30 a Week Challenge Day 7

Saturday meals:

Breakfast: Porridge oats with cinnamon (1/4 point)

Lunch :

Lunch was a bit of a cheat.  I saw this little pot of Red Thai style curry in the reduced section and decided to buy it for lunch....

....it contains wild rice (a grain), yellow split peas, edamame beans and baby spinach (plus rice and carrot, neither of which count for the challenge)  After just 4 minutes in the microwave, and with a glass of orange juice, I could add 5 points to my total.  It was healthy and very tasty 👍

Evening meal:

Another bargain spotted was this delicious quiche.  I've eaten it before and it's really nice.  I wouldn't pay full price for it but at £2.15 it will make 4 decent portions @ 54p each.......

Served with a good handful of  Bistro Salad (Nectar price 90p) containing beetroot, lamb's lettuce and mixed chard .... 3 points.....

.... plus couscous and spring onion from the allotment... 2 points.

Uncannily, that adds 10.25 points to my total, making 30.5 for the week.

Success? or cheat?  I'm not sure 😨

One thing I do know is that I seem to have more energy this weekend.  Coincidence? or the result of eating more variety over the last week?  I really don't know but I have learned that planning is the key and I need to introduce more herbs to my cooking, even if it's just a sprig of mint for garnish. Next week we will be eating even more different veg;  swede, cabbage, & broccoli, for instance, but I won't be logging it all! Phew 😆

Thank you so much for following me with the challenge.  Stay safe everyone x

30 a Week Challenge Day 6

 Friday meals:

Breakfast: Muesli with half a tinned pear (in juice) & spoonful of live yogurt

Lunch: Sandwich made with wholemeal bread, tinned salmon and cucumber slices 

Evening meal: Spicy beanburger on a bread bap with salad 

We weren't very hungry for our evening meal so a beanburger just hit the spot. It only added 1 point to my total though, for the mixed bean content, as the salad stuff had already been ticked off.  This challenge is even harder than I thought it would be 😏

The total stands at 20.25 this morning and there is no way I will eat 9.75 portions of fruit and veg today.  It looks very much like a fail..... 

It poured with rain yesterday as soon as we ventured out, so we didn't stay out very long.  Driving rain forced us to eat our sandwiches in the car then we bought the grease bands and came home.  The heating was turned on for about an hour to warm us up and dry our coats. Later on I went outside to read and photograph the gas and electricity meters in case the smart meters fail to submit a reading tonight.  It would have been a bit daft to try and do it in the dark tonight so I might take another reading in the morning so that we get the cheaper rate for as long as possible if the Smart fails. What a palaver...

Stay safe everyone and have a great day x

30 a Week Challenge Day 5

 Thursday meals:

Breakfast: Wholemeal toast with marmalade

Lunch: Baked potato with cheese, cherry tomatoes

Evening meal:

There was a portion of beef stew in the freezer for G so he had that with the veg but I just fancied a plate of steamed veg and gravy served in a pasta bowl. Sprouts and sweetcorn added 2 points to the challenge 👍

 This was followed by some more fresh raspberries with hot, thick custard.... Delicious

Snack: iced ring donut (cue guilty look 😉 )

That takes the total to 17.25, still some way short of the 30 required 👀

Today I am thankful for:

DD's visit and a lovely catch-up chat yesterday

Good food

A warm home on a chilly day

Today is the last day before the price increases, when the energy cap changes to Energy Price Guarantee.  I will be reading the gas & electricity meters later today.  Even though we have a smart meter, I will read and photograph the readings in case of a problem later.  The energy provider has asked me to increase the DD by £38 which is probably about right but I will wait a wee while to see how the Government £66 grant will be paid.  If it goes into the energy account it should cover the increase in costs.

Do you know how yours will be paid in the UK?

It's really chilly this morning so we plan to make some sandwiches and pay a visit to the local plant nursery where we can buy the lawn dressing and grease band which we need for our apple trees at the allotment.  Some exercise and fresh air will do us good 👍

Thanks so much for popping in.  Have a lovely day and stay safe x

30 a Week Challenge Day 4

 Wednesday meals:

Breakfast: muesli with homegrown raspberries and spoonful of yogurt 

Lunch: Cheese on seeded bread grilled in the microwave, cherry tomatoes

Evening Meal: Oven baked fish, oven chips and baked beans followed by apple pie and ice cream.... 

