The dreaded bog off offer. Buy one get one free

Melon were on a Buy one get one free offer in Tesco, they were quite large and were not a bad price even if it was just for one.
I have heard that thousands of tons of food is thrown away every year because the supermarkets do offers like this, and they are creating this wicked waste, increasing their profits, without a care for the wasted food, or its effect on the environment. Possibly true, but we have a responsibility, if we buy food, use it. Food is a precious resource, and as so many people do not have enough to eat, we should be extra careful to treat the food we have with respect, and not waste it.
There are opportunities, if one has a glut of any produce whether it is from buying special offers at the supermarket, your garden growing lots of produce, or just buying in bulk to save money.
One idea is to share your good fortune with other people, have people round to dinner, or give away stuff to a neighbour.
Find ways to preserve what you have, freezing is what I use most at the moment, as it is quick, and it is amazing what you can freeze successfully. We should not forget the old tried and tested methods of preserving food, Jams, marmalades, jellies, and chutneys are all really easy, and the recipes can be manipulated to suit your own taste. Bottled fruit keeps for at least a year, and salting vegetables like runner beans, is another way to preserve food. Salting is my least favourite as I use very little salt in my cooking, and so salt preserved food even when well washed tastes pretty nasty to me, but I dare say it would not taste so salty if you are used to eating more salt than I do.
Another Idea is to find different ways to eat the same produce. This is where trawling through recipe books for inspiration really helps. And it can work using an ingredient you have available to replace one you don’t have, be brave it is all food and you can sometimes find you have invented a new dish. My big problem is remembering what it was I used when it was a successes.
So you have two Melons. Here are a few ways to use them up. I am not sure any of the following would work with water melon, but are fine with a firm fleshed melon like, honey dew or cantaloupe,
The simplest starter, slice and sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve. Or slice and serve with black forest ham, Prosciutto or similar. And another unusual recipe that is suitable as a starter is, diced melon with a little finely chopped onion, walnuts, raisins and French dressing.To use for desert try adding some stem ginger in syrup, or just using a bit in a fruit salad.It also can be the main ingredient in a pimms salad, melon balls, strawberries and cucumber with a dash of pimms.

Sunday

I have had writers block, well it sounds more interesting than I have been too busy to do my blog. Actually the days have been filled with the usual round of horse care, dog walking, feeding etc. Plus lots of house work and gardening, mainly for other people, hence my house and garden look as if a dustbin lorry has been upended in it. Never mind I have still eaten quite well. With some fairly interesting and mostly healthy options.
Best day was Friday when Steve cooked dinner, Liver and bacon with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. I will eat almost anything or at least try it, but one thing I cannot get to like is liver cooked the way chefs cook it, soft and pink, and usually lambs liver, I think it is truly disgusting, so for any of you who think you don’t kike liver and have been told you need to eat it for the high iron content, this is what you do.
Use pigs liver for a start, cut it fairly small coat in flour season fry, with onions, add herbs and red wine, as a minimum. Also if you fancy it add tomatoes preferably tinned, bacon, mushrooms. Then cook through, you do not want it to get really tough but the taste changes if it is well cooked, and don’t care what all you wizzy clever chefs say that is the way I like my liver cooked.

Well it is Wednesday already so must catch up on my blog. Luckily I have kept a record of all breakfast, lunch and dinner so no problems remembering this time.
Monday being a bank holiday we treated it as a Sunday and had a roast for dinner.
But to start with breakfast, nothing exciting just shredded wheat. But for lunch as Steve was out for the day I thought I would look for inspiration in the cookery books and treat myself to something new.
As I have mentioned in the past I use cookery books more for inspiration than for slavishly following any recipe, So the best cook books have inspirational pictures, and one of my favourites is Nigella Lawson’s, Nigella Bites. This was where I found the ultimate naughty sandwich. She calls it trashy food, something for occasional indulgence. It was a banana and peanut butter sandwich, fried in butter! How bad is that? Even then I did not manage to be as bad as the recipe, as that asked for white bread and I did not have any, so it was made with nice soft wholemeal bread instead. Promise will try harder and get white bread for the next time. It was good, well done Nigella. It was according to her, Elvis Presley’s favourite sandwich.
Dinner was also inspired by Nigella Bites cook book, Slow roasted leg of Lamb, I did not have any pomegranate so that was left out this time, I have used it before and it is a good and easy recipe, so can highly recommend it. I can honestly say I can recommend the whole book as it is definitely one of my most used. Must tell you about some of the others that I use frequently. But that is for another blog.
Anyhow back to Monday dinner, with the lamb all the usual vegetables. But to start with, Cantaloupe melon with black forest ham.
Tuesday was a simple day for food, for breakfast shredded wheat, lunch cheese on toast, and Dinner cold lamb and salad.

