Good morning. Did you notice how I had a day off yesterday, no blog post. Start of a new week and I'm raring to go. Just time to blast this out before I go off to Crafty Club. I'm making Christmas tree decorations now, more about that later.
I was in Aldi a week or so ago, and came across packs of Good Grains, they seem to be introducing new healthy foods which are easy to cook. I thought I would give it a go. Anything which cuts down my time in the kitchen is good for me.
I chucked a few frozen mushrooms, a chopped up onion, a few frozen broad beans, and a Quorn fillet cut into pieces, into a pan. A splash of oil, some Danish Blue cheese, and some of this lentils, spelt, and quinoa mix, and cooked it up. served on a bed of iceberg lettuce. It was lovely.
Oooh, look at the time, got to go. Toodle pip
I really love the new mixes. The one you are holding in the photo is absdolutely delicious - I've had it with roasted veg, with curry and with a sort of bolognaise thingy and loved them all. I hope you do too.
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Yes I really like this meal. Haven't tried the green lentils yet, I'll let you know.
DeletePlease do and thanks.
Deletexx
I use a similar wholegrain pack (comes in several incarnation but my favourite is the wholemeal and red rice). Good for the gut (probiotic) and great when I am rushing to make a meal if we are back late.
ReplyDeleteThey really are very convenient, in a good way, not like regular convenience food.
DeleteNo I havent noticed them in Aldi here,but Im due an early morning shop there tomorrow so I will have a look.I have been having some of their micro wave pilau rice 45p and the egg fried rice one is nice too.I also tried the boil in a bag,4 packs for 59p and they also cooked lovely.Im always a bit hit and miss when it comes to boiling ordinary rice so these work out alot better for us.I will try those that you have got if they have them.Always open to trying something different.Their frozen veggie range is good and tasty too,so I have got some of those in my freezer as well,vegan sausage rolls and pasties.Im looking forward to seeing your Christmas decorations!.You will be wearing tinsel in your hair and santa earings soon!!.Hope you have a lovely time at Crafty Club.Im going going down my Mams today so nothing really exciting happening here in Leicester at the minute.I spent a hour on the laptop yesterday looking for craft events and markets in the area,in the build up for Christmas and they have got a few from the end of November.So thats given me a few dates for the calender..plus I hope to go to the Christmas tree event where Flis..who comments on here..works on a stall selling homemade jams.I bought some lovely stuff there last year!xx
ReplyDeleteHiya Debi,I've just fetched 2 bags of pickling onions from the lady across the road from me today ready for pickling.The Christmas Festival is on the 29th apparently x
DeleteI get those microwave rice bags as well.
DeleteHi Flis,I will note that date down on the calender!.Loved it last year and looking forward to some more pickled onions.They were lovely!,xx
DeleteI've bought a few of those, they make a nice change from just rice. Looking forward to the Christmas decorations post.
ReplyDeleteYes, a good way to add variety to your diet.
DeleteMy Auntie Sue thinks that cooking green lentils in one minute sounds great!
ReplyDeleteKati
Hello Manxkittikat. Do you live on the Isle of Man? Hello Auntie Sue.
DeleteHi Ilona I have got several packs of different variations of grains and lentils to try, once upon a time I would buy dried pulses but all the faff of soaking and boiling for goodness knows how long it's so much easier with the pouches.
ReplyDeleteI don't get dried food any more, takes too long to cook.
DeleteThe dried stuff is so much cheaper though! You can get many meals from a bag of dried lentils compared to a couple of meals from a sachet of cooked lentils. Buying the ready cooked stuff is liking throwing your money in the bin! What happened to all the money saving tips that used to be on here, aren't you living a frugal life anymore?
DeleteTen years ago I was skint. I cut right back on my spending, only buying what I needed. I had a mortgage, I had cats, I had a car, I had utility bills to pay, they were my priority. I saved every penny I could, where I could. I found a way of living very cheaply. I was having cheap holidays in Youth Hostels. Slowly I dug myself out of a hole, my emergency fund started building up in the bank. I managed to pay off my mortgage early, I saved up to change and upgrade my car, twice.
DeleteThe plan was always to have a better life. I made sacrifices in the first few years of my frugal journey, now I am in a better place, now I am not skint. It has taken me ten years to get this far, I can now ease off on money saving, I can spend a bit on making my life comfortable.
I am still careful about what I spend my money on, and that's how it will be forever. The kitchen is not my favourite place, I will not spend more time in there than I have to. I don't care how many meals you can get out of a bag of dried lentils.
Yes, I am still frugal, but not to the extent I used to be. Time moves on, nothing stays the same.
Well said Ilona, people think both you and I should be writing about scrimping and saving all the time.
DeleteTracey M we all deserve some enjoyment and pleasure from life.
Ilona your blog was the first blog I came across and you have been an inspiration, I love everything you write about. xx
Thanks for the clarification Ilona. Well done for improving your situation. When I've previously looked on here (quite some time ago) it was more frugal living related compared to how it is now, more craft stuff these days. As you say time moves on. However there are many people who still have to care how many meals are achievable from a bag of lentils.
DeleteEveryday Life I haven't implicated that Ilona (or anyone else) doesn't deserve some enjoyment and pleasure from life, indeed Ilona is an inspiration to anyone who wants to no longer be skint and she's an example that getting out of debt and into a more financially settled situation can be achieved. After years of scrimping she deserves to now treat herself if she chooses to. If you read my comment again you'll see that I didn't say she didn't deserve some enjoyment and pleasure, I merely asked if she was no longer living in a frugal manner.
Tracey, please excuse myself, and Everyday Life, for being a bit prickly. We have both had problems with trolls. Every comment has to be assessed before publication. I am deleting quite a lot at the moment.
DeleteI think I will try that Ilona.I can't be bothered these days with spending much time in the kitchen It's really cold in there recently.The other day I bought a bag of yellow sticker swoodles which I thought were noodles and bunged them in a saucepan with other stuff and was surprised they were swede,luckily they were fine x
ReplyDeleteHello Ilona I am just back from helping a neighbour. She has donated to me a circular rug and a pair of curtains which I am thrilled with so I gave her a share of my supper.I absolutely love this new system of exchanging stuff and not funding expensive shops. Thank you for opening my eyes to recycling x I love your art work am so impressed by your creative genius.
ReplyDeleteWow, good for you. Swapping is better than buying. I found two bags of stuff and a mirror left by my front door on Saturday, for the cat rescue. Don't know who left them there.
DeleteI now know who left them there. A friend who knows I redistribute stuff.
DeleteI expect you will put them to good use for the cat charity x I have never spent so little money on appreciating new things wow and thank you x
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of us on here have shared some or all of your journey through frugal living.To a lot of us now it is the normal way of life!.No Waste being the main thing and the rest will come to be a natural way of living.Someone I know thought it funny how I regrow my kitchen scraps for free food..said How tight that was!!.Every year she has a skip for about £90 on the front of her house taking her excess stuff to landfill.I have saved...and spend money on things that are important to me and my Family.I can afford to do that now by just making a few changes to my lifestyle without depriving myself of anything.To anyone new to this blog...read back to the start of it..make a few changes,just like Ilona and the rest of us have...and see just how much you can save for the important things in life!xx
ReplyDeleteDo you ever shop at Home Bargains? I can't remember if you've mentioned if you have one near you but I find loads of bargains there, even though they don't really do yellow stickers.
ReplyDeleteI do. There is a Home Bargains in town which I go to if I am going to the bank. There is one on the retail park if I am heading that way. I get cat food from them. What I don't do is go to several shops looking for the cheapest prices.
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