Cooking for Comfort

[betterinrecovery]

Dear Chris,
thank you for sharing about hour home and the walks and the Lake District. It sounds like a very relaxed and nice place to live. Your post was very comforting to me.

Dear Maisi,
I am going to have a go at the pasta and squash bake, before the squash I have on the window sill goes bad.

Re bird watching...we have been meaning to do the bird count, when we first moved here we heard owls hooting...on our first evening. we have not heard them since. occasionally we get woodpeckers.
Our neighbours have 3 very large cats, so we don't feed the birds, for fear of the birds becoming cat food.
B

[christabel]

Hi to you both

Thanks for my certificate b. Proud as punch me.

Today's dinner was easy - peasy. Chips thrown in air fried with mince and gravy that was leftover from yesterday's dinner +a bun for hubby. Chargrill chicken portion in a bread thin and a few chips I nicked off himself. Followed by a yogurt. Said on the label it was treacle tart flavour but I'm still wondering about that.

Been grocery shopping today so chicken will be on the menu soon. Vegetables to make a broth with some bacon pieces. Need to have some hot hearty meals this cold spell. Hope everyone is safe and warm.
Feel a bit better today. Didn't realise till my husband mentioned it but I was low yesterday. Think I have pulled myself up out of it before it got too bad.
Was reading about someone who makes herself smile first thing whether she feels like it or not and she feels it makes for a better day. Worth a try.

How are thing with you both? Bit quiet lately. Hope you are okish.
Hope you have a nice evening and a good night. Xxx Chris

[betterinrecovery]

Dear Chris,
totally lovely to read from you, (hello to you as well Maisi),


Chris, glad you are feeling a bit better, glad you are enjoying your certificate. I got the idea from doing that CBT course living life to the full. I ended up making and printing out medals using the microsoft word document and clip art, just to help with motivation. Things like that work better in a group, because it is important, I think for others to help us recognise our achievements. Also our breakthroughs help to motivate other people I think.
Well, I have been motivated by yourself and Maisi.

I love mince and gravy...that sounds totally yummy.

I have Levi Root's - Caribbean Food Made Easy, here by my side. I was looking for something to do with pork chops....will let you know how I get on.

Also it is the SUPER BOWL this weekend ---so I must see if we can have chilli dogs.

all the best
B

[christabel]

Drum roll. Trumpet fanfare. Wait for it.

First 7lb off just over 3kg which ever way you like it.

Your ever decreasing friend. Chris

[maisi]

Hi,

Good work Chris, and B. I think I'm going for a swim tomorrow, it's been a tough week. Had Lebanese food last week, they know what they're doing- pomegranate and all sorts of flavours. Never cooked caribbean food B except rice and peas, let us know if you try a recipe
x

[betterinrecovery]

Well done to you ever decreasing Chris

Maisi, I did Jamaican pork chops ---by Levi Roots (recipie to follow), it got my husband licking his chops --he said it was really nice.
Over the week we have also had chilli dogs and chilli dogs and more chilli dogs...no more chilli dogs we need to eat properly like grown -ups.
The chilli con carne was from a Delia Smith recipie.
B

[betterinrecovery]

Dear Maisi and Chris,
Very windy and blustery here. I think it is hurricane Eric....Himself said it was hurricane Emma, then he came back up to say it was Eric: He needs to get these things right you see.
I am due to go out for a health check - but you should see the driving rain outside!

Not sure I have enough concentration to copy down the recipe for the Jamaican pork chops.
I shall have to type it on to word and then cut and paste to here.

Well, Thank you , Thank you, I got encouraged by you Maisi and I went swimming and I really enjoyed it - just a few lengths. women's only session. Baggy swimsuit, hitched up at the shoulders, safety pins to secure the waist, well what ever it takes.

Pleased to say I found my new swim suit that I got the xmas before last. so will wear that next week. Its good to have two.

Re: the health check lady. I think she is going to talk about sugar. Oh dear. Cue eye roll



Well, hope you are keeping warm on your walks Chris. Hope you enjoyed your swimming Maisi.

Best Wishes
B

[maisi]

Hey there,

Great to hear you're both taking care of yourselves, it's so nice when it makes a difference, and is well earned. Well done Chris!! A stormy day here too- raindrops Alan, Brenda, Clara, Dave, Ethan, Frances, Gary, Helen....all the way to Zeke, all found their way to me. There was a pretty good leak coming in on the bus, woman with the teddy bear design hat looked up, and couldn't be bothered moving.

Just finished an epic board and card game session, ready to call it quits for today, interaction wise. Hope you didn't get nagged too much at your health check B, and thanks for the swimming pool image Who cares, everyone's underwater My daughter got fed up of my temporary solution of tying the shoulder straps up into a little bun with a hairband last summer, and got a nice new cozzie/cossie...never tried to spell that word before.

Mm I need to get the hang of caribbean food, but I'd probably overdo it in a phase. Chris, broth sounds almost like it should be prescribed, it's so good for this weather. I do limit my options, sounds good. I'm feeling weird, I'm wondering if the weird feeling is maybe a bit of what 'ok' feels like. Maybe.

[christabel]

Can't swim love to be in water though (sea if it was warm enough ) but we haven't a local pool. Years ago I did start to go weekly to a pool about a half hours bus journey away. We had to give it up because of coming out in the cold weather to wait for the bus was not ideal.
Picture the icicles hanging from places.

You have both made me want to go. I'm hurting all over my joints after finally finishing the steroids a week ago.I have been virtually pain free for a year, a good side effect, but I did read that whatever you have wrong would come back with a vengeance when you stop the steroids.
Gental exercise in warm water sounds heaven. I would have to get a cossie about 3 sizes bigger than I was till I shift the flab.
Not had such a good week haven't been as careful with my food.

I like the sound of your menus lately. I really like trying new foods.
Maybe I should look into experimenting.

Looks a though Erik has blown himself out. Hope it has not done too much damage. Haven't looked round the garden properly yet.
Is all well where you are?
Looking forward to fine weather to get into garden again. Will be interested to see how new plants we put in last year come through.

Hope you are both okish. Look forward to hearing what you have been up to. Take care. X Chris

[betterinrecovery]

Dear Chris and Maisi,
being here on the forum is very comforting and when I don't come here for the writing and the reading of your news I really miss it.

Chris, I have to say that I know what you mean by the post- swim freeze. I wish I had a coat with extra pockets and I could put hot water bottles in them. Then when I walked home people could see the steam rising from out of my collar LOL

I needed to miss the swim this week, but should be back next week...really looking forward to it.

A lot of places have hydro-pools for gentle under-water exercise. I think some are privately owned and a referral is needed from a gp, nurse, physio-therapist e.t.c. Some dear friends who have ostio-arthritis really get the benefit from it.

Well, I was blown about by the Erik last week, I could just about stand up in it.

I was alarmed to see that some people are putting their potatoes in ...saw it on the TV - I don't fancy it. I would rather stay indoors.

I bought a bag of split peas yesterday and a bag of sesamie seeds....what to do?
Best Wishes
B

ps do I get a star as we had brown rice yesterday? we had it with a mince and onion sauce. today I think I could push to a fisherman's pie - to keep my mind busy. will get the fish out of the fridge immediately and make a start. Have boiled the eggs. Will peel the potaotes.