BigBlog

I have been growing tomatoes and greens hydroponically on my patios for the past six years. Tomatoes grow well on my north-facing patios because they receive enough sun during winter and I am more than happy to take a break over summer.

Last year I bought some cherry tomato and grape tomato seedlings and grew them in tubs connected to two Smart Valve MK2 hydroponics systems. The seedlings were planted in perlite and fed from 25 litre tanks replenished with rainwater. After lackluster yields over the two previous years and an extended rainy season last year, I did not think it was worth planting tomatoes until May and June which was later than I had started previously. It also took a while for good seedlings to become available after the Brisbane floods.

In previous years I had added hydroponics nutrient to the tanks but last year grew my tomatoes organically. Some organic fish emulsion and seaweed spray were purchased. When these were used up I tried worm tea from my worm farm along with the liquid from vegetable and fruit scraps blended with water. Both varieties of tomatoes grew to a larger size than normal and were a welcome addition to my lunch time salads.

I will do the same again this year in feeding my vegetables with a combination of worm tea and blended scraps liquid. My worms are the happy recipients of the residue and seem to get through the blended scraps quicker than roughly chopped scraps. I try to avoid letting any of the solids from the worm tea into the Smart-Valve systems as this might  block the flow although this was easily fixed the one time it happened by detaching and shaking the piping to remove the obstruction.

I now feel like I am practicing true recycling with the blended residue going into the worm farm and the resulting worm tea then feeding the vegetables that I grow, and scraps from what I grow going back into the worm farm. Best of all, I am finally growing my veggies organically which feels great.

Smiling has always been my thing. I will break into a smile with the least provocation. Now I see the results on my face.

I know smile lines are a good thing. They and other facial lines reflect our inner state as our emotions register on our faces. My smile lines can stay as long as they like although I will not stop looking for a facial eraser.

Would you believe that my best defense is using the humble egg? Whenever I crack an egg into a fry pan or bowl, I scoop the remaining egg white from the shells and spread it over my face. Later after I wash off the egg white, my face feels lovely and smooth.  

There is an even better result if I keep my face still. I can almost feel it tightening my skin as the egg white dries which validates the eggs natural facial label.

I have heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Fortunately I am long past that time as applying the remaining egg white to my face is now an automatic response after cracking an egg. My skin has never felt so good!

After receiving several hints about preparing some instructions about how I make my plastic handbags, I have done just that here. I hope these instructions might be helpful...

I had a new dilemma to solve when some rhubarb arrived in my Food Connect box as I have not had any contact with rhubarb apart from possibly eating some in a restaurant dessert.

But first I wanted to know what I could call it - a fruit or a vegetable - and it appears that I am not alone in my confusion. Wikipedia tells me that rhubarb is normally considered to be a vegetable, except in the United States which counts it as a fruit for regulation and duties purposes.

Next I wondered if it could be eaten raw and an online search brought up the perfect solution. I varied the recipe by mixing 275g rhubarb, 100g honey and 50g sultanas at speed 5 for a few seconds in the Thermomix.

The tart flavour came through in my taste test just after making it. However the taste mellowed as I sampled the mix and after two days it was delicious. I will certainly repeat this performance next time some rhubarb arrives in my home.

Some time ago I took a TAFE course in fruit wine making and adopted the pastime as a belated science project.

Making fruit wine was an interesting process. Peeled and chopped fruit with a combination of fruit juice and water plus other ingredients were placed into a clean bucket covered with a towel. I bought new buckets just to be safe.

Adding the yeast after 24 hours stirred up a lukewarm response in the mix. However, I was rewarded the following day when adding the sugar provided a wonderful explosion of bubbles as the yeast and sugar collided.

The remaining steps were easy. I stirred the mix in the bucket a few times over the next two days and then strained the liquid into a 5 litre flagon with a special stopper allowing the wine to bubble. Extra sugar and other recommendations kept the mix humming along until it was ready to be bottled.

