Sorting out my life - Part 2!

copperjar

Well I didn't do any of my planned things today. Ooops. Had a lazy one but feel quite chilled out now so I think it was worth it. Had a nice long soak in a bubble bath, read a book, paid a bit more off my CC (always cheers me up!) and sent a couple of emails to some friends I haven't been in touch with for a while. Haven't been to the gym, think I'll leave it this weekend and start again properly on Monday.

Had another Amazon sale of £25 which has been listed for ages so that was a nice little bonus. Still have quite a few things to list on eBay but I just can't face doing it at the moment...maybe I'll save the things for next month [STRIKE]when[/STRIKE] if my money saving mojo is stalling.

Didn't manage to buy myself a treat - typical when I say I can have something, I can't find anything I want/like! I do need some new clothes but I'm kind of between sizes at the moment. If I can get a few pounds off, I might have a mini splurge next month. Not that I should be advocating spending money willy nilly, but I don't want to fail my NYR this early do I?!!

copperjar

Okay, so I'm determined not to waste the entire weekend! Have spent much of it just mooching around the house and messing about on t'internet - must actually achieve something today! Will write a list to [STRIKE]shame[/STRIKE] motivate myself:
- write and post Dads birthday card
- sort out wardrobe into keep/throw/eBay piles
- clean the house
- write shopping list
- sort out work diary

Motivate me!!

copperjar

Well, I managed to get my tasks done (in a fashion). Went through my wardrobe and founds loads of clothes that have barely been worn, some still have the tags on them They were obviously bought when there was a bit less of me, or with the intention to slim down into! So there's some motivation right there to crack on with the gym and plan my weekly menus. I'm due a visit up to see the parentals in Feb and some of my too tight but too long work trousers need taking up (I feel 12!), so I have a good target to aim for there.

Tidied up downstairs and did the usual Sunday chores. Haven't done my menu plan yet, really would love to get into cooking but can't find a suitable book which is for sad sack singletons, healthy/low cal and extremely easy to follow! Can find plenty that meet one, even two of my criteria, but none for all three. Anyone got any ideas? Or want to send me food parcels

I got given a lovely notebook for Christmas (LOVE stationery!) which I'm going to start using as a stressy diary so I don't dwell on things too much and don't bore everyone to tears on here!

iwantahome

Hi copperjar,

You should invest in a slow cooker if you have the funds. They are amazing and you cannot destroy a meal in them.

Stick a chilli/curry/soup in on a sat morning (after browning off any meat), go out all day come in to the lovely smell of a home cooked meal. Get some of those value containers small enough to hold an individual portion from tesco. Plate up what you will eat that night and put the rest into the containers in single portion sizes, allow to cool and stick in the freezer (I used to be able to get 8-10 portions from my slow cooker in left overs). The following saturday do exactly the same with a different meal, and the same the saturday after that (you see the pattern). Build up a freezer full of mini meals for one. Each night take one pot out of the freezer for dinner the next evening, by the time you get in from work it will be defrosted, maybe even take two out, one for lunch one for dinner, so much nicer than shop bought microwave meals.

When you arrive home from work put a jacket potato in, or some rice, or cous cous, vegetables, whatever you fancy and nuke the portion of chilli or whatever your selection box freezer has produced that night. Always a healthy meal as you know you have prepared it yourself, and you know you have not wasted food throwing it away, so meals for a larger number of people can be broken down for one. Provided you don't stuff the containers full you will have a good sized portion too and will ensure you are not over eating or allowing any to go to waste. As your containers free themselves up in batches of 8-10 put the slow cooker back on and restock your freezer. I used to do this for two and am planning on doing it again for one in the future. You can't go wrong in a slow cooker, I have never had a bad meal from mine yet.

Each time you cook its just a case of making up the quantities that recipes state and then splitting into containers and freezing (provided the food will allow for freezing).

I hope this helps.

Ps. the same goes for lasagne, cook one that is intended for a family and portion it up into the freezer to have with salad through the week. Excess rice and spaghetti freezes well too. So don't just look for recipes for one, just freeze what you don't use, some weeks you won't need to go shopping as you will have enough food already in the freezer for the entire week.

PPS. don't always use a cook book, some of the best recipes come from experimenting yourself with whatever is in your cupboard (how do you think the recipes were invented in the first place).

Looooooooooooong post over!

copperjar

Thank you

Will I have to buy a slow cooker cook book?! I can't quite explain just how hopeless at cooking I am! I can only make one meal from scratch (moussaka) and its really not healthy the way I make it! Nice though....so nice I usually eat a full family sized batch to myself! All my other meals are either pasta, something to reheat in the oven or microwave meals! Will look into slow cookers.....although I did buy a 'healthy meals for one' *sob* book earlier this evening. Will see what that's like when it arrives.

