Trying to make my dreams a reality!!

icontinuetodream

mortgage_girl wrote: »

Oooh buddha bowls sound lovely - did you get your inspiration from Kris Carr's book by any chance? I might have to give them a go.

Well done on your mortgage op's - you're doing brilliantly. :T

MGx

Thanks MG!:D

Never heard of Kris Carr...I was vegan for years and have always done Buddha bowls.... just didn't know that was what they were called until somebody told me!! :rotfl:I have always just 'bunged' stuff together, its the only cooking style I have ever had!!

Had a massively busy weekend in the garden...my Monday of doing nothing didn't happen as I decided to weed the massive new 'flower & veg' bed that ds dug out for me earlier in the year....don't think that I have ached so much in my entire life, but really pleased that I have completed it now and have every intention of keeping on top of it so that it's never such a mammoth task in the future!!:D

Work has been crazy again this week but have decided that I am going to actually stick to my work days now and not be answering calls and emails on my days off!! I must admit it's a struggle getting used to being part-time...I have always been a full-time worker and having to leave things 'part' done is driving me crazy!! Oh well, I will get used to it eventually!!;)

I am having a total slob day today as I didn't manage it on Monday...I'm not getting out of my jammies!!! I have a few things recorded that I will catch up on and I may watch a dvd or two later and have a little snooze!:j My work phone is off and staying that way, dinner is already prepared and ds will walk the hounds for me!!:D

Nothing to report on the mortgage front, it will be a couple of weeks before I can add anything more, but will definitely be able to put more to it before the end of the month

Hope you all have a great week!!:D

icontinuetodream

Have had no home phone or internet for almost a week!! :mad:

Woke up on Friday to discover it all dead but have had the engineer round today and all is fixed and back to normal :j....actually, because the cause of the problem has been there for ages as far as he is aware, the possibility is that I will have quicker internet access now than I have had for the past few months....silver lining!!;):D

Haven't managed to pay anything further off the mortgage - haven't been able to get online to find out if I have anything to tilly-tidy so will do that later today.....plus I have had a very spendy week We were out with friends over the weekend and spent a fortune, plus a take-out earlier in the week so not looking too promising, but with 12hr days at work and rushing around like a crazy person, it has been a welcome relief just to let the whole thing slide for a while!;)

I am really looking forward to the next few days - as the weather is meant to be lovely, I decided that I want to really make the most of my days off this week.

I have little to do in the house and we put the wine kit that I received for solstice on last weekend so I will have an opportunity to have lots of frugal wine while slobbing in the garden!:D

Food wise, I am keeping the whole cooking thing to a minimum....I have planned my meals to accommodate my lazy/garden slobbing opportunities

I made a leek and potato soup on Saturday which I put into the freezer - got that out this morning and currently have dough mixing in the bread-maker ready to make into a pesto focaccia later. Tomorrow, I will make garlic potato cakes with an onion chutney and serve with lemon oil cannellini beans and salad leaves from the greenhouse - the mash is already in the freezer along with the cannellini beans so really quick to throw together....Saturday, I will make Valencian rice which also takes less than 30 mins!! Here's to some seriously lazy days!! :T

littlegreenpeas

What's in valencian rice ??

icontinuetodream

Here you go lgp....

Valencian Rice

2tbs Olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 medium carrots finely chopped
1 tin tomatoes
8oz rice
½ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
6oz cooked chick peas

Method

Preheat oven to 190/gas 5

1. Use some of oil to grease baking dish. Heat remaining oil in a large pan and add onion and garlic. Stir & cook until onions soften
2. Add carrots, then after a few minutes add tomatoes, reduce heat to low and cook for approx 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave lid off pan. Add rice, turmeric, cayenne and stir for a couple of minutes
3. Stir in chick peas, enough boiling water to cover, then transfer to baking dish and bake for approx 20-25 minutes until rice is tender and most of the liquid absorbed

Very simple and cheap to make and one of those dishes that tastes much better than the minimal ingredients would suggest!!

