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Mum bombarded with criticism for prepping meals for son

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A mum has been roasted online after sharing how she prepares a full freezer of homemade meals for her 30-year-old son.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The woman shared a photo of her freezer, chock full of frozen meals including pasta, curries, and beef casserole, on Facebook.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She wrote that her son could “always let himself in for a feed” despite not living at home.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He knows there’s always a selection in the freezer. If I can, you can,” she wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, she reportedly had to turn off comments on her post after receiving an “overwhelming” amount of negative comments.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a later update on the post, she explained she’d been bombarded and was forced to take action, according to </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Daily Mail Australia</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This post was meant to inspire, not judge,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I am turning off comments as this is becoming very overwhelming, love to you all, life can be wonderful no matter what.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amidst the negativity, others came through and praised the extent of her meal prep, saying she was a “wonderful mumma”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I hope I do the same for my son because I love cooking,” one person wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My mum is exactly like you; she feeds me when I am there and I am over 30,” another commented.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Facebook</span></em></p>

Food & Wine

Never seen before snap: How Robert Irwin hilariously helped prep for Bindi’s big proposal

<p>Bindi and Chandler only just tied the knot in an intimate and emotional private ceremony last week at Australia Zoo, but it has only just been revealed that Robert Irwin played a big role in helping his brother-in-law prep for the big proposal.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KCyAlh_LY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KCyAlh_LY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Chandler Powell (@chandlerpowell)</a> on Mar 25, 2020 at 5:39am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Chandler initially met his wife in 2013 after his family took a tour of the famous Australian Zoo that has become a national treasure thanks to Bindi’s dad, Croc hunter Steve Irwin.</p> <p>From there, the couple fell in love and last year on Bindi’s 21st birthday, Chandler popped down on one knee and asked his long-term girlfriend to marry him. The moment was one that the 21-year-old Australian conservationist labelled as the “most beautiful surprise.”</p> <p>The special moment was elevated by the help of her little brother Robert who secretly photographed his family’s intimate proposal.</p> <p>“We were in the gardens of Australia Zoo and it was beyond perfect. I never even knew Robert was there photographing and I’ll always be grateful to have these special memories of the most amazing day of my life.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0UaYDXBCNg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0UaYDXBCNg/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)</a> on Jul 24, 2019 at 5:04pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>However, a<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/freuye/if_youre_in_need_of_wholesome_content_robert/" target="_blank">reddit</a><span> </span>post has shared a hilarious gaffe between Robert and Chandler.</p> <p>The photograph featured Powell getting on one knee with his arms outstretched to none other than Rob. </p> <p>The caption of the post reads: “If you’re in need of wholesome content, Robert Irwin helped Bindi’s now husband practice the proposal.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.20805369127515px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835391/irwin-famikly-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/adcd038893d44a0ba456751b49624656" /></p> <blockquote class="reddit-card" data-card-created="1585625717"><em><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/freuye/if_youre_in_need_of_wholesome_content_robert/">If you’re in need of wholesome content, Robert Irwin helped Bindi’s now husband practice the proposal</a> from <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/aww">r/aww</a></em></blockquote> <p>It appears the snap of Rob and Chandler mucking around originates from the family’s show<span> </span><em>Crikey! It’s The Irwins.</em></p> <p>The post amassed over 800 comments after just 24 hours online, with one writing: Talk about a wholesome family. The Irwins never fail to impress me with their positivity and genuine spirit. I'm grateful for them right now especially.”</p> <p>Another added: “They're basically our version of a royal family.”</p> <p>Chandler took to social media to share a photograph of Bindi cosying up to a koala in her arms.</p> <p>“My beautiful wife,” he wrote, alongside a love heart emoji. </p> <p>It was just last week that he first took to social media since tying the knot with his bride to write: “We’re finally married! Today, March 25, 2020, marks the most amazing day of my life. I married my best friend.”</p> <p>“After almost a year of planning, we changed everything so that we could enjoy a safe and small private ceremony at our home, Australia Zoo. As we embark on this new life chapter I hope that we can share some love in the world, especially during this challenging time.”</p>

