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Hummus Recipe…
2 January 2013
Today started well and continued so.
Painting has taken a back seat as I settle into M O D and write about it. That’s fine though, and I am not stressing about it (acid action) because I will be giving equal time to writing and painting as soon as the farm house is finished and I come to the end of the Grand De-clutter! When the cleansing (alkaline) is done, I will have three kitted-out kitchens. Awesome. One for the bushveld, one for the mountains and one for The Tasting Place. (More about that in a couple of months. Watch this space.)
When my restaurant, Marloe’s, was running, I put on so much weight and it just kept coming. I was drinking lots of wine every night and eating great, rich food. Na-a-a! Not good. It has taken me a year to halt that high speed train. I have been at my heaviest about three times through the year (2012) and 6 kilos down at one point. I was always trying to diet and could often be found reading up on new nutritional information. Some diets I have tried over and over, and over…
I am an expert in dieting. I have a black belt in gleaning food information. But none of it has become my personal way of life, My Own Diet, M O D. Remember, you can have your own M O D. All you need is to make informed choices and work with your favourites. Find a way to include them in your daily life without going overboard. Like, right now I am looking forward to a single, Woolies shortbread cookie. It is part of the Plan. 20-30% acid, 70-80% alkaline.
Let’s look at the intake today:
Ripe banana (Alkaline)
Black filter coffee (Acid)
Olive ciabatta toast (Acid)
Extra Virgin Olive oil to drizzle (Alkaline)
Baby spinach (Alkaline)
Broccoli (Alkaline)
Arugula/rocket (Alkaline)
Watercress (Alkaline)
Apple (Alkaline)
Ginger (Alkaline)
Snow peas (Alkaline)
Cauliflower (Alkaline)
Peppers (Alkaline)
Cucumber (Alkaline)
Hummus (Acid)
Shortbread (Acid)
Ginger Tea (Alkaline)
Most of the food on that list is alkaline. I didn’t weigh or count anything. It is all about keeping most of my foods alkaline and not overdoing the acid foods, and enjoying a little of what I like.
There were times I thought I would never be able to beat this obesity ogre, but then I started putting a friendly face on it. Fortunately I like where I have come to in my life. I like who I am and where I’m at. Even though there is a large body of skin right now, I am comfortable in it. OK…except perhaps when I run or walk or climb stairs, that is.
I have been carrying this boot camp sack around for so long now, and really, I don’t have to. It is all up to me and finally, my choices. I am taking responsibility for the Plan that I wrote for myself and I am working that Plan.
Tonight I fed my husband a delicious home-made lasagne from the freezer with a side salad. For myself I made…
Hummus/Houmus
1 tins chickpeas/garbanzos (drained – keep liquid)
1 tin cannellini beans with liquid
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil
4 Tbs tahini
Cayenne pepper to taste (I used about ¼ tsp)
Blend all in a food processor
Add saved liquid or water if needed to thin out the mixture
Adjust seasoning
This served as a dip for some delicious raw vegetables.
Snow-peas, peppers, cucumbers and cauliflower florets, anything you fancy.
I had about a half a cup of hummus and at least two to three cups of vegetables. I am still full.
With dinner I had a glass of good red wine. Now I am drinking water until I go to bed with my ginger tea, and my shortbread cookie.
The best laid plans…
Well, the best laid plans of mice and men…
Amazingly I saw a 2 kilo loss from Thursday to now.
8:30 I ate the soaked oats and almonds…very OK
9:00 Water Babes with JB for just under an hour…felt a little tired today but it gave me energy
10:30 Papaya and mango smoothie time with my buddies (organic mango from our tree and locally grown pawpaw/papaya)
11:00 We each had two slices of low GI seed bread toasted. One slice with a little butter and gouda cheese, the second with low fat cream cheese and watercress. 2 cups black filter coffee.
Lunch was Butternut and Cannellini Bean Soup – had small bowl
Green mixed salad and chicken mayo/yogurt with cayenne pepper
One stevia sweetened dark chocolate truffle after lunch, and a Kendy bar of the same ilk.
One cup of coffee…(most I have had in one day in a year)
1 bottle of sauvignon blanc
Water. 750ml – the size of a wine bottle (a little trick I learned along the way)
Tonight is goodbye to the old year and hello to the new. So this will be an Anything Goes night. My plan is to drink a lot of water and eat raw foods as snacks if the nibbles happen. I am ready with snow peas and more raw vegetables with hummus that is about to be made.
We are baking some chicken legs and thighs and making a big raw salad with lots of green in it. My assistant Kathy is coming over and she is privy to The Plan. Her contribution to the food is crustless quiche and a pesto with baked tortilla wedges. The three of us will watch movies and chill, keeping the dogs company during firework madness. Needless to say – there will be wine – and lots of water.
For every glass of wine or cup of tea or coffee, drink the same amount of water. Make it your favourite drink. You can drink it hot or cold, with lemon or ginger is good.
