I am not just a bag lady

Alas the shocking truth is that I am a two bag lady. Or two bag woman? Or two bag female? Or two bag person? Anyway I digress.

I've always liked the thought of carrying as little as possible. Carrying only the absolute necessities with me which probably boils down to ensuring I'm wearing clothes, and maybe have a door key on some ribbon around my neck. However I also like the thought of being prepared for every eventuality and carrying things I will need with me. After all when you leave the house in the morning you just don't know where you will end up or what you might need. So in my head I'm some kind of minimalist who can't wait to get carried away on an exciting adventure - with accessories.

As a result I always end up with at least two bags. I can't seem to find any way around it. Obviously I need to carry the 'necessities' like purse, phone, handkerchief and keys. But then I also need glasses, sunglasses, make up, lip balm, small mirror (for when I don't want to get my big make up bag out), pencil case, spare cotton bags for purchases, nail varnish (two shades), headphones, sequinned beret, gauntlets, Japanese hand towel, mug cosy, day book for notes and to do lists, Sudoku puzzles, plectrums, journal and fountain pen, reading material, bottle of water, nail file and a small hip flask.

And naturally of these have proved to be, oh so, useful when I'm faced with an unexpected situation like my only sister getting hitched.

The above is just the current list. At other times I've also carried a tin of green tea, corkscrew, fruit knife, nuts and dried fruit, peanut butter, tights, leggings, socks, writing case, bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 (various flavours), huge aerosol of saline solution, flip flops, calculator, perfume, filofax, sewing projects in progress, work related badges and data sticks (in their own clutch bag), power leads, vitamins, a selection of remedies and balms, various magazines and journals, crossword books, vegan margarine, hand cream, plastic mug, and chopsticks in woven case.

It's no wonder that I never participate in those 'what's in my bag' type posts. However if the handbag and its contents do reflect the person (and the life) carrying it then I think mine is spot on. I always have lots of diverse different things going on in my life all crowding in on each other. If I just carried a few items maybe it would just mean that my life had become slow, un-crowded and quite possibly dull.

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What's in my lunch box? Every mouthful is different

This kind of lunch is surely what inspired manufacturers to produce those packages with crackers and circles of meat and cheese. Personally I prefer my version.

Clockwise from top left:

• Radishes and green pepper
• Home grown rocket
• Pistachios
• The Science of Discworld by Jack Cohen, Terry Pratchett, and Ian Stewart
• Asparagus and spinach dip - made from the recipe in Veganomicon this contains garlic, asparagus, spinach, (home grown), and cashews. It tastes amazing. I've also tried it on pasta and it makes a lovely creamy sauce.
• Ryvita - I'm starting to think that I have a major Ryvita habit...

Mix and match lunch combinations - every mouthful is different...

Wishing you green ink and good food,

Annastasia

 

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Things I have learnt of late

Don't wear high heels for playing bass

Not even if they are the loveliest shoes ever, and the green matches your outfit perfectly. By the middle of the set your feet will hurt in a most distracting manner, even if you do sound fantastic.

People like patterns and themes

Rather than my usual jumble sale inspired approach, I tried a blue and pink theme at a Flea market on Sunday. Pink item went on one side. Blue items on the other. Things that had a bit of both went in the middle. It resulted in more browsers. And I sold a couple of things that I've taken to a number of fayres and market without selling. Next up has to be a rainbow theme.

I can watch things with subtitles

I've never been a fan of things with subtitles. It seemed too much like hard work. You had to observe the action, listen to the dialogue and read the translation. This need to focus meant the you couldn't do anything else while watching. So reading, sewing, blogging, knitting, sorting through paperwork, unpicking jumpers, and even filing my nails was out. However with a little focus (and a reminder to myself that it isn't necessary to multitask at all times) it becomes easy to sink into the narrative and bring together the audio, visuals and text.

I'm never going to learn not to overdo life

Once again I'm packing things into every minutes of the day and feeling exhausted. I could spend time beating myself up for not doing less. Or I could just get on with things and see what happens. And if I don't manage to do something then the world probably won't grind to a halt.

Wishing you green ink and good food,

Annastasia

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June photo challenge days 1-8

 

 

Here are the first 8 photos I've taken for the June photo challenge on the theme of green. You can see my dail updates on Instagram @midorigreenuk or on my photoblog on midorigreen.co.uk I tend to only put photographs of green things on Instagram anyway but have been enjoying the challenge to find something to photograph every day. There are just so many green things to celebrate.

 

 

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Leftover inspiration - vegan risotto balls

I really do love leftovers. They induce in me a state of creativity. So I present here my first attempt at risotto balls. I used leftover Vegan with a vegance mushroom and sundried tomato risotto. I filled them with pieces of Field Roast chorizo style sausage that I picked up at Vx. I rolled them in breadcrumbs I'd stashed in the freezer. I fried them in sunflower oil. I served them on the last of the rocket I picked at my allotment last week.

They took slightly longer to fry than I expected so next time they might be a tad smaller - more walnut than golf ball. On the whole though I'm delighted that risotto can actually be made even better than it already it.

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Things I Love Thursday

Warm weather – rediscovering my summer clothes – lots of lovely new blogs to read – water with lemons and mint – taking the bus so I can read and enjoy the scenery – lunch in the park – Adding handfuls of home grown rocket and spinach to my meals – Getting grips with G+ and enjoying some interesting discussions on honey – ridiculous new green shoes (see photo) – eBay (perfect place for purchasing shoes) – completing job list items – tending my allotment - playing bass and getting excited about how good my band sounds

 

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You can't rock'n'roll on toast

I knew that I would be pushed for time in this week. The band I am in is playing our first gig on Saturday night. As a result we feel the need to practice every evening. It's usually a bit of rush trying to eat before practice two nights a week. I usually try to prepare double amounts on other nights to ensure that I'm not playing on a dinner of toast.

Bearing this in mind I decided that it was time to try this batch cooking thing I'd read about. My only attempt at this kind of thing previously has been freezing cooked beans and pulses, or tucking large amounts of leftovers away for another day.

This time round still wasn't quite on the grand scale that some people manage (preparing a month of food in one go) but seemed to be a starting point.

So on Sunday afternoon I spent 90 minutes preparing the following:

· Mushroom and sun dried tomato risotto (from Vegan with a vengeance)

· Potato and asparagus soup (from Vegan with a vengeance)

· Chilli (made it up as I went along)

It was certainly less work, preparation and washing up to prepare everything at the same time. I chopped the onions, leeks and garlic for all recipes in one go. I could see how much of everything I had and assign it accordingly (rather than having to find time to go out and buy extra onions mid- week). The endless stirring that risotto requires took place in-between working on the other dishes.

I've found it rather nice this week not to have to think about dinner. I simply arrive home and heat up a bowl of whichever one I fancy. All three lend themselves well to 'pimping' so I've been adding toppings in the form of rocket, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs.

There is risotto in there somewhere

However I think it has made me realise how much I enjoy cooking and appreciate the opportunity to get creative on a daily basis. I fell asleep last night wondering how the risotto would shape up as risotto balls. Very well I'm sure (although I'll have to wait until Thursday night to give this a go). But it does miss the point of saving me time. Yes, it's quicker than cooking risotto from scratch. However it's not as speedy as toast and Marmite.

So while I've can appreciate batch cooking as something in the freezer to draw on I think most nights will still see me slaving over a hot stove, or toaster.

 

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