Sunday

Shredded wheat for breakfast, just one with hot water a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of milk just enough to keep me going for the first part of the day, Walk the dogs and feed the horses. One of the horses is still stabled at night so I have to muck out and fill a hay net ready for the evening. The rest of the horses are not stabled so just need a change of rug, hay, feed and field clearing. If anyone is interested I plan to start another blog dedicated to all things horsy in my day.
For lunch it had to be toast, as the last of the bread was not as fresh as it could have been. but as I refuse to waste anything if I can help it, toasting the bread makes it quite edible. As we had not had any oily fish for quite a few days I had the toast spread with sardines in tomato sauce, followed by yet another hot cross bun.
Dinner. I had planned to start with a salad, but then remembered that I had bought two cantaloupe melons and as one of them is now ripe that served as a starter, just sprinkled with a little sea salt. For the main dinner we had boiled rice, pork with ginger, red pepper spring onion, and fennel. Served with stir fried vegetables, green pepper, onions garlic, ginger, mushrooms, carrots and cauliflower.
Well plenty of vegetables today if a bit light on the fruit. Also had a few peanuts and a gin and tonic.

Saturday

Well I don’t think I did any better yesterday, either from a healthy eating point of view, or from a reducing weight sort of diet.
Breakfast time we had mandarin oranges and grapefruit, both tinned, that was the healthy bit, then as it was Good Friday hot cross buns.
Steve was not impressed as he had wanted a traditional English breakfast. Well he could have cooked one and had it waiting for me on my return from horse feeding and dog walking. Hint Hint.
So, for lunch we had traditional English breakfast. Using what I had in the way of ingredients. Scrambled eggs, bacon, tinned tomatoes and toast.
Took the horse and pony out, I rode the horse and lead the pony, and Steve walked the dogs. By the time we had put them all to bed and seen to another two horses, we were running rather late. Steve suggested picking up fish and chips on the way home. I did not need too much persuasion. Just to help make sure we ate our quota of fresh fruit I made a salad of apple, banana, pear, and Satsuma, and had a multi vitamin and mineral pill just to help.
Ate chocolate and peanuts. Bad.

Good Friday

Yesterday was not the best day in the way of inspirational eating or the best in good nutrition, but never mind how would I ever feel righteous and smug if on good days, if I did it right all the time.
Breakfast was orange juice followed by porridge that had been made mainly with water so that was a fairly low fat start to the day. Good.
Lunch was very late, I spent too long on this computer, I think computers eat time.
For lunch we had fish sticks salad and bread and butter. Maybe overall the day was not that bad from a nutritional point of view after all.
In the afternoon Steve and I did an emergency dash to rescue a pony that was larking about on the top of an enormous dung heap and endangering himself, it was a bit of a pain as it meant I missed riding my horse. After that we still had to exercise the dogs, and then we went shopping. After that we arrived home quite late. So the bad bit of the day was crashing out in front of the telly and eating two huge pizzas and drinking beer. (Just the one).

Tuesday 3rd of April

Monday was sandwiches for lunch, then leftover Chinese. Steve's brother Nigel made a flying visit, literally, arriving after dinner on Sunday then leaving first thing Monday. As we had already eaten he bought himself some food from the local Chinese takeaway. It's only about 30 metre away as the crow flies, a bit further on foot. Too temptingly close for my waistline, or pocket.
Anyway he ended up with too much food and left some in the fridge, which went very nicely with some fresh vegetables, stir-fried, and more chinese from the freezer.
Finished up yesterday's trifle for dessert.

