Slow Living - Doing It Old Style!

KajiKita

boultdj said:

@KajiKita I'm rubbish at sprouting seeds, any tips?

As for baking I like quite a few things and I'm told I'm a good baker, it's the energy part of the mojo that seems to have beggered off. Still I am keeping my hand in with bread and the occasional meat pie.

What do you find difficult about them, what do you trip up on?

Start with something easy like mung beans. Because these are big seeds I soak them overnight and then use a sprouting kit I bought years ago, I deliberately put them somewhere I see them every day but in light - for me this is the kitchen windowsill. It could equally be the bathroom windowsill as that is near a water supply as well. 

Check them twice daily, rinse them twice daily and ignore the timescales given by the instruction books 😉 Some of the seeds you sprout will take less time than the books will say, some will take more. It will depend on the age of the seeds, the temperature of your space etc. What you can do, is as they start to sprout, is taste them - you get to decide when to stop the process 😊 - when you do that rinse them one last time, sweep them into a box (an old plastic takeaway box or similar is fine) and get them in the fridge. Putting them in the cold stops the growth. 

One trick is defining how many to grow at once before you can consume them. 

Check your sprouted refrigerated seeds daily - give them a sniff. If they start smelling a bit unfresh you can get away with one gentle rinse - after that bin them. 

The other trick is knowing when to start the next batch - that could be once per week (otherwise you could end up eating them endlessly) or every 4 days or so. 

I will be honest and say that I struggle with smaller seeds. I think maybe soaking a piece of kitchen paper and placing in an old mushroom container with clingfilm over the top might work? Perhaps we can try again this year together? 😊

KK

mrs_motivated

sunshineli said:

I love the idea of a positivity journal. I have kept a gratitude journal for several years although I have written in it just twice this year... I can tell the difference it has had on my outlook and mental health. Great idea to use it to help implement your new healthy habits.

Me too, it really does make a difference although I usually start doing it daily and as the year prgresses tend to write less often….thats another challenge to keep it up for the whole year.

Smudgeismydog

Got a little carried away yesterday sorting out a cupboard of doom, which resulted in 2 skip trips today, (plus stopping at my mum’s on the way through to pick up some of her declutterring). Walked the dog, cleaned the bathroom, and did some batch cooking.
Cajoled 2 teenagers into writing their Christmas ‘thankyou notes’ and diffused a hormonal strop.

I felt like I had lots of outstanding jobs going through my head, so I made a list and attached it to the kitchen notice board. I’m hoping this will mean my head stops worrying about them.

I was also aware I was starting to feel stressed, so took myself off for a swim (all by myself), to give myself a chance to unwind a little.
Came home and delegated cooking tea to DD.

I can see that I was trying to fit too much in again, but I’m pleased I recognised this (and did something about it).
I know I have a long way to go, but hopefully each small step where I recognise this and act will help me to slow down and live a calmer life.


hope everyone is well, and looking forward to our slow living 2024
x

boultdj

@KajiKita, mine just go mouldy on me, so I gave up on trying. We do like bean sprouts in stir fry's so it would be nice to have really fresh ones to cook.

KajiKita

boultdj said:

@KajiKita, mine just go mouldy on me, so I gave up on trying. We do like bean sprouts in stir fry's so it would be nice to have really fresh ones to cook.

That sounds like a lack of ventilation and a lack of regular rinsing. 

You’ve prompted me to start a new batch off this evening for new work packed lunches next week, so thank you for that 😊

KK

boultdj

@KajiKita I used an old pair of stockings as the lid, rinsed twice a day, so I wonder did I not rinse for long enough?
Plus we were living in a place with storage heaters and struggled to get rid of black mould.
Glad I could help lol

RHemmings

leftatthetrafficlights said:

So, slow living - for me it's about living a frugal, seasonal, low waste, low buy, sustainable, vegan, healthy, immersive and mindful lifestyle. 

I'm not sure that I fully understand this thread yet, and if things go to plan I should be in a good position in 2024 financially (we all know what happens to plans. But, I want to be more sustainable, I've been vegan for over half my life and will not be changing that , I'd like to be eating more meals prepared from fresh ingredients (and would like to learn more about how to be more sustainable through seasonality), and to definitely be low waste. My current plans are to freeze more prepared meals that can be heated up, and to plan better for bread. I used to cook a lot of my own bread, but have fallen into buying prepared/processed bread. Perhaps I can reverse that a bit. I definitely want to expand my library of recipes I regularly cook from the top of my head, rather than following a recipe. 

leftatthetrafficlights

Welcome @gill5blue, @Ollielikesswimming, @Christianne1957, @Sun_Addict, @amber03, @mrs_motivated, @sunshineli, @Slowdown, @Brie and @Florafauna 😁 

I'm so pleased to have so many people on this journey! I'll do much better at cheerleading from tomorrow, dh being home means that I don't like to spend too much time on my phone 😉 

Yesterday ended up being an impromptu  totally slow living day! Dh and I spent all day listening to music, snoozing, eating leftovers and doing absolutely nothing!! I enjoyed it immensely but I'm looking forward to finishing off the bits and pieces that need doing today!

I didn't get round to doing the inventories on Friday so they are at the top of the list for today as I need to get my menu plan sorted! I've got a few dishes in mind for the next few days;  I'm making a potato and lemon 'casserole' today (lots of potatoes and lemons to use up) which is eaten in stages....today I'll have a bowl of it as a soup with nan bread, tomorrow I'll use some of the fluid to cook some white beans and cavolo nero from the garden then serve those with the some of the potatoes, Tuesday I'll use the remaining fluid to cook some grains in - not sure what I'll serve with them but I'll work that out! 😉 I'll post food piccies as I make it...

Time for a chamomile tea now and then hopefully it will be light enough to check the garden to see if the crazy winds last night have caused any damage! 

KajiKita

boultdj said:

@KajiKita I used an old pair of stockings as the lid, rinsed twice a day, so I wonder did I not rinse for long enough?
Plus we were living in a place with storage heaters and struggled to get rid of black mould.
Glad I could help lol

Ah, so there would have been spores in the air, that won’t have helped. Also, I would spread them out on a plate, without overlapping, maybe on a damp piece of tissue(?) so you can get more air to them. I grow mine in a single layer, exposed to the air. I will take a picture later and show you what I mean. 

KK

Wimbledonwomble

Hello all

Slow start to the day here. Few jobs completed  but mindfully. Coffee brewed ,just going to have a long soak in the bath with my Christmas present bath oil.

Many thanks for the sprouting tips which I will try. Does anyone have any tips on yoghurt making ? I've never tried so not sure how to start. I love natural yoghurt with fruit but it's so expensive.  
Happy, peaceful , slow new year to all