Unfortunately, I can only add baked beans to the challenge list for Wednesday, as raspberries, tomatoes and apple have already been ticked off, but G has come home from the allotment with some YS sprouts @ 10p!  and a gifted cucumber from one of our allotment neighbours.  That will be another 2 points sometime this week 😃

The allotment produce is winding down but we are still harvesting raspberries and cherry tomatoes.  Spring onions are ready now too (another one for my food list) and there's a bit of lettuce too. 

Stay safe everyone x

30 a Week Challenge Day 3

 Tuesday meals:

Breakfast: Porridge 

Lunch:

My back was hurting yesterday morning, so G offered to buy me lunch out. A local pub has just begun lunchtime carveries, so we decided to help them out 😊  The choice was turkey or gammon, roast potatoes and 3 kinds of veg for £6.95 per person. I don't usually eat meat, but the turkey looked delicious and I was hungry so that's what I had. It was piping hot and delicious. I could only add green beans to my challenge list though as carrots and peas have already been crossed off 🤔

Evening meal: Cheese bap with baby tomatoes followed by raspberries with a spoonful of yogurt.

Snack: homemade flapjack (containing oats and sultanas)

The total so far....

It's getting harder to add things to the list now.  I'm definitely flagging 👀  

I have a Sainsburys food delivery this afternoon and there are an awful lot of substitutions this week but I do have a free loaf of bread to look forward to 👍  If you click on the 'Discover' link on the website then 'Free samples and competitions' you will find the offer.  There are other things as well like flavoured milk for free.  My usual skimmed milk has been substituted for Organic milk, my bio washing powder for non-bio, and a few other things which will be refused at the door. My back still hurts so I'm grateful for the delivery.

Any idea how many different fruits and veg you consume in a week?

Today I'm thankful for:

Food delivery services

A lovely, bright & sunny day

DD called to say she is visiting tomorrow 😍

Thanks so much for popping in. Stay safe everyone x

30 a Week Challenge Day 2

Meals on Monday:

Breakfast:  Banana & toasted crumpet ( needed eating up)

Lunch:

Red pepper and 4 cheese quiche with side salad eaten in our favourite plant nursery coffee shop. 

 Day 2 of the challenge and already I'm not sure how to record what I've eaten for my lunch shown above!  The side salad would be one of my 5 a day but the tiny amounts eg one slice of cucumber, sliver of onion etc are hardly portion sizes for the 30 a week challenge 😕 Maybe count cress?

Dinner: Poached eggs on seeded wholemeal toast (the toast counts as 1 point)

Snack: an apple

The total so far... 12.25 points... so far so good 👍

On the weather front, it's rained heavily all night so the garden and allotment have had a jolly good drink and the water butt is full. I didn't sleep well last night so today will be a gentle day. Nothing planned. 

Have a lovely day/evening (depending on where you are. Stay safe x

30 a Week Challenge Day 1

photo from Country Living magazine

After a bit of research, I found out exactly which fruit or vegetable counts in the daily target.  See below....

In the usual 5 a day way of eating, potatoes don't count as they are carbs, but in the 30 a week they do as well as wholemeal bread, nuts, seeds, brown rice and wholewheat pasta.  Herbs & spices count too.  They count as 1/4 portion each.  Now it's sounding more achievable!

You can only count each type once in each week.  It should be fairly easy to get off to good start but I have the feeling that I might flag as the week wears on.

Meals on Sunday:

Breakfast: Muesli with homegrown raspberries and a dollop of yogurt.

Lunch: Jacket potato with grated cheese (half the usual amount 😇)  homegrown lettuce, tomatoes, grated carrot

Dinner:  grilled salmon, mashed potato, cauliflower, peas and hollandaise sauce

Snack : a handful of  mixed black & green grapes

A good start! I've just realised that I can add potato to the list now too 👍  Oh, and the muesli probably counts as it contains oats, but I haven't bothered to add it yet because I will eat porridge at some point this week anyway and can count it then.

I'm sure I will make mistakes in this challenge as I've begun this on a whim but I'll give it my best shot anyway.

Stay safe everyone and thanks so much for popping in x