Need help with something?
Here’s the place to get your questions answered.
Just leave a comment below.
Jx
Ask Jules!
Here’s the place to get your questions answered.
Just leave a comment below.
Jx
Hi Jules,
Nice to hear from you! Thank you for all the tasty recipes as well as all the substitutions, which help a lot.
Living in east Germany, I can say there is no shortage of food in supermarkets – despite people are trying to stock with pasta and rice for months. Sometimes is missing fresh produce, but that was quite normal even before. Just yesterday we’ve bought everything what was on the list. But the one thing we had trouble to buy last two weeks – toilet paper! But finally we found our package as well.
So my pantry is still pretty much without change, I’ve just added one package of rice, short pasta and long pasta for my boyfriend and some cans of chickpea nd squeezed one package of frozen broccoli in my well- stocked freezer.
The real trouble is that at the moment I can’t go back to Czech republic where my family lives, if I don’t want to stay in quarantine for two weeks. I hope this limitation will finish soon, as I’m supposed going for two weddings to Czech on three beginning of summer.
Take care everyone and let’s hope it will be over soon.
Kamila
I’m glad to hear you haven’t been having any problems with ingredients Kamila!
I hope you get to those weddings too 🙂
Jx
Hi Jules,
Thanks, first of all, for all the great recipes and pantry hints. I have always kept a well-stocked pantry – a tool I learned from my mother and grandmother. I am a low-carb (keto) vegetarian in rural East Tennessee and I have not yet had any problems procuring my favorite vegs. The grocery store I patronize about 20 minutes from my home offers online ordering and pickup so I can limit my outside interactions. Big bags of frozen riced cauliflower from the Costco warehouse are my go-to for a large percentage of my meals. They are so versatile and mimic rice, grits, hash browns, pastas and are a great sub for beans and lentils.
My county has not placed limits on businesses nor issued any official instructions due to Covid. Most of my neighbors and friends are following CDC guidelines for virus avoidance and the state has closed all schools. I hope for my fellow citizens’ sake these precautions are sufficient but only time will tell that. I hope you are in a safe region and stay well.
Thanks for sharing Linda! So glad to hear you aren’t having any problems getting fresh produce! Australia has been one of the last countries to get it and I live in a rural area so things here are pretty good so far. Take care! And enjoy that cauli xx
Hi Jules
Reaching out in response to your email.
I usually have tins of beans or lentils to turn into a dip or fill out a meal. These are not on the shelves. We are on a limited budget, like so many I am focusing on what is in the cupboard. Great time to use up those odd jars of condiments or sauces in the back of the fridge! My husband actually asked me to make a ‘pantry list’ sound familiar? Your versatile recipes and ingredient substitutions are even more important right now. I made the bean and almond salad yesterday, in your 5 ingredients 10 minutes book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I am also doing Darya’s food kitchen 30 day cooking course. Another ray of sunshine in my day.
Thanks for your help. Take care everyone, Remember to Smile…. it changes your mood which flows onto the people around you.
Glad I’m helping and I love Darya’s course! Nice one Denise. And thank you for the reminder to smile. There were two times today that I laughed with my boys and it felt soo soo good! xx
Hi Jules;
you are so refreshing to see and hear. I am a 76 yr old bachelor living on the west coast of Canada, and have been using your recipes for a few years now. NEVER met a bad recipe from you, and the more important thing is your energy and enthusiasm. During this crisis, the messages from you really are a breathe of fresh air. sorry to sound uninspired with my vocabulary. I am trying to say I look forward to your messages and you keep surprising me with new ideas. I am not a good cook but I am mostly not afraid to try new things. Keep up the fabulous work!!
George Carlos
Oh George thank you so much for your kind words. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. Especially today. And so glad to hear we’ve got you trying new things! Would you mind if I used your comments on my website? xx
Thanks for the reminder of what should be in the fridge and what should not. I know better but occasionally wander off the list when I’m not paying attention. Still, I suspect we all have the odd time when the fridge seems full of ‘about to expire’ stuff and I always recall my mother’s favourite solution – ‘garbage soup’ as she called it. Take (almost) everything that will need to go into the garbage if not used today and make soup out of it. In hot weather when a bubbling bowl of soup is not as attractive I use a more up to date ‘garbage stir-fry’. My husband loves veggie stir fries at any time so it is always welcome in our home. I used to teach Urban Agriculture and discussed storage of the crop etc. in one of the courses. My ‘garbage soup / garbage stir fry’ lines got the students every time; a good laugh and a practical idea at the same time. Always good.
Thanks for your recipes and encouragements; stay safe and stay sane (perhaps the harder of the two right now). At least way up here (Canada) we are moving into spring and one can at least go outside for a walk – 6′ apart of course but so what. Fresh air, sunshine and a little conversation (shouted a bit but OK) makes it easier.
Thanks for the ideas Janice!
I call mine ‘refrigerator soup’ – such a fab idea.
And I love the stir fry idea for Summer
My ‘Buy-Nothing-New’ Curry is another good one.
Enjoy the sunshine – UV light kills viruses!
Jx
Subject of the latest email I received from you “Your New Meal Plan + I was wrong!”.
You were wrong? Surely not.
I searched the email very carefully and never found an explanation of why you thought you were wrong. The word wrong only appears in the subject line. And the words “mistake” and “error” don’t appear at all.
The claim “I was wrong!” is surely a mistake.
All told, I enjoy you recipes and articles. Keep them coming.
You’re very observant Virginia!
I had written a different introduction (about me being wrong) and then changed it to focus on asking what you guys need help with – It was a last minute change late at night.
And forgot to change the subject of the email.
So I was wrong for not updating the subject!
Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hope you are safe and well.
Jx
Hey Jules! I wish I loved beans but I just don’t. **sadface** With the limited amount of runs I can make to the store (lockdown in Nashville TN, US), what other healthy ways can I use, rice or pasta?? Any other thoughts?
Hey April!
