Lose Weight and Gain Health

We had an early start today so I packed in a few nutrients the easy way – via a smoothie.  Blueberries, soya milk, almond butter, protein powder, Acai powder,  Chia seeds, Mesquite powder and a mixed algae and protein powder.

Harvey and I had a really busy morning running errands and we ended up in Ramsgate, making sure the house was ready for our Christmas visitors.

Good work on the tree Harvey ! Jobs done we set off for a walk and to find somewhere for lunch.  We walked around the marina as we planned to go to the Brasserie which is on the harbour walls.  Unfortunately it is shut on Tuesdays though. Harvey had spent a boring day helping me and being stuck in the car for 4 hours so I let him choose where to eat.  He had enjoyed a meal at Pizza Express yesterday so chose to eat there again today. We had a table with a view over the marina and up the hill to our house.  It was so satisfying knowing it was all ready and we could relax for the day. We shared a dough balls starter which came with garlic butter, spicy tomato and pesto.  Yummy.I had a Caesar Salad
with an American Hot pizza and a glass of red.  No desserts or anything else though which was good. Having eaten a large lunch I decided we needed a long walk which is easy in Ramsgate.  From the harbour area you can walk in either direction, both of which give you beautiful views.  Even on a grey and overcast day it looks lovely. Harvey chose to head towards Sandwich rather than Broadstairs as it has a broad, smooth and flat promenade which he enjoys skateboarding along. I always enjoy being beside the sea and think a day that features walking along a beach has to be a good day. Back at home we decided we didn’t need supper.  Lunch was large and late so we nibbled on some nuts and fruit and relaxed in front of a fire.  I love this time of year, with open fires, candle light, long cosy evenings and the occasional glass of red wine.

I always drink water with wine nowadays.  Rarely mixed together but for every alcoholic drink I have I drink a glass of water.  It definitely helps prevent a sore head and somehow means I drink less too which has to be a bonus.

Have a lovely evening.

Today did not go according to plan.  I was meant to have a lunch with a dear friend but unfortunately it was not possible.  So I decided to actually get ahead of myself for once and wrap presents, write cards and plan our food for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.  I was home alone so was quite confident of making good progress.  How did I do?

Well, wrapping things were assembled.  A scented candle was lit, music of my choice was played as loudly as I wanted it and tea was made.  I love my family dearly, I really do, but I am never home alone unless I am working.  It was such a treat to be at home and able to relax.  So I was looking forward to the tasks I had planned.  After all, they are not tedious chores but little pleasures.
Some presents were wrapped.  But cards written – nil.  Food planning – nil.  I just ran out of time.

I had been out to buy some more presents and to get a hair cut and bumped in to someone I am very fond of but haven’t seen for ages.  We had so much to chat about so we ended up at Jenni’s house which is in the high street of the town I was shopping in.  It was lovely to see her and chat and laugh and time whizzed by.  So not as many things ticked off my list as I expected but a fun morning.

So how is my eating going at the moment?  Definitely could be better.  I make plenty of sensible meal choices but let myself be tempted too often.

Yesterday’s breakfast was one rasher of bacon ( I always cut off visible fat when I eat it) with scrambled eggs.  Today I had 1 fried egg on wholemeal toast. I am quite addicted to these delicious spinach falafels at the moment.  Yesterday I ate some with cucumber, tomatoes and humous followed by a tiny little satsuma.  The same size as a falafel.  They are very sweet and my children love them. Today I was in more of a rush so I had humous and tomatoes on wholemeal toast.  I have been really good at drinking lots of water recently which I can be a bit slack about at work. For supper tonight I baked a Coquina Squash in the oven.  I cut it in to quarters, scooped out the seeds, rubbed it all over with olive oil, added salt and some lemon myrtle which we brought back from Australia this summer.  The lemon myrtle smells quite heavenly.  I popped the squash in the oven and it took about 3/4 of an hour to cook through on 170 ° C.  Served with a Wild Alaskan salmon fillet and broccoli.  I have read recently that is it healthier to buy the wild Alaskan salmon than the certified organic salmon.  The wild Alaskan salmon is darker pink and much firmer than the farmed salmon.  This is salmon as it should be, firm because it has to swim a lot to survive.  The downside to farmed salmon is that it doesn’t swim as much as its wild counterparts and so doesn’t develop so much muscle.  The farmed salmon is also much fattier.  But to be certified organic it has to be farmed.  Interestingly most people these days, including my children, prefer the paler pink farmed salmon as that is what we are used to eating.  I usually opt for organic products but not salmon.  I always choose the Wild Alaskan. I have eaten plenty of healthy food recently or diet friendly food but also eaten too much sugar.  Today I was tempted by a tin of Quality Streets my neighbour kindly brought round with a card.  A huge tin!  It is now with Lara and I have asked her to take it out when she next gets together with her friends so I am not tempted to have any more.

