Q & A with Sarah
Q After putting in a full day at the office and shuttling the kids back and forth from school every day, I don't have any time left to prepare a proper evening meal. How on earth am I expected to cook healthy, nutritious meals when there aren't enough hours in the day? Sara Lee
A It's tough being a working mum, isn't it? As well as putting in the hours at work, you're expected to act as a taxi service for the kids, keep the house clean, do the shopping, hang out the laundry and a million and one other tasks. If you can't share the workload with a partner or manage your time more efficiently it's tempting to resort to ready meals or takeaways, but I'd suggest investing in a slow cooker instead.
Slow cookers are hardly new, but they're great for fitting in with busy lifestyles. With a little preparation the night before, you can plonk your ingredients in a slow cooker in the morning, set the timer and come home to a delicious home-cooked meal in the evening. You don't have to limit yourself to stews, either, as slow cookers are perfect for casseroles, curries, roasts and soups. Even better, it's almost impossible to burn anything as the heat comes from the side of the pan as well as the bottom and everything is cooked at a low, steady temperature.
From an environmental point of view, slow cookers are also a great buy. They use substantially less energy than a conventional oven or hob and are far more economical to run.
Q It's great that you're encouraging us to buy energy saving light bulbs, but I find the yellow light they give off is unsuitable for reading books or magazines and gives me eyestrain. Are there any alternatives?
Judith Honan
A Today's bulbs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, light in a couple of seconds and cost less than a pound each. Even better, they use about one-fifth of the energy of a conventional incandescent bulb, last up to ten times longer and pay for themselves in a matter of months.
With those sorts of benefits it's easy to see why energy efficient bulbs are proving so popular at the moment. BioBulb produces a flicker free, full-spectrum light that's ideal for sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder as well as anyone who wants a bright light to work in. They're also excellent for reading purposes and particularly suitable for people with age-related macular degeneration.
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Weather for Stamford
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -5 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North west
