"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

[jpscloud]

I've actually managed to get an appointment to see a GP. I asked the nurse bandaging my legs how I was supposed to get an appointment to see a doctor (she was recommending that I do so). I have asked other nurses in the past, none of whom had any ideas. This one just wheeled me to the reception desk and told the receptionist to give me an appointment - and she did! Next Monday. Wonderful!

BG dropped too low while I was in the car so I had a can of sweetened coffee. Checked when I got home and it was up to 5.0. Just had an unsweetened coffee.



There's lots needing to be done in my garden. Plants still in pots (including shrubs and trees) that should have been put into the ground before this and other plants needing to be potted up, grass needing its final cut of the year, montbretia needing to be cut back - it's hanging over from both sides of the gateway, making it difficult for me to get past. Neil isn't feeling very great just now, so I can't ask him to do it (I can do the potting up but I can't carry the compost in), Alistair isn't fit either. It will just have to be left and hope the plants survive over the winter. At least the montbretia will die back sometime soon.

Well done getting that appointment!

Montbretia is an absolute beast, I've banned it from my garden although my mum loved it. I love the flowers but it spreads so vigorously.

I still have loads of jobs I haven't done, and probably will leave until spring now - sometimes things just have to fend for themselves over winter!

 

[Fairygodmother]

At last, an appointment, but how frustrating to have to rely on the kindness, or good sense, of others to get what you need.
Maybe the GP knows some good person who’s able trim back, to plant out and pot up in the garden. Worth asking.

 

[Fairygodmother]

I’ve not eaten breakfast yet, I’m being lazy, but it’ll be porridge when I do, the good stuff that’s not been denatured to mush.
Had a lovely morning with a Botany group yesterday which is led by a couple in their 90s. He used to work in a teaching and research centre nearby which has sadly been closed, and before that spent time teaching and researching in a range of places round the world. He’s wonderfully knowledgable. And they’re both so warm and friendly. We meet once a month and I love it!
Thinking of your monbretia, Annb, yesterday he showed us pictures of a beautifully bright red hybrid he’d created from an orange monbretia and a red crocosmia. He offered each of us a plant of it but I feared it’d become just one of the multitude that are regularly thinned here in our garden and I’d lose it.

 

[Annb]

I’ve not eaten breakfast yet, I’m being lazy, but it’ll be porridge when I do, the good stuff that’s not been denatured to mush.
Had a lovely morning with a Botany group yesterday which is led by a couple in their 90s. He used to work in a teaching and research centre nearby which has sadly been closed, and before that spent time teaching and researching in a range of places round the world. He’s wonderfully knowledgable. And they’re both so warm and friendly. We meet once a month and I love it!
Thinking of your monbretia, Annb, yesterday he showed us pictures of a beautifully bright red hybrid he’d created from an orange monbretia and a red crocosmia. He offered each of us a plant of it but I feared it’d become just one of the multitude that are regularly thinned here in our garden and I’d lose it.

Sounds great. I have only one crocosmia - bright red and bigger than the montbretia. It holds its own and can always be seen because it is "head and shoulders" above the montbretia. I love montbretia. It is such an elegant plant and really brightly coloured. Here there are loads of them, growing wild - a small field full of them at the end of our road. When things grow here, they grow really well and go wild fairly quickly. In our garden there are wild pear trees (not sure if it is pyrus communis or pyrus pyraster) which spread really quickly and blackthorn (hippophae rhamnoides) which is threatening to take over the road. We also did have some pampas grass (which I was told recently was an invasive species) which we did manage to kill off, or the wild pear did, by giving it too much shade and it gave up the ghost.

Breakfast was more chicken and leek soup with a couple of RyVita. There's still another 2 helpings of the soup left.

2nd meal will be pan fried haddock with some stir fried veg.

At last, an appointment, but how frustrating to have to rely on the kindness, or good sense, of others to get what you need.
Maybe the GP knows some good person who’s able trim back, to plant out and pot up in the garden. Worth asking.

