Rhubarb and asparagus - 10 / 10 club sparkly Spring thread

[FrannyandZooey]

All welcome - for anyone who wants a boost to their general health. The suggested goals are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES EVERY DAY - if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion.

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY - can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more.

There are no restrictions on what you eat, so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss, but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being. Sign up below and post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Basic guidance on what constitutes a portion of fruit and veg here and you can download more detailed information here (follow the link at the very bottom of the page)

Thanks Filly Mind you, I would have probably done the same, just crammed the offender into the pushchair and walked grimly home.
When I took the dts round to their new nursery last week, they were not keen to leave. Got slapped by both of them in turn as I struggled to leave, ended up turning my ankle over as I tried to walk holding one wriggling slappping dt, and the other one was biting my legs (literally) Bet we made a good impression

Am I allowed to laugh at the ankle-biter Overrun?

too many people on here to greet you all individually

I'm also curious to hear about all your breakfasts. I have only recently discovered the joys of maing mydself eat breakfast but I haveto be awake for about an hour before my body will accept anything other than tea. I have porridge but not sure if i wil continue through the summer with it. back to museli I suppos (But I hate raisins.)

I'd love to have time for poached egg on toast, or grilled field mushrooms and tomatoes, preferably. With a pot of fresh coffee (which I don't drink but still tis a beguiling thought) and the papers...and toast and homemade maremlade...Then I could settle down in the morning room and deal with my correspondence before picking some fresh flowers and having a little lie down before luncheon.

fmv -if youre awake for an hour before your bod accepts food, then surely you do have time to prep poched egg on toast or whatever, no??

i do scrambled eg her. bacon in the oven if time, just toast if not. on school days anyway.

non-nursery days i eat a bowl of muesli. btw - i often find theres one or more ingredients in most mueslis that spoil my enjoyment (i note you dont like raisins) but is easy peasy to mix your own. tat way you can put lots of things you love and none yo hate. tadaaaa! (other than oats, bran, hemp seeds, you can have various dried fruits, nuts and seeds. even stick choc chips in if you want. onl have to do it once a fortnight or so and the lentil weaver points for making own muesli are high

I once walked dd2 back from nursery with a wheelchair (containing dd1), her walking frame, a bag of wet nappies and a set of Nigella Lawson measuring cups

dd2 played up, screaming and hanging from her reins: elderly people were asking if I needed help and I was hysterical

so lots of sympathy

Filly my take on the trainers would be if you already own them, why do you need to buy new ones? Seems a waste to me, unless you actually need new ones as they are falling apart. Makes sense to be anti-consumer rather than pro-fair trade when it comes to making new purchases - the economic theory of consumer sovereignty would say you only make one financial vote for child labour - when you buy them - not every time you put them on

rofl rofl rofl at classic hits playing in your bra. I am v anal when it comes to my music and have even set up little programmes on my ipod shuffle with tracks of just the right length so I don't need to keep checking my watch

I know

anyway so far I have had apple and raisins, asparagus, orange, and am looking forward to aubergine and tomato parmigiana portion post-run

My DH has raw oats for breakfast, he soaks them overnight in soya milk and warms the resultant porridge up in the microwave then adds honey and omega 3 seeds.

Apologies Greeny, I was trying to help. You said it happened the other day as well, when you were at home, so I wondered if you had some idea that you had to stay with him until he had calmed down or something.

Forget it, Franny

I have had two apples and a banana for lunch.

Franny, my ginger cake is slightly different every time I make it. Yesterday I used:
6oz margarine (vegan, organic, non-hydrog)
6oz demerara sugar
3 generous tsps molasses
1 large very ripe banana
10oz wholemeal SR flour
2generous tsps ground ginger, possibly nearer to 3
1tsp bicarb
Melt marge, molasses and sugar together. Mash banana. Combine everything but carefully as it can go surprisingly and suddenly (but retrievably) lumpy. Make sure oven is pre-heated as the warmth of the melted stuff activates the bicarb straight away and it prefers not to wait around. Cook with foil over the top, probably between 160-180 degrees (hazy here as have bad-tempered oven which only works on one side) for about 40m to an hour. Ish. It did sink a little in the middle this time but is none the worse for that.

HELLO EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the congrats on the baby Cappucino.

Didn't sign in yesterday,as was very bad and only managed aubergine, potato, green beans, mung bean dahl and juice and a grapefruit.

Better day today, banana, grapefruit, orange, watercress, spinach, tomato so far,

Hello everyone! I have had Strawberries, grapes, banana, plum, apple, Corn on Cob, raisons, a big OJ, and now i am off to the gym!

womblingalong, Congratulations! And you're eating so well! Is somebody nice cooking for you?

Sibble, I am intrigued by your two lemons. How did you eat them?

Hello again
Filthy you are allowed to laugh, but if I had seen any one actually laughing at the time, now that would have pissed me off Those breakfast ideas sound yummy.
I will have to come to yours for Nappies, it sounds like you live the dream bkfastwise
Cappuccino - blimey! Its amazing how many hands you can develop when you need them
I really must get round to making my own museli, I've got all the ingredients, just a case of mixing them up. Out of interest what are peoples opinions on how to do this, with a spoon, shake them up in a container? Does it matter?
Hiya Tooticky, Wombling and Sarz.
I have added another plum, some raisens, an apple and had a lovely lunch.
Which brings me to this, in a completely unsolicited way I am going to share with you all, two yummy ways for eating spring greens. First one, pour a tin of cocunut milk into a wok or similar and reduce down, add, some dried chillies and some minced garlic. Then add shredded spring greens at the end when reduced to a nice sticky sauce. Some corriander on top maybe?
Also for lunch I had sauted spring onions and shredded spring greens with some soy sauce, to which I added some mashed pot (done with usual milk and butter/oil). Mash it all up together maybe add a touch more soy sauce, its fab
Btw, it went really well with dts, although it was a bit tricky dropping them off, due to dt2 having a tantrem. I got there early and was able to spy on them in the garden behind a bush, and they were having a whale of a time

tooticky will do horse, no problem - will probably be in town towards end of week. Any other landmarks considered also.

