Lose Weight and Gain Health

Working and Traveling

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

I have done quite well today with my eating which is good considering I have not been at home. It is so much harder to eat healthily when you are not at home. Well, I think it is.

I had a reasonable nights sleep in my hotel room last night and set off for the office bright and early.

There is a very grand eatery near the office and I had a skinny latte, an apple and yogurt with berries and granola. I am trying to eat more raw food than I have recently. Eating a high proportion of raw food definitely makes me feel more energetic and alert so I set off with the intention of finding a completely raw lunch. I nearly managed it but the healthiest protein option were some cooked beans. I would have been far too hungry if I had only had salad. I also had a fruit salad. Plus I had 2 cups of tea during the day and lots of water.At the end of a very pleasant day working with my team I left the office and headed for the splendid Glasgow Central station which is in this amazing building.Inside it is huge and also very light thanks to the glass ceiling.

This part of the building is the Grand Central hotel which I have stayed in before and ‘Champagne Central’ is a very gorgeous bar.

Everything inside the station is designed to be in keeping with the older parts of the building. While I waited for my train I looked at the destinations on the train boards. I do not think I have been to any of these places and certainly couldn’t place them on a map – although I would assume they are in Scotland. This is my train. I am off to Birmingham which is where I am as I write this post 🙂

The book I am reading, ‘Raw Living’, recommends eating nuts and seeds as they are an excellent source of protein, fibre and healthy fats when they are raw. The fats are not so healthy when the nuts are roasted and they are not a healthy snack when they are covered in salt. So I picked up this bag of nuts and seeds and a packet of apples which I thought would do for supper. Unfortunately the nuts and seeds are roasted so they tasted lovely but they were not raw. I then got to the bit in the book that said do not eat more nuts or seeds than you could hold in one hand in a day. Oops!

So, a reasonable day of eating. I can retire for the night knowing I did ok.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Apples, Nuts, Raw, Seeds | 2 Comments

3 Splendid Views

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

I am VERY proud of myself today. I have eaten quite healthily, particularly given the circumstances. This is a day where I could have been really bad but I managed to eat healthy food nearly all the time.

It did help that I took breakfast and lunch in to work with me. Not much is it? Those 2 pots are quite small.

I made this completely fantastic sweet and nutty dip yesterday. Harvey and I absolutely loved it. I would add a note of caution though for my enthusiasm for this. I do eat a lot of healthy food and to me, this was like a sweet treat. But if you are used to eating real chocolate and toffee sauces, you may be disappointed with this as it is not very sweet. I would recommend you try it though.

Carob and Cashew Dip

Ingredients (serves 4)

200g cashews, soaked 8-12 hours ( I soaked overnight and we had this for breakfast)
60g carob powder
4 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tbsp Blackstrap molasses
250ml water

Method

Drain the cashews and add them to a high powered blender
Add the other ingredients
Blend until smooth – about 3 to 4 minutes

There is a large spoon shaped bit missing because I ~~had to make space for the mango~~ I couldn’t resist it! Today I had it with mango but yesterday we had it with fresh strawberries. It is thick and very smooth with a hint of chocolate and a hint of toffee. Really, really yummy. Look at this lovely scene. The floor to ceiling windows in my office enable us to enjoy this amazing view. This is what this little part of London looked like at about 6:45 am today. Lunch was 2 raw carrots and 1 green pepper, dipped in to some left over guacamole with tahini and miso. The guacamole was as good as the day I made it so it refridgerates well which is good to know. I had a crazily busy day. I popped out at about 7:30am for a skinny latte and again just before midday for a cup of tea. Then nothing else except water to drink until I got to City Airport in the evening. I was too busy to stop and work like a thing possessed. While I waited for my flight I ate the only raw and fresh food I could find. City Airport is very small with very few healthy food options. My flight departed at 8:15 pm which is a very pleasant time to fly. I had a window seat and enjoyed the views of the sunset over the clouds.
We were given a snack on the plane. I was feeling very hungry and selected the healthiest option available even though it did contain a tiny bit of chocolate and dried fruits which are full of sugar. There were some nuts in there and the whole bag only weighed 20g so it wasn’t a complete disaster. Much as I may have liked the drink to be a gin and tonic, it was actually a sparkling water. Here is my third splendid view of the day. This one from my hotel room on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow.