The GP with whom I have an appointment is a total unknown to me with a name whose origins I can't identify. Probably a doctor doing GP Practice, so only here for a few weeks or months. That seems to be the norm here. Most doctors don't want to come here to live. Obviously there are a few and they are the core of the practice, but I have only seen fleeting glimpses of them in the last few years. Never an appointment.

​

 

[Annb]

Haven't had it yet, but breakfast will be more soup. A portion is being heated at the moment.

Plan for 2nd meal is casseroled pork belly slices with some mixed vegetables.

I actually managed to sleep for about 4 hours on my bed last night. Ended up with my hip really sore, but it was good to get laid down.

 

[anrew]

Had cucumber salad for breakfast with a small sugar-free croissant. Now preparing some grilled veggies for lunch

 

[Fairygodmother]

Bran flakes and half a banana this morning before heading to the docs for the flu and Covid jabs.
Wonderful breezy sunny day. Hope the wind’s not to fierce for everyone else.

 

[jpscloud]

I had fishcakes for breakfast at lunchtime, with some roasted vegetables.

I'm making a slow cooker full of minced beef stew with carrots and swede from the garden. That will be tea, and I will be eating that over the next few days as well.

Storm Amy brought us some 40mph winds, not as bad as Scotland where I hope you are all safe and well. It did flatten my potato foliage a bit but luckily it doesn't seem to be broken so I hope they will recover to carry on producing some tubers for Christmas-ish time.

I harvested some lovely carrots and swede in the wind and rain, feeling like a proper farmer!

 

[Annb]

DIL likes banana loaf but has little time to bake. She popped in to show me a packet of banana cake mix she'd bought in the supermarket. Instructions - just add sugar, eggs and banana. All that was in the packet was flour and some spices. No hint of banana, or even all the main ingredients for a cake. What a rip off!

I'll ask Neil to get me some bananas on Monday and make her a proper banana cake.

 

[Antje77]

My apologies for being MIA on this thread for the umpteenth time, I keep thinking to post and then I don't get around to do so.

And once again, it's with a practical question, but I'll start with the food eaten today.
I've been under the weather since monday (nasty cold) and haven't really felt like eating so everything I can trick myself into eating is a win.
This afternoon I had breakfast of a slice of LC toast, very well buttered to sneak in some extra (but melted and thus unnoticable) calories with a goat cheese with fenugreek and a medium boiled egg.
Evening meal was a LC cracker with butter and filet américain, which as far as I know is not a thing in the UK. I snuck in some nuts while mindlessly watching videos on Facebook, a very good way to get in some more food if nothing is appealing.

Neighbours offered to get some groceries for me today.
I asked for a piece of ginger and a lemon. So now I'm the proud ownder of more ginger than I usually use in a year, and no less than 8 lemons.

Does anyone have recipes with lots of lemon and/or ginger?

 

[Annb]

My apologies for being MIA on this thread for the umpteenth time, I keep thinking to post and then I don't get around to do so.

And once again, it's with a practical question, but I'll start with the food eaten today.
I've been under the weather since monday (nasty cold) and haven't really felt like eating so everything I can trick myself into eating is a win.
This afternoon I had breakfast of a slice of LC toast, very well butter to sneak in some extra (but melted and thus unnoticable) calories with a goat cheese with fenugreek and a medium boiled egg.
Evening meal was a LC cracker with butter and filet américain, which as far as I know is not a thing in the UK. I snuck in some nuts while mindlessly watching videos on Facebook, a very good way to get in some more food if nothing is appealing.

Neighbours offered to get some groceries for me today.
I asked for a piece of ginger and a lemon. So now I'm the proud ownder of more ginger than I usually use in a year, and no less than 8 lemons.

Does anyone have recipes with lots of lemon and/or ginger?

Filet Américain - just looked it up and it sounds very much like steak tartar - raw minced beef filet steak. Yum!

