Struggling along as best I can

Moorviews

Hope you have a lovely day with your granddaughter 😊 It’s good that she still has a nap as a full day can be tiring. I am glad that the weather has eased and you can safely drive around again. 

beanielou

Have a lovely day with your DGD. 

nannygladys

Moorviews  &  beanielou - Thank you I had a lovely day with youngest dgd, she likes me at the moment as she's over her ear infection for the time being! they only want their mum or dad at 15 months old when they are feeling poorly

nannygladys

So yesterday (Saturday) I caught the bus into the city and walked to eldest dgd flat and then we went back into the city for a look around. I did break my no spend January and bought a new warm coat but as it was from Primarky it didn't cost that much and dgd only bought a couple of bits too, so a cheap day out together!  I caught the bus home and dgd went to pick a click and collect parcel up, so another lovely day was had, plenty of chit hat going on!
Today I looked after my dgs for a couple of hours whilst mum and dad and youngest dgd went to look for something so we took the dog a walk over the fields, the dog thought it was great as dgs was throwing the ball constantly for him to chase!  it was bitterly cold though but at 4 years old they don't seem to feel it, mind you he was well wrapped up.
Food wise I'm still managing really well, I keep finding things in the freezers that I'd  forgotten about, its being a positive experience for me, I will be replacing some of the things I've taken out of the pantry/freezer, but it has made me realise what I eat most regularly so I'll only be buying those things.
I made a pasta bake today, I ate one portion, I will have another tomorrow and I've frozen the other two for using next week I think. I reckon it may be a week of pasta and rice dishes of some description so will be looking what fresh veggies I have left, I've still got kale in the garden so at least I'll have something green and fresh with it
Nannyg

foxgloves

We still have a little kale left in our garden too. I thought the recent spell of freezing weather would finish it off, but it looks perfectly happy & there's enough for a stir-fry or something similar.
The sorrel doesn't look bad either. Once that's put on just a little more growth, there'll be enough for making some soup.
F

nannygladys

It seems ages since I was on here but it wasn't that long ago.
I'm still eating out of stores and I'm eating really well  I'm not hankering after chocolate anymore and feeling much more alive? anyway I seem to have more energy lately which can only be a positive thing at my age!
I've started clearing a few areas out and taking stuff to the cs for its next journey its surprising what I'm letting go I just hope I don't regret it, but I can't keep everything 'just in case'.
I'm out for a free meal tomorrow so I'll enjoy that and then Monday I'm out again with some friends who are paying, so that'll be nice as well and we'll be able to have a good catch up, as I don't get to see them often and we usually correspond by letter!
I noticed I had a cold weather payment off the gvt for that extra cold weather we have recently had, so that has been put into my annual bill fund and them it will get moved to the g&e company when needed as I've been using the heating much more this winter. 
The pooch has got a really shiny coat at the moment, I think it's all the fresh meat he has been getting, and may be the shower he had the other day after he got so muddy!!! Anyway, we are having some good walks/runs now as I'm feeling more active and it seems to be doing us both good.
I have finished a couple of sewing projects including my jumper so I'm ready to restart my Santa picture for Xmas 2025 and also a wedding picture of hands for youngest 1st wedding anniversary in November, so I will be taking them in turns to complete, I find I work better if I have a couple of projects on the go together. And I must think of a new knitting project as well.
My 1000 piece jigsaw was been completed the other day, so I will be dismantling it in a couple of days but I won't be starting another one for a couple of months, I have to do it on the dining table and as I usually eat there I do find it a bit inconvenient   
Also I keep seeing adverts for seed potatoes etc so I'll have to work out what I'm growing and only want to grow what I'll eat instead of trying to grow something I probably won't eat. I've been working in the garden today making everything secure so nothing else gets destroyed when this new storm hits, well that was my plan I'll have to wait and see.
Foxgloves I picked some kale today but didn't use it so I might have a go at freezing it tomorrow morning before I go out, because I can't see me eating it tomorrow.
Nannyg

Makingabobor2

You seem to be doing really well. How did you stop yourself wanting chocolate. I am trying to cut it out and really struggling. I know it affects my IBS and I shouldn't eat it. Trying to stick to a square of good dark chocolate a day, but then I saw the price it had gone up to, and I ended up buying rubbish stuff. 

nannygladys

Makingabobor2 - It was strange really as I have loved chocolate all my life. I read Chris van Tullenken's book Ultra-Processed People last year and and it resonated with me as I wanted to make the most of the years I have left and  be as healthy as I can, I read the book in a few days!!! 
I have eaten quite healthy over the years. Never having lots of money I've mostly home cooked etc but overnight I decided I'd give UPF up, but I did eat what I had in as I couldn't afford to throw food away and I've never looked back, I think being at home I have more time to cook from scratch, make bread etc and now make butter, ice cream, yogurt, buy raw milk, make everything I can myself, and grow quite a bit of fruit and veg etc and I was doing fine until Xmas when I was gifted some cakes, puddings chocolate, biscuits etc, anyway I tried some of it, gifted some and when I got fed up with it just threw it away but the chocolate I kept and I couldn't consume it fast enough, It was like being addicted to it and I can't say I really enjoyed it but couldn't stop my self eating it!!! so in the end I threw it away as well, went cold turkey for a few days and now it doesn't bother me at all! I don't want to go back to feeling like that again. For a quick snack I usually have nuts or fruit - boring I know but now I don't feel the need to snack very often. My bm and ice cream maker have both given up the ghost since Xmas so I will be buying them in February with the money I've saved this month, I love hm sorbet and frozen yogurt desserts and as much as I have tried I can't seem to make a decent loaf of bread by hand!

kayannie

I read the same book as you about UPF at the end of last year & found it a real eye opener! Like you, I make nearly everything we eat from scratch, always have, but even things such as most imitation butters is full of additives. I don't make all my own bread, but have found that bread from small bakeries has a lot fewer ingredients in them than the supermarket breads. 

Oh, you mentioned freezing kale. When I pick mine I pop it in a glass of water & it keeps fresh. I change the water after a couple of days if I've not used it.
KA

KxMx

Ultra Processed People had a big impact on me too, I'll never be UPF free but I have shrunk the percentage I do eat and concentrate more on whole foods and minimally processed foods. 


I switched to butter from margarine and the difference in my baking is incredible.


If you hunt around things can be found, after much searching I discovered Iceland do sliced sandwich chicken which is salt & chicken, no other ingredients. 


It's amazed me after reading packets that lightly salted potato crisps tend to have LESS salt than many other crisps! Sometimes much less.