I am pleased with how I managed to resist temptation today. I could very easily have chomped through sandwiches and cakes at the airport but I resisted. I also resisted room service even though I actually feel quite hungry. So I am happy with my efforts today and hoping I can be really good tomorrow too.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cashews, Guacamole | 3 Comments

A Real Raw Day

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

Nearly everything I ate today was raw and it was all healthy. I was very pleased with myself.

I used ‘Raw Living’ by Kate Wood for inspiration and the first recipe I wanted to try was one she calls Breakfast Pudding. I adapted the recipe slightly. I put 1 tbsp sesame and pumpkin seeds in water to soak for 1 – 2 hours as soon as I woke up.

I felt peckish so munched on some grapes.

Banana and Apple Breakfast Pudding

Ingredients (serves 1)

1 Granny Smith apple with core removed, cut in to chunks
1 banana, peeled
2 tbsp seeds, soaked for 8-12 hours
1 tbsp flax oil

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth

This was very tasty. Using a less sweet apple such as a Granny Smith prevents it from becoming too sweet and the texture was lovely. A great start to the day. Harvey always makes sure the animals are fed at the weekend. Our tortoises’ favourite food is dandelions. Lunch was simple, very healthy and yummy.

Salad with Mashed Avocado and Seed Sprinkles

Ingredients (serves 1)

3 Romaine leaves, washed and cut in to strips
4 chicory leaves, washed and cut in to strips
1 carrot, grated
½ a red pepper, chopped
Juice of ½ a lemon
½ a ripe avocado
salt
Garnishes e.g. olives and seeds (I used a mixture of sunflower and pumpkin seeds and pine nuts)

Method

Prepare vegetables and assemble in a large bowl
Mash the avocado in to the lemon juice and season with salt
Stir the avocado through the vegetables so they are evenly coated
Garnish with olives and seeds

I spent hours pottering in the garden, planting out flower seeds and tidying up. I find it soooo relaxing,being outside sowing seeds. I did treat myself to a new plant too. I love the colour of this lovely Senetti. Late afternoon we set off for a walk over the road. Well, 12 legs walked and 2 cycled. The bluebells are out and the scent in the air was heavenly. Look at the sizeof this enormous ant hill!

Supper was more raw vegetables served with a delicious alternative to guacamole.

Guacamole with Tahini and Miso

Ingredients (serves 2)

Juice from 1 lemon
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1 large tomato, cut in to quarters
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp Tahini
1 tsp Miso
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
Kelp powder or salt to taste

Method

Add all ingredients to blender and blitz until smooth. Serve with raw vegetables.

A day well eaten 🙂

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Red and White

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

Red goji berries in green tea with lemon juice and cayenne pepper.
Beautiful blue sky and white magnolia. The same beautiful tree reflected in the kitchen table – a double source of please. This funky daffodil took ages to bloom but was worth the wait. No time for breakfast as Matt arrived at 7:45 to help me clear the garage so that was a busy 5 hours by which time we were all starving. Matt is vegan so I made a simple but tasty lunch of wholewheat pasta with a sauce made with 1 small onion, 2 tins of tomatoes, 1 tin of sweetcorn, 1 in of black eyed beans and steamed broccoli. A bit of a store cupboard lunch but healthy and very edible.
We had a red and white delivery. Michelle came over and dropped off Harvey’s new red and white gingham curtains, red and white stripy blind and then cushions made with left over fabric. A gorgeous chair cushion. Harvey’s favourite is the bean bag and there is also a laundry bag. Huge thanks to Michelle 🙂After a busy day we were all tired by the evening so we went out for dinner to Eurasia, a local Chinese and Malaysian restaurant.

Crispy duck pancakes
and spare ribs in Mandarin sauce for starters. Spicy beef Rendang with coconut rice.

A delicious meal and the coconut rice was possibly the best white rice I have ever tasted. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Feasts

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

This weekend seems to have been one continuous and lovely feast. I knew I was in for lots of foodie treats so I did start well, as I so often do, on Saturday morning with a watermelon, mango and orange smoothie, made with natural yogurt, hemp seed milk and chia seeds. I made one for the little fella too as I suspected he may eat lots of snacky food and wanted to make sure he went out with some good nutrition in his tummy.

The main event on Saturday was the 18th birthday celebration of Emily, a wonderful young lady who I have had the pleasure of knowing all her life. Her Mum, Lucy, did a do at home and invited family and friends who have known her and shared so many life experiences with her during the last 18 years. There was a huge feast which we picked at all day. Well, I did!

This salmon and some runny Brie (not in the photo) were my favourite things.

It is always a pleasure to be together with the girls and we all enjoyed meeting for the first time or re-meeting friends of Lucy and Emily’s we may not have have seen for many, many years. Presents were opened, with assistance from cute little helpers, stories were told, the moment was enjoyed,Emily was toasted with champagne,
and her Dad made a touching speech. Sammy made a delicious cake which we all enjoyed. The boys played football and let the younger ones join in too so everyone was happy. Thank you Lucy, for such an enjoyable day and a splendid celebration of such a lovely young lady’s first 18 years. Lunch merged in to the evening, spent partly in the Black Pig and then back at mine with a sleepover for 4 which was lovely. We were quite restrained, especially for us! I did manage a cooked breakfast this morning but failed to take any photos.

Harvey found William who has finally decided that the time for hibernating is over. We were worried about him as he self-hibernates and we were concerned that such a long and harsh winter may have been too much for him. But he looks really healthy. We gave him a bath and he settled down to a lunch of his favourite food – young dandelion leaves.
We all had a good lunch today too.Slow cooked shoulder of pork served with a choice of gravy or a hickory smoked BBQ sauce , dauphinoise potatoes, tomatoes and a green salad made with lamb’s lettuce, rocket, chicory and Granny Smith apples, dressed in a homemade dressing with rapeseed oil, garlic and mustard.
Followed by a yummy chocolate, hazelnut and salted caramel tart. I found the recipe on the BBC Good Food site and you can access it here. It is a layer of pastry with hazelnuts in it, then a layer of salted caramel topped with a whipped chocolate layer. Really yummy.

I failed to take a photo of the really light and flavourful rhubarb and custard tart my sister Abi made. I also failed to take any photos of my lovely family who came for lunch today or my lovely girl friends who stayed the night. Too busy enjoying everyones company to remember to take pictures! I did capture Andrew’s spectacular lemon cupcake but didn’t take one of Alison’s coffee walnut cake. Both were wonderful. Thank you Andrew and Alison for coming over for lunch, and thank you Abi and Jim.

So I have had a feast, all weekend. Dreadful for my health and diet. I knew it would be so from tomorrow I am definitely behaving!

Posted in Diet Struggles | 5 Comments

501 posts

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

It slipped by unnoticed but yesterday was my 500th post!! When I started I had no idea how long I would carry on for but this is my 501st post. I have enjoyed writing them all and they have the added bonus of providing instant recipes and inspirations for me when I am out and about. I just search through the blog, find the recipe and buy the ingredients. I keep going because I enjoy the photography and the writing and I always appreciate your comments.

I had a tub of Shitake mushrooms in the fridge and chopped some up to have for breakfast.

