Pathetic!

I'm sitting here scoffing a gluten free Victoria sponge cake, laced with plum jam and topped with a showering of icing sugar. There's a cup of hot tea (no sugar) sitting on the other side of the pc and as I savour each sip, I'm thinking about what's ahead. The Diet of all Diets is approaching fast. On Monday actually ('cos all good diets start on Monday's).

Diets are not new to me. Fasting diets, Jenny Craig, Gloria Marshall, No Sugar, No Lactose, No Grain, No Pain, Low GI, No GI, GI Joe.

If I'm not on a diet, I'm thinking about going on one.

Professionals now tell us that we shouldn't consider a diet a diet; it should be more of a lifestyle change. I really do understand. But it's like the word 'fat'. People don't use that word much anymore. It's curvy or larger lady or bigger lady of full form. Still, though, we can't get away from it; fat is fat, just like pigs is pigs.

The Past:

 I set a plan. I make a date to start the plan. I start the plan. Sort of. But not quite.

The Present: 

The thing is, I have to get my head around it - I need to 'psyche' myself up for this.

I'm not going to go on the guilt trip, though.

I'm not going to think 'oh well, nothing lost plenty gained' and lose any drop of motivation I ever possessed. No, Alfredo. I need to do this and I will do this.

While We Were Fasting

While my daughter and I have been on a juice fast, I've made sure that there were good wholesome meals available for the Machinist.  Preparation in advance has been such a help.  Mealtimes have been a breeze (not to mention - clean up).

Whatever I've served to the Machinist is exactly what I intend to carry on with now that my juice fast is complete.   And so - these healthy meals that I've prepared have been somewhat of a mini 'experiment'.

I've been making these salads in a jar. I didn't believe it, but they truly do last up to five days in the fridge.  And.... they remain as crisp and fresh as when they first went into those jars!

Firstly, the mis-en-plas:

Then, to assemble the jars.  Firstly, a squirt of the Ranch Dressing, topped with a teaspoon of Basil Pesto.  Then, the layering of the vegetables.

Carrots, corn, onions and peas (the harder vegetables), followed by mixed capsicum, tomatoes, avocados (the softer vegetables [fruits]).  On top of this - cheese (in this photo,-  fetta cheese) and protein (in this photo - boiled eggs).  Finally - the sliced lettuce.

When tipping the jar onto a plate, the contents forms a mound of salad, topped with the dressing(s).

On top of this, I sprinkled sunflower seeds and pepitas.

Somedays, I served it with smoked trout.

Sometimes - with steak or smoked salmon.  Sometimes - with canned tuna and olives.  (I like to wrap the protein in portions, for quick and easy assembly).

Sometimes, I added jalopenos, sundried tomatoes, Sauerkraut and my own home made cultured vegetables.

More on that later....

Juicing Fast

My daughter Emma and I have been on a juice fast for the past 30 days.  We've been juicing raw vegetables (and a few fruits) each day - which has been our only source of nutrition.  Apart from glorious weight loss, this has helped with restful and deeper sleep for longer periods of time.  It has also improved our general well being.

Our regular 'liquid gold' - (actually - green) daily juice has consisted of orange juice mid-morning and a combination of Silverbeet, rainbow chard, kale, parsley, carrot, celery, cucumber, fennel and lemon for subsequent 'meals'.

When we receive the fruit and vegetable delivery, we've separated, portioned it and wrapped it in BPA free Glad Wrap *tm.  The skill is finding appropriate spaces and packing it in the fridge:

At the same time, we've been harvesting abundant fruits and vegetables from our own garden, which we've hardly managed to even give away.

Some years ago, I read a book by Jackie French -"Backyard Self Sufficiency" and remember how she wrote that it wasn't the planting or nurturing of food that was the hard work, but the harvesting and processing of the 'fruits of labour'.  I never thought it would happen in my own yard.  I never thought it would happen to me.

But it did.