Yesterday I was doing well with my eating and had managed a dog walk with Judy and Jemima but in the afternoon I was unexpectedly in Tunbridge Wells shopping.  It was cold and wet and we spotted a cafe we had not been to before – Little Artisan Cafe.  This was at the top end of the high Street near the Victoria Place shopping centre. I do love little independent cafes and we need more of them to break up the repetition of the boring coffee shop chains.  Little Artisan is definitely worth a visit.  Harvey had one of the best hot chocolates he has ever had.  They offered him a standard hot chocolate or a mug of warm milk with a solid chocolate lollipop to melt in to it.  For the boy who is dairy intolerant, this was a real treat.  He had a mug of foaming hot soya milk and the chocolate lollipop was solid dark chocolate with no milk in it.  He loved the ritual of melting the chocolate in to the milk and then drinking it.

I did abandon my sugar free diet completely in there as I could not resist the salted caramel cake. It was fabulous and worth every single sugar laden calorie.  Just as a cake should be – light but moist and buttery with a generous dollop of whipped icing.  Just gorgeous.  A decent cuppa as well.  The decor, furniture, furnishings, crockery and service were all great too.  So if you are ever in Tunbridge Wells, go and try them out.  I will go back for lunch one day to see if lunch is anywhere near as good as afternoon tea.

So a mixed bag of eating, more exercise than I have done recently but not enough every day.  I need to do better and I will.  It does feel really good to have begun to relax.

Today was the first day of my 3 week holiday.  I set myself the task of exercising and eating healthily every day.

The very first thing I did today was to go for a walk.  It was glorious outside this morning; sunny with blue skies, a comfortable temperature and crisp underfoot.  Perfect walking weather.  The little fella and I had a wonderful walk with the dogs.  Why don’t I start days like this more often?

I made sure I drank plenty of water today.  Plus I cut down on dairy by avoiding cheese and having black teas rather than milky ones.  I did have one latte but a small one. I had a late breakfast with 4 of these lovely spinach falafels which I heated up in the oven. Served with a heaped tbsp humous and a large tomato. Really delicious. Lara and I had a late lunch in Battle.  We went to Mrs Burtons Tea Rooms which was very charming and oh, so English.  I had cottage pie with vegetables and a latte.  I really enjoyed it.

So I exercised, ate reasonably well and drank plenty of water.  I did go to the local this evening and had a white wine spritzer and some nuts.  Not delicious raw healthy nuts but roasted salted ones.  But I did not over eat today and I did not have any sugar so I am pleased with that.  I hope I do well tomorrow too.

Today was my last day in the office until January.  I am really looking forward to my break.  I am working tomorrow but from home so I am nearly finished for three weeks.  I can not wait to log off tomorrow, knowing I have a lovely long break ahead of me.

