9 Belfast Bites

[jmcbn]

EGG-STRA, EGG-STRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT....

Ok, so no joint pain on climbing the stairs after the two eggs in last nights dinner.

In truth this doesn't surprise me - what we eat has a cumulative effect, right? And since I've really only been eating egg protein in a very limited quantity lately I didn't think two eggs would be enough to push me over the edge into joint pain territory.

I woke around 2am and all signs of the (mild) bloat were, not surprisingly, gone.

The plan? Go back to no eggs for a few days & then try again.

[Hannlib]

Yes!

"Eat fat to get slim. Don't fear fat. Fat is your friend. It's now truly time to bring back the fat."

And yet right at the bottom you'll see the PHE are still trying to fight it....

Did you see the way the BBC reported this story?? I was SEETHING about it yesterday. The BBC in collusion with the government in collusion with the (junk) food industry? Surely not .....

[jmcbn]

Maddening isn't it?   

And if you read any of the comments on the news websites people are skeptical because there's so much contradictory information out there.

In a way it's great to see these kind of stories in mainstream news, but to be shot down in that way by an institution that people blindly trust really doesn't help the cause....

I was thinking about you earlier as I was bottling my lastest batch of Booch. How were the other flavours from Equinox? Are you a convert?

[Hannlib]

I am a total convert, I absolutely love it!! As do both my kids, and even my husband said he liked it too. In fact I have only 4 bottles left of 20, and it only arrived a week or so ago.....

So yep. I need to brew. I'm going round in circles about what to order from Love Kombucha. I was sold on continuous brew, but then I read some stuff that put me off (about all the caffeine and sugar not being as properly fermented out as with batch brewing). But I want quantity!! So I am procrastinating, and have nearly run out of booch. I need to bite the bullet!!

[jmcbn]

Hmmm.

I hadn't read that about the caffeine/sugar, but then I pretty much read up on how to brew & then started... then read up about getting more fizz and tweaked a little...

The sugar I think would have to be gone fully as that's what the scobys feed on and if you're getting that slightly acidic flavour then surely there's no sugar left? As for the caffeine I really don't know. I vary the caffeine content of each brew by mixing various types of tea, and if I've done a batch that was low on caffeine I follow it up next time with a higher caffeine content.

The continuous brew jars are good in that they're easier to work with because of the pouring tap, and since they're tall & slim they don't take up too much space. I empty mine down as far as the tap, and then some, leaving about an inch or so depth of my old tea. With the batch brewing you'd have to be able to lift the jar & pour into the bottles (or into a smaller pouring jar) whilst also holding a funnel - it's a bit of a faff.

I'm currently using x2 5ltr continuous brew jars and x1 2ltr batch jar (my other 2ltr jar I use as a 'hotel') and that gives me enough of a supply to have a glass every morning & evening (& sometimes more often at weekends), and always have a few bottles to spare while the newly bottled batch continues to ferment & get it's fizz. If your kids & hubby will be drinking it too you might need another large jar. The 8ltr jars look fab, but it'd be hard to manoeuvre for bottling/re-filling.

Bottle wise I started out with x3 from Happy Kombucha, bought x12 kilners off of Amazon, bought an extra x3 kilners in TK Maxx, plus a large bottle from IKEA, then one kilner exploded which I have yet to replace. Yesterday when I bottled I had to resort to using x2 preserving jars until such times as I can buy a few extra bottles...

 

[Hannlib]

See I think if you're emptying all that way you're basically batch brewing in a huge container. I think the concerns about continuous brew were where you pour off a couple of bottles, top up then pour off a few more bottles just 3-4 days later. I'd been leaning towards the 8l jar just for volume but that's a good point about having to move it.

Also, hubby is quite keen that it lives in the cellar. It'd be out of the way, it's dark down there and a steady temperature. But too cold. So we would need a heat mat. And that's where the £££ start mounting.

Maybe I should just get a huge jar, a heat mat and a bunch of bottles and get on with it and see how I go.....

