Not Perfect But Not Giving In

Let me set the scene. At this very moment I am…

In the kitchen.

Talking to myself.

Out loud.

“What you do everyday matters more than what you do once in a while” Gretchen Rubin

Last week I made a pact with myself. To focus on specific things, daily. Certain things that are important to me, improvements that I want to make and skills I wish to develop.

I mapped it out.

There are other things that I have chosen to do daily, on a separate map. Things that have to be done, and of course things that the Kids’ need/want to do as well.

So, here I am in my kitchen reprimanding myself, out loud, for ticking just a solitary thing of my self-enforced daily list.

Exercise. Running to be precise.

(The proof)

What happened to baking, writing, reading and meditating?

Baking, and writing, was a sure thing today. Or so I thought. The plan had been (note: had) to bake the *perfect cupcake, photograph the recipe and write a blog post.

This would be the proverbial killing of two birds with one stone.

(*As we all know there is no such thing as “perfect”, but that’s what I am going to unapologetically title it, when I get round to actually doing it…)

But, the day is wearing on, I’ve wiped down the kitchen counters for the umpteenth time and the light, that is required to take a decent photo, is fading.

I’m thinking baking won’t be happening today. Does that mean I should give in?

It’ll take 10 minutes to type this post up. I can spare 10 minutes can’t I?

40% success rate. 3 out of 5 not done. Far from perfect but better than 5 out of 5 not done. As my day progressed and I realised I wouldn’t achieve what was intended, I could have decided to try for a perfect pass rate tomorrow, and give up on trying to improve today.

Tomorrow never comes.

Perfect is the enemy of good. In fact perfect can be the enemy of done.

“If you aspire to the highest place, it is no disgrace to stop at the second or even the third place.” Cicero 106-43 BC

**For anyone who loves a bit of drum and bass check this class track out - Not Giving In – Rudimetal - prepare to feel motivated!**

Food Waste Friday / Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail

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It’s Friday Guys – My turn once more to host Food Waste Friday!

Each week since March 2008, in order to motivate her to waste less food, Kristen The Frugal Girl, has posted a picture of any food that has gone bad over the last seven days. She found this embarrassing practice so helpful, to her, that she invited other bloggers to post their own photos, and Food Waste Friday was born.
I started participating in October 2010 and have found, that 2-years on, the amount of food I waste is minimal. In fact every Friday, as part of my No Waste Tastes Great routine, I account (and devise a plan) for all my potential food waste as well as confessing to any items that I failed to save.
Kristen has kindly asked me to host Food Waste Friday, alternate weeks (when she doesn’t post herself), and her initial invite for everyone to join in is cordially extended here!
———————————————————————
Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge

Not much to talk about here. The usual spreads, cheeses and yogurt on the top shelf, all with life left in them.

Slow-cooked ham sitting in the centre, which will be eaten up as part of the Kids ‘choosing tea’ after school.

There is waste. About an inch deep of natural yogurt – see bottom shelf. I just didn’t quite finish it – Duh!

My fridge looked very different last Thursday.

(Last week’s fridge chaos is nothing in comparison to Jeff’s from last night’s episode of Britain’s Biggest Hoarder. I have never seen a fridge/freezer quite like it, nor do I ever wish to again. My heart goes out to Jeff. I was incredibly impressed with what he has achieved in dealing with his hoarding. Keep going Jeff – don’t give up!)

Although I successfully limited the damage, last week, it reminded me just how important meal-planning is, here, in the battle against food waste.

It seems only right on the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters to quote Winston Churchill;

“He who fails to plan is planning to fail.”

Back on the meal-planning program, I am.

Simply Being Mum’s Menu Board

My menu runs Saturday-Thursday. Friday is No Waste Tastes Great.

Being a Brit it’s only right we have a chippy night. The Hubby and I no longer indulge in a takeaway on a Friday, rather the cash is spent on a fish and chip supper after swimming lessons for the whole family. This has become a family tradition, and hopefully is creating a childhood memory.

Of course reducing food-waste is not just about the fridge. A quick inventory of the cupboards and I discovered a basket of potatoes.

No problem. A quick peel and boil…

…and they were whipped up into these for baking…

Quite a stylish way to serve mashed potato, even if I do say so myself! They were nicknamed ‘potato puffs’ by the Kids last night.

