Eat & Drink for £1 a day (£7 a week) - 28 Day Challenge - Lessons Learnt

It's now over a week since the end of the challenge, and I've enjoyed the freedom of choice and flavour every day. So what, if anything, did I learn from my challenge? Well, for a starter I'm glad I don't have to permanently live below the poverty line. It is seriously pants.

I did have enough food, but the weekly shopping had to be done carefully to make sure there was both enough to eat and also some variety in vitamins and proteins, while staying within budget. And once I had done the weekly shopping there was no adding to it for another seven days even if I got a craving or ran out of something.

There were some days when I went to bed hungry, not because there wasn't enough food, but because I couldn't be bothered with eating the food I had in the house.

There were things I had to go without, such as my lovely herbs, spices, oils and tea. Over the years I have built up an extensive stock of spices, oils and vinegars that I use in my cooking. They are replaced as and when needed and most weeks I don't have to spend any money on them, but during the challenge I couldn't use them at all, and I really missed them. I also have a good selection of herbal teas, none of which could be used during the challenge and were much missed.

Being gluten intolerant I couldn't afford bread, flour or pasta, because the gluten free stuff is really expensive, so pasta was one of the first things I had after the challenge ended. I've also done some baking since the end of the challenge, just because I could.

You'd think that on a restricted diet like this I would have lost a lot of weight, but no. Apart from the restrictions in variety, this diet wasn't radically different to what I normally eat, with plenty calories, proteins and carbohydrates.

I'm not sure yet what sort of lasting effect this challenge will have on my eating habits. I may be more imaginative when shopping and planning my meals, I've certainly been more reluctant to spend lots of money on food this last week since the end of the challenge.

I've seen that it is possible to live on a very cheap diet, but it is not something I would wish on anyone. While you can survive perfectly well, there is no room for spontaneity or little treats. There's no extra money for meeting your friends for a coffee in town, or a bag of crisps if you get hungry while out and about. Everything has to be planned and prepared for in advance.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project for the orphanage Kithoka in Meru, Kenya, http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day (£7 a week) - 28 Day Challenge - The Day After

I've been waiting for this day for a while now. Looking back over the last four weeks it doesn't feel like I've suffered at all, and the boredom is already forgotten. But I have to admit that I have enjoyed today. What I've eaten wasn't radically different from the challenge-food, but there were some small but significant differences. The food today had Flavours. I had a simple pasta dish for dinner, but there were fresh herbs, good quality olive oil, chilli, freshly ground black pepper, olives, and more. And it's those little things that I've missed while being on this challenge.

I had a mug of hot chocolate this afternoon as well, the first one in four weeks, and it was heavenly. I have to admit that there was almost as much Baileys as hot chocolate, but who's counting. It certainly was delicious.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day (£7 a week) - 28 Day Challenge - Day 28

Last day! Finally, the day I've been waiting for for 4 weeks is here. You'd think that would make the day harder, but actually it's been the easiest day so far, probably because I know the challenge is now nearly over.

I started the day with a small portion of the stew that was left from the other day, and then throughout the day, while I was out and about, I had three apples.

My dinner was similar to yesterday's; boiled rice with green peas, borlotti beans, courgette, a clove of garlic and half an onion, all boiled together in water with bouillon powder and dried mixed herbs.

Now all I have to do is go to bed, and then when I wake up I'm free to eat whatever I want!

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya,   http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 27

Today has been just as deliciously lazy as yesterday. I started the day with a mug of hot bouillon and a DVD, and then a bit later on I had an apple. In between reading my book and playing with the kittens I also managed to have lunch, very conveniently I had made enough stew the day before yesterday to last me for another few days. It could have done with some fresh chopped chilli, but that might be added once this challenge is over if there is still some of it left.

Dinner today was very similar to yesterdays as well, boiled rice with the remaining sweetcorn and half the remaining green peas. I also added some bouillon powder, half the borlotti beans, the rest of the red pepper, some courgette and the rest of the tomato purée.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya,   http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 26

Today's been a really lazy day, and I've done nothing useful at all. I've just read my book and watched DVDs - a perfect Saturday. I started it with an apple, and then a bit later on I had some leftovers from yesterday.

In the afternoon I had an orange, and then for dinner I had rice boiled with a teaspoon of bouillon powder, some green peas, sweetcorn and a bulb of garlic. When it was done I added a pinch of dried mixed herbs and a squirt of tomato purée. Very simple, but still nice.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya,   http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 25

Only three more days to go after today, and I'm already fantasising about what I'm going to indulge in once this challenge is over. I think it will probably be pasta. And olives. And probably more too. But that's not yet. Today was another day on the challenge, and it started with a mug of hot bouillon, followed by an apple. Then there was lunch, which consisted of two baked potatoes.

Dinner was a warming stew made from 2 onions, 2 carrots (last ones), the remaining cabbage, half the remaining swede, a small handful of red split lentils, a tin of chopped tomatoes, half the remaining sweetcorn, and a generous helping of green peas. I added enough water to almost cover it all, a teaspoon of bouillon powder and some dried mixed herbs, and let it simmer for about half an hour. Then I added half a tin of pinto beans, and a tin of sliced mushrooms, left it all to simmer for another 15 minutes, and served it up with a squish of fresh lemon juice. It may not have been very exciting, but it was very nice and filling. And there should be enough for another couple of meals.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 24

Not feeling very inspired today I opted for simple eating solutions. There was an orange for my breakfast, a cup of bouillon mid-morning, and then a mouth-watering tin of baked beans for lunch. Ok, maybe not mouth-watering, but definitely nice. And easy to prepare.

Dinner was similarly easy today. I boiled some rice and added some chopped courgette and red pepper, and half a tin of pinto beans. Very simple, but both tasty and filling.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 23

For some reason I've been hungry all day today. Not only did I have both an apple and an orange for breakfast, but I also had a huge lunch of leftovers from two days ago. There was a bit more than a portion left, but I had it all, and shortly afterwards I was hungry again.

I managed to resist eating anything until dinner time, when I had two portions (all that was left) of the stew I made yesterday. I squirted a little fresh lemon juice over it, and also had the last avocado with it. And I'm still hungry. It's going to be a long evening, I'll have to get my knitting out to distract myself.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 22

First day of the last week. That's today. It's not like I'm suffering, but I'm getting  a little bit bored. There's enough food, and it's healthy, but there just isn't much in the way of choice. And I can't just spontaneously make a cake or pancakes or some other exciting thing, because my budget didn't cover those ingredients. Normally I would use some of the things I keep stocked in my larder as well as what my shopping brought in that week, but not these last few weeks.

I'll stop moaning now, because it is a new week, and that means a new shopping basket, and so at least there is a little bit of variation from last week. This week's shopping came to a total of £6.99, 1 penny under budget. What I got was:

1 bag of onions (1kg)
1 bag of potatoes (750g)
1 bag of frozen peas (900g)
3 tins of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1 tin of sliced mushrooms (290g)
4 oranges
7 apples
1 lemon
1 small swede
½ white cabbage
1 tin of borlotti beans (300g)
1 tin of  pinto beans (300g)
1 tin of baked beans (410g)

I wasn't very hungry this morning, so subsisted on water until I had an early lunch of leftovers from yesterday.  There's enough for another portion left, so that takes care of lunch tomorrow as well. In the afternoon I had an apple, before it was dinner time and I had a lovely stew served with rice and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice. I even had a starter today; half an avocado, some courgette and some tomatoes with a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Delicious.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 21

I haven't really done much today, apart from sleep and eat, and read my book for a little while. I had a delicious salad for breakfast/lunch; the remaining spinach leaves, some red pepper, tomatoes, courgette, and a whole avocado. I may have had an after-breakfast nap before heading out to feed my friend's cats - two beautiful and gentle little boys.

Having arrived home I played with my own kittens, a proper cat-day today. Then it was dinner time, and I rustled up a hearty vegetable soup with the rest of my onion, the rest of the frozen broccoli and cauliflower from week 1, some frozen sweetcorn (also from week 1), 4 carrots, a courgette, a red pepper, the rest of my swede, 2 tablespoons tomato purée, 2 teaspoons bouillon, a handful of dry red split lentils, and enough water to submerge it all. I brought it all to the boil, and then let it simmer for about 40 minutes until it was soft. And the best thing - there's enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I can't believe today is the end of week three, which means that I've already completed three quarters of the challenge! Only one more week to go and I can eat whatever I'd like!

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Days 19 & 20

Days 19 and 20 were spent mostly fighting with a cold which threatened to become a chest infection. There was a lot of sleep and not a lot else. Normally when poorly I just sleep and drink water, and that's what I did this time as well. There were moments when I felt a little better, and during those times I managed to eat the remaining two bananas and an apple.

Presently, I can breathe again - which is good, so hopefully day 21 will be a better day.

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 18

Today has been a day of sleep and not much else. I've only been awake now and again to drink some water. But finally I'm up and out of bed, and I've had a lovely salad of spinach, green peas (the last bit), onion, tomatoes, red pepper, courgette, and avocado.

I'm going to have a mug of hot bouillon before going back to bed, and maybe a banana just to get some more energy.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 17

Another day of feeling rubbish and with no appetite. I managed to eat an apple, a banana and three carrots throughout the day, like yesterday, and like yesterday they tasted of absolutely nothing. When I got home from work I fell asleep while changing into comfortable clothes, and had a lovely unscheduled snooze for a few hours. I really didn't want to get up again when I woke up, but knowing that I don't do well if I've had several days with hardly any food I realised I had to.

After clambering down the stairs I made a lovely salad, (spinach, avocado, tomatoes, red pepper & onion) and I can feel it doing me good already - but I'm still straight back to bed with a mug of hot water. Hopefully some more sleep and a few days off from work will do me good.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 16

Still battling with my cold I had absolutely no appetite. Since there was no smell or taste to anything I didn't feel like eating, and all I wanted to do all day was to go back to bed.

So that is what I did as soon as I had completed my chores for the day. Throughout the day I managed to eat an apple, a banana and the remaining carrots from last week, but even that was more than I fancied.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 15

I have to admit that I'm getting a little bored now with having not much of a free choice of food. But I said I'd do it for 4 weeks, and I'm a day past half-way, so I'd better keep going.

I've done my shopping for the next week, and this week I've gone for fresh food only. All in all it cost me £7.12, the 12 pence coming from my leftover funds of 20 pence from the first week. What I got was:

2 red peppers
1 pack of cherry tomatoes (400g)
3 courgettes
6 bananas
6 apples
4 small avocados
1 pack of carrots (400g)
1 pack of dried mixed herbs (18g)

Hopefully this will be enough to last me the week. I've also got some leftover food from the previous two weeks:

4 potatoes
2 carrots
a small piece of swede
some frozen vegetables
some frozen sweetcorn
half a pack of rice
a handful of red split lentils
a small handful of yellow split peas
a quarter of a tin of green peas
1 onion
most of a bulb of garlic
half a box of bouillon
a third of a tube of tomato purée
a third of a bag of spinach leaves

I reckon I should be ok with this.

Today started with a juicy apple, I've been dreaming about apples for the past two weeks, and today I finally had one. Luckily I was at work and had only brought the one, or I could have eaten the whole lot. Lunch was the rest of yesterday's leftover lunch (rice and lentils with spinach and tomatoes), and then I also had an afternoon snack; a banana.

Dinner today was a warm and cold mixed salad. I used two handfuls of spinach, some of a red pepper, half an avocado and three tomatoes. I also boiled two potatoes and some lentils which I mixed with the cold ingredients once they were cooked. It was both filling and tasty, and all I lacked was some olive oil to drizzle over (far too expensive) and a glass of wine to go with it (completely out of the question on my current budget).

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 14

Day 14 was one of those days where I was running around trying to get everything done at once. I got up a bit late, so didn't really have time to sit down for breakfast, instead I snacked on carrots throughout the morning until it was lunchtime. Luckily I had thought to prepare lunch the evening before, when I had boiled rice and lentils. There were some leftover cooked swede as well, and along with the remaining tomatoes this made a perfect, and quite large, lunch. I didn't manage to eat it all, so the remainder went in the fridge for the next day.

