A busy week...

I ordered a Kangaroo Island Relief Hamper through Hamper Emporium - I am really pleased with it for the price.  I paid $100 and I think it is great value.  The wine is a $30 bottle, the shampoo and conditioner are $42/set, 2 x olives at $7.95 ea, olive oil $12.95, rolled oats $6.00, plus the other items so well over $100.  They also give a donation to the KI Mayors Fund...

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We've started doing Meatless Mondays.  This is a Moroccan Lentil Shepherd's Pie, quite delicious and ZERO points.  The roast pumpkin topping was delicious!

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I served it with steamed greens, also 0 points...

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I also had enough for 2 lunches to freeze...

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The weather has been odd of late...very humid with chilly mornings, quite foggy.  Just look how green the park lands are now, after that big rain we had.

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Tuna Tuesday meant I needed to search the WW app to find a recipe.  These are Tuna mornay vegetable bakes...

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Husband declared it the best tuna morney he's ever had...not sure if he was joking or for real but they certainly were tasty...

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Muesli, fruit and half a serve of yoghurt for breakfast...

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I did a comparison of these 2 blueberry yoghurts I had in the fridge.  Bearing in mind the Dairy Farmers is not a low fat one but it just goes to show how you can cut back by using a low fat option.

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The Chobani one is 170 gms and 5 points and the DF one is 150 gms and 9 points.

Chobani - total Fat 0.3, Sat. fat 0.2, Sugar 16.7, Kjs 564.4 and Protein 13.6 

D/F - total Fat 9.3, Sat. fat 6.0, Sugar 20.2, Kjs 822 and Protein 5.7

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Wednesday night, I was a bit over everything so just coated chicken breasts in a crumb coating and baked until tender.  Servied with roasted potatoes, pumpkin and zucchini and sweet corn...

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On my morning walk, I noticed these shrubs which were bursting into bloom...

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I have been told they are Crepe Myrtles, something I'd heard of but never seen in flower...lovely!

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Yummy porridge again...

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Put my car through the car wash on Thursday...

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My nephew gifted us a crayfish so I made 3 salads to enjoy with it.  It was delicious!

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Friday morning, the horizon was cloudy at sunrise, quite spectacular...

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Ugh!  I tried Woolworths Macro Linseed & Sunflower 85% Lower Carb bread - husband complained about it, saying it was not good.   I thought he was a bit whingy until I tried it.  I think eating cardboard would've have more taste.  I actually cut off the crusts so I could chew it!  I did not enjoy it with my eggs at all!  Never again!

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...and after saying my tomatoes would never ripen, I finally had a red one!

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I picked it but it wasn't very juicy...

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We headed off to Adelaide for the weekend.  A special Valentines Day for us and wedding venue hunting on Sunday...the bride and groom think they've found the spot!

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Cheers - Joolz xx

Weekend roundup...

*** Spider warning - a few pics coming up ***

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First up, Friday night Fakeaway - turkey apple burger with carrot, beetroot, tomato, apple lettuce slaw and mayo on a brioche (bun not WW approved, but it was small, light and fluffy)...

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I had steamed eggs on toast for breakfast Saturday morning...
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Saturday evening - Gary Mehigan's WW Black Pepper Chicken curry.  Quite nice, but I think it just needed a little sweetening off, but quite yummy!

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Sunday morning - Hot Mess!  

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I sauteed up (no oil) capsicum, onion and about 20 gms bacon...then removed from pan.

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Then I steamed some zucchini zoodles, carrot and sweet corn...then added the bacon mix back in...

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I then nestled 2 whisked eggs into the mix, put a lid on and steamed it until the egg was firm.  Sprinked with smokey paprika!  Declared delicious! 2 points for the bacon!

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Later in the morning, I went out to water my Vegepod and this nasty creature was sitting on the outside!  I am petrified of spiders but over the years I have mellowed slightly.  This sight previously would have had me run around to the front of the house and no coaxing would get me back there!  Even looking at these pictures would have been hard!

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Husband wasn't home at the time so rather than lose sight of the blighter, I decided I had to act!  I sidled past him and went inside to get a can of spray.  Hairs on my arms are standing up!  Now I have to spray him without having him jump on me! Yikes!  I reach around from the other side of the Vegepod and give a big spray, many, many sprays!  He zooms around into the inside of the pod!

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I caught it all on video and it is quite funny to watch.  You can hear my breathing and how agitated I am...

Anyhoo, after about 30 minutes, he finally succumbed and ended up a crumpled heap in the Vegepod.  Now I am wondering if he has a mate???

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My tomatoes are doing really well in here.  I can spiI had thinned out some of the Tiny Toms that I popped in here (I just sunk all the shrivelled tiny tomatoes that were still on the vines from last year, back into the soil).  I replanted some in a pot, so we'll see how wer go with those.  I wonder if disturbing the soil made the spider come out or if he was just lurking...it doesn't bear thinking about!

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When husband got home, I made him extricate the mongrel with some long handled tongs, squash it then throw it over the fence!

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My well earned mid afternoon snack...

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I made up two overnight oats pots - one with strawberries and the other with blueberries.  5 points each.

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My sourdough starter went into the bin - it failed to thrive after day 3...bummer!

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Pretty, very neglected rose, struggling to survive amongst the mint, morning glory vine and rosemary bush...

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So vividly hot pink!

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Dinner last night - Mayura Wagyu beef kebabs - from our local Foodland.  These were delicious!

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Oats pot this morning - was yummy with more strawberries added on top!

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I added chia seeds which help thicken it up...

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Bless me!  Look what I found when I went home at lunch time today, dead as a doornail!  Charlotte's buddy, Charlie!

RIP!

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Cheers - Joolz xx

Crazy weather this week...

Wednesday 29/01/20 We woke up to a thick fog over the town which hung around until about 9.30am...

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Then Thursday we experienced a stinking hot day of 44C.  On Friday, it was a cooler 36C but the humidity was through the roof!  We had a big down pour in the afternoon but the temperature just did not drop so it felt like hot rain!  Nasty!

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I've got sick of bananas and apples as my fruit of choice so picked up some plums, nectarines and apricots when I went shopping...something different...

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I also picked up several corn on the cob which were only $1.00 each.  I take them off the cob and freeze them.  So much better than canned corn which is in water from a foreign country and costs about twice as much!

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My muesli and fruit breakfast, loving the different fruits...

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Because there was a thunder storm warning for Friday afternoon and evening, I filled a couple of bottles with water and boiled water for my Thermos.  If power goes out, we have no water into the house as we are on a pump for rain water and bore water for toilets.  Nothing worse than not being able to wash your face before bed....or have a cuppa for that matter.  Be prepared!

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The storm did not eventuate but it was nice to know I was ready if it did.  I also had candles out ready...

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A nice latte a la Joolz ...

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I bought some organic rolled oats for a bulk food supplied recently.  It made the most creamy porridge ever and I only used skim milk and water...

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Delicious with mango, plum and apricots.  I have stewed the remaining apricots as they were getting over-ripe.

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Dinner last night - Gus returned from Adelaide and brought fresh King George whiting and oysters home.  So fresh!

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and finally, a few blooms from my poor garden.  They've had wind, rain, searing hot temperatures but still they pop out a bud here and there...

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I hope this week can just be normal summer weather with no extremes...wouldn't that be nice?

Cheers - Joolz xx