I love a good food-save!

As always I’ll leave the last word to Kristen…
“How did you do this week? If you blogged about your food waste, link us up by entering your info into the widget below. You’ll save money, reduce your trash output, and get a little publicity for your blog! And if you don’t blog, you can still share about your food waste by leaving a comment.

**I’ve decided not to include the LINKY for the foreseeable. My blog doesn’t allow links on the actual post, and being redirected to another page isn’t ideal. Please drop your link in the comments section.** Jo

Those of you who participate in Food Waste Friday can now grab a fancy-schmancy button to perk up your posts. If you copy and paste the following code into your Food Waste Friday post, this little graphic will appear.”

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“Good Enough” Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe

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They say perfect is the enemy of good.

My chocolate fudge cake recipe is good enough, it’s not perfect.

It isn’t the Nigella recipe that I have followed countless times over the years.

(Can you see the chocolate smudges? That’s the sign of a good cookbook – actual food remnants on the page.)

These days, as my confidence in the kitchen and culinary skills have increased, rarely do I follow a recipe to the letter.

Particularly if doing so means:

a) a special trip to the supermarket

b) there may be additional food waste from buying seldom used ingredients in quantity

c) there’s a cupboard full of alternative ingredients ready to go

With a couple of omissions and alternatives I can create a credible, if not perfect, chocolate fudge cake. The added bonus is this “good enough” cake will also cost considerably less than the perfect version.

*I’d recommend baking Nigella’s chocolate fudge cake at least once in your lifetime, as not only is it superbly perfect, but it also allows you to compare how good, good enough is.

You will need:

(please be aware this recipe is best made measuring in grams, but if using ounces, do not mix and match measurements – stick to ounces throughout the recipe)

400g / 14oz flour (Either self-raising or plain/all purpose)

250g / 9oz caster sugar

100g / 3½oz light muscovado sugar

50g / 1¾oz cocoa powder

2 teaspoons of baking powder (if using plain/all-purpose flour but not with SR as it is not required)

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon of salt (if using plain/all-purpose flour not SR)

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract or essence

175g / 6oz cooking margarine (melted and cooled)

125ml / 4floz cooking oil – I use extra virgin olive oil

300ml / 10floz cold water

200g of dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa solids)

200g cooking margarine

300g icing sugar (powdered/confectioners sugar)

Another tablespoon of vanilla extract

2 x 8″ diameter or 20cm sandwich tins

Instructions:

Preheat oven to a moderate heat = 160°C / 320°F / Gas Mark 3.

Grease and line the sandwich tins. Or alternatively use cake release as I do.

Melt 175g / 6oz of margarine and leave to cool.

In a large bowl place all the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, sugars and cocoa. Mix.

In a jug whisk together the eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, or jug, whisk together the melted margarine, oil and water until just combined.

Pour the fat/oil/water into the dry ingredients and mix until combined – do not over-mix. I use an electric whisk.

Add the egg/vanilla to your chocolate batter, whisk again till just combined once more.

Pour the batter/mixture into the 2 tins as equally as possible. If you want to get the split fairly accurate you could weigh the tins as I do.

(my tins weighed approx. 850g each when filled)

Place in the centre of the preheated oven and check after 35 minutes. Ovens do vary, and this recipe could take up to 45-50 minutes. Mine were ready in just over 40 minutes.

The cakes should be firm to touch. Test with a cake tester/wooden skewer, if unsure, to check the cake is cooked throughout.

Leave in the tins to cool slightly (and to firm up) before turning out onto a rack to cool completely.

Once cold the cakes can be covered in the chocolate fudge frosting/icing.

Melt 200g of dark chocolate.

If using a microwave, break the chocolate into chunks and place in a non-metallic dish. It will take approx. 90 seconds to melt in a 800w microwave oven. Stir to ensure all lumps have dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.

To make the chocolate fudge icing/frosting beat or whisk together 200g of margarine with 300g of icing sugar. This can get messy!

I use an electric whisk. This creates a crumb like consistency first, which is normal.

Continue to whisk or beat (by hand) until the mixture is smooth.

Pour in the melted chocolate and add a tablespoon of vanilla and beat in by hand.

