A Random Dish: Chickpeas, Spinach, Carrots, Onions, Sweetcorn, Pilau-rice, Sesame Seeds, Tomatoes and Curry

I had walked to Marks & Spencer early in the morning yesterday, the outbound journey was alright. I had left out early, as the local weather suggested that it will be the start of a heatwave across the UK.

     I was aware that I hadn’t eaten any breakfast, I was behind schedule and told myself I would pick up a vegan steak-bake on the way there. Which was the wrong decision! I grabbed a 500ml bottle of Highland Spring water and set off on my weekly food shop.

The walk there was alright, I had stopped a few times for water and to cool down. I arrive in Marks & Spencer and was pleased to see the hand-sanitiser and disinfectant at the entrance. It reminded me of honeysuckle, such a refreshing aroma. What I thought would be a simply 20-minute shop, transformed into 40, as they had changed the layout for many of my usual items.

I felt ‘safe’ in the sense that people were adhering to social-distancing rules within the store. But I was eager to get out and get back home.

My basket:

• Whole Cucumber
• Salad Onions
• Lemon Juice
• Onions
• 10 Bananas
• Tomato and Basil Soup
• Chestnut Mushrooms
• Plant Kitchen Chorizo Puppies
• Santini Vine Tomatoes
• Velvet Houmous
• Thin Tipped Asparagus
• Mediterranean Pitta Bread
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Small Bag of Carrots
• Whole Pineapple

The walk home was arduous, I felt faint and believe if I had not bought the bottle of water with me, I most certainly would have fainted. I was so relieved when I arrived back home, I quickly made a bowl of porridge and had a nap.

After about an hour or so, I woke up thirsty and added a few drops of lemon juice to a glass of cold water. At this point the heat was unbearable and for the first time in a long time, I put on some shorts and a vest top – I would never wear this ensemble outside. But I must highlight, it felt amazing to wear these, I instantly felt cooler and more refreshed from having changed and drinking cold lemon water.

Later on in the evening, I walked into my kitchen and placed a Dutch-pot on the stove, I added the mushrooms, onions and carrots first and after rifling through my cupboard and adding various things, I ended up with this random dish.

     Needless to say, while I do recognise that it is random, I’m extremely proud of the variety of vegetables it contains. Which means that it is packed with vitamins and minerals. While relaxing on my sofa and listening to a Ted Talk podcast, I considered my journey to date and realised I’ve maintained the same weight for the past 10 weeks – in an ideal setting this would be fine, the setting being that goal weight has already been attained. But it hasn’t, therefore I need to either increase the amount of fitness I do or decrease the amount of food I eat.

     I know many of you will find this to be an easy choice to make, but I find the whole scenario quite interesting – hence why it’s important to keep track of your journey and log any significant aspects, such as maintaining the same weight for 10 weeks. I agree, it probably shouldn’t have taken so long to see this. But lockdown life has been tough and even with the ‘ease’ of social distancing, I don’t suppose that the pressure on the mind will ease.

     Outside of Marks & Spencer, people were walking by one another and with many, you could probably squeeze a small orange between them.

Thank you for reading.

Love

Unique Fatso