A MOVE to France usually means a chance to take your foot off the gas and live a less stressful life, casting off those motorway nightmares and rushed visits to the shops.
A whole movement has grown out of this downshifting mentality, much of it led by my pal Tracey Smith who launched the first Downshifting Week from her home in France.
Now back in the UK, her work to get people to think a little more about how they spend their time continues, with this coming weekend seeing the launch of the fourth event.
The downshifting week starts on April 19 and continues until April 25, with the Downshifting Week website offering many quick and simple things you can do ranging from cutting up your credit card, to turning off the TV and chatting or listening to the radio.
So if you are keen to try a few things out and change your pace of life, here are Tracey's top downshifting tips:
Ditch the pre-packed options and cook from fresh
There's no doubt about it, you 'can' buy very cheap ready-meals these days, but the nutritional value, the overall quality and the taste cannot be compared to doing it from fresh!
If you're short of time, double up the ingredients and freeze half for another meal and be sure to use up leftovers in creative new dishes for the next day; soup offers a great way of getting started with this.
Buy your staples in larger packs
Pasta, rice and porridge oats are perfect examples and you'll also cut down your shopping trips too. If it's just too much to store in your cupboard, split your bulk buys with a friend or neighbour.
Buy plain packets of cereals and add your own extras
Bananas, raisins, cranberries, blueberries and more are all easy to store and served with a spoonful of honey, they make breakfast time funky enough to entice children off of other sugary options.
Buy cheaper and tougher cuts of meat and slow cook them
Slow cookers are cheap nowadays and are a great investment. All the fat will run off and the meat retains it size and is deliciously tender and juicy. You can also use this to make mouthwatering dishes that cook through the day while you're at work, giving you a ready meal when you get home.
Grow perpetual lettuce
Don't worry if you don't have a garden, just grow them in pots on your windowsill. Simply pluck off the leaves from the outside of the plant (making sure to leave at least six in the centre) and it will continue to grow and grow. Eight varied pots of lettuces will feed the family delicious salad every day, throughout the whole summer.
Cultivate a few herbs too, like basil, chives, thyme, rosemary, mint, sage and coriander
Much better value than buying little packs or dried and you don't need to be green-fingered as they are super-easy to grow. You don't need a garden either for the smaller ones, you can grow them on the windowsill and they'll add great flavour to your home-cooked dishes.
Learn how to make your own dough and you'll never go hungry again
It's much easier than you think and the basic recipe will allow you to make loaves, rolls, pizza bases, even flatbreads like the ones you use for fajitas.
Needless to say, they're better value too and have no unnecessary preservatives or additives. (I teach a class on beginners breadmaking at The Magdalen Project). On that thought, if you are already a bread maker, buy larger sacks of flour from your local baker.
It's far more economical this way! A 16kg sack is about the size of a pillow and not that much of a nuisance to store in the kitchen and you'll do far less shopping trips which will save you money there too. See if you have a flour mill nearby, then you'll be able to add a 'real' local touch!
Buy loose produce, not pre-packed.
Research has shown that in the UK, £10 in every £75 of regular groceries is taken up by packaging, which is an astonishing waste of money! Check out your local farm and community shops and buy seasonal fruit and vegetables without the plastic wrap.
Have a go at making biscuits, cakes or flapjacks and bake them with your children
It's much cheaper and really great fun to do, especially if you make it a Sunday afternoon treat. Then store the goodies in airtight containers and use them in the household lunch-boxes.
Website: Downshifting Week
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I guess we Yanks aren't the only ones who need to be told to slow down every once in a while. I'm working on many of the tips you've listed, and have plans to take up most of the rest.
I seem to change my mind almost weekly as to the best part: the price, the change of pace, or the quality. Bah, why choose. They're all great reasons to do it.
Drew
http://blog.CookLikeYourGrandmother.com
Posted by: Drew Kime | 16 April 2008 at 15:23
You know, I work with a lot of Americans and they get too much bad press in my view! There are many great individuals and organisations all striving for a better work and life balance and they constantly extol the virtues of simple, green living, so I'm quite definitely on your side!
You are right though, this is not just a UK or even European movement come to that, it's worldwide - there is a palpable kick-back to a consumer driven lifestyle - it's positive to see.
By the way, great site you have there too! LOL....those onion rings made my mouth water...
TS
x
Posted by: Tracey Smith | 17 April 2008 at 16:05