Lose Weight and Gain Health

I was woken up today with a jolt, wondering what on earth the loud noise was.  It was rain!  It was like a Monsoon but only very briefly.  So the weather prognosis did not seem good.  However, it turned in to the most glorious day.

I have not been in to Le Pain Q for a while so I ventured in today and selected a skinny latte and a granola parfait.  Taken in to the office and eaten at the desk as usual.

Natural yogurt, granola and fresh fruit. Lovely fruit selection on top. I went in here for lunch.  For those who don’t know it, this is Tate Modern, an art gallery with a fabulous restaurant on the 6th floor. I was taken here for lunch by a work colleague, Kevin, who I got to know as we used to sit next to each other.  He is leaving so we went out for lunch.  We were so lucky as we had a table by the window.  Look at that amazing view! I always think this view of the Millennium Bridge looks like one of those architect’s models. So it is worth going here for the view alone.  As a huge big bonus, the food is amazing too.

This was a delicious crab patty, with rye toast and quail’s eggs. This fish and chips was perfect.  The batter was so light it was almost like tempura.This dessert was extraordinary!  Bitter chocolate and raspberry tart with pistachio crumble.  The flan base was crunchy and light, the chocolate deep and intense and the raspberries sweet and juicy.
One of the best desserts I have ever had. Kevin’s dessert was good too.  The Port jelly was wonderful. I really did not want to go back to work.  It was such a lovely day I could easily have sat beside the river and enjoyed the sunshine but no such luck.

There was no need for supper after that lot so I had a smoothie, made with an orange, apricots, banana, cacao and almond butter and coconut water.

Not a diet friendly day but an amazing foodie day – thank you Kevin.

The lovely people at Detox Your World sent me some free samples.  They had come across my blog and sent me a lovely email asking me to choose some products I wanted to try if I could write about them.  Absolutely no restrictions at all on what I had to say or not say or when.  So although I was given some freebies, what I say about them is totally up to me.

I chose a jar of Cacao and Almond Spread.  I thought it would be lovely in a smoothie when I was craving chocolate.

Unfortunately today we had some bread in the house and I was craving carbs so I enjoyed some spread on the toast. It is FAB-U-LOUS!!!  If you are used to the sweetness of a spread like Nutella you may not find it sweet enough.  But if you are used to healthy foods and a low sugar diet, it is perfect.  Lovely thick and slightly oozy consistency with wonderful chocolate and almond flavours. I am not confessing to how many slices I had! I had a lovely lunch at Sarah’s today.  We were really good and didn’t meet until 1 hour before she had to go out so we only had an hour or it could be said we have a tendency to chat rather a lot!  What an hour it was.  Delicious fresh food but I raced out in such a rush I forgot my camera :-(.  We had a lovely rice salad with apple, celery, sultanas, curry powder and fresh herbs, tuna, boiled egg and green salad.  Followed by tea and apple cake.  Thank you Sarah, it was lovely.  Really lovely.

Hanging outside my back door is this lighthouse bird house.  It has been there for years, hence the cobwebs.  We have noticed lately though a Blue Tit flying in and out with wriggly things in her beak.  We have heard chirping and sometimes this little lighthouse is literally rocking, swaying from side to side. Today we saw our first Fledgling. It was having a good look around. Looks a bit grumpy. Or is it scared about that first flight? I did think this might be it and I could snap it in flight.  Go on little birdie, have a go! But no. Not today.  Shortly after I took this picture, it disappeared inside again.

According to one source I looked up, Blue Tits typically lay 10-12 eggs and on average 8 will mature.  The Mother Blue Tit has to feed them about 10 juicy caterpillars a day each.  That is 100 caterpillars a day, every day.  How marvellous for my vegetable beds.  I can’t believe there will be any caterpillars left for miles around, particularly since we also have Blue Tits nesting in the apple tree 🙂 Shame they don’t eat rabbits !

My stomach is distended, every muscle in my body aches and I had a very satisfying, weekend.  We went to Ramsgate for the weekend as we had lots of chores to do.  As soon as we got there on Saturday we headed out to Miles Bar.  This is a strange place.  Great location beside the marina, great coffee and cakes, fabulous mussels but some unpleasant items such as cheap and nasty mayonnaise and very variable waitressing quality but we all love their Moules et Frites so we set off and all had the same.

This was a hard working weekend for us all but we did have a stroll round the corner to a pub for a cheeky beer on Saturday evening.  The Edwardian shelters along the front have been refurbished and they look really good. This is the delightful view from our dining room.  I love sitting here but unfortunately this was not a weekend with much time to sit and stare. The front garden had become so overgrown it was hard to get to the chairs and tables.  This is a lovely spot to relax in as you are secluded from the road and protected from the sea breezes.

This basement level courtyard looks much better after a coat of paint.

As it was Father’s Day, we all had a big breakfast together.  We don’t usually have breakfast together as we all get up at different times.

Melon and raspberries (my choice), Pain au chocolat (Lara’s choice) and eggs and bacon (boy’s choice!)

This was the destination for lunch.  This ugly old building at the end of the harbour wall has been unused for ages but about 6 months ago, a new restaurant opened in there.  This was our first visit to Royal Harbour Brasserie.

It is in a fantastic position at the end of the East Harbour wall so you have the marina on one side of you and the Channel on the other.  So you can sit and watch the endless movement of boats in and out of the harbour.  I liked the decor inside too. Lots of grey and red which looked smart, coffee sacks used to line the partitions and bench seating which helped with the more relaxed vibe.  The windows on 3 sides provided a fabulous view. The food was good too!  Cod goujons with tartare sauce to start with, which were small but perfectly formed.  Not greasy and the batter was crispy.Dressed crab with new potatoes and salad which was delicious.
Followed by a very naughty orange sponge and custard which was a bit school dinners.

The house wine was good (Sauvignon Blanc) and most of us really enjoyed everything we ate.  It is not cheap and the portions are not massive but they were not stingy either.  I would say they were just right.
I overexposed this picture but rather like the effect.  I took this on the way back from the restaurant while we were on the harbour wall. This was taken from our house, looking out to the Brasserie.  We all enjoyed it and would all choose to go again. I should have taken a “before” picture to show the contrast between how this overgrown front garden looked before we tackled it.  All 4 of us helped and it was rather satisfying. I had forgotten that it is a reasonable size! Outside the kitchen is a little raised deck area which Lara spent literally hours scrubbing to get rid of all the algae that developed during winter.  It came up really well.

This little deck catches the early evening sun and is a delightful spot to sit and enjoy a chilled glass of something.We all worked really hard this weekend.  There was plenty to do inside too and it seemed a shame to have to come home when it was looking ship shape and lovely.  We had 2 lovely lunches but not much relaxation apart from that.  As if to tempt us to stay, the mainly cloudy day changed in to a sunny and blue skied evening.
I am heading back next weekend for a Mums and Kids weekend – can’t wait!