By the time I got home I was feeling quite rough, the sore throat Id been nursing for the last couple of days was getting so bad it felt like sandpaper, and I could feel a proper cold coming on, so I did what I normally do when I feel like I'm getting ill; I had a warm bath and then went to bed early and got a long night's sleep.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 13

What a lovely relaxing day this has been. I've done absolutely nothing useful at all, just read my book all day long, while grazing on leftovers from yesterday.

Dinner was eaten quite late, there having been quite a bit of leftovers to get through. Also I wasn't really paying attention to the clock. But eventually I made my way into the kitchen where inspiration struck and I made quite a colourful dish.

I used half an onion - sweated in a little water, 1 teaspoon bouillon, 3 tablespoons tomato purée, and a handful of tomatoes. This was simmered in a frying pan until it was all cooked through and soft, and while I cooked a few slices of swede in some water, and reheated a ball of the lentil&pea mixture I still had left from yesterday. It was quite tasty, and may be replicated on another day.

I also had a bit of a treat today; a tin of mandarin segments. It was absolutely delicious, and just what I needed at the end of the week.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 12

Day 12! I'm amazed I've made it this far! Only two more days and I've made it to two weeks, and half-way in my challenge.

So far today I've been stuck by my computer, and feel like I haven't really achieved anything. All I've done is munch my way through a handful of carrots and a mug of bouillon, plus a whole thermos-flask full of hot water. But now I'm finally about to make my dinner....

...and what a lovely dinner it was. I boiled 200g rice, enough for there to be leftovers for lunch tomorrow. In another saucepan I  boiled a handful each of yellow split peas and red split lentils. And finally I also cooked a pan full of carrots (two of them), half an onion, and a tin of green peas. I simmered these in some water until they were all soft. I assembled it all by laying out some spinach leaves, placing some rice in a small bowl and turning it out onto the leaves. Then I placed a tomato on top for decoration. The carrot-mix was then scooped up and placed along the other side of the plate, and three quenelles of the pea-mixture added. I don't think it looks too bad? And it certainly tasted good.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 11

Day 11 started in the usual way, with a mug of hot bouillon. By mid morning I was feeling quite hungry, but luckily I had brought a few carrots with me to work, in case of snackage needs. I munched my way through three carrots, and then finally it was lunchtime. It was a freezing cold day, and somehow the office never got warm, even though the heating was on full. The stew I had brought with me was deliciously warm and filling though, and warmed me up much more than the mugs of hot water I had been drinking throughout the morning. Sadly this was the last of the stew I made the other day, so no more ready-made meals.

When I got home I was running a bit late; work was busy and I couldn't leave as early as I had planned. The reason I needed some time was that I had promised to make cake for a friend who needed it the day after, and I was supposed to deliver it by 8pm. So there was nothing else to do than to rush into the kitchen and start baking. I grabbed three potatoes and baked them in the microwave, and ate them while baking. Not ideal, but necessary in the circumstances.

Finally the cake was ready, prettily decorated and securely packed, and off I went to deliver it to my friend's house. There I was warmly greeted and the cake taken off my hands. Of course I was then roped into looking at some faulty plumbing, so it was quite late by the time I finally got home and could dive into bed.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 10

Day 10 was a very busy day, and it went by like a whirlwind. For breakfast I had my usual mug of hot bouillon, and then at mid morning I had a little snack; a carrot. It was delicious and fresh, and gave me lots of renewed energy.

For lunch I had leftovers from day 9's dinner, and it was perhaps even better tasting than the night before. Rushing around all afternoon I stopped for five minutes to have another snack (carrot), it was one of those days where I just craved snacks and carrots are perfect for it, sweet in taste and full of energy.

My dinner was, I'm afraid to say, the same as my lunch. I was completely exhausted after such a busy day, and so it was a relief to find a ready made meal in the fridge.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks