I've quit everything. Now what ?

another_casualty

Thanks John . You're a top man

So, today I have just had a visit from James . He is fitting a cupboard n the living room , which will take care of the wire problem .
He was due to come yesterday , but cancelled last minute .
No problem , but he forgot to let me know what time he was coming .
He has just nipped out for an hour to pickup some stuff .
It means no gym today , but a long walk later . Nice day for it .

Yesterday , I had a fair few after 8 's . Not as much as half a box .
I'm not feeling too agitated yet about the subtle changes I am making
It'll take time . I'll check out that programme that LL has mentioned and look at Irish johns link too later on .

another_casualty

anna_1977 wrote: »

Hey AC,
Good to hear how you're getting on.
I hope this doesn't sound patronising but have you thought about getting a cookbook? I got both my kids an Osborne kids cookbook when they went to uni - i went for that one as it's cheap and incredibly easy and healthy food to cook. It would also give you plenty of meal ideas.

I'm about to become a household of 1 again (my choice) and I am already thinking about the batch cooking I'll have to do - otherwise i'll snack on bread and crisps etc in the evenings - it's hard to get motivated to cook for 1 isn't it

I'll give it some thought Anna .
One thing I won't do tho , is watch any cooking programme on t v
The amount of time faffing around , and it only takes a few minutes to actually eat the stuff. Plus the pretentious twits who,are on there

anna_1977

HAHAHA I totally agree and they always use stuff you don't actually have in the cupboard!

I've done a couple of the Gousto/Hello Fresh boxes when they have an offer - 3 means for 2 people for £10 or similar - if you give that a go just make sure you cancel the subscription after the cheap offer ends

lessonlearned

AC. I have never had a cookery lesson in my life, certainly not at my posh grammar school.....I think we were either meant to serve up a dish of Latin verbs or "marry well" and have servants. :rotfl:

My mother wouldn't let me near the cooker despite her being a somewhat indifferent cook, although she insisted I always did the washing up. I wouldn't mind but even if the meal she cooked was sometimes inedible the kitchen always looked like a bomb site when she had done.

I vowed two things.....I would learn to cook and I would buy a dishwasher. :rotfl: I have done both.

Cooking is a doddle. I think it was Marco Pierre White - yes a Celebrity chef .......who says you don't need a load of fancy cookery books, what you need is to trust your nose and your taste buds. He says learn a couple of simple sauces based on your own preferred tastes. E.g. Do you prefer creamy sauces or tomato based. Then cook simple foods by grilling or oven roasting and then if you want to push the boat out then simply jazz it up with a sensational sauce from your repertoire.

Some of my early attempts were pretty grim but if, like me, you like your grub (and plenty of it) then you will need to become proficient.

Whilst you are off work You now have time to learn and practice. Use it wisely.

I would definitely suggest you look at more protein in your diet, good healthy foods like meat and fish.

What could be Nicer than tucking into bacon and eggs for breakfast. Or a nice juicy steak or chicken breast for dinner. Both can be served with a simple salad or some nice vegetables Buy them in packs, don't faff around buying ingredients, they will end up lurking in the bottom of the fridge. If you are cooking for one it's probably just as cheap. Most salad or vegetable packs will provide two servings. And you wont end up chucking food away because you haven't had chance to eat it before it goes off.

A lot of people on the old style board will suggest batch cooking. That's fine if you want to do that. Personally I rarely bother. I might divide a casserole into portions and freeze them for another day but I won't eat the same thing day in day out because it can't be frozen. My idea of hell. No amount of money saving is worth doing that, unless of course you are almost destitute.

Please remember Ready meals are full of crap, far too much salt, sugars, cheap fats and added chemicals and usually they are such tiny portions. The meat is usually very poor quality.....if you can find any. :rotfl:

Learn some basic skills and I promise you, you will never look back.

For cheaper cuts of meat and hearty casseroles then buy a slow cooker. You can buy them for a few quid from any supermarket. A dash of alchol to give it some oomph and a few herbs and spices and you can turn a pack of boring stewing meat into a gourmet casserole. Easy peasy.

Money saving tip. Instead of using red wine to add to casseroles and gravies, buy a bottle of port, any cheap stuff will do. Aldis or Lidls. It won't go off when opened the way wine will. It will last for months.

irishjohn fantastic progress on the weight loss. I bet you feel better, I bet your sugars and cholesterol levels are improving already.

Mrs Porridge. Yes that programme does make you sit up and take notice. You can't argue with the science behind it. :rotfl:

another_casualty

True what you say about ready meals LL:)
Even I don't touch them . Once you mentioned a pretentious chef (don't get me started on his 'son') I was lost
Good advice again . I'll try not to make a meal of it

lessonlearned

Marco can't help having a bratty son..... parents aren't always responsiblefor the way our offspring turn out so you might cut him a bit of slack.

. I know it's fashionable to blame the parents for every little thing these days that their darlings come up with but even the most most conscientious parent sometimes can't help their kids turning into druggies, alcoholics or useless fat couch potatoes who overeat and get themselves into a sorry state.

