"One Of Those Days" Becomes A Food Challenge!

The last week hasn't been the best for me. I've had a few productive bursts of activity, but for the most part I've not been up to much more than playing Facebook games. The kind I hate, but find myself unable to stop playing. I've been suffering from pretty bad headaches and really tired. I think I've just reached a stage in my recovery where I need to start doing more, but I'm stuck in a chicken and egg scenario - I've not got anything to do I've been out of action so long!

I start extra work with Discover Your Bounce next month which will help - 3 days a week of getting up and going to work rather than 'working' from the sofa in my pjs. But that doesn't help me this week, where I've got a few small tasks to get done but at my own pace and without a deadline.

Today has been the peak of the problem, but has also unwittingly offered me a solution. I've been out of action most of the day with another headache - this one worse than usual. Just reading, chilling, trying not to make it worse. So it wasn't until I was making dinner and went to put something in the freezer that I realised it was unplugged... and most of the contents were either defrosted or halfway there. Oops! Pretty much everything had to go in the bin, since we can't work out when it must have been unplugged and what state of defrost the items were in.

Here's the kicker - most of the food was on the meal plan for this week, meaning all of our planned meals have to be scrapped and we're still 5 days from our normal shopping day. Bummer, huh?

After being royally p***ed off for a bit, I decided to set myself a little food challenge for the week. I'm not going to go shopping until our next regular shop. All meals will be made from what we have to hand at home (luckily we had a little excess meat in the fridge still waiting to be frozen). The only exception to this will be picking up some fresh veg to accompany meals as we're running low.

I'm also going for a second challenge - to restock the freezer with healthy meal components to reduce the number of takeaways we have (we've been getting lazy lately). This'll be a combination of chopped veg to throw into soups, curries & chillies, some pre-cooked shredded chicken and batch meals of some of our favourite things. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while, so this was a bittersweet kick in the bum for me to get on and do it.

I'll update you to my progress soon, perhaps with some recipes too as I've found some new ones to try! :)

Do you set yourself food challenges? Let me know in the comments!

Recipe: Endo-Friendly Moroccan Chicken & Lemon Cous-Cous

As some of you will know each week we make a meal plan so that we can keep our food costs down and also get everything in one shop rather than going to and fro all week for things we need.
Monday is meal plan & shopping day, so I usually spend the better part of the morning doing a quick inventory of the freezer and cupboards to see what we've got, then coming up with meals for the week. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays tend to be my favourite days to cook something new as those are my days off and I can generally spend more time preparing an exciting meal.

Since starting the Endo Diet food has lost some of its appeal to us, which is a little depressing. As much as I enjoyed being inventive at first, trying to come up with exciting new ways to present what is essentially chicken or turkey and veg has become a bit of a chore. So yesterday I made an extra effort to come up with meals that sounded full of flavour and was really quite pleased with myself when I fell upon a recipe for Moroccan Chicken & Lemon Cous-Cous! Not only did it sound delicious, it was also an opportunity to attempt cooking with bone-in chicken thighs. For those who don't know me that well, I have never even eaten food with bones in before unless it was a surprise and in all occassions I stopped eating as soon as I found out. Something about it freaks me out. But in the name of money saving and on a quest for flavourful foods, I took a deep breath and jumped right in to this new experiment.

I had a little waver upon seeing them at the shop and another upon seeing the bones at first at home, but after seeing the price I pushed through. £4 got us 1.1kg of chicken thighs! To put that into context; the packets of 450g of chicken breast are also £4, so we got almost 3 times the meat for the same price. So on the back of last nights' success, I've been convinced to try AFC (Ami Fried Chicken!) using chicken wings or drumsticks in future. I'm a bone-in convert...for chicken at least!

And so on to the recipe...

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

4-8 Bone-in Chicken Thighs

2-4tsp Turmeric

1-2tbsp Garam Masala

Pinch of Salt

Sunflower Oil

1 Onion, finely sliced

1-2 Garlic Cloves, finely sliced

500ml Chicken Stock

Juice from 1 Lemon

125-250g Gluten Free Cous Cous

Parsley to garnish

Method:

1. Heat some oil in a large pan, coat the chicken thighs in half the spices and place skin-down in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2 minutes before removing them from the pan.

2. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry until golden.

3. Add in the remaining spices and cook for another minute. (I forgot to do this bit and it still turned out yummy!)

4. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil, before placing the chicken back in the pan skin side up.

5. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 35-40 minutes. (I didn't cover it and the stock concentrated down nicely, but I did have to add more water in later for the cous cous to cook.)