Monday part two

Sunday I slept in for half an hour, only one place to go to feed horses so hubby treated me to breakfast in bed. Croissants with ginger preserve, coffee and grapefruit juice.
Have no idea what I ate for lunch it cannot have been anything inspirational.
For dinner I had Grilled pork chops with pan fried herby potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and broad beans.
For pudding I found something to do with that chocolate sponge cake that I managed to burn during my baking the other night. It wasn’t really all that burnt, more dried out. So with a bit of trimming, then soaking in Marsala wine and orange juice, it became the base for a trifle. I used orange jelly, poached pears, and a vanilla custard. It was not bad, but son and heir says it should have been chocolate custard. Next time I will make it chocolate, as half of the chocolate sponge is still lurking in the freezer

Monday

Saturday breakfast Hubby made it, one of his favourites, bagels with smoked salmon trimmings and cream cheese, served with a big mug of coffee and a glass of grapefruit juice.
Lunch we are finishing up leftovers again, using up the roasted vegetables from the other night, warmed up in a can of tomato soup, it becomes a really substantial lunch served with a chunk of bread.
Just before going to put horses to bed, we had a cup of tea with one of the fruit cakes from my baking frenzy the other night.
Dinner time we were both a bit fed up and could not think what we wanted to eat for dinner, so did a raid on the supermarket looking for bargains and inspiration. No real bargains available, just one French stick, and a few bits of cheese, so with that as a start the dinner was, French stick and anything we could find in the fridge. It often seems to be the best meals as there is always some salad, and I don’t have to cook. Ice cream cone for pud.

Saturday we are now international

I have just looked to see where people are that look at my blog, Various places in France and one in Canada, over the past couple of days. I have not had any comments yet, so if any of you feel like saying something nice that would be great. Or maybe you have a blog that I would be interested in?

Saturday

Thursday I tried taking an apple with me to eat for breakfast, if I was hungry. I was, but not until I had to defend my apple from two horses, most horses like apples. and two Labradors that are convinced that apples and carrots are really good dog food. So, on the whole maybe not a good idea.
Lunch chicken noodle soup and bread.
Dinner was unexpectedly tasty. Pasta penne, onions, garlic, celery, fresh tomato, a jar of mixed wild mushrooms, smoked bacon, pesto and olives. Quick and mostly store cupboard things.
Yesterdays eats. One slice of wholemeal toast with peanut butter for breakfast.
For lunch one sandwich of pate with cucumber. Tea and a piece of cake.
Dinner time I made Sheppard pie and stretched the meat with the addition of chopped carrots, celery and a few peas as well as the usual onions. As I put the oven on in the interest of economy and generally saving the planet, I made two dishes of this, and also cooked a large dish of roasted vegetables, consisting of things in the pantry, like sweet potato, sweed, pepper, onion, garlic, celery, fennel and carrot all splashed with olive oil and sprinkled with mixed herbs. Ten mins before the end of cooking I added some cherry tomatoes that had had a bit of an accident in the shopping and squashed. There is loads left over, so will be used one way or another over the next couple of days.
As the oven was on I did a bit of cake baking, a no measure chuck things in the mixer sort of fruit cake, that made too much for the tin I had prepared, so some was put into fairy cases for immediate consumption, the main cake can be stored to mature if it lasts that long. I also made a chocolate sponge then left it in the oven too long and burnt it. Some may be useable will let you know if I think of anything to improve it.

