Cauliflower Steaming On Such A Winter's Day - 10 / 10 thread

[FrannyandZooey]

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 by following the link at the very bottom of the page

Is cauliflower a winter vegetable?

I think so TooTicky

I certainly use it in my Winter Veg Soup

(ie all veg from fridge that is starting to go brown in pot with stock boil mash add pepper & herbs - very complicated recipe - one has to be expert chef type to execute)

well we got one in our veg box last week...

our veg box scheme is closing down, I have spent A YEAR training them to send me things I like and now they are handing their admin to a bigger company while they carry on growing veg. However the new company are in Peterborough, so as far as I can see, to get veg from the local farm it now has to be sent up to Peterborough, mixed with a load of veg from around the region, then sent back to me. Arse.

Have had a little bit of salad, not much. Some orange juice. And a breaded c*&%$"£$t

Why haven't I got any then?
I'm sure I usually see it in spring.
Soup is very useful, isn't it?

Franny, can you find a smaller, more local scheme?

hello TigerFeet! Hello lulabelle! I am sure smoothies are better than nothing. Eating lots of fruit might not be as good as eating lots of veg, but it is better than eating no fruit and no veg.

Onebat we do not recognise the concept of failure. We only occasionally chide one another about coffee and cheese, but it is in a supportive and caring way.

TooT yes am on the case but it is such a hassle

I have a mahoosive bag of watercress in my shed, what can I do with it? Any ideas? How shall I turn it into soup ? It is outside my browning veg soup experience.

Ooh yes, watercress soup is yum. Don't cook it too much though. Onion, potato, watercress, maybe a squeeze of lemon at the end.

is that nene then franny the peterborough people

And black pepper.

Or just put it in sandwiches.

Celery
Strawberries
Grapes
Blueberries
Kiwi fruit
Cherries
"1 a day" yoghurt
(all 'proper' portion size)

Tonight:
Parsnips
Sweet potato
Courgette
Asparagus

AND I'b being a good girl and not eating crisps or chocolate

(fecking miserable I am )

Iklboo, are you going for the teacher's pet award?

I have now eaten less than one tomato and 4 dried apricots.

oh yes sandwiches - may have to get some smoked salmon [indulgent]

good idea re potatoes in the soup

I really have loads of it, I need to make something I can freeze

Today - two apples (should have been three but one had rotted from the inside) and a portion of Impressive Winter Veg Soup - probably 5 portions of f&v all in. Tonight it is pork steak with salad.

Of shopping later for more interesting fruit, might get some frozen berries for yogurts etc following a thread on here somewhere.

Oh please Capp, can we do that?

Nah - only started it last week. It'll probably wane off to:

2 orange smarties
1 strawberry starburst
1 blackcurrant fruitshoot
An eccles cake
I raspberry ruffle chocolate bar

I just got a letter saying we owe tax credits £5000 to be paid for feb 10th

I'll pop to the cashpoint on the schoolrun

omg that's awful

Mrs C is that a mistake then?
I hate tax credit fear - dread opening those envelopes in case they've decided to make me pay them money I haven't got. Are you calling the helpline and crying?

Omg MrsC, it must be a mistake surely? And if they have miscalculated they can't demand it back so quickly!

have called dh at the airport - he sounded very shifty, said he thought it was under appeal and he'd sort it out when he got back.

I thought I was paying off an overpayment as I get less money now but they said, this morning, that it doesn't work like that and I still get my (tiny) bit regardless of owing them money and we do owe the money and apparently we have been informed of the appeal decision and the money is full recoverable.

I havent seen that letter, but it is froma couple of years ago when things were most tricky and dh's mother had just died and I hsve the feeling he brushed it all under the carpet and now it's all rearing up and oh, oh, oh

I expect we can pay installments but they will be huge monthly ones.

So much for a holiday. Oh, I could cry, instead I will go to the shop and buy frangipane.

Oh MrsC you poor poor thing. How utterly shite.
Tax is very scary.
I got into some trouble and when I finally faced it they were actually pretty good.

omg MrsC

frangipane the only way to deal with such things

and at dh for keeping you in the dark