A new royal start

QueenJess

So yesterday we were out all day and did manage to survive without the kids having any packet snacks, although I did have to bribe DD to have a sleep in the pushchair with some “sweets” (they aren’t, but we call them that. They’re pure dried fruit snack things). DD refused the pizza pinwheels I made, so I had to give in and buy her something hot whilst we were there. I hope she sorts out her dislike of sandwiches soon!

Washing of towels has commenced today (got one more load this afternoon to do). Indulged myself by making a lime cake that I can ice later. The kids won’t like it and DH is indifferent (although I’m sure he’ll eat it anyway!). It is mainly for me as a nice post lunch snack whilst work is manic. It’ll keep me away from chocolate and uses up some more of the lime juice that I never use for anything and want to use up and the other half of the condensed milk in the fridge that was leftover from ice cream making.

Lunch today is a shakshuka thing to use up the last of the harrisa pasta, end of some Passata in the fridge and some of the never ending spinach! I also added herbs, onions, garlic and eggs obviously. Going to have them with some pitta breads that have been buried in the freezer for ages and need to be used up.

Dinner will be pasta in a cheese sauce with broccoli and peas. Pudding is apple crumble and hm ice cream.

themadvix

I hesitate to suggest it, but if you have room in the freezer, you could wilt and freeze the spinach. Or even wash and freeze fresh leaves (this requires the leaves to be dry first though, so depends on whether you have a salad spinner).

Bad luck with the pizza pinwheels. I'm guessing DD is still a bit young to try the 'eat what the rest of us are having or it's tough' approach? It must be so frustrating for you!

QueenJess

themadvix said:

I hesitate to suggest it, but if you have room in the freezer, you could wilt and freeze the spinach. Or even wash and freeze fresh leaves (this requires the leaves to be dry first though, so depends on whether you have a salad spinner).

Bad luck with the pizza pinwheels. I'm guessing DD is still a bit young to try the 'eat what the rest of us are having or it's tough' approach? It must be so frustrating for you!

I definitely will with the spinach leaves if I don’t get through them. I already have a few frozen in the freezer from a pack I couldn’t quite finish!

Yes, DD is still too young. DS was the same about cooked meals at lunchtime, but he now loves sandwiches, so hopefully not too much longer of this stage.

themadvix

Oh, well at least they're consistent then! Fingers crossed it won't be too much longer - I imagine it's because all your lovely-sounding cooking is more appealing than a sandwich!

QueenJess

Another day and more running around.  Started the day dropping off DS for school and then hanging around for a school meeting right after that.  Turnout was poor, which isn't surprising since the school notified us of a meeting on Friday afternoon, gave two completely different times in two different emails (am vs pm) and then only clarified after 3pm yesterday 🙄.  They never seem to understand people work.  Luckily for me I had a movable meeting (which I did move) and my boss is utterly relaxed about that sort of thing as long as the work is getting done.

It did remind me I had my eye on a lovely (but expensive) Atlas as DS is really interested in maps and different countries and things and they have now started doing maps and things at school which is great for him.  I like to encourage him to read as much as possible, so I have bought it for him.

My lunch hour consisted of making banana and chocolate chip flapjacks as DS loves them, they have no flapjacks left and I had some very overripe bananas to use up.  Not sure if DD will like them, but trying to accept it is what it is at the moment and at least DS will be eating well.  She'll catch up at some point.  I also cut up a ton of veg and pots from the bottom of the fridge and threw them into the slow cooker with some seasoning and stock.  Will add some butterbeans later and that will be dinner sorted!  I did also manage to get the washing on (haven't hung it out yet), but am definitely flagging this afternoon after 4 days of very broken sleep getting up to check on DD and her temperature.  I think it's finally gone now, so I'm sure I'll be falling into bed very early later and particularly as the work all starts properly tomorrow at work

Breakfast today was porridge and blueberries (for me).  Lunch was pitta bread (trying to use them up from the freezer) with beetroot, cheese, radish and spinach, followed by melon and greek yogurt.  I then spoiled it by just eating 2 pieces of lime cake (although in my defence I cut them into very small squares!).  Dinner will be the stew and then we still have apple crumble and hm ice cream for pudding, just ice cream for picky kids.

