I'm feeling a bit under the weather this week all sorts of aches and pains including ear ache. I'm sure it is the change in the weather. Every year the change from summer to the much colder weather seems to affect me, does anyone else experience this? I haven't felt much like cooking, so simple food is on the menu this week, however I can still tick my own personal goals with just simple food. So what are my personal goals I hear you ask ( well maybe not but I'm going to tell you anyway)
ZERO FOOD WASTE - As a child my mum used to nag me to eat my food saying there were starving children in the world and there was me wasting food. At the time, I would just roll my eyes and mumble under my breath that they were welcome to my brussel sprouts. Many many years have passed since I was a child, no I'm not saying how many - and food waste has got to obscene proportions. You only have to look in the bins outside the supermarkets to see tons of perfectly good food being thrown away, but it is not only the supermarkets that are guilty of this. Love Food Hate Waste reports that 15 million tons of food is thrown away in the U.K. every year, 50% of this is from our homes. All of the energy, land and animal suffering (oh I am being controversial this week, probably because I'm feeling poorly and grumpy) that is involved in producing this food. Transporting it to the shops - more energy, pollution and destruction of land to build more roads for all the lorries - just to throw it in the bin! This week I had some left over mashed potato so made some potato cakes, it's a nice feeling saving food from the bin. The 'love food hate waste' website has lots of ideas to use up leftovers. I often think leftovers make the best meals, bubble and squeak being one of my all time favourites. Do you have any favourite 'left over' recipes? For these I added some rice flour (you can use plain), salt and pepper and dried tarragon (or any other herbs you want), rolled it out, cut out some circle and popped them in the over with a little oil brushed over.
ORGANIC - The amount of chemicals sprayed onto food is frightening, do we really know the long term effect consuming the combination of those chemicals has on us? By growing my own I know exactly what goes onto them - very little. A bit of organic feed and that's it. There is nothing better than going out and picking the freshest of veg, still full of goodness because they haven't been transported half way across the world and sprayed with who knows what. Now as you have probably noticed, I am a novice at growing my own, but I have managed to grow a few things including these tomatoes, and with a lot more practice and space I hope to grow more. Animal welfare standards are also higher in organic milk etc. which brings me onto the next point.
ANIMAL WELFARE - 25 years ago me and the kids decided to stop eating meat and fish, that was our decision, just as the bearded one made the decision to carry on eating meat and fish. I still eat eggs but try to ensure the chickens have been treated properly so buy free range. I lived beside a poultry farm where the chickens were crammed into cages and never saw the light of day, they had a short and terrible life, and of course male chicks had a worse fate. We used to have our own chickens and that will be the first thing I will do when we move back out into the countryside, it will be so good to eat our own freshest of eggs again from our own free range chickens. Yes, before you say it, being vegan would be even better and I was for a while, but being unable to eat gluten already limits my options food wise. As long as we all do our bit, meat eaters and vegetarians, for the best animal welfare we can make a difference. Sorry do I sound preachy? I'll shut up now.
PRODUCED LOCALLY - I will never managed to be totally self sufficient, we would starve if we had to rely on what I can grow, so will have to continue to buy produce. However I try to buy as many things as possible that are locally produced. It puts money back into the local economy, as Cornwall is one of the poorest regions in the U.K. we certainly need it. It cuts down on food miles and through the box scheme I use it gives the local farmers a fair price. I would rather my money went to keep them going than into the supermarkets pockets. If farmers continue to go out of business we will have to rely on food shipped in from overseas, bad for the planet and our economy. Now if only we could grow bananas in our fields as the bearded one has to take one to work everyday, he's addicted to them!
COOKING FROM SCRATCH - I like knowing exactly what goes into my meals, no e numbers lurking, no added colourings and in my case no hidden gluten that causes me to run to the loo all day! It's not always possible, when I get home from work really late there's nothing better than a Sansburys Free From pizza and a glass of wine At the weekends when we have been busy and there is a house full to feed, the new Indian takeaway up the road is extremely tempting, but on the whole my meals are cooked from scratch. Better for my pocket, health and waistline!
So a simple meal of cooked from scratch potato cakes made from left over locally grown potatoes, free range locally produced poached eggs and home grown organic tomatoes ticked my goals. I'm only human, I don't always manage to achieve my goals, but it is something I am working towards. I'm sure many of you do all of these things already, but I'm getting there.
I'm working extra hours again this week and painting, this is the last room to paint!!!!! Yay. I'm missing popping around to visit you all but fingers crossed I will have more time soon.
For this post I'm joining Amys lovely Five on Friday
Chickpea xx
