Red Lentil Dahl

 

I made a large pan of dahl the other day.  

It always seems like such an easy recipe and one that gives multiple portions for me as I like a lot more rice than dahl so it goes a long way.  I could literally ... and indeed have done on numerous occasions ... eat a bowl of rice with just salt and pepper I love it that much.  But there's not much goodness or protein in plain rice so adding some dahl to my bowl gives a good hit of both.

Whenever I bought this coconut milk, it must have been quite a while ago as it was out of date, I had obviously picked up the 'light' version by mistake as this is something I never do, and it really stood out in the finished dish.  That luscious creaminess that I'm used to achieving just wasn't there.

But I wanted to use it up so I did, and I added lots of spinach for the healthy greens side of things.

It made enough for three good portions for me and a large single portion for Alan to go with a roast chicken portion for his tea.

I used the recipe from Deliciously Ella's book, but dahl basically is just lentils, onions, spices and coconut milk if you like it creamy.  Nice, cheap to make and very simple ... and much tastier than these simple ingredients would suggest it is going to be.

I think it's important to have a good base selection of spices in stock if you want to make cheap meals taste better, and I've just used the last of my curry powder so I better add that to this weeks shopping list.  I'll have a rummage through the cupboards first though just in case there is some lurking in there.

Sue xx

Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Chippy Tea

 

I'm cheating a bit with the 'breakfast' photo, as this one was taken a while ago and never used.  This mornings banana was a sorry affair and I didn't photograph it.  I wish it had looked like this!!

Lunch is good though.  

When we go to Mum's these days we take a packed lunch with us, Mum doesn't need the hassle of trying to prepare food and I would rather spend time with her than be struggling in her kitchen to make us something.  We don't need much for lunch as we are only really there for a couple hours and an hours drive each way.  But we do need something, so I try to make it as tasty as possible ... and something that suits us both.

Just one bun each ... carefully labelled of course ... and one of the two wafers each out of one of the packets from my fridge.  We supply the food and Mum supplies the hot drink, it works well, and the dogs both love a day out at Granny's house ... Granny has a dog treats tin 🐶🐶

When we get back it's time to feed and walk the dogs and then Alan usually goes and gets us a chippy tea, no cooking, no washing up and tasty food.  A good end to a good day.

*** *** ***

Sort of good news from the vets with Suky yesterday, her eyesight and hearing loss are just pretty much on track as the kind of ageing a Pug of her years would experience, the only sad thing is the vet is pretty sure she has arthritis in all her joints and although she has been on YuMove for the past four years and we have recently moved her onto the Advanced version for 'stiff, older dogs' he thinks that  she does need more help now.  So she is currently on a liquid anti-inflammatory and pain relieving medication for a weeks trial, if this doesn't work she will probably have to move on to steroid tablets, something we used to have for Sophie our elderly Border Collie for the last few years of her life. 

He did suggest that we might want to consider one of  THESE  for her in the near future.  Although I never saw myself as the type of person to push my dog along in a stroller ... this could work out well for both of us!!  😀

Sue xx

Menus ... and Memories

 

I've decided to simplify my menu planning a bit, instead of putting the meals onto a specific day I am simply listing the seven main meals I want to prepare during the week ahead using the ingredients that need using up first as a starting block.  I found myself spending far too much time rubbing out and moving meals around when they were listed daily ... purely for my own benefit of course but still annoying!

And at the bottom of the page the things that need using up first, you wouldn't think I'd need to be reminded to use up chocolate spread would you.  I've literally just had a brainwave for that actually, well it is Valentines Day in seven days and I think some little cakes might be in order.

I used up one of the smaller new carrots yesterday and made a quick portion of coleslaw.

Little carrot = little grater ... just for a bit of fun.

It doesn't look the most appealing photo does it but coleslaw made with iceberg lettuce never looks as good as when you make it with white cabbage, and of course it has to be eaten straight away otherwise it goes soggy.  But it was really tasty and I have just enough lettuce for an action replay for my lunch today.

While I was getting one of my many notebooks out yesterday ready to start to work on a potential complete weeks shopping for a £10 budget, I came across old workings out for previous Challenges.  They make for fascinating reading.  I was going to put them into the recycling and start afresh but then I thought no, I will see how many more pages like this I have tucked in other notebooks and use them for reference and recipe ideas.   I obviously then spent a good hour or so reading through all my old scribblings.

*** *** ***

Stationery and starting new notebooks off is a weakness of mine, no doubt started by Mr Downey my form teacher for the last year of Junior School.  He had taken over the class after our very strict female teacher had left following an embarrassing incident in the playground, but he was most definintely not cut from the same cloth as her.  He was so laid back he was virtually horizontal.

Every Monday morning we would all be given a new school exercise book which we spent the first hour after assembly 'backing' with paper of our choosing from the art trays, then we had to use this to do a 'topic' for the week.  We could choose anything to write about and cut up any books in the classroom to glue the pictures in our books.  We would all start off the first couple of mornings of the week full of good intentions and then by Friday morning we would be doodling and making paper aeroplanes instead.  Every afternoon when the weather was relatively dry we would go through the gate from our school into the park, where the girls would play rounders and the boys would play cricket ... which Mr Downey loved more than life itself.  If it rained too hard we simply read, chatted very quietly or in some cases fell asleep.