What about chickpeas? They’re my favourite and they don’t have the beany flavour.
And lentils?
Get some red lentils next time – they are so much healthier (more protein + fiber) than rice or pasta. Red lentils are the quickest to cook. Don’t need soaking and have a really mild sweet flavour.
Try them in my baked red lentil ‘risotto’ so good!
And to make rice and pasta healthier, cook and cool them and then reheat them before serving.
This converts some of the carbs to resistant starch which feeds your gut bacteria and reduces the impact on your blood sugar. Also makes life easier – you can cook a big batch and freeze in meal sized portions.
I always do this with rice and make fried rice for my boys at least once a week.
Oh and I’ve just puslished my recipe for Almond Pasta which uses eggs and 1/2 almond meal 1/2 regular flour – so way more nutritious than dried pasta. And more blood sugar friendly.
If you don’t have a pasta maker you can hand roll Orecchette – I’ve given the instructions in the recipe.
Super fun!
Jx
If cooking the brown butter omelettes for 5, is it best to do one by one or do all omelettes first then all butter etc?
I would do all the omelettes individually first and put them on warmed plates.
Then do the brown butter and walnuts in a big batch so it’s nice and hot for everyone.
Yum!
Jx
Hey dear Jules, how can I make children fall in love with micro greens or more vegetables?
Hi Dear Barbara!
It’s a question I ask myself a lot.
First I think there must be an evoluteionary reason why children are distrustful of veg and greens.
So I don’t push it.
When Fergal was smaller he almost choked on a baby spinach leaf so that might be one reason.
I focus on modeling good behaviour. I eat veggies at every meal and I genuinely enjoy and talk about how much I love broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, salad.
It’s also important to make sure the greens / veg are delicious – if I’m not excited about eating them I can’t expect my kids to be.
And I keep exposing them. Apart from salad (still worried about the choking!) I put a small amount of everything on their plates and they have to at least taste it.
I’ve read research that says it takes 8-10 times being exposed to new flavours and textures. So know that even if they reject something, the fact that they have tasted it is getting them closer to enjoyment.
Does that help?
Jx
Good Evening Jules, Just wondering what your take is on the virus that is amongst us all and the way you are or might plan to live isolated for 2 weeks.
What foods would be musts for you and easy enough to store and keep enough of that you don’t get bored or lose nutrition from. Thanks heaps
Hi Megan
Excellent question!
I’ve already written about my essential pantry items over here:
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/2020/03/13/coronavirus-pantry/
I guess the tricky thing is supermarkets are sold out of frozen veg.
So I’d buy fresh things like broccoli and greens and then cook and freeze them. Roast veg can be frozen as well.
Here are some recipes to get you started:
Beautiful Boiled Broccoli
Roast Cauli & Onion
‘Secret’ Winter Greens
Easy 1-Dish Ratatouille
I’d also definitely make a batch of sauerkraut and start sprouting.
In fact I started a batch of alfalfa sprouts yesterday 🙂
And if I didn’t have a garden I’d grow microgreens.
https://www.milkwood.net/2020/03/09/video-how-to-grow-sprouts-and-microgreens-on-your-kitchen-bench/
Does that help?
Jx
Great Idea! Cooking then freezing, honestly, had not thought of that!
Glad you like it April – home cooked and frozen would be better than commercially frozen – that way we’re also supporting our farmers!
Jx
Hi Jules,
Can you do some recipes for Nightshade sensitive people please?
Thank you.
Linda
I don’t eat a lot of nightshades Linda so there are lots of recipes here already.
But thanks for the reminder to add nightshade-free to my variations!
Jx
Actually I just had a look at the new recipes list and from my feb photo shoot only 1/10 recipes had nightshades!
Lots of great options for you there 🙂
https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/newest-recipes/
Jx
Hi Jules,
I just got tested for food sensitivities, and it confirmed a lot of what I suspected; I’m to avoid all dairy, grains, and most sugars. Your website and meal planning are already doing wonders for me!
There are a two sensitivities that I didn’t expect and will be hard to cook with. I should not have white vinegar or soy. This reduces so many good sauces. Do you have any suggestions for replacements?
Thanks,
Laurie
Always good to get tested Laurie!
White vinegar – my first choice would be apple cider vinegar but if that’s not an option lemon juice will do a similar job- cirtic acid isn’t as stong as the acid in vinegar so expect to use a little more lemon (or lime).
OOh soy sauce is a favourite of mine. Fish sauce is the closest. Or see my article on soy sauce substitutes here:
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/soy-sauce-substitutes/
Does that help?
Jx
Thanks so much! Apple cider vinegar and lemon juice will do just fine; I’m not sensitive to either. And of course you had a blog post already on soy sauce substitutions. Wonderful – I so appreciate your wisdom!
You’re so welcome Laurie!
It’s my pleasure to help 🙂
What foods promote a healthy immune system during this awful time with COVID-19?
Here’s my immune health bonus John – so glad you asked 🙂
https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/immune-health/
Hot off the press!
Hi Jules, I’m a member of the Simple Meal Plans and have been trying to make larger batches of food when I’m cooking. I’d love a list/rundown of your recipes that are easiest to make in larger batches to freeze. Thanks so much, we’re really loving Simple Meal Plans!
Thanks,
Sharon
So glad you’re enjoying Sharon!
Here’s the archive of freezeable meals: https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/category/by-feature/freezable/
Does that help?
Jx
Yes, great, thanks!
Oh great!
Very appreciative of the comments and ideas and for your thoughts Jules. My question is for things in the fresh food family that are most shelf/fridge stable and offer the most in nutrients. We have a little boat and when we go away for a month I provision for a month of meals. The first two weeks is fresh meat and veg but after that it is mainly packets, cans & long lasting fruit like oranges, so I have a good idea of how to deal with extended periods without shopping. My biggest worry is maintaining our lowish carb lifestyle when already frozen vegetables are almost un-available. Thanks again and stay safe everyone
Did you see the pantry cooking e-book Jules linked to in last week’s member email? There are lots of simple, fantastic pantry meals in there.
