Dieting is a philosophy

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

“Cooking is a philosophy, not a recipe.  Unless it’s pastry, which is Chemistry”.
Marco Pierre White on CBB, August 2011.

A very interesting comment I thought.  Losing weight is also philosophical, rather than just following a diet plan.  There are many diets that will work if you can stick to them.  The basic principle is straight forward and simple; consume fewer calories than your body requires.  Eat less and exercise more.  But for some reason, it is not that simple for many of us.

I was relieved tonight to have lost half a pound as I thought I would have gained.  In the last 10 days I have been to Wales, Warwickshire, Devon and several other lovely places and eaten many delicious but high calorie meals and busted point allowances regularly.  I still find it really difficult to say no to delicious second helpings or to say no to a pudding.  But I am obviously learning and improving or I would have put weight on.

So on to my lovely weekend in Devon.  We went to Murphy Manor and checked out all the improvements Lucy and Trevor have made to their house in Lyme.  Leaving Trevor to his decorating and Olvia with a play date, we took Lucy and Harry to one of my favourite eateries in the world,  The Town Mill Bakery in Lyme Regis, Dorset.  The bread and cakes are handmade in front of you.  It is self service and you sit on benches at long tables.  Everyone sits together and passes big bowls of butter, jam and sugar and jugs of milk up and down.  Actually, if you like silver cutlery and crisp white tablecloths and you hate sharing space with other people this may not be the place for you.  But f you like brilliant baked goods and are happy to share your space with fellow foodies, then you would love it.

The fresh produce is piled up on a long table that separates the busy bakers from their happy customers.  You pick up a wooden board and help yourself to what you want, as many times as you like.  And just pay at the end on your way out.  What shall I have?  Their Eccles cakes are superb and my sister Lucy had raved about their scones.  Hmmmmm,  decisions, decisions.

Maybe I couldn’t decide or maybe I was still feeling guilty about 3 puddings the previous day as I decided to go for muesli.  This photo makes the bowl look quite modest but it was a help yourself affair and I was a complete pig so it was a very large portion and I  didn’t feel hungry again all day after it.  It was delicious with lots of nuts and seeds in it and I bought some to take home.

After breakfast we went for a walk round town.  We visited cousin Miranda in her shop and then I took Harvey and his cousin Harry to the beach.  I love Lyme Regis.  It is a very special place and I have visited here most years of my life.

James took Lucy home, the boys went crab and shrimp fishing and I had a lovely quiet potter about the shops and then sat and watched the activity on the beach.  I can sit quite happily on a beach for hours.

After a lively game of football, the boys had ice-cream but I resisted the temptation.  See Zoe, it can be done 🙂

Back at Ian’s Mera and Jack joined us for a pizza lunch.  I wasn’t hungry and should have had some fruit but I had 2 pieces of pizza which I then regretted.  I was pleased we were going for a walk to town and back which is hilly and would help burn off some of that food.

In contrast to the old world charm and sandy beaches of Lyme Regis, Sidmouth is full of grand Victorian/Edwardian hotels and houses, a pebbly beach and red cliffs.  Which proved irresistible to 2 little boys!

And skimming pebbles proved irresistible to 3 boys 🙂

After a lovely walk along the beach, up Jacobs Ladder and through Connaught Gardens, we headed home.  When I was last here, in April, I huffed and puffed up the hill and found it really difficult.  But this time it was much easier and I hardly got out of breath at all.  So that was a Devon highlight.

Ian and Helen hosted 11 of us for supper which was delicious.  I had chicken and salad with 2 little potatoes.  And no pudding.  I actually managed to say “no” !!!!   Woo Hoo. And I only had one glass of wine 🙂

I love family get togethers.

Sunday was a mixed day.

Highlights included a healthy breakfast: raspberries, blueberries, a nectarine, a small banana, a spoonful of natural probiotic yogurt and a few nuts.

We then headed off to ESCOT ‘ The natural place for a great day out in Devon’.  We had a fabulous day, walking through beautiful woodland while the children enjoyed the maze, walking trails,  finding animals and playing on playgrounds made out of natural materials.  The Anglo Saxon village was one of my favourites.

Funniest moment of the day – my little niece Olivia (aged 7) refused to go in the natural compost toilet because someone had left sausages in there !  Tee hee.  Yes, those are my feet as I had to go, sausages or no sausages.  Thanks for the photo Lucy 🙂

The otters were very cute, even if they did squeak like the dog’s toys for over an hour while they waited to be fed.

Talking of feeding, lunch was diet-ok.  Ham and egg mayonnaise sandwich on granary with lettuce, some olives and an apple.  But then disaster struck.  I had a Devon cream tea which had 2 scones.  I did manage to give half of one scone away which helped a bit.  But why did I order it anyway?  I wasn’t hungry.  Humph.

At Ian’s dinner started well.  Jacket potato with ham, baked beans and salad.  But unfortunately I had to add butter and cheddar cheese and then have a chocolate mousse for pudding.  Where is Will Power when I need him?  Devon was great, despite the feeding disasters and I was sad to leave.