Relationships

Your guide to meal prepping for beginners

<p><span>Meal prepping is a sensible option for helping you save time, waste less food and get your daily meals on the table much faster than usual. Are you interested in getting started with meal prepping? Read on to learn more, plus find meal prepping ideas, tips and suggestions for beginners.</span></p> <p><strong><span>What is meal prepping?</span></strong></p> <p><span><a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-meal-prep-beginner-261658">Meal prepping</a> is the act of consciously allotting time for preparing your meals, or the ingredients you use for making your meals, in bulk ahead of when you will need them. The idea is that you can save time by cooking once, portioning out the food and having it ready to use when you need it.</span></p> <p><span>You’re likely to also save money with this method. This is because you won’t end up buying overpriced takeaway meals at the last minute when you’re hungry and in too much of a hurry to cook a meal from scratch. You’re also likely to waste far less food with this method – because you consciously plan out what to do with each morsel of food instead of letting leftovers go to waste.</span></p> <p><span>Here’s an example of how meal prepping can save you time and increase your efficiency. Let’s say that it takes you 4 hours to make a 2.5 kilogram roast from start to finish. As long as you’re going to all that trouble, why not make 2 roasts, then divide each roast into 12 portions to use for meal prepping? The roast beef meals can then be frozen for later use as needed.</span></p> <p><span>That’s an extreme example of a time consuming meal prep. You do not have to allot that much time to meal prepping if you’d rather prepare simpler meals, or portions of meals.</span></p> <p><span>If you hustle, it is possible to prepare a week’s worth of meals <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/meal-prep-rules-261129">in only one hour</a>. </span></p> <p><span>Or meal prepping can be as simple as returning from the farmer’s market and then chopping up a week’s worth of fresh salads using the produce you bring home. If you serve a main dish plus a helping of fresh salad for dinner every night, having the salad made ahead of time frees you to focus on the main dish when it comes time to prepare dinner.</span></p> <p><strong>Tools and supplies you’ll need for meal prepping</strong></p> <p><span>First and foremost, you’ll need suitable containers for meal prepping. To avoid creating excess <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/ways-to-reduce-household-waste">household waste</a>, and to minimise your environmental footprint, avoid using single-use plastics such as plastic baggies or disposable containers for this purpose. Instead, select mason jars, glass storage containers or reusable stainless steel lunch containers for storing the foods you’ll prepare.</span></p> <p><span>There are many kitchen gadgets, utensils and appliances that can make meal prepping more convenient. A few <a href="https://www.mealprep.com.au/p/kitchen-essentials-for-meal-prepping/">meal prepping essentials</a> include a blender, an accurate digital kitchen scale and a set of high-quality kitchen knives.</span></p> <p><strong><span>How to meal prep</span></strong></p> <p><span>Start with a clean kitchen. First, clean out the refrigerator and freezer to make space for the meals you’re going to prep.</span></p> <p><span>Next, wash any dirty dishes that may be lingering in the kitchen. Put everything away except for the gadgets, dishes and utensils you plan to use during the meal prepping process.</span></p> <p><span>Next, decide which meals you’re going to prep. If you’re totally new to meal prepping, it’s probably wise to start small. Choose one meal – breakfast, lunch, or dinner -- to start with. Then decide which dishes you want to prepare for the week. Locate recipes you want to use. The ingredients you need for the recipes will form the basis for your grocery list. Prepare the grocery list and take it to the market with you to shop for the ingredients you need.</span></p> <p><span>When you’ve returned from the market, it’s time to get busy prepping. Cook your ingredients. Set out your containers and your scale. Measure out your ingredients and assemble your meals. Then place everything in the refrigerator or freezer so it’s all ready to go when you need it.</span></p> <p><span>If you freeze your meals, you will obviously need to allow adequate defrosting time before you can easily use them. You may wish to make notes on your calendar to defrost a particular item the night before you need it.</span></p> <p><span>This <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/food-wine/15-dollar-kmart-hack-will-save-you-thousands">clever and affordable hack</a> can also help you with planning out your meals if you like to have a visual means of keeping track of your meal plans.</span></p> <p><span>Those are some of the most essential basics you need to know about meal prepping. Like most other skills in life, you will get faster and more efficient at meal prepping if you do it repeatedly. You’ll learn what works best for you, and the process will get easier in time.</span></p> <p><strong><span>Related links</span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/five-tips-for-an-organised-freezer">5 Tips to help you perfectly organise your freezer</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/21-tricks-to-drastically-slash-your-grocery-bill">21 Tricks to drastically slash your grocery bill</a></span></li> </ul>

Body

Cook tonight’s dinner in your dishwasher!

<p>Many of us use our dishwasher to, well, clean our dishes. Especially after a meal.</p> <p>But there’s a new trend on the horizon that involves the opposite of this.</p> <p>It’s called ‘dishwasher cuisine’ and it is not a joke.</p> <p>Many people have decided that their oven is no longer up to scratch and are opting to give their dishwasher a try.</p> <p>So far, the most popular dish seems to be salmon.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsY73EHh4tn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsY73EHh4tn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Verlasso Salmon (@verlasso)</a> on Jan 8, 2019 at 2:02pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The trick is wrapping your ingredients up in foil (so the food doesn’t get saturated by the water or have other bits of food ending up in the final meal) and letting the dishwasher do the rest.</p> <p>Consumer advocacy group <span><a href="https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/kitchen/dishwashers/articles/can-you-cook-dinner-in-your-dishwasher">Choice</a></span> has recommended that you put your ingredients that you want to cook in plastic zip lock bags so no extra food gets in there as well as loading up the dishwasher to keep the temperature stable.</p> <p>Keeping the temperature stable is ideal as this ensures your food is cooked properly.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/dZqjZdLZoE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/dZqjZdLZoE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">Forget the grill, here's how to cook salmon in the dishwasher. #howto #dishwashercooking #yum #nprlife</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/mstarbard/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Maggie Starbard</a> (@mstarbard) on Aug 24, 2013 at 8:30am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>However, as a dishwasher can reach temperatures of up to 62 degrees in a cycle, smaller portions of protein and vegetables are best.</p> <p>Choosing food that has a bit of wiggle room when it comes to time and temperature being a little bit out is ideal, as again, you’re cooking food in a dishwasher.</p> <p>Experts have compared it to the sous vide method. This method is a French style of cooking which involves vacuum sealing food in a plastic bag, submerging it in a bath of warm water and waiting for it to cook over time.</p> <p>Some have found it to be a productive way of cleaning up the mess they’ve made while preparing the meal whilst also getting a meal out of it.</p> <p>Is this something you’re willing to try? Have you heard of it before? Let us know in the comments.</p>

