Hello, hello, hello!

This week has been rather thin on the work front - because it's school holidays I haven't got the kids that I usually have, and I have very few phone lessons at the moment. That is beginning to pick up a little, but not much. My face-to-face work at the Chambre de Metiers is finishing next Monday, and while there is the probability that will continue it hadn't been confirmed yet. I also finished another course with The Hunter, so our finances will be a tad stretched this month. Still, I know I have courses to restart in a couple of weeks - the kids, for example - and I am hopeful for the phone lessons. We're off to the UK in April for a week - to see Elbow (Yay!) and our families, of course - so that will be another week of lesons missed, but d'you know, I'm not going to worry. We are warm, clothed and fed: we have some savings: we are in a much better situation than so many families.

Another thing to be thankful for is you guys - I'm happy to see another two new Followers. It must mean that I'm doing something right!! So I am very pleased to be able to offer a Big Fat Dormouse Welcome to

• Dawn, from Blessed Beyond Measure
• Elaine (I think) at Bramble Rambles

Both lovely, homely blogs about every day lives. The kind I enjoy reading!

Food plans got shifted around this week...Wednesday became pasta for Mr FD as I had a large lunch with colleagues after a meeting - we all took something along, so we had quiche, coleslaw, and cous cous, guacamole (made by a real Mexican. it was delish!), cheese and mince pies. So in the evening I just had soup. Thursday I didn't fancy the bean-and-feta salad so we had Chicken Chow Mein - with a huge number of vegetables and 25g raw rice each. Yesterday we were invited out for lunch (roast chicken, and roast chicory with the most beautifully buttery mashed potato, followed by baked apple) so it was soup again for supper...So the planned fajitas from Wednesday are being eaten today, and the Cornish pasties (planned for tonight and midweek next week) are being jettisoned to make way for spinach-and-feta samosas - using up the feta that I bought for the salad on Wednesday!

So, planned for next week is:

SUNDAY:

-fish-

Hairy Dieter's Baked fish with chorizo crust We'll have this with some herby roast potatoes and lots of vegetables. 

                                                                 Source: here

MONDAY 

(semi fasting)

-vegetarian-

Mushroom, tomato and cardomom curry with rice. I do find that when I'm fasting a good spicy meal is more satisfying than something bland. Of course, the more veggies it has to fill you up the better! Again, we'll have this with 25g raw rice each. At present I'm using rice similar to this:

 Source: here

A Fair Trade mix of basmati and red rice: I got it on offer at Noz. It's a bit bizarre as it turns the water a muddy purple-brown mixture which is most unappetising, but it tastes good!

TUESDAY

-vegetarian-

We'll have the aforementioned spinach-and-feta samosas. Probably using this filling (scroll down to Spanakopita recipe) or maybe this one with lentils added. Whichever I make it will be in samosa form rather than a big pie, for ease of freezing the left overs (though the freezer is rather full at the moment!)

Source: here

We'll have this with oven chips (or wedges) and homemade coleslaw.

WEDNESDAY:

-fish-

Baked sweet potato with piri-piri prawns Again with salad. 

THURSDAY

(fasting)

-vegetarian-

Butternut squash fritata. I may toss in some feta cheese as well. Served with lots and lots of salad. You can find the recipe on this earlier post of mine - you'll need to scroll down a little though

FRIDAY

-meat-

Sausages, onion gravy and Hairy Dieter's Colcannon, which uses savoy cabbage chopped into the mashed potato, and a couple of rashers of lean bacon. No butter in this mash though!! Of course, the Hairy Dieter's suggest using low fat sausages, but they don't exist here. Instead (sorry, Mr FD!) we'll only have 1 Toulouse sausage each...they do have a whopping amount of meat in them though. I think it's about 150g per sausage, so that should really be sufficient!

Source: here

SATURDAY

-vegetarian - 

 

Spicy bean burgers (mix already in freezer) with chips and more salad.

Again, a big thank you to everyone who has commented over the past week: it is always appreciated!

POMPOM: I think that's one of the few "selfies" I've ever taken! It's not that flattering, I must admit!!

SANDRA (Thistle Cove Farm) I'm glad the book arrived, but sorry to hear you're not feeling too good. I hope you find it inspirational: it was gifted to me by Ang at Tracing Rainbows, and after reading it and digesting it I thought to pass it on to you...Pass It Forward, as they say!!

KEZZIE, ANG & EVERYONE ELSE WHO EXPRESSED SYMPATHY FOR MY MISSING BLOG ROLL: Yes! You were right! They have all come flooding back.

ANG: I wasn't impressed by "cauliflower rice" but have made a successful cauliflower pizza base which was okay. It wasn't like a "proper" pizza base, but if you're cutting out carbs or gluten it might work for you. I think I prefer fewer, but proper, pizzas though!

JO: You'd be very welcome to visit (but only one Toulouse sausage per person!!)

MARIA: Enjoy your visit to the UK - I can't imagine you'll find many restaurants serving Pan Haggerty outside of the North East...and even then you might struggle! Where are you going?

And here is a special edition Sausage themed LOLcats

PS forgot to mention, I've lost another 1.4 kg. Yay!

My LOL cats weightloss programme appears to be working!