Although I’m not a big fan of the cold I can easily protect myself from it with clothes or setting fire to something!

But  it’s the dull weather which really gets me down maybe its a touch of SAD (seasonally affected disorder) or maybe not.
I know I like bright a lot better than I like dull!

One thing is for sure, as soon as winter kicks in my addiction starts to make it’s presence felt.

What addiction I hear you ask.

Sad to say, i’m addicted to food!

I just love to eat and try different foods all the time, but come wintertime I console myself with  serious comfort food.  Most years i’ve gained weight but a few years ago I started learning some better habits.   Now I enjoy even yummier comfort food – fabulous seasonal root veg, soups, stews, crumbles and all very home made.

So let’s all go to the Supermarket and buy us some really good food.

OK  stop right there!

I do have to go to the supermarket (usually kicking and screaming and dragged by my Wife) but what do I find when I get there?

Packets, tins, microwave meals. I swear at least 70% of what I see on the shelves just shouldn’t be in our tummies.

A few years ago we found that we’d fallen into some bad habits.  My wife and I were both working long hours and often mealtimes were a choice of takeaway or opening a packet.  Of course this didn’t do our health or our waistlines any good so we decided on some changes.

Our household is always busy and we’re usually catering for half the teens in london (or at least it feels like that!)   University students need plenty of food but also have some strange tastes and eat at odd times, all of which makes it difficult to feed them healthily.

We decided that for at least five days a week we’d stick to homemade meals.  I was worried how my wife would manage this but with a bit of planning it seems to work really well.  Anything that can be batch cooked is – that means that one lot of preparation and cooking makes enough for a few days, so dinner on the other days is just a matter of sticking a dish in the oven to reheat and adding some veg or a salad – just as easy as a box meal and a lot tastier.

Some of the food we regularly cook wouldn’t be found in a healthy eating guide perhaps but we try to make healthy versions.  For instance, my wife is using windfall apples from our garden at the moment to make some great crumbles.   She throws in heaps of apples and often rhubarb, berries or raisins and cinnamon and then tops it with a layer of crumble made with a crumble made with lots of oats and seeds.    A lot less toxic than some shop bought versions, it tastes delicious and a little goes a long way when the taste is so intense.  Other days we have applesauce with a dollop of vanilla icecream or yoghurt.

Another favourite is Chicken Soup : sometimes called Jewish Penicillin. My Non-Jewish wife makes the best! Packed full of chicken and vegetables with vermicelli  and parsley. This makes a great supper with some crusty bread and is so easy to make – the worse bit is fishing out the little bones.

The point is I can really taste the difference and we discovered something else too:

we’re saving around 30=40% on our food bills!

Anyway this is not my area of expertise  my Wife Lorraine  (the Chicken Soup expert!) should really tell  you more. So  I’m going to ask her to blog recipes for some of my favorite  ”box free” foods.

Stay with us  to eat better keeping your cholestrol and your blood pressure lower.

Barry