On Monday I was home.  Since it was weigh day, I was desperate to reduce the gain I was convinced I would have so I had porridge made with water.  At the annual Sissinghurst village fete I avoided the bbq’d burgers and sausages and had a bbq’d corn cob instead.  Oh and a Pimms.  But that was only because it raised money for the school and it had fruit and veggies in it.

I have included this picture, even though it is dreadful of me, so that hopefully when I look back in a few months, I can think thank goodness I don’t look like that anymore.  The fete was fun and we bumped in to lots of our local friends.  Spent a small fortune on drinks, food and letting Harvey have a go on all the stalls.

In keeping with tradition, Linda and Peter held a BBQ afterwards.  They are also excellent cooks.  I really need to make friends with people who can’t cook very well or who just invite me over for a coffee.  I had to wait until after weigh in before I ate or drank anything!

Our amiable host, relaxing after a busy time at the BBQ, cooking for their 20 or so guests.

And Harvey and Lucy, sitting on the edge of the deck, overlooking the corn field.  I was so tempted to clamber down and try that sweetcorn.

So how did I eat?  Quite well for the main.  I avoided the bread and just had one burger and one sausage with coleslaw, bean salad, red peppers and grapes with one glass of red wine.  But then Linda brought out flapjacks, chocolate cake, blackcurrant cheesecake on an amaretto base and toffee cupcake.  I am actually too ashamed to confess how much I ate.  But it was disgraceful.

Tomorrow will be a whole new day and I am going to track points, eat healthily and do some exercise.  Hopefully.

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The Galloping Gourmet

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

I left home for Devon on Friday, via Epsom, home of the Derby and numerous other splendid events, horse related and otherwise.   I was going for lunch with Sally and her lovely daughter Holly.  I hadn’t seen them since Turkey so was very much looking forward to it.  Even more since Sally is a very good cook and I had been hearing good things about Holly’s recent culinary exploits.  Michelle was also joining us and I was really looking forward to the day.

To save some WW points I went for a very low point breakfast.  Blackberry and raspberry smoothie.  Ingredients were one punnett of blackberries, a handful of raspberries, 1 tbsp tahini, 1 heaped tbsp Greek yogurt and some semi-skimmed milk.  My photo does not do it justice but the colour was phenomenal and it just screamed out MEGA VITAMINS!!!!!!

I took a bag of mixed leaves for lunch, that I picked in the pouring rain and my first radishes of the year and took them too. They are a mix of yellow and red radishes.   I wonder if you can eat radish leaves – does anyone know?

I popped in to see Dad and had a coffee.  He and Jilly have decided to move house and I knew they had sold their house recently and it was great to hear that they have found somewhere they want to buy.  So fingers crossed for them that it all works out well.

A short drive later and I was driving over the Downs and passed the magnificent Grandstand at Epsom.  A few moments later I am parked up and walking through the door.   And what a vision.  The Hummingbird Cookery book was open on the counter – nothing has ever been a disappointment from that book!  And there was Holly, who had hung up her saddle for the day and was in the kitchen making a Mississippi Mud pie which, despite me being one of the world’s top chocoholics, I had never tried before.  I was very excited and it took all my willpower to keep my paw out of the large bowl of melted chocolate and other gorgeous ingredients that Holly was carefully pouring in to the pastry case.  Suddenly the idea of counting points shot out of my head and sadly didn’t return again until…….  Not sure it has.  Oooops :-(.  More about that later.

A BBQ was the plan and despite the pouring rain, a BBQ is what we had.  We had some lovely sausages with chorizo which had been wound in to a whorl and stuck on a stick, 2 types of chicken kebab, couscous with apricots and a tasty dressing, tomato and red onion salad, mixed leaves and radishes.  The lunch was great and check out the pretty tablecloth.

Much as I enjoyed the lunch, I was really looking forward to the Mud pie.  Holly brought it in and I am sure there was a fanfare of trumpets to accompany her.   And is that a halo behind her head?  Well it should have been because the Mud pie was excellent.  Crisp pastry and velvety chocolate topped off with whipped cream.  Yum, yum, yum.

Michelle had excelled herself too and brought a homemade lemon tart and raspberries.  What a perfect pudding combo.  Lemon and chocolate and raspberries.  Wow.

How is a girl supposed to stick to points or even care about points when faced with such divine treats?  Diet?  What diet?  I ate a slice of each and didn’t even bother to take a photo of my plate.  Both puddings were magnificent and worth every calorie.  The good thing I can say for myself, is that I didn’t have seconds and I did manage to decline the cheese.  I also had zero alcohol as I had such a long drive ahead of me.  This is almost convincing me I behaved myself!  Which I definitely didn’t.  I decided I will be good for the rest of the day and take away happy memories of a wonderful lunch with lovely friends but no guilt.

Outside Sally’s dining room was a pear tree, so heavily laden with pears they were practically reaching the ground.  It was still raining but undeterred Sally was out there picking away.  I was given a lovely going home bag of 8 just picked pears.  It doesn’t get fresher than that :-).  Thank you ladies for a wonderful lunch.

And so Harvey and I continued our journey to Devon.  Destination was my Step-Father Ian’s and Helen’s in Sidmouth.  I left at 4pm instead of my intended 3pm.  It was pouring with rain, it was a Friday night so the M25 car park would already be chocka, it was a Bank Holiday weekend and I had a long drive ahead of me.  Thank goodness for Steve Wright and Simon Mayo.

