make do and mend for tougher times

lucielle

I've come back off hols and struggling to catch up. Has anybody said what the long range forecast is going to be for winter?
L

Mrs_Chip

Hand crank washing machine

Soup is a good idea! Nice and cheap, and filling. I used to have a dried veg soup - called Spring Vegetable, was quite nice, not too many cals, quick to do and more to the point helped fill me up! But you can make similar for pennies and is very good for you!

Mrs_Chip

Lots of low cal soup recipes

fuddle

Aw brilliant, thanks everyone! Would a cup-a-soup out of a packet work? I have loads of them in my stash. I'm loving the pedal powdered washer/dryer. Really reasonable too.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the winter forecast just yet lucielle but the whispers are it's going to be cold and snowy, quite early on in the season. If you believe it that is. Best be prepared just in case though.

MrsC ta, So if I batch up a load I can freeze and reheat can't I? I'm hopeless at soups can you believe? I make a mean broth but that's it.

Possession

I agree, have soup or a piece of fruit AND a glass of water before your meal. Really helps to make you feel full and therefore less deprived if you give yourself a smaller portion. I need to follow my own advice though! DH must have lost quite a bit of weight, think it's down to drinking much much less alcohol. His trousers were all falling down so he has moved onto his smaller waisted trousers but we threw out lots of those that were the worse for wear so other than his suit he actually only has two pairs of trousers that fit him at the moment. It's going to be problematic next week as remember the interview where he was supposed to be smart casual but didn't have anything to wear so wore a suit? It did come up but he got away with it. However he now has a second interview and it's on the same day - dress down day - so the same excuse is not going to work twice. We are going to have to buy an outfit. : (

ETA: Fuddle soup couldn't be easier - peel a big bag of carrots, add a couple of potatoes (or even better sweet potatoes), whatever leftover veg you've got, a couple of stock cubes and boiling water, seasoning, give it a good boil until soft, liquidise. If doing big family dinners my parents always save what's left, even roasties, for making soup.

Mrs_Chip

You can freeze soup, but it takes up freezer room and is so quick to do - I make a light soup from chicken stock and finely chopped veg - you could make the stock and reduce it to freeze (in ice cube trays then into polybags), and make and freeze a bag of finely chopped veg with some frozen peas mixed in. When you want soup you use as much of each as needed and add some water and seasoning. Add some shredded chicken and you have a nice hearty lunch. In fact you could make all sorts with the basics and the addition of whatever you have got hanging around!

Yes the sachets of soup are fine,just check the cals on the packets, some are quite high!

mardatha

TY Mrs Chip for the soups - the RV is back on a strict diabetic diet so that will help me with ideas although he is low-carb not low-cal. Load up the veg Fuddle (wuddya listen to me saying that without a blush ) - that's wartime food as well so its cheap and they weren't fat then like we are now.
I used a shampoo that I must be allergic to and my scalp is on fire, eyes are so swollen I can hardly see. Godsake.

betony

MrsLurcherwalker I never said thank you for your reply yesterday about my stash of foraged fruit, so thank you. When I had the dog out yesterday I collected another 8oz of blackberries. It took me ages to realise I wasn't being scratched by thorns but being stung by nettles, so keen was I to pick this free booty :rotfl: . I also picked up one, yes one small plum and one cherry I now have over 3lbs of free fruit :T Cheapskate, I'm going to use some of this fruit to make a 'hedgerow liqueur' and also, so thrilled, I found some SLOES :drool: Need to wait till the frosts to pick those though.

I'd forgotten about how to cook pasta by boiling it up then putting on a lid and switching the heat off; used to do that all the time.

lisakay_2

just a quick one before i go out. i was just putting the washing on the line and a beautiful giant green dragon fly landed on a white tshirt. i've not seen anything quite so pretty (apart from my girls) in a long time. i've never seen one like that, it was huge(probably 4") and iridescent and sparkly.

I always used to think they preferred to be near water?? used to see a few by the lake on the water park. never near me before.

i feel all happy now:D

[Deleted User]

BETONY -1 whole plum and 1 whole cherry I hope you'll make the best OS use of those two!!!!!!!!! Hasn't it been dire for foraging this year? The only thing that has done reasonably well down here in the deep south is wild blackberries, but there are still only about a quarter of the amount we would normally expect. Enjoy the fruits of your foraging and I hope you take revenge on the nettles by eating some of them too - that'll show 'em!!! Cheers Lyn x.