Monday 7 March 2022

Week 4

 

It's the start of my 4th week off work.  I'd love to say I'm feeling much better but actually I'm only a bit better.  I decided to strip my bed this morning, thinking it's a lovely sunny day and I love the smell of sheets dried outside.  I was breathless just removing my duvet cover!!  I'm trying not to be discouraged at how slow this recovery seems to be taking.  Is it age?  Is it my current lack of fitness?  Is it just bad luck?  Who knows!

I got a supermarket delivery yesterday and stocked up on a few storecupboard items.  I did a freezer check and was thrilled to find a wee tub of home grown mixed soft fruit I'd frozen last summer.  I had some in my porridge this morning.  There were strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and red currants, all from my back garden.  I remember each day I would eat some fresh and added the rest to the freezer.  It's spurred me on to think about how much I could grow and freeze/preserve if I really put the work in.  I also found a tub of blackcurrants, 2 tubs of chopped rhubarb and 1 last bag of plums.  Not bad going for March!

My lovely mum brought me some compost to get my seeds started so that's this week's task.  Just doing a wee bit at a time then resting.


In my storecupboard check I found some dried cannellini beans, still well within date.  I genuinely like beans and pulses and eat a lot of them, although I tend to use the tinned variety.  Last year I stocked up up on dried beans (soya, cannellini and pinto) because everything I read said they were a) cheaper and b) tasted better.  I have tried several times to cook dried beans and I've yet to make something that actually tastes good!  On Saturday I made soup in my crockpot.  Carrots, onions, rice and pre soaked and cooked cannellini beans.  It was horrible.  In fact it was so inedible I threw it in my brown bin.  I've no idea why it tasted so bad but it's put me right off using dried beans.

Every frugal website and vlog I see always says don't stock up on stuff if you won't eat it.  I'd amend that to find a way of prepping/cooking it that you like before you stock up.  I have 2kg of dried organic soya beans so I need to find a way I can use them up!!

10 comments:

  1. We have dried beans and pulses, which we struggle to use, the only dish we make with success is a spicy turine, we use a pinch of nom for recipes.

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    1. Glad I'm not the only one! I make a mean lentil soup but these dried beans have got me stumped!!!!

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  2. I don't really like beans. Not even Heinz ones! I think school dinners put me off butter beans forever! They used to give us mince, potatoes and butter beans or boiled cabbage. I can't eat either to this day! I actually made some lovely soup yesterday. I think you watch Vivi too on You Tube, it was her spicy parsnip soup. It's delicious. I recommend it! Sorry to hear you're only slightly better but better to be slightly better than slightly worse I suppose! Take care. x

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    1. Yes I like the look of Vivi's soup. Interestingly she's also recovering from a chest infection although she ended up in hospital with hers!!

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  3. Ditto with the dried staples - much easier to open a can! I did manage to make a bean casserole from scratch recently but the beans were still too chewy for my taste. They did taste all right, though. Look after yourself, Aly!

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    1. Mine turn out chewy, mushy or tasteless!!! Yep I'm looking after myself. We're having a lovely run of sunny but cold days here and I'm trying to get outside every day to potter in the garden

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  4. The only beans I make here are baked brown beans. I do use lentils though, but not as much as I would like.

    I do hope you feel better very soon.

    God bless.

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    1. I use red split lentils and green/brown lentils. They're easy to cook.

      I'm on the mend, it's just slow

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  5. Dried ones may taste better, according to the experts, but like you I'm not so sure. When you add on the long cooking time and the cost of energy now, I'm quite happy to stick with tinned.

    We love cauliflower mash - adapted from the Fast 800 book. Cauliflower cooked in a little water (or steamed) with tinned beans (cannellini or butter) on top. When the cauli is soft, drain, add some olive oil and seasoning and then mash - we use a stick blender. We never have ordinary mash potato now as we much prefer this. Gets another of your 5 a day and some protein from the beans.

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    1. I'm seeing lots of folks share my view on dried beans!!! Love Fast 800, I've got all the books. I should really get back on it.

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