Crazy question lol Do you ever crave a veggie pizza? Being vegetarian I know you make a lot of stews. Just wondered if there is anything you have besides stews and soups.
Not a crazy question at all. Everyone has something they crave for, that's normal, but I don't crave for pizza, that's for sure, ha ha. I tried a shop bought one not so long ago, I was not impressed. I don't make my own because I can't be bothered with the faff.
Yes it does appear that my meals consist of mainly vegetables, either in soups and stews, or steamed, but I do vary the types of vegetables, trying to get a good variety into my diet.
When thinking about which foods to eat I think you have to take into account why you are eating, what is the purpose of eating, and what motivates you to eat? Is it because you are hungry, is it because you eat at the same time every day, is it because you like the taste of certain foods, and is it because you think you deserve a treat? For me it is one of those things, I eat when I am hungry, plus I eat to keep my body alive, and hopefully in good condition.
Yes I will have an ice cream occasionally, a packet of crisps occasionally, a piece of cake occasionally, but I don't crave them, I can manage without. I can happily walk past those things in a shop.
What else do I have besides soups and stews? I eat dairy, cheese, eggs, yogurt, fruit, pasta, cous cous, bread, seeds, and nuts. I buy veggie burgers or sausages, or something similar like bean burgers and Quorn products. I sometimes buy a cheese and onion quiche but the prices are rising on those so I have moved that to the treat category, only to be eaten occasionally. Grated cheese on steamed vegetables is lovely. Or a spoon of mayo or a drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil.
I don't want to spend a lot of time on meal preparation, so that means I don't mess about with food. I don't put it in a dish, add some of this and some of that, put it in the oven and wait, I can't be bothered. All the well know recipes that people seem to eat on a regular basis, spag bol, shepherds pie, pizza, chilli con carne, roasted this and that, I don't do any of that. I do grill some things. I have a slow cooker but don't use it, I'd rather put everything in one pan and cook it on the hob. After all, vegetables are still vegetables whichever way you cook them. Plain and simple is how I like things.
There is a page of photographs of the food I eat, link above, and here, Food Gallery. Please note there is fish in some of them, they are old photographs, I stopped eating fish a few years ago and haven't updated the page. I don't know enough on nutrition to give advice, all I can say is be mindful about what you put in your mouth, and be aware of the consequences if you are comfort eating the wrong type of foods. Food only stays in your mouth for a short period of time, but can hang about in your body doing damage for a lot longer.
Thanks very much for your question reader from the USA, I hope you are suitably enlightened.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip
Your food always looks so healthy and colourful.This is on the lines of how I eat now and this is all thanks to you Ilona!.Although Ive always eaten quite healthy stuff,but sometimes would also sit n eat 4 or 5 packets of crisp of an evening!.Now,if I fancy a pack,I just have the one.I dont deprive myself of anything...but only as a treat and in small portions.I think you enjoy it more then.xx
ReplyDeleteYou are wise woman. Thanks for the blog! It's a pleasure to read and reread some posts.
ReplyDeleteI would say I'm a mostly vegan/vegetarian. I do not eat any meat or milk or milk products unless they are dairy free. I also eat eggs occasionally, which is why I'm not a true vegan. Fortunately I like to cook and so I can make most of the foods that I crave in a healthy way but you are right it is very time consuming to eat this way.
ReplyDeleteI’m with you on this one Gail I never understand why people eat dairy as it’s for baby cows not humans but I understand that probably people like the taste so it must be for that reason it can’t be for health reasons. I eat eggs from our own chickens but I do feel guilty that the majority of cockerels are killed at birth as not useful but this is just me. I just want to say why I do things this way I never suffer ill health and I think Illona eats very healthy meals from the pictures with plenty of veg .
DeleteHi Jenette, I saw a video of how they do away with the little male chicks and I was sickened by it, and swore I would not eat eggs anymore, but I could not find a good egg substitute so I failed at that and now I consciously limit the number of eggs that I buy and consume each month and I pay a little more for them so that they are certified humane.
DeleteVegetarian "cottage" pie, or rather cottage garden pie, easy, quick, on the hob, no faffing. Defrost Quorn mince. Place chopped onions, carrots and peas into a pan with some water. Add veg cubes to taste and a spoon of Marmite if you like. Boil some potatoes. When cooked, add the mince to the veg. Divide into portion containers, add some of the gravy liquid to each, and put mashed potato on the top. Freeze them until required. Takes no time at all and is fat free. Takes no longer than cooking a pan of veg.
ReplyDeleteI do a similar thing with veg spag bol too.
Mushrooms, onions, tin of chopped tomatoes, dash of tomato puree, veg cubes to taste, M if you like it. Very little water needed due to the tomatoes. Same time cook spaghetti in water. The bol can be frozen into portions. I too don't like faffing about with time consuming meals. These are my own recipes so I find them very tasty, and quick.
You mentioning Marmite,Jean,reminded me.I was pleased to get some free through the post today!,I filled in one of those Freebi things on here about a month ago.All the other stuff on there,you had to print vouchers for and I dont have a printer.But the Marmite one said delivered to your door!..So to day when it arrived I was well chuffed,lol.Only enough for about a week to spread on toast...but alright for free!!,You also got a 50p off voucher with it as well.xx
DeleteSome great ideas to try, I also like quick and easy.
