The cupboard of dreams

Since moving into my own home and having increased access to more storage space, I have come to highly appreciate the usefulness of a well-equipped store cupboard. Very little actual money has been spent this week. Any new products I have acquired have been from various points and vouchers. The majority of my meals are being concocted from what I’ve already got.

For example, breakfasts have consisted of reduced GF bagels lurking in the freezer, or berry porridge made with milk bought on points.

Lunches have been made up of the range of loaves and rolls I’ve frozen earlier in the month. Add a bit of cheese and salad, a piece of fruit and a lunchbox has been made. For my sister’s visit, I only had to purchase an aubergine and a courgette to make this delicious ratatouille dish for us to share. The addition of the GF cous cous was perfection.

When the days before payday are creeping by, I’ve learnt it’s important to focus on what you do have, rather than what you don’t have. I have no more peppers in stock, or tins of kidney beans. But I’ve still managed to make a hearty chilli, using bargain mince from a recent shopping trip, no peppers but a fat onion and no kidney beans, but a couple of tablespoons of red lentils. Thanks to the slow cooker, this humble meal should taste exceptional by this evening.

Necessity is the mother of invention. When my purse is fuller once more, I shall have to replenish my beloved store cupboard, so that next month, I’ll still be eating well right up to the end of the month.

Fuel for the day

Monday is shopping day. It’s the day I trawl around several different shops in order to get the best prices for my weekly rations. I love it. Shopping is a wonderful hobby, it never feels like a chore to me. From my unscientific research, it seems to be that males do not like taking them time perusing a shop and its wares. It’s more of an in-out-get-out-as-fast-as-you-can sort of job. But me and a girlfriend spent an hour this morning hopping from one store to the next and it was glorious.

But as today was shopping day, I woke up this morning with a dilemma. No apples for muesli, no bananas for porridge, I can’t make toast in this kitchen and I certainly wasn’t going to use an egg for just one meal. I had been browsing Carolyn’s famous blog and decided to try out her recipe for Eggless Pancakes. They were divine.

As mine were made with g-f flour, they were not light and fluffy, but I do think the addition of a little bicarbonate of soda did help. They were quick to make, cheap, using few ingredients and tasted delicious drizzled with honey and served alongside a strong cup of tea.

It can be hard making supplies last the week, but when you get to the end of the week and there’s still goodies for breakfast, you know you’re doing ok.

Ingenuity

It’s one of those strange days that feels like a day off. I get to wake up slowly, peruse the blog world and wear my most comfiest black leggings. But alas, this afternoon I will be changing into my uniform and heading out to work. Sometimes it’s a burden, waiting around all day and being unable to settle because you’re constantly clock-watching. But today, I’m enjoying the relaxed pace of the morning.

The chap brought me back a darling souvenir from his travels. He collects tankards and fancy beer glasses, which I’ve always been envious of. But now I have my very own, all the way from Heidelberg, Germany.

Being gluten-intolerant, I don’t in fact drink beer. I had been using my new tankard for water, which I guzzle all day. But this morning, I truly fancied a huge vat of tea. That’s one way of making my tea ration stretch, using one bag to create a half litre of tea 🙂 And saving electric, as you only have to boil the kettle once. It was a wonderful accompaniment to my muesli. (Sue – I’m yet to be organised enough to try your tip for muesli, but I will do soon!)

I probably won’t do this regularly, as I fear staining my precious tankard, but I did enjoy reading my book this morning, large mug in hand. It’s the simple things that I find most relaxing of all.

Swiss Breakfast

My new job is fairly manual, meaning there is a fair amount of lifting and pushing and pulling involved in my day-to-day working life. Without trying to sound like a television advert, I need a sustaining breakfast to help me get through until lunch time. I don’t really do cereals anymore, mostly because I can’t eat many of them and also because I don’t think they keep me full as well as oats.

It’s far too hot for porridge at the moment so I’ve been adventurous with my morning oats and have created my ideal bowl of muesli. Although the word “muesli” wasn’t in common use during wartime, I did find a recipe for Swiss breakfast, which is basically the same thing. This is an evolved version of the overnight oats I featured here.

In the mix, we’ve got:

1 chopped apple

large handful of oats

small handful of sultanas

sprinkle of seed mix

1 tsp honey

semi-skimmed milk

 

I don’t leave mine overnight to soak, but it is nicer if you leave it in the fridge for ten minutes before eating. The ingredients all fit into my rationing guidelines, aside from the seed mix which was left over from before. I wonder if I will get to a time when all my stores of food are all from rations or the points system. I do hope so.