personal favourite is either a terry square or a birth to potty shaped nappy (some of mine did all 3 children :cool: ) with a seperate wrap, but I would probably get a mixture again if I did it all again.
Folded nappies are the cheapest, especially terries, but the pad folded ones (eg Bambino Mio) don't have the best containment...

I wouldn't buy...
birth to potty packs. You may not need medium (DD1 went from small to large!) or may decide you hate the style of nappy you've chosen, but it's too late. Actually, they make me very cross :mad: Your nappy selection should be what you need/want, not what someone else thinks you should have.

All in one 'washable disposables'. They are expensive, less versatile than nappies with seperate wraps and have a strong tendency to leaking. I am thinking especially of Kushies Ultra, but would include those made by anyone else.

Whoops, sorry bit of a diatribe, but I couln't stop once I got started I think what I'm trying to say is that you might find yourself getting inexplicably attached to your cloth nappies!! If you want to ask me anything else, do pm me.


Back on topic...

DH came home from work to say we have a virtually endless supply of pigs trotters from the farmer on the estate where he works (he sells pigs/half pigs etc and no one wants the feet :rotfl: ) and even better-
his colleague that hunts is going to give us a whole butchered deer!! :j Best I go off to make room in the freezer (think I've just filled it with runner beans :rolleyes: )

HMK

sorry again about the nappy waffle....

jtb2412

Hi everyone and thanks for all the lovely good wishes for the allotment - we're thrilled to bits with it !

Went down yesterday afternoon and had a really productive first day. I've started a thread and will put up some pics later if anyone is interested. Won't bore everyone with the details on here lol

Stew and dumplings was absolutely lush done in the slow cooker, soooooo different from on the stove ! Meat was really tender and the dumplings .. well ...... I thought they weren't done but they were .... really light and fluffy - best i've ever made !

Having pasta tonight (bacon and cheese) and bread and butter pudding for dessert.

My order from the butcher wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (£85 for a freezer full !) so i'm hoping that our budget of £200 for the month will be easy to achieve. With my Mr T order (got a £10 discount code on that) my total so far is £150 but I think i've got enough to last. Might have to get a few odds and ends later on but at the moment, the freezer is full as are the cupboards so watch this space !

Hmkn - how lovely about the pigs trotters ! I've heard they are really nice ! Bet we all wish we knew a farmer to chuck a few things our way

Right off for munchies ... really hungry here .... think we've worked up an appetite with all the digging yesterday

In_Search_Of_Me

huggles weezl...this knitting babies is a tiring old job isnt it (not that I know of course!!)...re the fan (on now - its cold and didnt turn heating on for when I get back from college!) its a proline/fan 20 model!! would be fabby to know how much it is but have been good and got some thick pj's (dead sexy..recon I could pull a russian shot putter in them!!)...so on the way to being a bit better...
Just popping in as only just home from college and am pooped and back killing me...
nappy info will I am sure be v useful as thes e things can be most overwhelming so good me thinks to have some experience...
great also re the allotment - will try and find you tomorrow j!!

loocyloo

evening all!

my ds hasn't been 'right' for the past few weeks, not eating very much and is now looking SOOO skinny (he is only 6!).

any ideas for some child tempting food to put 'meat back on his bones'? he loves pasta & meatballs/roasts/'eggy rice'/chips, and eats pretty much anything!

(am taking him to doctor AND cranial osteopath ( ds sees her every few months for a different matter ! ) as think he may have developed diabetes ) i'm not asking for any advice on a medical front, but it might be something to bear in mind with any suggestions!

made twinks hobnobs earlier today ... yumyum! some i kept plain, some had raisons stirred in, and some choc chips stirred in ....

x

Justamum

hmkn wrote: »

Whoops, sorry bit of a diatribe, but I couln't stop once I got started

I reckon that's a very useful post for someone who's not sure what to buy. With my first two I used flat terries (I didn't know there were shaped ones around - my eldest is 12). I used the same ones for both of them and then used them as hand towels until they wore thin. When my youngest was nearly 5 I unexpectedly found myself pregnant again, so spent ages and ages on the internet researching nappies. It's a minefield! I bought a couple of different types of shaped ones. Some were a mix of cotton and hemp, and the others were shaped terries with velcro fastenings. I was also given some nappies which you folded in three and they put into a wrap (can't remember the name) To be perfectly honest I wish I'd just bought some more flat terries as they were much better than the shaped ones, are much cheaper, and have a second life as hand towels.

Plum_Pie

Loocyloo, don't know if your ds likes cereal, but granola is yummy and high in nutrients as well as calories. Here is just one receipe, I'm sure there are more in the indexes, if you do a search. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1590/goodforyou-granola

How about pasta with cheese sauce and peas or spinach stirred in? (Peas and spinach are both high in iron.)

Maybe some of Weezl hearty puds for Acetate Monkey?

BigMummaF

We had the offspring's stuffed peppers for dinner last night--I did all the prep bar the peppers, but they still said I'd had dinner 'cooked' for me! Anyhoo, this recipe was on the back of the packs of peppers from MrA SIZE=1]3 peppers in a pack for £1[/SIZE

Pepper slaw
An interesting and healthier take on a salad classic. If coleslaw was Italian this is how they would make it. It has crunch, colour and is full of flavour.

*1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green pepper deseeded and sliced into strips
4 spring onions or 1 red onion sliced into strips...............Pinch of sea salt
15ml balsamic vinegar............................................Twist of black pepper
40ml olive oil......................................................4 torn basil leaves
Pinch of castor sugar

Make the dressing by whisking the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together.
Add the sea salt, castor sugar and black pepper and check the taste before using. Thinly slice the peppers and onion. Add all together and allow to marinate for 1 hour to soften the peppers.
Tear the basil and add to the slaw.

*Can also be made with the mono colour peppers.

Hope you enjoy it, & thought it might be of use to the expectant mums who can't have mayo.