Just for a change

This is a part of the October blog challenge. You can find the other posts here.

A change is as good as a rest.

Proverb

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were talking about how much change can impact us - particularly our mood. It got me thinking of that old proverb - a change is as good as a rest. Sometimes change can be refreshing - taking a different route to work (and don’t forget to leave early enough to account for traffic), moving around your furniture, new curtains or bedspread - or trying a new recipe to name a few.

My change for the next week (or two) is to go meat-free! I love variety when it comes to my diet, but it has been a while since I opted for a prolonged time without meat. I often have at least one or two meat free meals a week (not including when I have cereal or a peanut butter sandwich for dinner!), but committing to it for a couple of weeks stretches me and makes me get a bit creative with my cooking. I won’t lie - I get bored when I cook veggie for too long - because I tend to either make a bean/pea curry or stew. If I am entertaining I might make a veggie lasagna but it has been years since I made that. (And before you ask - I do NOT like Tofu…)

So this will be my commitment for the next few weeks, and I thought I’d let you sneak a peek into my kitchen this weekend to see how I am prepping. 

I started this morning by going to the farmers market with friends, and picking up a number of veggies, and some pesto from my friend Natasha (of Natasha’s preserves) who makes the most incredible sauces, jams, chutneys and marinades. I love going to the market instead of or in addition to the supermarket if I can. Seeing all the fresh veggies laid out in their vibrant colours always inspires me to cook. One item I bought today that I haven’t purchased in a while - flavour peppers. They look like chili peppers, and they have the flavour of the hot peppers without the heat. 

Flavour Peppers

I made a squash and lentil soup for lunch, and shared it with my sister. We had it with warm cornbread. This is my favourite cornbread recipe, and I tweak it by adding one or more of the following: a small tin of sweetcorn, a couple ounces of grated cheese, chopped up jalapenos (and when I’m not going meat-free - a few rashers of crispy fried bacon crumbled up).

Squash and lentil soup

I then planned out my main meals for the week - nut roast (I’ll share a step by step tomorrow when I make that - might even make a video!) black bean burgers, and chick pea and squash curry with flatbread. I made my list, and headed to the supermarket. This evening I am going to make some of the preparation for cooking tomorrow, and to make my cooking easier for the week.

I find making some preparation on the weekend simplifies my cooking for the week. I love to go for the option of making things in bulk - so I’ll make the black bean burgers and stick them in the freezer, or make enough curry for a few days. Alternatively, I think about the task that annoys me the most, and I do that on the weekend - chopping several onions/garlic and freezing it, making a load of flatbread (or cornbread) and freezing them, putting smoothie ingredients in individual bags and so on. 

I hope my posts this weekend encourage you to try a new recipe or recipes this week. Sometimes, I go for a theme by country/type of food, sometimes I try a new ingredient. 

Tomorrow, I’ll include some more recipes, tweaks and let you know how my plans to have a meat free few weeks progress.

I’d love to know if you are trying any new recipes, ingredients or tweaks this weekend! 

And I send you big love on a small island.

Tonight’s popcorn!

PS this is the MOST SUCCESSFUL popcorn technique I have ever used. Go on try it!!