After many - MANY - gardening failures, persistence and time itself has given us great rewards.

Food Gardening and the Machinist Cooks!

If you look carefully at the photo below,  you will notice raspberry canes growing in between apple trees.  I can just imagine both of them together in a pie....

I love permaculture and companion planting.   My brother, Gary, told me years ago that the gardeners of old would plant by the moon.  They somehow knew what to plant depending on the phase of the moon. When the Machinist's Ouma was still alive, she often attempted to share her love of plants, flowers and trees with us. Random gifts of greenery in washed out jam tins were common.  A week at our home and their demise was common too.  It didn't stop her green-generosity, though.  The Machinist reckons she'd be smiling down from Heaven if she could see us now, knowing all her efforts were worth it.

She must have sensed our potential....

Today, our garden is brimming with life.  When we are in the pool, we are surrounded  by trees - most of them fruit bearing. It's gotten to the stage that I have to transplant and / or give plants away. 

Said raspberry canes were recently tranplanted to a damper spot, right up against the back orchard fence (corrugated zinc-allum, dug into the soil and cemented, for snake-prevention because of my Ophidiophobia). The Machinist surrounded the canes with thick lucerne mulch, and covered them with square mesh frames. Rusted. (Not the tin roof the B52's sing about).

With bum in air and head to the soil, I scoured the rest of the orchard for weeds, tugging madly at dominating thistles, while protected with leather welding gloves. It's a good job I'm hidden in the garden. How the Machinist must love me....

And talking of the Machinist, he made a delicious meal tonight.  Ground beef with sauteed celery, fennel, herbs, red onions and carrots over rice noodles. 

"Would you like some more, Babe, or do you want to leave room for a surprise I have for you?  Or, would you like both?"

"Both, please". 

Come on, I had to. It's polite.

Later, the Machinist disappeared into the kitchen, and came back carrying two dishes of The Surprise.  Cherries in Syrup with whipped cream.

Can  you feel it?

Eggs

The Machinist loves to spoil our hens. "They give us so many eggs, Babe, they deserve to be spoiled". He gives them layer pellets and scratch mix WITH molasses. They love it. They lay their 'gifts' to us all over the hen coop, and the Machinist delights in seeking and finding them. Each day, twice a day, he heads off under the rose arbour at the bottom of the garden to the hen house beyond. Each day, twice a day, he returns to the house embracing a shirt full of eggs, catches our eye, and counts the eggs, rather audibly, as he places them, ever-so-gently into the porcelain egg container.

"One, twooooo, threeee ....... fifteeeeeen, sixteen!"

That's right. Up to sixteen eggs a day from nine Isa Brown hens (and who knows if any from the older two white-feathered hens).

Mind you, Number One Son can eat the eggs as quickly as the Machinist gathers them.

The other night we were checking out Youtube, and came across this delightful, endearing video entitled "Screaming Eggs". We had such a good laugh and are still quoting these poor chaps:

Food for the Loved Ones

I have been given quite a few cookery books as gifts from my children. My favourite cookery books are those that have stories behind the recipes and how the recipe maker / creator came upon specific ingredients and methods to cook any particular dish. Oftentimes, the one common theme - the reason for cooking, and the effort in bringing the recipe to fruition is impressed upon me: the gathering of family and loved ones.

Food and family. Food for the loved ones...

More and more families are eating out, eating fast, eating junk and sadly, eating alone. There is much to be said about the family dining table, wherever it may be situated in the home. My desire is to have us eat together at the family dining table as often as possible. Food brings family together, but family need to sit together in one place, at the same time to create their own memories. When we go through extremely busy periods, our family tends to eat at different times of the day (and night), and the notion of eating together, in one place at the same time becomes a faded memory for a while. It is a constant effort to facilitate the family home-dining experience.

I’ve been thinking a lot about nutrition and how important it is to continually feed my family tasty healthy food, hearty and wholesome. It is so easy to fall into the rut of making quick meals with little nutritious value when we have been extremely busy or feel over-tired. I comfort myself with the thought that generally speaking, food in general is an important part of a balanced diet...


