THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

maryb · 30 September 2017 at 3:13PM

Back before the last financial crisis, we had an offset mortgage with Natwest and we had effectively paid it off by putting all our surplus cash against it. However we could have borrowed it back at any point

A few months before it all blew up, they wrote to us saying they were reducing the amount we could borrow back. They were actually reducing it so far that it was less than we would have had outstanding at that point in time on a conventional repayment mortgage - so in effect they were helping themselves to our savings.

I phoned them up to say that was not on and I asked " is Natwest in trouble?" because being a reader of alternative financial news sites I suspected there would be major trouble with the banks at some point. The woman I spoke to reacted with absolute horror. Interesting I thought, not condescending or amused, but really horrified and definitely not wanting the idea to get about that they were in trouble. They left our mortgage alone until it reached its 25 year redemption date.

Just this week I have been hearing echoes when I have come across a couple of instances of overdraft limits being reduced "because you don't use them". It looks to me like the banks may be trying to cut back on credit availability again

[Deleted User] · 30 September 2017 at 3:14PM

Mar it has to be soup and you should bulk it up with white rice/barley so that it is gentle on his stomach, not pulses. You will need to be disguising the strong taste of greens and pick greens that are relatively mild like broccoli. If you use rice then you can add it at the end after you have taken yours out. To make it tasty then add plenty of tinned tomato and tomato paste. You can easily disguise plenty of carrots in that, sweet potato and the sweet pointy red peppers

To give him a bit of weight back then something high calorie and very tasty, like mashed avocado on toast with a poached egg on top. If you have a liquidiser then a smoothie for him, made with banana, milk, raisins, whatever high calorie that you can pile in.

Thinking of you mar. its difficult

greenbee · 30 September 2017 at 3:44PM

Mar - I've had to do a high-calorie diet for both my parents at various stages. Add plenty of butter or something like cream cheese/mascarpone to mashed potatoes. Add cream and/or creme fraiche to soup. As Kittie says, soup is a great thing to do as you can pack lots of nutrition in. Lots of veg, but also fat. Fat packs a lot of calories in a very small space - and with the diabetes may be easier to manage that adding calories through carbs.

Eggs are great too - lots of protein in a small space, and you can now (apparently) eat as many as you like. So maybe try him with a couple of boiled/scrambled eggs for breakfast every day? My dad used to have that or bacon cooked in the oven with mushrooms and tomatoes.

I made a lovely creamy chicken dish for my mum last week - chop streaky bacon very finely, fry till crisp, add diced chicken, brown, then add finely sliced onion (or leeks) and fry till soft, then add water and a chicken stock pot/cube, simmer and reduce, add a pot of creme fraiche and grated parmesan. Serve with roast broccoli and a bit of pasta.

Witless · 30 September 2017 at 5:05PM

...... and another for 'use it up' broths (veg of any type with loads of lentils/barley) and eggs.

I try to have soup most days - home made pot made on Sat/Sun does Mon - Thurs, the following week for convenience (& a bit of variety plus the veg hasn't had time to get past its best) it's tinned or packet of whatever type has been on offer or is lurking in the stocks.

Not eggs every day, but averages out as 2 per day IYSWIM - boiled, scrambled or fried.

Sausage, egg & chips is real comfort food.

Karmacat · 30 September 2017 at 5:05PM

Mar, thanks for replying about my dilemma on winter stocks when the builder's in ... and I'm so sorry that RV is so ill

There's a lot of good points up thread - the only thing I can think of to add, since you're low carb, is to add quinoa in things - apparently its a seed, not a starch. I googled "is quinoa easily digested", and the answer seems to be yes, but you have to rinse it well to get rid of the natural saponins that coat the seed. Sorry, it might be more than you want to think about right now.

Hope the rv turns around really soon.

mardatha · 30 September 2017 at 5:18PM

Excellent help and support, thank you lovely ladies xx Yes geebee I do use a lot of butter and cream, Dr Bernstein's diabetic diet. Scrambled eggs for supper tonight. And I do like making soup, it's not as bad as proper cooking lol

maryb · 30 September 2017 at 5:24PM

Mar what bits about the stove are difficult for you? Maybe we can come up with some ideas between us. Is it doable on good days but not when you have a bad day or does it need a more radical approach?

GreyQueen · 30 September 2017 at 6:33PM

Sorry to hear the RV isn't well, Mardatha, can only echo the most excellent advice you've been given already. Eggs are now officially acknowledged as the most nutritionally perfect food on the planet (I eat two most days, occasionally more) so see how many of those you can get him to eat.

I'm re-stocking my sardine mountain from Liddly, a few at a time, have noticed that sardines in oil typically have 5 years' on them, whereas the same brand in ketchup has two or so years. I've heard that tomatoes can be pretty hard on tinnery, which tallies with my own experience.

I'm also experimenting with dried broad beans, of which I have a gadzillion. Am soaking and then cooking until soft and serving them cold with salads. A bit of extra starch really adds to the staying power of a salad, as does a bit of protein with it. BBs are excellent in our climate as they aren't frost tender and can even overwinter in all but the harshest of seasons.

I'll be sowing a section of the lottie to BBs mid-October, once I've got the pumpkins off that particular bit of ground. It was heavily-grained this spring and should still have a lot of stored fertility.

Have prepped a bonfire and wrapped it in tarps to protect against the rain we have predicted overnight and tomorrow AM and am planning on burning tomorrow PM.

:D I loves me a bit of pyromania........... :rotfl:

short_bird · 30 September 2017 at 6:48PM

GreyQueen wrote: »

:D I loves me a bit of pyromania........... :rotfl:

Not one of my favourite Def Leppard records... I'll get my patched denim jacket.

jk0 · 30 September 2017 at 7:05PM

maryb wrote: »

I phoned them up to say that was not on and I asked " is Natwest in trouble?"

Guess who the beggars in Ireland are who won't repay my investment? Their alter ego, RBS.

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THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

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