'..We will remember them..' Charity Challenge DAY 4

I hope he got my parcel today, because it's his birthday.  Not that birthdays or christmas are much different from any other day out there, but I know he loves getting the kids homemade cards and letters. I can see him smiling as he opens them. 
That's all I can see though. I can't imagine what life is like for him, I can't picture it. There's too much of a gulf between his reality and mine. 

I find it hard to write about his last tour of Afghanistan in 2009.  76 british soldiers lost their lives that summer and hundreds were injured.  There was so much sadness and it was the longest 6 months of my life.
The media coverage was relentless because of the rising death toll: reports from the frontline as the troops forced the Taliban out of southern Helmand, heartbreaking scenes from Wootton Bassett and debates about whether british soldiers should be there at all.  There was no escape from the news and the anxiety wore me down.  It was almost as if I couldn't breathe properly and I found I was sleep-walking through the daily routine.   I thought constantly about the families who had lost loved ones and worried about my husband.  
I remember thinking about the sense of detachment I'd felt as a journalist, when I'd reported on casualties in other conflicts: now I was on the flip side of the story and it was so incredibly hard. 
I also remember feeling frustrated, listening to radio phone-ins about the rights and wrongs of british troops being in Afghanistan.  It seemed pretty pointless to me, because what ever your view, there was no going back. They were there, doing the job our politicians had sent them to do, and what they needed more than anything was to know we supported them back home.  

I used to come down in the morning and make myself turn on the radio, praying Afghanistan wasn't top of the bulletin.  Now, thankfully, almost three years on, it's not dominating the news so much, but our soldiers are still there, risking their lives.  
That's why I wanted to support the Rifles 'Care for Casualties' Appeal this week, because I feel it's so important we never forget the sacrifices they have made.

I'd be one of the first to admit that being married to a soldier isn't easy; it's much more than a job, it is a way of life.  Over the years I have struggled with many aspects of being an army wife, like the uncertainty, moving, living a part - but above all else, I am immensely proud of him.  More than I could ever say.

Happy birthday sweetheart.

Time to get a breadmaker? - Charity Challenge DAY 3

The kids finished off the drop scones for breakfast and the last of the bread, so I needed to make a new loaf. Now that sounds very casual, like I do it a lot, but the truth is I can count on two hands the number of times I've made bread from scratch. 

I wasn't very confident about it at all.  

Maybe it's time to get a breadmaker?  So many people swear by them, but I don't have a great track record with small kitchen machines.  After my initial burst of enthusiasm they tend to get neglected and just clutter up the place.  Have to say though, I was just about ready to order one, when my hands and rings (eejit!) were covered in sticky dough and the phone rang....  

I chose Jamie's Basic Bread recipe as it sounded easy - and kept my fingers crossed because the flour had been in the cupboard for a very long time.  I wasn't brave enough to start on a flat surface and make a well for the water in a mound of flour, (just asking for trouble) so started in a bowl and then slapped the mixture onto the table. I managed to make a right old mess!  

I used quite a bit of flour, but it kept stubbornly sticking to the wood - is there any way round this or is it just part and parcel of making bread?  Things improved after that and I love the squeaky noise the dough makes when you knead out the air.  

It wasn't until I got to this stage that I realised there were no timings or oven temperature on the recipe! Luckily I found them in the comments - 200 degrees C for 25 minutes, then check. Amazingly that tatty bit of dough on the table turned into this.  It's huge!

We had savoury rice with chicken for tea.  I whizzed up half a large leek and a carrot (surprise!) because l find there are less complaints if they can't work out what vegetable they're eating....  You see, I do have one very tricky eater, who would be deeply suspicious of chunks of leek, but if they're finely chopped in a food processor, I seem to be able to get away with it (find it works a treat with courgettes too)  He's not keen on potatoes either - how can you not like potatoes?!  So I begged him to eat a few small,crispy ones on monday and didn't tell him what was in the soup yesterday! (he loved it)

Back to tea and I fried the vegetable mix for a few minutes, added the rice, stirred it all together and poured in my homemade stock.  When the rice had absorbed the stock and was nearly cooked I added some of the leftover chicken. Then some seasoning, parsley from the pot and a quick squirt of lemon juice at the end to zing it up. 

Plain yogurt, the rest of the peaches and a splash of honey for pud.  Day 3 done!

Twelve pound Charity Challenge - DAY 2

Obviously there's no one here to keep an eye on me while I'm doing this Challenge.  All I can say is, that's not going to be a problem!  Even going round a car park the wrong way makes me feel bad.  So trust me, I'll be sticking to the slightly bendy rules, because I have absolutely no desire to be plagued with guilt!  Anyway it's not just a Charity challenge, it's a personal one too - and I want to prove to myself I can do it.


I was a little apprehensive when I checked the returning lunch boxes yesterday, but thankfully they were all empty and the feedback wasn't bad.  
The contents had looked a little pale though.....(small sprig of home grown parsley added for a splash of colour!)  

I fought and lost the battle for brown bread, but not to worry, I'll find another way to get more fibre into them! They're having cream cheese sandwiches, with a bit of chicken today. (I stripped every single, solitary morsel of meat off that bird last night and made some lovely stock)  
My crisps alternative is crackers with a spread of marmite.  No complaints about the carrot sticks either and they all loved the muffins.  I put half a tin of the peaches + juice into the muffin mix so they were sweet and gooey.  Carrot muffins next (the children are going to be sick of the sight of carrots by the end of this week!)


