The Blog
Lock Down HELP!
Wednesday 20th May 2020
Barefaced Eating
We are another week into Lockdown and I would imagine there are a variety of emotions being experienced across our county - fear over many issues, frustration with the constant bad news in the media and concerns for loved ones, to name a few.
There are some positives though. Unfortunately there are now many of us having to live with the grief this terrible virus has brought personally, but if you are lucky enough to still only be living with the precautionary side of Lockdown where your only issues are limited services and home schooled children, you could grab hold of some happy thoughts to keep you going.
I am lucky to have many friends and family on social media and during the past weeks, we have chatted, sent jokes and been in contact far more than we ever have and this has been great for us all. I have walked for longer, keeping me hopefully fitter, I have walked with my family where we have actually talked, I have had to dig deep in to my food supplies and had a thorough clear out and I have enjoyed a variety of different foods that I wouldn't normally buy.
Maybe it's worth thinking about what you can learn from this time? Are there changes you can make from this shake up? For me personally, I have learnt that I can be quite rigid with my routines, where the food I buy, the places I go and the things I do roughly stay the same. Initially I resisted this need for change, but I do wonder now whether this has been good for us. Perhaps I am a little more resourceful, waste less and appreciate more?
So, on that thought, I am going to give you a recipe that is for you to be flexible with, adapt it to your needs and cupboards. It's easy to make, so all ages can have a go, and it can be used for a number of different dishes; breakfast, dessert or a snack. I found some blueberries in my freezer and packet of flaked coconut but have a look to see what you have. You can use frozen, fresh or tinned fruit, different nuts, seeds or even chocolate chunks.
The Flexi-Mini-Cakes
Mix 250g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 140g caster sugar together in a bowl and add 4 tbsp of any nuts/seeds/coconut/chocolate chips and 125g of chopped fruit of your choice.
Whisk 2 eggs with 2 tbsp of any milk, 140g natural yoghurt and 100g melted butter (any kind).
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mix. Stir well to combine but don't over work it.
Divide in to 10 mini loaf tins, or 10 muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes at 190°C until risen and golden.
If you need a special dessert and have Easter Eggs tumbling out of your cupboards, you could chop some mini eggs up (or something similar) and add them to the mix and drizzle some melted chocolate over the top. Serve with a blob of ice cream and enjoy as a treat.
Hopefully this recipe will add a little smile to some faces, and it can be a reminder that we need to be a little flexible at the moment. Staying at home, making use of the food we already have, and not wasting anything, is a skill that we really ought to have anyway. Learning to only use local and available ingredients effectively could be a fantastic lesson to take away from Lockdown and can save us money, energy and our planet in the long run.
Stay well folks, essential trips only and have some respect for one another. We must do this together.