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| January 2024 |
Long-term interest in health and weight control on a budget, converted to this blog in 2015. Now producing digital books (slowly).
Digital & Android versions of cookbook Fabulously Frugal from 67goingon50 are now on sale at Apple Books and Lulu Bookstore. (Details here.). Print version is underway.
The blog 67goingon50 has never had a paywall.
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PRICES: Please note some of the recipes posted during the life of the blog have not yet been updated and PRICES WILL BE HISTORICAL. Note the date the recipe was posted and calculate accordingly. Generally, the newer the recipe (see top left hand corner above photo) the closer the cost will be to current prices...though with some products showing rises of 20-100%, one can never be sure!!
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This is the last post beore Christmas - hasn't the time flown by! - and there are many scrumptious dishes from the Archive on offer. I defy you to choose just one. Because Christmas & Hannukah are happening at the same time this year, expect a smattering of diary-free no-pork delights.
First up is All you Need for the Big Dinner, then Festive Alternatives to Turkey and finally luxurious Christmas/Hannukka desserts, several of them 'skinnier' - lower in fat, sugar and calories.
And a guide to avoiding meltdowns, which hopefully may not be needed!
16 December: Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah
Everything you need for Christmas Dinner: turkey, veg, stuffing, gravy,cranberry sauce
Festive Alternatives to Turkey: chicken, game, beef, pork, lamb, fish, vegetarian & vegan
Scrumptius holiday desserts: luxury, teatime, low-fat & sugar, easy, cheats
67goingon50's Bargains in North London: Stock up for Christmas/Hannakah:(depends on availability)
- M&S: 400g/14oz nets of unshelled brazil nuts or almonds £3; large honeydew melons £1.50. Dine In for two deals: Gastropub or Best Ever main, side & starter or dessert £18; Irish extra lean mince 500g £4.50; 6 mixed eggs £1.75; kilo carrots £1.25, head broccoli £1.50; 500g spaghetti 70p; single portion baked beans 45p; custard creams & chocolate bourbons 50po each
- Waitrose: savings on champagne & sparkling wines, including rose; 20% off cheeses from award-winning specialiity British, Spanish & Italian to family favourites; Jacobs' tin of cheese for crackers £3.15 down from $4.25; selected kettle chips £1.50, down 90p; other party nibbles 20% off; chilled party food, 3 for 2; mince pies 2 for £4; Cirio chopped tomatoes 80p, down from £1.40; 800ml Flash multipupose with bleach £2.50, down from £3.35
- Also check out Tesco; if you have a Clubcard there are unmissable savings on a variety of items. Friends say Sainsburys in Camden Town and Morrisons at Chalk Farm offer good bargains.
By the way...
Joe & the Juice, a Danish upstart that seems to have taken over the world, opened recently at the site of not long departed Greenberry Hill. Describing itself as a coffee, juice & sandwich bar, Joe was originally known for its juices, the youth & energy of its staff and customers and (apparently) an unusual handshake. Sadly, I knew nothing of this when I tested a turkey salad sandwich and coffee (£13) at breakfast time. There's no table service and though I don't mind that at Ole & Steen (the staff are friendly and welcoming) at Joe's there was a diffidence that was slightly off-putting -- though it is very early days and maybe it was me. There was a mix of ages and feeling that computers were welcome. Did I mind that last year the company was fined by the American federal court for sex discrimination? Yes, a little. I was also unsure about the unusual cracker-like bread. Still, I have never passed a Joe & the Juice - there are all over London - that didn't have at least a few people inside so obviousy it has its attractions!
Most major supermarkets have now put out bins for food for the needy; if you can, toss in one item, no matter how small, each time you shop.
South End Green M&S: if you're looking for the usual selection of mince pies, stollen & iced fruit cakes, they're tucked slightly out-of-the-way in the biscuit alcove near the bakery.
M&S' new range of Tortilla Chips includes a vegan version that's free of dairy, gluten and E numbers. 'Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips' are in yellow packets; they have just 4 ingredients. Fans of gourmet crisps, note: M&S is now also stocking the wonderful (& pricy) Spanish crisps cooked in olive oil; look for the pink package. £3.99 for a large bag.