Tonight we had leek and potato soup followed by pancakes, of course! Well, drop scones to be more precise.  I used Hugh FW's recipe - but watered down the milk and cut back on butter to save on supplies.  They were still delicious!

One, two, three go!!

  

Twelve pound Charity Challenge - DAY 1

Just to make the Challenge extra especially difficult, I went shopping with the children!  Not the best plan, but it was the weekend.  My usual ploy when they're with me is to keep the trolley rolling, so I walk and lift on the move, while scanning the shelves ahead.  Stop and the trouble starts.....


This time I had to stop. My carefully crafted list was short but I needed to take a really good look at the prices.  I also needed to shop around and went to FOUR supermarkets.  Luckily they're all close to each other; that was the only lucky thing! I was on my knees by the last one.  


It was hard deciding what to buy, but it did make me think about what I usually put in my trolley. My food shop can be seven or even more times the £12 limit.  What have I been buying?!  I used to be quite good at guessing my total as I waited in the checkout queue - now I'm always way under.


So here's my 'teeny weeny bit over' £12 list. I know lists are dull, but this one is important! 


ASDA
small chicken       £2.82
large onion                14
2x500g pasta            60
soft cheese 250g      68
plain yogurt 500g     55
baked beans             29
bread                          47
mozzarella                44 
LIDL
2xtinned toms           62
milk 2.272l             1.00
10 eggs                     85
carrots 1kg                59
rice 1kg                     40
cream crackers        36
split lentils 500g       88
TESCO
cornflakes                 39
tinned peaches        29
FARMFOODS
potatoes 2kg            69
TOTAL              £12.06


Blimey! It looks so short and took me so long!  A neighbour has kindly given me two leeks from her garden and I have half a tub of Clover left in the fridge.  That's it though, a part from leftover flour, sugar and cooking oil in the cupboard, plus the odd dollop of jam or honey.  I don't think that's pushing it really? And as I've already said, the money normally spent on the weekly shop is going to the Rifles "Care for Casualties" Appeal.


I probably have a bit of an advantage because I'm catering for the kids and only one adult. Still, three pounds each stretched over seven days - it's going to be interesting!  


Breakfast this morning was straightforward enough; just one for milk and cereal and toast for the rest of us.  Packed lunches looked a little anaemic, (I'll delve into them in more detail tomorrow when I've heard the verdict!) and lentil soup for me.


Tonight I'm going to lull them into a false sense of security with chicken, roast potatoes and carrots! 
                  

Day 91 - Twelve pound Charity Challenge!

I've wanted to have a go at this for ages!  It's possibly a bit bonkers, but I love a challenge and love a bargain, so the idea of spending just twelve pounds on the weekly food shop appeals to me. I've also told a few friends I'm going to do it, so have to now, don't I ? 


My Granny had an amazing knack of being able to make something out of nothing. There was never any waste in her kitchen and always a large pot of interesting looking soup. I'm quite sure some of her frugal skills rubbed off on all of us (apart from her fondness for offal)  
She was a wonderful cook; I think about her often and know she would have loved this challenge.


Spending so little has made me think long and hard about what to buy and what to cook. Obviously a lot more planning needed. Getting our five-a-day might be tricky and you can forget organic, apart from some sad looking parsley growing in a pot outside the back door.  Of course the challenge would be a lot easier if we grew our own vegetables (something I'm going to try this year)  
Looking more closely at what I buy has made me realise that fruit and veg make up a hefty chunk of our weekly food bill.  More than I thought really.  


So what's in and what's out?  Well, there'll be no rummaging around in the freezer, but I can use any flour and sugar that's in the cupboard and a spoonful or two of things like honey, jam, and cooking oil.   A teeny bit of flexibility is ok, isn't it? Anyway, they're my rules and the money I usually spend on the weekly shop is going to the Rifles "Care for Casualties" Appeal.  Please do take a look.


I've done my best to prepare the kids for day one on monday and they seem quite keen! Things might change when they look inside an empty fridge.  The youngest was a little shocked when I told her there wouldn't be much in the way of treats or pudding, "No pudding mummy?"   Wait until she sees what's in her lunch box....


The fun starts tomorrow!

Day 78 - A change IS as good as a rest

We went to London on the train,

(going away keeps me sane)

Delayed, of course, which was dire,

Some eejit had nicked the signalling wire.

Once on board we found our seats

I'd brought some 'keep them quiet' treats.

Lots of excitement, it was going well,

when the youngest shouted, "What's that SMELL?"

"Mummy, I think that someone's farted"

It was our neighbour's egg sarnies....he'd just started...

We were picked up from the station by my friend Anna,

she's tall and wise and a ninja planner.

She took us to Hamleys: a kingdom of toys,

not sure who had more fun, the 'big girls' or the boys.

We had lunch with the crocodiles at the Rainforest Cafe,

It was all going swimmingly until we'd to pay...

An 'arm and a leg' later', in Trafalgar Square,

the fountain had frozen, but the pigeons didn't care.

We got a bus back before the snow set in,

definitely time for a sizeable gin.

Then some grown-up chat! Nothing too deep,

I talked at Anna 'til she fell asleep.

Next day, Iggy the snowman; brunch at eleven;

A splashing Duck Tour of London, the kids were in heaven.

Then to the station, and a few moments later,

The youngest was pushed (?) down the escalator..

She had a bump on her head and was cross with her brother,

I'm sure people were thinking what a terrible mother!

Back on the train,

back to the beginning,

but I feel less of a loon

and more like I'm winning?