Best organic product? I think so

 

I would love to buy only organic as I think is has to be a better option, right?
However, usually I can taste very little difference and as the price is often prohibitive for me I only buy it when the price is as close to non-organic as possible…with one exception:

These are worth whatever they cost…currently 89p a tin

Here they are in action…

I’ve gone off penne and have fusilli in the wings so the next pasta dish will look different
although it will still have smoked paprika in it!

I hope you’re all enjoying coffee in aid of Macmillan’s Coffee Morning today.

 

 

 

 

Making it up as I go along…

I saw mention of butternut squash and chestnut soup on line so made this up as I went along…

Butternut Squash and Chestnut Soup!
Also contains red onion, salt, pepper and my new favourite, smoked paprika…
the coriander sprinkled on top is just to make it look perdy.
It only took half an hour and tasted unbelievably good.

This is last night’s dinner…grilled mushrooms filled with red onion, courgette, celery, tomato, grated carrot,
tomato puree, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Twas lovely!

The weekend’s fare

Some of the weekend’s fare

Is this soup or stew? I’m never certain but whichever,
the flavours are fantastic and sometimes “plastic” bread is just what it needs!

Vegetable curry nearly ready. We had this with plain boiled rice,
lightly spiced dahl (plenty of cumin and onions), spiced kale (plenty of garlic and chilli) and parathas.
Once it was on the table the children tucked in instantly so no photographs of the rest of the meal.

Plum and nectarine crumble
(it’s the cinnamon in the crumble that makes this extra yummy)
with Swedish Glace for the children and TB

and as it comes for me.

And this is lunch today (Monday).
You know how it is when you fancy something simple?

Courgette and Cinnamon Loaf

I was planning to bake this for TB on Friday but being admitted to hospital kind of scuppered that plan.
So last night, I took up my rightful place once more in the kitchen (Lord, I’ve missed my kitchen!)
put on my cooking hat (I cook on gas and am rather scared of setting my wig alight) and
whisked up this little beauty…

…a courgette and cinnamon  loaf, delicious with non-dairy spread (Vitalite this time).
This version contains eggs but I shall be trying it again sans eggs.
TB finished the last couple of slices with coffee this morning.

 

 

 

Uninvited Omelette!

 

I didn’t order the omelette…

…see?

Tomorrow I shall be having my own home-cooked food…

I’M GOING HOME TONIGHT!!!

 

 

 

 

Different day, same lunch

       

Vegan meals in hospital.
If I really insisted they would provide something better but I can get by, as the empty plate shows

This is apparently a chocolate sponge, not vegan and not eaten!

Being here has been quite something.
The patients are fascinating and the staff are simply wonderful. I could write so much about how it’s made me feel.
In just a few days I have seen so many ups and downs in people’s lives...

Breakfast a la NHS cart(e)

Actually, this was yesterday’s…

…and this was the day before’s, today’s hasn’t arrived yet, but you get the idea.
I didn’t use the butter.

Wait till you see lunch!

 

 

 

Quinoa…I’m loving it

For supper last night we had Spicy Mushroom and Quinoa Burgers.

They were a version of this minus the nuts and using a smidge of Marmite instead of miso and there was no smoke flavouring in the pineapple relish/salsa thing. They were blooming delicious. I love the chewy texture of quinoa when it’s been fried or roasted. I see this particular mix as having plenty of potential for variety…chilli flakes are a must next time!

Saturday…

Saturday morning breakfast

 

       One of TB’s children doesn’t like melon, one only likes melon.

They both like grapes.

 

 

TB and I like all the fruit…I think ours looks the nicest

I’ve added a couple of things to the Stuff page

White blood cell boosters…kaboom!

With my first chemotherapy drug I was given daily injections to boost my white blood cell count. As I’m now on a different chemotherapy drug I don’t get these unless I desperately need them. I’d rather not wait until that situation arises so am doing what I can to boost the levels through diet. To this end I am increasing the amount of beta-carotene in my diet with more yellow, red and leafy dark green vegetables…not something I was lacking in but more can be no bad thing. Also I am avoiding sugar, of which there’s very little in my diet as I really do not have a sweet tooth.

So lunch today was a (microwaved) baked potato with (microwaved) Sweet Potato Puree with lashings of dairy and soya free spread (I like Vitalite or Pure) and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. I dressed the salad on the plate with lemon juice and black pepper…it’s lovely and good if you don’t like oily dressings, which TB doesn’t.

Other foods which may help boost white blood cells are garlic (in such large amounts that it’s best roasted unpeeled so as not to suffocate any one within a two mile radius) and haricot beans.