The final day and I just could not face a bowl of rice for breakfast!!
The dogs and Ginger had woken me up at the crack of dawn and the sun was shining, so before I had even had my breakfast we were out walking along the canal by 7.15am and very nice it was too in the early morning sunshine. When we got back I decided that I would go shopping while the shops were quiet and by 9.30am I had done a tour of Aldi, Sainsbury's and Booths picking up all the things I needed to restock the fridge, the cupboard and some treats that I fancied for my first day off the Ration Challenge.
Then it was home to put away the shopping and warm up the pasty.
When I put the new food into the fridge the look of the shelves really jumped out at me, definitely a fridge of two halves. Normal shelf, ration shelf.
A door shelf of two halves.
And enough fresh veggies and fruit to keep Bugs Bunny very happy.
This little array of foods stopped me in my tracks.
Ignoring the almond milk and the nuts ... I had spent more on Ginger's tuna, and his and the dogs treats than it costs to buy a ration pack for a refugee for a month!!
For my lunch I made up my last pan of ration challenge rice and served half of it with the last Lentil and Kidney Bean burger crumbled up, and topped with my last spring onions.
I wasn't really hungry at teatime, that lunch was surprisingly filling ... so I just made myself a garlic bread using the last little bit of garlic, which I had sliced and smooshed up and left soaking in a couple of spoonfuls of oil for the afternoon. It was very garlicky and very tasty.
No vampires will get me tonight!!
Next I wanted to measure out what I had left, there was a surprisingly large amount of rice left considering I feel like I have been eating it until it was coming out of my ears!
So all that is left from all the food that I started the week with, is the raw rice, the cooked portion of rice and about 80mls of oil.
And then after a look at my final total, I decided to pay a fine to round it up to the next hundred and treat myself to a cheeky cup of coffee while I watched television.
One cheat during the whole of Ration Challenge Week ... not a bad result!!
Thank you to everyone that has supported me both with donations and moral support, it has all been invaluable and I am so grateful.
And for the final time ... my
FUNDRAISING PAGE IS HERE just in case you want to nip on over and see what the final total is.
Thank you, I'll be back tomorrow with a final summary of my thoughts from the week.
Sue xx
You did it!! Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteYou will enjoy today, won't you?
xx
I did :-)
DeleteWell done!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. xx
DeleteThe contents of your salad drawer would make a Mum in a refugee camp weep with longing . . . but it does look quite fabulous, all that coloiur.
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't be walking down by the river if you were here - the wind is trying to take the dustbins down to the next village and it has just started to rain.
Oh gosh they would wouldn't they, just thinking about it makes me sad ... and very grateful at how much is available to us.
DeleteWell done for surviving the challenge, what an amazing thing to do.
ReplyDeleteShould Ginger be eating so much tuna ? It’s not recommended to feed them more than a few teaspoons a week and should be in water not brine.
He doesn't eat a full can a day, about a half tin a day with his cat food and dog biscuits in the morning, yes he has dog biscuits too. One day we will have 'normal' pets. Our old Border Collie would only eat Whiskas cat food!!
DeleteWe do drain the tin fully so he is getting only a bit of the brine, he doesn't like the tuna in water or oil, the dogs share the rest of the can between them, which the vet says is a good idea for older dogs. All this HAS been cleared by our vet, and he is in ridiculously good health for an old boy ... Ginger that is not the vet!!
Very well done, Sue. Now enjoy all this wonderful fresh vegetables and fruit! Catriona
ReplyDeleteThank you. I fully intend to enjoy all of it, what a riot of glorious colour eh :-)
DeleteThank you Sue for your hardwork and determination. Well done for exceeding your target! ❤️👍🙏😊
ReplyDeleteThank YOU, for all your support and donation. I could not have done this without the brilliant back up that I have had from friends and readers. xx
DeleteCongratulations Sue. As someone who reads your blog regularly and never comments I must admit you have been even more inspiring that usual. I admire your tenacity to do this challenge and apart from donating it had really opened my eyes to the challenges refugees face. In addition I have really looked at my own food portions (albeit mostly vegan) and made me consider what I really need. Enjoy your regular rations and very well done on the amazing amount of money you raised too.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I think opening my own eyes to this and being reminded of what refugees have to go through, and while we were living our comfortable lives they are STILL unfortunately going through this through no fault of their own, is a MASSIVE reset for me each year. Having choice on what I eat again is amazing and really makes last week even sadder.
DeleteWhat an achievement ! You, the members of your team and everyone else that has done this challenge have made an enormous difference, I am sure that it has made us all sit back and think and appreciate what we have. I don't consider that cup of coffee as a cheat, after all you paid a fine for it, all's fair in love and war, you gave with love to a situation caused by war, be proud :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all your support and donations Chrissie, together we are helping to make a difference. As soon as I find out any totals of monies raised I will share it on my blog. xx
DeleteWell done Sue, you earned that coffee x
ReplyDeleteIt was the nicest cup of coffee I have had in a long time. :-)
DeleteCongratulations Sue. You did it! I bet that coffee tasted wonderful 😜
ReplyDeleteWe are so lucky in the UK with all the food choices we are able to make and that's a good point about the pet treats costing more than feeding a human. It puts the refugee crisis into a new perspective. So very sad.
Enjoy your day and the lovely colourful salads!
Well done my lovely 💐x
It was wonderful and worth every bit of the £44 it cost me ;-)
DeleteI agree it's heart-breaking that our animals get more spent on them than refugees do.
As soon as I pulled out the treats (from a bag that I had left in the car), and realised that the two big bag of dog treats had been £7.70 each (they do last them for about 3 months) I was totally humbled, hence me grabbing the camera again. I don't know what the put in those 'Tasty Sticks' but they must be addictive, Ginger comes over and asks for one every morning.
Well done, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about this challenge - an amazing achievement
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Thank you so much for all your support Alison, you have been here right through all my Ration Challenge, it is appreciated. xx
DeleteAs others have said, well done, Sue! Looking forward to your summation of the week. Mary
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Mary. xx
DeleteI am impressed. Well done! Enjoy the fruits and veggies.
ReplyDeleteOn a completely unrelated note, I really like your coffee cup.
Thank you. xx
DeleteHaha, it's just the perfect sized cup for me ... I only have two of them so they are in permanent rotation.
Good job! Thank you for raising so much money for refugees.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for all the support. xx
DeleteWell done, you have done such a good challenge. I guess you might have lost a few pounds maybe?
ReplyDeleteI thought I might lose a few so I did weigh myself at the start (and someone usually asks if I did).
DeleteI actually lost ONE POUND
.
I guess the weight lose was so low for me because although I was eating plain food I was actually eating larger portions (of rice mostly) than usual in a bid to keep myself full up. And this diet was not hugely dissimilar to the diet I usually follow. The people that had gone from ready meals and processed foods etc lost a lot more weight over the seven days, one guy losing over 21 pounds, which he was pleased about as he was a larger chap.
Well done Sue. You have done so well. I think you deserved your cup of coffee treat. Your fridge looks a lot more appetising now that's for sure. I can't even begin to imagine how refugees cope with those rations week in, week out. Take care and well done again. :)
ReplyDeleteI think the monotony of it over a long time would really get to me. The refugees do receive the occasional additions of tinned pulses, fish etc as well as stock powder, and some have planted small gardens to supplement the rations. But it's barely enough to keep body and soul together is it?
DeleteAmazing. Take a bow and enjoy those treats now!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, and thanks for all the support. Bowing and backing away ......
Delete