Baking days!

As a lecturer my time is reasonably flexible.  I work a 0.8 contract which gives me a day off a week.  I like it to be a Friday if possible, but this week there is a "three line whip" meeting on Friday so i had today instead.

In reducing the sugar in our household, I still have to be mindful of the teenagers - particularly the 15 year old, strapping 6' male one who has hollow legs and to whom this is all a bit of a shock.  I have said that they can buy anything themselves - after all, I can't really stop them, but i will not bring fizzy drinks, crappy cereals or commercially baked products or sweets into the house.  There are also no more flavoured crisps, though I do buy ready salted (ingredients: potatoes, oil, salt.  I know the veg oil isn't great healthwise but they eat one pack a day - at most), and there are no more flavoured yogurts - I buy full fat greek and will mix in some flavours for when J wants a yogurt.  V isn't too fussed on such things and is leaving for uni soon anyway.  Today's flavour is apple and blackberry as we went blackberrying at the weekend and i made some.  The apple and blackberry "jollop" is sweetened with agave syrup.  Again, I know that agave isn't great but i bought some before I had fully researched and need to use it up.  After it's gone, I will just use Xylitol.

The rest of the "jollop" has been frozen for future use.

Next I made some raw "naked" bars.  Recipe courtesy of "Mrs Lurcherwalker" from the Oldstyle Forum from Moneysaving Expert.com - thanks Mrs LW, they are sublime

4.8 oz pitted dried dates
2.9 oz raw cashew nuts (pieces are fine)
1.7 oz seedless raisins / dried cherries
0.6 oz cocoa powder
2 teaspoons honey

Blitz ingredients together in a food processor.  When they have "come together" remove and shape by hand into a sausage shape, wrap in cling film and refrigerate.  Cut a slice off when it's, in the words of Winnie the Pooh "time for something sweet".

I didn't have enough  cashews, so I used 2 oz almonds and 1 oz dessicated coconut.

Then came apple and cinnamon bars - the recipe came from the internet somewhere, I hope it's OK to reproduce

Ingredients

8oz pecans
6 oz rolled oats
8 oz pitted and halved dates
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz chopped eating apples

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees c7
Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spread the pecans and oats out on it in a single flat layer.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until toasted and fragrant.
Keep the oven at 180 degreesC.  Line an 8" squae pan or a 12 x 5.5" pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides so the finished bars can be lifted.
Place the toasted nuts and oats in a food processor along with the dates, cinnamon and salt.  Process until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with no large pieces remaining.  Add the chopped apple and pulse in until there are no chunks left.  Continue to process until everything starts to clump together, using a spatula if necessary to move things round.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using a spatula smooth over the top carefully.

Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Cool for 10-15 mins and then slice into bars.  Once completely cool, lift out of the pan and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Except I used walnuts instead of pecans (really must update my stocks) and I soaked the dates for a short time as last time I made it, it was rather dry.

I made some chocolate crispy cakes after that

1oz sugar - i used 3/4oz xylitol
1 tbsp syrup (I used agave syrup)
2oz butter
1 oz cocoa or very dark chocolate

Melt all together in a pan or microwave and then add

4oz rice crispies

Spoon into cake cases and chill

these haven't held together very well, though they taste OK.  I am guessing the agave isn't as effective as golden syrup.  I also used a mix of cocoa and dark chocolate, so might be better with all chocolate.

So that has replenished the baked goods stocks somewhat.  Some of the apple and cinnamon bars have gone in the freezer as the teenagers are unlikely to eat too many of those - too healthy, they said. P and I find them great with a chunk of cheddar!

I also have a sourdough starter on the go.  I have never made one before but so far it's looking as it should be for day 2.

 Image courtesy of http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-sourdough-starter-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-47337 from where I got the recipe

I know the sourdough will be made from wheat flour, but I am doing this as a trial to see if a traditionally made loaf, even with wheat, will be better than the shop bought "Chorleywood process" bread.  And, in any case, I am about 95% wheat and sugar free so will allow myself some occasionally.

Afterwards, a quick trip into town saw me at the market where they were selling berries - a punnet of strawberries, 2 of raspberries and 1 of blueberries cost under £3.  So when I got home I treated myself to a bowl.

 YUM!

Wheat free, sugar free breakfasts

I thought I would start with breakfast.  Giving up wheat and sugar can make breakfast quite a challenge.

Here are some things I have

Porridge, made with milk (I use soya milk) a twist of salt and a spoonful of cream
Sometimes I add berries to the above
A form of Bircher muesli, soak oats in milk overnight, or at least for a "while", when ready to eat add berries (I use frozen so give them time to defrost), chopped nuts, maybe chopped apple and a spoonful of cream
Continental  - ham, cheese, melon, tomatoes
Banana or melon chopped up with a couple of spoonfuls of full fat Greek yogurt with some chopped mixed nuts and seeds on top and mayb some dried blueberries or raisins
Bacon and egg
Omelette

Today, however I really fancied something different.  I had an egg in my fridge which had cracked so needed using up, and having got some inspiration from another blog I did the following

Finely chopped half an onion, some pepper and half a courgette, which I fried in a tsp of coconut oil. Then I added a handful of spinach.  Once that was almost ready I added the egg from the freezer and another egg (whose yolk had not broken)

Once the eggs were cooked, I piled them onto a plate and laid the eggs on top.  Absolutely scrummy

It's nice to mix it up once in a while.  This kept me going till lunchtime.  If I had had some bacon in, then I might have added a rasher but it was perfectly fine without.

So I was going to start afresh with a new blog, but couldn't decide what to call it and I rather like the name "Running Green Llama".  So I will stick with this one. So here goes another resolution to keep it rather more updated than i have previously.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about my diet and exercise and have done an amount of research.  As a result I have pretty much quit eating sugar and wheat.  I have also intermittently done intermittent fasting and have switched to clean eating - 95% of the time.  As a result of all that, I have lost 15lb, my inflamed sinuses are so much better that i now don't need to use my steroid spray.  My clothes are a lot looser.  It is great, I can do this forever.

Over the next little while, I will reference some of my research - if anyone is reading this, i should like to hear of more.

My starting point was investigating what i should do now that I have turned 50 - menopause is looming so how can I keep myself as fit and healthy as possible?  I was also suffering pretty bad acid reflux and bloating, sinus issues and weight gain.  I can't remember the exact route but i soon learned that sugar is pretty evil stuff and that it could well be causing a lot of my issues.  There is nothing that added sugar does for us and that I had nothing to lose by giving it up.

One of my first ports of call was "Sugar, the bitter truth" by Robert Lustig - available here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

And I rather like this mantra by Michael Pollan

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants"  taken from this article in the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Tomorrow i shall be back with a couple of recipes

Hate waste

Evening all.

Today I realised that I had rather a lot of "going wrinkly and soft" veg on my vegetable rack.  I was also lacking some inspiration as to what to have for tea.  With freezers so full I can barely shut them, today wasn't the day to go shopping.

So I had four parsnips, one leek, one onion, some potatoes, a very old butternut squash, and loads of carrots with those horrid going black bits on.  So what to do?

I was sure I could do a root vegetable "bakey thing", and a quick flit round t'internet decided me on a gratin.

So what did I do?  Peeled two potatoes, three parsnips, half the squash, and two large carrots.  I also dug out the tub of double cream from the freezer that I had bought "yellow stickered" from M and S at Christmas for 35p a pot.

I chopped half the onion and put it into a pan with the cream and some marjoram found in the herb store, brought it to a near boil and turned it off

I used the vegetable peeler to cut the veg into wafer thin strips and, in a lasagne dish, layered potato, carrot, parsnip, squash And then repeated.

The onion creamy mixture was poured over and some cheddar grated on top (the recipe said gruyere but I didn't have it in - it would probably have been a little less greasy if I had)


Baked for an hour in an oven at 160 c

 

Grr, still having trouble updating using the Ipad - I will get used to doing this properly, promise.

 

Anyway, the above was made and was delicious.  WIth the remaining half onion, the leek, remaining squash, parsnips and some more "blackening" carrots I made some vegetable and lentil soup.

 

 

I sweated off the onion and leek (chopped of course) in a good dollop of butter.  Left it for about 5 minutes over a low heat with pan lid on, stirring occasionally.  Whilst this was doing, I cut the squash, carrot and parsnip into small dice and then added to the pan, stirring to coat in the butter.  I added cumin, and turmeric and cooked that off.  After another couple of minutes I added 2 litres of bouillon (a veg stock cube made up would do) and a couple of table spoons of red lentils.  Cooked it for about 20 minutes and then blended with a stick blender.

 

it made 6 portions.

 



 

When cold I popped them into the freezer.  I will take one to work every day for my lunch.  So easy to transport frozen and then can be microwaved when I get there.

 

 

I also found three manky bananas so made this

 



Yep, yet another banana bread. 

Hooray a picture and yummy chicken pie

I seem to have trouble posting my pictures from photobucket on to the blog using the iPad.  But I will persevere.

The above picture illustrates the basic and fundamental law of pie making.  That you put "yum yum" on it in pastry letters.

It started out years ago when V and J were quite small, to try and encourage the fussy devils to eat it. The first one said "beef pie yum yum".  As you see we have gone continental with this one, and got jam tarts with the left overs.