Tuesday

Well it has been a few days since I have updated this blog. It must be as a result of my non diet, dieting, I have become too weak to type.
Not really, I have been fairly good in as much as I have stuck to smaller portions than I would usually eat, and I wait until I am really quite hungry.
I cannot remember everything I have eaten since the last blog so I will just list some of the more memorable meals, and confess to all the naughty things, or at least the ones I can remember.
Last Saturday was our wedding anniversary, so in keeping with tradition hubby cooked me dinner. For starters we had nachos, and used the guacamole that I had made a week ago when the avocados were ripe and then froze it. I was not sure if it would work, answer is yes it does and it was very nice. For the next course he cooked a really splendid chilli with rice, all washed down with a lager, just the one for me. The plan for desert was apple and blackberry pie but we were both too full, so saved it for desert over the next two days.
Another memorable or odd dish from the past few days, was because the pears in the fruit dish all decide to ripen at once, so after the usual fruit salads, I thought of doing a well-established dish of pears and stilton with a poppy seed dressing, I made the dressing and sliced the pears only to find I had eaten all the stilton. So it ended up being pears with cream cheese apple and walnut topping and the poppy seed dressing. It was ok but not a candidate for my signature dish.
Hubby and I have had dodgy tummy’s for the past few days, and I was sure that it was not my cooking,or his, or a bug, I think I have found the culprit, cauliflower. I am sure it is very good for one, but maybe not lots of it, and every day since the farm shop was selling them for 3 for a £, big ones! We eat it raw in salads, and we have a salad most days, boiled with other vegetables, curried on Tuesday night and cauliflower cheese for last night’s dinner. Too much, never mind only one more cauliflower to go.
Other naughty things to admit to since last blog: - ate huge amount of chocolate on Saturday. Drank wine ½ a bottle of wine. I am still eating cake, though smaller portions and this will continue for some time as I plan to do a bit of baking, and it all has to be eaten.

Thursday

The blog today is a bit different as I missed yesterdays. I decided on Tuesday that I have gained too much weight, and it is high time I cut down, I do not think that dieting is a good thing as it really a does not seem to work. My proof is, have you ever met a fat person that has not been on a diet? They all have, therefore, if they are fat and have dieted, dieting must make you fat. It is a good theory, and it’s all mine.
I think the reason for my weight gain is over the last year my workload has changed, the work is not so heavy, which is good as I was getting strain problems like a frozen shoulder and joint pain. My doctor said unhelpful things like “‘at your age, you should be taking things easier”. Well my days are still quite full, but I now take time to eat sitting down, and eat the same size meals that I did before which is as much as I can eat before I fall asleep.
So my idea for reducing weight would normally be work harder, it always worked in the past and I can lose a stone in weight in a matter of a month, but I have no desire to damage my now dodgy joints, So cutting consumption will have to be the way.
I will also cut out anything that I will not really miss, like butter on my toast, chocolate, and nuts, I will miss them but it won’t be too tough.
I started yesterday by giving up second breakfast. I ate a sandwich of one slice of wholemeal bread, with marmite grated carrot and just a little bit of mayonnaise; I must wean myself off mayonnaise. It did take more time to get out of the house but I saved time by not coming home for second breakfast.
Lunch was one sandwich of pâté tomato mixed leaves and cucumber. Hubby then gave me a piece of fruit cake. Well it is only day one; don’t want too much shock to system.
For dinner a starter of orange and watercress salad, followed by vegetable curry, with rice and lentils with naan bread.
Evening snack was an orange.
Not a great start.

Tuesday

I really cannot remember everything I ate yesterday, don’t think it was much. So this is going to be a very brief update.
Shredded wheat for breakfast.
Lunch just a bowl of tomato soup with bread. And one of the little fruit cakes.
Dinner was a baked potato with prawns, celery, onion and sweet corn in a tomato sauce.

Monday

For first breakfast I just had a glass of juice and grabbed one of the fruit buns that I made the other day, they were ok though did not rise as I would have expected, but I do not see how that can be because I used a goose egg, instead of chicken eggs. I will blame my cranky oven. Second breakfast was porridge.
Lunch was something I don’t do very often, readymade meals. Unless it is one I made earlier. It was a frozen donna kebab from Lidl, they take 2min 20 seconds are quite tasty, the chili sauce is good, and being from Lidl they are cheap. I served it with salad.
Dinner time I find I am running out of salad things and no roast yesterday, so it can not be the traditional Monday dinner of cold meat chips and salad.
After a rummage in the fridge the resulting dinner was A Waldorf salad, the last of the corned beef, amazing how far a small tin of corned beef can stretch. Chips, peas and sweet corn, with an ice cream cone for pud

