The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Si_Clist

Greenglockenspiel said:

I noticed my stored bottles of water had passed their best by dates by a couple of months, so have been putting them in the fridge for a nice cold drink and will order more.

Couldn't you just fill the empty ones from the tap instead?

3secondmemory

I’m so far behind, I don’t know where to start🙁 

I managed to get an Iceland delivery which arrived just after six this morning. I filled up a drawer in the freezer of slimming world frozen meals for when I can’t get out or when I can’t cook. Ideally I’ll batch bake once a week but there is no point buying food that I’m too tired to cook. 

My cupboards need a re-sort but that’s too tiring to think about. I need to get another cleaner - i’d get so much more done if I had a fully able body to command 😂😂 

Having not shopped properly for months now, I’m used to going without and improvising but my appetite has really suffered. My next big shop will be stocking up on tasty bits and pieces – I love Worcestershire sauce, interesting mustard and jams, balsamic vinegar etc. I’m going to try and plan treats like a cream tea to look forward to on a Friday afternoon – I like my mocktails too and I miss roast dinners. It might be worth ordering one, once a fortnight just have something to look forward to. Ideally I like a rolling menu so I know what day of the week it is - I am also going to keep a notepad and write down ideas for meals as and when I see them, i.e. before I forget I am also going to keep a notepad and write down ideas for meals as and when I see them, i.e. before I forget them. I’ve got a craving for red lentils 😋 A Dahl would contain lots of iron and the GHK lentil Shepard pie freezes well. 

I think I struggle so much because I don’t get excited about food for me, but if one of the children came back home to live, I’d cater for them three times a day 🤷‍♀️

MingVase

What I do in my weekly Sainsbugs delivery is to get a basic list of day to day stuff  but every week focus on one thing extra, like laundry stuff or sauces & stock cubes or dry goods like lentils etc. Even plates some weeks. Cleaning stuff, teatowels. Keep it going every week and things soon mount up.

euronorris

We are in a coach house, so everything is on one level (ie upstairs). It was so hot and muggy. After a late bedtime, DD managed to sleep well. As the edge of the storm arrived, I went into her room and closed the roof window. Makes quite a thud. No reaction from DD! lol. Kept her bedroom door open though. We had a fantastic light show, and lots of rumbling, but it didn't rain and the main storm passed us by in the end. Had a heavy downpour an hour later, though short lived. And then DD got up at 5.30! Yawn!

There must be more effective ways to keep cool during such days and nights. Anyone got any tips that I use to prep for future occurrences? We have plenty of fans. And cooling towels (which help, but are short lived).

Whitefiver

Floss said:

Whitefiver, Nigella's chilli jam is scrummy.

Thanks Floss - have printed that one out. I have previously made lemon drop chilli "jam", which never set (tasted OK though), and now I see why. Nigella uses Jam sugar with added pectin. I now have some pectin powder for my strawberry jam as Jam sugar has been unavailable round here for ages, it seems. Can't wait to try this recipe.

cornishchick

euronorris said:

We are in a coach house, so everything is on one level (ie upstairs). It was so hot and muggy. After a late bedtime, [....]

There must be more effective ways to keep cool during such days and nights. Anyone got any tips that I use to prep for future occurrences? We have plenty of fans. And cooling towels (which help, but are short lived).

some of the things I do, 
open windows but close curtains or blinds. hang damp towels by open windows,
frozen water bottle tied to fans so its blowing air across the coldness.
 cool flannels in the fridge put on pulse points or under my feet.
cool shower before bedtime and lay down while still damp,
conversely eating Icecream etc makes me hotter so I have hot coffee etc lol 
hope that helps 

Greenglockenspiel

Si_Clist said:

Greenglockenspiel said:

I noticed my stored bottles of water had passed their best by dates by a couple of months, so have been putting them in the fridge for a nice cold drink and will order more.

Couldn't you just fill the empty ones from the tap instead?

Probably, but I thought the reason they have a date on them was that the plastic starts to degrade after a while? Since obviously water doesn’t go off...

Si_Clist

Greenglockenspiel said:

Probably, but I thought the reason they have a date on them was that the plastic starts to degrade after a while? ...

It may well do, although I've long suspected that the real reason bottled water has a BBE is simply to make you go out and buy some more.  Either that or because the EU said so.  Same goes for honey to my way of thinking. 

But whatever, even if something unpronouncable does eventually leach out of the plastic bottle (which frankly I'm very sceptical about on account of water not exactly being an aggressive fluid), AFAIC it'll be in such minute amounts that we couldn't care less -  and the "we" includes my Lady Wife the cancer survivor.  A pound to a penny says that if you eat the UK average amount of processed food each year, that'll do you far more harm than drinking any amount of tapwater stored in PET bottles

maryb

I think it is quite dangerous if the plastic bottle is exposed to heat - like the sort of small water bottle you take with you on a day out and leave in a hot car might be.  That does cause leaching of unpronounceable nasties.   But big bottles stored in cool conditions and refilled with fresh water ought to be OK to reuse

ziggy2004

Back at work for 2 days this week which combined with all children being back at school has been hectic! Glad I am working from home today. 

Have been feeling the heat too and having a quiet cool house today is making a huge difference. 
I need to make some more masks as some of the children need to wear one on the school bus, so having a couple more spare would be good. 

Hoping to go bramble picking this weekend as I have seen some ready ones, we have plenty of other jams but OH prefers bramble for his porridge

Hope the heat down south gets better too!