[jmcbn]

You'd need it to sit on a shelf in the cellar because of the tap being low level, but the shelf couldn't be so high that you couldn't reach the top of it to pour in the new brew... I guess a table down there would be ideal as it would give you work space for bottling too. And if you could have a kettle down there as well so as you could brew the tea there & allow it to sit out & cool it would be perfect.

The 8ltr kilner/Nantucket jars are a good price on Happy Kombucha, considering delivery is free over a certain spend, but check out Amazon too... Also, the large scoby will only be enough to brew around 2ltrs initially - you can brew more than 2ltrs but it will take quite a bit longer to ferment... Then of course each time you brew you'll get a new scoby which will give you a quicker turn around for the next batch.

[Hannlib]

Yes there's tables/ surfaces down there and power too for a kettle -  excellent idea!!

I have a HUGE stockpot that I thought I could make my tea in.

 

When I looked at the 8litre ones on Happy Kombucha you can add 2 large scoby's and a heat mat - and with the 2 scoby's it says you can go for 4litres to start. I had some excellent bottles on my wish list on amazon but they've gone out of stock. I'll get some from HK.  

I think it's a plan. RIGHT. Where's my credit card??

 

Last q for now -  do you filter your water? We had an inline filter at the last house but not here, I have no patience for the jug ones. We had the water tested when we moved in (to check for lead) and it was perfect and low in chlorine too. Ack maybe I'll not bother. Yorkshire water for Yorkshire booch. 

[Hannlib]

Ordered. I am EXCITED. 

[jmcbn]

No, I don't bother filtering the water. I figure all that friendly bacteria should sort any nasties out - like yourself I've neither the time, the patience, nor the space for the jug!

[jmcbn]

Ordered. I am EXCITED. 

LOL I remember how excited I was when my order arrived.... with all those lovely labels saying 'hand packed by....'   

I'm excited for you!! 

[jmcbn]

It's been a busy few days in God's Country, and a glorious few days too... Friday was a study day as always, and on Saturday there was a long training session in the morning, followed by a spot of gardening & some quick food prep. A good friend from the gym got married early in the afternoon and a little crowd, myself included, were invited along to join in the wedding celebrations. Food was a plenty, the champagne was flowing, and 'the craic was ninety' as we say around these parts - in fact we danced until the wee small hours before taxi-ing home and heading for bed - our spirits lifted from the festivities. 

Sunday was a day of much needed rest, sitting on a deck chair in the garden, chatting with my boys, and BBQing as the sun went down. Sunday was also a day of food trials as I felt it had been long enough since the fried eggs earlier in the week, and I had some smoked salmon in the freezer just waiting to be eaten... So, for Sunday lunch I had three eggs scrambled with spinach & ghee, smoked salmon, and a generous serving of cherry tomatoes slathered in mayo. The scrambled eggs were like manna from heaven after all this time, and the combination of flavours was perfect for eating al fresco... and there was absolutely, positively no bloat. None whatsoever. I was ecstatic.

At this point I won't be going back to eggs for breakfast every morning because I really want to start reintroducing more regular quantities of FODMAPs and I'm interested to see how that works out, particularly if I start combining; and to get a true indication of what/how much I can tolerate each meal/day I think it's wise to keep the eggs to a minimum - for now.

It was a long weekend for many people here, but not for me unfortunately, so while the boys enjoyed their day off in the sunshine today I had a full day of software training at work - so full in fact that we didn't stop for lunch. In the olden days I'd have been shaking & hangry & tetchy as anything by home time, but since switching to this way of eating I find I can go longer & longer without food. And whilst I wouldn't ever recommend skipping meals I managed to last from breakfast @ 6:45am this morning, until dinner @ around 6:15pm this evening, with only water in between.

And in other news I had tracked down an email address for a photographer I used to work for back in Greece and sent him an email last week in the hopes of catching up when I'm over in July. I hadn't been in touch with him via this email address for 8yrs (because, well... life...) so I was doubtful I'd even get a reply but am pleased to say I heard back from him on Saturday morning - this trip is going to be such a HUGE trip down memory lane, and I cannot wait!   

