Eating for "not a lot".

[Alice Abbott]

We are now four months into our self-imposed year of frugality, living in our still rather dilapidated farm with no power or running water.

We have a a great woodburning range plus a basic store cupboard of flour, pulses, rice and dried pasta plus a few other "essentials". I have also managed to negotiate various barters and swaps and now have access to eggs, milk, an occasional rabbit, freezer space and power to charge my laptop battery. Other than that we are completely dependant upon what we can grow or forage.

A few weeks ago I decided to keep a copy of a week´s normal meals as a visitor expressed doubt that our kids were eating "properly". This is what I've come up with. Nothing is "shop bought" other than the basic supplies plus the baked beans which were a gift. I've done a rough check and think we are covering all the bases as far as nutrients go. I forgot to add that we drink wine, ginger beer, boiled well water, fruit and herb teas and we will soon have cider too. For the kids "treats" I have been making frozen fruit popsicles, mainly raspberry and blackberry. They see very happy with these! Hopefully the supplies will last right through to next June. I get more and more determined to see this through. We haven't used a quarter of our supplies yet, although I can see us really ploughing into them once the winter starts.

Monday

Home made bread with goats milk butter (I can make about half a pound a week from the excess goats’ milk I’m given) and quince jelly (from some hedgerow trees). Apples.

Hummus (I make it myself from our chick pea store) on rolls with tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs.

Home made veggie burger with jacket potato and salad. Rice pudding (really nice even though I made it with ordinary rather than pudding rice) with blackberry jam.

Tuesday

Toast (I have problems making this as we have to hold the bread on a prong in front of the open “furnace” bit of the woodburning range) with more butter, scrambled eggs and baked beans (free gift and very much appreciated). Nectarines.

More hummus. Salad with pickled onions, chutney and beetroot on homemade bread rolls and goats butter.

Rest of the veggie burgers with creamed potatoes and green beans.

.


Wednesday

Scrambled eggs with onion and herbs on bread and butter. Sliced tomatoes.

Mushroom and herb omelette (we had a lot of eggs that day and probably were in egg overload)

Chick pea and potato curry with pilau rice and some not very successful home made naan breads (I’ve since perfected them – I now add home made yoghurt and onion seeds to the mix). Home made yoghurt & fruit.

Thursday

Home made tomato soup (don’t ask why!) with bread (we ran out of butter), hazelnuts and raisins (I made them from our own grapes – they taste fine but look a bit odd).

Fried egg sandwiches. Nectarines and plums

Three bean & soya chilli and rice

Friday

Oatmeal porridge. Stewed tomatoes on toast . Plums

Baked potatoes with chilli (I made too much the day before) with salad.

Tomato, onion and cottage cheese Quiche with salad and bread rolls.

Saturday

Homemade hazelnut butter sandwiches (we like peanuts but that’s all we have and they taste great on bread). More plums

Scotch eggs (made with a TVP and onion mixed) and salad

Spaghetti Bolognese with green salad. Coffee fudge squares ( I was experimenting with these for Xmas presents. Mmmm!)

Sunday

Boiled eggs with bread and butter.

Chip butties. Home made yoghurt with fresh fruit sliced in it.

Rabbit stew (our neighbour came up with the promised rabbit, although I didn’t enjoy preparing it one little bit) with potatoes and green beans.
Nectarine pie with cream skimmed from the top of the goats milk (I save it for butter making but couldn’t resist it on the pie).

I'm still trying to bottle and pickle as much as I possibly can and the freezer I have been given access to is bulging so I'm hopeful we will manage to pull off this experiment. If so we will be back on budget to get on with the renovations next June. Fortunately we have plenty of jobs to be getting on with in the meantime which don't involve using our funds. Since the begining of June we have now spent €67 on essentials (including lamp oil, seeds, petrol & chicken feed) so I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself!

[Green Aura]

I really don't think you need to worry about feeding your kids.

That sounds like a menu to be proud of. Well balanced, nutritious, varied and tasty.

[jampot]

my god i wish my diet was that tasty and healthy . you and the kids have nowt to worry over as far a snutrition goes!!!

can i come for tea i want home made bread and goat butter!

[red]

sounds very healthy to me

as for the kids. if they are a good size, seem healthy and have enough energy to run about.. they are just great

[Berti]

be proud of yourself!!!! nothing wrong with the menu.
and do you grow the nectarines yourself, too??

berti

[mrsflibble]

there is nothing wrong with that diet, but remember a lot of people are of the opinion that if you're vegetarian (or like you, opportunist omnivore), then you're not feeding your kids right. it's stupid, I am a meat eater and accept opportunists, vegetarians and vegans, there are plenty of ways to get protien and nutrients other than meat, i just happen to like meat lol!!

so, yeah. nowt wrong with that menu and as others have said if your kids are growing and healthy looking, you've nothing to worry about.

[Milims]

Mmmmmm Yummy!

[MuddyWitch]

I just compared your delicious menu to the one my neighbours' kids have:

Breakfast: a glass of cola (I kid you not!)

Lunch: chip butties (sandwiches, if you'r posh ), more cola

Dinner: muck-donald burger-type thing & 'fries,' muck-shake (a drink that I doubt owes nothing to cow let alone goat)

Between meals; crisps, sweets & chocolate, endless supply of cola

Bear in mind we live in an affluent suburb, with a T€$co mega store less than a mile away & Co-op & Ic€land less than 2000M away! (Muck-d is half way up the road to T€$cos) We also have an excellant chinese take away, a choice of two indian take aways (this IS Leicester) and four old fashioned chippies, who serve lovely fish, as well as kebabs.

I once asked her why she doesn't cook, she replied that it was 'too much hastle'! I offered her some tomatoes but she screwed her nose up & said ' No, Ta, my kids won't eat owt else but muck-d's'!!!

They are fat, obnoctious brats, always arguing, throwing tantrums and annoying each other and every-one-else, VERY LOUDLY. They are five and three years old!

Your children will grow up appriciating the freshness of foods in their season, the subtle tastes of herbs, the quality of their diet & most important of all: your kids know you love & CARE for them.

MW

PS, if I bring swaps can I come for tea too? ;)

[Carltonian Man]

That looks tasty and nutritious Alice, and interesting to boot (always useful where kids meals are concerned). Judging by the shape of the youngsters round here, and what I see them shovelling down on their way to school, they could do far worse than to take a leaf out of your book.

Martin

PS did you eat the rabbit offal? (heart, liver and kidneys). They're gorgeous gently fried in a bit of butter.

[Thomzo]

Can I come to tea please? Your menu sounds wonderful.

The more I see of what other people eat, the more I am convinced that bad food = bad mood!

Cheers
Zoe

[Rosendula]

What a lovely sounding menu. I feel that my diet has improved a million-fold in the last couple of years, but it would need to improve the same amount again to be anywhere near as good as what you're eating. Keep up the good work