My friends have just come back from visiting their son in Canada. More loving and conscientious parents I've yet to meet. They have done their best to help their wayward son.They are both good cooks and into healthy living. They are in their 70s but have the energy levels of people half their age.

They were appalled at their sons lifestyle choices, guzzling Several litres of full fat coke a day, chain smoking, eating crap, living on takeaways and never getting off the sofa. Never a penny to his name and always in shedloads of debt.

They are worried sick about him, as his dad says he's a heart attack or stroke just waiting to happen. He weighs in at well over 20 stone and he's just 32. They showed me pictures, he looks dreadful, pale and pasty with small piggy eyes in a bloated face, huge belly, weak flabby arms and legs, no muscle definition to be seen. He looks ready for the knackers yard not a young man in the prime of his life. He was in my sons class at school and they have been mates since they were babes. It's heartbreaking to see this young man and what's he's become. I doubt he'll see 50 if he doesn't change his ways.

We all know parents with offspring like this. With useless whining kids incapable of standing on their own two feet, staying out of debt or even able to cook and care for themselves properly. For the first time in history we have a generation of young people who are likely to die younger than the parents did and who face years of ill health.

Thank God my kids have developed a backbone and a decent pair cojones. Thank god they can budget, that they live healthy lifestyles and can cook and take care of themselves.

TBH it seems most celebs have trouble with their offspring......it must be hard having rich, successful, famous parents, they are a tough act to follow. Yes they might be driven and too ambitious and therefore some of them may have neglected their kids somewhat but not always. It's not always the fault of the parents, no matter what the media would have you believe.

Whatever happened to growing up and personal responsibility

As for switching off when I mentioned a "pretentious chef" - your words, I don't find him at all pretentious and even if he was, he's A damn fine cook, so I would be happy to overlook a few pretensions. I will pick anyone's brains if they can show me a better way of living or doing things. I'm not proud or precious. Switch off by all means but your loss mate.

If you don't want to learn anything just carry on going through life with a closed and narrow mind. You obviously know more than a trained professional (no not me I'm just a gifted amateur) so I won't bother passing on useful tips in future.

All the best cookery schools in Paris teach their students to make good sauces. It is the bedrock of good cooking, it's what makes or breaks a meal, what lifts it from the everyday to a truly pleasureable dining experience. And whether you agree or not cooking is what White is really good at.

MrsPorridge

My son has just come back from Uni - been there for 3 years and will now be doing some travelling in the next month or so. He's great at cooking - mainly pasta it must be said, but he's not afraid to turn his hand to it. He invited 8 of his friends down over the summer (all at the same time)! They were absolutely lovely and camped in the garden and living room (DH and I retired to our bedroom for a week) The first day they disappeared to Tescos and came back with enough food to feed an army - all fresh ingredients which they then used throughout the week to cook themselves some lovely dishes - if I'm honest they actually put me to shame!

LL is right, AC, try and use this time to learn some basics in the kitchen to cook some lovely fresh meals.

candygirl

AC, some fab advice as always from 'LL, n agree with her re base sauces etc.I am currently making an almost fat free red lentil lasagne from scratch 😙
Undoubtedly MPW is a tad pretentious, but he is an amazing chef.As for his Son ...... 😈

another_casualty

So, James has fitted new unit in living room which hides all the spaghetti .
Looks great. Sticking to my plan . A lot less chocolate etc since last Tuesday
Walking more also . Been to gym also . Just have to keep it up .

I will soon be having new neighbours above . Just came back and saw an estate agents board outside . The flat is empty. Looks good .£835pcm
No dss no pets . Not sure if it's the Sri Lankan couple at the top, or the lady with the 2 kids and new baby. 2 estate agents . One said first floor flat ( which is the lady with children) . The other says 2nd floor flat and both ads are for the same flat . I'll soon find out .
Ironically , my ( mad) brother has a similar arrangement where he is on the ground floor and the 2 flats above are let out . He wants one more move eventually . The flat above me has a suspended ceiling and noise is minimal
The ceiling above my brothers place isn't so good . Interesting times ahead
One thing I noticed : All of the bathrooms and kitchens are the same in each flat . The tiling, the cupboards . Apparently, the houses were converted around the year 2000. It's now obvious a job lot was purchased for the kitchen and bathroom .

James's wife has been ordering bits online and stuff is being delivered here.
That's the second batch of stuff I've received . He has promised to stop it .
He still has a shelf to put up, and then that's it .

another_casualty

Just came back from the gym . Hard work .
As I was coming back into the communal area of my property , I saw the Sri Lankan man who lives at the top flat.
After 'chatting ' to him , it turns out he didn't recognise me and I had to convince him I live in the ground floor flat . His English his ltd it seems. I found out that it's the lady in the middle flat with her children that have moved out .
The flat was only placed to let yesterday, and I haven't seen anybody looking at it just yet .

I noticed a sign outside the rubbish/ recycling complaining and reminding us what isn't allowed to go into the recycling bin.
We are also reminded not to over fill it . It's overflowing as it is .
They may not take the stuff on Fridays . We'll see.
Good job I haven't put my glass tv stand in there , and listed it on fleabay instead :rotfl: