Sharabelle bakes

Cooking when you have a  chronic illness When people talk about not being able to cook, you just assume there not confident in their food knowledge.  When I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia I discovered how much having a chronic illness could also affect my ability in the kitchen. I've had IBS for over 20 years, you never really get used to living with food intolerances.  It gets worse as you get older.  You can develop new symptoms and the food you can safely eat can change.   I've always been lactose intolerant however 2 years ago I had to add gluten to my do not eat food list. I'm basically a lactose and gluten intolerant pescatarian, who  follows a  Low Fodmap diet  to manage my IBS symptoms.  It's a bit of a mouthful to say, which means I rarely talk about it. Low Fodmaps is short for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, which are more commonly known as carbohydrate. ...

It seems today that people have lost their connection to food.  They don't seem to know where their food comes from.  We buy our food conveniently package. I was lucky growing up my grandad used to be a farmer, and his cousin still farmed cattle.  My dad and grandad loved gardening, they grew fruit and vegetables along with other plants.  There is nothing like eating fresh picked peas from the pod.   There are more chickens in the world than people We grew up knowing where our food came from. It certainly did not come from battery farms.  Our mass consumer culture created the rise of mass production farming.  Globally there are 9 billion chickens, that's 3 for every person.   There is a movement in the UK, to stop all battery hen farming.  Due to the lack of animal welfare that occurs.  These animals do not have a life, as there trapped in cages and never see natural light.  When they can no longer lay eno...

The way I eat has changed since being diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  I just don't have the energy to cook the same way that I used too.  I would make all my meals from scratch and cook one freeze one for another day.   My blog should really be changed too Sharabelle doesn't bake anymore.  Due to the chronic fatigue I've had to adapt my cooking habits, sometimes I get to the point when I don't want to eat.  My hands also occasionally shake, making chopping vegetables a nightmare.   Adapt So I've changed the type of food I buy and how I shop.  I buy frozen vegetables instead of fresh.   I still like to shop around for the best prices.  I also now shop every few days, instead of doing one large shop.  It's easier for me to carry, and gets me out every day for a short walk.  Which is great for both my mental and physical health.   Shopping List  Morrisons Nairns fine oatcakes - £1.00 Rice Dre...

WASTE NOT,  WANT NOT LONELY HEART VEGETABLE     It's the end of the week and you look in the fridge for something to make a meal.  But all you find is a lonely single carrot or courgette, and your left thinking "What can I make with that!!!"     To reduce food waste I now do smaller shops, more often than one large monthly one.  By only buying what I need for that week I have reduced the amount of food I need to throw out.  The only problem is I usually end up with random single vegetables in my fridge.       Carrots There's a lot you can do with a single carrot, it can go with any global cuisine.  Or more often a Hybrid of more than one, depending on what I have in my store cupboard. Cous Cous Add a grated carrot to cous cous for a quick meal.  I first make my cous cous up with a little veggie stock and add in a pinch of ground cumin.  For a Moroccan feel I like to add some drie...

BEST BEFORE DATES & USE BY DATES   I really wanted an egg salad wrap when I got home from work last night. When I went to get the egg box from the fridge, I noticed the Best before date was for 2 days earlier.  Not the best planning for my aim of reducing food waste.      First thing I did was check to see if they were still good to eat.  I filled a jug full of cold water, then placed the egg in.      Sinks:   If the Egg sinks and lays on the bottom of the just its still okay to eat   Half & Half:   If one end of the egg tilts slightly upwards, it's not at its peak for taste.  However its still safe to eat if cook thoroughly.    Floats:   If the egg floats, or eggs up pointing totally vertically upwards.  Not Safe to eat.  NHS - Advise   Eggs can be eaten after their "best before" date as long as they are cooked thoroughly until bo...