Day 13 - Cat Cuddling and Couscous

Last night Chef Hubby and I went round to Ma and Pas for dinner. Mum asked me how my $30 a week limit on food spending was going. I confessed sheepishly to the overspend. (see me last post for details).

However!

 After intense discussion the Mater Familia (my Aunt and Mother) over-ruled...

"Cough medicine and codral shouldn't count" They declared.

"But why? I bought them at the supermarket!" I innocently countered.

"Well, next time buy them at the pharmacy and then it won't count as part of your supermarket spend." They cackled. And I was defeated. My spending on medicines wouldn't count as I previously had thought it would... who was I to argue with those powerful women?

But I knew I had still overspent some of the budget - on wine. I confessed this to Chef Hubby...

"That money we'll take it from your pocket money" He declared

"But..." I stuttered. It was useless. Who am I to argue with such logic? Corporations "write-off" stuff all the time!

So it turns out, due to some careful accounting, we haven't over spent at all! (Haha)

Tonight's dinner is grilled lamb chop, marinated in lemon juice and salt, coleslaw with homemade mayonnaise (a la' Chef Hubby) and couscous with fire-roasted capsicum, red onion and coriander too. And when I say 'fire-roasted' I literally mean we put them in the fire on a rack and charred them up! 

Today I did something cool. I took the girl I mentor and we went to the local SPCA and volunteered for the morning. We were given the tough job of "cat cuddling". Armed with a brush we patted, stroked, socialised and groomed over 30 cats. So much fun, and so rewarding and so lovely. An introduction to the idea of volunteerism for one eight year old achieved!

Days 9, 10 ,11 - 2 for the price of three

So the week has turned in on itself really and I've not posted for two days. But posting became second priority with work demanding attention and family staying at short notice. But tonight I am back at the helm and so I hope to catch you up.

The supermarket budget has gone out the window - $50 last night (cough medicine, throat lozenges and codral add up!) and the "bugger the budget I'm having a wine" $20 tonight we have far exceeded our $30 a week target spend. Oh well. And I guess this is the reality many families face... unexpecteds arrive and the good budget intent goes out the window. That's real life - not some bloody blog!

But back to the blog, Chef Hubby has been cooking up a storm this week. Not just for me but for the dog too. He's making homemade dog casserole as I write. Rice, pearl barley, pet mince, frozen veges and water. Boil til gloopy.We'll freeze it in woof sized portions for reheating later...

We had Japanese Okonomiyaki Pancake on Tuesday night, Simmered Chicken Drumsticks (in soy sauce, vinegar, sugar in equal parts and a bit of honey) on Wednesday night. I was so hungry I forgot to take a photo and just ate it all! Tonight we had, Creamy Pasta Carbonara with a kick of Chili.

Friday night, my night to cook, is tomorrow... any ideas?

Day 8 - Pits and Peaks

A co-worker and friend of mine has introduced me to this little ritual that I love. It's called "Pit and Peak". It's a real simple concept. We were having some drinks after work some time ago and she asked the group what our "pit and peak" of the day was? Pit being the low, and a peak being the high point of the day.

Now working in radio means I have a heightened love of aliteration so the catchy 'Pit and Peak' really appeals, but what got me most was that cathartic feeling of sharing your trials and tribulations of the day in a kind of controlled way - you are only allowed one pit after all.

I gave this particular co-worker a ride to her car today and on the way she asked me what my Pit and Peak was... but I have just remembered I didn't ask her for hers! That might be my Pit of the day.

Anyway I really recommend the "Pit and Peak" ritual - introduce it around the dinner table, ask your flatmates, colleagues. It's an excellent way to close the day.

Tonight's dinner was chicken curry. And now I am craving something sweet ... normally it's be a trip to supermarket to satisfy it. But given our new weekly budget constraints I was resigned to missing out. Luckily I have found some (slightly expired) Lindor chocolate in the pantry... talk about a a Peak!

DAY 7 - I Heart Sundays

I am having a love affair with Sundays. It's a new crush. It used to be all about the Saturday, but now Sunday has caught my eye.

Jobs are done and sleep-ins are allowed. Friends visit and afternoons can be spent in the park, or on the couch.