It's a good job there were no SATS tests back in the day 😄

Sue xx

Phew ... I Found the Seeds

 

Just as I was going to sleep last night I had a sudden panicky thought  'I don't remember unpacking the seeds after the move, just how much of my budget would buying seeds take up if I want to grow my own?'  It kept me awake very briefly, I usually drop off within five minutes of getting comfortable in bed and luckily it didn't impact too much!!

Then this morning when the thought came back to me over that first reviving cup of coffee of the day, I had a vision in my head.

On the little box shelf in my shed I could see the tin that I was pretty sure contained all the seeds that I had brought with us.  And sure enough, when the rain stopped for five minutes I nipped to the shed and there it was ... sitting pretty.

I've brought the tin in now, partly so I could see what I have available and partly because they need to start to warm up slightly ready for planting.  The first seeds can go into pots next month and be started off on window sills.  Alan has already offered me the windowsill on his top floor, a room that fills with sunshine on any clear day as my windowsills are all far too small and far too full.

We need something to look forward too with all this cold, wet weather don't we.  My roof was rattling like a train last night.

Sue xx

Mavis, Suky and a Garlic Kiev

 

Mavis posed nicely for me the other day.  We were just sitting quietly and I grabbed my phone to get a photo.  She looked away so I just said her name and she went straight back into 'pose' mode.  She obviously thinks that this is her good side.

Every side is her good side, she's my little angel.  💖

Suky (my other little slightly grumpier angel) meanwhile was sat watching the birds walk up and down along the roof opposite.  

She's very short sighted now but any movement catches her attention and holds her transfixed.  As soon as they all sat still and stopped parading up and down the roofline she lost interest and went for a long drink of water instead.

She is booked into the vets for a thorough doggy MOT on Monday and they are both booked into the groomers the following week.  Mavis needs her beard and scruffy bits brought under control and they both need a good bath and manicure.  It will come out of our joint bank account so it won't affect my No Spend Challenge thank goodness.

I had a simple tea last night, just a Marks and Spencer Garlic Kiev and some rice and peas.  

I really like these and as I only have a single Kiev left in the freezer I will have to ration myself.  Hopefully I will get at least one £5 M&S voucher when the next ones are due and I will be able to get a box or two to keep me going ... or I'll be even grumpier than Suky  😄

Sue xx

Just One Days Food

 

Soup at the computer was actually my second breakfast of the day yesterday, I slurped away while reading and answering all your jar hoarding confessions ... it would seem I am far from alone!!  😄

For some reason I just really fancied using the last of this weeks soup and why not at breakfast, who ever stated that breakfast had to be cereal or toast!!  I had added some of my tiny pasta shells to the pan after I served the soup just plain with the bread at the start of the week.  I felt it needed more body and I'm not always in the mood for a slice of bread with my soup.  This worked a treat.

Although toast was the actual first breakfast of the day a few hours earlier, I can't take my tablet on an empty stomach and one slice of toast is all I can face first thing.

And then later for elevenses I had a 'bacon' butty.  I have been using up the Quorn Smokey Ham slices rather than buying any fake bacon, and they are just as delicious and more versatile too as you can have them on a salad sandwich, or as I did the other day add a torn up slice to a pizza for a hit of smoky flavour.

I've got half a pack left for next week.

After a ridiculous amount of 'breakfasts' I only needed a little baked potato with some butter and cheese for my lunch.  Just enough to stop me nibbling later in the afternoon, or so I thought ...

... but I ended up with a chocolate bar with my coffee  😁

After all the days nibbly foods I just wanted something simple for my tea so it was just a question of chopping up a red onion, a few stems of my broccoli and halving some of the cherry tomatoes and sautéing them in some olive oil for five minutes.

With one of the pouches of the ready to wok noodles I had a tasty and healthy tea in under ten minutes.

Not a bad day at all and a very tasty one too.

Sue xx

Empty Jars and Posh Butterbeans

Is there anyone else out there that has real trouble throwing away a pretty jar even if they do not currently have a use for it?  I find I save washed out jars and tins far too often thinking that one day I will fill them with just the right thing to set them off perfectly.

I'm a sucker for embossed glass, the look and feel of it is far too good to go into the recycling straight away and yet I have no need for this really.  But I might.  One day!!

I guess that's how hoarders begin.  😉

I was really good before our move and put all my excess jars into the glass recycling on the morning that the guys were due to collect it, knowing that I wouldn't have time to change my mind ... something that had happened on more than one occasion in the past.  Now as I eat my way through the jars and tins in my larder cupboard I might just have to do this again one day and jettison all the empties that I have been saving right at the point of pick-up.  

Oh, and I have also been known in the past to actually buy a product that is more expensive than I would normally consider acceptable because it came in a pretty jar ...

... yes, I'm talking about you Posh Butterbeans!!  😂😄

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Sue xx