This living in a town malarkey is a complete change for me.
It's been over twelve years since I last lived in a town, twelve years since I've been within walking distance to shops and have the ability to 'nip out' and pick up forgotten items or just casually stroll around the corner for enough food for a couple of days.
And I absolutely love it.
I've been keeping my meals simple since I've lived here, yes there have been far too many 'lockdown treats', little nibbles to have while I watch my afternoon Netflix scary serials. But I think I'm coming out of that phase and back to the food I love in large enough portions to ward off those nibbles.
I don't know about any of you but too much of 'the wrong stuff' ... not that any food is really wrong, but you know what I mean ... makes me feel a bit yuk the next day. I think I have simple tastes and a simple digestive system that appreciates them.
I made a bit of a booboo on Sunday while Alan was here. We went to a local garden centre to combine a doggy walk around Scorton with a Hog Roast bun for Alan's lunch. I didn't think there would be anything there for me ... the main thing was there was no revolving pig's carcass as it was already shredded meat, phew that was a relief ... but the menu listed Vegan Bratwurst, so as I was absolutely starving I said I would have some. It came on a bun which the lady serving said wasn't vegan due to being a Brioche which contained some egg, in a fit of tummy rumbling starvation I said okay I will have one, then she said 'there's also a little bit of whey powder' ... I mean bloody hell why advertise something as vegan if it so obviously isn't. As I said, the rumbling got the better of me and I had one.
GOSH NEVER AGAIN!!
Two days later I am still coping the after effects of dairy on my poor unsuspecting digestive system and my sinuses. Oh well a lesson learned ... again. Will I ever learn somethings you just cannot do and having even a smidge of dairy if you are dairy intolerant is one of them.
I mean it doesn't take long to rustle up a quick pan of pasta and a fresh sauce.
Adding a couple of types of dairy-free cheese to make it taste lovely and creamy.
Ready in just over ten minutes and super filling ... and more importantly my tummy approves 😄
I'm thinking of turning simple eating into a Challenge over on my other blog starting in the New Year. Combining living on a restricted food budget and simple eating, going right back to basics ... and walking to the shops for all of my shopping. I'm off to have a think about it, it might be the only way to keep myself on the straight and narrow, after all usually if I tell my brain something is 'a Challenge' it seems to want to be good and do as it's told.
I'll have a think about it while I chomp through the crisps you see sticking out of my shopping bag in the first photo 😉
Sue xx
Funnily enough I was thinking about my shopping whilst looking at the lonely last banana. We live in a small cornish town and BC ( before covid ) I would get fruit and veg from the greengrocer, bread and delicious pasties from the baker etc, but now we do it all online and the next delivery is Sunday but I stupidly am really anxious about going into shops, silly I know but with my son's vulnerability I am extra cautious. It seems the longer it goes on the more anxious I feel I really must get a grip, but for today the banana remains nobby no mates and we do have other fruit. It's a shame as I had got into a routine of using cash and setting myself a weekly limit and seeing the money in the purse made it easier to be thrifty. I can sympathise with the dairy thing, in a moment of pure laziness and tiredness last week I had a slice of veggie pizza, not much cheese on it but my body gave me a good talking to !:)
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. I am keeping my local shopping up ... so I don't lose the momentum ... by going to the pet shop on the High Street every time Suky needs something, she loves it there and they have a very safe system in place. Apart from that there are no other shops open that I can use at the moment, and I was so looking forward to shopping and supporting the little local shops. Hopefully from next week they will all be open again and if it is safe to do so, I will be supporting them. It does sometimes feel though that with every trip out you are taking your life and that of others in your hands.
DeleteIf you mean Barkers they give a tasty treat to the dog customers as well. Does Suky require any specialized food?
DeleteYes I do. Suky was quick to cotton on to the free treat every time we go in, I have to literally drag her past the shop on days when we don't need anything or take her on a detour away from the High Street down one of the Weinds.
DeleteShe is on James Wellbeloved 'Light' food since her dieting days a few years ago, it is a good maintenance food that swells to pretty impressive proportions once in her tummy and keeps her feeling full for longer than any other foods do. Barkers do sell it, and will also order any foods in that pet owners need. A good small business to support.
I bought a vegan pizza from Aldi and it was very good not as good as home made but tasty and crisp.
ReplyDeleteOoh the last one I got from Aldi was gorgeous :-)
DeleteI have had a few too many Covid treats and the snugness of my clothes is making that very clear! I overdid some chocolates last night and woke up with a dull headache this morning - classic response for me. I'm trying to go back to my intermittent fasting routine with a low carb diet (not no carb) - it seems to work best for me.
ReplyDeleteAren't our bodies strange - I have no problem with dairy but have a severe soy intolerance. Before I realized how bad it was I took a vegan friend to a fancy hotel where they had a chef who specialized in a vegan brunch - it was her birthday. I gamely ate a plate of tempeh, vegan sausage, tofu "eggs" etc. - 20 minutes later I was frantically searching for a bathroom and then spent the next 3 days on tea and toast!
I'm glad that you are enjoying all that town life has to offer. My family - who have all moved out of the city - can't understand why I still live here but I love it - so many interesting things to do (even during a pandemic) although I admit that I'm very lucky to live in a large city that has so much green space - it really does make a difference.
I always enjoy your challenges so will look forward to whatever you decide to do.
Our bodies are wonderful things aren't they ... they know exactly what they can cope with and tell us in no uncertain terms if we push our luck. I am okay with soy as long as I only have it in small amounts, so say one item a day. I have to choose wisely!!
