NSK July: Back to Basic’s.

shyspender

dolly84 wrote: »

Shyspender - could you post your lentil soup recipe?

Dolly84 - here is the recipe, it's really simple.

1 onion, chopped
1tbsp olive oil
1-2tbsp thai red curry paste
300g red lentils
1.7l vegetable stock
200ml coconut milk
spring onions, chopped, to garnish if you want

Fry the onion in the olive oil until soft. Stir in the curry paste.

Add the red lentils and mix to coat in the paste. Pour over the stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils are tender.

Blend with the coconut milk and reheat if necessary.

Now, what I do, since having made it a few times, is chuck it all in the slow cooker. I use frozen onions, because it's one of the few things I actually use onions for. I don't add the oil in the slow cooker. I don't make veg stock. I throw in a veg stock cube and the equivalent of just plain water. I leave it on high for about two hours or so, or I guess on low four or five hours. Stir once or twice an hour so it doesn't stick. I stick blend in the coconut milk but you could leave it chunky.
It normally makes 4-6 portions. I bag mine and freeze them. They just need a good stir when defrosted because it separates a little when it thaws. I like mine fairly spicy so I'm a little over generous with the paste, but you can add to your own tastes.
I also like to tear up a chapatti into little bits like croutons.

Another spend day today because I had to pick up a prescription, I forgot to take the prescription with me yesterday, waste of a SD really.

thriftylass

Not much to report today. Remained an SFD. My old boss came round for coffee and cake. Only had a little bit of banoffee pie and later realised that was 300 calories :eek:. Trying to drink 2 litres, thought I drank loads before but really had to make myself. Spend most of the afternoon out in the garden with the kids so TV kept to a minimum.

Cooked our first potatoes from the garden today and theyre the nice fluffy kind. Also the gooseberries are turning red. Bought the bush in lidl and was hoping they were the sweet red ones we have in Germany rather than the green tart ones you get here.

nannygladys

Hello everyone

Shyspender that soup recipe sounds lovely, will be trying that very soon.

Well another sfd for me so money still in tact.

In work today and all weekend, some of it overtime which will go into this month's pay packet, and will get allocated to the dreaded overdraft.

The next two days lunches put up and in the fridge, I will have to get a menu plan written up on the chalk board, but that will be tomorrow now, as off to bed shortly, I have very early starts, can't wait to retire but not sure I can as I don't think I can manage on the OAP even though house is paid off, don't know how other people do it.

Nannyg

mooomin

I've been and done my shopping and managed to get quite a few bits which were final reductions - reduced to 15p :j The green is what I paid, and the red is what it should have cost.

Tesco: £1.38 / £2.50

Morrisons #1 shop: £6.80 / £14.64 :j

Morrisons #2 shop: £5.60 / £20.76 :j :j

A total addition to the grocery bill of £14.98 (including the three vouchers I bought for Morrison's; I'll use the last one this weekend) and goods worth £37.90 :money:

liltdiddylilt

Evening all!

Thrifty - well done on the 2 litres. It is a heck of a lot to drink but if you keep it with you all the time and just take small sips it soon disappears. Do it for 3 days minimum and you should hopefully see the water retention start to dissipate!!

NSK Jellytot and I are both 'special'! We are allergic to the protein in dairy. I would love to be dedicated and have enough willpower to be a vegan but frankly I enjoy meat too much and have enough on avoiding ice cream and other amazing dairyful foodstuffs. I am incredibly careful with Jellytots diet however, as the tiniest fraction of the wrong thing and it upsets her insides for a week. She sees a dietician every 6 months who tells me to give her tiny weeny bits of dairy to see what the reaction is; I do so, we have disasters, and she tells me not to try again for another 6 months...

Today is an NSD. I am tempted to go to the shop for the 40p paper Mr M's voucher. There is a Mr M's within walking distance of here, but in all honesty, I would probably do what they are banking on and buy half a tonne of unrequired deli stuff because Mr M's is a play shop to me. Will stick to whats in the cupboard/fridge. More than enough to see me through til past Sunday anyway. 40p saved! :A

Reminds me, I need to look into a chest freezer.Too much cooking, not enough time to eat it, and nowhere to squeak it in the freezer.

Last day of work for the week tomorrow. Party on Saturday which means a train ticket *boo* and a coffee in town with the strapped for cash MIL so I will likely be paying *boo x2* - Sunday chill out day with Jellytot. So hoping for 2 out of those 2 to be NSD's

Have a lovely evening all!! Well done so far

thriftylass

liltdiddylilt let me know how you get on with your search for a chest freezer. I'm looking too. Once I'm back in work and with two kids and hubby to feed I definitely need one too as I want to go back to batch cooking for easy midweek dinners. Our freezer just isnt big enough for this plus my lunches.

dolly84

Thank you Shyspender - the soup sounds great.

Thriftylass - was the Banoffee pie worth the calories?

thriftylass

dolly84 wrote: »

Thriftylass - was the Banoffee pie worth the calories?

Have to admit, oh yes. But from now on I also try to cut my carbs a bit, even simple potatoes have so many calories. This is all new to me as before the depo I could eat like a horse and still be slim almost skinny (not that I want to go quite back to that low weight). We got crisps in the cupboard that are calling out to me but they are definitely a no-no now

stewby

Good evening.


Last day at work until Monday nightshift and we are heading away for the weekend.


Spend-free day number 2 today. Hooray!!
:j

Also completed some exercise. Two walks, one before and one after work... a grand total of 34 minutes.
_party_

I might have to rethink my debt-free date but I am not going to just now as I have a wee masterplan up my sleeve which will hopefully work... hopefully.

apple_muncher

I claim another NSD :j.

I went cold turkey on the hairwashing, but as I only need to wash it twice a week, it's only seen one dose so far! I did get the proportions wrong first time around, so had to do it again, and it then worked really well. To wash: 1 TBLSP bicarb in about 200 mil water. Rub it in well. First time, I wet my hair first, second time it was still damp, so not sure if nec. To condition: 1 TBLSP acv in 200 mil water again. Rub it in well again and rinse.

I think I'll need to leave the acv mix in longer next time.

Given that I'm still washing my face in cold kitchen tap water, moisturising with evoo, and using a homemade salt + oil scrub, I feel pretty chemical free!