Morning/evening all,

You can reap the benefits of a hula hoop without using a hoop. I used to have a Wii fit that included a set of hula hoop exercises and it was hard work but great fun.
It also had some boxing sessions which I used to love.

Maybe I should search the cupboard and set it up again………

It’s cold, damp and dull this morning so I won’t be going far.

The freezer is making a lot of noise but still going so I’m going to hang on and see if I can use everything that’s left before I replace it.
I might be eating a lot of peas over the coming days 😆

Have a good weekend everybody 😜

16455 steps in the bank this morning and a breakfast of eggs benedict on a bed of baby spinach the Heat wave continues here in South Australia and the SA Government has warned of power outages and black outs a public request to not set air-con temperature below 26deg applies.
Have a good weekend ALL
RT

Do they have an outdoor heated pool, Jo? That must cost a fortune to keep warm in your winters, surely? And isn’t it freezing when you get out?
I watch so many hot and sweating “heavies ” jogging along the waterfront path here in full gym gear, only to see them walk back from the takeaway guzzling burgers and chips. I’d love to be able to get the “less food is the answer, not the jogging” message to them!
The ocean was 21 here yesterday and the air 28. Absolutely perfect for swimming and reading in the shade.
Keep cool RT. You must be up very early doing those steps. Does it cool down at night? P

Amazon,

On the subject of getting the benefits of hula hoop without the hoop. I’m just wondering how often I should drop the imaginary hoop? And how often I would then need to bend down to pick up the imaginary hoop….? 😁

Well I guess that depends on whether you’re pretending to use a hoop, or just imagining using a hoop! Benefits from both it seems….

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-grow-stronger-without-lifting-weights/

Hi everyone,

It’s a cold but sunny day today, definitely looking more like spring than winter.

The freezer has finally given up the ghost so a replacement has been purchased and will be delivered tomorrow. I’ve spent the morning clearing everything out of it and it is now defrosting which means I have no fridge either.
Last time this happened was in the middle of a July heatwave and the milk went off overnight 😩

I have a cool box on the back step full of frozen stock and those blocks you can freeze to keep stuff cool so I’m hoping they stay frozen until tomorrow but if not I’ll just boil them up and re-freeze.
I’m glad I managed to use almost everything up before it gave up the ghost. The only thing I need to use are frozen apple slices so I’m going to make a crumble and I’ve only thrown out a couple of tablespoons of frozen corn and half a pack of lardons which is a result 🙂
I made pea puree yesterday and had some with my dinner. The rest will be eaten tonight.

Jo, I rarely eat soup and it isn’t something I would choose to eat very often although I’ll make an exception for Chinese style crab and sweetcorn and very occasionally roasted squash but only if I’m desperate to use veggies up and can’t think of anything else to do with them.

I have the contents of the fridge in the bath. The window is open wide so it is very cold in there and should keep everything fresh.

My imaginary hula hopp is stored in my imaginery utulity room in my imaginery mansion 😉

Have a good one everybody 😜

I couldn’t do it RT. 🙄

You are going to have a fun month Anazon 😊 Sorry I can’t send you some sunshine. P

Amazon, we have been having fun trying tasting plates in various places. Yesterday was a rainforest plate…emphasis on stunning meats and tapanade…tonight, a seafood plate..oysters, cod croquettes, the best calamari I’ve had in years…both “meals” were what most people would regard as entres (starters), but for us were delicious mains. By leaving the breads, we were having salad and proteins. Lots of flavour too. I washed tonight’s down with a lovely Spanish verdejo. Just what the doctor ordered. 😊
I hope you enjoy that sun this morning and that the new fridge arrives safely
P

Hi everyone,

Jo, if they’re not in breadcrumbs they ain’t goujons which are defined as strips of chicken or fish coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. Artistic licence on behalf of the chef methinks 😉
I like them but don’t indulge too often as they invariably come with chips etc.

I’m already enjoying my veggie adventure. For dinner yesterday I had a wrap containing spinach, tomato salsa, guacamole, refried beans, a dollop of yoghurt and topped with cheese. It was so filling I only just managed to squeeze in the remaining apple crumble and custard 😉
I’m having another wrap tonight with less filling to bring it down to 400 calories as it is a FD.

It’s a beautiful cold but sunny day here. Spring flowers in bloom everywhere I look, blossom on the trees, I think winter is on it’s way south!
I went out this morning and it was so nice I thought about ditching my FD and having lunch somewhere by the river but decided I can do that when the weather is warmer so I can sit outside 😇

Nama the fridge freezer was delivered yesterday lunchtime in a brief window between pelting rain and a hailstorm, and by teatime it was turned on and the fridge full of food (lunch and tea being purely figures of speech 😉 )
Fortunately I didn’t have much that needed to be refrigerated and my milk, yoghurt and kefir sat happily in a sink of cold water while I was without a fridge.

Now that the freezer has got up to speed I can start filling it with goodies. I feel uneasy with a freezer than contains nothing but ice cubes 😱
I’m going to make some veggie burgers tomorrow (only 180 calories each) and will be able to freeze some for other days. I figure I can have them with some toppings and salad/green veg on FDs and something more substantial as a treat on non FDs.
I’m definitely making a huge batch of chilli as it was so tasty, satisfying and filling. That will satisfy my hoarding tendencies 🙂

Nama it must be strange to have sold your little house but I’m sure you’ll be filling your weekends with lots of exciting things. As for having more stuff than we need, I’m trying to de-clutter my cupboards as they are all full and I’ve no idea what is in half of them….