And Sunday evenings are the optimum evenings for a roast. Tonight it was Rolled Pork Roast, veges and gravy - seasoned with a sprinkle of Garam Marsala spice. And chocolate crepes with lemon curd and yoghurt for dessert.

Yep Sundays, and this Sunday, has been pretty good.

Day 6 - Pizza Saturday

So we went out last night. A lot of wine was consumed, and not much dinner. Felt seedy all day but we did manage to get to the supermarket. We spend $28.30, hard decisions were made but we came in under our weekly target budget of $30!

We splurged on olives and brie for the pizzas we made for dinner. Man, I am proud of these pizzas. Homemade pizza dough and sauce, thanks to Gordon Ramsay's "World Kitchen" book. I have to say that this is the best recipe book, the recipes are spot on and well tested.

Chef Hubby's tip is to put the grated cheese on first, just after the pizza sauce and then place other ingredients on top. That way the pizza looks more appetizing.

Toppings we scraped together from the pantry - tomato pizza sauce, mushrooms, olives, capers, roast chicken, cheese, and spinach.

The second pizza is garlic pizza sauce (roast a garlic bulb, squeeze out the soft garlic, mash with olive oil and finely chopped rosemary) cheese, anchovies, cranberries, brie, and some rocket thrown on top at the last minute.

Yummy! And made by hand. Perfect cure for our Friday night...

Day 4 - A little sausage never hurt nobody

That dreadful Baz Luhrman/ Great Gatsby song "A little party never hurt nobody" is on repeat in my head. Yet while I do appreciate this could be my theme song, at the moment it is on the radio so much it's verging on 'shove cotton buds up nostrils' annoying. Hence tonight's title. I've cleverly changed 'party' to 'sausage', as we had pasta with tomato-y sausage sauce for tea. And have indulged myself in a little innuendo...

I am feeling smug.

I am drinking Deutz bubbles tonight - a free bottle of wine as a sales reward! Hey, you know what they say... something about innuendo and bubbles and not hurting nobody...

Gah ---- out damn song! Out!

We will be making our first trip of the week to Supermarket soon, normally we would have been several times. But we are being thrifty. We have $30 for the week and we need onions, eggs and milk... and the weekend wine.

Wish us luck!

Day 3 - Katsudon - a winning dish

Chef Hubby is cooking tonight. Katsu don - you crumb chicken cutlet in panko, then deep fry. Then you make a sauce, which is japanese "dashi" stock and soy sauce, mirin and sake. You cook off some onion in the sauce, then add the cutlet back into the pan to get some of the flavour. Once the chicken is warm, pour a half beaten egg over everything, whack a lid on the frypan and cook the egg until softly set. Garnish with something green, Chef Hubby used sliced spring onion tonight. Slice the cutlet into bite sized strips and serve on rice.

So far, so good, we haven't spent any money on shopping. But, I'm a bit concerned about the level of milk we have left. The conundrum is any dollar spent on milk is a dollar not spent on wine. And as we only have a self-imposed budget of thirty of these dollars to spend on groceries each week, each dollar is especially precious.

Popular Japanese tradition has it that students should eat Katsu Don before an exam, as the word Katsu can also mean "to win" in Japanese. It's a homophone. That's a grammar lesson for free - though when I run out of milk I'll wish I charged you for it :)

 Here's another something I'll tell you for free - google Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and decide if you're down with what they're doing.

Day 2 - Sweet and Sour

Day 2 of the "love the food you're with" Thrifty July challenge as we try to not spend more than $30 per week on groceries this month. So far the supplies are holding up which means more money left over for WINE.

Sweet and Sour Pork today, from a packet that has been in the pantry for a long, long, long time. I was eagerly anticipating the satisfaction of "using it all up" however I opened the packet to discover TWO sachets of Sweet and Sour sauce mix in there... oh well, it's halfway all used up.

A combination of pork and shrimp for the meat and carrot, onion, red pepper, mushroom and garlic chives stirfryed off with this packet sauce. It calls for pineapple but alas no pineapple in the house. Normally I would have gone to the supermarket especially and got some, probably grabbing chocolate and wine as well, but not this time! We made do and this was more than acceptable by Chef Hubby as he is not a fan of cooked pineapple. So happy times all round.

