Monday, 24 January 2011

24th January 2011 facebook email

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Michael Jordan
 
Well where did that weekend go? I can’t believe it’s Monday morning already, it’s just gone by in a flash, we had my brother and his wife stay Saturday night and the whole weekend has just gone by in a blur!

 
I’d made a beef stew for them but they’d already eaten so it was still there when they left, I’ve frozen it, but it did get me thinking about how some people hate to waste food, you’ve heard all the reasons, “good food is expensive”, “there are starving children in Africa”, “It’s just wrong to throw good food away”. If you’re on of those people, think about the belief you have regarding waste and ask yourself the following questions;

 
Now for each belief, go through the questions below.
  • How does believing this impact the way you eat?
  • Would eating the food help?
  • Where did you get this belief from?
  • Is it out of date?
  • Do you want to keep it or let it go?

 Which of these beliefs do you want to let go of. Read each belief out loud and ‘symbolically’ throw them in the bin.

 

These beliefs can take time to really let go of. So be patient with yourself and notice as much as you can about how these beliefs impact your willingness to STOP eating when you’ve had enough. And always remember you will get there when your ready.

 

It is important to acknowledge to yourself that WASTING food is not ideal nor is it something I’m encouraging. What I’m saying is that:

 

Eating it doesn’t mean it’s NOT wasted! If your body doesn’t need it because you have had enough, then it’s already wasted – inside or out!

 

If you are eating it because you don’t want it to go to waste, you are saying that it’s WRONG to throw it in the bin to rot, but it’s OK to throw it in your body where it will not be doing you any good as you don’t need it!

 
What you are saying is that it’s OK to treat yourself as a dustbin!

 
YOU ARE NOT A DUSTBIN

 

If you want to avoid wasting food… experiment with:

 
- Buying less or shopping more frequently for perishable foods.

- Cooking less.

- Using serving dishes rather than plating up (so that everyone decides how much they want based on appetite).

 - HONEST shopping (buying what you WANT to eat rather than what you think you should eat!).

 - And finding suitable ways to deal with leftovers.

 
After my visitors had left yesterday afternoon though I decided to do a bit of cooking as I already had the meat in the fridge and I’m so glad I did because it was delicious, A Nigella recipe for Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, I love garlic and cooking them in their skins makes them sweet and caramelly as they cook, like savoury bonbons in their sticky wrappers as Nigella says.

 
Serve it with some steamed or boiled potatoes alongside if you wish, or a huge portion of green cabbage or Kale would work really well or some fine beans or baby peas or a plain green salad. The flavoursome juices really do scream out for a chunk of bread dipped in them though so if you do have any spare ProPoints that’s definitely an option.

 
Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic,

 
Ingredients

 
2 tbsp regular olive oil

8 chicken thighs (with skin on and bone in), preferably organic

1 bunch (about 6) spring onions

small bunch fresh thyme

40 garlic cloves (approx 3-4 bulbs), unpeeled

2 tbsp dry white wine

1½ tsp sea salt flakes or ¾ tsp pouring salt

good grinding pepper

 
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

 
Heat the oil on the hob over a high heat in a wide, shallow, ovenproof and flameproof casserole (that will ultimately fit all the chicken in one layer, and that has a lid). Sear the chicken, skin-side down. This may take two batches, so transfer the browned pieces to a bowl as you go. Once the chicken pieces are seared, transfer them all to the bowl.

 
Finely slice the spring onions, put them into the casserole and quickly stir-fry them with the leaves torn from a few sprigs of thyme.

 
Put 20 of the unpeeled cloves of garlic (papery excess removed) into the casserole, top with the chicken pieces, skin-side up, then cover with the remaining 20 cloves of garlic.

 
Add the vermouth (or white wine) to any oily chicken juices left in the bowl. Swill it around and pour this into the casserole.

 
Sprinkle with the salt, grind over the pepper, and add a few more sprigs of thyme. Put on the lid and cook in the oven for 1½ hours.

 
Mmm, it was absolutely delicious. Have a Marvellous Monday everyone – remember it’s a choice you make in your head!

 

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