James caught a train down from london so we picked him up at Honiton and finally arrived in Sidmouth at 8:45 pm.  It was lovely to be there and I hadn’t been since April so it felt great to arrive, great to see Ian and Helen and then be asked to sit up at the table as dinner was ready.  And did I want a glass of wine?  Hello happiness.

Now Ian is also a really good cook.  Maybe that is my problem.  I am surrounded by lovely people who invite me over and ply me with booze and serve irresistible and delicious food.  No, that is not my problem.  I am my problem.  Because I can never say no.  And that is what I must do if I am to succeed at losing weight.  But before I succeed, I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken casserole, sausages, cauliflower and salad we had for dinner.

And then I ate a small slice (my only saving grace is that it was small) of apple and blackberry pie with cream.  I can’t believe I ate 3 puddings in one day !!!!

And now I am in Devon, I am going to really struggle with temptation as just down the road is one of my favourite eateries in the world – The Town Mill Bakery in Lyme Regis.  I am meeting my sister Lucy there in the morning for breakfast.  How will I get through the day within points?  I need to sleep on this and will blog a highlights (and glossed over lowlights) of Devon when I return.

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Damsons in Distress?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

No, but they are in gin but more about that later.  I do like to keep things chronological.

3 simple ingredients for breakfast; eggs, spinach and tomatoes.  2 poached eggs on wilted spinach with tomatoes.  With a cup of green Rooibos on the side.

I set off for the farmers market feeling very virtuous after my very healthy start to the day.  But to be honest, a bit hungry.  What I really wanted was eggs on toast.  Thick doorsteps of bread, toasted and slathered thickly with butter.  That is the type of breakfast that has got me in to this mess though.  I hope I can be strong willed at the market.

I specifically went to get some fresh fish.  The fish is quite expensive but worth every penny and as a once a week treat, something to really look forward to.  I chose the grey mullet again because it was so delicious last time.  It is also a sustainable fish to eat and this is a good season for it.   I had in mind a salad nicoise.  My sister Abi makes a wonderful salad dressing which is also great on a chicken caesar salad.

Abi’s Punchy Salad Dressing

3 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 anchovies
1 tsp capers
2 tbsp parmesan (which I didn’t add today as Harvey is dairy intolerant but it is good in the dressing)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.

Salad Nicoise

Green salad leaves
French beans
Cherry tomatoes
One egg per person ( I didn’t have one because I had eggs for breakfast), boiled, peeled and cut in to 4
A “meaty” fish like tuna or as we had today, grey mullet

I made up my salad as follows:

  • Following Hugh Fearnley’s cooking guidelines in his ‘Fish’ book, I put the fish fillets skin side down on an oiled tray and put them in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.  I put pepper on the fish before cooking but nothing else and I cooked them uncovered.
  • I put one egg each on to boil and set the steamer on top.  I boiled the eggs for 10 mins and then ran under cold water so you don’t get the grey ring round the yolks.
  • I tailed a large handful of green beans and steamed them for about 6 minutes over the pan with the eggs in.  When they were al dente, I rinsed them in cold water to stop them cooking and set aside.
  • I put a mix of salad leaves (3 types of lettuce, rocket, corn salad and beetroot leaves) in to a large bowl.
  • Add the green beans, tomatoes and egg.
  • Place the fish on top and serve with the salad dressing.

The verdict?  Lara declared it to be “fantastic” and Harvey thought it was “really nice”.  Praise indeed.  And I really enjoyed it too.

When I was at the market today, I also bought 2 punnets of damsons.  Our friends in Warwickshire make some fabulous fruity drinks so I was already thinking about sloe gin.  So when i saw the damsons I thought I would try some damson gin.  They are so pretty to look at, with their blue blush on the deep purple.  They are smaller than plums and taste sour so I ate my first and probably last damson today.

Having researched some recipes, it seems there are lots out there and the proportions of fruit and sugar varies enormously.  I don’t like the very sweet and sugary fruity drinks but as I have never made this before,  I decided to make 2 different recipes.  One with just damsons, sugar and gin and one with orange added.

Cottage Smallholders Damson Gin Recipe

  • 1 lb damsons
  • 6 oz granulated sugar
  • Cottage Smallholder said to use 75 cl of gin but I had a litre so used it all, as many other recipes do.

Waitrose’s recipe for Damson Gin With Orange

  • 500g damsons
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 1 orange
  • 1 litre gin

This recipe adds some orange peel.  I was drawn to this recipe because the lady in the cook shop in Cranbrook, where I bought my 1.5 litre Kilner type jars for the damson gin, was recommending using damson or sloe gin as a long drink.  She uses about 1 part fruity gin to 3 parts tonic water with a thick slice of orange in top.  Apparently it’s a delicious but rather strong drink.  I am looking forward to trying it 🙂

Harvey and I spent a very enjoyable while this afternoon, pricking damsons and making up our potions.  And they look very pretty.  Shame to have to hide them away in a dark cupboard.

Photo by Harvey, aged 9 and 1/4.