I gently cooked the mushrooms in a little butter and the added 2 eggs. The mushroom scramble and cherry tomatoes was delicious. What a miserable wet and wintry day. These boys did not want to get up and go outside today – too cold and too wet apparently. Lunch was quick and easy as I was busy again with work and I really wanted to log off at 5pm, go and get my gorgeous young man and start the weekend. 4 rashers of bacon with a small avocado mashed with lime juice and cherry tomatoes. The avocado tasted really weird which I am not sure was due to the half rotten or the half rotten avocado or both. So that went in to the bin. The keen eyed amongst you will notice the empty looking carton of B&J’s on the counter. Oh my gosh, you may be thinking, surely she did not eat that !!!! Well yes, she did. Not alone as Harvey helped but it was indeed empty within half an hour of being delivered. Now thin people probably just unpack their grocery shopping and put the ice-cream straight in to the freezer. Fat people think they will just try a little bit. Delusional fat people think they will just eat a little bit and then put it in to the freezer, but they actually keep going. So sorry Alison and Abi – this was for you on Sunday but this stuff is dangerous so we are not having that in the house again!

I needed a glass of wine to get over the disappointment of the ice-cream and then a second to celebrate the end of a very long and rather stressful week. This is the latest victim from the freezer. A chicken and root vegetable casserole. I had helpfully written on the label “3 thighs” so I was confident it would feed all 3 of us. So pleased I put that on the label as it would have been impossible to tell by looking at the pot. I served it with some roasted butternut squash. I blogged about making this garlic chicken and root vegetable casserole here. When searching for the recipe I saw that I made it another time and it reheated really well. Well it reheats well after being frozen too so this is definitely a great recipe to make in bulk and then freeze.

So, a disasterous afternoon blip but the rest of the day the food was good. The weekend will not be the healthiest but will be really good fun and I am excited about it.

Posted in Diet Struggles | Tagged Chicken, Mushrooms | Leave a comment

The Cretaceous Layer

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

I have had a very bad 2 days of eating so was determined to do well today. It is getting easier when I am at home because I have removed virtually ALL temptation. We no longer have any bread, crackers, cheese or anything snacky. We also have no breakfast cereals I may be tempted by.

I did not fancy a green smoothie and went for a pink one instead. I have some beetroot remaining in the garden. They are quite “woody” but fine in a smoothie and presumably still provide useful vitamins, minerals and fibre. Plus a gorgeous colour. I also had a large slice of mango and a large handful of berries.

I also added 1 tbsp acaii powder, 150 ml hemp seed milk and …. half a pot of mixed berry Co Yo.

It turned out perfect. A perfect pink smoothie because it was a beautiful colour, thick and smooth consistency and tasted pretty good too.

I have mentioned before that I am slowly working my way through my freezer. I am finding some very old food in there! Today I thing I made it below the Cretaceous layer and pulled out these 2 gems!

I would probably be more careful with old food containing meat or fish but I am quite relaxed about ancient vegetarian food. I don’t know when the Macaroni cheese went in to the freezer but I found it under the Aduki Bean Chilli which helpfully had a date on it so I am guessing it was September 2011. I rarely eat ready meals like these but I was working from home today and was too busy to prepare anything so thought this would do.

While the Macaroni cheese was cooking, I snacked on some nuts and raisins.

It didn’t help that it burned slightly but this looked disgusting. It also didn’t help that as I was going to eat it I had to take a 20 minute call so it was a tad too cool. It didn’t look so bad on the plate with some cheery chopped tomatoes. But my goodness, it did not taste good. How do people eat this stuff? I ate about half and then put the rest in the bin. I was hungry and busy so what could I eat, in my snackless house? Mmmmm, these 2 jars had escaped the clear out. I spent 5 minutes making a bowl of porridge to which I added coconut butter and almond butter. A strange thing to have for lunch but I rather enjoyed it. The second item I foraged from the depths of the freezer was an aduki bean chilli which was perfectly acceptable. Quite spicy though so I am impressed Harvey ate it but he also realised it was that or nothing as our fridge and cupboards really are quite bare.

So, a reasonable days eating. Not enough fruits and veggies so I will make a big effort to eat more raw tomorrow,

Posted in Diet Struggles | Tagged Beetroot, Berries, Smoothie | 3 Comments

Craving Healthy

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

After all the garbage I ate at the weekend I was actually craving healthy food today. I really was.

