10 meals every child should be able to prepare!

In these health  and cost conscious times it is more and more important to cook yourself so that you know what is going in a meal  is healthy and by having a little knowhow it does not have to be costly.

When I was at primary school in the 50s I can't remember one overweight child.  Our mothers cooked nutritious meals for us and this is despite having full time jobs.  Many mums had an array of meals they cooked regularly and which did not take a great deal of time to prepare and cook. 

I followed on from what I learned from my mother and even when work demands were really high I would spend a couple of hours at the weekend preparing dishes for the week which I would freeze.  In this way we ensured having a good meal ready for every evening of the week. By cooking you can also reduce costs quite significantly. 

 I followed a woman at the checkout at our supermarket this week  and she counted out 4 spaghetti bolognese ready meals which didn't look very appetising but also would cost much more than home cooked

Mary Berry (the Great British Bake Off host) gave a speech at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and she talked about the need to bring back domestic science lessons back into schools and said.........

'It should be that every child when they leave school can do 10 meals, because when they leave home they've got to be able to eat healthily."  

http://www.maryberry.co.uk

This is just great practical common sense advice and being taught in school is an ideal solution for those who don't watch and learn at home.  I started to think about what were my 10 staple everyday meals  we eat on a regular basis.....

shepherds pie

fish pie

corn beef hash

hotpot

chicken casserole

beef stew

spaghetti bolognese

vegetable curry and rice

roast dinner

lasagne

moussaka

in fact there are 11 here and for all except the roast dinner I would prepare in advance and maybe freeze. These with a portion of vegetables are healthy and filling and satisfying. When my children were at home and going through faddy periods as to whether they liked veg or not I would often "hide" carrot by grating it into several of the dishes.  There is nothing nicer that a warm wholesome meal on a winters night and even better sitting round the table together to enjoy it! 

Can you name 10?




(Mary Berry is 78 years old and living life to the full!)

Just a minute......

Just been watching Nicholas Parsons on the Alan Titmarsh Show.  Absolutely amazing - he is now 90 years old and as sharp and as witty and as clued up as ever. Although I must say in his earlier career he was perceived as quite irritating however he has experienced what could be called a rehabilitiation and a renaissance.

He is probably most well known now for chairing "Just a Minute" on Radio 4. This presents a challenge for him as he explained as he has to control some very intelligent and quick witted individuals and keep up with them.  His combination of humour and sarcasm is just right as he makes the whole experience fun.

He said that he will continue working until the public give up on him as what else would he do.  He went on to say he treats the brain as a muscle and needs to be exercised in order to stay in good shape - what brilliant advice for all of us!

What really makes him happy at 90 ?  Work, family and his garden............

Lessons to be learned for all of us!!

Body Monitoring.............

About 2 years ago I bought the Omron Body Composition Monitor. It measures your weight, body fat, visceral fat, BMI and skeletal muscle.

 It was quite a party piece - every visitor wanted to have a go.  Some were quite smug about the results others quite worried.  This may have prompted the latter to do something about their adverse results, hopefully visit their GP.   

I monitored myself for about 6 months and the readings were fine and so I  lost interest and the monitor ended  up in a cupboard.

Just recently there have been health programmes on TV and more emphasis on the benefits of exercise and the impact on the body.  I remember that one of the concerns was about the fat that you can be fine weight wise but you could be accumulating fat around your internal organs (visceral fat) and if this is significant you may wish to examine your lifestyle. 

So curious to see how I was faring  I resurrected the Omron and have started monitoring again. All my readings were fine apart from the body fat which was just a tad over the ideal scale even though I am a regular exerciser.  So maybe for my frame I need to lose a little weight..........

Amazon have a similar item on offer for £49.95 (RRP £119.95) - I know I paid much more than this.


It is a useful tool if you are concerned about health and fitness and your general health.  It is also useful as I have found to revisit  from time to time to make sure that there haven't been major changes.

The Way To A Man's Heart........

In these health conscious days having puddings and cakes is a rare indulgence. I am fortunate that I don't really care for sweet things - my weaknesses are crisps and nuts, although the former isn't healthy and the latter is laden with calories.