About using lemon and ginger just a few ideas:

White fish steamed with spring onions, lemon and ginger.
Stir fried veg with ginger, soya sauce and ginger.
Stir fried chicken (preferably breast) and veg (including mushrooms, bean sprouts, mange toutes peas) with ginger, garlic, soya sauce and lemon.
Beef stir fried with ginger and orange.
Ginger beer with lemon - but needs sweetening with something. Good for colds.
Beefburger with ginger and garlic in it with lemon and oil dressed salad.
Lamb chops/cutlets/steak with ginger and lemon sauce.
Pork tenderloin or belly slices, cooked in a pan with onion, garlic, lemon and ginger.

Have you run out of lemons yet?

I hope you get over your cold soon.

 

[Antje77]

I might even need to buy more lemon and ginger if I'm going to try all your ideas, @Annb , thank you for your practical approach!
Your list also made me hungry, so maybe I'm over the worst by now. Or maybe it's only a temporary result of having a go at a very loose interpretation of a 'whisky toddy' someone recommended, which is the reason there were lemons and ginger on my shopping list in the first place.

White fish steamed with spring onions, lemon and ginger.

I've never made steamed fish but I think it's just what I want at the moment.
I'm usually all for strong flavours but craving more bland foods at the moment. I don't even know how to do bland foods!
So how do I steam fish, and what fish do I buy to make it?

 

[Annb]

I might even need to buy more lemon and ginger if I'm going to try all your ideas, @Annb , thank you for your practical approach!
Your list also made me hungry, so maybe I'm over the worst by now. Or maybe it's only a temporary result of having a go at a very loose interpretation of a 'whisky toddy' someone recommended, which is the reason there were lemons and ginger on my shopping list in the first place.

I've never made steamed fish but I think it's just what I want at the moment.
I'm usually all for strong flavours but craving more bland foods at the moment. I don't even know how to do bland foods!
So how do I steam fish, and what fish do I buy to make it?

Any white fish would do. Cod, haddock, plaice, hake.

You just need to get it filleted, can take the skin off or leave it on.
Place it in a steamer with a few sliced spring onions (either diagonal slices or small cross slices), some wedges of lemon and some shredded fresh ginger, or sprinkled with ginger if you are using it powdered. Season to taste
Bring water in the steamer to boil and turn it down to simmer for a few minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish - haddock would only take 5 or so minutes, cod a bit more, a chunk of hake even more.
If you don't have a steamer, you could just wrap the whole lot in a tightly sealed foil parcel, in the oven - no liquid with it, it will produce enough itself.
It's a non fussy way of preparing fish, but it is a bit on the bland side, still, sometimes that's what's needed.

 

[Antje77]

Place it in a steamer

I wasn't sure what a steamer was, and a google search wasn't very helpful either, but I think I don't have one of any type!

If you don't have a steamer, you could just wrap the whole lot in a tightly sealed foil parcel, in the oven - no liquid with it, it will produce enough itself.
It's a non fussy way of preparing fish, but it is a bit on the bland side, still, sometimes that's what's needed.

Sounds very good, easy too!
If I feel a bit better tomorrow but still crave bland foods, this is what I'll try.
What would you have with it by way of veggies? Fats?

 

[Annb]

I wasn't sure what a steamer was, and a google search wasn't very helpful either, but I think I don't have one of any type!

View attachment 73953


Sounds very good, easy too!
If I feel a bit better tomorrow but still crave bland foods, this is what I'll try.
What would you have with it by way of veggies? Fats?

The whole point about steaming fish is that it is simple and fairly delicate in flavour - so fat isn't really part of the scene. However, you could always add fat to the vegetables (courgette fried, buttered carrots, peas with a knob of butter on top). Other veg might be spinach, shredded Brussels sprouts - braised lightly, roasted squash. tomatoes roasted with a little olive oil (and some basil). If you can eat starches you could add some sauteed potato, some noodles.

