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Occasionally grumpy 70-something (though I still feel 40! Or maybe 50!!)
Long-term interest in health and weight control on a budget, converted to this blog in 2015. Now producing digital and printed 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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Welcome Back! Postings now resumed after
blogger got to grips (mostly) with new tech
(But pictures are missing!!)
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CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATES THE YEAR OF THE HORSE
Apologies for last week indicating the Chinese New Year celebrations begin on 15th February; in fact the celebrations start on 21/22 February.
In London, the main event starts Saturday the 21st with lion dances from 11 am until 5pm.
On Sunday, it’s the Chinese New Year Parade (starting around 10 am) featuring the largest gathering of dragons and lions in Europe. There will also be Chinese floats, drumming (it might be wise to take a pair of sound-deadening earphones) and dancing. Trafalgar Square will again will be brimming with multiple stalls of Asian street food and demonstrations of martial arts, Chinese painting and traditional /modern crafts, plus traditional classical Chinese music as well as contemporary bands.
And if the crowds in Chinatown don’t appeal, there are satellite celebrations in other areas. Pre-booking is advised.
1. Festivities at the Maritime Museum in Greenwich are popular with family groups throughout the day
2. Camden market offers a free day of activities including Fashion shows on Saturday the 21st from 12.30 to 6. Reserve a spot through eventbrite.co.uk
3. Spitalfields Market offers 2 days of activities including a dumpling making masterclass.
4. Other events will take place in and around Oxford Street.
Further details closer to the time on VISITLONDON.COM
The Year of the Horse - a year of breakthrough?
It’s a very auspicious year for the Chinese. This Year of the Horse, representing the fire element for the first time in 60 years, is a time of transformation and action, hard work, bravery & resilience. Energy and movement are in abundance in terms of personal growth and new beginnings but there is a warning to remain mindful of the potential for impulsiveness. Meditation and reflection are advised.
Those born in the year of the Horse are confident, agreeable and responsible but don’t enjoy being reined in by others. They can be unpredictable as they luxuriate in a faster pace of life and seek to take advantage of many fresh opportunities.
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This week’s post 17 Feb 2026: Ducks and Horses
Other events in February
PANCAKE DAY Feb 17 - across-the-board selection of sweet and savoury pancakes and waffles. Try something different. Waffles with corn and ham/pastrami? Replace expensive maple syrup with a wallet-friendly sweet sauce stuffed with fresh apples?
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PRICES: Please note SOME 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 right hand corner above photo) the closer the cost will be to current prices...though with some products showing rises again (Feb 2026), one can never be sure!!
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By the way…
The blogger returned to the renowned Joy King Lau Chinese restaurant on Leicester Street over the weekend, seeking vegetarian Dim Sum with friends. Sadly, veggie dim sum were few and far between at Joy King; no veggie spring rolls (!!??) but the Buddhist dumplings were wonderful, with thin almost translucent pastry wrapped around a crunchy multi-flavoured filling. We ordered three vegetarian set lunches to share between 5 — tasty soup, more dumplings, fried rice and three generous dishes with 3 kinds of vegetarian ‘meat’ and perfectly cooked vegetables — finishing off with egg custard tarts. Cost £25 a head, including copious pots of jasmine tea.
Chinatown Bakery offering reasonably priced savoury or sweet buns for takeaway (on the square at Newport Street near the former fire station), was stuffed with customers. Sadly there was a wait of 20 minutes for egg tarts but a friend remained heroically untempted by the carnivore offerings and took home a vegetarian coconut cream bun, an exotic lotus-seed deep-fried dough ball and fried breadsticks. (This after protesting he wouldn’t eat a morsel more after lunch!!) PREPARE TO QUEUE.
The blogger tested a deeply delicious Coconut & Sweetcorn soup from ZUPPE, winner of a Good taste award. Thick and unctuous with a richly curried fbackground and just the right amount of heat, the soup’s ingredients are all fresh with few preservatives. £4 for 400g - enough for two - but worth every penny
67goingon50's Bargains/Treats in North London: (depends on availability).
