Sunday 18 November 2007

Feeling Souper





I have been ill in bed for a day or so this week and generally feeling pretty rubbish. Whether it is the time of year or a low immune system or both I don't know. There are generally several things that help me feel better when i am feeling poorly though.




1) My bed. I do love sleeping anyway, but when I feel ill, being wrapped up in a nice warm squashy duvet with only my (slightly bizarre) thoughts for company helps me feel better. The sofa just doesn't compare, and I cannot be doing with dragging duvets downstairs and onto sofas. That just doesn't work for me somehow.




2) A hot bubble bath. I remember when I still lived at home (I still class Mum and Dads house as 'at home') and was ill and wanted a bath, I remember Mum always told me to make sure I didn't lock the bathroom door. I think she had visions of me passing out. Even now when I am ill and about to climb in the bath I make sure the door is ajar, remembering her words. Not that there was anyone at home to scrape me up off the bathroom floor mid-week...




3) Marmite on toast. Works every time. Although I must have been really poorly this week as I just couldn't be bothered to make it. Oh dear. Instead I survived on Innocent Smoothie and handfuls of granola breakfast cereal.




4) Magazines. These are generally in the bed with me, scattered across the floor next to the bed or stacked up in a pile. Or a combination of all three. When I am ill I just cannot be bothered with reading novels or 'proper books' as my concentration span just isn't up to it.




5) Freshly washed hair. I wonder if I am the only person on earth who feels like complete s**t and still washes her hair in the morning. Possibly. I have mad hair in the mornings and knowing it looks mad just depresses me and makes me feel even poorlier. I don't bother drying/ straightening it or any of that malarkey, but it being freshly washed helps me feel better.




6) Clean bedding. Obviously I wasn't up to washing the bedlinen as well as my hair, but maybe I had a premonition of being ill, as I washed it all the day before I was ill. Clever eh?




7) This Morning. I am not ashamed to say that a bit of light entertainment makes me chuckle ever so slightly when I am laid up in bed. Phil and Fern are just the tonic for ill beings in my opinion....but I don't intend to advertise the fact too much!




8) Soup. Unfortunately I really wasn't up to making soup but did make up for it a couple of days later and made my roasted vegetable soup extraordinaire!! Dad dug up the most enormous parsnip from the allotment that I have ever seen. Here is a picture of it next to tesco organic parsnip. Pah!! Pathetic specimen!






So for the roasted vegetable soup I chopped up the parsnip, 2 sweet potatoes, a big red chilli, 2 red onions and half a butternut squash into chunks and then throw them in some olive oil and put them on a tray in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until they started to crisp up...




Then discard the chilli and scrape the vegetables into a casserole dish, covering them with boiling water from the kettle. Bring to the boil and add a couple of large spoonfuls of red lentils. Leave to simmer for about 20 minutes and then liquidise. Yum. The soup has got a bit of a kick to it from the chilli, so if you aren't a spicy person then leave the chilli out! I also added a handful of leeks to this recipe just before I added the lentils because I had one from the allotment.





It really is healthy stuff, and the recipe is well worth a try with whatever vegetables you may have.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

You have inspired me to make some soup for the first time - silly really as I love it and understand from my mother that it is the easiest thing in the world to make. Question: do you chop the chilli or put it in whole? Will it be too spicey for my husband's sensitive palate? xxx

Garden Girl said...

I sliced the chilli in half, de-seeded it and then chucked it in with the veg. Make sure you discard it before putting it in the pan with water though, and get a big one if possible as less fiery. The husband should be ok, just makes it nicely spicy, not burning the hair off your feet hot!!I expect photos!x

The List Writer said...

Ooooh - another Anna / Nancy spooky coincidence moment as I was just about to post a blog with a list of things to do when ill or looking after ill children. Shall think of another list now as obviously my list is almost identical to yours!!

Love the roast vegetable soup recipe. Shall be trying it later in the week. I made sweet potato & rosemary soup last night. Mmmmmm...

Garden Girl said...

Hope the little people are on the mend!x

Mocha Sticks said...

I love roasted vegetable soup, although when I'm feeling ill, only Heinz tomato will do!!

Ragged Roses said...

That soup sounds delicious! Hope you're feeling better. You must have been very ill to have forgotten to mention chocolate!!!! I love clean crisp linen, piles of magazine and clean hair and a day in bed. It's good for you. Take care and get well soon
Kim x