 

[MeadowLily]

I can see your floors in my mind's eye.  I imagine I could eat off of them. Full disclosure.  I have canned fish, MacNut Oil and other tiddlywinks hidden in my closets. Just in case of the Zombie Apocalypse.  Only the shadow knows.   You're the kind of person that I would lurve to have over and loll around - shoot the breeze while I cleaned out my closets.  I like having someone come over and tell me that I don't really need this or that. So motivational to have a disciplined friend.  Someone besides my Maw who can be soooo bossy.  But let's face it, you're the kind of friend anyone would like to see coming down the lane.  For real.   

[jmcbn]

....soooo bossy.  

   

 

 

LOL yes, I don't do fluffy. Never have. Never will. I just say it like it is - those who know me well respect me for that. Those that don't can find it intimidating. I'm not about to change for anyone either way.

And I LOVE a good wardrobe clear-out... well, right up until I'm heading out a few weeks down the line and suddenly decide that something that's gone to the charity shop would be perfect for the occasion   

In fact I love a good clear out of any kind - it's good for the soul. 

[MeadowLily]

When my sis shows up, she spends all of her time cleaning Maw's house that I've just cleaned, showing off for Maw. I want to snatch her bald-headed.       She won't even leave. Clean, clean, clean.  Earning brownie points and atta girls.  We revert right back to childhood.  Miss Goody Two Shoes and Pippi Longstockings. I don't want her coming over telling me what to do but I'd let you do it. She's soooper bossy just like Maw.  Little sister, we call her the Little General.  They're all bossy.  Not me.   

[jmcbn]

So, another Sunday, and another Sun day.

In fact, we've had sun pretty much every day now for about 2weeks and it's fab! Ireland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but unfortunately to be blessed with all this green we have to put up with a little rain, so when we get some sunshine we have to make the most of it, and with June being the Whole 9 month of Natural Environment there's no better time for it.

I live right by the sea and have done all my life - even during my formative years in Greece. This weekend was the Annual Sea Festival in my town and while my youngest son was at a Birthday party (about as far removed from his natural environment as possible) my first born and I took a dander into town & took part in the festivities - lots of street entertainment, lots of boating displays, tall ships, staged sea rescues, food & drink stalls, live music & the like. I love being by the sea and when I'm away from home for an extended period I just have to hear the sound of the waves lapping on the beach or the ropes clanging off the masts of the yachts and I feel much more at ease, so this was a really therapeutic day for me - even if my son did walk about 3 steps behind me as we walked through the town - he's 14 and just reaching that typical teen stage. He's a good kid, a great kid in fact, but well, he's a teen, and I'm his mum. That is all.

Today was the usual kind of Sunday - quick lifting session while the youngest was at gymnastics training, back home to rouse the first born from his room, batch cooking session, bed linen change, laundry - you know the drill. Since the sun was shining brightly though I made the executive decision to take my laundry basket & ironing board outdoors, turned up the tunes on the radio & basked in the glorious sunshine - whilst ironing & dodging the water bombs that were getting thrown over the fence by the neighbour's kid.

The grass got cut again, the garden got tidied, the ironing got done, AND I got a sit down in the sun while the charcoal burned to just the right temperature to grill the burgers for dinner, then we ate al fresco just before the sun went down behind the apple trees in the back garden.

With the weather being so good food prep was kept to a minimum this week as I tend to go for more salads in the warmer weather. I cooked a whole chicken as usual, some veg side dishes that be eaten cold and/or added to salads, and a thai red prawn curry. I've got quite a bit of fresh mackerel to use up, and a few extra burgers from the BBQ this evening, so with a fridge full of salad veg & mayo, and a huge supply of olives I've plenty to keep me going.