Overall the flavour was great but the pork wasn't juicy and succulent. Any ideas? Do you normally coat the pork in cornflour, or is it a longer simmering time? The english instructions on the package were a little "lost in translation". (I've just asked Chef Hubby why and he says that normally you coat the meat in cornflour and deep-fry and that will make it juicier.)

So that's a tip for all of us I guess. Tomorrow Chef Hubby is cooking... Japanese "Katsudon".

Day 1 - Retro Glam - Wiener Schnitzel

Beef Schnitzel was the first freezer victim in Day 1 of our Thrifty July adventure. Wiener Schnitzel is something I haven't eaten for years however I remember it being a flash dish back in the day and I've tried to capture a little of that Retro Glam in the photo. 

Tonight for dinner I spiced it up. I rubbed a little Jerk seasoning on the meat, before stuffing with cheese and crumbing to make this Wiener Schnitzel. I seasoned the crumb with some turmeric too. To add to this kitsch in the kitchen we made a coleslaw salad and I sauteed some homegrown silverbeet and yams in a splash in vinegar. 

So how did it taste? Well it was quite spicy for me, whereas Chef Hubby didn't even know there was jerk seasoning in there! My tastebuds are so much more alive since I finally knocked smoking totally on the head...

There was homemade pumpkin soup for lunch. We made litres of it yesterday, and I managed to drop a chunk of it on the floor by accident, which was a bit dumb. I also squirted petrol on myself today when I was filling the car up. Waiting for what the third spillage will be? 

Here's Chef Hubby's tip for yummy pumpkin soup. Roast the whole pumpkin in the oven for about 1 hour until soft. The cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and scoop the soft pumpkin flesh into your pot and make as normal. We also added in a Bacon Hock too. 

So, what do you think of what we thriftily rustled up from our pantry?

Thrifty July... the next spark of madness project.

The fire is cranking, and there is a lovely aroma of baking bread, this is what Sunday evening in winter is meant to be. This morning I did something I've never done before. I did a stock take of our freezer and pantry. Have you ever got a handle on just how much "stock" you have on your shelves?

Hubby loves a good meat special. Loves it. And our freezer is full of meat, I know cos I counted it today. We have 10 kilos of meat that we are keeping cold, half of which is chicken. So let's say that on average we bought that meat at approx 9.99 a kilo, that's 100 meat-y dollars. Frozen assets you could say (!) We have a good amount of tins, veges and assorted Japanese items (I say items cos I'm never quite sure what the packets are). We also boast an insane amount of pasta and noodles.

We also spend a ridiculous amount on feeding and watering ourselves. $300 a week. After a small and informal poll on facebook last week it seems that this is a fairly normal amount... for your average 4 person family. But our household is just the two of us, and a wild corgi.

So, we are making a change this month. Instead of shopping for tea each night, we are going to fling open the pantry doors, and feed ourselves from that.  We have also set ourselves a weekly budget of $30 per week, and that'll save us over a grand, the cost of a weekend in Auckland we are planning this month.

Wish us luck, I'll blog our meals to show you the hopefully delicious, and probably odd meals being thrifty will bring you. 

Bridget's Team Harold Challenge

I've never really been a runner but at the start of 2011 I set myself a goal of completing four running events. So far I've done three. This is my final one! I am running a quarter marathon on December 3rd and I'm doing it for Life Education Trust!




So I've started a Boot Camp to help train for the Quarter Marathon - I'm now into week four of the six weeks... Up at 6am to be punished on a Monday morning, I'm almost getting into it!




Today we ran in File Formation with the leader carrying a 5kg weight, the back person had to sprint to the front and then it was their turn to carry the weight. Copy and Paste. Copy and Paste.



Ugh. We ran like this for 40 minutes with a side dish of Push Ups, Press Ups and Squat Jumps served up in for good measure. But it will pay off on the day... I can now do 20 full body press-ups where I couldn't even complete one!!!



Next session tomorrow.

The One Where We Run

The fine looking team in our hats!
It ended up being so hot and gruelling that we decided to ditch the hats... but the beer and hot chips at the end were fantastic!!!