Thanks for staying relevant, Jules <3
Thanks Kelly! xx
HI Heather!
Cabbage is your friend. It will easily last a month and is low carb. Cauliflower, fennel and celeriac (celery root) also last for a few weeks. Even zucchini.
You could always freeze your own fresh veg – just steam and chop leafy greens or broccoli, squeeze dry and freeze in ziplock bags.
Quick work and higher quality than pre-frozen.
You also might want to condier growing some sprouts Sprouts! or microgreens https://www.milkwood.net/2020/03/09/video-how-to-grow-sprouts-and-microgreens-on-your-kitchen-bench/ – might add some nice extra life to the boat!
Roast veg like zucchini, eggplant and peppers will keep for a few weeks – longer than fresh.
Does that help?
Jx
I’ve thought of another thing that would really help us right now. The substitutions you do in all your recipes are mega-helpful now that we can’t just go out and buy the ingredients we want – the supermarkets are bare because of Coronavirus panic-buying! But it would be so good to have a quick and easy really comprehensive substitutions list or section on the website. I think you *do* have one on your website, but I can’t find it now! (I’m probably just having a goldfish moment!) Any chance you could flag it up really obviously? Thanks again for all you’re doing! 🙂
Hi Carina!
Excellent question – There are 2 resources – apart from the vaeriations on each recipe.
There’s an Indgredient Thesaurus pdf which you can download over here : https://s3.amazonaws.com/soupstones/soupstones+ingredient+thesaurus.pdf
And there’s also a more detailed online guide I’m working on. I’ve added a link to the nav menu under ‘more’.
Or you can access it here:
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/ingredient-substitutes/
Does that help?
Jx
Thanks Jules, that’s brilliant – and sorry I didn’t reply sooner, I hadn’t realised I had to check back here and though you’d been so snowed under with questions that you hadn’t been able to answer mine. Thanks for all the support you’re giving us! 🙂
You’re welcome Carina 🙂
Hi Jules,
I know you’re a fan of Darya Rose from Summer Tomato and so am I.
In the spirit of solidarity, I am passing on the offer from her latest newsletter.
For the rest of the month (March), Darya Rose will be offering her Foodist Kitchen course for free to whomever needs it.
“Learn to cook without recipes in 30 days.
With limited shopping options, the program won’t be exactly as I intended it for you. But it will get you the fundamentals you need to be able to cook for yourself with what you have.
To join, just visit https://foodistkitchen.com/ and enter code COVID19. And please share this with anyone you think could use it.”
(Do not hesitate to remove this message if this is not the place for it.)
Thanks for sharing! I love Darya and this is an incredible offer 🙂
Hi Gone2Seed I am also doing Darya’s 30 day program. I always turn to recipe books. I hope at the end of 30 days I will be less dependent on them.
You will be Denise!
Hi Jules,
I’ve been appreciating the arrival of your emails more and more – a touch of ‘normal’ in a world that most definitely isn’t. They have me focusing on good health in a way that I can actually use. Your new immune system e-cookbook will be of great use, not just now but every day.
My best wishes to everyone out there – Keep Clean and Stay Sane (perhaps the harder of the 2 right now). Just remember, be kind, and this too will pass.
Thank you Janice!
The Immune Health training is ready over here:
https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/immune-health/
Hope you are staying both safe and sane too 🙂
Jx
Hi Jules,
Loved your idea about vegetable cooking water as a nutritious drink. It crossed my mind that saving that water and adding kitchen vegetable scraps to it could make for a lovely broth. Your waste avoidance strategies are helping me stretch our food supplies in this time. I have a few of tips the have evolved from those. I bought a whole chicken, made broth from it. My yield was a gallon of liquid. I split it in half, one for dinner, one for the freezer. Skimmed the fat and refrigerated it as an emergency cooking fat. (Along this same line, cooking bacon renders quite a bit of good cooking fat.) The meat is going to be for three dinners. It can be separated into a soup ingredient, a sandwich filling (when mixed with lots of celery and carrots), and a topping for a rice dish. Didn’t discard the bones. I will use them to make another round of bone broth. I cover them with about a cup of whatever wine I have, water to the top of the pot and cook for as long as possible (I go at least 8 hours). I then have another gallon of liquid, which I will once again split in half to use one half gallon within the week and freeze the other. Also, just using a little less of everything stretches your supplies. I don’t skimp on the rising agents or salt, but if I’m making cookies with a non-essential ingredient I’m afraid I will run out of, such as cinnamon, I’ll use a scant teaspoon if it calls for a full. Over time, this like compound interest! Also, I always push the fresh, most perishable items to my family first. They love sweet dried fruit, but I ‘hide’ those items so that there’s no waste of the bananas or apples just purchased. At any rate, I hope this helps the Stonesoup community! Thanks for all of your cooking wisdom!
Candace
Love this Candace!
It really is a time to focus on reducing waste and sounds like you are doing a marvellous job.
I’m curious – which ingredients do you have access to at the moment? What does shopping look like for you now?
Jx
I stocked up on March 13. At that time, canned tomatoes, beans and prepackaged frozen foods were in high demand. Our local wholesale store was devoid of canned goods. I tried to be very thoughtful in my purchases, looking at veg that would endure an extended amount of storage time: potatoes, onions, carrots, rutabagas, celery and cabbages. These are very versatile. Durable leafy greens such as different varieties of kale and fruits that aren’t as perishable such as apples and oranges. The rice we normally eat was gone, so I just bought another type. It will do, along with quinoa and millet, to rotate as a starch, along with potatoes. I preserve, therefore the summer fruits are put into rotation to make up for lack of fresh. Hemp seed for milk once our supply of coconut milk runs out. Gluten free alternative flours because regular flour is highly sought after. (We are gluten free anyway, but it’s good to know how to make a GF biscuit in times of desperation for those who don’t have to be GF). We have a small freezer, so I purchased frozen meats in 1 lb wrappers. Alternative sugars such as coconut, agave and maple syrup. Chia seed to replace eggs when they’re gone. I also employ an old WWII trick when my kids are noshy in the late afternoon. I make a pot of tea first (something with sweet licorice) and then see if in 20 minutes they’re still hungry. They are usually staved off till dinner, myself as well. Prepackaged snack foods are expensive and tend to be the first things we run out of. Non-dairy yogurts will last us longer than regular yogurt. With all of this, I think I can stretch out our next grocery trip until at least April 3, if not longer. And, no, we don’t have a big house for all this food. And thanks again, Jules, because this is really born of your blog which I started following 10 years ago!