Step 2: Drink Water
African Meanderings…
What bliss. Two weeks exploring another part of our southern tip of Africa. Our beautiful country. I am off to my brother in Cape St Francis and will be seeing my closest friend for 50 years. Oh my soul! That does look weird on paper…
So looking forward to this…
I probably won’t be blogging for the next two weeks, but I will keep a diary of our African Meanderings and put it on the blog when I return.
Happy Holidays!!!…
Left-overs on a hot day in Africa…
Breakfast was spent in blissful air-conditioning in the kitchen with our friend Ben from Walkerville in Jozi. He has an affinity with animals (he and his lady have 8 horses and 7 dogs) and our two dogs just adore him. Mila the blonde golden retriever/border collie cross was in heaven as he threw ball after ball for her, while Tessa, our black labrador/ridgeback cross lay at his feet while he idly stroked her tum. Happy scene. happy dogs:)
Back to breakfast.
When morning broke I found myself in the mood for flapjacks. They are also called griddle cakes, and in America they are pancakes.
Flapjacks ~ Quick recipe: (This was enough for 3 hungry people)
1 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs cold-pressed sunflower oil (or melted butter)
Mix all together thoroughly.
Brush non-stick pan with oil or butter and drop tablespoonfuls of batter into hot pan, wait for bubbles to appear, turn over for a few seconds and pop into warming oven (or on to a plate, covered with a tea towel)
Serve with butter and golden or maple syrup.
And left-overs…
We had the flapjacks with a hash of left-over boerewors (farmer’s sausage) sliced up with chopped up bacon and sliced cooked baby potatoes all fried up together. That was accompanied by creamy scrambled eggs and garlic chives. A feast it was.
Balmy night in Africa…
…and the frogs are making such a noise that we have to speak loudly to be heard! The weather has been in the early 40s today and I have slept for most of that. Air con and fan and I was away after a full night of partying and music and food. Actually, I think it was more than that. It was all the previous weeks of heartache knowing that huge changes are about to happen and some of the old ways have to give way to a new life. From a 4 bedroom to a 2 bedroom with no garage and no pool (yet) and from our beautiful lapa/living room to no lapa at all. The kids will miss that just as much as we will. All the wonderful hours we spent on that stoep talking deep into the night. the times when Lana threw a rubber ball at a frog and found her target:)
We will miss those times, but we will be making new memories.
I am looking forward to 2012 with all its possibilities. By December we should at least have the basement part of our new house…my part:) I am the one who wants an earth lodge and Fredl, my husband wants the 360 degree view from the top. We live on the top of a mountain range, so there is much beauty around. I want the basement/earth lodge part for safety and energy efficiency…so we will have both.
We are giving up something of our old ways to realise new dreams. I am 62 in December and feel as if this is a totally new phase coming up. It is exciting and filled with hope and dreams…just like when I was 20, or 30…or 40…
Much to ponder…
Last Night at the Restaurant…
Sleepy time gal…
…when all your dancin’ is thruuuuuuu…sleepy time gal, we’ll build a cottage for two. I am off to bed to go and dream of where to put my beautiful Oregon pine stairs to end up in the Above Ground part of the Farmhouse. Sweet dreams…
Green Stuff Blog entries…
Heirloom Seeds….
Baby spinach in my salad…
The tomato plants are strong and the leeks are reaching for the sky. Lovely stuff.
Today was spent weeding and putting down compost. The pavement garden is putting on its beautiful mantle and will soon be filled with purple and white flowers. This part of the garden is in the North corner and these are the feng shui colours for this area. Also gold, silver and blue. The wild sage with its purple flowers is a beautiful addition. Their new growth has started and so we will prune the old stems to allow for the lush rebirth.
The new seedlings arrive next week. Red lettuce, friseé, Italian parsley, pansies, violas, violets – all for our beautiful salads. The basil is ready for the pesto and we shall be planting new chili seeds next week for the chili coriander pesto.
Growing your own herbs and vegetables must be one of the most rewarding things to do.
Grow babies grow!
Planted our first for autumn…
Vegetables among the roses…
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Off to the farm…
I shall be taking a few cuttings to the farm so see how they fare with little water and perhaps a lot of mist. There is much to be done there but this weekend it is a true rest time for us. Just one night to visit the mountains and breathe in the fresh cool air.
Full moon was gorgeous in the beginning of the evening but clouds came and covered the Lady and only her golden glow gave her presence away.
Have a good weekend in the light of the moon. I send good energies to all. Especially in Japan.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Growing a Fence and Digging a Trench…
Lettuces and Roses…
Preparations for 2012…
This is a collection of my blog entries that I am moving to this website blog. There will be new ones to come!
Marloe’s preparations for 2012
Farming and growing organic vegetables
Any other ideas out there? Share them with pleasure.
That is today’s subject. Let’s imagine we are under siege and safely underground with all our provisions, even our games, cards, pictionary and of course scrabble and a really big old dictionary. But now we are three months down the line and not just a little bored, and the radiation metre says not yet, so no horse riding today. Now what?