APPEARING ALTERNATE WEDNESDAYS when supermarkets update their offerings.
Next: 25 Feb
M&S: Looking around the South End Green branch of M&S it it’s easy to see why M&S is most popular supermarket for the fifth year running. The shop is full of dine in specials and 3-for-whatever Offers; in fact it’s hard to find anything at the standard price! The Valentine’s Day dine-in for 2 looks fabulous; some examples are butternut potato rosti; duck breast, salmon and prawn, wagyu beef pie, Rump & sirloin steaks, Pistachio and chocolate spheres, cheese selection and bubbly for £25. For the Lunar New Year, two specials. One costing £16 includes starters of spring rolls, sesame prawn toast, chicken fried rice; mains of chicken chow mein, Singapore noodles, Shanghai beef noodles, king prawns, sweet-and-sour chicken, sticky chilli chicken spareribs and more. The higher end Collection series offers Bao buns, crispy butterfly prawns, banquet fried rice, prawn noodles, slow cooked black pepper beef, soy vinegar pork rib rack and half a duck with desserts enhancing Asian flavours. This week bargains include 5% fat British beef at £5 from £6.75; breaded fish is 3 for £12 normally £4.50 each, including cod and haddock. Higher welfare exceptional value chicken legs are back on the shelves, as are chicken wings at around £1.50 for 750 g. Greek style yoghurt is now £1.15 for 500 g. Perfectly ripe House avocados pounds £1.50 for two; large aubergine £1 each; new product three-ingredient beef burgers £5.50 for 340 g; 3 for £8 specials: choice of quiche, sausage rolls, pork pies, Cornish pasties, snacking containers.
Waitrose: also has a myriad of bargains/offers but before shopping, remember you now have to bring your own cup for free Waitrose coffee. (WR own brand decent reuseable takeaway cups are £4 each. ) Loads of offers on chocolate: Biscuits, Tony’s ChocoLonely big bars; large Easter eggs; 200 g boxed Lindor truffles in several flavours, £5.50 from £7.50. For pancake day, nice discounts on lovely spreads including hot honey, creamy pistachio hazelnut cream, chocolate hazelnut cream; Bonne Mamam 600 g jars of fruit compote are £3.70, down £1.05; fruit curds are 20% off. Plenty of large heart shaped crumpets available at £1.50. Bargain wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet, £6 from £8.50 until March. Bubbly: save £13 on Gusborn, £29 from £42 and Leckford, £25 from £39. For Chinese New Year, Kikoman soy and Teriyaki sauces are £2.50 down £1. French brand MAILLE Dijon and whole-grain mayo are £2.50 down from £3.25. No added sugar plant milks – oat, almond, coconut, soy - are £1.80 from £2.40. Good discounts on Davidstow & Cathedral city cheddar; Philadelphia cream cheese is £2.55 from £3.40. Three tins John West no drain tuna £3.50 from £5.25. Gilberts Kosher Turkey slices have been joined by extra thin versions, still £3.50 a packet - much cheaper at Waitrose than elsewhere. Italian favourites including packaged pasta dishes, Charlie Bingham, olives and Italian cheeses 20-30% off; Indian and Chinese dishes are 25% off. The fresh meat section is offering two British beef French steaks with garlic and herbs at 3 for £12, usually £5 each. Fresh fruit:20% off British Royal gala apples £1.48 from £1.85; Singleton’s special mixed and baby veg packs, two for £3.50. TAIKO valentine sushi boxes at £10 look really pretty and appetising – a valentines gift? Good bargains in creams, cleansers & mens products including Rock Face moisturise & shower gel - all 1/2 to 1/3 off; 20% off Ariel 4-in-1 pods, also biological laundry liquid. Quilted loo roll £7 from £10.
- M&S:
- Waitrose:
- Recent health posts from Twitter/X (b lee @BrightSunEnter1)
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Note: Print version of WALLET-FRIENDLY WONDERS FROM 67GOINGON50 is on the final stretch after technical problems not of the blogger's making! Watch this space!I
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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A small doglover's dream:
hand-knitted postboxcover in Belsize Park
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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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