My top tips to survive this time at home!

My top tips to survive this time at home!

Firstly if your struggling with shopping to be delivered try local producers many do deliver other than supermarkets
the big small shop is a good example - there are many cheese/dairy suppliers, meats and bakery  companies to your local area that deliver search for them online and use your local shops too

1.      .. Try to eat foods and flavours that you are really in the mood for if you can- that way you will be far more satisfied and will tend to eat less. So... this will help with shopping for less and wasting less food. You will feel better mentally too!

2.     Think! How much food have you got in your home that you can get creative with? In your cupboards and freezers. Now is the time to use them up and with recipes and don't be afraid to substitute ingredients.

3.     Makes batches of soups from dry ingredients as the water content is high in most soups these are great ways to use fewer ingredients (dry broth mixes are brilliant and cheap and often neglected) chuck in only a few fresh vegetables to help it along. Tinned tomatoes use half the required amount and add in tomato puree topped up with water so to make things stretch. Soups can be used as sauces too.

4.     Batch freeze homemade soups in that now that emptier freezer. and or share your offerings this is so appreciated. Sharing has really hit home and taken on a new meaning -a good feel factor for the receiver and the giver. I hope this is something not forgotten when out on the other side. It can be very isolating if one lives alone and even more so now more important to reach out to each other.

5.     Stocks cubes, anchovies, soya sauce, spices, strong hard cheese, feta, tomato puree, marmite, and yeast have strong flavours and you don't need a lot of to flavour dishes. Helping things go a long way. 

6.     Have a rough plan of your shopping list before you head off- working around what you already have in, buy things that complement the store cupboard ingredients. Remember, not everything past its use-by/ best before date is ready for the bin!

7.     Look forward to mealtimes - you have the time to cook, as if it's a little adventure for that creative interaction with the family, pop the music on and enjoy cooking! 

8.     Use up flours at the back your cupboards to make pancakes, wraps, flatbreads, bread, and Yorkshire puddings which you can fill with all sorts for the main mealtime. Try my two ingredients bread recipe.

9.     Use up flavoured/fruit teabags to cook rice by adding into the boiling water - Jasmin and Lemon and ginger or any that take your fancy.  They are great!

10. Keep your lemon, lime, orange and clementine peels- cut out as much of the pith as you can - stick them on a tray in your airing cupboard. When they are totally dry- grind them down using pestle and mortar or your coffee grinder to create a powder that will jazz up plain yogurts and drinks and desserts.

11. Freeze grapes if you have too many and fear of them going off – they are yummy frozen! Most fruits freeze well.

12. Bulk dishes out with pulses lentils and beans from those cupboards. I find soaking them in flavoured water (use herbs and spices) works well as they good at absorbing. the water can then be used for stocks, soups, and sauces

13. Breadcrumbs are a great way to substitute pastry and if you can’t make them or buy them try roasting cream crackers and crumbling them up. I add salt and pepper to the crumb before sparkling it over meals

14. Use up overripe fruit by pureeing it and have it over cereal or plain yogurts or desserts- no need to through them away.

15. Ripe bananas - freeze them (peel and cut into chunks first and pop them into a freezer bag). When you fancy some ice cream whizz the frozen bananas in the food processer for instant ice cream or mash a ripe banana in a bowl, add an egg - mix and make pancakes from the batter. No flour needed!

16. If you can’t find yeast in the shops and want to make bread, try my simple yeast starter recipe that anyone can make at home. 

17. If you are struggling to find bread flour, try my two-ingredient bread recipe that uses yoghurt instead of yeast made without bread flour and uses no oven!

18. If your lucky enough to have a garden - plant edible seeds herbs they a good idea as they grow fast and it’s rewarding seeing them flourish for use at mealtimes. I think the garden will be a lifesaver. Get the children involved 

19.If you don't have antibacterial/anti-virus spray as it seems to be like gold dust in these strange times-mix 1 tablespoon of bleach with 4 litres of water and use an empty spray bottle on your kitchen surfaces to kill the germs and bacteria and viruses- this mild solution should be fine on most surfaces - test a little area first if you're worried.
     (I am spraying down any parcels delivered on the drive - and leaving them out there for 1 hr before opening and bring in the contents which I spray again and keeps washing those hands- hand cream has come in very handy but a touch of almond oil works well - I added a drop of lavender oil to a bottle and use that. 

20. Look after your wellbeing and by changing that mindset and make the most of the fact that your safe in your home and think about all those books you want to read and not just the cooking onesie my case. Finding a new routine will help. Stay connected with your friends and family and think about starting a new hobby -there are lots of free online courses too.  

21.Drink plenty of water its good to stay hydrated as the body simply functions better for you and calories free /fat-free and it’s a tap away. You can add in flavoured ice cubes with pieces of lemon, oranges or a bit of juice and enjoy a refreshing drink!

22. Enjoy exercise every day even if it’s only 10 mins and get that into your daily routine it a great way to feed yourself the good stuff and feel fabulous.

And

Stay grateful for all you have and thanks to all the great scientists, medics and technologists and front-line workers who we take out hats off to that will get us to through to the other side!  Stay safe, keep creative and connected. I would love to hear from you and what your tips are.

Namaste
Gita x

(c) Gita Mistry2020