Wow Candace!
Sounds like you are all over this lockdown situation.
So glad Stonesoup has helped you.
I really appreciate you following my work all these years.
It’ funny but now is really the time for Stonesoup recipes with my philosophy on substituting ingredients and simplicity 🙂
I’m actually looking forward to seeing what new ideas come out of this time.
Jx
I don’t have any questions, but I want to say how much I am enjoying the meal plan, even if I haven’t cooked that many recipes so far! The chicken satay and the chocolate peanut butter fudge are the big winners, as I’ve made them both repeatedly for myself and friends. I love the cookbook dedicated to your mom. The recipes are totally different to the usual stuff, but it’s seems like a very personal book, and I’m so grateful to have won a copy. Anyway, keep doing what you’re doing. I appreciate the variations, the storage/waste reduction tips, and the pantry tips along with the simple recipes and small portions!
Oh lovely to hear from you Colleen!
I really appreciate you kind words. It’s been a tough week so lovely to hear that my work is helping you. It means a lot to me 🙂
This Coronavirus situation is so scary, and the supermarkets here in Scotland are running bare, even online suppliers are running out. But your recipes have helped me cope. You asked if there are any things you could answer for us, so here goes!
* If I *do* manage to get some fresh produce, how can I make it last? Both storage tips, as well as things like cooking it into forms that last longer, or can freeze.
* How can we stay healthy with limited fruit, veg, eggs, milk, meat fish etc – particularly when we’re used to having these?
* Nutritious ideas for storecupboard ingredients – dried, tinned, jars.
* Also, the food and hygiene advice is overwhelming if you’re being told to self isolate for health reasons (as I am) – as well as all the hand-washing, which is obvious, stay 3 feet away from everyone in the house, separate beds, eat in separate rooms, don’t prepare food in the kitchen at the same time, wash your hands after touching anything that’s brought into the house. It’s depressing and scary because I can’t do everything. Could you tell us the ‘biggies’ that pose the greatest risk, so I can concentrate on those? This is really difficult for someone like me who’s so accustomed to tasting everything with my finger, and just observing ‘normal sensible cleanliness’ in the kitchen!
I realise this is quite a ‘wish list’ – I’m not thinking you’ll be able to tackle them all. And I know you’re not a doctor or a virologist! But you have a background in microbiology, which is more than most can say!
And you are an expert in what you do, and I trust you.
I’m so grateful for all you’ve done for us.
Thanks for this list Carina!
It is super helpful.
What I’d love to know is which ingredients are available to you now? What can you cook with?
Jx
Hi Carina!
I’ve been thinking more about your question re hygiene advice.
First, you don’t have to do everything!
I focus on the following:
Wearing gloves when I’m out.
Washing hands after being out in the world.
Washing hands before cooking.
Taste with a spoon – and rinse it if I need to retaste.
If I lived in a share house environment, I’d keep my distance from others but the need to eat in separate rooms sounds a bit much.
And I’d try not to stress about it. Just the handwashing alone and staying home is going to remove so much risk.
Does that help?
Jx
And to answer your storecupboard question, have a look at my Pantry eCookbook over here:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/soupstones/Pantry+bonus.pdf
Jx
Hi Jules,
As we in the states start facing closures, ‘essentials-only’ lockdowns, etc., I wondered if you could do a ‘pantry-meal’ meal plan that you would allow us to share with friends & family? Ideally it would be pantry meals (basically cooking with things most of us have in the panty now) with protein options for those that have fresh or frozen proteins on hand. I always honor intellectual property and wouldn’t ever share your meal plans without permission. Just an idea, you have such great, simple, healthy recipes and give such great ideas for leftovers and non-waste, everyone could benefit from a little of that right now! Thank you 🙂
Lovely to hear from you Penny!
I’ve been thinking about this. And I’d totally be happy to share.
I’m wondering though – which ingredients do you have access to at the moment?
Here pantry items are in short supply because people (me included) have been stocking up.
But normal fresh ingredients are still in abundance. So I’ve actually been thinking the regular simple meal plans are the best for now.
Defintely keen to explore this idea more.
In the mean time – feel free to share the pantry ebook with your family and friends. I’m happy for you to share any of my work if it will help you 🙂
Jx
Hi Jules, I’d love to see more low fat plant based recipes. I appreciate that you give variations to change recipes according to personal preference but i generally don’t get that far. I see the main dish with meat, cheese, butter … and move on. I miss your old style.
Hi Angie
Thank you so much for letting me know what you’d like to see more of. I really appreciate you taking the time.
To be honest I won’t be going back to eating Low Fat.
It’s just not possible to combine low carb and low fat (you need to get your calories from some where).
The best I can offer you is to explore the vegetarian recipe collection –
https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/category/by-dietary-requirement/vegetarian/
you can always just reduce the quantities of butter / oil and add a carb if you need the extra substance.
And if you’re ever curious about experimenting with increasing fat in your diet, I highly recommend reading The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Techiloz.
Hi Jules
Thank you for the warm welcome to Stone Soup Cooking School. I have followed you for several years now and read the newsletter. You have survived several cullings of my inbox subscriptions despite my honestly not making any of your recipes until very recently. Why? I have cooked for many years and love my veggie garden. I like what I deem real peasant cooking, so much of what I cook has a little of lots, usually seasonal and local. While you stick to just a few ingredients we share much in common in our love of the kitchen, food for our family and making it real. The way you tell your story and share your passion is what has kept me coming back.