I ran the third leg of the Queen Charlotte Relay, 8.1k and I did it in 50 or so minutes. Not bad for four training runs beforehand! The other legs were coastal but mine turned inland and went across flat dairy country. I hit the wall about 6 k and I didn't know where I was or how far I'd run and how far I had to go and imagined myself stuck in kind of a NZ Purgatory... flat endless roads surrounded by green pastures filled with cows. Ugh. Fortunately I came to the end and I was able to hand my baton on.

The one where the Stepford Wife wears Hammer Pants

A repeat of a hat for Friday... but I don't think anyone noticed as they were too busy staring at my "HAMMER" pants...

They're quite comfortable actually... I think Stanley Kirk Burrell (that's MC Hammer's real name) was onto something!

On a lady - MC Hammer pants, or Harem Pants as they are know this season, falls under the catergory "Man Repeller" clothing. That's the title of a blog website I've discovered which goes along the theory that while High Fashion clothing and trends may be very much in vogue and expensive, men don't generally find it attractive at all. The woman who writes it is very funny... http://www.manrepeller.com/

Anyhoo... wish me luck for my run today!

better late than never...

I was in a rush last night so got home, got changed went for a run, came back home, had a shower and realised mid-lather I hadn't taken my hat photo... so this morning I got dressed TWICE... and did both photographs this morning...

I had an interview on More FM this morning too, to promote my hat wearing cause too... roll on the donations!

Hats don't do so well in the wind (neither do skirts)

First of all apologies to all in the centre on Blenheim today, near the forum at 1:36pm this afternoon... I'm sorry for showing you my underwear. It wasn't on purpose. A gust of wind blew up my skirt and almost took my hat off as well, and... I only have two hands and one of them was holding a file of papers!

Thanks to workmates for kind sponsorship and donations - much appreciated!!!! Anyone else out there in cyberland want to sponsor me? PM me on facebook to set it up!

Trousers tomorrow... and a turban perhaps?

A good Stepford Wife --- has Community Spirit

It's Hat Week - a week to put on your hats and raise money and awareness for Alzheimers Marlborough. Having had a family member experience dementia in their later years, and a hat collection gathering dust, I thought this the perfect opportunity for me to get behind this cause!

Basically I wear a hat everyday this week and ask friends and family to support me with a cash donation or sponsorship

So will you?

Please sponsor me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .. a little or a lot... and in return I will post my hat of the day here just to prove I'm doing it!

Thanks in advance!

A good Stepford Wife --- cooks healthy dinners

This Stepford Wife to the Wagon has, like any newly wed wife, leapt into her new lifestyle with gusto.

Exercise, Little Alcohol, Lots of Water and Wonderful Healthy Food have been major features of this weekend.

And to prove it, here's a glimpse of tonight's tea... Bread-crumbed Eggplant, Pumpkin and Tofu with a Spicy Chilli Sauce, Broccoli Timbale, Trio of Cabbages and a Chinese Broth (and rice of course).

And here's Saturday night's dinner - Rare Beef Vermicelli Salad with a light Thai Curry Coconut Cream dressing... served with rice (of course!) alongside a Hot and Sour Chinese Broth! An ideal meal to watch the All Blacks win with... well as we all know that didn't happen but at least dinner was good!

 

 Fingers crossed I can make the "honeymoon period" last!

The One Where Bridget Becomes A Stepford Wife



Oh there's my wagon... I thought I'd lost it!

It all starts again today! The wagon got seriously left behind after a party weekend in Sanctuary Cove near Brisbane http://sanctuarycove.regency.hyatt.com/

Santuary Cove is a development full of newly retired with a shitload of money. I felt very "Stepford Wives" and was constantly on edge waiting for a tap on the shoulder to be taken in for 'processing'. Perhaps it was the nerves that caused me to party on so much???

So I've come back to Blenheim a wreck - exhausted with no voice and to cap it all off I pulled my neck and shoulder on Wednesday morning. The photographer thinks it's because I'm getting too old for this kind-of carry on. I'm starting to agree...

All in all it's been 2 weeks of almost "pre wagon" living and I don't feel zingy at all. (You'll all be pleased to know I didn't stop eating breakfast!)