One of my favourite activities each week was decanting the liquid and flushing out the flagon before returning the wine. The TAFE teacher had suggested tasting the mix just to make sure it was progressing normally. After checking the progress of a few wine batches, I would feel a little mellow.

My first attempts featured plums as they were in season and sold at a reduced price when overripe. My fruit man entered into my project with great gusto, calling out as I passed his shop if he had some suitable fruit. Soon I had to decline these offers as my stash of bubbling potions was growing.

It was fun for a while. My favourite blend was mandarin and orange juice. It had a lovely subtle bite to it that suited my palate. However, friends were cautious about trying my wine. While the first batch worked well, some subsequent batches were a bit dubious so I could understand their reticence.

I realised that I could not continue with my science project as I enjoyed tasting it too much. Also, midges had taken up residence in my home, no doubt thinking they were in heaven. So I allowed the remaining batches to finish before storing the equipment.

While I am no longer a novice vintner, I am pleased that I understand the wine making process. The teacher discussed how the bubbles in champagne come from a second amount of yeast being added to the bottle before the cork is applied. Now I know why champagne has a greater effect on me than wine.

As a science project, it fitted the bill perfectly and I filled the role by logging the ingredients and steps that I took. As a pastime, it was like any other project that I have taken on over the years. Teddy bears or stuffed leopards reside in my home and those of family and friends. While not as prolific, crocheted rugs and pillows are also out there. The number of ultimate plastic bags is growing. It is just as well I pulled the plug on making fruit wine.

No, not really. But it was pretty enough for me to think of that delicious sweet treat that I missed this year by not going to the Ekka. I understand it was definitely there at the I Love Fairy Floss stand, or so Google tells me.

Well, my little treat might be a different colour but it has the right consistency and even better lacks the sugar. Just 200 grams of cabbage and 110 grams of peeled apple were blended with 200g water in the Thermomix. After a hearty lunch today, it was just the right meal to finish the day, and so I got to eat my sweet treat!

PS And for anyone wondering  This soup provided 100 calories, which was fortunate considering the meal that preceded it.

With the coming transition to digital TV, I wondered whether my antenna was up to the task. My main TV works in conjunction with a Foxtel IQ box which gives me good reception. However, I have not taken on all of the Foxtel packages available so there are some free to air digital channels that I cannot watch.

I have an old TV in my bedroom that I watch occasionally. I had bought two of these TVs in the late 1980s and was impressed that one of them was still operating. Getting digital to work with this TV seemed the ideal place to start.

Installing the set top box was no mean feat. I can understand why people bring in TV technicians to do this job. But I decided to see how far I could go on my own.

As well as acquiring a set top box, I also needed to buy an RF modulator. My TV was so old that it only had the RF connections and not the coaxial cable connectors.

The instructions for the RF modulator said to connect the incoming TV aerial to the modulator and the outgoing cable from the modulator to the TV, with the coaxial coloured cables going between the modulator and the set top box. This seemed strange to me but I set it up this way and found only Channel 31.

I had always thought that white plugs go into white receptors and the same for red plugs and receptors, but apparently not. The instructions for the set top box had white going into red and red into white which confused me. With the cables set up in the conventional way only Channel 31 showed up. Obeying the instructions by swapping the red and white cables going into both the set top box and modulator worked, with ABC and SBS digital channels also appearing.

Again, my local Dick Smith store was helpful. I bought a quad shield coaxial cable to replace the aerial cable connected to the modulator, and then I had all of the channels.

I thought I might have one more challenge to improve the reception on the TV. The quality of the free to air channels was worse except for SBS, possibly because SBS sits on the same band as the channel linking to the set top box. However, the overall quality of the channels was good enough for a TV only being watched occasionally.