6. Remove the chicken and take the pan off the heat.

7. Stir in the lemon juice a cous-cous, topping up water if necessary, then leave to stand for 5 minutes/until the cous cous is cooked through.

8. Fluff through the cous cous and place the chicken back on top.

9. Garnish with parsley and serve!

I forgot to take a picture of our meal last night so this picture is taken from the recipe!

Recipe: Endo-Friendly Banana 'Ice-Cream'

I chose this recipe today to celebrate as today was the last Zoladex injection I need before my lap next month! Avoiding dairy and sugar has been difficult (and I've slipped quite a bit on sugar..) so finding this recipe has been a god send. This is definitely one for your sweet tooth, saved for those occassions when you absolutely need something sweet but don't want to slip off the bandwagon. Obviously it isn't real ice-cream, but it's close enough! It does take some pre-planning and you may not get to the ice-cream stage - while preparing my first attempt I couldn't wait for it to freeze and ended up with ice-cold mashed banana! :)

Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 Banana
Fruit Syrup (optional)

Method:
1. Break the banana up into chunks
2. Freeze then part-thaw the banana
3. Blend the banana until it's smooth and creamy
4. Serve with fruit syrup

Very budget friendly, very tastebud friendly!

Recipe: Endo-Friendly Homemade KFC

One of the things I've missed most since starting the Endo diet is fast food. Aside from hot curries, there are very few meals you can get from a takeaway that don't have ingredients you need to avoid in them. So imagine my delight when a friend of mine says she has a recipe for homemade KFC. :) I tried it this evening and it was nom, so I thought I'd share it with you!

It's healthier than KFC (who knows what else they put in it!), cheaper than KFC (the price of chicken plus a small amount of flour, spices and oil is a lot less than a takeaway) and better for the environment too - no wrappers to go in the bin. If I'd known about this recipe in my pre-diet days I'm not sure I'd ever have had KFC!

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts cut into pieces
Flour (I used rice flour but any gluten-free one should do)
Spices (I used paprika, cayenne pepper, asafoetida, oregano, thyme, chilli flakes, minced garlic)
Egg replacer
Olive Oil

Method:
1. Pre-heat the over to 22C
2. Mix the flour and the spices together in a bag (I used 4 tablespoons of flour and that was WAY too much - 2 should be more than enough)
3. Add about 1cm of oil to the bottom of a square glass dish
4. Dip the chicken into the egg replacer and place it in the bag, shaking it so that the chicken is fully coated (1-2 pieces at a time so that it doesn't all stick together)
5. Place the chicken in the dish, repeat until all the chicken is coated
6. Cook for 30 minutes, turn, then cook for a further 15 minutes
7. Remove from oil and place on a piece of kitchen roll to drain
8. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken ready to go in the oven!

Recipe: Endo-Friendly Spicy Lentil and Chicken Soup

This is a new twist on an old favourite of ours and is really simple to make. Spicy chicken soup is a fall-back whenever we fancy something satisfying, warming but still healthy and budget-friendly - it really hits all bases! I especially like this recipe as you can get away with just 1 large chicken breast for 2 people. Chicken isn't cheap (there's a pun there somewhere) so needing half the amount definitely helps the food bill. I was doubtful when I first tried it, but you really do end up with a LOT of chicken once it's shredded. If you're not a fan of spicy foods it's really simple to swap out the spices and put herbs like Basil, Thyme and Parsley in their place too.

(Serves 2)
Ingredients:
100g Red Split Lentils
Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Garlic Clove
1 Large Chicken Breast
400ml Chicken Stock
270g Crushed Tomatoes
1tsp Cumin
1tsp Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Black Pepper

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat and add the onion, carrot and garlic - cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken, cumin and cayenne and cook fur a further 5 minutes until the chicken starts to brown.
3. Stir in the stock and water then simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Remove and set aside the chicken and add the lentils and tomatoes, leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes. While the soup is simmering, shred the chicken breast.
5. Add the chicken back to the soup and simmer for a further 5-10 minutes.
6. Season to taste and serve.

For a naughty added extra crush some lightly salted corn chips (make sure they're gluten/soya/milk free - Asda Smart Price ones are but don't know about other brands) and sprinkle them over the top for a crunchy layer.

Recipe: Endo Friendly Chicken Goulash

Today I decided to use the slower cooker that's been collecting dust since we moved in! Tom had work and I was feeling particularly lazy, so a batch of slow-cooked chicken goulash found its way onto the menu. It's incredibly simple to make and takes between 2.5-6 hours to cook depending on the setting you use. Prep time is only about 10-15 minutes so it really is a hands off meal!