Keep a eye on X, formerly known as Twitter,(blee@BrightSunEnter1) for food bargains, recipes from the net plus food and health news.
Recent health posts from Twitter/X (b lee @BrightSunEnter1)
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For more details of the FABULOUSLY FRUGAL FROM 67GOINGON50 COOKBOOK including what it offers, how it helps ease the cost of living crisis, reviews and links, go here
Buy:IOS/Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/fabulously-frugal-from-67goingon50/id6443309798 £5.99
ANDROID/ everyone else: https://www.lulu.com/shop/bonita-lee/fabulously-frugal-from-67goingon50/ebook/product-mjdmvk.html?page=1&pageSize=4 £6.99
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| Swans courting on a grey Hampstead Heath afternoon in mid December |
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updated Jan 2023
I am in my 70's but don't look or feel it. Strangers are surprised by my age. I'v'e had a lifetime to study good health and now achieve it (with lapses) on a small budget.
I'm shy and don't like having my picture taken but one taken recently is at the top of this page. See also Testimonials page from people who know or have met me, and About Me on the Navigation Bar above.
67 GOING ON 50
Many but not all recipes were originally created for age-specific ailments (heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight) but are now targeted at the entire age range, to help prevent the onset of such afflictions. Some recipes are family-friendly, some for hard-working professionals, some for small households. Others are aimed at more sophisticated tastes. It's a blog for anyone interested in healthy eating.
Recipes include 'skinny' versions of much loved 'dirty' dishes. Many incorporate cooking techniques gleaned over a decade as a contract chef, making life easy for the busy home cook. Look out for easy-peasy, almost-instant or prepare ahead recipes.
The blog works on the principle that one indulgence-day a week is the only way to achieve success in eating healthily; thus you will find recipes for cakes & cookies (often modified to reduce sugar and fat) and the occasional dig-deep-in-the-pockets crowd-pleaser.
The blog grew out of the long-held notion that healthy eating can be available to everyone, whatever your age or income. I knew from personal experience that it is possible to age gracefully and to fend off, or reduce the effects of, various ailments which afflict the old.
Worries about the NHS we're also a factor. What seems an eternity ago, 67goingon50 believed that if we take responsibility for improving our own health, there should be less pressure on the NHS.
Since then, there's been a seismic shift in the landscape. Somehow the concept of the NHS being responsible for the care of people suffering from ill-health has shifted to doctors' representatives demanding we put them ahead of patients. And that strikes for huge salary rises, now, are justified.
It's all rather astonishing, and serves to emphasise even more how important it is for individuals and families to take the necessary steps to become...and stay...as healthy as possible.
You want to be able to fend off chronic ailments that afflict the old, and if that's not possible then to reduce the effects of them.
No one wants to spend years in pain or dependent on medical drugs. No one wants to wait eons for operations or treatment for life-threatening conditions.
You must do everything you can...NOW whatever the ages of those closest to you...to boost health and immunity through diet, exercise and good emotional and mental health.
Hopefully, 67goingon50 can help in that effort.
Concept to Action
A lunch club was formed in one of the unhealthiest areas of London, providing free healthy meals for a group including non-English-speaking housewives and the home-bound. The Blogger was the volunteer chef, cooking meals while passing on a few principles of healthy cooking.
The idea was developed with West Euston Partnership in London, then moved under the umbrella of Well London. It was funded by the National Lottery, with a small grant from Morrisons.
Everyone was astonished at how easy it was to eat well on a limited income. I proved my point: it is possible to live a healthy lifestyle on a tight budget. However, despite its success, the venture did not end well.
BACKGROUND
The blogger worked as a contract chef at posh banquets and events, City canteens and directors’ dining rooms, on Army bases and in little one-chef kitchens.
If anything has been learned about encouraging healthy eating, it is that everyone wants to do it but they’re simply not interested in boring food. They want something that excites the taste buds, satisfies the appetite and looks great on a plate. And they don’t want to spend the earth.
Increasingly, in a backlash against industrial meat production, they also want to cut back on meat or even go vegetarian or vegan.
The blogger is a die-hard flexitarian - eating a range of foods but of the best quality possible taking into account the budget - and that's what this blog offers. And judging from an increasing global audience, the recipes are welcomed.