Thanks for the advice

Why do weekends go so fast? Another working week looms, but at least my diary is a bit busier for next week, the last two weeks have been sooooo slow. Main plan for this week - no smoking!

iwantahome

Good, glad you getting back on that no-smoking wagon. It'll pay your debts off so much quicker and will add years to your life too.

You don't need a cook book. Slow cooker cooking is the easiest.
Chicken and veg soup:
Chop up 2 chicken breasts (supermarket chicken breasts are usually double the size one person needs
I always brown off any meat other than chicken as chicken is acceptable to eat white, sausages aren't (in my head)
Put it in the slow cooker (turned off for now so it doesn't burn the bottom)
Put whatever veg you want in there chopped up into chunky or small pieces depending on how you like it.
Add salt and pepper
Add 2 chilli's if like me you like simply everything to have a kick
Even add herbs if you like
Add chicken stock til it covers the veg
Put the lid on
Turn on the slow cooker and leave it on low all day (or high if only for an afternoon, or put on high for a couple hours then programme to lower temp if you have a fancy dan one)
Stir occasionally (if you are in, but not essential)

Place in a bowl, serve with bread if there aren't lots of potatoes in (one load of carbs is enough)

If you don't want meat just skip the chicken part and use veg stock. If you like the soup to be thicker then blitz it with a hand blender thingemybob, but not too much otherwise you'll lose your lumps of chicken to paste. The only washing up is the crock pot and lid, ladle, chopping board, knife, bowl, and spoon (easy).

You can buy slow cooker cookery books, but i find the internet has more than enough recipes on if you do a search, and once you've made a few nice dishes and got your confidence up you'll experiment yourself anyway and the book will become redundant and a waste of money.

My staples include chilli, curry, lasagne, soup, spag bol, fajitas, salad, fish in tomato-veg sauce with cous cous. More than enough variety there for me especially as curry and soup come in loads of flavours depending on whatever is in the cupboard/fridge at the time. Honestly, do a bit of experimenting no-one will know if you mess it up and when you get your tastebuds back after quitting smoking you'll love it even more.

copperjar

Wow! Thank you iwah You make it sound very easy! Now, one of my most annoying character traits is that I can't make a decision without doing mountains of research, mulling things over for a good few days/weeks and general being incredibly indecisive! So I like the sound of this slow cooker malarky and will look into it further! It should save me money as well - spent far too much at the supermarket tonight. I can just imagine my friends/family reaction if I tell them I'm getting a slow cooker!

Had a good day today. Work wasn't quite as slow as last week, posted off my Amazon sale, been shopping and heard back from an old friend I emailed at the weekend. Hooray! Just looked at my bank balance though and although I seem to be within budget, its only 10th of the month and there's not an awful lot left! I think I should be just about okay though.

Weighed myself this morning :eek: I think my scales are wrong. I seem able to gain/lose 3lbs depending where I put them. But I've definitely put a few pounds on since my healthy phase in Sept/Oct. So, off to the gym tomorrow (I will go!) and have my low cal cook book arriving this week. Still haven't found anything I want to buy myself this month, well there's lots I want, but I can't chose!

Day one smoke free

iwantahome

Once you get one you will only buy veg, meat, rice, and pasta at the supermarket. In fact find a butcher and a greengrocer and you'll only go into supermarkets every few weeks for soap powder, toiletries and wine. but go on a morning as all the good stuff will be taken by the afternoon.

Make the slow cooker your monthly gift. they are mega cheap (like £20 in asda probably cheaper), and use hardly any leccy. Search around this board, people honestly can't recommend them highly enough. I found it stopped me snacking too as the dinner was ready soon after getting in and I didn't then have urge to snack before deciding what to make.

Congrats on the smoke free.

copperjar

Well you're certainly selling the benefits to me! I'm just worried about the healthy eating side because of my portion control, but I think I'm definitely going to give it a go. So thanks

Just spent £10 on iTunes for some music for the gym tomorrow. Have been listening to the same stuff for a while now so needed something to get me motivated and energetic. Its so easy to do, think I could have spent about £100, but that'll keep me going for now. Should inspire me to go tomorrow anyway!

Oh, we had the first round of feedback from the restructure "consultation" today. What a whitewash! It was just jargon, platitudes and sweeping statements ("there is broad agreement on our plans so we will move forward with implimentation"). Didn't they read my feedback?! Ah well, I guess we knew what was what, I just wish they'd offer voluntary redundancy. Having wobbles again about going alone - just because we can't actually do anything yet.

Made my pack up for tomorrow (I'm Miss Organised so far this week) and I'm hoping for NSDs for the next 2 days. No spending planned until Friday - lets see if the £3 in my purse can last until then

jwil

I second the slow cooker idea, they are fab! There's a whole thread on old style called 'what's in your slow cooker today' or similar, and there's loads of ideas on there.

The only problem is if you are at home all day with it on, it makes you darned hungry smelling it all day :rotfl: