jmcbn Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 It would be really funny if we found out we were related through our father's families.... Yes, it is a small world, after all........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 LEEKY GUT?Sooooooo, day two of the leek trial and since I didn't have leeks with meals one or two I nipped into the farm shop and bought a few at lunch time so that I could saute some to have on the side with meal three. Meal three was some slow cooked pork & leeks, with a HUGE serving of sauteed leeks, and two baby potatoes (skins on as always), and a generous serving of what is probably my best ever mayo. Two and half hours later and I am pleased to report that once again I have no digestive distress, no cramps, no bloating, no wind, no problems. And actually whilst last night's dinner was pretty good, I'd forgotten just how flavoursome leeks are when sauteed on their own like that, so fingers srossed I can go back to eating them on a much more regular basis.In other news I was fearful of the low temps here sending HULK & HOGAN into hibernation, even though I know the jars are in a warm spot in the house, so I have put to good use a fleece lined snood I purchased once upon a time and have never worn - it fits perfectly around the outside of the two jars like a fleece lined wooly jumper meaning I didn't even have to move them, and with it being a 'tube' it doesn't cover the muslin so the jars can still breathe The instructions I got with the kit stated that the brew should be ready anywhere between 7-18 days so I'm thinking I'll probably start taste testing at around 10 days - and I am SO. EXCITED. Almost excited as the feral child was when I started telling him about SCOBY Hotels In other, other news the husband of a very good friend of mine works for the Wholesale side of a local food retailer and he had sent me round some samples of a new ice cream they were stocking a while back made by a local company called Nobo. It's made from all natural ingredients, dairy free, soy free, refined sugar free, nasties free blah blah blah (although the Salted Caramel & Mint Humbug both contain brown rice syrup ) and it's actually really good - but also very pricey. I rarely eat ice cream of any description, and when I do it's usually from a little shop close by that has been making their own vanilla ice cream for 100 years, but I called into one of his stores on my way home from work this evening and discovered the Vanilla & Coconut (Coconut Milk, Honey, Avocado & Vanilla Extract) on sale for half price - result - it's a nice little treat for any local peeps like me who are postW30 but still paying attention to what they eat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 THREE LEEKS TO THE WIND Those leeks were so good last night that I couldn't resist trying some more for breakfast, so I ditched the tomatoes and had eggs scrambled with spinach drizzled with Frank's chilli & lime sauce, and chopped cucumber dill pickles with sauteed leeks slathered in mayo. The result? well..... lets just say it all felt a little greasy, and the leeks didn't work quite as well with the pickled cukes as the tomatoes do, so right away I felt a little cheated.Then the leeks started repeating on me, as well as causing a small amount of bloat, so yeah, NOT such a good start to the day Here I am three hours after breakfast and the belching has subsided, but the bloat is still a little bit evident.I'm training after work this evening, so the one good thing to come out of this is that I should be feeling much better by then - and I've no leeks planned for lunch so that's a bonus.In summary, the third time is obviously not the charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 FOUR LEEK OVER(^read it fast to see what I did there.... )So today was really to be a rest day. In fact technically yesterday should have been a rest day and today should have been day 3 but, well, life.... So, yeah, today was to be a rest day until I looked at my schedule for tomorrow. Tomorrow I am training straight after work, strength & HIIT, then I'm home for a quick shower & then out to a friend's who is hosting a jewellery party which I could see far enough, but I promised and well, she's a good friend & you get the picture... Anyway, I didn't enjoy the leeks much for breakfast yesterday and since I was training before work this morning I didn't have my usual eggs with spinach & hot sauce etc., so I've been looking forward to having those tomorrow - without the leeks. I could have the leeks with lunch tomorrow, but if they DO cause a problem then I'd struggle at the gym because I'll feel uncomfortable and, quite frankly, I could do without that. Dinner will be finger foods at my friend's house (with whatever I bring with me) which definitely won't involve the leeks because if they are an issue I'd rather they weren't an issue in company...... So today was leek trial day 4 - that's four days on the trot (one day with a double serving) which I haven't done with any other food trial - dinner was pork & leeks, with an extra serving of leeks, a few baby spuds & mayo. Yum.How did I fare?Okay, yes, there was some degree of bloating, but nothing drastic considering the current build up of leeks in my system - I'd say I've eaten at least 6 LARGE leeks over the course of the last four days without a rest day.... They did not repeat on me, they did not cause gas, nor did they cause cramping or any kind of gastric issue. The bloat might even be partially caused by the fact that it's evening & my tummy is always a little more rounded by this time of day.So am I chalking this one up as a success? Absolutely. I think I can very safely add leeks to my soups & cottage pies again, although I think they're out at breakfast - for now at least.Next up (& last of the fructans I plan on trialling) - Garlic..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Do we have a series of garlic puns to look forward to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted February 26, 2016 Author Share Posted February 26, 2016 Ha! Only if you read my log...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 jmcbn the vampire slayer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 jmcbn the vampire slayer! LOL I *loved* that program back in the day!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted February 28, 2016 Author Share Posted February 28, 2016 Holy moly it's been a busy weekend!Training straight after work on Friday, followed by a quick shower and out to a Stella & Dot jewellery party. I'm not particularly into these kind of events because even though it's hosted by a friend there is always an unusual mix of people, and usually the vast majority of those folks I won't have met before because it's common to invite different people each tme so that the same people don't get fed up buying..... Anyway, I actually had a really good night and met some new people I clicked with very easily and got home a lot later than planned, and of course spent more money than anticipated, but sure, you can't take it with you - not that I'd have much to take!!Yesterday then was training again at early doors, then shopping with the feral child to spend his Birthday money, out with some friends to watch the Ireland v England game, then home for tea in time to get settled on the sofa to watch our boy Frampton take on Quigg in the ring - it was a disappointing fight it has to be said, with both parties coming across as a little lacklustre, but he did win the WBA title nonetheless to go along side his IBF title and did our wee country proud. For such a small country we've produced some amazing sportsmen..... Today has been the usual early start for Spin, followed by meal prep & chores. On the menu this week is Morroccan Beef Heart Stew, Goan Chicken, a whole slow cooked chicken & more mackerel, with roasted peppers & asparagus, baby potatoes, and braised kale on the side, with plenty of eggs, salad veg and a fresh batch of mayo.This week's trial will be garlic, and I've noticed I've been getting a little bolder each week with the quantities I'm trying. I wasn't sure how to approach the garlic trial - should I just crush & saute some to add into each dish as I eat it? Or do I just go gung ho and add it into the recipe in the stipulated quantity? Of course I decided to go for the latter, so both the stew & the curry have a few cloves of crushed smoked garlic in them, so if it turns out to be problematic I'm a little bit snookered foodwise, but sure, postive mental attitude and all that...!!! My kombucha is coming along nicely and will soon be ready for a taste test. HOGAN had concerned me a little because he very quickly sank to the bottom of the jar, and from what I'd read I was expecting him to rise up to the top again after he'd rested from eating all the sugar, which didn't happen. Again, from what I read this might have been due to a drop in temperature, or...... if any white spots started appearing he could have gone moldy.... Thankfully though he's reproduced and there is a brand spanking new SCOBY now growing at the top of the jar - very exciting & amazing & weird all at once!! The feral child is of course delighted as this will be his - all we have to do now is organise a Hotel for him (which will be called Hotel California 'cos every Hotel has a name...) and he can then move in & settle down HULK is further in to the airing cupboard and with the shadows/lighting in there & the 'wooly jumper' I have round the jars to keep them warm it's difficult to see what exactly is going on in his jar... There are certainly lots of stringy bits hanging down from him on the bit I can see so maybe his baby is attached, rather than on the surface like HOGAN's - we'll see.The brewing instructions said to start taste testing any time from 7 days on, and since today is day 7 I could probably try a sample today, but I know that the colder it is the longer the brewing takes so I'm thinking I'll aim for day 10 - partly because of the low temps, but also partly because I'm really nervous about the whole thing, and whether or not it will live up to expectations. I should probably have a word with myself.... Tonight I'll be trying my first taste of my own fermented veg............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted February 28, 2016 Share Posted February 28, 2016 Hotel California. "You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave! ". That's a great choice. Don Henley has given a number of explanations about the song, ranging from "a journey from innocence to experience". Henley said that the song was meant to be "more of a symbolic piece about America in general", and added: "Lyrically, the song deals with traditional or classical themes of conflict: darkness and light, good and evil, youth and age, the spiritual versus the secular. I guess you could say it's a song about loss of innocence." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 "Garlick maketh a man wynke, drynke and stynke" ~ Thomas NashThe last of my fructans garlic has been used since Ancient times to treat a variety of medical conditions, and it's health benefits have long since been proven by modern human research. Like leeks garlic contains the compound allium, and it is when the cloves of the garlic are crushed, chopped or chewed that the sulphur compound allicin is formed which enters the digestive tract and releases it's potent biological effects. Garlic contains small quantities of pretty much every nutrient we need, but is particularly high in manganese, vitamin bc, vitamin c & selenium, alongside moderate levels of iron, calcium & potassium.Garlic was one of the earliest known performance enhancing substances and was used by the ancient Greeks where, even today, it is not uncommon for people to chew one clove a day (rather than resorting to a supplement), which will help reduce high blood pressure, improve cholesterol, lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers, as well as lessening the severity of the common cold.Rich in antioxidants garlic will support the body's protective mechanisms against oxidative stress/damage and may prevent some of the common brain diseases such as dementia.As someone who learned to cook in Greece garlic formed the basis of pretty much every dish I cooked, so when I had my FODMAP lightbulb moment I was more than a little gutted to discover that garlic is high FODMAP. I've been using garlic infused oil for cooking over the last lot of months but would LOVE to get back to basics - especially since I am returning to Greece this summer where it will be hard to avoid if I'm to eat the traditional foods I like.Back in Greece when I was still eating bread we'd use up the crusty loaves next day by slicing them, drizzling them generously with EVOO, adding some crushed garlic & oregano, and then roasting them on the grill to use for soaking up the oils/juices from our salads. I won't be doing that this visit, but I can close my eyes & taste that amazing infusion of flavours just like it was yesterday.... I've added a few cloves of smoked crushed garlic to both my moroccan stew and my goan curry this week and I've had a portion of each so far today. So far I feel absolutely fine but I'm guessing that it will take a bit of a build up of it in my system before I notice any symptoms, although I'm hoping there will be none to speak of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted February 29, 2016 Administrators Share Posted February 29, 2016 Holy moly it's been a busy weekend! Training straight after work on Friday, followed by a quick shower and out to a Stella & Dot jewellery party. I'm not particularly into these kind of events because even though it's hosted by a friend there is always an unusual mix of people, and usually the vast majority of those folks I won't have met before because it's common to invite different people each tme so that the same people don't get fed up buying..... Anyway, I actually had a really good night and met some new people I clicked with very easily and got home a lot later than planned, and of course spent more money than anticipated, but sure, you can't take it with you - not that I'd have much to take!! Yesterday then was training again at early doors, then shopping with the feral child to spend his Birthday money, out with some friends to watch the Ireland v England game, then home for tea in time to get settled on the sofa to watch our boy Frampton take on Quigg in the ring - it was a disappointing fight it has to be said, with both parties coming across as a little lacklustre, but he did win the WBA title nonetheless to go along side his IBF title and did our wee country proud. For such a small country we've produced some amazing sportsmen..... Today has been the usual early start for Spin, followed by meal prep & chores. On the menu this week is Morroccan Beef Heart Stew, Goan Chicken, a whole slow cooked chicken & more mackerel, with roasted peppers & asparagus, baby potatoes, and braised kale on the side, with plenty of eggs, salad veg and a fresh batch of mayo. This week's trial will be garlic, and I've noticed I've been getting a little bolder each week with the quantities I'm trying. I wasn't sure how to approach the garlic trial - should I just crush & saute some to add into each dish as I eat it? Or do I just go gung ho and add it into the recipe in the stipulated quantity? Of course I decided to go for the latter, so both the stew & the curry have a few cloves of crushed smoked garlic in them, so if it turns out to be problematic I'm a little bit snookered foodwise, but sure, postive mental attitude and all that...!!! My kombucha is coming along nicely and will soon be ready for a taste test. HOGAN had concerned me a little because he very quickly sank to the bottom of the jar, and from what I'd read I was expecting him to rise up to the top again after he'd rested from eating all the sugar, which didn't happen. Again, from what I read this might have been due to a drop in temperature, or...... if any white spots started appearing he could have gone moldy.... Thankfully though he's reproduced and there is a brand spanking new SCOBY now growing at the top of the jar - very exciting & amazing & weird all at once!! The feral child is of course delighted as this