Food supply, container gardening, salmon quiche…

My Happy Journey to Helathy

That is supposed to read healthy, but every time my fingers play this game with helathy! Try and say it – H E L A T H Y. It sounds kind of…Island Style! I tell you, I am helathy!!!

I know you are going to say “how can that possibly be healthy!” when I tell you what I put in today’s lunch dish. A load of whole (free range) eggs, l-o-t-s of cream, fresh peppers, celery, red onion, garlic, cayenne pepper and grated zucchini sautéed in grapeseed oil and a little butter for flavour and then gently mixed with drained tinned salmon which has also been fried off a little to release any liquid.

The quiche custard was perked up with some cayenne pepper and a little msg-free vegetable stock powder (my not-so-secret ingredient) after which the dish was topped with a mix of grated parmesan, mild grated cheddar and dried oregano, and baked in a medium oven for half an hour. So simple. Truly.

Dessert was equally simple and in season. After the salmon quiche and the copious raw vegetables and a little champagne and chardonnay, I blended up a couple of frozen bananas like soft serve, and served it with fresh organic chopped mango on top. There was Greek yogurt waiting in the wings in the fridge, but we never needed it.

 
It was fabulous. My good friend Patrice is always such a wonderful guest as she likes everything I make or cook. Thank you my friend:) But, it really was good. I think in the case of the quiche, it is the frying beforehand that turns it into something sumptuous. It was simplicity itself. A little bit of butter – I used only a tablespoon – added to the pan half way through cooking.

OK. You might be freaking out about cream and butter, eggs and such, but have you thought about your main meal of the day consisting of something you really, really enjoy? And you not feeling guilty about it? Think about it this way: Are you really going to change your eating patterns so much? Enough to turn you around completely? I don’t think so. So is it then not sensible to make up your own diet according to your desires? (Which I still think are going to be very hard to change.)

My dad number 2 (lovely man) was really realistic about his intake of food versus the output of energy, so he merely cut everything he ate in half. Half the sweets, half the dinner…you get the point. He lost the excess weight and never put it on again. I have told this to so many friends, so many times, but not put it into practice myself. Tut tut…

I am not a scientist, but his plan sounds about right to me. Eat less and lose. Exercise more and lose. Makes sense, yes?

But hey! I am not advocating you pig out at McDonalds. Or make Coca Cola your drink of choice. Try and be sensible about the food choices you make. Yes have your Coke, but temper it some. You don’t want all that sugar (=poison) rushing round your system, so make a wise choice and substitute it with stevia. Sweet like honey (which you can also use sometimes, as long as it is raw and unpasteurised/unradiurised). In fact, foods that have not been subject to tampering (this includes GMO and pesticides) will likely be fairly healthy to eat, but wouldn’t it be better to grow your own organic produce and have the joy of sitting at the dinner table (I hope you do?) relishing the taste of a simple home-grown carrot or tomato, or a bowl of green leaves that are fair bursting with nutrients!

…course you would

It really is not difficult you know. Container gardening has immense benefits. You can target the specific feeding and water needed for every pot, for every different herb or vegetable. You can move the pots around to find the best place in the sun, and you can have your container kitchen-garden as near to your back door/kitchen as you may want. You can put a small trellis or dowels in pots to support vining plants and tomatoes. Even old gutters with drip holes drilled underneath can be used as wall gardens. One above the other, those underneath will catch some of the water from the top gutter. Try drip irrigation where you can. Save your water, our precious sustainer of life.

 
How about decorating a few pots to cheer up the back garden, and maybe you too? It really is (again) very simple. Get some old pots and scrub them down with a hard brush and some eco-friendly soap. Let them dry completely and then sand them down with water paper. Brush off, dust off and paint with a universal undercoat.

There! You have a white canvas on which to impress your very own creativity. To hell with what anyone thinks! This is for you and in everyone there resides a sometimes reluctant artist. Give it rein! Set it free to be.

Enjoy!

(The left over quiche and salad will be my supper)