So why join the cooking school – first your quick ‘meat balls’ were truely inspiring and I made them! I got to thinking about how you have influenced elements of my cooking despite not ‘making’ your dishes or following your recipes. I have adult ‘children’ who all eat a little differently – my son is a carnivore with a taste for simple meals and the daughter who eats here most regularly prefers to lean towards vegetarian, low carb and gluten free and I really have appreciated your tips for customising! Then you offered a lifetime subscription to all your bright ideas – so here I am. While I may not use the site for meal planning or shopping lists or basic cooking skills I am thoroughly enjoying browsing and following community input and your responses.
And anyone reading this – you have to try the Tandoori Cauliflower with or without the chicken!! We kept the chicken and I added sweet capsicums and fresh peas; had to swap out the coriander for parsley and the roasted cashews for peanuts given what was in house at the time but regardless the feedback was tremendous – daughter: this is stunning Mum; son:this beats many meals for which I have paid good money to professional chefs – its lovely! I added a serve of a very simple buttery orange lentil dahl as a side. Made double and the ‘leftovers’ didn’t survive lunch the next day.
… and thank you again Jules! Jane
Welcome Jane!
So glad you enjoyed the tandoori cauli 🙂
Jx
The printer friendly versions of the recipes cut off pretty substantially on the right side, leaving off some pretty important info. Any thoughts of why that would be happening? Is it only me?
Sorry Anne!
This has come up for someone once before. I think the problem was the paper size is set at standard A4 (which is the most common side in Australia). When you go into the print settings make sure you choose the paper size that suits your printer.
Let me know how that goes
Jx
Hi Jules
I need to get a gift for a late teens young man who is interested in cooking. I thought a book about cooking would be good. I think he is beyond a basic beginners book. I don’t know if he is interested in a particular cuisine. Can you suggest a book that he can use for many years to come?
Thanks.
Hi Virginia!
Well you could get him a copy of my book 5-Ingredients 10-Minutes!
However if you want something more fancy I’d go with the original River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Well written and lots of excellent classics.
Jx
Hi Jules,
Is there any way the Prep Ahead strategy can be added to individual recipes? They’re in the PDF printout and the online meal plan, but I’m usually looking at the recipe link itself on my phone when I’m cooking and most of my meals are somewhat prepped ahead (I’m single and live alone so I usually eat my leftovers for lunch the next day) so it would be helpful if they were on the recipe itself!
I’m starting week three of following your meal plans next week and I’m so happy with the time I’m NOT spending figuring out what I am going to make for dinner!
So glad you’re saving time Genelle!
And thanks for the suggestion re’ Prep Ahead Strategy.
All my new recipes have it on the recipe page under the waste avoidance. It’s only some older recipes which don’t. Will ask CAroline to start updating the older recipes pages as well.
Thanks for the fab idea!
Jx
Hi Jules
Wow, this meal planning really is a game changer, especially when the food is so delicious. A quick question, how do I change my weekly email meal plan from Southern to Northern? I can’t seem to find anywhere on here that gives me the option. Thanks
Excellent Michelle!
YOu just need to ask and we’ll change it on our end – will let Caroline know 🙂
Jx
Hi Jules!
I get the same feeling with fasting as you described it in the newsletter. I lefft my corporative job in December, and it was my daily routine for the last 12 years. And as a routine I had breakfast every day. Now that I am working from home, doing Health coaching, cooking classes and homemade products, I manage my own time, and one thing I changed since beginning of this year was to skip breakfast, and notice that for my last 12 year I had had breakfast much of the times without really hunger. For me intermitent fasting 16hours-18 hours ( are the ones that I have achieved), it has given me energy, clarity, more time in my morning routines and I feel very good!
Good for you Maria!
Jules, I’m experimenting to see if I can lower my blood pressure.
Trying different approaches to see what might help.
Here is my plan:
2 weeks low carb along with intermittent fasting. Lunch an dinner
2 weeks keto along with intermittent fasting. Lunch and dinner
2 weeks OMAD
Fasting mimicking diet – 5 days Dr. Valter Longo
5:2 diet Dr Mosley
I have tried the low carb diet for 2 weeks, which did not lower my blood pressure. Next is keto for two weeks.
My question: Have you tried it? Do you have recipes…I don’t want to try and figure out the carb count. I think you’re supposed to stay under 20 carbs a day. I am interested in only lunch and dinner.
I know this is not your focus. I would be happy to pay for a healthy keto plan…low on the saturated fats. I would prefer olive oil and avocado oil.
Maybe others would also be interested.
Again, happy to pay, if you can figure out the daily carb count for two meals a day.
?
Good for you on the experimentation front Susan
With keto – the easiest way is to limit your vegetable intake to only leafy greens or salad. And of course no grains, sugar, flour etc.
Then there’s no need to count – you won’t be able to get over 20g carbs per day.
Let me know how you get on.
And be careful with OMAD if you are oonly have dinner – we are naturally more hungry and have less will power in the evenings so over eating is difficult to avoid.
Thanks Jules, that’s brilliant. Don’t know why I was trying to make it so complicated, and I hate trying to count calories or carbs.
Yes counting is a pain Susan.
Look forward to hearing more about your experiment 🙂
Hi Jules, (and all). My question relates to that oniony thingee that doesn’t seem to have a name that anybody can agree too. It is either a spring onion, a green onion or a shallot. The one my question relates to the long green skinny one without a bulb and is bigger than a chive and smaller than a leek. I have one growing in my garden that grew from a white end of a green onion (?) and is now as thick as a leek. Can I cut off the green stalks periodically and use them in cooking whilst keeping the parent plant alive and continuing to grow?
Rgds, Ian
Excellent question Ian!
Yes the thing you have growing is a green onion. (Also called scallion or shallot). Just cut it off and it will regrow. I have them in my garden too – so easy to grow!
