Sunday morning

From the garden

Goodness, I slept like a log last night!  All that bustling about in the kitchen must have worn me out good and proper.  It was worth it though - I now have four chicken kormas and three sweet and sours ready, labelled and bagged, for the freezer.  I had the other sweet and sour portion last night and it was lovely, except that I over chilli-ed it so it had more 'bite' to it than I expected.  Something learnt there.  I added extra veg - some broccoli, some carrot very finally sliced on the diagonal and some mushrooms and that made it a very substantial meal with plenty of my five-a-day in it.  No rice though, I preferred it without.  Now, when I fancy a take  away, I don't need to pay the earth!  I'm hoping that the Hairy Dieters book, when it comes, will have other takeaway type recipes and then I can do what I've always wished the local Chinese and Indian places would do - a varied selection of very small portions.  I know they do 'set meals' but the set meal (in the singular) for one is dead boring and the portions are still larger than necessary.

So - bright idea number one today - if there are other likely recipes, I will make them and freeze the results in small pots (of which I have plenty) so that I could have three different items in the same meal for, I bet, half the price or less of a bought takeaway.  Worth a try anyway.  I do so love these flavoursome, spicy dishes, but there's always too much and they are always expensive (in comparison).

I also set to and MADE myself change the lesson planning.  I'd got it all done by Friday but then decided to go along another route so had to change all the theme planning.  It's done now, as is the maths and the 'what are we doing this week' posted for the window, all printed out and ready and very satisfying it feels too.  Sorting through and organising my resource files (or starting to anyway) means that I have a better idea of what's in there and I know I have most of the paper resources for this coming week - so that's also great.  No point reinventing the wheel, is there?

While I was in Sainsbury's yesterday morning I got four little non-stick pudding moulds - the kind you use to make individual sponges.  Seeing as the HD's skinny pie is definitely on the menu on a regular basis, these will be ideal in which to cook it

On to today.  I didn't get the chewy oat cookies made yesterday and I'm glad I didn't because this morning I noticed that the person who wrote up the recipe on their blog also said that one can scoop the raw cookies onto a baking tray with a non stick surface, then open freeze them before bagging.  That way one can bake one at a time, or however many one needs, ideal for someone who lives alone.  So that's what I am going to do.  I will have them there but the need to cook and cool will deter the casual snacking.  Clever!

DD and DG won't be coming round today (sad) as they are off to a lunchtime party in Maldon (nice) so I have another day to chill, relax, sort things out and generally be thoroughly lazy!  And make those cookies!