ReplyDeleteI make pizza with Lebanese flat bread for a base, pop on some tomato puree or paste, some finely cut onion , capsicum ,mushrooms , olives in any mix and sprinkle with cheese.If you put on the oven first it should be about hot enough by the time you chop and assemble the toppings.
A can of Mexibeans, will make some tacos, nachos,fajitas, salad wraps or add some qorn for chilli con carne, all tasty and healthy.
You can save quite a bit by cooking your own beans and lentils.We (Australia) have little orange coloured lentils called Red Lentils, they cook in 10 minutes and make delicious Dahl or thicken soups and stews.Home made hommus is the best,the chick peas are so sweet and delicious when freshly cooked and hommus with a heap of veggie sticks is great for out and about, no need to keep cold, both can be taken in clip lock bags which can be bought home and washed.
Good fun to try new tastes and saving .
can't recall if you eat chili?...I do eat meat, but fairly regular, make vegetarian chili. Love it. To make it more "chunky" (sort of the texture more of regular chili), I grate carrot in to it, and simmer. Also, I often puree any canned veg I have (or leftover cooked veg) and add it to the crockpot, as part of the sauce for the chili.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzy. I'm not too keen on chili, a bit too hot for me. Thanks for the tip.
DeleteThank you Ilona for answering my question. You are a remarkable person, with such strong convictions. I admire your life you have chosen and I get so much information from your blog. You are correct that food is for nourishment and the occasional treat. I think we here in the US have gotten completely away from that concept. As well as the need verses want concept. My husband and I do live differently than most of our family and coworkers. And sometimes get a snickers from them. But that’s ok. We are debt free,no mortgage and turning 50 this year. I do not plan to work my life away. I would rather live without and be free. ��
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing your journey,
Tammy
Rosie Life...Tammy, Im in the UK and have cousins in the USA who are aged from 64 through to 71 and they are all still working full time. Whilst I understand there is not a government pension set up like we have here in the UK, my cousins are all affluent, have their own homes and second homes too, travel and holiday when they can and enjoy an extremely good day to day life style yet none of them seem to want to retire and have more free time. I do not understand this as life is so short and you never know what the future holds. So I fully understand your plans for living with a little less in your life and enjoying it for what it is rather than what you can have next.
DeleteI think it's OK to work, if you are healthy and want to. It's not always for financial reasons, sometimes it's just hard to go from full-speed ahead to a sudden stop. LOL.
DeleteRae you are correct, healthcare here is what keeps most people working longer than they normally would.
DeleteGail, I understand your point as well. Some people their job is a very big part of their life and who they are. But in May case it would not be a complete stop. I have lots plans and hobbies I enjoy such as gardening and canning food. So I plenty that would keep me busy that I really don’t have the time to enjoy working full time. But everyone has to do what is right for them. I see no issue with either lifestyle. :)
Tammy,
DeleteWe're in the US as well and mortgage free. We restored an older home using reclaimed, upcycled, and salvaged materials to gain financial freedom. Occasionally we'll have a new guest who'll comment that our home is a great "starter home." I just cannot wrap my head around the concept of a "starter home." I think always striving for bigger/better would be a source of stress for me. Contentment is underrated here, I believe.
Ilona, I am so glad to have found your blog and I enjoy your videos immensely!
Kate I totally agree with you. We may be looked at different but that’s ok. A clear conscious and a debt free/mortgage free life make for a very soft pillow at night. We can spend our time on thinking of other ways to save money and the best way to spend it when we need to. An emergency pops up (and they always do) we are prepared. Our idea of the American dream is just a bit different from others, I can most certainly can live with that. Glad to meet you here. :)
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ReplyDeleteSiebrie
ReplyDeleteI like to cook as simple as possible, so for me, an oven dish is usually one step too many. I will prep double the veg, meat and potatoes, and then serve. The second half of that will be an oven dish the next day.
I eat to survive, preferably nice food :)
Hi Siebre, nice to hear from you. Could you do me a favour, if you comment again could you click on the Reply as button, and choose Name/url option, and put your name in the box there. It helps me to dump the rubbish coming in on the Anonymous option. Instructions on the side bar and below. Thank you.
DeleteCheryl Jane from Australia
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment yesterday and was wondering why you removed it? Did you not like it? or have I not understood how you want the post to be submitted?
Hi Cheryl. I re posted your comment, it is still there, I liked it. I am trying to move away from publishing Anonymous comments because so many of them are spam. It makes it easier for me to sort them out if real readers like yourself follow the instructions below and on the side bar, and put your name in the Name/url box, which you can find by clicking on Reply as and selecting Name/url. Perhaps you have missed that. Almost everyone is doing that now. Please try it next time. Thank you.
Deletesorry, I made a comment on this post, and am thinking I forgot and put it as Anon....I was me, Suzy..
ReplyDeleteNo worry, just thought I would apologise.
Thank you Suzy. This is working really well now that everyone is on board. When I moderate the comments I can see at a glance who is legitimate and who is not.
DeleteGot it!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant Cheryl. It's just a matter of getting into the habit of doing it that way, only a couple more clicks to remember, then you will do it automatically. Thank you.
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