This evening my only plan will be to put all the school holidays in my diary (I could have sworn I had done it, but I haven't) and then sew DS's Beavers badge on for him before I forget.  Oh and make sure I check the milk order and the Riverford order.  Then fall into bed and catch up on 4 days of missed sleep!

QueenJess

Well today is the day that the work starts to go mental and I am now quite stressed that it isn't too out of control (stupid huh?!).  There's time though and I'm worried it's the calm before the storm.  Another 3-4 weeks to go before it's all over for this year.

Washing for today is done (not hung out, but will only take a sec as it's the rest of the towels I didn't do on Monday).  Lunch today was hm hummus in a pitta bread with grated carrot and radish.  Red grapes and melon with greek yogurt for after and I'm stuffed!  I like hummus, but no one else in the house does so I don't have it very often as I have to eat it forever!  Does anyone know if you can freeze it?

The chickpea water is in the fridge for potential meringues for another day.  Not sure I can squeeze anything else in the freezer though .  Afternoon tea (get me!) will be more of my lovely lime cake, then dinner will be hm pizza (the huge batch of dough is currently resting and some will have to squeeze into the freezer somewhere).  Dessert will be banana and choc chip flapjack for DS (one of his favourites) and the adults may indulge in a chocolate brownie and hm ice cream from the freezer.

I didn't get round to putting the school holidays in my diary, so that is on the list for tonight.  I also have a pile of finance admin to sort out and should make a start on that.

Pollie

You can freeze it for up to 4 months. after that it can start to taste bitter. Best to portion into usable amounts. If it looks watery when thawed, just give it a good stir.

QueenJess

Pollie said:

You can freeze it for up to 4 months. after that it can start to taste bitter. Best to portion into usable amounts. If it looks watery when thawed, just give it a good stir.

Ooh - brilliant! Thanks. Just need to find more space in the freezer 😬🤞

Swayingseaweed

We're another household that has to play freezer tetris, good job OH job involves building dry stone walls. 
Seaweed x 

QueenJess

I do love the phrase “freezer tetris”. I’m still desperately trying to gain control of mine and get enough room in it that I can put the basket back into it. I’m concentrating on one section of the freezer at the moment, that mainly seems to be bread and bread products, so it’s pretty slow going!  I’d like to rearrange the big garage freezer so it’s sectioned into fruit/veg/chips, then meat, then another section for batch cooked meals etc. The basket can hold the bread. Our ridiculously small kitchen freezer then has the opened packets of veg etc in one drawer and the other drawer can have dessert stuff. It works in my head, which invariably means I’ve forgotten some big category or something! I really do need to get to the bottom of the big freezer though as some stuff has been languishing there too long. It is very slowly going down, so minor progress is being made.
After my tooth coming out and not eating much for a while, one pair of my jeans are just far too loose and my watch is sliding around on my wrist! I’ve been eating lovely hm cake, but not putting any weight back on. I think I need to eat bigger portions of my main meals as I don’t think I’m quite eating enough food. I don’t need to gain weight particularly, but I do think I’m not eating enough and I don’t really have anything to lose now. Even my shorts were a bit loose at gym this week.
Work has gone mental as suspected from yesterday and I finished work at 1:30am, although I took an elongated break in the day to get a flu jab, pick up a few shopping bits whilst I was out and pick up the kids. I expect Mon-Weds will be similar and then hopefully it’ll go back to being just busy rather than ridiculous.
I am still very experimenting with bread recipes. I tried a new one that was no knead and you leave to prove overnight. I wasn’t that thrilled with it, although my new rather than previous elderly yeast is pretty good. My next experiment will be trying kefir bread when I settle on a recipe. It’s a bit like sourdough, but kefir is the starter rather than making your own. Eventually I’ll find a recipe I like and the timing works with my lifestyle! I’d forgotten how much I like homemade bread and how awful some of the sliced ones taste. If it was up to me I’d make wholemeal with tons of seeds, but DD is too young to only have wholemeal. I will work with a basic white loaf and then start adding in seeds or other stuff.
I’m shattered today, so easy food. DH is out with DD all day, so lunch with DS will be sandwiches. Dinner will be fish, chips and beans/peas. Dessert is the last of the lime cake or hm vegan meringues with ice cream for the kids or yogurt and hm compote for the adults.