Hi Jules. What if I keep it growing for ever and a day and cut off the green stems as I need for cooking but keep the same plant growing. Are the stems OK to eat when taken from a very very mature plant. My back yard is about the same size as my laundry so I need to conserve space for planting (mainly pots).
Rgds, Ian
They’re totally fine to eat Ian and in theory they should be fine to keep cutting and eating forever and ever.
I’ve had some going for 2 years. And they are getting very fat and strong in flavour. So I’m thinking of pulling them out and replacing.
HOpe that helps!
Thanks for that Jules. We have re-generated some kitchen scraps such as pineapple (long wait though), various chillies and tomatos, celery and nearly successful with lettuce. All in pots.
Rgds, Ian
Wow chillies and tomatoes Ian – that’s impressive!
Hi Jules,
I appreciated your email this week about Pate. Iron levels are something I am currently working on too. Do you think there is a way to make your Bistro Pate more FODMAP friendly? I can’t really tolerate any onion at all.
Cheers,
Sharon
p.s. I often find myself incorporating nuggets of your wisdom about food/simplicity/leftovers into my everyday life, little by little, over time… And telling other people too. So, thank you for the difference you are making! 🙂
Just skip the onion Sharon. Or you could add a bunch of chopped chives after you puree the cooked liver with the butter.
Liver is the best for iron!
And thank you for telling people about Stonesoup. I really appreciate you helping to spread the word 🙂
Jx
Hi Jules I have just signed up for your Weekly Recipe Plan, but this membership is actually a gift for my daughter. Would you please change the membership details to Maudie Payne, email – maudie.payne@hotmail.com. As Maudie has moved out of home, I want to ensure she’ll be eating healthy, quickly prepared meals. Thanking you in advance. Kind regards, Lindy Payne
Thanks for the information about The zero app. Can hardly wait to explore it. I have followed Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Darya Rose and Valter Longo for a long time.
My longest fast has been 24 hours. Diner to diner.
I drink black tea during my fast. Do you only drink water?
My next question is what do you do about dinner for your family. I cook every night. I think it would be awkward not to sit down with them to eat.
I have Valter longo’s Fasting Mimicking Diet food. I’ve had it for months. I just don’t want to sit down to dinner and eat a different meal than everyone else. I don’t want to try and explain it. How would you handle it?
Love your site. I get big thumbs up from the family every time I tried one of your new recipes. I was skeptical about the kale salad with tahini dressing, but it got raves!
Glad you’re excited about Zero Susan!
Sometimes I drink tea and coffee and some days I do water only – depends on how hard core I’m feeling. On days where I fast longer than 24 hours I take my magnesium tablets in the evening still and also have a few little pinches of salt throughout the day. Really helps.
With my family my Irishman and I sit doown with the boys and they eat dinner and we have water or tea. We’ve been doing it forver so it isn’t weird at all. The only tricky thing is being hungry when preparing their meal can be a challenge. There are times when I find myself putting food in my mouth before I realise what’s going on. But once we sit at the table it isn’t a problem.
I’m sure your family would hardly notice if you had a different meal. You could just say it’s a thing you’re experimenting with for improving health. And talk about what you’ve been learning about fasting and how it can be beneficial.
If you present it in a positive light I’m sure your family will be supportive.
Does that help?
Jx
ps. Yay for the kale and tahini!
Hi Jules,
A query about white miso paste. The on I bought came in a block form like paper wrapped butter. If, after taking what I need, I seal the remaining block snugly in cling-wrap, how long will it keep in the fridge or should I freeze it.
Wishing everyone useful rain, Rgds, Ian
I answered this on the webinar today Ian!
But it will keep for months if not years wrapped in the fridge. No need to freeze but you can if you want to 🙂
Greetings Jules
Thank you for creating this ‘whole of life approach to food’ for us.
Having been a member of the Stonesoup Virtual Cooking School for 2 or 3 years my meals have broadened considerably and I am all the better for it but this ‘whole of life’ approach is one giant leap forward which I appreciate so much.
I think you are in tune with the world trend where a much greater awareness of the connectedness of everything is percolating into every aspect of living! From Day I you had me focus on my behaviours and ‘beliefs’ around food and, bit by bit, it has borne heartwarming results.
When I lose focus for a day or a week I go back to Day 1 and start again and that works for me! I love your nuanced style accommodating so many of the different situations and preferences we represent. Food prep is all the go and I really value what I have learned about storage, planning ahead and the scientific side of nutrition and digestion.
Finally I feel comfortable about the fact that I do not eat breakfast as a rule unless, of course, someone offers to cook me a beautiful omelette! I like to eat when I am hungry and drink when I am thirsty and modern science seems to be telling me at last that all is well!
As someone with a bit in common with the Irishman in terms of food I enjoy my gradual move into new territory. The website’s point of difference for me are your sense of humour, your comfortable honesty, your ‘catering’ for endless contingencies and the clear message that you are having fun.
Hi Jude!
Thank you so much for your lovely message. I feel really inspired know that my work is helping you!
Jx
Hallo Jules,
Although I have been eating low-carb for the last few thousand years, I have enrolled in your low-carb program in the hope of inspiration. Today I made broccoli bread (well, I cheated with broccoli and cauliflower ‘rice’ from Coles), and I look forward to trying that with lunches this week.
My question is because I have put on weight, despite eating no differently, over the last year, and don’t know how to shift it. I am 61 years old so know that we can get a bit stuck at this age, but I would prefer to lose 8 pounds. I noted that you sometimes skip breakfast and don’t have a meal until lunch. Does that help with weight management? I figure my body needs a ‘kick-start’, but I am not sure the best way to approach this.
Thanks for all your interesting and creative meal ideas,
Best wishes,
Peta
Wow Peta – low carb for a few thousand years – you are ahead of your time!