I went to supper at Judy’s with Fiona, my cousin’s wife.  I had eaten lightly all day and had loads of WW points in the bank so I could have a good evening.  I remembered to take my camera to photograph supper but unfortunately after a couple of glasses of wine I forgot all about the blog which is a shame as supper was lovely and looked good too.  We had Coronation Chicken, which I love, with a naked salad of mixed leaves, tomatoes, peppers and olives.  It was great and the evening was a fun way to end a most enjoyable day.  Thank you Judy.  Not a  damsel in distress in sight; just 3 damsels in fits of laughter.

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Ruby, Ruby, Ruby – a tale of 3 curries

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

I made my regular porridge and keenly anticipated the delicious almond butter in it which I made yesterday.  I was not disappointed. It was fabulous.  The coconut and cinnamon in the nut butter went perfectly with the porridge.  9 WW points.

I was in the mood for a curry for lunch and I wanted to eat lots of vegetables.  I had bought a cauliflower in the morning from a local farm shop so that was the centrepiece of the curry.  I also had some chickpeas and some pesto in the fridge that needed eating up.  So I made 2 dishes; one very easy and one quite easy but more time-consuming.

I mixed the chickpeas with pesto in a small oven proof dish and cooked it for about 20 minutes at 160-170.  Easy peasy, job done :-).

Cauliflower and Green Pepper Curry

  • 2 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 1/2 red chili (or more if you like it hot!), de-seeded and chopped finely
  • 2 cm piece of ginger, grated with a very fine grater
  • Small cauliflower, cut in to florets
  • Green pepper, de-seeded and cut in to chunks
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped

Method

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan.  Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chili.
  • When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the ginger, cauliflower and green pepper.  Fry for about 5 mins until the cauliflower begins to go brown.
  • While the vegetables fry, put the coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika and salt in a bowl with 4 tbsp water.  Stir the spice mix in to the pan with the vegetables and stir to coat the cauliflower and green pepper.  Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the tomato and cook with the lid on until the cauliflower is nearly soft.  This takes about 5 minutes.

Both dishes were quite dry so I added a dollop of  Greek yogurt.  And oh my goodness!!  This meal was amazing.  Both children loved it too so next time we need double quantities.  It really was very tasty and very easy to make.  The flavour of the pesto didn’t necessarily go brilliantly with the cauliflower and pepper curry but they were both lovely.  I think next time I will do the cauliflower and green pepper curry with something like Bombay potatoes and the chick peas with a juicy tomato based dish.  But despite the slight clash of flavours – what a yummy lunch.  9 WW points.

So good it needs another picture – a close up.  It was one of those lunches you could eat again.  And again.

By now I was in definite curry mode.  Nothing else would do for dinner.  I usually make up my meals, depending on what I have in the fridge/cupboards/garden or depend on familiar recipes.  But I was in the mood for cooking and I also fancied a browse through some cookery books.

I fancied a dal as I am not fancying meat today.  I have loads of spinach in the garden and one of my regular recipes, that is always delicious, is Rose Elliot’s Spinach Dal in ‘The Classic Vegetarian Cookbook’.  This is a great book for a less experienced cook as it has lots of step by step preparation and cookery techniques.  And some great photos.

I am not sure what the copyright laws are but I am guessing I can not copy a recipe from a book and publish it in my blog.  So you will have to go and get the book.  Or pop round and take a copy of the recipe from my book 🙂

These are the main ingredients for spinach dal.  And I used lots of spinach which is growing so abundantly we can’t keep up with it.

Madhur Jaffrey is one of my favourite cooks and ‘Madhur Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible’ is brilliant.  The recipes are delicious and the book is interesting as she explains the origins of the recipes, where in the world they come from, what occasions they may be eaten at and what to serve as an accompaniment.  I realised that the cauliflower and green pepper curry above was inspired by one of her dishes (cauliflower bahji).

I made the potato and pea curry which meant I could use up some of the potatoes in the garden.  And I often prefer potato dishes with curry to the more conventional rice.

This was a very simple dish to make.

The spinach dal and potato and pea currys were lovely.  It was a plate of soft, delicately flavoured food, that was nourishing and comforting.  The picture doesn’t do it justice but the four clean plates were testament so its deliciousness.  And the kitchen still smells amazing.  I had a huge portion hence it was 16 WW points.

A very successful day of cooking and I ended the day within daily points allowance which is a bonus.

I wonder what I can curry tomorrow 🙂

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

Having had a wonderful mini break in Wales and Warwickshire,  I was excited about getting up this morning to check out the garden, until I heard the deafening roar of a torrential downpour of rain.  Oh gloom!  A day indoors.

I had eaten really well but very badly while I was away.  If I was to carry a board showing which of the 7 sins I had most indulged in, it would be gluttony.  So I need to be perfect this week so I can have a good result at the scales next Monday.  This means I need to track points diligently all week.

Porridge for breakfast.  I used a banana for sweetness plus some strawberries and cherries which had been left in the fridge while we were away.  They had gone too soft for eating but they were perfect for blitzing to a puree and stirring in to my oats.  So breakfast today was 50g oats, 100ml unsweetened soya milk, 100 ml water, 1/2 tbsp chia seeds, 1 banana, cherries and strawberries.  7 WW points.