Technology

This $15 Kmart hack will save you thousands

<p>You’ve spent your whole life saving up as much money as possible to enjoy your retirement, so there’s nothing worse spending your hard-earned cash on groceries only to end up throwing out spoiled or uneaten food days later.</p> <p>Well, food wastage could be a thing of the past with this clever organisational hack that could see you save thousands each year.</p> <p>Sydney mum Jill Burrows, 49, has shared the ingenious meal prep board she created to lay out exactly what would be on the family menu every day, meaning she can plan the meals in advance. The best part? It only cost $15 using items from her local Kmart.</p> <p><img width="500" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7268167/359b73260c89e43d8c201e0dabbc8265_500x500.jpg" alt="359b 73260c 89e 43d 8c 201e 0dabbc 8265" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“This is my first Kmart hack, and it took me an hour and cost me $15,” Burrows told <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/eat/how-meal-prep-boards-are-saving-families-thousands/news-story/5680a3fa137fa93aa81965b98fc9704b" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">news.com.au</span></strong></a>.</p> <p>“I got the idea from Pinterest and it’s important for me that we have home-cooked meals planned ahead, and it’s working. It’s changing my life for the better because I can cook meals on the weekend in advance and it reduces costs in shopping from the improved planning, so it helps our budget.</p> <p>“I used to do menu planning on paper on a Saturday morning while my son was at swimming squad training but I got tired of trying to think of new meals each week, so I got lazy with meal planning then found I was stressing out about meals.</p> <p>“We were spending more money and not eating as well and eating a lot of ready-made meals.</p> <p>“I just wrote down all the meals I could think of that I can cook easily – chicken stir fry, Thai chicken meatballs, salmon, fish and chips or Chinese dumplings and lots of others – and I have a card for new recipes then if they are any good I will add new cards.</p> <p>“My husband and son also pick meals and want to help.”</p> <p>How smart! Tell us in the comments below, do you plan your meals in advance or do it as you go?</p> <p><em>Image credit: Jill Burrows/news.com.au</em></p>

Food & Wine

Top tips for prepping and cooking octopus

<p>There’s no denying that octopus looks like an intimidating ingredient. It’s certainly not an animal you’d want to encounter in the open sea. However, despite all outward appearances this rubbery creature is quite simple to prep and cook. So if you’ve always felt a bit hesitant to tackle the octopus, our tips will help you ensure tender, moist and delicious octopus every time.</p><p><strong>Preparation</strong></p><p>Octopus is tough but an easy way to tenderise it is to simply freeze and defrost it. The freezing and defrosting process causes moisture from the muscle to expand and burst the cell walls, which softens the meat. If you feel like fresh octopus or just want to ensure it’s extra tender, beat it with a meat tenderiser or slap it on the kitchen bench continuously for at least 40 times, that is according to the Mediterranean’s and they do know their octopus. Remember you don’t have to use excessive force, the aim is to tenderise not pulverise!</p><p>With the octopus lying flat, hold up the tentacles from the body and slice it off at the base. It might look difficult but a sharp knife will easily slice those rubbery tentacles. Repeat with all other tentacles.</p><p>Once finished you’ll be left with the head and the middle piece that held all the tentacles. Cut them in two and discard the hard middle piece.</p><p>Cut the head in half and remove the ink sack and innards. This step can be skipped if you’ve asked the fish monger to clean it up for you. The head should be cooked as well as the tentacles.</p><p><strong>Cooking</strong></p><p>Poaching the octopus should be the preliminary step before all your octopus cooking. It will ensure that your octopus is tender before you BBQ, smoke, braise, grill or eat it by itself.</p><p>Bring a large pot of salted water to simmer. Slowly lower to octopus with some tongs or hooks. All the tentacles should curl up at the same rate. Once the octopus is fully submerged, adjust the temperature so the water is steaming but not bubbling. Cook for approximately 30 to 45 minutes or until tender (able to be pierced with a fork). Remove from water. You can even remove skin by rubbing the legs.</p><p>Now enjoy the octopus like you wish whether you want to BBQ it, grill it or throw it in a salad. You can store cooked octopus in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, which is perfect if you want to prep the octopus first before a summer barbeque with friends and family.</p>

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