For health reasons, the blogger relies on as a high a proportion of organic food as budget allows. However the blog recognises that organic food is out of the reach of most people, especially those on limited incomes, and recommends only that shoppers buy the best food they can afford as and when they can afford it. And not to feel guilty when they can't.
The blog's section on frugal food (see Navigation Bar/Recipes II), is popular with pensioners and students. Two invaluable posts for those on low (or high) incomes are:
Eating Healthily on very low budgets from Jack Monroe
The blog also also offers practical advice on subjects such as reducing grocery bills, budgeting, low-cost exercise and freezer storage - all validated by personal experience.
POSTING
The blog hopes to continues to post a maximum 4 recipes a week during the lull between cookbooks. The first cookbook, Fabulously Frugal, is finished and currently on sale at Apple Books. An Android version is available at Lulu Books. Go to the top of the page for details of the book, a few early reviews and a link.
A second bookbook, Dieters' Delights, is in the final planning stages. Once that is underway a minimum of one, usually two, new recipes will post every week.
The Welcome to the Blog page continues, as does 'By the way' which includes interesting developments in foods and eateries, plus recent Twitter posts on b lee@BrightSunEnter1. (The account gets hacked; best not to follow it but check in weekly.)
The blog's recipes are aimed at its global audience, which includes families with kids, pensioners/twosomes, busy singletons, and senior executives with sophisticated palates.
The first post lands at 00:01 UK time on Wednesdays; other recipes may post on the weekend. Sometimes everything is posted on Wednesday.
67goingon50 posts on Twitter as BrightSunEnter1.
FORMAT
At the top of each page, underneath the title and strap-line ‘Recipes and Tips for Great Health and Graceful Ageing Whatever Your Age or Income’ is a Navigation Bar. Click on the following sections and it will go direct to the page:
Welcome to the Blog
A brief round-up of what’s being offered in the week’s post including items of interest such as grocery and shopping bargains.
Home
1-4 Recipes, with photos, on a single page
Recipes
One big rule for recipes: the dishes have to taste good. It doesn't matter how healthy it is; if it doesn't appeal, it won't get posted. That includes vegetarian and vegan food -- if carnivores won't eat it, it's out. 67 has two perfect tasters for veggie/vegan food - a 'food is fuel' previously die-hard carnivore and some macho independent butchers.
The recipes are divided into various categories e.g. frugal, easy-peasy, fruit-based desserts, lamb, fish, vegetarian/vegan, free of common wheat etc. The recipes section is divided into two pages for ease of reference.
How to…
A treasure trove of practical information including Healthy Eating: Principles; Exercise on a Budget; Cutting Shopping Bills; Feeding Kids; Medical (eg Statins, Stress); the Sick Bed (incl. cold & flu remedies); healthier baking, processed foods, pulses, slow cookers and 'No, we are not all gonna die if we have a bit of sugar or bacon!'.
About Me
A little more information about the Blogger’s health
Testimonials
...from those who know or have met me
COSTING
Calculated according to amount used, e.g. 2 eggs NOT half a dozen eggs. Prices are normal supermarket prices, not organic, although egg prices are free-range. Please check the date of the recipe; 67 tries to keep up to date with prices but they seem to change every week!!
PORTIONS
67goingon50 is obsessive about smaller portions. We don't need as much protein as we think we do. (See How to...calculate Daily Protein needs) And we definitely don't need as many sweets as we would like. 67 believes we often only taste the first few bites of any food anyway. The only things you should be having large portions of are salads (with dressings that don't go overboard), vegetables, fruit.
PRODUCTS
It's a minefield out there in the supermarkets; some products are definitely inferior to others. 67goingon50 marks its chosen products with a* and the source and price are indicated below Tips.
COMMENTS & FEEDBACK
67goingon50 welcomes feedback. Go to the bottom of the recipe page to the Comments box and type in questions or comments.
Thanks to Dan Patterson and Christopher Alley for technical assisatance
DISCLAIMER: The author accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.
The list of the top ten foods to buy organic comes in handy when I go shopping. In the summer, we support our local farmers and we have to buy the products, and it's very useful to our health and mainly organicorganic food is very important to our kids and old age peoples.
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