So with salads taking centre stage this week I'm going to try adding in a couple of FODMAPs to see how I go. This week's FODMAPs of choice will be beetroot (of course  ) and cabbage in the form of coleslaw. Both beetroot and raw cabbage went well in their individual trials so it will be interesting to see how they impact the gut when combined - or at least eaten on the same day.

Fingers etc crossed!!

[Hannlib]

Just crashing your thread to let you know - my scobys arrived today and my booch is brewing!

[jmcbn]

I've neglected this thread a little lately, I know..... And yet, it's felt good to step away from the computer and focus a little more on real life. Real life is BUSY right now - work especially - and in the evenings I feel better served spending my time having actual conversations with my kids, and doing stuff around the house so that come the weekend I can relax.

Last weeks beetroot/cabbage combined FODMAP trial went well - really well actually. I had about a half a fist sized serving of beet along with a generous serving of cabbage slaw at one meal a day, four days in a row and there were absolutely no symptoms to report. In fact a couple of people mentioned that I looked like I'd lost weight towards the end of the week, and so when I had a guy at the gym do my BFP out of sheer curiosity I found that it had dropped another 3% since it was last done.

What am I doing differently? Stressing much less about what I eat is what, enjoying life - and eating more fish, a lot more fish.

I had a busy weekend spent outdoors with my kids and so food prep took a bit of a back seat at the weekend, meaning I'm relying heavily on salads again this week - but with a mix of mackerel, tuna, salmon, prawns & chicken to mix it up a bit. I'm sticking with the beets & cabbage slaw again for this week - purely from a convenience perspective - and will have a think about what to trial next. Beets & slaw are so easy - but I don't want to get to point where there's a system overload again and I'm right back at square one so planning for next week is vital - and not just for my digestive system, for my sanity too - variety is the spice of life & all that!!

 

[jmcbn]

In other news to bring a close to my month of focus on Healthy Movement for Whole9 I had a session with a Sports Massage Therapist on Saturday evening. It was emotional to say the least.... I've been seeing an NHS Physio at the local hospital for some ongoing issues with an elbow injury which she thought to be related to trapped nerves down the neck & across the left shoulder as a result of an RTA, and she's been doing some soft tissue massage every other week - which felt like a whisper of someone's breath on my skin compared to the deep tissue massage the SMT did - add to that the work he did on my forearm (which she should apparently have already looked at), my lower back, my quads and my glutes, and oh dear Lord I was in AGONY on Sunday to the point where I had physical bruising & didn't actually train.

The scoliosis in my lower spin creates it's own set of problems (most of which where the basis for the quad/glute/back work noted above), so he has given me an assortment of stretches to be done x5 times a week in an effort to loosen up the muscles which are over compensating for the weaker ones. He's also suggested a few strength exercises to do which will focus on the weaker areas and I've to see him again in two weeks time - which although I know will bring more pain, I also know is for the greater good.

I'm back with the physio later this week and it will be interesting to see what she says/does given that what he did on Saturday has given me a HUGE amount of relief now that the initial tenderness is gone...

[jmcbn]

Ok, so it's been a while and once again I've neglected this thread, but in my defence I was waiting on a new router as my old one had died a death and was providing only intermittent internet access, but even in my absence the food trials have been continuing.

Broccoli was chalked up as a fail when I tried it earlier this year. It was fine on day 1 & 2, and then I tried it again on the same day that I ate kale & had some issues, then I tried the kale & broccoli separately again (kale is not high FODMAP, but it IS cruciferous) and the kale was okay, but the broccoli was not.

A lot of time has passed since then, and since I've been feeling pretty good lately, and since they'd just made a fresh batch of broccoli slaw when I called at the Farm shop last Friday I decided to give it a try. I've been having a small amount of broccoli slaw every other day for the last week and only had issues (some SERIOUS gas) on the one day I combined it with beets. Results were all good when combined with cabbage.

 

This has given me a little variety in texture that I'd been missing, as well as giving me another green veg for my repetoire - and considering kale & borccoli wasn't a good mix back when I trialled it last time it's probably a good thing that's it been difficult to get my hands on any decent kale these weeks.

