Thankfully the last couple of days we have had storms pass through bringing temporary relief from the humidity.
Seeing as I am in a hurry for my Landcress seeds to grow to protect the brassicas any rainfall received is much appreciated.
I also made her Chai Seed Jam with strawberries, chai seed, lemon juice and a little Stevia powder...
and it goes very nicely with the buns.
While I was on a roll I also tried another recipe that Blinky gave me the link to...Skinny, Speedy Walnut Oatmeal Cookies from the Nutrition Twins. Well, they aren't exactly Anzac Biscuits but I guess I will get used to them. I only had mixed nuts so used them instead of the walnuts.
I will be a bit miffed if changing my diet and lowering sugar consumption doesn't bring down my cholesterol in six months but anything is worth a try rather than having to take medication if I don't really have to.
An old friend rang me today to ask if I wanted to meet up so we had a chat and then had a browse through the KaiserCraft store which was having a huge sale in their new larger store.
They were selling 10 sheets of wrapping paper for $2...
...including this cute bunny design paper which my littlest granddaughter will love for her birthday as she is crazy about animals and just might end up being a vet when she grows up.
Also there was 80% off these wall art stickers which both my granddaughters will love and can use for making cards etc. as they are always using their mum's craft stash. This pack of 120 or so stickers was reduced to $1.30. Both girls enjoy making cards for friends and family.
Ribbon was also on sale and this will be used to make some more ...
...reusable bows which my friend I was shopping with introduced me to. You can find a tutorial here if you would like to make your own. This bow was a big hit at our last Simple Living Toowoomba workshop of the year in 2014.
Speaking of Simple Living Toowoomba, our Homemade Health and Beauty Products workshop will be held this Saturday 28th March from 10am to midday. If you would like to come at 9.30am to have a cuppa and join in the swap everyone is most welcome. Just bring along one to five handmade or homegrown items to swap and you can take home the same number of items. It is always a lot of fun. The cost is only $5.00.
I hope you get rain if you need it and sunshine if you are in the Northern Hemisphere.
You were a busy one weren't you. Your homemade buns and jam look very yummy.
ReplyDeleteThey are Krystal. I love hot cross buns with dried fruit so it takes some getting used to eating buns without the dried fruit.
DeleteChel I remember about a decade ago a co-worker pointing out to me that we usually don't start experiencing our Autumn weather until around Easter time. Over the years I have found she was right. We haven't had any rain or storms here and our humidity remains at very uncomfortable levels, I even had the air-conditioner running for a couple of hours last night and it is very rare for me to have it going after sunset.
ReplyDeleteChanging your diet rather than going on medication is definitely worth a try. I have bookmarked the cookie recipe, it looks really simple, thank you for including it in your post. Hutchy from Beyond the Garden Gate has recently posted an apple crumble recipe using Dextrose, which is apparently considered as a sugar alternative in the book Sweet Poison. I am going to try that recipe too, I just need to organise myself to go out and buy some dextrose.
Thanks Sherri I will check out Hutchy's recipe. I did look for Dextrose in the home brew section of the supermarket but couldn't find it so will have to go to a home brew shop one day.
DeleteWhat a great week Nanna Chel. Love the look of the Chia seed jam. Chia seeds are amazingly versatile little things, aren't they! Your bunny paper is adorable, and the bows...well I'm teaching myself to make those for sure! Mimi xxx
ReplyDeleteI thought you would like those bows, Mimi. They are quite fascinating.
DeleteWow you have even turned on the oven in the heat! The jam looks awesome, I have never cooked with chia although I did grow one of those chia 'pets' once! :) When I do sweets for hubby the diabetic I also use coconut sugar, more expensive but easier on the system. Hope you start cooling off soon, and yes we are warming up! Not hot enough for me to complain yet but it won't be long now!
ReplyDeleteChia pets, Kathy??? What on earth are they I wonder?
DeleteWell done with the buns and jam Nanna Chel I haven't baked the buns yet but did jam today using plums to see how it would turn out. Looking pretty good so far. Love Blinky's recipes. She just gave me one for Chai Tea Concentrate. We just had a downpour but still humid. One week until Easter so might freshen up the winter clothes this week in the hope that Autumn finally arrives.
ReplyDeleteHutchy, I have printed out Blinky's Chai Tea Concentrate recipe and bought the ingredients the other day...just have to make it now. I froze most of the buns so I wouldn't be tempted to eat them all at once. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI love that bunny paper! I hope after sic months you will share the results of the cholesterol ... it is an interesting subject. So many wildly differing opinions on whether it even matters or not and what brings it down or up...
ReplyDeleteI only needed to up my good cholesterol. The dr told me this would be really difficult. Rubbish I said. In a few months she re tested me. Then she said HOW did you do that? I had gone from dismal to wonderful apparently. I just added flaxseed oil to my daily smoothy plus LSA. Well that was easy! So they dont know too much I dont think!
I hope this works for you. My husband is on statins which I dont agree with really but he has a stainless steel heart valve due to being born with a fault... so I shut up as this is what his specialist wants. When I worked at the gym I saw very good lowering of cholesterol results from eliminating trans fats, exercise and low carb diet. Some were massive results. That was interesting. I forget how the carb thing worked but it seemed that carbs were more responsible than fats... I think one day they will know more, I would hope!
That was long... sorry! It is mild and cool here now like autumn but in Adelaide summer usually lasts till mid MArch. Except this year it wasnt hot at all. Very mild. I was so glad of that. Autumn is lovely and cool nights equal better sleep for me. I hope you are having a lovely weekend. The cooking looks yummy! xxx
Annabel, I had never heard of the notion of being able to lower cholesterol by lowering sugar intake until my friend told me that that was what her doctor recommended after some of her patients had been successful. So it is a trial run for me. I will do the next cholesterol test in August as I have the pathology form already. It will be interesting. Glad the weather is cool down there. It has just started cooling down again here. Hope there are no more heatwaves around the corner for us.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing great controlling your sugar consumption but also keep an eye on your bad fats/good fats. I don't use vegetable oils anymore but use olive oil (not for cooking as it damages the cholesterol lowering properties), rice bran oil and coconut oil. Check out your Omega 6 and Omega 3 consumption too as Omega 3 should be about 6 times your Omega 6 levels to promote HDL and lower LDL. A good variety of fresh, preferablyorganic, veges (about 7 different ones/day) and fruits of all colours will provide antioxidants that help prevent the cholesterol plaque from sticking to your arteries. Drink lots of water and exercise for at least 30 mins/day. I lowered my cholesterol from 6.9 to 4.3 in 3 months. I should have another test too as it's been 18 months since the last one and life has been "interesting" :). I'm barracking for you here!
ReplyDeleteRobyn, I only use Olive Oil, Rice Bran Oil and am yet to get used to using coconut oil for cooking. I will have to check out foods rich in Omega 3. Habe had trouble exercising because of my hip but that is improving. Water instead of coffee? .......one can only try :-)
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