I must confess - food is always on my mind and in my daily planning. Whether I have to gather it, buy it, pack it, store it, prepare it, cook it, delegate somebody else to prepare and cook it or eat it. Sometimes fab or flop, and sometimes fast or feast.

"I've been on a constant diet for the past two decades. I've lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet"

Erma Bombeck

Gladys on Food

For anyone known as a "born cook", reducing approaches anguish. It is no laughing matter to skip lightly into the kitchen and fix barbecued spareribs, juicy and rich and spicy and abounding in calories, and watch the family smack their lips over the platter while you eat a lonely lamb chop - broiled, fat cut off, fat being the best part - and a dish of shredded cabbage garnished sweetly with a slice of lemon.

But I like the fresh green vegetables, too. The first thinning of beets and onions steamed in butter is also a dish that might go on any heavenly menu.

Gladys Taber - April 12, 1899 to March 11, 1980

Eating Her Curds and Whey

I knew it would come. I knew the psyched state of mind would eventually thick-set, readying me for embarking on a new eating plan.

On Christmas morning, I had wanted to tell my friend, Margaret, of the intentions I had and what product I had chosen to assist me in losing weight. "Oh Margaret, I must tell you about this product I've been researching, which I'll be ordering early in the new year.."

"I have one, too, Helen - it's called Isowhey. I only had to use it for three days and already, I feel so much better".

Well!

Snap. That's all I can say, Margaret. Thanks for bursting my bubble.

Yeah. Thanks a lot.

Chinese

In all my years, today was the first time I have eaten at a gen-u-ine Chinese restaurant. I hesitate to call it a restaurant, though, as it was more of a family and extended family eating house. For simply ages, the appearance of red bodied ducks (and other unidentified meat), hanging in the window on butchers hooks had put me off even trying Chinese food. Our Aussie Chinese friend put all those fears-of-the-unknown-allegedly-edible creatures to rest.

So impressed was the Machinist and I that after our meal (which left us amply satisfied, but not stodgy-full) we went shopping at the Asian supermarket next door.

On advice and full recipe details from my friend, Mr Doon, my purchases included:

Jasmine loose leaf tea
Sweet Chilli Sauce For Chicken
Won Ton Soup Base Mix
Chicken Bouillon Powder
Hoisin Sauce
Plum Sauce
Mixed Ginger Pickles
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Char Siu Sauce

Oh, and as a fragrant addition - Sandalwood Soap - Bee & Flower Brand!

Rick Stein

The Machinist and I have decided that our favourite chef would have to be Rick Stein. His views on food and family are unsurpassed.

I love the way he describes the food he is fortunate enough to sample as he travels. Chestnut flour, water, herbs and olive oil, mixed by hand for over half an hour is described as having "... a flavour like the middle of a pine forrest...". His mantra is fresh food simply cooked.

Rick's philosophy is that "... cooking and eating together are generous activities, which should be taken seriously, but should also resound with joy..."

And the memories of the places he has travelled, the people he has met are kept and stored, just like food is kept in preserving jars - to savour well past their prime

Click here for Rick Stein's website

Diet? What Diet?

I had searched my baking books for a chocolate cake with a difference. Nothing too lengthy, but distinctively different and most importantly, moist. Then I came across this "how to" video from the dependable Nigella. I had no sour cream, and so substituted with pouring cream. The result was.... memorable.


Firstly, though, I made a couple of coconut cream pies, with whisked eggs, cream and dessicated coconut, topped with toasted coconut:

Then, while the oven was still warm, in went the chocolate cake. I used one pan and had to cut the cake. See the steam? I had to wait until the sponge was cool before dousing it with the chocolate icing:

Finally, the chocolate cream icing, also made with cream. Mmmmm.... it's always wise to make a little more than needed, to leave some for the licking bowl.