The sky was a beautiful colour as my train pulled in to London this morning. I am full of a nasty head cold so I headed off to Crussh so I could get a boost of lots of vitamins. They sell lots of healthy food and can make juices and smoothies freshly for you.  I know you are not meant to consume juices when trying to cut down on sugar but I wanted a huge dose of vitamins.   I chose the Green Goddess as it sounded as if it had the most vegetables in it.  It was made with kiwi, apple, pear, lime, celery, cucumber and spinach. I had it with a Bounce ball for protein but they also contain too much sugar I assume as it was quite sweet.  12g are protein and I think most of the rest is carbs.  I confess I couldn’t read the ingredients as the writing was too small! Another beautiful sunny day in London today.  This is the lovely view from Bankside looking towards the North. Many of my colleagues were feeling a little jaded today as it was our office party last night.    It was a really good event and very well attended but I left before 8pm as I have a terrible cold and was not feeling very sociable.  So that was a shame but it did mean I felt OK today (apart from the cold).  I walked along to Borough Market at lunch time with a colleague to see if I could find any yumminess to take home for Christmas. I do dislike both these new buildings which are known as the cheese grater and the walkie talkie.  They look so ugly – blots on the landscape.  I nearly went for a fantastic salad bar – I will definitely be going back in the New Year.  I can not believe I haven’t been to Borough Market for so long.  It was lovely looking around it but I felt too full of cold to choose anything to take home.  I did buy a raceltte for lunch though.  I know I should have had the salad but I just didn’t fancy it today. It was delicious and I enjoyed it while I sat and looked at the North shore.  The rest of the working day was not a success for my healthy eating objectives.  So many people were passing round and sharing biscuits, chocolates and mince pies.  I did give in and enjoy them – the Konditor and Cook mince pies were fantastic! So, back at home it was time for a nutritious supper.  I cooked some pearled spelt for the first time ever.  Just as easy to cook as rice and very tasty. While that was cooking I stir fried some onions, red peppers, mushrooms, spinach and prawns in coconut oil.  When the pearled spelt was cooked I added it to the pan with a dash of soy sauce. Absolutely delicious and both Harvey and I scoffed the lot.  A very tasty supper.

One more day and then I and both my babies are finished for the holidays.  Nearly there 🙂

I was so tired this morning when I woke up.  I thought I would be as I did not do much relaxing this weekend but I did not anticipate being so sore.  My legs and back ached so much from walking up and down so many flights of stairs so many times this weekend.  I definitely need to do far more exercise next year so that is one of my resolutions for the New Year.

I think work should consider themselves rather blessed to be graced by my presence today.  I was so tired I could easily have slept on, for another 10 hours or so.

But no, I was up and at it. Neither bright nor so early as usual but I was still in just after 8am.  The Shard looked slightly mystical in its shroud of pink cloud.  As seen from Waterloo East station. I went for a stroll and a shop at lunch time with my namesake colleague.  She suggested Tsuru which I had never been to before.  I was slightly tempted by the Sushi but decided instead to go for something hotter. I like this part of London very much.  It was quite mild today and I would have enjoyed sitting in one of the deck chairs under an orange blanket.  I may have been stuck in the deckchair; they can be tricky to negotiate at the best of times and with sore back and legs, impossible so just as well we didn’t have time. Back at work I enjoyed the Miso. But I did gag slightly at the very firm and slimy green stuff.  Some kind of seaweed I assume so I ate it and tried to think of the goodness in it.  I hope there was some goodness as it tasted vile. I chose the chicken Teryaki from Tsuru. It was served with pickled vegetables which were lovely. And far too much white rice.  It tasted good and was a lovely consistency but I felt a bit blobby after all that white carbs.

Sadly not so blobby I didn’t go on to eat 2 very large cookies later.  Plus I had 2 lattes today.  It is difficult to keep on track when you work in a large office.  You are surrounded by people who eat sweet things and it is often someones birthday, leaving do, recovery from the night before or other such event which seems to necessitate large boxes of doughnuts/chocolates/cakes which are offered round.  I shouldn’t use it as an excuse as I did manage 2 months with no sugar but today I was very tired and weak!Despite a snooze on the train I remained tired back at home so we had a very simple supper.  This little lot fed myself and Harvey; one packet of prawns and 1 large tomato shared between us and 1 pitta bread each. I threw away the mayonnaise when I removed sugar from the house.  I intended to make some but the first lot I made was inedible and I have never had another go.  Harvey has really missed mayonnaise in sandwiches as he can’t eat butter and I refuse to buy margarine.  So we tried this tonight and it was ok. A very quick and easy supper.

Off to bed any minute now!

I had a very busy day today, preparing our Ramsgate house for its annual inspection and ended the day on a high with a little music in a ruin !