So, easy homemade cheats chicken pie

A block of frozen puff pastry
Left over chicken from the Sunday roast (or a couple of chicken breasts / thighs/ whichever you prefer cubed and fried in a little oil to seal, no need to fry if using already cooked leftover chicken)
1 onion chopped
one can condensed mushroom soup
A couple of handfuls of frozen peas and corn or some diced carrot - whatever you like really


Fry off the onion in a little oil (other veggies too if required)
Add the tin of soup - you might want to water it down a little, I tend to swill out the tin to get Any remaining soup
Add chicken and heat through

Roll out the defrosted pastry into a rectangle - or whatever you need to fit your dish

Put the chicken mix into a  greased pie tin (mine are from Lakeland, but you might use anything suitable.  I find the glass lids of casseroles good for a shallower pie)
Pop the pastry on the top and trim around the edge
Re roll the pastry and cut out yum yum with pastry cutters
Glaze pastry with milk or, if you go really mad, beaten egg
Add yum yum and glaze

Put into a preheated oven, gas 6 or electric equivalents until pastry is cooked and brown (about 15  - 20 mins)

Eat with potatoes and any other veg.

Hollow legged teenager

My DS, J, is nearly 15 and nearly 6' tall.  I cannot have enough food in the house to fill him up.

I thought the whole "teenager with his head in the fridge" thing was a cliche.

I was wrong.

In a typical day he might eat

A lump of Aldi chocolate brioche (cos he doesn't get up in time to have a proper breakfast)
A chicken salad wrap, sausage roll and lump of homemade cake as his packed lunch.  Yes, I know about putting fruit etc, in the kids lunchboxes, but there isn't any point cos he never eats it.  I figure he gets some "health " in the wrap, often some dried fruit in the cake and he will eat fruit and veg when he gets home.  The sole purpose of school food is that he can eat it as fast as possible so that he can go and play football.
Then, when he gets home at 3.30, the real fun starts!

He swipes a bag of crips from a cupboard under the stairs as soon as he enters the house

He will then raid the cake tin again

He might make a cheese and ham toastie

Maybe a pear or tangerine from the fruit bowl - often both

A handful of biscuits

Maybe a slice of toast

Then dinner - meat, potato, veg whatever
Then yogurt for pudding

Maybe a bowl of porridge or cereal before bed.

The real insult is that he is as skinny as they come.  <<sigh>>

Anyway tonight's tea seems to have done the trick

Slow cooked braising steak, creamy mash, mixed up ends of cabbage and some carrots.  Good solid winter food the sticks to your ribs.

Sorry for lack of pictures, having some issues.

Happy New Year

New year, new start

No resolutions, just do it.

This really shouldn't be called "Running Green Llama" as the running has come to a permanent end - but instead I shall be "Walking Green Llama" or "Cycling Green Llama" or "Yoga - ing Green Llama".  Anyway, you get the picture.

So, the lose 10lb challenge, 30 day Abs challenge, just get on and bloody do it challenge.  I am filling in the "My Fitness Pal" diet and exercise diary, though I am not sure whether it is helpful or not to see that the pear you've just eaten is over 100 calories.  Weightwatchers didn't count much fruit and veg, it was generally "free".  When a pear and a Satsuma is the same as a bag of crisps it gets a little disheartening.

Yesterday Peter got his new bike and so he and I went down the lane and back on our bikes.  8 miles round trip but it was the first we've done for a while and my backside is very aware of that.  What a lovely day it was though - bright blue sky and sunshine.  It gives me hope that spring is just round the corner - unfortunately in my heart of hearts I know that we still have a long way to go.

We then went to the cinema last night - £18 for the two of us!  But still a relatively cheap night out - we resisted all snacks, being quite capable of going 2 hours without eating.  Particularly as we had just partaken of a Gordon Ramsay recipe of Lamb kebabs with salad - delicious, though J described them as "like a chewy lemon"!.  I must take photos.

Anyhow here is the recipe

Lamb Kebabs with peppers and tomatoes (serves 4)

500g lean lamb leg steaks
1 large red pepper
1 large yellow pepper
8 chestnut mushrooms
8 cherry tomatoes (skinned if you like, but I didn't bother)

Marinade

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves - chopped or crushed
1/2 tsp each of oregano, mint, thyme, tarragon
1/4 tsp ground (but I used dried, even though I've fresh in the garden) rosemary
1 tbsp. olive oil

mix marinade ingredients.  Cube lamb and toss in  marinade - leave as long as you like

Basically chop peppers and thread alternately onto metal skewers (if using bamboo, then soak them for a bit)
Cook on barbecue, griddle or grill for about 5 minutes on each side.

We served ours with a green salad and homemade coleslaw.  Delish.