Combine thoroughly.

The bottom tier of the cake may need to be leveled slightly to stop the top tier bowing and even potentially splitting when placed on top – this will depend on how much the cakes have risen.

Once/if leveled, spread the top of the bottom tier with the frosting/icing. I chill my icing for a few minutes so that it has a thicker consistency for spreading – this is personal preference.

Place the other cake on top.

Spread the frosting/icing all over the cake, including the sides. There will be plenty of icing to cover the cake

Chocolate fudge cake, in my opinion, is best baked a day or two before serving. It should last up to 5 days in an airtight container, and there is no need to refrigerate. Cake and extreme cold do not go together!

And there you have it, my adapted version of a perfect cake. I’ve changed quantities, dumbed-down and even removed some ingredients entirely. I don’t feel too guilty though, as Nigella herself confessed to adapting this recipe from Tish Boyle’s Diner Desserts.

Maybe someone will adapt my chocolate fudge cake recipe?

** Please note that I am not a qualified nutritionist or professional cook. My recipes are what I put together at home and all amounts etc… are approximate. What I write is my own experience of cooking the recipe. Ovens and ingredients do vary – just go with it, have fun and apply common sense at all times! Practice makes perfect!**

**There are no affiliate links in this post**

Getting Caught Up In The Mechanics

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I’ve an admission.

Remember the Spring Sale 2012?

It started 8th May. Just over 12 months ago.

My aim – to generate £600 through the sale of unwanted, unloved, unneeded things.

I failed. A recent tally, to date, shows the actual amount generated was just over £500.

Why did I fail? The theory behind the experiment was sound, in my opinion. I’d read that the average household contained £600 of saleable items.

I’d agree with that figure as I know this household most certainly did, and even now most certainly does…

The failure I believe is due to getting caught up in the mechanics of it all.

Too much thought being given to when, where and how to sell the item. Even, I’d suggest, a covert method of hoarding?

I have hoarding tendencies without a doubt. The sale allowed me opportunity to procrastinate over the elimination of an item by moving it to a holding (aka hoarding) area to then deliberate over the correct method in which to generate income from the item.

Getting caught up in the mechanics.

In addition to failing to meet my goal, I now also have a hoard. In which I am unsure exactly what there is within it, and the garage has seen a stuff invasion, a hostile occupation of things.

The problem I now have is that the mound looks impressive. It looks valuable as if treasures are buried inside. The thought of squeezing the maximum amount of monetary return from the mountain is immensely appealing.

Had it not been allowed to grow its imagined potential would be less.

We learn by our mistakes. It’s good to have a goal, but wrong to lose focus. Elimination of redundant items was the primary goal – the generation of income, a benefit of reaching that goal – I got confused.

Here I am again with the Spring Sale 2013. Yes, I will be holding one as I have in 2012 and 2011. But my main objective – to reduce stuff- will be first and foremost in my line of sight.

It’ll be interesting to see whether my total £ reached is higher than this years, when I concentrate on the job at hand rather than getting distracted? We’ll see.

Meet me here again 31st July? No year-long sale, this time. Short and sharp. Time to get the job done.

How’s it going selling your end?

No Waste Tastes Great / Damage Limitation

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It’s Friday Guys – time for No Waste Tastes Great.

I haven’t been with the program of late. This post outlines my desire to return back to earth, and simple living. Meal-planning hasn’t been top priority.

Lack of meal planning can lead to this…

Above is yesterday’s Fridge.

Aka – A wake up call!

A little damage limitation was required in order to make today’s post not quite as grisly as anticipated on the food waste front.

The raspberries, which were looking a worse for wear, were topped with the natural yogurt for an after lunch treat:

The remaining yogurt will be used up over the weekend.

The minced beef and chopped tomatoes were made into a lasagne for dinner:

Can you see a few carrots? No problem…a slow cooked soup.

The limes peeking out? Time to chop and freeze as I do with lemons.

There was buttercream.

I say was, as I rustled up some after-school cupcakes for the kids, using an adapted version of this recipe, and topped them with the leftover frosting.

Friday night is very often curry night at Chez Wright. The peppers and tomatoes popped in the slow cooker this morning along with some potato will make a very nice meal for the Hubby and I, this evening. The Kids will have a choosing tea, using up the grapes and some of the salad along with cheese and crackers.

