Slow Living - Doing It Old Style!

leftatthetrafficlights

Very busy day yesterday - I did all my monthly jobs and deep cleaned the kitchen - totally exhausted by the end of it all but with a deep sense of satisfaction!! 😳😂 

Today I have done my normal cleaning and cooked dinner - I'm unlikely to do my exercise routine today as I'm aching so much from yesterday but I'll see how it goes...I'm going to spend the next couple of hours just relaxing and watching It's A Wonderful Life - one of my all time favourite films 😁 

Sunday's dinner was as planned apart from the addition of some red lentils in a random sauce made up from the dregs from various bottles in the fridge (I cleaned and reorganised the fridge on Sunday) - piccie below - it was lovely 😍 



Anyway, it's a short post today as my film awaits - have a fab slow day! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Dinner tonight was aduki bean and butternut squash sautè, mashed swede, carrots and parsnips in a dijon and maple sauce, purple sweet potato, rocket with pomegranate and black grape salad. Absolutely delicious! 😋 

leftatthetrafficlights

Solstice deccies put up tonight with the 'help' of my grandbaby 😳 suffice to say that other than the tree in his bedroom, I probably won't suggest he helps me next year!! 🤦‍♀️😂 

I've had a quiet day other than that - leftovers from yesterday for dinner so no cooking required and nothing else apart from the daily stuff. 

I had a wander round the garden this morning - the oak tree leaves have turned a lovely shade of orange in the past few days and I have a new pheasant visitor which is lovely 😍 He's quite a different colour from our normal ones so very distinctive - I'm glad that he seems very comfortable here 😁 

Anyway, not much else to report, have a fab slow evening 🐌 😁 

leftatthetrafficlights

I managed to develop a migraine yesterday for the first time in years so didn't do anything other than lay in bed! 🙄 thankfully I just have the residual headache now so am feeling loads better - I forgot how utterly debilitating they are and I'm incredibly grateful that I've had so many years migraine free!! 

Today I'm going to take it easy - I have a few bits and pieces I'd like to get done but nothing that can't wait if I don't feel up to it... dh can feed the birds which is the only real necessity so all is good 😁 

Food certainly didn't happen for me yesterday and dh had the remaining fridge leftovers so I will cook something tonight - no idea what yet though! 

The weather here hasn't been too bad at all thankfully, it's actually very mild and not windy so I may venture into the garden at some point...

Anyway, I'm off for a chamomile tea, have a fab slow day! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Wild and windy here today!! 😳 I ventured out to the shop to get some fruit for dh during the week and the poor cashier told me that their heating broke three days ago and won't be sorted until next week!! 😳 outrageous for an enormous, wealthy company like Tesco not to have it sorted yet - poor lady was in several layers, fingerless gloves etc 🤦‍♀️ Hopefully she'll be returning to a lovely warm home 🤞Dh had made a fire for us by the time I returned so we're nice and toasty but it is a stark reminder of just how fortunate we are - I used to work as a homeless outreach worker many moons ago and it broke my heart knowing how awful it was for people during the colder months. Having a roof over your head really should be a human right...

Anyway, today I am pain free!! 🙌🎉 the residual headache from the migraine hung around until last night but wasn't too bad, however, I felt exhausted  - they really take it out of me 🤦‍♀️ It makes me very grateful that I am in pretty good health generally and I intend to keep it that way! 

I talked to dh yesterday about reducing our waste as much as possible and living more ethically and sustainably. Hearing about the scandal regarding tomato products horrified me and although I'm pretty much an ethical consumer on most things, it's reminded me that there are consequences to my choices and I need to be more diligent. 

I've gone through my cloths and separated those which are past their best into a container to be used instead of kitchen roll, I've found my reusable freezer bags again and my vegan wax wraps too. It won't always be easy as dh is not  quite as bothered I am but he'll certainly try a bit more! I ordered my first batch of loo roll from Naked Sprout (the highest rating available on ethical consumer) so I'm hoping that its a good product and I'll only be buying ethically and sustainably sound products to replace anything that currently doesn't come up to standard once they need replacing. I know that some things will be more expensive but I'll save on stuff that I make myself (for example, I'm going to try to make my own wholewheat pasta with my pasta maker next week - I have organic wheat grain already and if it works, it will save me a considerable amount as currently the stuff I buy is around £2.50 for 500g) so it will probably even itself out over the year....even if it doesn't, it will make me feel better. 

I'm having a lazy one today - I've made a couple of batches of soya milk for during the week, I mainly use my soy milk maker when I'm making tofu but I think it will be nice to have a change from oat milk occasionally.

I've had a moong dhal omelette for lunch so I think it will be a late dinner as I'm stuffed 😂 We've got rice leftover from last night (I had Ethiopian lentils) so I'm planning on doing some fried rice with okara to go with the lemon butter beans I've made. 