I have been putting off tackling my mountain of paperwork for months, so I decided to get started today.  First task is to tidy the study! No mean feat I can assure you.  What a BORING job.  I hate it.   But having got stuck in, I didn’t want to stop long for lunch.

We had been given 15 fresh eggs by our friends – I have never seen a box of 15 eggs before!  I decided to make an omelette.

A forage round the garden produced one tomato, loads of spinach and some rainbow chard.   I had some mixed sprouted seeds to use up and I had some onions in the cupboard.

I wilted the spinach in a small pan with a lid on.  I fried a small onion in 1 tbsp Rapeseed oil then added the chopped up chard stalks.  After a couple of minutes I added the tomato and the chard leaves.  Finally I added 2 beaten eggs and let everything cook slowly.  When the omelette was nearly cooked, I put the cooked spinach and 1 tbsp organic mixed sprouts on one half of the omelette.  I folded the other half over the top and left it to cook through, so avoiding the dreaded slimy white bits.  And I ate it unadorned and unaccompanied.  It was lovely.  And only 9 WW points.

Nut and seed butters are nutritious and help sustain you between meals.  They reduce the Glycemic Index (GI) of a food which lessens the rise in blood sugar after eating.  Nuts and seeds are a good source of proteins, antioxidants and minerals such as magnesium and potassium.  Most people only eat peanut butter but there are so many good nut butters out there, it seems a shame that people are not aware of them.

You can find almond, brazil nut, cashew nut, hazelnut, hemp seed, macadamia, pecan, pumpkin seed and walnut butter.  The following brands make them: Biona, Meridian, Carley’s and Omega Nutrition.

A cheaper alternative is to make your own.  Edible Perspectives has some fabulous recipes for nut butters.  I had made their pumpkin spiced almond butter which was amazing.  Today I tried the almond and cinnamon butter.  Edible Perspectives use American cup measures but I have converted it and I am using a double quantity from the original recipe.

Almond Butter with Cinnamon and Coconut

  • 250g raw almonds
  • 5 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil ( this is not in the original recipe but I could not get the nut mix to go buttery so you need to  add oil and I chose coconut).

Method

  • Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper (not foil or waxed paper).
  • Mix the almonds and maple syrup together.  Bake at 160 for 15 minutes, stiring every 5 minutes.
  • Leave to cool for 5 minutes.

  • Use a food processor and blitz.  Initially the nuts turn to crumbs.  At this point add the salt and cinnamon.
  • Continue to blitz until the mix clumps together and then goes buttery.
  • After 15 minutes, mine was still crumbly so I added the coconut oil.  It then went all soft and runnier.

And oh my, it tastes amazing.  I must have eaten a good 2 tbsp which I have put down as 6 WW points i.e. 3 points per tbsp.  I calculated this using the on-line recipe builder and then sanity checked it against some peanut butters.  3 points per tbsp seems a good estimate.  I can’t wait for breakfast so I can stir some in to my oats 🙂 .

While the nut butter was in the food processor, I started making the bolognese sauce.  The kids wanted a plain one, rather than one where I chuck in anything in the fridge that needs using up.  This is my most basic and simple bolognese recipe.

Bolognese Sauce

  • 1 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 1 large or 2 small onions
  • 2 garlic cloves (it can’t be too plain!)
  • 500 g lean beef mince
  • 150 ml white wine (yes, white, not red.  Seems to keep it a bit lighter)
  • 2 tins tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste

Method

  • Finely chop and fry the onions.  Add minced garlic.  Fry until softened.
  • Add beef and fry until browned.  Add wine and reduce slightly.
  • Add tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

We ate this with spaghetti, 100 g per person.  We had 1/8 th of the amount of bolognese each, which leaves half in the fridge for another day.

Spaghetti bolognese, 13 WW points per portion.

And I have no points left so nothing else for me today, except maybe an apple.

Is it breakfast time yet?

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The Last Supper

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

The last supper at home.  Well, for a while anyway as we are off to the Green Man Festival in the Brecon Beacons and then Warwickshire for a few days.

The health benefits of curly kale are widely extolled.  But it is one of the few veg I really struggle with.  I asked some friends at Houston’s Nutrition how they cook it and one suggestion was in an omelette for breakfast.  Hmmmm.  Food for thought indeed.  I had never considered eating leafy greens for breakfast.  I don’t actually have any curly kale but I do have lots of Swiss Chard in the garden that needs eating up so I thought I would try that.

A few simple ingredients; one small onion, button mushrooms, swiss chard and 2 eggs ……

and le voila, a delicious omelette.  I fried the onion in a tbsp of groundnut oil, then added the mushrooms.  I cut the stalk away from the leaf on the swiss chard and chopped it up and added it to the onions and mushrooms.  I let them cook for a few minutes until they softened and added the beaten eggs.  And it was tasty.  Really tasty.

Harvey had an archery lesson at Bedgebury which was really good.  Steve, the teacher, was excellent at explaining what to do, and reassuringly very strict about safety.  Harvey loved it.  So anyone who lives locally and fancies some archery for their children and/or themselves should book a session.  It only costs £5!  Thanks for the tip Ruth and for taking him home for the afternoon so I could get lots done.