will be his - all we have to do now is organise a Hotel for him (which will be called Hotel California 'cos every Hotel has a name...) and he can then move in & settle down HULK is further in to the airing cupboard and with the shadows/lighting in there & the 'wooly jumper' I have round the jars to keep them warm it's difficult to see what exactly is going on in his jar... There are certainly lots of stringy bits hanging down from him on the bit I can see so maybe his baby is attached, rather than on the surface like HOGAN's - we'll see. The brewing instructions said to start taste testing any time from 7 days on, and since today is day 7 I could probably try a sample today, but I know that the colder it is the longer the brewing takes so I'm thinking I'll aim for day 10 - partly because of the low temps, but also partly because I'm really nervous about the whole thing, and whether or not it will live up to expectations. I should probably have a word with myself.... Tonight I'll be trying my first taste of my own fermented veg............. Make sure you have a reasonably large jar for your hotel. I had to branch out and have two hotel jars. And remember that every time you feed your hotel inhabitants, they will create yet another scoby right there in the hotel. When I was giving away starter and scobies last year, I specifically would feel the hotel every 10 days or so in order to make sure I had lots of spare scobies to give away. Now my husband is using the spares to make coffee kombucha and I have used one recently to try some different tea variations that do not include any black tea (less healthy for the scoby, harder for him to procreate). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Thanks for that - I'm currently considering using both scobys in the large continuous brew jar which arrived last week, which means I could keep the baby scobys in one of the two jars I'm using for brewing now until such times as I get some new jars, but they're a handy size for brewing and it would make sense to not have to keep moving everything around so I'll keep an eye out for something a good bit bigger... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 NHS England to help design obesity fighting healthy towns... Sad that it's come to this, but good to see that the NHS are trying to do something about it - in a bid to save the NHS from bankruptcy which shows just how much of an issue it is!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoe Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 will happily give a good home to a scoby if you are overrun !! the children have always wanted a pet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 will happily give a good home to a scoby if you are overrun !! the children have always wanted a pet Absolutely Zoe - I don't know anyone else locally who'd be even mildly interested so you definitely have first dibs! Give me a chance to get myself up & running and then we can sort something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I'm fascinated with your Hotel California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 I'm fascinated with your Hotel California. "... it's such a lovely place (such a lovely place)..." Well, at least it will be...!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 "... it's such a lovely place (such a lovely place)..." Well, at least it will be...!! You can check in but you can never check out. You won't want to. All of the fresh flavors you'll be creating will keep your hotel UP and running for years. The B & B. Belfast Booch Bed n Breakfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 I was going to think of a garlic pun, but it's been a busy day so I'm just going to 'press' on.... I had garlic again in both meals 2 & 3 today. After meal 2 I had some lower intestinal discomfort (which is different to what I've had up until now with the FODMAP trials which has all been upper intestinal) which subsided after about 2hrs and was replaced with a small amount of gas, but nothing drastic, and nothing that lasted too long. After meal 3 the intestinal discomfort was back - just a little mild cramping, low down, but noticeable nonetheless. Once again, an hour and a half to two hours later it subsided and the gas was back, but only briefly.Currently everything feels like it's back to normal so it will be interesting to see if there is an increase in symptoms on day 3 considering there was nothing to write home about yesterday.In other news my hand was forced today to do a taste test on my Booch. I'd miscalculated my commercial Booch supply and when I saw last week that it wasn't going to be enough to see me through until my own was ready I ordered one last bottle which has been dispatched but has yet to arrive.So..... this morning before breakfast, on day 9 of my first brew I poured a small glass to try. At first it tasted a little bit sweet, although in hindsight I think the lack of fizz made it feel that way (I believe MOST of the fizz happens after bottling & before refrigeration) because it seemed to taste better as I worked my way down the glass... So this evening I prepared a new batch of tea, bottled about 3/4 of the one jar I'd taste tested, then topped it up with the fresh batch of tea, leaving the mother & baby scobys both in the jar. I know that technically this probably wasn't the best approach, but it's how it will be done once I switch to the continuous brewing jar