Good food from fresh ingredients

SOURCE: misoginger.com

I don't always use fresh ingredients, but I like to think my food is good. I sometimes ask Mr FD "Would you rather have a wife who was a good cook or a good cleaner?" He always replies "A good cook!" I hope he thinks I am one!! Well, he does (almost always) finish what's on the plate, and from time to time, actually picks up the plate and licks it!!! So I feel it can't be that bad!

 Sometimes he even has to fight off the cats! (This isn't one of ours. This is a beautiful Scottish fold cat - look at those dinky folded over ears!) Here is another Scottish fold kitten - bless!

This reminds me of a lovely book I once had - maybe still do on our bookshelves! - called "The Cat Who Went to Paris"

Amazon says "Before Peter Gethers met Norton, the publisher, screenwriter, and author was a confirmed cat-hater. Then everything changed. Peter opened his heart to the Scottish Fold kitten and their adventures to Paris, Fire Island, and in the subways of Manhattan took on the color of legend and mutual love. THE CAT WHO WENT TO PARIS proves that sometimes all it takes is paws and personality to change a life." If you are a catlover you will probably enjoy the book very much - except it did make me wish our cats had a bit more Norton in them!

Anyway, off the cats and back to food!

 Well, nearly...

We didn't have the planned Spanish omelette yesterday, we had Chicken in Cider, from the freezer. I was fasting, so this maybe wasn't the best choice I could have made, but it wasn't too OTT in terms of calories, and I'd only had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and an apple all day, so I thought it would be OK. We didn't have anything with it, except some green beans.

So...
TODAY: Spanish omelette, wedges and salad

SUNDAY: Roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roast potato, parsnip, carrots and broccoli. Nom, nom! A couple of weeks ago Carrefour were selling joints of beef as a BOGOF offer. Although they weren't on my list, it seemed too good to miss, so I bought the two smallest ones - 11€ worth for 5,50€. They went in the freezer and I have decided to cook one tomorrow. Mr FD loves a good roast dinner.

Ooh, doesn't that make your mouth water (if you're not vegetarian, that is!) 

SOURCE: knorr.co.uk

MONDAY: Cold roast beef, chips and beans.

TUESDAY (5:2 DAY) Well, semi 5:2 day really. I've got a rather gruelling 6.5 hours of lessons today, with a new group, so I've decided just to semi-fast. An egg for breakfast, soup-and-an-apple for lunch, plus a low calorie dinner. Which is going to be veggie curry.using a courgette, carrot, mushrooms, peppers and a bit of aubergine. Possibly with a bit of rice too.

WEDNESDAY: I'm planning on doling out the beef carefully (I hope it doesn't shrink too much!) so there's enough for a beef-and-mushroom (possibly mostly mushroom!) stroganoff
This will be adapted slightly as the beef will already be cooked. To have with rice and a green vegetable (possibly broccoli) Mr FD will be in charge of cooking this, as I will be at dancing until late.

This weekend I really must watch a couple of videos and try to practise. Here is a link to some fine Asiatic Line Dancers dancing "The Boat from Liverpool" a lot better than I do at the moment!

I come from Liverpool. I feel I shouldn't be falling over my feet with this one!

THURSDAY: It's my last lesson with my two fun students Barbara and Thierry, so Barbara has invited me to lunch at her house. So I will be just having soup for supper, while Mr FD will have a mushroom-pesto-chorizo-pasta combo.

FRIDAY: 5:2 DAY Coming home late-ish from teaching-and-shopping, I require something either that Mr FD doesn't mind cooking, or that is very quick to prepare. He's a good cook, but I always feel a bit guilty asking him to cook after a day's work - which is daft, because that's what I often do!!! So, tonight's planned meal is Roast chicken legs with roast vegetables. A bit like this recipe but without the potatoes, and with some aubergine. All Mr FD needs do is chop some veg, throw it all in a roasting pan and dob the honey-and-worcester-sauce on top. Bish-bash-bosh, as I believe a certain Jamie Oliver used to say. I'm thinking that without the potatoes the calorie count will be down a bit from 378, making it good for 5:2 day

 My Do-a-bit-more-exercise plan is working okay at the moment. Last Saturday I did a slow-but-about-4 km walk, on Tuesday I took A's dog out for a half hour walk, on Wednesday I did a half-hour walk plus 1.5 hours dancing. So not too bad. I will try to do another walk this afternoon too, as next week may be a bit too hectic to do much. Perhaps I should take up yoga!

I'm certainly doing OK with my plan to try to post more...sometimes over at The Teapot, and sometimes here. Thank you to everyone who reads and/or comments. Here I try to answer comments on the following post, at The Teapot I try to answer in the comments box directly.

No comments to answer from the last post here - but, to be fair, there wasn't much to comment on!!