Preparedness for when

moneyistooshorttomention

alfsmum wrote: »

MTSM I know what you mean about the Vitamix - I shall be making some tomato and pepper soup later - and shutting the door on it! It is great for soups though and helps me use up lots of odds and ends.

Interesting to read that you like the sweet potato brownies - I have seen views at both ends of the spectrum and wasn't sure whether to try them as I hate wasting ingredients.

I don't like sweet potatoes actually - so I was distinctly unsure whether I would like these or no in the event. However, I decided that it would probably equate to the fact that I don't basically like beetroot - but I'm fine with it as part of a chocolate cake and wouldn't know there was beetroot in it if I didn't know iyswim.

Yep...it worked out the same in effect. That is = I wouldn't have known there was sweet potato in if I hadn't been aware I had put it in.

So - that was sweet potato, medjool dates, ground almonds, buckwheat flour, maple syrup, whoops - forgot the pinch of salt:o, and I substituted the raw cacao powder with cocoa powder (due to it being so expensive and I was already using two expensive ingredients - ie those medjool dates and "real" maple syrup).

It was sweet - possibly slightly more than I thought because it was going to be (because I was accidentally a bit heavy-handed with the maple syrup).

It was nice and I had 2 of them yesterday and tested my theory whether they would be edible straight from the freezer today. Unfortunately for me = they were:p. So that was two more with my coffee this morning...

Well...I am managing to lose weight without dieting as such and I figure its down to my theory of "If I eat super-healthily (apart from my coffee that is:cool:) and have virtually zilch booze then I should be able to lose weight anyway". So far = one belt notch tighter on the only belt I could previously do up and I can now wear my other 2 belts again:D. One clothes size down and 2-3 to go to get back to normal (ie size 14 = clothes with a size 10 label on them these days).

VJsmum

Just de lurking to say, I luuuuurve sweet potato brownies.

That looks like a deliciously Ella recipe. They freeze and defrost well too.

moneyistooshorttomention

VJsmum wrote: »

Just de lurking to say, I luuuuurve sweet potato brownies.

That looks like a deliciously Ella recipe. They freeze and defrost well too.

It is indeed.

I've just had another one for dinner - ie Warm Winter Salad (second recipe of hers tried so far).

I used rather fewer sun-dried tomatoes than she did and would use fewer again if I repeated the recipe (ie about a quarter of what she uses). I substituted sunflower seeds for the pine nuts she mentioned (to economise).

Overall verdict so far (based on the two I've had so far) is I like my food flavourful - but I think she probably goes in for a bit more flavour than I do personally and I think I will probably reduce the "flavour" elements in further recipes of hers.

She does use rather dear ingredients - though, obviously, when you have the health problems she has restricting her choice of ingredients and, of course, add on the fact we all have our personal likes and dislikes - then I would think if she restricted herself to cheaper foods (on top of what she cant eat) that she would have a very restricted diet indeed.

The books I've currently got on the go besides this are:

"A modern way to eat" - Anna Jones and
"Grains as mains" - Laura Wilson

and throwing in various "hippie bowls" into the equation.

I'm wincing visibly at the cost of many of the ingredients - but, with the choice being between another diet (Slimm*ng W*rld again then that would be, as at least I didn't get hungry on it) or eating Super Healthily and not being restricted - then I'll do Super Healthy.

My current theory of weight loss boiling down to eat Super Healthily/Have Reasonable amount of Exercise/full-fat makes your stomach feel full/get those "gut bacteria" well in order (reminds me - time for another drink of kefir).

Mind you - eating this expensively means a strong disincentive to eat any more than I really need to:rotfl:.

Sooner I'm back to normal size, then the sooner I can get out those healthy cookbooks from the 1970s/80s (as the ingredients in cookbooks from that era are a good bit cheaper than modern-day cookbooks).

DawnW

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

There must be frogs somewhere in the vicinity - as I recently spotted a tiny one hopping across a pavement in front of me nearby (a pavement by one of the more-used roads at that).

I know very little re frogs - do I have to have a pond here to attract them? or are there other ways/settings they would be happy with?

We get them in the garden though we don't have a pond. What we do have in the vicinity though is some marshy land about 50 m away behind the houses, leading eventually to the river. I think they breed in the marshy bits / streams, but don't need to be there apart from breeding. They can and do travel quite a long way, which is why you saw one making its way along the pavement, and they like gardens as there are likely to be slugs and other beasties to eat, and damp, shady places to hide.

I had a big one living in one of my tomato pots last summer, and every evening when I watered the pot, the frog would jump, and so would I :rotfl:

sb44

I have seen lots of stoves made from tins or cans on YouTube but I have just stumbled across this method. It looks very easy and looks to burn really well.

If the SHTF ie the economy collapsed, we have no fuel supplies ie power and gas cut off long term, we would need some way to cook food.

I had a go at making a brick rocket stove which I haven't really used yet (tried last summer and couldn't get the fire to take, will try again soon - collected some silver birch bark strips so will use that with my saved up dryer lint).

We have a couple of those gas stoves that you can buy cheaply now, the ones that use a gas canister and come in a carrying case.

However, those gas canisters are going to run out quite quickly if using this method for a long time.

This little beer can stove uses surgical spirit and you don't need a lot of it so would be cheaper and easier to store than gas canisters.

I know the beer can stove should be used in a safe area, ie outside, but, I was wondering if you could place it in the kitchen sink? That way if there was an accident you would have some form of protection (of course you would have to ventilate the room.)

Off to buy a canned drink to give this a try.

https://vimeo.com/64726512

Frugalsod

Karmacat wrote: »

I have quite a large frog living in my garden - no pond here, and I don't even know where the nearest pond is! So they don't absolutely **need** water - but I do have a two foot diameter plant saucer full of water out there, sort of an imitation bird bath.

A frog and no water, could it be a prince just waiting for a kiss?

moneyistooshorttomention

Frugalsod wrote: »

A frog and no water, could it be a prince just waiting for a kiss?

Your good self in disguise maybe?;):rotfl:

Mentally adjusts picture I have in my mind of FrugalSod - errrm...I've been picturing you as a "cool dude" type, male, in 20s...

Wonders how far off the mark I am...:rotfl:

Karmacat

Frugalsod wrote: »

A frog and no water, could it be a prince just waiting for a kiss?

Ooh! :j:j:j I like that idea

[Deleted User]

Is it the kind of frog that turns into a prince OR is it the kind of frog where you kiss it and you turn into a frog?????..............

GreyQueen

Just thinking about the re-wire of the flat which I've had a letter about, will know more detail in a week or so. Since all areas of the flat will need to be made accessible for the electician(s), and most of those areas contain preptastic things which must not be seen by strangers, I will need to be rather well-organised about having things moved in/ out and around the place.

Also, my spidey-sense for bargains went off late yesterday evening and I hied me into Tosspots where they were selling off 4-pack of princes tuna for £1.50 (normally £3.50 is best price). I bought all they had (8 x 4 packs) which mean that I have 34 tins of tuna at 37.5p each. And long dated until 2018, too - does happy dance.

Am now off to play on the allotment for a while, it's chilly but the sun has come out and those weeds need a lot of attention at this time of year.