Using the Riverford Vegetables, and Filling the Freezer

I made the soup that I spoke about making the other day, in fact it made so much more than the two portions I thought that I would get.  I ate one meal as a vegetable stew and then blended up what was left into two smallish portions for the next two days lunches and two larger portions to put into the freezer.  It's delicious, so I have something to really look forward to.

I dealt with most of the other Riverford vegetables last week and made up a large tray of Mediterranean style veggies and one that was more tomato and rice based.  I shared a tin of tomatoes and a tin of chickpeas between the two mixes and slightly varied the spices that I used so that they wouldn't taste too similar.

Once cooked they looked like this and they were both portioned into single serving sized helpings, and all but one of each was put straight into the freezer.

I had a helping of the rice and vegetables with a breaded fish portion, and then the next night I had the tomatoey vegetables with some tagliatelle.

 It's nice to have a few things stashed in the freezer for quick and easy meals.  But it does explain why my freezer contents never seem to go down. 😄

Sue xx

One Reset a Day

 

I follow an account on Instagram called One Reset a Day ... 'oneresetaday'.  On her account Anna,who is a 33 year old lady living with her father-in-law after a life change for herself and her husband, tackles one small reset a day in or around the house.

She inspired me. 😊

After feeling so bad for so long my place is tolerable, but it hasn't been deep-cleaned or sorted out properly for a while and the thought of all out Spring cleaning was filling me with dread, and yet I do want to make a start on sorting out the nitty gritty before our house move so that it is not all left until the last minute.

So like Anna, I am tackling just one thing at a time.  

Today it has been sorting out the fridge and seeing what is in there that needs using now, or dealing with in some other way.  First I found the cheese selection pack that I bought for Christmas and never actually opened.  Yes, it was out of date but the cheeses all seemed fine, so I set to and grated them all, put them into individual tubs and put them in the freezer.  Then I realised that I still had the potatoes, two onions and a couple of carrots from my last Riverford delivery to use up.  I am going to make a simple vegetable stew for my tea to remedy this immediately, along with a few lentils this will make a stew and probably a portion of soup for tomorrows lunch too.

Then I will stop and decide what to do next ... just one thing at a time.

Sue xx

The First Shopping of the Month ... and How the New Kitchen Actually Looks Today

 

Well this is the first shopping of March and as you can see I am still in a very random shopping mode. 

Aldi - £11.89

 It's a good job I still have a freezer full of vegetables and a cupboard full of tins that I am determined to use up before we move house.  All I am buying at the moment are things to plug gaps and things that I really fancy.  We are taking it in turns recently to buy a cucumber, and this week it was my turn.  We just have half each so it makes sense to pay for a whole one rather than two halves ...  which being more expensive I always think that this is very cheeky and unfair to single people!!  😄

And before you get too excited about my soon-to-be lovely new kitchen, that I showed on Saturdays post ... and which is actually pencilled in for installation in September ... here is this months walk-through of the bungalow, made possible this week due to the slightly more level surface that has been created, because as well as the floorboards having gone, all the floor joists are now out.

https://youtu.be/ZeWLlploSsg?si=nP3eNIWyGyMqWyDO

It's nowhere near as light and airy and gorgeous in reality is it.  😄

Oh well at least we have the images to keep us heading in the right direction.

Sue xx

Renovation - Computer Images

 

Here it is at last, the kitchen that I sat and designed with our brilliant kitchen guy.  He did his magic and got it all pictured on his computer programme, and now at last Alan can see what has been inside my head since we first looked round the bungalow.

While Alan is the technical guy, I am the one with the vision for what could be in a place, so we work well together ... once we both get the other's vision. 

The kitchen is the same colour scheme as the one I currently have in the annexe, as we both thought that it would suit being in a kitchen/dining/living room space.  But it has a lot more units and a built-in washing machine to the left of the sink.

The table and chairs are just an 'artists impression to show how the space will be used.  We will probably have to make do with our old dining table at first, but may change it when funds allow.

Of course, I will still have some open shelving for my cookbooks, is a kitchen even a kitchen without cookbooks on display!!  😄

We are going back to our old 'American style' fridge freezer but without the water/ice dispenser shown in this picture.  We loved this free-standing design when we had it in our Welsh kitchen.

The French doors on the left of the picture lead to the garden, and will eventually open onto decking with steps down to the garden, and the glazed door on the right leads to the small hallway, the front door and both bedroom doors.

I have to say, I am really pleased with how it all looks and the sheer amount of storage space we are going to have behind all those cupboard doors and large drawers.

Finally here is an 'artists impression' of the dining and living room end.

The main differences are, that we will have our main television on my sideboard as we are not 'television on the wall' type of people, and my bookcase and Alan's tall lamp will be in the large alcove.

  The multifuel stove we are getting is a more traditional design, and Alan is treating himself to a smaller leather reclining sofa, as his current one is too big for this space.

But the main thing is that Alan can now see my vision ... now if I could just learn to understand the finer points of underfloor heating, solar panels and their batteries, and having three water heaters it would be perfect.  😉

Sue xx

Final February Shopping - Blowing the Budget ... and Family News

My final shopping of February, and sadly I really blew the budget this month with a total spend of £70.07, meaning an overspend of £17.70 ... there are far too many sevens in that little round up.  😄

For the first time that I needed to buy toilet rolls the ones I like weren't on special offer.  I honestly can't remember when I have got my timing wrong before.  But hey, I bought them because I needed them and happily I have my emergency Facebook Marketplace sales money to top up my usual monthly budget money.

Happily it's a new month and a fresh £50 for my purse on Sunday, where on earth is the time going!!

It's been a day of bad news today, so my blowing the budget is neither here nor there really.  My eldest grandson found out his fiancée, who is the mother of his two younger sons, was cheating on him and they have split up, with her throwing him out of their home.  My second eldest grandson has split from his long term girlfriend just before his 21st birthday, in a fit of spite (I don't know what happened as she dumped him), she cancelled all his birthday party plans and his Mum had to ring around everywhere to reinstate things.  Then to cap it all my older son's fiancée's grandad died last night so she is devasted.

On the bright side my younger son and his partner have just had their offer accepted on a lovely little bungalow in Thornton-Cleveleys, their first ever home purchase.  Their survey is taking place today.

There are always chinks of light even on the saddest of days, you just have to look for them and cling on.  

Now after all the phone calls ...

Sue xx