does cooking them for five minutes in skimmed milk count?

have been for run, very pretty with baby ducks and swans on canal

now back, planning to make Thai salad for tea with cherry toms, cucumber, sugar snap peas and noodles for me to eat (and kids to leave, demanding fruit bars)

I'm off to try some hummus. I've also had a huge bowl of veggie soup (tomatoes, carrots, onions and peppers with some stock and a bit of chilli) with wholemeal bread. I had a medium glass of fresh juice while DS was at gymnastics. I'm having left overs of last nights curry for tea with a wholemeal pitta bread. I got a bundle of dried fruit for snacking on too. Bought muesli for tomorrows brekkie but will have to fillet out the banana - 'tis the devils work.

I think I've done about an hours brisk walking today. I also made a carrot cake with extra carrot, raisins and wholemeal instead of normal flour.

I'm finding it easier to eat better if I'm chatting to other people about what I've been having. This thread has been dead helpful.

Hi all! have had weight watchers yoghurt with banana in for brekky, weight watchers vegetable soup(does that count towards a veg count??) and snacked on pickled onions and beetroot(again dunno if they count??)and raisins.
for tea we are having grilled chicken,jacket potato,lettuce,cucumber,cherry toms,red pepper and coleslaw.
have not done any exercise today as my vertigo is really playing up(although the school run is half a mile walk each way and i do this morning,lunchtime and 3pm every day and have been to doctors-again another half mile each way.
i should be a size 0 the amount of walking i do.might try ten mins on treadmill when dh is home,at least then if i faint he can rescue me!!

i've never tried hummus,what does it taste like??how do you eat it?

I'll get back to you on the hummus. I think you can have it with salads, scoop it with bread or probably just eat it on its own. I'm having a go with pitta bread.

It was okay. Quite lemony. It's made from chickpeas, lemon, garlic and some other bits and bobs I can't remember.

ash hummous is tasty..try with salads, pitta, other breads..like gscrym said or falafel, dips with crudites etc...very versatile and worth a go...

my asparagus was so nice last night got more today..with leeks and cod tonight..but we eat too late dh not home til 7 on a good night so eat about 8 ish or later....
my folks are coming soon , our food ideas very different...but its my house!!

so maybe not around much soon ...

homous is a staple food in our house, I would be stuck without it

"I'm finding it easier to eat better if I'm chatting to other people about what I've been having."

well quite. We are all a bunch of show offs (plus you are usually quite a nice bunch to hang out with)

I have just cooked the rhubarb with orange juice, ginger and raisins. No sugar my foot! I added a good rounded tbsp of muscavado. Ruddy gorgeous...

NappiesGalore, well keep popping in if only to sulk at us, please

FMF I used to have to be up for hours before I could eat, but I think my metabolism is a bit more whizzy now and I often wake up feeling hungry - occasionally the hunger actually wakes me up. Do you like other dried fruit? Cranberries, apricots, prunes etc? They are all nice in muesli.

Cappucino I love aubergine parmigiana [drool] Nothing wrong with cooked oats, uber healthy as far as I know

Suzy good luck with your parents...can sympathise there. My mum finds it entertaining to try to sneak meat in for her lunch - obviously the thought of a meal without animal protein sends her a bit doolally

TooTicky the idea of having to combine the ingredients carefully is putting me off that one. I am more of the slosh it all in kind of cook.

Gscrym I LOVE hummus. I chop up loads of veg and dip it all in. Beetroot in vinegar is especially fab. You seem to be a natural at all this, glad you are enjoying the thread

Ash brilliant! I am sure the soup counts and so do the onions and beetroots. Virtually all vegetable matter counts in some way (except potatoes). Sorry to hear about your vertigo but don't fret too much on the exercise front - as you may have noticed, several of us are fairly slack about it

Wombling your day yesterday was fine! You have a new baby, my goodness! Just come and say hello, whether you have achieved perfection or not

Sarz how was the gym? Tuesday used to be one of my gym nights but I have found it very hard to get back into any kind of routine lately. I only have a 90 min slot in which I can go, as dp goes out later, and it just seemed too hassly today

Overrun I am so pleased the dts got on ok

You know, I think it'd be better if I start several threads each week while there are so many of us and such a lot of interesting stuff to talk about. Bit hard on people without broadband, otherwise - any objections?

eh? How will that work ?[ignorant]
I don't mind the cathcing up.

Nappies - I am not awake for an hour.. I have the morning routine fine tuned now!
I start to get hungry just as it's time for me to set off for work...

Today I had poriidge (as usual) blueberries, a banana, leek and potato and watercress and potato soup, dried pineapple. lamb cutlets with roasted veg (sweet pots, red inion, carrot and parsnip) for dinner, followed by stewed rhubarb and cream (it ought to be with natural yoghurt but the cream needs eating up (slurpilicious)

GYm was great, very sweaty though!I always have very strict time when i can and cant go, so the times i can i just have to make myself, no matter what!! today was a make yourself day, as i wanted to sit in sun!! But i did 25 mins on treadmill and then some weights, not my best, but better than nothing, still left sweaty bum prints on weight machines, and i am sure the bum prints are getting smaller!!!!

FMF I so wanted cream

Sorry, that last post wasn't clear, I just meant, that when we get to X00 posts, I would start another new thread, instead of waiting till the next Monday.

What would people like the cut off point to be? Is it Tatties who has dial up? She's away, anyway. Anyone else not have broadband?