Dh brought some compost home last night along with the seaweed plant food I requested so I will do a bit of pottering in the garden today.....I want to get my beetroot and chard seeds in and my courgette and bean plants out into the garden before I miss the opportunity!! I can't wait until I start harvesting stuff and will hopefully get plenty of produce this year from my plants

I do love growing some of my own food and love the perennials even more!! I am very hopeful for my globe artichokes...they have been in a small pot for the past couple of seasons since I sowed them as I had no alternative while we have been re-arranging the garden and doing up the kitchen. As a result, they have done absolutely nothing - however, since I put them into the garden a few weeks ago, they are bigger than they have ever been and may even produce a few heads this year!!:D

The slobbing is going brilliantly I am really enjoying just doing nothing and feeling no guilt whatsoever about it!;)

Mortgage wise, more to go to it on Thursday next week after payday!!:j I should have a bit from tilly tidies and also it will be the first time this year that I don't need additional cash from dh so he can put that to the op too!!:D

It will feel so good to actually be hitting it again....the first mortgage statement I received after starting this diary was in January 2012 and had a figure of £61340..... hopefully by August 2014 I will reach my first truly major milestone .......sub 36k !! I will never have owed so little on my home when I get to it....and I really can't wait!! :D:D

ETA I've just noticed I've got another star!! Woohoo!!!:j

Peonie

That's a huge reduction, well done.

icontinuetodream

Thanks Peonie!

Lazy days are still going well....going to do some cooking today though so that I have little to do when I get home from work next week

I remembered yesterday that I haven't put in any travel expenses at work since I started!:o Not a good thing as I don't think I will be able to claim for April's now....must get it done tomorrow for May and then start to do it on a weekly basis - really can't afford to be so stupid again....:mad:

Grocery money is now a lot lower than it should be....we have decided that our night out, some other stuff we have needed for the garden and a set of taps that we have replaced in the bathroom are all coming out of it....it means that I have about £100 left now to last till the end of the month and nothing to put in the bulk purchase pot which was really not my intention but sometimes life is just like that!!;)

Food this week will be based around what is left in the cupboards - really want to clear everything out before I buy in anything other than fresh stuff...I seem to still have a large amount of things in jars that I am desperate to get rid of! I have decided on the stuff for the next few days but don't know the numbers for later in the week so will decide those once I do!

Today - Three bean lasagne for dinner using jars of Bolognese and white sauce that dd brought home with her when she came back, chopped onions in the freezer from indian take-outs and beans in the freezer that I cooked last week!!

Monday - Garlic polenta with roasted peppers, goats cheese and cherry tomatoes; I will cook this today along with the lasagne to save electric

Tuesday - Sliced beef in ale with Yorkshires and veg - I have a jar of 'beef in ale' sauce (no idea where it came from if I am honest!!:o) and the beef is already cooked and in the freezer so I will just re-heat it in the sauce and serve

Right, off out to the garden now....lots of sunshine to be enjoying!! Have a fab Sunday!!:D

yukkibear

All sounding very yummy from where I'm reading. We've been trying to eat from the cupboards this week, last night was hm pizza and it was so yummy.

littlegreenpeas

Thank you for the recipe, I will have a go next week.

Lgp x

Peonie

In my last job they refused to give me £140 in owed expenses despite doing the jobs of 3 people when my boss went on long term sick and my colleague left. Apparently I should not have prioritised work! Grrr.

icontinuetodream

That's awful Peonie....don't think I will lose anywhere near that much, but its still annoying :mad:

Having a good week though!!:D

I got paid yesterday and it included money for the additional hours I worked when I first started so have managed to pay off the credit card in its entirety (just under £120) and the rest of it to the mortgage...so, along with an OP from dh I have paid off an additional £750 today!! Woohoo!!:j

I got all the veg and seeds out at the weekend, I found some bags of leaf mould that I had started a couple of years ago and totally forgotten about so utilised them as well as some compost so it saved me a fair few quid!

I also sorted the wine out and made all the food this weekend - made a massive Bolognese with a small amount of mince (400g) along with tvp which has been languishing in the cupboard for a long time....enough for five people and the same amount again for the freezer! Tasted fab too I'm so pleased as I still have a load of tvp that I was considering throwing out but will now use to pad out more Bolognese sauces

I am doing well with the grocery budget too...considering that I have had a night out, a take-out and bought loads of compost, grow bags and some fittings for some taps from it, the fact that I still have enough left to see us through to the end of the month is a bit of a miracle!! :rotfl:

Just need to sort my expenses out today and I will feel that I have accomplished quite a lot!