I was busy planning and packing so just had a very quick lunch of a ham, mustard and lettuce sandwich with some Sungold cherry tomatoes I had grown.  These little tomatoes are so sweet they are like fruits.  As my pedantic son would say, “Mummy, they are fruits”.  Yes, I know they are but you know what I mean!  I was lucky to find any as they are so sweet he usually eats them before I get a chance so I really enjoyed my simple lunch today and relished every little tomato.

As we are going away I needed to use up leftovers in the fridge and eat up some of the abundance in the garden.  One of our favourite suppers is ‘Cheesy Vegetables’.  Lara’s and mine that is.  James doesn’t really like vegetables much and Harvey can’t eat dairy.   This is a very simple and comforting meal.  It is high fat so I can’t eat it too often but I think it is redeemed by being full of vegetables.  You can use whatever you have.  Just cook them until they are al dente, cover in the cheese sauce, grate extra cheese on top and bake in the oven for half an hour.

I seem to have some very prolific courgette plants and the spinach and swiss chard has suddenly gone mad.  So I had lots of that to use and some more french beans to eat up.  I also had half a bag of carrots lurking about at the back of the fridge and fancied some peas and sweetcorn as I haven’t had any for ages.  You really can use whatever you have.

I steamed the carrots, french beans and swiss chard stalks, which had all been chopped up, for about 4 minutes.  I added the swiss chard leaves and courgette to the steamer and put the frozen peas and sweetcorn in the boiling water and let it all cook on for about another 4 minutes.  I cooked the spinach in another pan.  I just wash it and then put it in a saucepan with the lid on and cook over a low heat for a few minutes until it wilts.

Mix all the vegetables together and make the cheese sauce.  I buy strong cheddar so you don’t have to use as much to get a good strong cheesy flavour.

Cheese sauce – for 2 people :

  • 25g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • 300ml milk ( I use semi-skimmed and it does work with soya milk too)
  • Grated cheddar to taste

Method

  • Melt the butter
  • Add the flour, cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes
  • Add the milk, and stir enthusiastically so it doesn’t go lumpy.  If it does go lumpy, turn the heat UP and use a whisk to beat the lumps out.
  • Keep on the heat until the sauce thickens and add the cheese.
  • Mix the cheese sauce in with the vegetables, pile in to an ovenproof dish, grate more cheese on top and bake in the oven (about 180) for 20 – 30 minutes so the cheese melts over the top.

It is wonderful comfort food that you don’t feel too bad about eating occasionally as it is full of vegetables.  Tonight we didn’t have time to do the bake in the oven part and neither of us wanted the extra cheese on top.  So I piled the vegetables in to a bowl and poured the cheese sauce on top and it was still delicious.

I do confess that once I had taken this photo I completely covered the veg in the cheese sauce.  The quantity above made loads and it was perfectly smooth and really cheesy.  It was a truly wonderful supper.

And I am now sitting here with my second whisky of the evening.  Not my usual tipple but sometimes I get a real fancy for a whisky with Ginger ale and so I had one.  And then another.  After all, I was home,  finishing off the ironing and packing and not out at the pub with friends, celebrating A-Level results as I could have been.

Congratulations to all those who were successful today with getting their places at University for September/October.  And farewell folks for a few days.  I will be sitting in a field in Wales with happy hippies eating lentils with no wifi so no blogging until next week.

Posted in Grow Your Own, Healthy Lifestyle, Lose Weight, Nutrition, Recipe | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Surprised in Souf London

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

The girls were leaving the boys at home today and heading for “Souf” London, to the home of the Undomesticated Urban Goddess (a.k.a. Michelle) and scene of recent riots.  I had been promised a microwaved ready meal for lunch so decided to bank some nutrients.  Smoothie for breakfast containing blueberries, strawberries, banana, soya milk, tahini and chia seeds.

Our trip began with a coffee with Dad and Jilly.  The first surprise of the day was to be handed a large box full of letters written about 50 years ago by my Dad.  My parents spent the first few years of their married life in Canada and the letters are the ones my Father wrote home to his parents.  I am really excited about reading them and getting to know more about my parents and their early married lives together.

And so on to Streatham, with a certain amount of trepidation about what we would be served for lunch.  We need not have worried.  On the side was some fresh fish and a large bowl of spinach so I relaxed.  When I was handed a large glass of Pouilly Fume I relaxed even more.

The Undomesticated Urban Goddesses’ lunch was a triumph.  Parmesan crusted cod, served with spinach, mashed potato, tomatoes in Balsamiq and an amazing walnut sauce.  Shame she can’t lay the table properly but the food was delicious 🙂

Followed by a large and beautiful fresh fruit salad.  The pineapple was even prepared from the whole fruit (rather than a plastic tub), with the aid of a clever gadget that cut away the skin, cut out the core and cut the pineapple in to slices.  I saw it with my own eyes.

Nothing surprising about the trip to the large Swedish emporium later on in the day.  Suffice to say I did get all the storage containers I need for all the cupboard clearing and tidying I will soon be starting.  Back to Streatham for afternoon tea and a slice of the cake made from a packet.  Hmmm.  Nice tea though.