Sunday

Sunday and it was mother’s day, so hubby came with me and walked the dogs, and as I had only one lot of horses to feed and muck out ,the job was soon done, so it did not really matter that we had missed first breakfast.
On our return home, I searched through the freezer for breakfast type things, and came up with some bagels. So bagels with a couple of rashers of smoked bacon and cream cheese that was breakfast sorted. Not very Kosher is it, bacon with bagels.
As it was mother’s day our son and heir and his fiancée had invited us and her mother and father to lunch.
They are both good cooks and as usual, a good time was had by all. For lunch we had Tagine of lamb, which is basically a Moroccan lamb, apricot and almond stew, served with bulgur wheat with raisins and almonds. Extremely tasty and highly recommended. For desert, pear and raspberry chocolate pudding with ice cream.
By the evening time we were not really hungry as it is unusual for us to have dinner, at lunch time, so we settled for a help yourself, to -: salad, cheese and some of the corned beef

Saturday breakfast

Don't think I had any first breakfast before I left, so was very hungry upon my return and made the most of second breakfast. Traditional English weekend breakfast, of bacon, egg, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast. Plus a big mug of tea.
Lunch was corned beef and pickle sandwich. And a couple of the little sausage rolls cooked yesterday.
Dinner. Feeling fed up so is hubby, so he tries to cheer me up, by doing a sticker food hunt on Sainsbury’s. This means trying to find something on offer or going cheap. Last night’s resulted in a Saturday dinner of steak, new potatoes, and mixed vegetables. And for desert fruit salad made from some of the left over mango, apple, pear and orange, served with a spoonful of ice cream.
Drank a gin and tonic, very nice.

Friday

Friday, for breakfast the same as yesterday, first breakfast and second breakfast. For anyone who wonders about this first and second breakfast thing, read Lord of the rings, Hobbits like to eat, and I remember a reference to second breakfast.
Lunch was chicken soup with seedy bread.
Dinner time I put the oven on so in an attempt to fill it, I baked potatoes, roasted fennel and cherry tomatoes, and two small fillets of salmon.
I also cooked a batch of small fruit cakes, I wanted to see if my method for cake mix worked using goose egg as well as it does using chicken egg. Plus tray of frozen sausages rolls, that had been hanging about in the freezer for too long.
Hubby and I shared a bottle of wine.

Thursday

Thursday breakfast back to apple as flying out of door, and second breakfast of toast as the bread was in danger of getting stale, and I hate and refuse to waste anything.
Lunch was avocado, bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. Eating avocado on a Thursday lunch time sounds decadent and expensive, but it was not so bad as the avocado had been purchased on our food hunting trip to Lidl, I purchased two as they were very cheap. They were unripe then were suddenly perfect ripeness on Thursday so had to be used then. One was used in the sandwiches, the other I have made guacamole divided into two small pots and frozen, no idea if it will be good when defrosted as haven’t tried this yet. Watch this space.
At dinner time I am fed up with cooking, so announce dinner will be help yourself to cheese and anything else you can find in the fridge. Hubby happy with this sets to and makes a pretty good salad and slices bits of various cheese to go with it. So it ended up being quite a substantial dinner anyway.

Wednesday

Back to banana and orange juice for breakfast, have to eat the bananas up before they get too ripe, strange how different ripe and unripe bananas can taste. Is there anything really palatable that can be done with a really ripe banana?
Second breakfast was shredded wheat again.
Lunch was salad and fish sticks with salad cream and soya and linseed bread.
Son and heir came to dinner, I needed inspiration so went to the book shelf and did a sort of lucky dip, as the first book off the shelf was an Indian cook book, that was it decided, curry. I don’t necessarily use a recipe for cooking anything. I just use cook books for ideas. I don’t always have the ingredients anyway, so often have to think of a substitute. Amazingly good dinners have been created this way, but are unlikely to be recreated. Eating dinner in this house can be quite an adventure, not for the faint hearted, but as yet, my cooking has not ended in any poisonings.
Any way back to this curry dinner, left over breast of lamb, with celery, onion, pepper and cauliflower, in a curry sauce from Lidl, very cheap and quite as good as any other readymade curry sauce. The rice was a bit more effort than plain old rice, but worth it, basmati rice with lentils, celery, onion, garlic, vegetable juice, garam masala, cumin and turmeric.

Monday

Saturday breakfast Hubby made it, one of his favourites, bagels with smoked salmon trimmings and cream cheese, served with a big mug of coffee and a glass of grapefruit juice.
Lunch we are finishing up leftovers again, using up the roasted vegetables from the other night. Warmed up in a can of tomato soup it becomes a really substantial lunch served with a chunk of bread.
Just before going to put horses to bed, we had a cup of tea with one of the fruit cakes from my baking frenzy the other night.
Dinner time we were both a bit fed up and could not think what we wanted to eat for dinner, so did a raid on the supermarket looking for bargains and inspiration. No real bargains available just one French stick, and a few bits of cheese, so with that as a start, the dinner was, French stick and anything we could find in the fridge. It often seems to be the best meals as there is always some salad, and I don’t have to cook. Ice cream cone for pud.

Monday

Monday morning and I feel fed up because no one is reading my Blog.
I understand that the only way for the search engines to push my blog to the top of the list is for the key words to appear frequently. I tried that the other day when discussing the merits of the banana. Obviously no one has any interest in the humble banana, but surely someone must be wondering what to eat for dinner? Or are all the people who do techie things like blogging, just go down to the take away, or eat frozen ready meals and drink coffee or coke.
On the plus side of writing this blog, it is making me think before I eat, as I will have to admit to anything bad and unhealthy on line in front of the millions of people who are not reading this.
So for breakfast number 1 a banana, no juice just water. Then later breakfast number 2 porridge, it is made from oats, if you feed horses lots of oats they get loads of energy, so I am hoping they will do the same for me. and they are really cheap.
Lunch was salad and fish sticks; I used not to like fish sticks, but since discovering they are great dipped in salad cream, also something I was not very fond of, but it turns out to be a good combination. Did not forget the carbohydrate this time, had soya and linseed bread.Dinner, yes dinner, dinner, dinner. Please someone look for the word dinner and read me. Any way for Monday evening’s dinner we had more salad cold roasted vegetables and cold stuffed breast of lamb that had been cooked the day before with the Sheppard’s pie. I try to put the oven on no more than twice a week and when I do I always fill it. At least I am doing a bit for global warming.

Sunday

Came home from feeding the poines and walking the dog to be met by the smell of coffee and croisants, naughty, but nice.
Very untraditional Sunday lunch of toasted cheese with red onions and worcester sauce.
Dinner was also not the usual roast. Instead I cooked shepherds pie with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, swede and roasted sweet potato, carrots, parsnips and celery.
Washed down with a bottle of wine that son and heir bought with him.

Saturday

Juice to start with, BLT with hubby and his brother after doing the poines and walking the dog.
A ride round the block, with hubby walking the dogs, then off to Thanet to refill the larder. Half a pastie for lunch on the move.
The brother-in-law treated us and his boys to dinner in a local restaurant. It was a pleasure to see the boys again, we only get together when their dad visits.
The meal was OK, and greatly appreciated. Hubby and I had lamb steak in a rosemary and red wine sauce with fresh vegetables. Then back home for cheese and biccies.

Friday

For first breakfast just an apple, as I did not feel so well. Maybe it was because I ate cashew nuts last thing last night, so it serves me right.
Second breakfast was shredded wheat, I enjoyed that, as by second breakfast time I was feeling better. Shredded wheat is strange stuff, the advertisements stress that it is only wheat; it must be a difficult process to make it, otherwise why is it so expensive? This is the first box I have purchased in years, so may have to go back to cheaper options for breakfast.
Lunch was Pilchard salad, fairly healthy I think, which was a good thing as dinner was not so healthy.
One of my brothers-in –laws came to visit. He lives in France and I think occasionally feels the need for some good old fashioned fish and chips, proper ones from the chip shop. So that is what we had. Later when hubby and brother went to the pub for a pint, I ate chocolate. Not so healthy end to day, again.

