What are your easiest, tastiest meals - quick to prepare when you can't think of anything!!
Hi guys I have a few 'standard' easy meals that I always have the ingredients handy, in case I seriously can't be bothered cooking a 'fancy' meal ....... feel free to add your own 'Favs'! ;) Last night, we had our winter favourite 'comfort food' - Lamb Shanks!! I cheat, and buy the Aldi FROZEN Lamb Shanks (2 for $12 already cooked - they usually cost that 'RAW'!!) - that way you can always have a couple in the freezer. I often take them with me when I am camping too - SO easy to just cook in the microwave with some sweet potato 'on the trot'! Take them out of the box and they are even easier to store in the Freezer. If you decide to cook them up later in the day - just pop them in the sink (or big container) with cold/lukewarm water & they'll thaw out pretty quickly. Change the water if you want them to defrost quicker. They come in 'individual Vac Pacs' - and because they are already Pre Cooked - when you open them, the 'cooked fat' is already 'in solid form' and you just pull it out - so they are healthier for you too!! There are 2 flavours - one with Mint in the gravy & the other one based on a red wine gravy. Both are LOVELY! This is how I prepare them for 2 people ....... In a BIG casserole pot, add 1 tin of diced tomato & 1 drained tin of Chickpeas. Add 1 x Cubed Potato, 1 x cubed small Sweet Potato, 1 x chopped/cubed Carrot. Mix them into the tomato/chickpeas sauce. Remove any 'solid fat' from both of the Shanks and add them to the casserole pot along with all the gravy in each pack. Mix the gravy well with the tomato mix. Cover the pot & cook at 180 degrees Celsius oven for 2-3hrs ..... stir every hour. The meat will just fall off the bone and I bet you enjoy them! BONUS: After serving up with the gravy and veggies (and cabbage or your choice of greens...) whilst the remaining gravy & veg are still hot - use a Bamix (or similar) to pulverise it all ..... this will make a wonderful soup for the next day or so! I usually water it down a bit as it can be quite thick. Lovely with some toast for lunch. One of my other favs is the 'Vac Pac'd' 'FLAT CHICKEN' .... once again, Aldi do a lovely one - with yoghurt & garlic with NO BONES - so you just cut up the chicken in slices when cooked. Just do a BIG ROAST - I do it in 2 dishes - the chicken in one (with alfoil under the chicken on a cake rack to reduce the cleaning!) and all the potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot & onion in another tray, all into the oven at the same time as the chicken - and it takes a bit less than 1hr to cook at 170 degrees Celsius. Turn the chicken & veg around after 1/2 hr. Cook greens in the microwave 5 mins before serving time. This gives us 2 full sized meals for 2 for 2 nights. Once again - keep one of the chickens in the freezer - as they are 'flat' they store really easily & don't take long to defrost in the sink in cold/lukewarm water - great for when unexpected guests turn up, too. When my Grandmother first went into secure living (with her own kitchen) I suggested that she cut up a whole chicken (for numerous meals) and put it into a casserole dish with a packet of Chicken Noodle Soup & the required amount of liquid, as well as a chopped onion & sliced red capsicum ..... cook it for about an hour - and it was YUMMY - and gives lots of meals too - served with salad. (Whole frozen chickens are VERY reasonably priced ......) Here's the 'after pic' of my lamb shanks last night ....... just as well we don't have a dog .... nothing much left! ;)
Chemo and food
Hi all, I am relatively new to all of this. Diagnosed at the beginning of this month IDC left breast, tests have now shown 3 nodes involved. Initially lumpectomy was going to be the first option, but once the nodes came up as positive that has been flipped and I'm starting chemo next Thursday. I'm trying to find some positive things to put aside as go-tos when I'm not feeling great - some good books, hand craft etc. things I enjoy and don't require too much concentration. I'm a foodie - love cooking, love eating and often a coffee or making something delicious is a huge mood booster. I'm very worried about the impact of chemo on this. I know different people will react to things differently but I'd love to hear from others who have been down this path - what couldn't you stand/did you need to avoid food/drink wise and what could you tolerate (even enjoy perhaps??) during chemo? Did it vary depending on the particular drugs? TIA
Hospital food
Last week I was an inpatient in a public hospital. The food was very poor. One of the doctors looking after me, told me that the local health service attempts to feed patients for $2 per day. I wasn't even offered toast for breakfast. Instead, I was presented with two slices of dry bread. I have sent an email to the local health service expressing my concerns. Hopefully, I will hear back about what they think they should do about this. Surely good nutrition aids recovery from any illness. Obviously, those in authority, in their ivory towers, believe that buildings are more important than patients. Millions of dollars are being spent on refurbishment of wards, new car parks, etc. Don't those in authority at hospitals realise that without patients, they would not have a job?
ALKALINE diet - trendy or good for us. & Immune treatment working?
Since diagnosis Ive been researching for CURES, diets, helpful hints, other people's experiences and feel a bit confused. One particular trend I keep hearing about and now reading about is the alkaline diet and the acidic. According to many sites and books and from people cancer cannot live in an alkaline body and thrives in an acidic body. Ive been reading a book called "body Ecology Diet" by Donna Gates about rejuvenating your health and rebuilding your immunity. I have been told many times of many years I have a huge overgrowth of candida in my body and know that to be true by symptoms that come and go often. This diet rids your body of candida and builds your immunity supposedly. Anyway Ive been doing the alkaline drink of apple cider vinegar, honey and citric acid regularly and doing the 80/20 rule they talk about eating the right foods 80 percent of the time and eating 80% veggies and 20% meat, fish and chicken. I just checked my PH urine level and it was almost perfect at 6.75 (7.0 is perfect). Hubbie hasn't followed the diet and his PH is highly acidic - with makes sense as he is also arthritic. I've heard of people buying alkaline water, and taking supplements for alkalising their body, but I have just opted for the free parts of the diet by drinking the vinegar mix each morning and eating only lemons, limes, blackcurrant, cranberries, pomegranate & Nono raw, juiced or frozen. Eating mostly green vegetables and not eating processed meats. After a couple of months we can go back onto normal diet but this is supposed to help build our immunity and cleanse our systems and free up candida (in my case). Q1. Im wondering if anyone else has heard of or is using this diet or just the alkaline drink? Anyway this diet is also supposed to build your immunity and we know now that it is our immune system that is the new leading research into fighting cancer. Jarred Roughhead has been treated for melanoma the second time it returned and this treatment was basically making his immune system recognise that the cancer cells weren't friendly as they appear in our bodies, then having our own immune system fight the cancer cells. It makes sense to me that it would be better to make our own body fight the cancer if at all possible. Q2. Has anyone else had or know personally know of anyone who has had this new treatment?
Christmas menu
Hi guys, I'm just curious what everyone's having for Christmas this year? I'll be on my own so I get to eat anything I like :smiley: My menu for the day is ... Breakfast - Sticky date pancakes served with yoghurt, berries, walnuts & a drizzle of golden syrup. Lunch - Cosier chicken served with roast carrot & pumpkin salad with toasted walnuts, and my special potato bake. Dessert will be Christmas pudding icecream. Homemade vanilla icecream mixed with Christmas pudding, fruits, nuts & liquors, topped with melted chocolate sauce & fresh mango & berries. Dinner - Chicken & mango salad served in baked tortilla cups. My icecream makes 6 serves so I'll probably have it again for dinner, and the next day, and the next day .... :wink: Life on your own means more icecream!!! (We need a Christmas or food tag!)