Have a good one everybody 😜

Hi Jo,

The fridge has a big veg drawer at the bottom, and I can change the humidity and temperature settings independent of the rest of the fridge. There are also two drawers above it for keeping meat and fish chilled (not that they’ll get much use at the moment) and I can change the temperature in them too.
It’s unlikely I’ll ever need more than one so I can remove it and have more shelf space. It’s rather high tech compared to my previous model 🤓
I’ve not finished reading the manual yet and I guess I should to ensure I’m using it properly.

The freezer has three drawers which rest on shelves so that if more space is needed they can be removed and food stacked directly on the shelves. I am pleased with that as is also means more support for the drawers when they are full.

I’m determined to be more disciplined every day not just FDS so no more tsps of peanut butter or a couple of almonds when I get peckish, only water or a hot drink and eat once a day unless it is a special occasion.
So far so good but it’s only day 6……

Jo, don’t add anything but milk to the kefir when it is fermenting. In your climate it should be thickening up in 24 hours. Mine grow a few more every day, so, after a few days I need to reduce the number of grains by freezing some or feeding the cat. If left too long, it separates into curds at the top and whey at the bottom. This easily mixes back together.
It is important not to contaminate the kefir. That is why I only use plastic, glass and wood near it. Even metal utensils will change it.
Milk is full of lactose (milk sugar) so kefir definitely does not need any other food, just as human babies don’t need anything but breastmilk.
If yours is slow to ferment, use about 1 tablespoon of kefir grains, max, in 200ml of really good quality full cream milk. It does not have to be raw milk, just full fat homogenised. The fat globules in unhomogenised milk tend to stifle the growth. Experiment a bit. Often too many grains will slow it too. Gradually increase the quantity of milk as the grains get healthier. They are very sturdy little gremlins. Mine even come away on holidays with me, while their friends sit at home, patiently in the freezer. 😊😊P

My grains have increased but it is a slow process in a cool UK kitchen at this time of year. I did some reading and discovered that the optimum temperature is around 22C and my kitchen is nowhere near that.
I have had to increase the amount of milk I use and the kefir has been thick and creamy so things are obviously going in the right direction, although the batch I drained this morning was thinner than it has been and I think that is because I’ve been keeping it on top of the fridge freezer and it had to go elsewhere yesterday.

It might have to be an early night for me as I’m feeling quite hungry. I’m looking forward to my AJ burger tomorrow.

Yes it is and the way I’m feeling now I’ll be re-naming it the ravenous burger 😉

The “tang” of kefir is the goodness Jo. If you rinse the grains, you’ll need to use filtered water. Don’t use chlorinated tap water, it will kill them. P

You’ll do it HBC.☺
I use chillies in much of my cooking ….usually about 3″ long ones or the tiny hotter ones.
Fast meal last night (we were holidaying and clearing out the fridge)… onion, fennel, capsicum, chilli, garlic, left over salad leaves, cabbage, carrot, pasatta and chunks of smoked salmon, served on zero noodles with a little grated, very dried out, Parmesan. I love holiday cookups 😊😊 P

Sure. The smaller, and therefore hotter they are, the more careful I am about washing my hands after chopping. Too many experiences of stinging eyes and lips 😶😶
Chillies are very good for you and add great flavour to many dishes. P

Morning/evening all,

It’s a bright morning with hazy sunshine and I’m off to the gym.

HCB, Jerusalem isn’t a vegan cookery book, it contains all manner of recipes from the part of thr world it is named for.

There is a chef called Anna Jones who has written two vegetarian/vegan cookery books and the burger recipe is hers. The chilli I’m talking about is also from her book. Chili con carne is popular here too but I don’t like kidney beans so always use something else. I’ve also made lots of versionsusing mixed veg, whatever I have in the fridge but this one contains lentils, beans, quinoa, bulghur wheat, has a great flavour and a meaty texture.

Why is anyone rinsing kefir grains?
I had a good look at mine this morning and I would say they’ve trebled since I first used them. I started off with 250mls of mmilk which I’ve gradually increased but I don’t measure it other than by taking note of how far up the jar it comes 😆
It is also thick and creamy again now it is back in its usual place 🙂

Jo, my fridge freezer is a Bosch and has an A++ rating so it cost rather more than £300 but I wanted something well designed, efficient and reliable. The previous model was a Hotpoint and I would not buy another but it was all I could afford at the time.

Have a good one everybody 😜

Good morning everyone,
Jo I hope you are feeling better by know. I totally understand such bad days. What I tell myself is that tomorrow is another day 🙏🏻. I believe we all sometimes have those down days moments to appreciate the good one.
With that ready to take some natural vitamineD while walking Sasha.
Have a good days Kids 😘

Amazon,

The lentils and beets recipe is a good one too. I haven’t made it since the autumn though when my garden stopped producing beets and the herbs for the salsa verde. I’ve not tried the bourgingnon.

I’m breaking my fast this evening with the lime/black bean/chipotle tortillas…With a ‘side salad’ of meat for OH!

Congratulations on the lowering of BP. The benefits of exercise?

Amazon, I think you may need to explain to Jo what patience is…? Yes, Jo, it’s not just a card game 😁

Seriously though Jo, if you really are concerned the milk grains aren’t working properly, you could talk to the supplier about it? I’m a few days behind you and mine are going now, and it can’t be much above 16 degrees in their cupboard. Have you tried a different source of milk maybe? I’m not using raw, just organic whole milk.

And I’m glad to hear you’re feeling of dread/doom has passed. I get that sometimes after disturbed dreams. But now you’ve mentioned it, I wonder which comes first!

It’s fun exploring locally Nama, isn’t it?
I’ve changed to a heavier quilt today…autumn has arrived here too.
Good luck with the rest of your fasy. P