If you’re struggling with weight I highly recommend experimenting with some sort of fasting – it’s the easiest way I’ve found to manage my weight. Plus there are a host of other health benefits. The best place is this bonus training over here https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/graduations-bonus-2-the-power-of-fasting/
Let me know what you think 🙂
Hi Jules, hope your summer is going well. I do wonder how the fires are affecting your family. There are no right words for this.
I do have a more family cooking matter to ask. For the next while, I’ll be leaving the house at 1pm, returning 9 ish. My son is happy to have the peace after school (he returns anywhere from 2-5). I need a bunch of recipes I can cook in the morning, that he can reheat, and me, too. We’ve done pasta and curry til he’s nearly sick of them. I tried searching reheat, but that wasn’t very helpful. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Thanks for your concern Murphy. So far all good for us.
Excellent question re. reheating.
I have a category called ‘Do Ahead’ Dinners which will be perfect for you. There are 92 recipes in there so far so should keep you both going for a while 🙂
https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/category/by-feature/do-ahead/
Hope that helps!
Jules!
I just love your recipes <3
I'm reading your suggestions for Low Carb breakfasts but I have a little problem. Even though I love yoghurt with berries and granola I've noticed that the yoghurt makes my stomach too acid and irritated. Do you have any suggestions on what I can eat instead?
Hi Asa!
So glad you’re enjoying my recipes 🙂
The best alternative to dairy based yoghurt is coconut yoghurt – there are some excellent ones on the market these days. Or you could make my cashew ‘yoghurt’. Or just serve the berries and granola with coconut cream.
Jx
Hi Jules,
In my attempts to simplify my cooking and shopping (and lower my carbs) whenever a recipe calls for anything other than a yellow onion, I sub in the yellow onion. Shallots I know are way higher in sugar than the typical cooking onion. What I am wondering is (a) is this a good idea and (b) am I really missing anything in the recipe by doing this? I think green onions (scallions, spring onions,whatever you call them) are even lower in sugar than cooking onions but I don’t know when it would make sense to sub those in instead of the cooking onions. Can you give me some guidance both on the flavour side (what am I missing and should I do anything about it) and am I right about the sugar/carbs?
Thanks. Hope you new year is going smoothly. I don’t know my geography well so have no idea where you are in relation to the fires. I have a nephew in Perth and he says although it is extremely hot this time of year he is in no danger from the fires at this point. I have a sense you are in that area too. Hope I’m right.
Lovely to hear from you Miriam!
Excellent question re onions.
I pretty much never use shallots because they’re harder to find and more expensive than yellow onions (we call them brown onions). So like you I just sub in onions. The flavour difference is minimal (shallots are slightly milder and sweeter)
So I think a) your approach is a good idea from a carb (and cost) perspective
b) you’re not missing anything.
From a carb perspective I just had to look it up:
shallots = 14g net carbs / 100g
yellow onions = 7.7g net carbs / 100g
green onions / scallions = 3.8g net carbs / 100g
spring onions (with the bulbs and green tops) = 4.6g net carbs / 100g
Flavour wise – shallots and onions are very similar. Green / spring onions are milder in flavour from an onion perspective and have a fresher ‘greener’ flavour. They’re used more in Asian cooking -especially Chinese.
I’ve been using green onions more recently because they are lower FODMAP – so better for my Irishmans IBS than regular onions. But now that he is able to tolerate onions more I’m moving back to yellow / brown onions as my go-to.
So far we’ve been lucky with the fires. The closest one was 30km away so we’ve had lots of smoke (but thankfully no fire).
Jx
Thanks Jules. Pretty much what I thought but wasn’t sure. I like green onions in things a lot (maybe there’s a little Asian in me?)
Hi Jules! How are you? Can you suggest easy way to make passata at home from fresh tomatoes or replace it?
Hi Svetlana
You could just substitute fresh chopped tomatoes for passata in recipes – you could use it 1:1 – so a cup of passata = 1 cup choppped tomato.
If you wanted to get fancier you can puree fresh tomatoes in a food processor. And if you want to be even fancier than that puree and then sieve to remove the seeds.
Hope you are well 🙂
Jx
Hi Jules
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for creating such an easy, simple meal plan program. I’ve tried various diets and ways of simplifying cooking and meal planning, but this has to be by far the best. Not only because it’s super simple and healthy but the meals are so delicious too. My husband was a bit skeptical initially because of the simplicity of the program, but he soon saw the benefits of your program. He has just bought me the lifetime membership for your program.
Thanks again for this great subscription and for making life just that little bit easier for this busy family.
Kind regards,
Julie
You’re so welcome Julie!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know (and thank your husband too!)
Jx
G’day all…I am just starting this journey and the concepts and the recipes are refreshing although I have only made a few of the recipes so far. I love the substitutions for different ways of eating, it makes things wonderfully flexible and thank you. My question is about boiling vegetables which seems to be a standard. I usually steam or stir fry or blanch or microwave. Am I missing something?
G’Day Heather 😉
Excellent question!
I prefer to boil because I don’t have a steamer and it’s quicker. But you do lose some of the water soluble vitamins to the cooking liquid. So if you’re happy steaming you can do that instead of boiling.
I do stir fry from time to time. It’s a brilliant way to cook veg quickly with lots of flavour.
Blanching is really boiling for a short time.
And microwaving works in a similar way to steaming. I don’t have a microwave which is why I don’t have any recipes for them. But again, you can always substitute this cooking method for where I’ve boiled something.
Keep the questions coming!
Jx
Hi Jules,
I cannot tell if your Low Carb Love Program is a free one, or is it only available to those who have memberships as I do. I don’t want to share anything that is proprietary.
Enjoying your recipes!
Thanks,
Mary
Hi Mary
Low Carb Love (and all the programs on this website) are only available to members.