We were home late so I was happy to have a supper of last nights leftovers.  This was a lovely and surprising day.  Thank you Dad and Michelle.

Posted in Lose Weight | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Broadly Speaking

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

I needed a substantial breakfast as I was playing tennis at 10am and I fancied porridge.  We were out of bananas so I rummaged in the cupboard for something to sweeten the porridge with and found a recently purchased jar of Organic Raw Chocolate & Hempseed Spread.  Eureka!  Chocolate and strawberry porridge it was.  Harvey could not believe his luck and was convinced he had eaten a pudding for breakfast.

I made the porridge as usual with soya milk and water and then stirred in 2 heaped tsps of the spread.  It contains hemp seeds, brazil nuts, agave syrup and cacao powder.  When it was ready I added strawberries to our bowls and I had mine with a cup of green Rooibos tea.  What a great start to the day.

In the veggie patch the broad beans needed picking.

Once picked, they were eased out of their velvety sleeping bags.

They can taste bitter so I boil them for about 4 minutes and then squeeze the green bean out of the grey outer covering.  I had cooked some rice.  Just plain boiled although it would have been a more flavoursome dish if I had fried the rice first with some onions and garlic or even made a risotto.  I mixed the broad beans in with the rice and added red pepper, tomatoes and red olives.  It was a bit dry and would have been better with some tzatziki or similar on the side.

I was looking forward to having 2 friends over for supper.  They were both trying to lose a bit of weight gained during recent holidays so I had assured them supper would be very diet friendly.  I decided to keep it simple as I wasn’t sure what kind of diet they were on.  There was some broad bean and rice salad left over so we had that with a fresh picked salad of beetroot leaves, 3 types of lettuce and rocket from the garden, with tomatoes and grated carrot.

Cold meats and olives.

Followed by a fresh fruit platter for dessert: strawberries, cherries and local plums.

Served with mango and coconut balls.  These should come with a health warning; DO NOT MAKE THESE UNLESS YOU HAVE ULTRA STRONG WILLPOWER OR DO NOT NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT.  They are very moreish.

They were delicious but you need to eat them sparingly as they have a very high fat and sugar content.  They are very easy to make (as long as you have a blender), children love them and they are a much healthier snack than sugary alternatives.

I got the recipe from a site called healthyblenderrecipes.com which has a lot of interesting raw vegan recipes.

http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/raw_vegan_mango_coconut_balls/

Raw Vegan Mango Coconut Balls

  • 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup extra unsweetened shredded coconut for rolling.
  • 2 cups dried unsweetened unsulphured mango (soaked in some filtered water for about 1/2 an hour)
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar
  • 8 Tbsp cold pressed coconut oil.
  • 2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
  1. Place all the ingredients in your food processor (except the extra 1/3 cup of coconut) and pulse into well combined.
  2. You will know the mixture is ready when it congeals together and almost forms a ball.
  3. Roll the mixture into small balls and roll in shredded coconut.
  4. Freeze on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for about 20 minutes.
  5. Store in a container in the fridge.
  6. Makes about 30 depending on how large you like your balls!
I bought some fresh coconut from Waitrose.  They sell it chopped up in little pots in their ‘Good To Go’ range.  I grated the fresh coconut and then made up the quantity with desiccated coconut.  When I blended the ingredients together, the mix was a bit too sloppy to form a decent ball shape so I put the mixture in the fridge to firm up a bit.  When it was firmer, I used an ice-cream scoop to form the balls.
I had a lovely evening with dear friends.  No idea how many points are in a mango ball but then it is irrelevant as I have lost track of how many I have eaten!  Good night.
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Whale Weigh Station

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

Well thats what hubby says anyway.  Yes, Mondays are Weigh-in days at Weight Watchers.  I haven’t been for 3 weeks due to the holiday and had put on 1.5 pounds the last time I went.  But I have been focused and generally within points since so I am confident of a good loss.  But just in case I will be very careful today!

I had a very ripe mango in the fruit bowl and a carton of silken tofu in the fridge which screamed “SMOOTHIE” to me.  Silken tofu is excellent in a smoothie as it gives it a creamy, custard-like consistency.  Tofu is an excellent source of protein, low in fat and contains B vitamins, iron and calcium.  To the silken tofu I added the mango, soya milk, banana and chia seeds and blitzed in the blender until completely smooth.  I hate lumpy smoothies.

The end result was yellow, thick and creamy and you had to eat it with a spoon.  It was delicious.  My son can always sniff out a smoothie and was there immediately, clamouring for a large glass for himself.  Luckily I had made double quantity!

I had a busy morning clearing out Harvey’s cupboards.  He has grown so tall recently, many clothes no longer fit.  He was a reluctant model and did not enjoy the task but eventually everything was tried on and sorted in to piles or put back in drawers.  A tedious but necessary chore.  While trying to remain patient with him my mind drifted off and I planned what I wanted for lunch.  I knew there was a box of falafel in the fridge that needed eating up and I have an abundant supply of salad in the garden.  What it also needed was my Tomatoey Humous Dressing.

Ingredients:

6 tbsp chick peas

1 tbsp tahini

3 tbsp oil ( I used one each of rapeseed, olive and walnut)

2 large juicy ripe tomatoes

3 small/ 2 large garlic cloves

salt to taste

Method:

Chuck in a blender and blitz until smooth.