I have eaten some wonderful food this weekend but not exactly good for weight loss.  Last night we went to a restaurant in the centre of Ramsgate called Age & Sons.

Steak (28 day aged Sirloin) Bearnaise with salad and ‘Thrice Cooked Chips’ which are an Age & Sons speciality.  The steak and Bearnaise were great but I did not like the flavour or texture of the chips. A pudding somehow snuck in – lemon macaroon with strawberry and rhubarb compot which was lovely. Lovely building, great ambience, impeccable service and a reasonable price – a very good dining choice for three tired and hungry people. I had forgotten about this brick suite – how did they make it so curved? The marina looked magnificent in the dark.  The quayside looked all bright and jolly while the boats bobbed about peacefully in their quiet dark water.  Some boats were looking very festive. I am always surprised quite how many boats there are in this marina, all year round. I did have an early night and a very early start.  We face due East and I enjoy watching the sun rise.I worked from about 6 am until 3 pm.  I literally did not stop, not even to eat a shop bought Quiche for brunch or to have a coffee.  All eaten and drunk on the hoof as I charged around sorting, cleaning and organising. We had a hard stop of 3pm so we could get Harvey to school as the school choir was performing at Evensong.  They had a rehearsal first so we enjoyed a cuppa in the library but still no sitting down and I was even standing for Evensong.  My legs are very tired!  Tonight the choir were singing in ‘The Ruins’.
A beautiful old building that has a roof and most walls but no windows.  Luckily it was quite a mild evening.  This was a beautiful building to sit and listen to Evensong in and to join in with all the Christmas carols. It was quite delightful.  Nothing wrong with my camera by the way – I blurred the children’s faces as I had not asked their parents if they minded me photographing them. When we got home we were very weary.  I was determined to eat something nutritious.  We had snacked on apples, grapes and nuts before Evensong as we were all hungry.  For supper I cooked some brown basmati rice and while it was cooking, I stir fried onion, broccoli, green beans and yellow pepper in coconut oil.  I added some black beans and mushrooms, stir fried those with the vegetables and set aside while I stir fried the rice, just briefly. The weekend would have won some delicious eating awards but no diet friendly awards, apart from all that dashing up and down stairs today which was good exercise.  It was comforting to end the weekend with brown rice, black beans and vegetables.

I hope your weekend was more relaxing than mine!

Health warning!  The post I am about to share with you does not belong on a blog about eating healthily and losing weight!  I consumed lots of sugar and cheese and champers.

Last night we headed to Michelle’s for the annual girlies Christmas dinner.

Chez Sharper’s was looking its usual tastefully decorated self. The table was laid for the feast we were about to enjoy. First though – afternoon tea!  A wonderful lemon drizzle cake, Christmas cake and fudge. Merry Christmas. This is Ted’s Advent Calendar (Ted is a dog!). We began the meal with poached pear, toasted walnuts and creamed Gorgonzola.  The flavour complemented each other perfectly. Followed be slow cooked beef cheeks with caramelised beetroot and onions and Barley risotto.  Deeeelicious. Dessert was mega.  Whipped cream, raspberries and salted caramelised hazelnuts. with lemon curd, meringue and chocolate ganache.  Quite exquisite. Plus cheese and biscuits.

I did enjoy it all but definitely ate way too much.  I definitely went to bed too late too so the sun rose far sooner than I would have liked this morning.

We were up early as we had to get to Ramsgate to prepare our house for its annual inspection by Visit England (English Tourist Board). I have felt very tired all day – not surprising after only 4 hours sleep.  A long walk beside the sea this afternoon helped.
Well I walked and Harvey skateboarded. Bit too cold for a swim. Let’s head back, have some supper and a very early night!

Oops.  I had lots of sugar last night and some more today :-(.  I blame the Advent Calendar.  Seriously, I do!  I gave up sugar on 29th September 2013 and lasted just over 2 months.  I lost 10 pounds in the first week and then nothing.  That is because I ate too much cheese, butter and bread.  And don’t do enough exercise and probably drank too much wine too.  However, I felt better and will give up sugar again as it is definitely healthier to never have it.  But during the festive season I will allow myself the occasional treat.