DeleteI understand the problem of eating something just because it's all that's available. Especially if invited to friends and family, where you feel obliged to eat what is offered. Uness I stick to meat fish eggs and a few veg I suffer from terrible tummy cramps. Not being free to socialise at present does have its advantages!
ReplyDeleteI'm usually much better and just stick to a black coffee if there is nothing available, but it's easy to slip up when hunger is around :-(
DeleteI need to do a lot more practicing of simple healthful meals!
ReplyDeleteSo do I ... hence me planning a simple food year next year, it should save me a fortune too :-)
DeleteIt's easy to slip into the I deserve a treat mode. Lately it's been chocolate and it had to stop especially with Christmas on the horizon. I hope your tummy settles soon, I get indigestion if I eat too late and nothing gets rid of it.
ReplyDeleteMy tummy usually settles down after a day or so and my sinuses a day or so later. It's just not worth four days of yukkiness for a mouthful of bread is it ... when will I ever learn!! It's hard to avoid chocolate at the moment isn't it, the shops are already full of it.
DeleteI don't drive and every house I've lived in as an adult has always been within walking distance of the town centre. I love that I can run out of something, put my shoes on, grab my purse and be back home with what I needed within the hour. It's only since March where I've ever felt the need to stock up on anything as everything has always been within easy reach.
ReplyDeleteLoving your shopping bag and giggling at the not-at-all-vegan Bratwurst, the story of my vegetarian life!
Hoping those tummy troubles sort themselves out quickly. xxx
I get annoyed at places that have NO vegan options, but I get seriously annoyed when they say they have and it turns out it really isn't. Parmesan is a case in point, so many places say they have a vegetarian or vegan options and then you find it contains Parmesan or they go to sprinkle it on your meal before you can say NO.
DeleteI sympathise with you, I soon learnt that a little of what I shouldn't eat made me ill for days. I am now paranoid at reading labels.
ReplyDeleteYep, every shopping trip has me whipping out my reading glasses to read the small print, and sometimes it is so ridiculously teeny tiny!! Thank goodness the allergens are usually in bold letters I least I stand a chance of spotting them.
DeleteOh my goodness I can sympathise with the effects of dairy!!! Sometimes in the moment we just think 'It won't really hurt' but the next day or 2 reminds us, it does!!! Hope your tummy settles down soon xxx
ReplyDeleteIt seems there are a lot of you who know exactly how I feel. I'm fine now ... four days later.
DeleteIf I eat the wrong foods I can be up all night with a rock in my stomach. Sometimes things are very tempting but I have to be strict and say no, you can't have it.
ReplyDeleteI'm just too weak sometimes, usually when I'm out with Alan who loves to eat out and about. I would much rather just eat at home, but he really enjoys it and will look disappointed and not eat himself if there's nothing I can have, so I go along, or should I say I DID go along with it ... never again, lesson learned.
DeleteI'm sorry for your tummy troubles and it sounds like a good plan to remedy them and stay healthy. Enjoy those crisps.
ReplyDeleteGosh those crisps are DANGEROUS, they are just too bloody tasty. I have been known ... very regularly ... to eat the full bag while watching a film.
DeleteOh gosh, you poor thing. I have various intolerances, and like you, every so often think I can "just sneak a little bit" and pay the price. The dairy-free cheese is a new one to me. Where do you buy it? I'm not sure you can get anything like that in New Zealand. I would be most interested in your Challenge. My Cholesterol bloods came back yesterday (first time they'd been done in a few years) and... well.... let me just say a change in diet is going to be necessary!
ReplyDeleteWe are so lucky here in the UK as there are various Dairy-Free cheeses available in most supermarkets and all health food shops. My favourite is the Violife brand, they do all different styles of 'cheese' from soft spreadable to parmesan style cheese and I also like the Applewood Smokey tasting cheese, I honestly checked my sandwich the first time I had it as I thought I had some smoked ham on there.
DeleteOh you poor thing. I sympathise with you in your suffering Sue. I have to stick to fairly simple foods now as lots of things upset me. I have cut down on dairy but don't do without totally in case it makes my reaction to it worse. My tummy objects to too much variety of food, as well as eating later than 6pm. I think it's an age thing with me. Once my tummy is upset it takes an age to settle down again so I keep Buscopan in the medicine cabinet just in case.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your next challenge in the new year 😊 Hope you feel better now.
You are being sensible as your reaction WILL get stronger if you cut it out completely and then try and go back to it ... hence me suffering. I feel much better now, thank you. xx
DeleteOuch, my friend has a tummy problem when she eats too many tomato products, cucumbers, and cabbage. I know what she goes through so I can really imagine how your tummy felt.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Oh gosh your poor friend, I would be heartbroken if tomatoes and cucumbers made me ill, I think I could manage without cabbage though ;-)
DeleteI'd love to see you talk about simple eating. I very often learn from you and I think there would be lots to learn!
ReplyDeleteI think you would all soon get fed up of me raving about pasta, vegetables and rice ... but I'm willing to give it a shot :-)
DeleteI left London and moved to a small market town , I live 5 minutes from the market square - it is lovely to be able to walk everywhere. Really enjoying seeing you enjoying this new life Sue, fingers crossed for the house.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved living in the last market town I lived in where I had my shop, I sometimes can't believe I gave it all up for something that didn't even come to pass. I'm so glad I've taken the steps to right this now.
Delete