Christmas
I hope you had the Christmas and New Year you wished for. I've emerged blinking and confused from Betwixtmas when I don't know what day it is, or whether to put the bins out or not. I took the decorations down yesterday and packed them all away ready for next year.
I had a lovely time visiting my Mum. She takes us all out for a meal as her gift. We raised a glass to those that we've lost, played a couple of games and all was going swimmingly.
At the end, Mum got up to leave, lost her balance, and nosedived into the fireplace! She was very lucky not to land on the hot wood burner, or do serious damage by bashing her head on the narrowly missed corner of it. She landed face down in the fireplace and was naturally very shaken.
This is her later that afternoon with a big bump on her forehead.
and this is her the next day - she looks like she'd been in a fight! She's absolutely fine now - tough as nails!
Floating
My daughter gave me many gifts this year, I feel very spoiled. Got lots of lovely books, my favourite things, and three sessions in a flotation tank.
Sam has really taken to Yoga and goes to a hot pod several times a week, working around her shifts, and the flotation tank is one of the things they offer there.
Went for the first float a few days ago, first time I've done anything like that. It was super relaxing in deliciously warm water that supports you completely. You can use soft lights or switch them off. I left the pod cracked open a little, but the room lights switch off after a few minutes.
I floated literally and mentally and the time went very quickly.
Looking forward to the other 2 sessions now!
We went for a bite of lunch afterwards, chatting away, don't think we'd EVER run out of things to talk about!
Netflix series
We've watched some great stuff on Netflix recently.
We binge watched Black Doves, it was very addictive!
And did much the same with Missing You, adapted from a Harlen Coben book, one of Mikes favourite authors and as twisty and turney as Harlen's other books. We were pleased to have guessed something that turned out to be the red herring!
The next one in my sights is the second series of Squid Games. I watched the first series after there was a lot of hoo hah about it to get a first hand opinion, and found that I loved it! So, looking forward to watching the next one.
Vegetables
I cancelled the vegetable box delivery this week as I have lots still to use. Will probably restart it next week.
And so, to some recipes you might like
Roasted cabbage steaks
Time for more vegetables?
Roasting vegetables concentrates them and will often mean that bigger portions are eaten - and more vegetables are always a good thing!
These particular ones are made from red cabbage cut across to make a steak
Chicken and chorizo casserole
I first made this with my daughter, in her kitchen in Paddock Wood, where she was living at that time. We were playing and having fun. We invented it for her family to have for dinner that evening. She absolutely loved it, and made it often!
Sweetcorn soup
It's been pretty chilly lately, and I do love a lunchtime soup when it's cold. This has minimal ingredients and couldn't be easier to make.
Shredded Brussel sprout salad
Or maybe you're in the mood for salads now after the seasonal feasting?
Lovely little salad this, using seasonal Brussel sprouts and walnuts, and, at the time of writing, a bit of Christmas flavour. The sprout salad would work well all through their season of October to March.
I published an ebook for meal plan 1 in August 2021 and am delighted that many people have thought it was worth getting. I repriced it again in June 2022 and it was still holding on, even in these scary times. Now we are in September and prices have shifted again and I've managed to get my head around WooCommerce so I can feature it on the blog and you can find it here.
I was busy recooking, photographing and updating the recipes for Meal Plan 2 and putting them into an ebook as well. The meal plan was first written in 2013 and still prices up, which is fabulous and that is finally complete. The book is done now too, prices seem to be stable enough to do it.
I've finally completed the e-book from the Stretch A Chicken To Last A Week series. Took me absolutely ages to finish it off!
Do come and say hello on the Fantastically Frugal Food Facebook group, or the Sensational Slimming Sustenance group. I'd love to see you. Lots of useful tips, recipes and ideas. The over 17,000 membership are brilliant, brimming with talent.
And don't forget Thrifty Lesley, where there are 800+ recipes of fantastically frugal food and many weekly meal plans. And Cheap Family Recipes where you can find all kinds of delicious things that don't cost much, with two family monthly meal plans.
I've also got a few YouTube videos up, not many yet, but I'm planning to do more. I've done a couple more, need to edit them now. So much to do, so little time!
With all best wishes, until next time
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