and I wasn't sure what else to do having 'broken the seal' this morning (ie. the baby scoby was nolonger sealing the top of the jar). I'll leave HULK as is until the weekend when I get more bottles (which will means a trip to IKEA on a Saturday ) then I'll bottle up his brew, and restart him + baby in the continuous brewing jar which means I can add HOGAN in with him along with more tea when today's batch is ready for bottling. HOGAN's baby (yet to be named) meanwhile will go for a stay in the Hotel. If you followed all that I'm impressed - I know exactly what I'm trying to say but just not sure if I explained it that well....!!In Whole9 terms today is the first day of the focus on sleep. So far in a bid to get good quality sleep I take a magnesium supplement, try to limit screen time before bed, reduce fluid intake after 8pm, dim the lights in the evenings, have black out blinds in my room, practice breathing/relaxation exercises in bed, use a sleep app which plays gentle sounds to lull me to sleep (& also senses when I am in a light sleep and so wakens me within a 30min window in the morning), spend some time outdoors at the same time each day, get up at the same time (or close to it) each day, and eat within an hour of wakening.This month my focus will be on increasing my outdoor time each day as the weather (hopefully) starts to improve & reducing screen time further in the evenings. Both completely do-able, and both I feel will have a positive impact on sleep quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 This month my focus will be on increasing my outdoor time each day as the weather (hopefully) starts to improve & reducing screen time further in the evenings. Both completely do-able, and both I feel will have a positive impact on sleep quality. Yeah, well, it looks like I spoke too soon. Woke up this morning to a couple of flurries of snow, which was swiftly followed by heavy showers of sleet, then rain, then strong winds with sunshine. It looked 'do-able' come lunch time so I zipped up my coat and headed out for that brisk walk round the block regardless, but cried off when I got as far as the Post Office and the heavens opened up on me so I made a hasty retreat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkor Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I was going to think of a garlic pun, but it's been a busy day so I'm just going to 'press' on.... Brilliant! If it wasn't for the smiley I'd've missed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcbn Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Brilliant! If it wasn't for the smiley I'd've missed it! What? You didn't think I could come up with a garlic pun??! I'm 'crushed'...!!! Day 3 of the garlic trial and nothing much to report. Garlic was ingested with meals 2 & 3 once again, with no lower intestinal pains after either meal, and no other symptoms to speak of, so I'm counting day 3 as a victory and looking forward to a little more garlic tomorrow... although I'm not sure if anyone else in my place of work would agree In other news my Commercial Kombucha supplier emailed me about the missing bottle of Booch - somehow it's now 'out of stock' after they emailed me to say it'd been dispatched - something is rotten in the state of Denmark - and it starts with K and ends in A... Anyway, that all probably leaves me a little short so I'm on the hunt for another short term supplier until I get myself established as it looks to me like I'll need around 10-12 days for each brew, and until such times as I have more/larger scobys I can only really brew 4 litres at a time - which isn't a huge amount. Once I have established scobys I have brewing space for 8 litres but that might take a few weeks yet. And I'm thinking now that I'm also going to need more brewing jars... Anyway I found a company on the mainland who run a small Booch brewery but they were flooded back in December & are just getting back on their feet again having lost everything. Having chatted with the owner they sound much more the type of thing I'd be after anyway (small scale local business) so I'm going to see if they can send me a mixed case as back up. In other, other news I had a quick catch up with friend who suffers from BED this evening. We've been like ships that pass in the night lately so this was the first proper chat we've had in a while, and when I commented that she was looking a lot 'healthier' she had this HUGE grin on her face and she told me she's currently 'clean'. Without going into any detail I know there is something going on in her life which has given her an incentive to do this, but she went on to tell me that once she knew that *I* knew she actually really struggled to purge. It didn't stop her from trying for a while, but eventually when she sat down one evening when she was in a really dark place & thought about her life and everything that was going on and the chat we had had she decided enough was enough & that it was over. Now she and I both know that it's early days for her yet, but I am SO chuffed to see her make progress, and I really hope that this thing that has her motivated amounts to something or it could all go pear shaped again. But at least she knows that I am here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 That's great. You were/are a catalyst for positive change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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