Thursday

One of the reasons for eating bananas for breakfast is that they come in their own bio-degradable packaging, as I am usually in a hurry, routine is, swallow the fruit juice, and the banana can be eaten as I walk to the car. The down side is, arrive at the car with empty skin, as amusing as it may be to see one of my neighbours do a slip on the banana skin cartoon sort of fall. I stash the banana skin in the car for later disposal. The next downside is my dog does not like bananas but loves to play with the skin. Amazing just how far one banana skin can go around one old Volvo.
So that was breakfast No1. For the second breakfast, on my return from feeding horse breakfast, which is easy, same every day for breakfast and dinner. Hubby made us pancakes and scrambled egg. The pancakes had been on cheap offer at the supermarket and really did not go with the egg, but I am not complaining, I did not cook it.
Lunch was salad and a left over sausage from yesterday’s dinner. It was lots of leaves,raw broccoli and cauliflower, tomatoes, and green olives. It looked a lot, but lacked carbohydrate, so felt a bit empty late in afternoon, so quick cup of tea and biscuits before setting out to feed horses their dinner.
Our dinner was cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots in a cheese sauce. And for pudding simple fruit salad of apple pear and orange.

Wednesday

Yes we have more bananas! So that was my starting breakfast along with some juice, this time a vegetable and fruit mixture purchased from Lidl. It is really cheap, a bit too sweet for my taste, but I hope it is doing me good with its added vitamins.
Second breakfast was porridge made mainly with water with just a little milk; I do like my porridge with a teaspoon of sugar rather than the Scottish tradition of salt.
Lunch was a tin of chicken soup with soya and linseed bread. Followed by another hot cross bun.
The son and heir comes to dinner most Wednesday evenings, so after a little interrogation as to what he has eaten this week [very healthy and home cooked, well done son] I decided on not so healthy naughty food.
Chips, sausages, peas and sweetcorn, and later an orange.
Not very imaginative. In my quest for inspiration I started to think about some of the meals that I have eaten in restaurants, and while looking for recipes on line, found an American book with recipes from top US restaurants, it is called The Copycat Cookbook. I have never been to the US but this way I could try the food. I have put a link to it for anyone who might like to see it. Just click on link to the left of page.

Tuesday

Started with a rather wizened apple and juice, the apple was really past its best but the little pony enjoyed the core, and I did cope better with my chores than on Monday morning.
Second breakfast was last of the wholemeal seedy bread and marmite.
As you may guess the cupboard was getting a bit bare, so hubby and I did a food hunt in Tesco.
For lunch I had a salad sandwich and a hot cross bun, I do not usually eat hot cross buns before Easter but they were so cheap I could not resist, will just think of them as fruit buns.
Tuesday evenings other half goes to the pub quiz, so like to do a quick and beer absorbent recipe.
This week I chose penne pasta with tomato, onion, garlic, green pepper, sweet corn, basil and a small tin of dolphin friendly Tuna.
I worry about eating fish as the world's seas are in a terrible crisis, but then again I want to eat a healthy diet and keep my family fit and well.
I know that Tuna fish are being hit hard, so this is the first Tuna that I have eaten for some years. It is very odd that Tuna is still cheap and still being used in pet food, it will probably be sudden headline news, that stocks have run out and it will be another crisis to worry about.
I have heard that there is a list of fish that are better to buy, as it has less bad impact on the marine environment but have not found it yet.

Monday

No Bananas left so did not eat anything before I left, big mistake, my day has too much running about to last until second breakfast and I really was flagging by the time I arrived home. Silly thing is I go slower and slower, pointless not to have the small food start.
Breakfast was eventually the last of the beans on toast, orange juice and tea.
Lunch the last of the smoked salmon with salad and wholemeal seedy bread.
And for dinner, last of the herby potato with lamb chops and broad beans from the freezer. For pudding the last of the pear and raspberry chocolate pudding.That really was a ‘last of’ sort of day. It can pay to over cater, it saves time and must save on fuel costs as long as used up food does not take long to re-heat or can be eaten cold.