Glad you’re enjoying the recipes! And thanks for asking 🙂
Jx
Jules, I saw my doctor today, and discovered that my A1C has gone down to 5.5!!! (from 5.9) The most exciting news I’ve had in a long time. My cholesterol and triglycerides are way down into the normal range, too – without statins. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for your teachings and your support. Eating lower carb has gotten my weight down to where my BMI is in the normal range (admittedly at the top, but still normal). I am going to continue eating the way I have been, because it seems to be sustainable. I have not felt at all deprived, and I am certain that I can maintain this kind of eating on the long cruise, which we are definitely going on. The rules I set up as part of the 30-day Simple Kitchen Reboot are very helpful, and I am sure they will work well for me on the cruise. I have a separate set of rules for the cruise to address the issues I have while on the ship. The latest one I added was that I can have a few of the dark chocolate Tim Tams when we are in Australia… The rules are about what I want to do and what I can have, so they are positive. Positive rules are easy to follow, and mine are sensible, too. They allow me some discretion about what I eat. I’ve been using a lot of your recipes, and am discovering that most of the time my carb-loving husband doesn’t really miss the carbs. Thank you for being such a huge help.
Wow well done Susan!
5.5 is brilliant. So happy for you.
So glad you’re getting the results. Very well deserved 🙂
Hi Jules
I really like your Magic Lo Carb buns. However, I just can’t seem to get the centers cooked even with 30 extra minutes in the oven. Any ideas?
Thank you
Allison
Maybe try a hotter oven for a shorter time Allison.
Let me know how you get on 🙂
Hi Jules,
I’m a long time Stone Soup reader and user of your recipes. Lately I have been struggling a bit more with your recipes as you have gone more low carb to manage diabetes. I have challenges with cholesterol, and while I know diet is not the only factor in cholesterol levels, I am trying to eat less cheese and butter and fewer eggs and more things like beans and whole grains (I already don’t eat red meat and pork). Would you be open to experimenting with having a low cholesterol option in your recipe options? It may not be where you are at, but I thought I’d put it out there.
Thanks for all of your work making eating well accessible and delicious!
Hi Marie!
Lovely to hear from you.
Thanks for your suggestion re. a low cholesterol option.
To be totally honest I have a lot of resistance around it because I think it sends the message that eating cholesterol is bad.
One surprising thing I learned this year when studying nutrition was the link between increased carbs in the diet and less favouable cholesterol levels. (So carbs increase tryglycerides, decrease HDL (the good cholesterol) and increase LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol).
So with respect you might want to do some more research around your decision to increase beans and grains and reduce eggs, butter and cheese.
But of course I respect your decision and if you really do want to cut back on dietary cholesterol you can follow the ‘dairy-free’ variations I include for cheese and butter.
For eggs I don’t usually include an egg-free option. But where the egg is providing a source of protein you can usually use lentils or beans instead. For example this egg fried cabbage is lovely with cooked lentils instead of the eggs.
When eggs are used in baking or as a binding agent, mostly ‘flax’ eggs will work https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Does that help?
If you have more specific examples you’d like me to help with I’m happy to do more!
Jx
Marie, I just got back from a doctor visit, and discovered that my cholesterol and triglycerides both went down significantly. I have been eating lots of cheese, dairy, and eggs. What I’ve done differently is go lower carb (not ultra low), and get my weight down to where my BMI is in the normal part of the range. My understanding is that eating cholesterol, unless everything you eat contains very high levels of it, is not the problem. Different people produce different levels of cholesterol as part of their physiology and that is where the problem comes in. I will also tell you that if you have gotten to menopause, your cholesterol naturally rises significantly. And all the studies on cholesterol have been on men who have had heart attacks – none on women. After discovering I was allergic to statin drugs, I got off them and decided not to worry about it. My cholesterol levels have come down to well within the normal range. Bottom line: if you keep yourself healthy, you may get past the problem naturally without having to do anything really restrictive. I wish you the best.
Thanks for sharing your first hand experience Susan – super valuable!
Hi Jules,
I’m using the plan every evening to cook, it is really nice and I am happily waiting every Thursday for your email. 🙂
So I got organized very well with my dinner but not with my lunches. So here is my question : have you done any webinar or material on the topic of lunch organization ? If not, what are you cooking for you lunches, how do you organize ?
Thank you very much Jules ! Merci,
Émilie
Glad you’re using the plans Emilie!
With lunches there are actually 2 lunch plans on the very bottom of the bonuses page over here https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/bonuses/
My go-to for lunch is either leftover dinners. Or abundance bowls.
I’ve written about them briefly here https://thestonesoup.com/blog/2018/05/21/lunch/
Or in depth over here: https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/abundance-bowls/
Does that help?
Jx
Hi, Jules! Is tomato passata the same as tomato sauce?
Thanks!
Hey Ken!
Passata is just pureed tomatoes that have been strained to remove the seeds and skins. In Australia tomato sauce is ketchup so very different. If tomato sauce is just the pureed tomatoes (but not concentrated like tomato paste) then I think it’s the same as passata.
Does that make sense?
Hi Jules, if someone wanted to follow a Keto diet exclusively on Stonesoup, how could someone always get Keto recipes every Friday morning? Thanks.
Great question John!
The meal plans are already Low Carb, so you’ll be 90% of the way there just using the existing plan.
To make all of them keto you’ll just need to tweak the some of vegetables. Basically more avocado and leafy greens and less of everything else.
In my new recipes I’ve been including a Keto variation.
Does that sound OK? Or do you need more guidance?
If I understand you correctly, for your newer recipes, you have included a Keto variation to satisfy any person’s preference for lower carbohydrate eating.
Older recipes need to be tweaked to make them more ketogenic friendly by removing some vegetables and introducing others such as avocado and incorporating more leafy greens.
If you were to include a Keto variation in all of your old recipes, I do understand that it would take a considerable effort and time to edit.
I understand that you are already busy keeping the website updated with new recipes, and researching new ideas on our behalf on top of your family commitments.
As feedback, It would be nice if every old recipe in your files had a Keto variation to guide people.
Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback John!
At this point I just don’t have the time to make all the old recipes Keto – but good to know there’s a demand for it!