I checked online and some people had found that rabbit ears can improve a TVs picture quality. While the idea of using rabbit ears felt like I was going back in time, web pages were reporting that they are still in demand for people watching free to air digital TV. I tried the rabbit ears that came with my old TV and there was no difference to the picture quality. After purchasing the latest model of an internal antenna, (they do not label them rabbit ears anymore!), I received a mixed TV reception. The number of channels reduced mostly from Channel 7 dropping out, but the quality of the remaining channels improved. As tempting as it was to keep the better reception, getting all of the TV channels was more important, so I reverted back to using the external TV antenna.

I have not yet tried the set top box and new coaxial cable on my main TV in my lounge room. This TV has connectors for the coloured cables so I would not need to use the RF modulator.

But I am thinking that I should quit while I am ahead. My second TV is digital ready, albeit with a slightly lesser quality picture, and I am happy to continue with Foxtel operating on my main TV which provides a good picture quality.

So I have answered the question that I started out with. It looks like the external antenna is up to the task and I now have access to all the digital free to air channels. If I had an LG TV, I might be tempted to say Life is good!

I need a happy thought, one that will send me back to sleep when I wake up in the early hours of the morning.

I have been on a mission for a number of years to work out the magic ingredients for a good nights sleep. I thought that protein free dinners might have been the answer which I have subsequently proven wrong. I now believe that once we restrict coffee and alcohol to before 6pm then it is a matter of temperature control and de-stressing.

I once used to sleep much warmer than I needed to and sometimes woke up in a light sweat. Now I am reading online that it is best to sleep in a slightly cool room. This surprises me and yet my experiences over the past few months are proving its validity.

Towards the end of May when I would have been sleeping snugly under a doona, I only needed a sheet and sometimes one or two blankets. Now in July, I only need a light doona and bedcover which is again in contrast with past practice.

When I settle in for the night I ensure that my bedding is appropriate for the weather. I wait for a few minutes to see whether I become too hot or cold and adjust accordingly.

So having cottoned on to the need for temperature control, I am left with how to de-stress before retiring for the night.

If I go to bed with an active mind, then I experience vivid or unpleasant dreams. Watching comedies or something funny on TV before I prepare for bed generally leads to an easy entry to sleep. A smile on my face works wonders.

Having a happy thought to lull me back into slumber seems like a good idea but I find that if I attach to any thoughts after I wake then I will be awake for some time. In the past, I would get up and make myself a cup of tea, after which I was able to go back to sleep. I now believe that this helped mainly because my body cooled down while I was out of my bed.

I have been reading a book by Tenzin Palmo called Reflections on a Mountain Lake. Tenzin Palmo is a Western Buddhist nun who lived and meditated in a cave for twelve years. Her book was formed from a series of talks that she gave in the late 1990s and includes a discussion about the value of meditation and how it can help clear the mind.

Clearing the mind is exactly what I need to do when I wake during the night. I have always found meditating difficult. However if I wake during the night I can generally clear the mind and go back to sleep. The only time that I might have some trouble is if I have not dealt with any stress I have been feeling, but I am finding that most times I can ignore any thoughts that might arise and return to sleep.

So now I do three things to enhance my sleeping pattern. The first is to watch something funny to lighten my mind, the second is to ensure that my bedding is just right and the third is to empty my mind if I wake during the night. My new regime is working well for me. I am sleeping comfortably with a calm and happy mind. This is cool!

Charming thatches of gray have featured just above my ears for decades. I have even joked with my hairdresser about my free highlights. However, since turning 50 these points of interest seem to be spreading their joy.

My family and I have agreed that I am taking after my grandmother in many ways. Considering that her hair turned gray during her 50s, it is no surprise that gray strands are now mingling with my brunette locks.

My grandmother finally accepted the gray tinge after many years of dyeing her hair. I have often noticed women with their natural hair colour emerging along their part. Since two-toned hair is not my idea of a fashion statement, for the past month I have been trying a more natural method.

Google has once again helped me in this endeavour. Many web pages praise the combination of rosemary and sage tea as an effective and natural hair colour option.