I'm spending the rest of the day watching my fire, drinking lemon verbena and hibiscus tea and possibly having a bit of a snooze while dh watches footie 😁 

Have a fab slow day!! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

I had a good day yesterday, I restarted my morning exercise routine and cleaned the house after doing little to nothing since being poorly - the sense of calm I feel when things are in order is quite stunning!! Sometimes I wonder how I coped keeping the house how I like it in the days where I had kids, foster kids, dogs, two jobs and a social life!! 😳😂 Now it's just me and dh and I love the peace and lack of chaos; I'm currently laying in bed with a chamomile tea and listening to 'new age' relaxation music on YouTube feeling very grateful for how I get to live my life 😁 

Once I've done my dailies today, I'm going to make something for dinner - I have no idea what leftovers are in the fridge (if any) but will re-purpose anything in there. I am making some tofu today and cooking grains but they could end up in tomorrow's food depending on what I discover in the fridge. 

I've decided that I'm going to declutter some of my kitchen gadgets in the next couple of weeks - I've acquired so many over the years and there are several that I just don't use anymore so it's time to let them go to a new home - I'm going to see if there are any charities locally that support people moving into a home following homelessness to donate them to but if not, then I'll take them to the community charity shop in the local town. As I'm known as the kitchen gadget queen by my family, this has come as quite a surprise to them - my dd and sister asked me if I needed to tell them something!! 😳😂 

The weather here is still poop - very windy and cold - so I won't be walking today; I see walking as a pleasure, not a punishment, so no point in doing it when it wouldn't be a nice experience! 

Most of the leaves are off the oaks in the garden after the weekend weather so I may do a bit of raking later but if not, I'm just going to enjoy a day of pottering indoors and possibly watching an old movie 😁 

Have a fab slow day 🐌 😁 

MissRikkiC

I have a few questions but @leftatthetrafficlights could you explain how you make your tofu? I’m intrigued 

leftatthetrafficlights

@MissRikkiC - it's very easy but a bit time consuming (well it is when I make it as I make several batches and freeze it 😉)

I make soya milk in my soya milk maker - if you don't have one, you just need to blend soaked soya beans and water, add to a pan and bring to a boil while stirring - stirring is essential as it has a tendency to stick to the bottom.( **IMPORTANT** As it approaches boiling, soy milk will start to foam and expand very rapidly. To avoid it bubbling over, make sure you are using a pot with plenty of extra room, and be ready to turn off the heat and/or remove the pot from the burner IMMEDIATELY once it starts to expand.) 

Strain the soy milk through muslin into a pot and when cool enough squeeze as much fluid as possible from the solids remaining in the muslin (the solids are known as okara and can be used in a variety of dishes). Bring the strained soya milk back to a boil (same as above) then reduce the heat and let it simmer for around 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes or so then add your coagulant slowly while stirring (this can be nigari or lemon juice). Leave for 10 minutes or so then pour through muslin and place the solids in the muslin into a tofu press and fold the muslin over. If you don't have a tofu press, you can leave the muslin in a colander/seive and place weights on it (I've used a chopping board with tins on top before). Leave for around 4 hours then put the tofu still wrapped in the muslin into cold water for 5 mins. Unwrap while submerged in the water then drain and dry with a cloth/paper towel. Your tofu will be ready to use now or you can pop it into fresh water in a container and keep it in the fridge or freeze it. 

There are loads of videos on YouTube and recipes online covering making tofu but that's the basics of it. Freezing it before you use it changes the texture and lots of people prefer it like that - basically, I love the stuff so use it both ways! 

Plans changed yesterday so I didn't get a chance to make my tofu - I'll probably do it tomorrow now....I did update all the budgets and inventories yesterday as I'd let them slide last week as I didn't want to be on the laptop due to the migraine - thankfully I'd written everything down in my 'roadmap' book so I didn't miss anything 😁

Today will be a reasonably quiet one until I've got my grandbaby after school for his usual weekday sleepover and then the chaos will descend!! 😂  I will get my dailies done then I think I'll do a bit of reading until the school run.

I'm not sure what I'm feeding him today - I may do a mushroom and walnut mince bolognese but will need to pop to the shop to get mushrooms for that, or I may make a dark speckled lentil bolognese instead 🤔 I'm always making the same stuff for him as he's really tricky to feed - drives me nuts!! 🙄 

Anyway, last night we had mixed grains (barley, rye, oats and short grain brown rice cooked in stock), ratatouille with leftover butterbeans, hommous, rocket and pomegranate - very lovely 😋 



Chamomile tea is calling so have a fab slow day! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

It's foggy out there today!! I took my grandbaby to school and on the way back I stopped in a lay-by next to a field and just took in the atmosphere - I love fog, it gives everything such an ethereal feel 😍 

Back home now and having a latte before I get on with my dailies - no cooking needed today (I made the bolognese yesterday with mushrooms, walnuts and lentils 😉) as we have plenty of leftovers. 

Once my dailies are done I'm settling down for an afternoon of movies - scrooged and white christmas I think 🤔 I may have a little snooze too! 

Have a fab slow day! 🐌😁

MissRikkiC

Thanks @leftatthetrafficlights for the detailed description of making tofu and soya milk. We do use both, soya milk more than the tofu but with how time consuming it sounds, im not sure I can afford the time for it right now. I’d love to though, all of your plans of retirement are making me very envious at just 34 🤣 I’ll have more time then!