Food has been kept pretty simple lately - lots of chicken & fish, with a good mix of roasted mediterranean veg, fresh salads, and either baby boiled spuds or yummy potato salad with scallions (greens only) & bacon. I tried out a new marinade from the Farm shop last week on some chocken thighs and whilst not Whole30 compliant (it contained honey) it was awesome - it was made from hot peppers and mango and it had a really good creamy texture with just the right amount of a kick. It's made by a local company & there are three varieties so I'll definitely be back to try the others in the forseeable future.

In other news there's been some big political news here today. The UK have voted to leave the EU. Northern Ireland voted 56% in favour of remaining, but unfortunately the votes are taken as a whole and our wishes were over ridden. What happens now remains to be seen, but it's fair to say that this is a dark day for Northern Ireland - a country where the peace process is often fragile. There will be major economical implications for our country, a likely reinstatement of border patrol where North meets South, an end to EU Peace funding (& EU funding of any kind - particularly for farming), and a potential referendum for a unified and independant Ireland. The results started coming in around 11:45pm last night and I spent much of the night watching it all unfold, and then panic buying Euros online in the wee small hours for our forthcoming trip to Greece before the markets opened again this morning & the pound reached it's lowest since 1985. It's been one of those days where I keeping thinking I'll waken up and it will all have been a dream, and yet I know that's not the case. I have a heavy heart & a feeling of fear and isolation. This is not the future that I wanted for my children. But it's done - and now the people of 'our wee country' have to stand together and deal with whatever life throws at us.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[jmcbn]

It's Saturday, and the day of Comic Con has finally arrived!! I realise I'm the adult here, but I have to say I'm more than a little excited!!     

Also on the cards today is a heavy lifting session, an intense spin class, a Deep Tissue Sport's Massage (ouchy!!), and @ 5pm local time Northern Ireland v Wales in the Euros... Now Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU. Wales voted to leave the EU - let's hope that's the result we get from the game later today...    #GAWA #DareToDream 

I also expect my first born's school report to arrive today. His exam results have been really good this term, meaning he gets to do the subjects he has chosen for GCSE which will hopefully allow him to follow the path he'd like in the future, which will fall somewhere between politics & law. Perhaps he can help get our wee country back on the straight & narrow at some point down the line...

[Hannlib]

It's a very, very sad time for UK politics :-( I am utterly ashamed to be English at the moment.

[jmcbn]

It's a very, very sad time for UK politics :-( I am utterly ashamed to be English at the moment.

I'm still in shock. And to watch the tweets coming in of racist signs being lefts on buildings & commments people are being subjected to in the streets - it's shameful. Not to mention the resignations from the Shadow Cabinet, and the COMPLETE lack of a plan in Downing Street or from the Exit camp. Our neighbours are Italian and they've voiced their concerns about how welcome they will be... My cousin is married to a lovely German girl who has a daughter from a previous marriage - they're concerned too... I strongly believe that no one truly thought of the consequences, either immediate or down the line, and here in NI few considered the ramifications to local politics. Plus those who didn't know any better were fed so many complete & utter lies... 

It's a sham and an embarrassment indeed.

[jmcbn]

Moving on though Hannlib - how's your Booch coming along?

My batch before the last was a little off I *think* because I brewed it a little too long in this muggy weather - it was just too acidic for my liking and I kind of forced my way through it. That said my stomach is feeling the best it has in a long, long time, so maybe I should be trying to find the (not so) sweet spot between what it normally tastes like & what it tasted like last time.... Plus it was the first batch I didn't add fresh ginger to in a long time so maybe that played a part...

[MeadowLily]

The not so sweet spot.  That's the ticket.  I like that bark. The acidic fizz that goes straight to the heart of the matter...healing your digestive system.  Bravo! 

 

What will you do without your booch on the vacay. The hooch booch in Greece is good.  Lemony.