I managed to consume lots of plant foods today i.e. fruits and veggies.  I began the day with this colourful and tasty bowl of fruits.  I was actually still full from yesterday’s excesses but wanted some juicey nutrients and could think of nothing nicer than a bowl of fresh fruit.  Much as I enjoyed scoffing foods like sausage rolls and cheese, washed down with Prossecco, I didn’t drink enough water yesterday and felt quite dehydrated this morning.  This really helped.

I brought home some huge parsnips from Warwickshire and found a recipe I wanted to make from Hugh F-W’s ‘Veg everyday’ cookbook; parsnip and ginger soup.  I tried this recipe because I like this cook book and also because the Little Fella likes both parsnips and ginger and I want him to eat more veggies. It was really good so I shall share the recipe. Parsnip and Ginger Soup

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
15 g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 – 5 cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (NB: we disliked the cayenne and next time I would leave it out)
500 g parsnips, peeled and cut in to 1 cm cubes
800 ml vegetable stock
200ml milk (I used soya milk to keep it dairy free and it worked well)
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp mixed seeds or flaked almonds

Method

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and saute the onion for 10 minutes over a medium-low heat, until nearly translucent
2. Add the garlic, ginger, cardamom, cumin and cayenne (if using) and stir for a couple of minutes
3. Add the parsnips, stir to coat with spices and then pour in the stock
4. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the parsnips are soft – about 15 minutes
5. Leave the soup to cool slightly and then puree until smooth
6. Return the soup to the pan, add the milk and heat through
7. If the soup is too thick, add some water
8. Toast the seeds / nuts in a dry frying pan until just turning golden
9. Serve in bowls with the seeds / nuts and black pepper

We had ours with a slice of toasted granary bread.

After the trauma of a trip to my favoured supermarket, I needed a snack and chose a small packet of crisps with some humous. For supper I had one of the most delicious pies I have ever eaten.  It was pheasant and partridge and was packed full of succulent meat. There was a little bit of stuffing inside it too but mainly big chunks of tender meat.  Yummy.   If I had known what consistency the pie was, I would have served it with some gravy.  It was definitely not at all dry and we enjoyed it with buttery mashed potato, carrots and broccoli.  But some gravy would have turned a good dinner in to a great dinner.  I hope my fab friend can give me another one of these one day 🙂

So there we are.  Not a diet friendly day but not a disaster either.  I have no intention of dieting at this time of year but I am trying to not add to my size!