Serves 6 (I froze 4 portions for later meals)

Ingredients:
olive oil
1/2 an onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 red pepper
1kg chicken breast
1 1/2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1tbsp brown sugar
1tbsp paprika
3 handfuls of red lentils
other seasoning to taste (I used sage, mint, parsley & chilli flakes)
water/tomato puree can be used to thin/thicken it as you like

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, saute until cooked through and add to the slow cooker.
2. Cook the pepper and garlic in the pan then add to the slow cooker.
3. Add all of the other ingredients (minus the 'other seasoning' and lentils) to the slow cooker and mix together.
4. Cook for 2.5-3 hours on High or 5-6 hours on Low.
5. Remove the chicken and shred it.
6. Add the chicken, lentils and other seasoning to the slow cooker and cook for 15 minutes on High or 30 minutes on Low.
7. Serve and enjoy!

I especially liked this recipe as it was something I could share with Tom - he cleared his bowl! Half the battle of the endo diet is feeling like you can't share meals with other people without feeling like they're giving up a good meal, so this was a real relief. :) It's also a budget-friendly meal, especially when done as a big batch. The chicken was the biggest expense at £6 but the rest cost no more than a few pence per ingredient, bringing the cost per portion to less than £1.50!

Post Sixteen: The Importance of a Green Business

The modern customer is looking for more than just great service these days, they're looking to see if your company has a conscience and isn't just profiteering. Fairtrade has taken huge steps in recent years to ensure better conditions for third world farmers and without consumer motivation it wouldn't have been possible. This is proof that today you need to think of more than just how your shop looks and whether your front of house is smiling.

One of the ways to show you care is to make sure you are up to date on your Green policies. Recycle, Reduce, Re-use is one of the best philosophies you can stick to when trying to improve your business. It can be practiced in any type of industry but I'll be focusing on the Hospitality Industry since that's the one I currently work in.

The Hospitality Industry sends a huge amount of food to landfill each year by overestimating their needs, using inefficient equipment and not doing all they can to minimise waste. I work in a coffee shop so I know we're limited by health & safety standards left right and centre, but that doesn't mean we can't take some big steps towards making the industry more environmentally friendly.

Our industry relies on the planet more so than others; our products come directly from the earth and without it we're out of business. If we don't keep the rainforests alive, we lose packaging. If plants soak up chemicals we are endangering our customers. The animals in turn eat these toxic plants and then our meat because contaminated. It's a vicious cycle that ultimately ends with us being closed.

Looking at it from a reverse view there's a much more positive image we can create. Support the Rainforest Association and there will always be trees for your packaging. Use organic products and organically raised animals and no one will be exposed to chemicals. Reducing your carbon footprint actually cuts your costs and raises your profile to customers. That's why more companies are turning to these policies to give their businesses a makeover.

From recycleable packaging to vegetable based inks, reusable containers, energy saving appliances, the resources are all there to make things as easy as possible for you. In this day and age there is no excuse to sit back ignoring the issues that people are crying out to be acknowledged. If your company can take even the smallest step you'll be changing the planet for the better. To give you an idea of what you can do here are some small examples I've already implemented here at The Witches Brew.

Fairtrade products and locally produced foods wherever possible.
Cut down your carbon footprint by reducing the distance your products have to travel. All of our coffee and hot chocolate is Fairtrade and our cakes and crisps are from local suppliers.

Only order what you need.
Buying in bulk only saves you money if you're going to use all of it, so companies who buy in by the hundreds and end up with a lot of wastage are actually just throwing money into landfills. We have fresh cakes ordered each week and usually stick to minimum orders of everything else we stock.

Use compostable cutlery.
Or napkins, takeaway cups, there are a whole host of compostable products out there you can use. Check out Vegware products for loads of ideas. We're introducing new compostable products as we run out of their throwaway counterparts.

Re-purpose everything you can.
Keep waste out of landfills by seeing if there's another use for it first. Our used coffee grounds are used to keep bugs off plants, down the drains as a de-odoriser, a tint for fixing wood furniture.. Check out some more ideas here. Old tins/pots become plant pots or pen pots. Empty handwash bottles become vases - Neal's Yard bottles are especially pretty for this idea.

Have your own compost heap.
There are loads of products these days that stop pests being an issue with a compost heap, so why not create your own? Throw all your food wastage onto the heap then find a local company or gardening group that will be happy to use it for you. We don't do this particular idea, but it's something I've looked into and would be viable in a business bigger than ours.