It is an easy process. I put a heaped teaspoon each of the rosemary and sage herbs into a cup and fill with boiling water. After the mix has cooled I pour the strained liquid into a spray bottle.

Each morning for three weeks I sprayed the mix onto my hair and then after 10 minutes washed my hair normally. Now I just use the spray once or twice a week for maintenance.

Web pages suggest that the spray will only last for a week and should be kept in the fridge. However I am finding that it can last longer out of the fridge in these cooler months.

I am pleased with the results. If I finger through my hair I still see strands of gray, but after preparing my hair for the day the gray is barely there.

A herbal tea mix does not provide the immediate fix that a salon can but I like the idea of using herbs in this way. My thatched highlights might not be so visible now but how I am handling this is more sustainable and satisfying.

Sprouted seeds or legumes are often recommended as a healthy item on our plates. Soaking removes the enzyme inhibitors that would otherwise nullify some of the enzymes produced in our bodies. 

An alternative to sprouting is to make chia seed gel. Chia seeds are touted as a superfood which can be cooked, sprouted or made up into a gel. I like making the gel because it is easy to prepare and can last in my fridge for a week or more. 

I mix a heaped tablespoon of chia seeds with 3/4 cup water in a container. The mix needs to be stirred for a few minutes to ensure the seeds do not clump together. Then the lid goes on and into the fridge. 

The raw food movement recommends eating "live" food because the enzymes in the food are more readily available. Including chia seed gel in our meals is an easy way to get this benefit.

Here is my latest creation with reversed colour schemes on front and back, and on the sides. It is fun playing with different colours. This bag brings lots of admiring looks, including my own!

Earlier bags can be found here and here, and instructions are here.

I have made muffins, pikelets, waffles and bread, and the enduring habit seems to be making mini muffins. My mother has always been a fan and has even started making her own.

My favourite version of this recipe is Sultana Mini Muffins, but in the past sultanas have easily been replaced by coconut, carrot, banana, pumpkin, or any other item that takes your fancy and feels like it would work within a mini muffin recipe! I suspect the variations are limited only by ones imagination.

I use rye flour because I seem to have developed intolerance to wheat flour but have not yet been diagnosed as celiac. If self-raising flour is your preference, then do not include the cream of tartar and baking soda.

Sultana Mini Muffins

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Makes 24 mini muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup rye flour

1 1/3 tsp cream of tartar with 2/3 tsp baking soda

1 tsp mixed spice

3 tbsp sugar

--- The above ingredients can be stored together in a container in the fridge for days or weeks before you need them. If you prefer to sift the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda then do this before adding the mixed spice and sugar.

3/4 cup sultanas - or other filling of choice: desiccated coconut, grated carrot, banana or cooked pumpkin etc

1 egg

3 tbsp olive oil

5/8 cup water

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease mini muffin tray(s) with one large tray for 24 mini muffins or two smaller trays for 12 mini muffins each.

Sift flour, cream of tartar and baking soda into a bowl. Mix in all other ingredients until combined.

Spoon mixture into the muffin pans

Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. In a non-fan forced oven turn the muffin trays around in the oven after 7 or 8 minutes. Cool in pan(s) for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a plate or wire rack.

This recipe works well for mini muffins and would most likely work for a 12 muffin tray as well.

My Dad found my first car for me. The seven year old Torana was perfect. I drove this 3 litre, 6 cylinder car around for a further seven years thinking that this was how all cars drove, until water dripped when it rained and my heel started going through the floor.

My next car was a shock to me. A 1.6 litre Gemini had less power than the Torana and the subsequent 2 litre Nissan Pintara felt the same. Both cars over-revved when I put my foot down where the Torana had surged forward. No wonder Toranas were popular with race drivers. Dick Johnson was one of the first to put himself in the drivers seat.

I fixed the problem with my fourth car by acquiring a Commodore which was fitting as it had superseded the Torana. The car drove like a dream for the next five years after which I traded it in on another Commodore. This time around I kept the car for 10 years and for the last four years ran on dual LPG and petrol.

I was happy to take on lpg and not just because the Government rebate started before I placed my order. LPG seemed like an ideal way to help the environment by using less petrol. An added benefit for me was having two tanks that allowed me to drive further before refueling. I also noticed a drop in my fuel bills which added another tick.

However after 10 years and high mechanical quotes I went back to the drawing board. I had heard good things about the Mitsubishi Lancer both from my brother and a friend. The closest Mitsubishi dealer being within walking distance of my home along with a great special offer helped to seal the deal.

However I still wondered how I would feel once I owned it as 2 litre cars had previously unimpressed me. Naturally I had taken the Lancer for a test drive, but there is so much to think about while getting used to a new vehicle that the test drive becomes a bit of a blur. It was only after I was regularly driving the Gemini and then the Pintara that I worked out I was not happy.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief after picking up my new car and driving it around for a few days. Clearly 2 litre cars have changed over the past two decades. The Lancer has not over-revved despite my lead foot operating sometimes, particularly when driving up a hill or wanting to accelerate on a highway. My petrol bills being consistently less than the combined lpg and petrol bills for my previous car was also good news.

While I must sound like a rev-head, I am saved by my gender as the Urban Dictionary says this is an Australian term for a young male person who owns and is obsessed by an excessively powerful motor vehicle. But I did enjoy driving a powerful car. However in these days of soaring petrol prices and calls to reduce our ecological footprint I feel virtuous driving a smaller engine car and my bank balance appreciates it as well.

Christmas Day was a lot of fun, particularly when my next two plastic bag creations were happily whisked away by my delighted mother and sister.

As is generally the way, these creations have surpassed the initial prototype. Handles bought at Spotlight with a spiffy way of attaching them has given each bag a classy look.

Two big pink bags meant to be filled with clothes and placed outside for collection were instead made up into four squares to adorn the sides of an otherwise white bag. The black printing on the pink bags resulted in interesting squiggles throughout the sea of pink. At the request of my Mum some plastic ends were left partially exposed, just to prove authenticity of course!

Having dipped my fingers into colour, it became the imperative. Family members passed through coloured bags while buying small items over a few days from the local greengrocer resulted in some pretty purple and green bags which were quickly made up into sparkling squares. I even stooped to trolling through the plastic bag recycling bin in Woolworths which scored a handy stash.

While I have a preference for used plastic bags, this went out the door while finishing off my sisters bag. She prefers colourful objects, no doubt stemming from her artistic talent, and black edging was the best way to go. However, used black plastic bags are hard to come by so some purchased garbage bags were used. I felt a little easier about this when I noticed their earth friendly bags tag.

When making up the bags, I joined the 14 squares together in pairs, and then joined two pairs together to make the front and back leaving the remaining pairs for the sides and bottoms. In each case the edges were placed side by side and then a tapestry needle used to loop some plarn (plastic yarn) along the edges.

Then I joined each of the front and back sections to the bottom pair by placing the edges together and securing them by running the tapestry needle up and down through the squares just inside the edge to give a nice finish. The side pairs were also attached to the base by placing the edges together, which ensures that the bag will stand up easily, and looping the thread through the edges. After the sides edges were looped against the front and back edges, the almost completed bag could stand up.

Then I had the dilemma of how to attach the handles. I ended up extending small flaps of 8 rows of 8 treble groups centered on the front and back panels. Each of the resulting flaps were then wound around the handles base and secured by crocheting through the top and bottom edge of the flap from inside the bag, which produced a professional finish.

I am afraid that my initial prototype is about to be superseded, as much as I have enjoyed showing it off. Having seen what I can achieve, I have ideas of what I would like to make for myself and am currently mulling about which colours I would like in my next creation (or two) with pastels leading the pack. Of course, what I can actually make depends on the colour of the bags that come my way.

I have a yen for a white and pastel coloured bag, and a black bag with colours different to the one I made for my sister. As much as I like the professional look that the Spotlight handles give, I would still like to perfect a good-looking crocheted handle. And of course, each of my creations has to be different, perhaps not in the basic design but definitely in the colours. I think I will be busy for some time to come.

Postscript: A subsequent bag is here and instructions are here.

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas as much as I enjoyed mine... until I slipped and hurt my knee earlier today. Fortunately I have only hurt my knee which is sporting a few blue/purple bruises and is therefore not broken. I have also just noticed a blood spot in my eye similar to the one I got when I fell off a horse when I was much younger. I am able to walk almost normally around my home and outside, just needing to support my knee during significant movements.

I slipped on a wet patch of concrete and in the split second of going down wondered what this would mean for me. Since being diagnosed with marginal osteoporosis four years ago, every fall becomes an issue. I have now fallen twice since the diagnosis and both times have survived without a break.

My doctor felt that my breaking a bone in my ankle back in 1990 meant that I had a predisposition to osteoporosis. To me at the time, I was under severe stress in my then current job .But being a very loyal creature as under the Chinese horoscope my year of birth means that I am a Dog, I needed the opportunity that a broken foot gave me to step back from my work situation so that I could clearly look at what was best for me, which turned out to be leaving the job I was in.

I am not so sure what the message is from this current fall. I have been fortunate that there is no significant break and have already resumed normal life, minus long walks and tip-toeing over wet ground. I have piles of things to read after becoming preoccupied with work-related end of year tasks, contributing to a campaign to save the park that I live opposite and making two presents that I am sure to blog about in the next day or two. Perhaps the message is for me to chill out right now and catch up with life in general. After all, it still feels a lot like Christmas...

Merry Christmas to all.

I enjoyed the Mushroom Chicken Cacciatore meal so much that I have just made a modified version in the Thermomix. The original recipe can still be found at the Courier Mail Q-Weekend website by clicking on QW Inside and then clicking on Food, and right now it is on page 8.

The condiments below do not include salt as the Thermomix stock concentrate already has salt in it. I have worked out that I can store my stock concentrate in a pyrex container in the freezer as I can easily scoop some out on a spoon. I have previously found that frozen jam can be scooped out in the same way if it is made with equal quantities of fruit and sugar. It looks like stock concentrate made with a significant amount of salt has the same properties.

It tasted lovely even though the tomatoes lost their form and became part of the stock. Next time I will reduce the number of tomatoes and increase the amount of zucchini or capsicum. The rest of the stew ended up in the freezer with the meals being much more stock than chicken and mushroom. But that is fine. I shall enjoy eating it and will not mind using a spoon to lap up the last few mouthfuls.

I have just read the Thermomix forum and found a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore along with some great suggestions on how to reduce the resulting liquid. Next time I will try cooking the meal on Varoma temperature and steaming vegetables in the Varoma basket.I will choose the vegetables carefully as 15 minutes cooking time seemed perfect with this meal and some vegetables require a longer steaming time. Probably vegetables that can be eaten raw like pumpkin, carrots, broccoli or cauliflower would be best.

1 clove garlic

1 onion peeled and quartered

Olive oil 30g

300g chicken thighs diced

120g mushrooms diced

3 roma tomatoes chopped

1 zucchini diced

200ml water with 1 tsp Thermomix stock concentrate

Condiments to suit : pepper, herbs eg oregano, rosemary or dried Italian herbs

Optional: Diced vegetables for steaming eg  pumpkin, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower

Preparation:-

Chop garlic and onion in Thermomix bowl for 5 seconds on speed 7

Add oil and saute for 3 minutes at 100 deg C on speed 1

Add remaining ingredients and position the Varoma basket on top if vegetables are being steamed. Cook for 15 minutes at 100 deg C or Varoma temperature (if veggies are being steamed) on Reverse speed soft.

