I know this year is all about 'Needs not Wants', but I decided I did need a couple of new books, which felt strange for me because usually I buy books because I see or hear about them and decide I want them. These I sought out.
The other couple of books I am reading at the moment are on the Amazon linky thing on the sidebar, so you can nip over and find out more about them, and read other people reviews about them if you want to. It's unusual for me to have four on the go at once, but I am dipping into each as and when I have time.
This book, Deliciously Ella, is by a fellow Blogger whose blog of the same name is HERE.
I'm not going to go into depth about the book but if you want to read why she started her blog, healthy lifestyle and then eventually wrote the book you can read a little bit more about her here in her own words.
Needless to say after the effects a lot of foods I have been eating very regularly have been having on me recently, I thought reading a book like this could only be beneficial. I wish I was so single-minded that I could transform my diet and lifestyle the way she did, but I suppose when you were as ill as she was it's easier, or maybe I should say more important, to just snap to and just get on with it.
At the weekend I went down to stay in Lovely Hubby's southern digs for a few days away from the old farmstead. He had booked a treat that was right up my street. I've found vegetarian options hard to find and the ones I have found have been pretty bog standard in cafes and restaurants since moving to North Wales, so he had sought out and tried out with his mates a brilliant Ethiopian cafe/restaurant in central Reading. Most of the dishes were vegan, with a small selection of meat sides if required (how refreshing to have meat on the side for once).
The food was delicious, we chose to try the Veggy Lover Sharing Platter, which came with 4 Injeras which are pancake-like thin breads to scoop up the curried and spiced vegetables with, and a bowl of rice to share. Although I asked Lovely Hubby if he wanted some meat he stuck with the vegetarian option and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Not being used to the amount of lentils, chickpeas and vegetables both our tummies were making strange noises late into the evening and for most of the next day, but the food was absolutely delicious and it has inspired me to play around with lentils and other pulses much more.
It ties in nicely with my new book then, and my hopeful switch away from dairy.
Talking of which I had a vegetable curry last night, I completely cheated and decided to use some frozen vegetables and a jar of Tikka Masala curry sauce, one of my old favourites ....BIG MISTAKE. I had milder symptoms of the other night when I woke this morning, so I read the label of another identical jar that is in the cupboard .... guess what .... 6% Double Cream ... DUH. I should have read the label first!!
You live and learn. Less of the jars and more cooking from scratch for me from now on.
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Finally .... can I just say a big THANK YOU for all the fabulous comments yesterday. They are very appreciated. It seems there are a lot of us and our families too that have changed or are changing their diets to more healthy ones, either through necessity or just a desire to do so.
It makes reading my new book even more important to me
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Sue xx
Funnily enough I was only talking about Ella last week with another friend who had been reading her blog. She has some fab recipes there. I don't have the book (but do have a birthday in March!) so if you use any recipes and think they are particularly good, please pop it in your posts - it's good to get personal recommendations!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this ! I cut down on wheat & dairy before Christmas & lost half a stone. Was hard to keep to it over Christmas but time to start again !
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a useful book. Thanks for the recommendation Sue. And good luck!
ReplyDeleteThe cafe looks great. I agree with you, so nice to see meat as the side dish for a change.
ReplyDeleteWe have had to make some changes to our diet too. Dan has a chronic bowel disorder so he can't eat particular types of fibre, lots of fruit and veg are off limits. We have only a very small amount of dairy now (milk in tea) as well as no meat or fish and his flare ups don't seem to be as bad when they happen.
I have read good things about Ella, must look for her book in the library.
ReplyDeleteI've seen that book elsewhere, it sounds interesting so I think I will make another trip for it. The Ethiopian restaurant sounds wonderful, I like the sound of the platter. I like that scooping up of bits of things. x
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, our health is in our hands. One of the benefits of cooking from scratch, as you know, is that you decide what goes in it. Seeing as how cancer has risen from 1:2 from 1:3, we need to be looking after our bodies as well as possible. Hope your new way of eating helps.
ReplyDeletenever heard of her, need to check her out, thank you for the link.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for finding some assistance for your cooking...those are great fun. I became a serious label reader many years ago, looking for carb and sugar contents.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to hear what you think about the book. I've never been to an Ethiopian restaurant, sounds very interesting, especially if they cater well for vegetarians. I don't think I could live without lentils, I grew up with them and they have been a staple ever since. Making sure you give them a good soak before eating and cooking them with bay leaves or kombu helps.
ReplyDeleteSue, do you think that tummies get used to the new food eventually? It's a bit embarrassing at times with the lentils and so on.
ReplyDeleteI think they do. And once you know what to pair things with that helps too, nature usually provides accompanying foods to go with foods that can upset tummies in windy ways ......there, now wasn't that tactfully said ;-)
DeleteFor example, artichokes when served with either Summer or Winter Savoury (a herb type plant) do not warrant their alternative name of 'fartichokes'.
LOL. Never heard of fartichokes. I have Hugh Fearnley Whittingshall's book called Light and Easy River Cottage. Very good recipes and no dairy or wheat. I recommend it.
DeleteHi Sue, I read your blog everyday and really appreciate your thoughts. I went plant-based about three years ago for health reasons and have also had i ncidents of "rumbly in my tumbly" due to beans/pulses. One thing that has helped me enormously is soaking them for a few hours (lentils) to overnight (beans) which helps with digestion. This doesn't work for canned but I try to use dried whenever I can to be more frugal. Good luck on your journey. I like the mantra "progress not perfection"!
ReplyDeleteA really good mantra. A small step forward is just that ... a step forward.
DeleteI think our tummies just objected quite loudly because four of the five vegetable choices we made were lentils or pulses and the other one included cabbage :-)
The restaurant looks great!
ReplyDeleteJane x
It was both food wise and atmosphere wise. Very 'Oxfamy' if you know what I mean, I loved it.
DeleteThere was a real mix of people in there, older people, studenty types and lots of single folk just having a drink and their tea, enjoying the music and their own company .... and there were books everywhere for you to have a read if you wanted to.
Unfortunately we had to catch the last train back to LH's digs otherwise we could have stopped for the live musicians that were just setting up.
I have a few jars of Approved Foods curry sauces and pastes to use, but when they are gone I am dying to try Elaine at Mortgage Free in Three's curry in a hurry, I dare not try it first in case I then don't want to use the jars LOL. I am still using milk, but have cut out cream, which I love, after experiencing a few episodes such as you described, I could have killed for a choccie éclair after my gym session yesterday, but managed to resist!
ReplyDeleteA lot of the jars I'm trying to use up won't be replaced. I will just keep the empties for refilling with homemade sauces.
DeleteElaine's, Curry in a Hurry sounds brilliant, I think I have the recipe saved on the computer, I'll have to look it out when I have used my supplies up, either on myself or on Lovely Hubby in the case of the ones that do not agree with me.
That does look like a good book, I might need that too! Enjoy reading and making xx
ReplyDeleteElla's chocolate caramel slice is to die for! However, because she does not use onion or garlic, I find myself adding them to her recipes otherwise some are a little bland. I love the look of the Ethiopian restaurant x
ReplyDeleteIve just got her book too! Good luck! XX
ReplyDeleteI've seen this book in a few placed and I have been very tempted.
ReplyDeleteX x