My husband loves all the puds and cakes but I ration him to try and save him from himself!  A couple of days ago he said he would really like a lemon meringue pie and seeing as he gave me the pleading puppy dog look I relented.  Here is the result!

When I had finished it and admired my handiwork, I remembered a comment someone made to me years ago. I had prepared a lavish spread for work colleagues and one of them asked if I had cooked it myself with just a touch of sarcasm.  I said I had and she said "you cook........?!"

Now her exclamation could be taken in different ways....did she think I wasn't capable .......or was it that I was such a busy person I wouldn't have time...... I chose the less contentious assumption and smiled sweetly.

Maybe this capability, wannability assumption around career women had its inspiration from Shirley Conran's book "Superwoman" which she wrote in the 1970's.  This book was aimed at busy career women. Some of her comments were very much "tongue in cheek" but left a lasting impression.  Here are a couple of her quotes.

"Life's too short to stuff a mushroom"

"I make no secret of the fact that I would rather lie on a sofa than sweep under it"

As a full time working mum I always cooked and cleaned myself and dare I say I actually enjoyed it. At weekends I would regularly cook meals to freeze so that there wouldn't be any problem in the week with preparing meals if I was late for any reason.

Now I am retired I  spend more time cooking for the people I love.......and I assure you I am not turning into a Stepford wife!!

Party Season!!

With Christmas on the horizon ...or at least that is what the shops are trying to tell us........maybe time to think about party frocks!  Good to get them "in stock" as when you want them nearer the time you can never find what you want.  I love long evening dresses and but there aren't always enough occasions to wear them - however I make the most of them on holiday and on the run up to Christmas. 

I like something different and hopefully something others won't be wearing that is why I use many of the designer outlet sites where you can get a fabulous bargain and something very special. The trick is being realistic about what suits you and also aware of the sizing of different designers - designs come from a range of countries, France, Italy , US and so on and the read across in sizing is not always accurate. 

I prefer very fitted items which pinch in at the waist as it is a really flattering look even though I can't eat anything when wearing them! "Pride must abide!" 

Here are two of my dresses I bought from outnet.com - the Marchesa hasn't had an outing yet but will do next month - the Mikael Aghal I have had for about 18 months and I have worn on a few occasions and it has been much admired.

Notte by Marchesa

Lace-embellished silk gown

Original price £845NOW £295.7565% off

Mikael Aghal

Pleated chiffon and crepe gown

Original price £540NOW £18965% off

Combatting Tears!!

As you get older apparently it is quite common to have "watery eyes".

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/watering-eyes-epiphora

I must confess it is something I have always been aware of even when I was young.  Could be the wind, cold weather and lack of sleep which triggers it for me.

Not really a problem except when wearing eye 

makeup - and I really like eye makeup - hangup from the "sixties"!

Here are two items I have bought recently from Estee Lauder.  These two have been life savers in my fight against damage done by watery eyes - the mascara is waterproof but still has the build up of non waterproof and you can really get a "sweep"!!

Cost £22

The eyeliner - Double Wear/zero smudge easy to apply and most importantly stays put!

Cost £21

So no longer do I look like sooty!

I bought on line and got free postage and a couple of free samples.......... I know they are expensive but in this case I think you get what you pay for.  I have tried others in the past but they weren't as effective.

Have you tried any other successful alternative eye makeup??  Love to hear from you and especially older travellers :-)

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Barking in Essex!

Last week my husband and I went to see "Barking in Essex" at the Wyndham Theatre.  We had been warned in advance by friends that there is a lot of lets say choice language and we were not disappointed!!! We didn't really know what to expect and we were pleasantly surprised as to how enjoyable this play turned out to be..... essentially a silly, farcical with lots of British humour and excellent acting from all the cast.

The reason why I am singling out this play more than others is down to the truly magnificent Sheila Hancock.  This statuesque lady is now 80 years old but it hard to accept that she is this age.  She has extremely good posture and a great figure and wonderful cheekbones.  She is someone who seems to regard age as just a number and continues to work in energetic roles despite having had major illnesses.  What a fighter and an inspiration for women of all ages.  Lesson for us not to talk yourself old!  Keeping fit and active must be her mantra!