Is your business or the company you work for taking these steps? Are there any other steps you can think of that I haven't mentioned here? Get in touch, I'd love to hear from you. :)

Post Fifteen: Light Bulbs!

Happy Monday Everyone!

This weekend was so fabulously sunny Tom and I decided to get out and do something despite the fact we were both ill. Saturday was spent mooching around the shops and treating ourselves to a few new clothes (which went onto my printed wardrobe diary!). I got some amazingly comfy trousers and a pretty pink top from New Look - I'm really feeling spring colours at the moment so I love the delicate flowers on the trousers and the pale pink of the top. :) I also got myself some No 7 nail varnish in Me! Me! Me! which is a bright pink colour. Then it was off to Asda for the weekly shop.

We managed to last nearly a week on just my Saturday shop last week - so happy! Only had to pop in for bread for Tom's lunches. :) Might not have the same success this week as I was nowhere near as organised and we didn't really buy anything except picnic food this week, but thanks to bulk buying last week I don't think I'll need to go in until later in the week at least. I also remembered to take in one of my bags for life, so that cut out 2 or 3 bags that would've been wasted. Next goal: remember both!

Sunday I picked up a casette to iPod converter for my car, because it's so old I could only listen to the radio up to now. Then Tom and I got some new trainers each, since his are falling apart and I haven't bought any for 5 years! Shopping finished, we headed to Victoria Park for a picnic. I was really excited to use the hamper I got for my birthday. :) We had some yummy sandwiches, pork & pickle sausage rolls, pringles, smarties cookies and amazing Ice Cream Soda to drink. Not the healthiest, but considering all the walking we did over the two days I'm giving myself a break!

Now I'm back at work glaring enviously at the people out in the sunshine, but it's made a little better by the fun Upcycling Ideas I've found for used light bulbs on pinterest. My favourites on the page are the mini hanging-basket style vases and the glittery christmas tree decorations. Can't wait to try out some of these ideas. Now I just have to wait for some bulbs to blow.. (at which point I'll pop in energy saving ones of course!).

How did your weekend go? Did you get crafty or go out in the sunshine?

Post Ten: Green Living

Good morning!

I sit writing this gazing out onto a world of fog, so I thought what better way to cheer up than to share some new day-to-day green tips and some exciting news from me!

We'll start with the green tips. I follow RecycleBank UK on facebook and they're always posting interesting articles, tips and other things that I find fascinating. Today they posted an article 30 Days To A Greener Life which is basically 30 tips for you to try out - either 1 a day for a month, or just to encorporate a few into your day to day habits. These tips are pain-free ways to become more environmentally friendly, so I wanted to put it on paper (metaphorically that is!) that I'm comitting to the following tips. (NB: I'm only going to put the things I don't already do below. I already follow some of their tips.)

1. Start some good water habits.

I already turn the tap off while brushing my teeth, time to add in the hand washing! As for the shower, I've cut down from 30 minutes to 15 and that's the best I can do. Sorry planet. :(

5. Banish stand-by.

Our house is full of electrical equipment. Not all of it's mine but anything within my control will get unplugged when I'm done with it. I can also comit to doing this at work - only bare essentials like the fridge will be left on overnight.

11. Make a meal plan to avoid waste.

I've made an inventory of what we have in the cupboard and I'm only making meals that can be done with what's there. The only things I'm buying in at the moment are meat and vegetables. Plus I'm planning meals a few days in advance so that my goal of only shopping twice a week can be met.

16. Carry a reusable bag.

I already carry one in the boot of the car, I'm actually comitting to remember to take it in the shop!

27. Head for the local library.

Once I finish my boxset of The Sookie Stackhouse Series (True Blood to you tv fanatics) I will be searching out my local library and stocking up on some good books!


So those are my promises to the environment. Once they become habits rather than something I do consciously, I'll take another look at the list and pick some more!

As for my exciting news... *drum roll*

Tom and I have decided to go travelling! This is instead of saving for a flat, so the direction of this blog is going to shift ever so slightly but in a much more exciting way! In my first post one of my Facts About Me was that I want to go travelling, but circumstances have made that difficult lately. Things have changed about a bit recently which has allowed us to think about taking some time out to travel. :) To be honest, my tips about making pillow covers instead of buying and cool things to make for your house aren't going to stop anyway. I love that sort of stuff as a hobby so you'll get just as much of it! However now they'll be interspersed with tips on how to travel lightly, cheaply and safely!

The plan is to spend quite a long time saving, but it's never too early to start a little project book with hints and tips. So to get the ball rolling, have any of you been travelling and have tips you can share with me?

Mission accomplished, fog forgotten. ;)