The final result:

Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge

How’s your Fridge looking this Friday? Anything to declare? Or is it nice and bare? Please share…and don’t forget to drop a link in the comments if you’ve blogged about it!

No Waste Tastes Great is bought to you (as always) with thanks to The Frugal Girl for the original inspiration.

Back To Simple Reality

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I’ve been away with the fairies of late.

(Cake decorations from my daughter’s 1st birthday cake, over 7 years ago. I’m such a sentimental hoarder!)

I mean – literally away with the fairies, or should that be vampires? 4 seasons of True Blood have been devoured over the last few weeks. We’re talking just shy of 40 hours – yep you read that right! Hardly any non-fiction reading has taken place, which is my usual night-time activity once the chaos of Chez Wright has subsided.

That’s not all. My much-loved-meal-planning has gone out the window. You may have read this post. I temporarily lost my way. Once again I have clutter in places I didn’t know existed, and my running shoes hadn’t seen the light of day for almost 2 months, until yesterday. Oh and ready-meals have been purchased – where will it end?

Time to get back to reality. Less cyberspace cruising, and YouTube watching.

How many times can a girl watch this? Really?

I’m deducing that mentally I needed a break.

But like any break there’s a time when you are ready to come home.

Well that holiday is over, time to come right back down to earth.

“When goals go, meaning goes. When meaning goes, purpose goes. When purpose goes, life goes dead on our hands.” Carl Jung 1875-1961 Swiss psychiatrist.

First on the list, to get back to reading. I just finished ‘Enjoy every sandwich’ by Lee Lipsenthal and started ‘The First 20 minutes’ by Gretchen Reynolds. Moving on I’ll be downloading “The meaning of things” by AC Grayling.

There isn’t anything that motivates me as much as reading about a subject, thus extending my knowledge and questioning my beliefs. It surely is the path to self-awareness.

I’d love to know what you are reading, what you’d recommend and why. To read a book that has been enjoyed by someone else extends the experience way beyond that of your own.

So that’s the starting point. There is much more to come, which I will be sharing along the way. I’m still on the journey to a ‘family life simply done’.

It’s not a Roman road, it is not a straight path. It has bends and turns, ups and downs.

“It does not matter how slow you go, so long as you do not stop.” Confucius.

Food Waste Friday / Sometimes You Need A Reminder

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It’s Friday Guys – My turn once more to host Food Waste Friday!

Click here to learn more about my Friday routine

Quite a full Friday fridge. Once again my grocery shop didn’t happen until Tuesday of this week, rather than last Friday. But…finally I’m back on track. Now feeling much healthier, which in turn increases motivation and energy.

The top shelf is chocka full of cheeses, pate, coleslaw, humous. It all lends itself very nicely to a ‘choosing tea’ – as the Kids like to call it. I’ll grab some salad from Aldi this morning (cuke and grapes below will be included) and throw in some nuts and crackers. No cooking for me tonight. Or tomorrow lunch I’d imagine!

The yogurts all have plenty of life left in them yet.

Bottom shelf holds olives and piccolo tomatoes. I’ll adapt the simple pasta dish I posted last week to rustle up a meal next week.

Talking about next week, I’m back on the meal planning program.

Ad hoc shopping and cooking doesn’t work for me and leads to this;

Not a good look.

Hang on?

There’s a small saving grace.

I had strawberries and natural yogurt down as this weeks food waste casualties. But when I took this photo, I noticed the date on the yogurt.

I’d misread it as 1st of May rather than 10th. Must have been looking at it upside down? In the words of Homer Simpson “Duh!”.

Still, the strawberries are unsalvageable. Not good.

Particularly as yesterday I was reminded just how valuable food is.

The local school held a World War 2 Day. It was a fantastic day, with real people (yes, remember those, rather than the virtual kind ) talking about their experiences, plus other activities.

The lady talking about war-time food and rationing, obviously, had me enthralled.

I doubt many British children would have been eating limitless fruit in the early forties, let alone allowing it to go to waste? Just because we have an abundance of it now, should we treat it with any less respect?

Sometimes we just need to be reminded?

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