So what has the Advent Calendar got to do with my sugar surge?  Well, behind every door is a little wooden Christmas decoration, wrapped in tissue paper.  Harvey opens the relevant number each morning, unwraps the decoration and hangs it on one of the little white or red pegs on the calendar.  As a little treat I put a sweet in it for him too.  Harvey can’t eat dairy and I dislike artificial flavourings and colourings so I was very pleased to find a box of petit fours (marzipan shaped in to little fruits) and some almond nougat.  Unfortunately, having them in the house proved too much of a temptation and I had a sugar frenzy which I was very ashamed about but once started, I couldn’t stop!

Obviously I don’t really blame the Advent Calendar, I totally blame myself.  Hey ho! Having had a sugar surge last night, I wanted more sugar today.  I woke up early and decided to make myself a smoothie instead of rushing off to work.  We had a talk from a personal trainer last week.  She came in to work and made us all stand up and move/dance around for 10 minutes (we all felt pretty stupid but in a way I enjoyed it).  She then gave us a talk about healthy eating.  One of the things she said was to eat within half an hour of getting up so you get your metabolism going.  I never do that so I decided to try it today.

Well, it doesn’t work for me!  I had my smoothie first thing and by the time I got to work, about an hour and a half later, I was hungry.  I am never hungry that early but today I was.  It may have been the sugar playing havoc with me but I was needing something more.   So I went to ‘Paul’ and bought a latte with a croissant with cheese and ham.  A dreadful choice for diet and health reasons.  It was good though!

I worked in my usual office today but I had to work on a different floor which was much better and I had a seat beside the window.  This was today’s view.  Not a great photo as you can see my office reflected in the window but you get the general idea.  I like this yellow building.  In the distance is The Shard. Looking to the left you can see Tate Modern – the large brick building. As if the morning’s eating wasn’t bad enough, I went out for lunch today.  This is the first time in ages I have been out for lunch as I have been too busy at work.  Today I met Gail at Albion which I have had takeaways from but never eaten inside. We had bread with butter while we read the menu. Albion serves very traditional British food.  If I am ever in the mood for some “nursery” food, my first choice will always be fish pie.  I love it.  One of my favourite meals.  I had it today with peas and bacon.  You always have to have fish pie with peas. Oh my goodness!  The fish pie was incredible.  Yes folks. I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E!  As good as any I have ever tasted. Creamy soft and smooth mashed potato topped generous chunks of fish, prawns and mussels.  The sauce was rich and perfectly seasoned and the portion size was just right too.  I could have had more but didn’t need it.  Well done Albion, that was exceptional. And then pudding, she says as nonchalantly as she can manage.  Yes, I had a pudding!!!!  This was Spotted Dick with custard plus there was a jug full of custard on the side.  The actual Spotted Dick was very pleasant but not amazing.  The custard was very amazing though.  Sweet and very vanilla.  I loved it. Followed by a small Cappuchino.

So a disasterous day of eating for someone trying to lose weight and get healthy.  But an awesome experience for my taste buds.  Albion does not disappoint.  The food was excellent and the service, decor and ambience was perfect for lunch.  Plus it was lovely to see Gail.

Unsurprisingly, I do not need or want any supper.

Sometimes I feel like one of the contestants on ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’!  The tv show where cooks are given a limited number of ingredients and in a short period of time they have to produce something delicious.  My week day suppers tend to be like that.

I rarely plan meals when I shop for food.  Instead I buy produce because it is a popular item in our house or it is on special or is in season or I just like the look of it.  Always lots of vegetables, some fruits and some protein.  Then I cook what one of us fancies on the day.  Tonight the little fella asked if we could have noodles which he loves and we haven’t had for ages.  They cook quickly so that was an easy yes.

I cooked up some soba noodles and lightly fried some large prawns.

I fried some button mushrooms. While the noodles were cooking I steamed some vegetables in the steamer above the pan containing the noodles; broccoli, carrots and leeks. I fried with coconut oil and seasoned with some soy sauce. Finally I put everything in to the pan to heat through. Stir fried soba noodles with king prawns and vegetables. We were sitting down and eating within half an hour of walking through the door.

It was delicious 🙂