Back in Time for Dinner - 1910s

Last year we watched a TV show called Back in Time for Dinner. A family had their kitchen changed as they ate food from each decade from the 50s onwards. It was really interesting to see how food had changed through the years.

Watching it, I thought to myself "Ooh, I'd like to try doing that" (as I often do) and so I am. Starting from 1910 (roughly 100 years back) I'm going to make us a meal from each decade to try.

Today we're eating Red Flannel Hash.

Ingredients:

1 cup cubed corned beef
1 cup cubed cooked beetroot
1 cup cubed cooked potatoes
1-2 chopped onions
 1/4 cup lard

Melt the lard in a hot pan and cook the onion. Add the other ingredients and stir as it cooks.

 We had ours with some freshly made granary bread.

This meal was great. It cooked in just one pan and it was very simple. It was weird making food using no seasonings but it was really tasty as it was. Using lard was different too as we usually use vegetable oil for cooking. This meal was useful for using up leftover cooked potato and other vegetables so it often had carrots or swede in as well. Really any cooked veg you wanted to use up. I've never had corned beef hash with beetroots before but they're a really nice addition giving flavour as well as colour. JD and I have decided we could easily eat this way, now we just have to convince the kids!

Emma's Exercise Experiments - Pilates

I didn't know what to expect from Pilates, I had to google what it was before the first session! Joseph Pilates invented this system of exercise that works to strengthen your core muscles and improve balance. He called it Contrology but now it's known by his surname.

We went along on a Wednesday night to a local school hall and took our place on mats with about 10 other people. It was easy to arrange as you just turn up and pay on the door. £7 a class run by Heaven & Hell Fitness.

The instructor, Claire, led us through a full body workout with stretches, squats, push ups, planks and much more. Some of the positioning was hard to get and it was tricky trying to follow Claire at the front of the class while on your back with your legs in the air.

After the first session I was pleased I'd been able to do most of the stretches. Claire asked how we'd got on and told us Pilates only has 36 movements so the next time we'd know what to expect more.

Squats while circling arms.

A lot of the movements felt similar to Yoga but were a bit more fast paced. Instead of holding a position, Pilates has you repeating the stretch about 10 times until you can feel the burn in your muscles.

The next week felt a bit easier as we knew what moves were coming up. Also we did some leg stretching using straps to help which felt great for my knees.

We did 4 weeks in total and I could feel some stretches getting easier the more we did them. After a long day at work I was often reluctant to go but after the class my legs always felt better, less tired and well stretched.

JD's favourite stretch was the Child's Pose.

It's a great way to tone muscles, you don't really get sweaty doing it but it's very effective. We could feel a difference after just a few weeks. Our class had men and women of all ages which was nice to see.

I enjoyed the classes, they were led well and adaptations were given for people at different levels. Claire was very welcoming and friendly. Overall though I felt Pilates wasn't for me, but it's a great exercise and it was lovely to see lots of people enjoying it.

If you want to give it a try visit the Heaven & Hell Fitness website

Previously on Emma's Exercise Experiments:

Gym 

Yoga

Bootcamp

Boxing 

Vegetable Update Part 2

I'm back again with more vegetable adventures! Even more ways to try get your 5 a day.

Mushrooms in Tomato Sauce

I couldn't find a recipe for what I wanted but this is just sliced mushrooms cooked in passata. I'm not going to lie, I hate mushrooms. I gave this a try but just felt mildly upset it was touching my other food.


Cumin Roasted Carrots

These look burnt but actually they're just fashionably blackened. Very nice dipped in a bit of mayo.


Baked Eggplant Parmesan

This was really good. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. JD and I were surprised how much we enjoyed it.


Chunky Blender Salsa

Ridiculously easy to make (so I'm told, JD made it) and really tasty. We polished off this entire bowl using tortilla chips and smothering it on chicken wraps.


Slow Roasted Onions

We used balsamic vinegar instead of the suggested red wine vinegar but even so this is a simple but delicious recipe for onion lovers. Soft onions soaked with flavour, yum!


There you go, 5 more vegetable dishes to try at your leisure. :)