Sunday

The last Banana in the dish and juice to start me on my way. One thing about owning animals is there is never a day off. I did manage an enjoyable hack before the forecasted bad weather, so that is a good reason for getting up early.
Second breakfast was bagels and cream cheese with smoked salmon, not as extravagant as it sounds as the salmon was supermarket trimmings, Sainsbury’s are not as good as Tesco.
Lunch time I thought I better use up some mashed potato [I always cook far too much of everything, this is a help if you don’t mind eating re hashed food] so with added onion cabbage and egg it became bubble and squeak, served with bacon, mushrooms and baked beans. Quite a substantial lunch.
No Sunday roast this week, I will regret that when there are no leftovers to use tonight.
I did use the oven to roast the pork chops with baked apple and herby potato bake, served with lots of mixed vegetables.
The herby potato recipe I remembered from the TV program Two Fat Ladies, I think that they used fresh herbs, but yesterday it had to be dried herbs, as my dog has eaten everything growing in my garden.
Pud was pears and raspberries with chocolate pudding and ice cream.

Saturday

Whatever it was I ate yesterday it did nothing for my memory. I am having a problem remembering so I can use that as an excuse for forgetting all the naughty things I ate.

Breakfast banana and juice to keep me going for the first bit, then home to find lovely hubby has prepared bacon scrambled eggs tomatoes mushrooms and toast, anything I do not have to cook is good.

Things got better, at lunch time as I was busy with yesterdays blog, hubby prepared lunch, cheese on toast with onion and Worcester sauce.

Having had a two meal break I felt must make an effort to do something creative, so using as inspiration a dish I had tried in a local restaurant. I construct a dish of butternut squash, cranberries, and brie cheese, topped with bread crumbs and more brie. It was a good job the salad of lettuce, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, beetroot and olives with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing was nice, as the squash dish definitely needs work. But as squash are quite expensive it can wait for another day of inspiration.

Now for the naughty bit I ate chocolate, I wonder which is worse for me the chocolate, or the crisps that I ate the evening before.

We ended the day by going outside to see and photograph the lunar eclipse. That was amazing.

Friday

Just a banana and orange juice before rushing out to do the first round of horse feeding and dog walking, then back for second [Hobbit] breakfast of shredded wheat. Later, lunch was the last of the corned beef, this time with salad in a sandwich.
Following a fairly hectic afternoon I was really hungry but took horse for a ride and did not eat any of it [the horse that is].
Dinner has as on most days had to be made from the freezer, so being Friday I decided on fish pie, my own recipe using anything available, all the best meals are created from leftovers and odds and ends.
Fish available last night was smoked haddock, prawns and some anonymous white fish, with peas and green pepper in a white sauce, topped with mash. Vegetables were carrots broccoli and swede. Ice cream cone for pud.
Late evening ate bag of crisps, low fat but still bad for me I'm sure. Not sure it was the best balanced day, food-wise. Must try harder, what would Jamie Oliver say?

Inspiration

Yesterdays meals weren't very inspired, I was too busy setting up this blog.
Breakfast was the remains of the pancake mixture with crispy bacon and mapel syrup, very tasty, though not slimming, or very healthy.
Corned beef and Branston Pickle sandwiches for lunch, on wholemeal bread without butter, to make them slightly more healthy.
Dinner was going to be something tasty based upon Jamie Oliver's book Jamie's" Italy, but we ran out of time so had pizza instead. Well they are italian and we ate a lot of salad with them.
Moderation is the key. It's alright to have chips and pizza, just don't eat them every meal.

Wednesday

We were in a rush this morning, more than usual as I had a couple more horses to look after than usual.
First thing we grabbed a banana and a glass of grapefruit juice. After a long morning we had sardines on toast, with a slice of tomato and some fresh basil.
Dinner was pigs liver, bacon, onions and tomato with mashed potatoes, cabbage, carrots, broccoli (calabrese) and peas. Washed down with a very nice Australian Shiraz.
Finally we had pancakes, because we missed having them on Shrove Tuesday.

Why?

Why have I called this blog "What's for Dinner"?
It's a perennial cry in our house and immediately I hear it my mind goes blank. We don't have a set routine like our parents did.
They had a roast on Sunday, if they could afford it, then the leftovers were eked out for the rest of the week, possibly with fish on friday and maybe some offal.
The same thing every week, the only variation being the type of meat.

Now we have far more choice and are constantly assailed by celebrity chefs, so if you're like me it isn't easy to decide what to have.

What I will try to do is create a record showing what we ate yesterday, warts and all. Maybe it will give you some ideas and seeing it in black and white may help me to improve what I eat.

Watch this space.