Take up a hobby that takes up little space. Jewelry, painting, sculpture (you brought along the plaster of paris, shoe box and tape, didn’t you? Oh – and of course – water…hmmmm. Maybe the sculpture will have to wait. But wait! Make up some papier mache pulp in advance and keep it in sealed plastic ice-cream cartons. I could even make up some plaster of paris blocks before hand. Which is when I wonder? Before hand?…beforehand? How long is before?
Will it won’t it, will we won’t we? Whichever way the poles shift, or the sun brightly burns, preparedness is key to survival in any emergency. Girl scout me be.
Lists are all well and good, but doing is the thing. I am going to take a leaf out of Flylady’s book (if you haven’t discovered the joy of flylady.net please go and visit this site). She is the doyenne of de-clutter and organisation. 15 minutes a day to de-clutter, set the timer. And now a new 15 minutes – to collect survival equipment and foods and store it all very well.
And don’t forget the jewelry making kit, or your favourite games.
Any ideas for fun underground are most welcome. I will add them to the final lists.
Water. I keep thinking of water. Imagine you suddenly hear on the news from NASA you have 12 hours to get to your safe place. Stormy solar flare is on its way. Is there enough water in the shelter? Food, emergency equipment, crank handle radio, gas, matches and quite a bit more? How will we conserve the water and still have enough to keep us hydrated. Strange thought, water.
I suppose the reason I am starting this blog with water is because we need it even more than food – and the water tanks need to go under the house in the ground – before we start building the rest of this magic home in the hill.
Waterless soap. That anti-bacterial stuff. Not always a good idea to do the anti-bacterial thing though – we like good bacteria – but it could save a little on water. Imagine trying not to wash your hands too often? A damp cloth will have to do…a jammer lappie. A sorry cloth. Sorry there isn’t any running water.
This is quite spooky really. Will we ever be ready? Is your shelter close to your home? Mine is in the mountains – or it will be! First there are the plans to be finished. There are many different ways to design an underground home, and ours is going to be built into the side of a hill on our farmette (read “small farm”). It is two hours drive from our home in the bushveld, and who knows where we will be on that fiery day!
One thing I do plan is that we will have finished our hobbit house in the hill. I also know that while planning, life happens! This is not to be some temporary disaster shelter, but a dwelling we shall enjoy for the rest of our lives, however long or short that may be. To that end, I am looking everywhere for good ideas. I am also extremely glad I am married to a civil engineer who knows his concrete.
Concrete. Now that’s not a very environmentally friendly product, but I am told it’s the best idea in a solar storm – with 3 feet of earth above it – and big strong doors – blast valve? Is that the name? Well, something truly strong enough to protect us, designed for disaster.
As long as the internet is working, I shall be gleaning as much info as I need. Then to find the right products and equipment. Now there’s a long list of hitherto unknowns!
What if there is no electricity for a long time? Well, we will have to get ingenious won’t we? I have been longing to live a permaculture driven life redolent with the fragrance of lavender and rosemary, growing my organic vegetables and milking the sheep (sheep’s milk is more easily digested than both cow and goat, really), collecting my free range eggs and singing in the hills while my solar panels collect energy for me and the wind turbine whirls away in the sometimes high winds of the mountains in Limpopo. I might have to wait a while for some of it, I might not. Perhaps the sullen sun decides to chill a bit instead of spitting radioactive fireballs at us. Anything is possible. However, whatever will come, I aim to be a good girl scout and guide my family and friends to preparedness.
When the horse gets to the water, will it drink?
We are back to the water again. There are very serviceable water tanks out there and I aim to get me some. Water in a tank buried under the dwelling, with a hand pump and some water purification drops. I can just see that ol’ style pump in my kitchen…well, where else? I am certainly not going outside to fetch water if there is a Solar Katrina whipping up a frenzy out there!
Grey water. Another tank under the ground with pipes that lead from wash up to a drip irrigation in an indoor greenhouse with grow lights. I can’t think of any other way to have fresh vegetables while under siege from the sun…and polar shifts, magnetic flips and maybe even flying trees and roofs… and an earth mother gone mad.
The survival lists are growing. I will share them in this blog as I go along. The true challenge is staying in the now while plotting and planning for a possible earth shattering event. My need in the now is to de-clutter big time in order to live a simplistic life with only that which serves us well, whether the cataclysm comes or not.
Any thoughts and ideas on water storage are most welcome…and I shall share any interesting links as we go along.
http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/05/26/how-to-choose-a-water-tank/
Water Food and Fun
New singers…
What a different sound from two young men from here in Phalaborwa. I think they are Sotho but they sing mellow English songs they write themselves. Mendy and Picasso are two very likeable young men and make a very nice duo. Only one acoustic guitar and two gentle voices. They are singing for the wine tasting tomorrow. A new platform for them.
I will keep you posted...