Hummus is always a pleasant addition to a nibble or a meal. This raw version based on a recipe from the book 12 Steps to Raw Foods by Victoria Boutenko can make a nice side dish or stand as a meal on its own. It is deceptively simple to make and perfect as summer takes hold.

My first attempts to sprout chick peas always ended in failure. But then I was set straight at a demonstration by Roar Food. Instead of rinsing twice a day as I have always done for other legumes, I needed to rinse at least 3 or 4 times a day. Just to be on the safe side, I rinse whenever I notice the jar on my sink.

So once the chick peas have been sprouted, making the hummus is easy. Just blend the following ingredients on speed 4 (just under medium speed) in the Thermomix for 15 to 30 seconds:

Chick peas sprouted for 1 to 2 days

Tomato

Basil and other available greens

Condiments to taste - garlic, salt, lemon juice

I have been travelling along comfortably for a while now, enjoying my breakfast of fruit with some cooked brown rice or quinoa, a large salad at lunch time with some cooked beans or chick peas, and a cooked dinner. I enjoy eating bananas as a snack, and have a vague memory of mentioning that I also enjoy a cappuccino, be it cows milk or alternatives such as rice or oat milk, just about every morning.

My Mum and I saw the movie Food, Inc. recently which reminded me of all the reasons that I avoid processed food, minimise the amount of animal protein in my meals, and endeavour to grow some greens and tomatoes to contribute to what I eat. There were parts of Food, Inc. that were somewhat confronting, but as I had previously watched the Fast Food Nation dvd which had similar themes, I knew what I was in for.

Then I noticed the Food Matters dvd at Wrays Organics and on the spur of the moment decided to buy it. I could be forgiven for expecting something similar to Food, Inc. or Fast Food Nation as both movies look at the food that we eat and what happens to that food before it reaches our plates.

But Food Matters is different in that it looks at how the food we eat affects our health. The dvd indicates this with the subtitle being a quote from Hippocrates: Let thy Food be thy Medicine. A significant part of the movie is taken up by discussing the importance of raw food, which I was more than happy to listen to after having spent a few months towards the end of last year romping through most of the recipes in the Thermomix Rawlicious booklet.

I have had a lot of input since I first started playing with this little booklet. I have dabbled with what could be the standard raw food diet which includes nuts and seeds and even tried sprouting grains unsuccessfully. Then I moved on to the 80/10/10 diet with a high fruit focus and one meal including a large salad. Now I am seeing members of my family following the Paleo diet which advocates a significant amount of animal protein along with fruit and vegetables (excluding root vegetables). I can see benefits in all these ways of eating and have started to incorporate more fish or organic meat into my diet to see if this makes any difference to my overall wellbeing.

I cannot help wondering why this is not easier. My grandmother lived till she was 90. She cooked most meals and had a few processed foods along the way in the form of shop-bought biscuits and cakes, but these foods did not form the major component of what she ate. It is also possible that the ingredients in these products back when she was eating them might have been a bit more natural than what they are now.

The most significant advice I have heard from the FoodMatters dvd is to have 51% or more raw food at each meal. I have easily been doing this for my breakfast and lunch over the past six months, but have definitely failed the test at dinner time as I have recently become accustomed to eating my dinner cooked.

Actually, I should probably ask 51% of what! Is that 51% of the weight of the food I am eating, or 51% of the calories? I could use this as a delaying tactic but have decided to go with the recommendation provided with the 80/10/10/diet which looks at the percentage of calories.

Most of what I have for dinner comes from the Food Connect box that I pick up each Tuesday. I believe that potatoes are the only item from Food Connect that cannot be eaten raw, so have good reason to think that it would not be that hard to meet this 51% criterion. It is just my dinners that I need to reconsider and my cooked dinners that might be the hardest habit to change. The phrase What to eat has never been more pertinent.