I should have said, if you are using a steamer, put the spring onions and the lemon on top of the fish so that the flavours cook into the fish. If you are using the foil parcel method, it all cooks together anyway.

These are the kind of steamers I meant:

 

[DougDyl]

I wasn't sure what a steamer was, and a google search wasn't very helpful either, but I think I don't have one of any type!

View attachment 73953


Sounds very good, easy too!
If I feel a bit better tomorrow but still crave bland foods, this is what I'll try.
What would you have with it by way of veggies? Fats?

A metal seive would do over a pot or I have a very simple vegetable steamer collapsible basket which I've had many years. I also use a pressure cooker as I'm a golden oldy.

 

[DougDyl]

The whole point about steaming fish is that it is simple and fairly delicate in flavour - so fat isn't really part of the scene. However, you could always add fat to the vegetables (courgette fried, buttered carrots, peas with a knob of butter on top). Other veg might be spinach, shredded Brussels sprouts - braised lightly, roasted squash. tomatoes roasted with a little olive oil (and some basil). If you can eat starches you could add some sauteed potato, some noodles.

I should have said, if you are using a steamer, put the spring onions and the lemon on top of the fish so that the flavours cook into the fish. If you are using the foil parcel method, it all cooks together anyway.

These are the kind of steamers I meant:

View attachment 73954

That's the folding one I use.

 

[shelley262]

@Antje77 hope you feel better soon sounds like you're on the way - fingers crossed.
@Annb what a lot of creative ideas on using ginger and lemon.
Best thing about ginger and lemons is that they stay good for a few weeks. I always have both in the bottom of my fridge and mainly use for
A tea made with a slice of ginger root and thick slice of lemon
All things fish or vegetables - I mainly steam too with ginger and lemon but have never got on with steamers I always use baking parchment/ greaseproof paper and make a parcel which you can bake in oven\ air fryer or use the microwave. I'd add a small amount of butter or olive oil to the parcel too this type of thing

Fish En Papillote

A recipe for simple, perfect fish en papillote with vegetables. This healthy method for baking fish in parchment results in tender, flaky fish every time!

www.wellplated.com

favourite though is rhubarb cooked in slow cooker with lots of ginger and lemon - they are a match made in heaven!

 

[Annb]

Breakfast: the last of the chicken and leek soup - no RyVita - I've finished the packet. I'm not convinced that my gut really likes all the fibre in RyVita, so will not buy any more for now.

2nd meal will be the rest of the pork casserole from yesterday.

I intend to do some baking today. Can't make the banana cake I want to make for DIL because I don't have any bananas, other than dried ones, so that will have to wait. I will make a coffee walnut cake, which is her favourite. I have all the ingredients for that. Just need to find some energy to go with them.

Used up all the energy, folding and putting washing away. So no baking today. GP appointment tomorrow so that's going to be a dead loss for baking as well. Maybe Tuesday.

 

[Annb]

@Antje77 hope you feel better soon sounds like you're on the way - fingers crossed.
@Annb what a lot of creative ideas on using ginger and lemon.
Best thing about ginger and lemons is that they stay good for a few weeks. I always have both in the bottom of my fridge and mainly use for
A tea made with a slice of ginger root and thick slice of lemon
All things fish or vegetables - I mainly steam too with ginger and lemon but have never got on with steamers I always use baking parchment/ greaseproof paper and make a parcel which you can bake in oven\ air fryer or use the microwave. I'd add a small amount of butter or olive oil to the parcel too this type of thing

Fish En Papillote

A recipe for simple, perfect fish en papillote with vegetables. This healthy method for baking fish in parchment results in tender, flaky fish every time!

www.wellplated.com

favourite though is rhubarb cooked in slow cooker with lots of ginger and lemon - they are a match made in heaven!

Love rhubarb and ginger but my husband didn't. He liked rhubarb with cloves - not my favourite. Now, I don't use rhubarb as a dessert at all - just as a vegetable when I can get the early or forced rhubarb. That goes well with fish, particularly mackerel; same with gooseberries.