It's kinda got me thinking... what happened if I lived the way I "should", y'know, became a "Stepford Wife" of sorts for a while and see if its as good as its cracked up to be. I mean, I don't anyone who does live like that completely so none of us know if the "ideal" is... well ideal??

So to research the role of "Stepford Wife" to the Wagon I thought of some key public health messages, we've been drilled with since childbirth. Things like;

1. Wear Sunscreen
2. Drinking eight glasses of water a day
3. Moderate exercising for 5 hours a week / Intense exercise for 2.5 hours
4. Eating 5 serves of Fruit or Veges a day
5. No smoking
6. Follow the food pyramid and moderate serving size
7. Moderate drinking - no more than one glass of wine, beer or hard liquor a day

Can you think of any other often-quoted public health messages I can add to my list???

"Stepford Wife"
1.) Used to describe a servile, compliant, submissive, spineless wife who happily does her husband's the wagon's bidding and serves his every whim dutifully.

"On The Wagon"
1.) Abstaining from drinking any alcoholic drink, usually in the sense of having given it up (as opposed to never having partaken). By extension, maintaining a programme of self-improvement or abstinence from some other undesirable habit.

So now we know what I'm talking about - I'll become a Stepford Wife to the Wagon - for 7 weeks - which takes me to my 32nd birthday. I'll blog about what I eat and what I exercise and how I feel and we'll see whether "Stepford Wife" to the Wagon is really so ideal!

Day Something - Feeling Virtuous

I am feeling very zingy today - full of health. Did a killer Spin class last night and almost spewed! Today I am having a rest as I feel bloody tired. Yet zingy. If that makes any sense!

Oh so MUCH to say to you...

This article http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/5376793/Stopping-the-merry-go-round  and also a discussion with friends about this Hello Sunday Morning http://hellosundaymorning.com.au/  made me realise there is no such thing as a new idea! Have a read - they're interesting.

I went to dinner on Saturday night and didn't drink. It was great and much easier than I thought... and I still had a laugh! Especially at myself... I took along a bottle of Tonic water. And drank it all, all 1.5L of it and felt oh so virtuous! But right at the end of the bottle we all took a look at its contents.

WHO KNEW HOW MUCH SUGAR WAS IN TONIC WATER!!!!!! 22g per 250 mls! I drank 24 teaspoons of sugar! My virtuous feeling was very swiftly deflated on finding that out!

I have been doing pretty well keeping my resolutions, and haven't added any new ones in this week as I want to consolidate my progress.

I had a run in today with some high school boys who called something out to me across the street. As I walked away I got a feeling that I needed to tell them that yelling out to a woman was not appropriate behaviour so I tracked them to The Warehouse, where I walked up to them, demanded an apology and told them to "never ever yell out like that at a woman again" after which I spun round on my purple suede heels and strode off.

I was quite timely then as I sped away in my car that I heard this saying, mentioned in reference to the rioting happening in London at the moment... "evil can only step in, when good people step aside".

I challenge you this week to not step aside.

Week Two Resolutions

So I've added three new tasks to the list to help me on my way to achieve my New Years Resolutions, I have quit smoking, reducing how much booze I put in my system with my 5 nights no drinking rule, and I am slowly getting into the eating breakfast thing... I'll update at end of week.

I wanted to complete four sporting events this year, so far I have done two. I did the King and Queen of the Withers in January... http://www.runningcalendar.co.nz/king-and-queen-of-the-withers/ and the Saint Clair Half Marathon in May... http://vineyardhalf.com/default.asp?PageID=11922

So my next one is this. To complete a leg of The Queen Charlotte Relay. Should be goodie - looking at a team from work doing it... http://www.harriers.net.nz/Queen%20Charlote%20Relay.htm I haven't run for yonks so I will need to get out there. Nicer now the evenings are lighter.

I have also joined the gym today with a free months membership so that should tide me over until September and warmer, lighter days. My aim is to exercise 5 days a week.

Last one for the week is to make a commitment to visit my Nana once a week.

I have so many more I want to so I will update my progress and reveal Week Three's resolutions on Sunday...