What an easy recipe!  I love it and make it quite often.  I like it quite runny and would ideally have added another tomato today but I didn’t have one available and I didn’t want to add more oil.

I use a small Braun Multi Quick blender which I bought for pureeing baby food and have used regularly ever since.  It is perfect for making smooth salad dressings or pureeing small amounts of food .  The larger blender (pictured above) is perfect for larger volumes but needs quite a lot of liquid to work well and a larger volume of ingredients than I have just used.

I put the Falafel in the oven to warm through and picked some cherry tomatoes for the salad.  These were grown in a very large flower pot in a sheltered sunny spot on the patio.

I picked the usual leaves from the raised bed (spinach, beetroot, rocket, corn salad and 3 types of lettuce) , chopped up some celery and cucumber and arranged them artfully on a plate with the tomatoes.  I plonked on the falafel and drizzled the Tomatoey Humous Dressing over the top.  Yum.

I sent the afternoon most pleasurably in the garden, enjoying the sunshine and pottering about.  My favourite type of gardening.  I tidied up the tomato plants in the greenhouse, pleaded with the aubergines to grow (how hard can it be?), weeded the raised veg beds and planted some spring/salad onions in between the rows of carrots.  Apparently it keeps the carrot fly away.  A friend had told me about this but I couldn’t find the seeds I wanted until yesterday.  Sarah Raven had some at the Smallholders Fair.  I also bought a cute little pair of shears for deadheading which worked very well.

My daughter is in to running and she is very disciplined about it.  She is also very disciplined about making me accompany her so I walk while she runs.  I really didn’t want to go today as I was quite content in the garden but I received one of those looks and found my trainers quick smart!  She even managed to persuade James he needed a walk today so we all set off together.  It was so peaceful and pretty in the woods and I always love it when I go.  Most of the walk is cool and shaded but there are long stretches where you walk in bright sunshine and others where the shade is dappled.

I had a chicken left in the fridge from last Thursdays farmers market and it needed eating.  We decided while walking that we would have the chicken roasted with tarragon and lemon.  Much as I love salad, I have had a lot of raw food lately and fancied some cooked vegetables.

As soon as we returned from the walk, I prepared the chicken.  I think meat cooks better when it is at room temperature so I took the chicken out of the fridge after lunch.  I remove all the packaging and put it on the roasting tray which I leave in a cold oven to keep flies etc off it.

I grow tarragon in a large flower pot on the patio (near the cherry tomatoes actually) so I picked 2 large stalks of tarragon.  I stripped the leaves off the stalk and chopped them roughly.  I mixed the chopped tarragon leaves in with some butter and added salt and spread it over the chicken.  After one and a half hours in the oven at 190 the chicken was ready.  James finished the dinner off as I had to collect Harvey who was out on a play date.  I returned home to a perfectly roasted chicken, delicious gravy, spinach from the garden and mashed butternut squash.  It was fantastic and hit the spot perfectly.  The 4 of us picked that little chicken clean.

The other reason why James finished off dinner is because it was weigh-in time.  And what a result!  I lost 6 and a half pounds.  I was really pleased that despite a fabulous holiday, I still lost an average of 2 pounds a week.  So my total loss now is 24 pounds.  It may not be appropriate to call it a weigh station for this whale for much longer.

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Hugh Fearnley-Phwoar

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has long been one of my ultimate food heroes.  I love his enthusiasm for growing your own fruits and veg and for simple, tasty home cooking which all the family can be involved in.  I supported his “Chicken Out” campaign and 100% fully support his “Fish Fight”.  Information about these can be found on his website.

Homepage

So I was very excited today because he was speaking at the Sissinghurst Smallholders Fair 2011,  which was being held down the road at the glorious Sissinghurst Castle Gardens.

I had 2 scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes for breakfast.

And then off to Sissinghurst to hear Hugh.  My sister Lucy, who lived near the River Cottage and met him several times, has always said he is a very attractive man in the flesh.  So to speak.  And she is so right.  He is lovely.

I like what he says.


I like what he does.

And he really is so much more attractive when you meet him than he appears on the TV.
And meet him I did.  After his talk, there was a book signing.  So I bought his wonderful book ‘Fish’.
And he signed it for me and I had a chat and had several photos with him and he shook my hand.  He has been a food hero of mine for so long, it was awesome to meet him and I can’t wait to start cooking some fish!
The Smallholding Fair was good too.  There were people selling plants, food, livestock, and a wide variety of hand made products.  There was also a great barbecue and a beer tent, both of which I stayed away from.  Unlike my menfolk.
Hello Mum!
After a lovely time pottering about the fair in the sunshine we came home.  Spaghetti Bolognese for a late lunch.  And a large salad for supper using up some leftover grey mullet and potatoes with salad leaves from the garden, tomatoes, cucumber, celery and olives.  Eaten on a tray in front of the TV.
A lovely lazy Sunday, with the wonderful bonus of meeting one of my food heroes, and seeing for myself that he really is gorgeous.  Phwoar.
Posted in Grow Your Own, Healthy Lifestyle, Lose Weight | 7 Comments