I started with black tea and lemon to reduce the dairy I consume. I made 2 cups with 1 teabag to reduce the caffeine I consume too.

Followed by a green smoothie. I used half a pot of the Coconut Yogurt I am loving at the moment. This one had mango swirled through it. Really yummy. Plus kale, a banana, hemp seed milk, Matcha and Spirulina. It was good. Not excellent but good. Quite high in calories though at 415, half of which came from the Co Yo. Mid morning I munched on 2 apples. For lunch I wanted a huge bowl of raw vegetables so I rummaged around in the fridge and produced 3/4 of a red pepper, a red cabbage, a large carrot and a Brussels sprout. I never keep tomatoes in the fridge as it kills the flavour. I keep them in the fruit bowl. That will do!Snuggled up next to the herb pots was the mustard micro greens I planted last weekend. They look ready to me so I snipped some of those too.
Having chopped up all the veggies, I added a boiled egg and nearly 100 g of Tzatziki left over from last weekend. Dressed with nothing other then salt and pepper. I really enjoyed this big crunchy bowl of goodies. The still warm egg and creamy and herby tzatziki went perfectly with it all. Delicious. Even better, this bowlful had just under 300 calories 🙂

Sad to see some casualties from the dogs racing round the garden but at least I can enjoy them inside. The dogs chase each other over one particular flower bed which is full of daffodils and they end up with crushed stalks, lieing on the ground. I made a red lentil dahl for supper. I was planning to make it yesterday but felt too full to want to cook in the evening when I returned from the beach. However, the recipe book said it would only take 15 minutes to prepare so I actually prepared it while I munched my way through all that salad. It really was quick to make but it does take a long time to cook so start early.

This was in The Slow Cook Book.

Red Lentil Dahl

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 tbs sunflower oil
1 onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
6 curry leaves, crushed
175 g red lentils
400 g can chopped tomatoes
600 – 700 ml vegetable stock
juice of half a lemon (optional)
handful of fresh coriander

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 3-4 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and cook for a couple more minutes.
Add all the spices and curry leaves, stir well and add the lentils and stir so they are coated in the spices.
Tip in the tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and transfer to the slow cooker.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

You could make this in a casserole dish in a conventional oven but add approximately 200 ml more stock and cook on a low heat for 1 hour and a 1/2, stirring occasionally.

The entire amount of dahl is approximately 900 calories. I had about a third because I dod not have it with rice. So a third of the dahl plus the buttered leeks made my supper about 500 calories.

You could serve this with rice or chapatis and a spoonful of yogurt on the side but I served it with 2 leeks which I sauteed in 10 g butter. The dahl was thick and had a rich and spicy flavour. The leeks worked with it really well too.

I am delighted I managed a whole day of very healthy eating and I feel much better for it. My entire days calories, including cups of tea and snacks f apples was just under 500 calories so I am really happy with that. Here’s hoping I crave healthy tomorrow too!

Posted in Recipe | Tagged Green Smoothie, Red Lentils | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday Ladies

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

What a day it is for birthdays. Happy Birthday to Rebecca and of course Her Maj’ who turned 87 today – and still works hard. What a woman! But the biggest happy birthday is for my sister Lucy and I had a lovely day helping her celebrate. My eating was by no means healthy. In fact it was a diet disaster but I confess I did enjoy it all.

My day started ridiculously early. I was awake much earlier then I needed to be and at 7 am I got up as I was kean to get in the garden before we went out. It was freezing cold outside and frosty!

Yesterdays planting survived the night and was all looking very perky in the early morning sunshine.

I sowed some seeds today; 2 types of lettuce, sweetcorn and courgettes. I planned to sow more but it was way too cold! I had a nutty granola with a banana for breakfast. Yummy but the sugar rush set me up for the rest of the day with a craving for sugar. I bought a “healthy” brand of cereal but when you check the ingredients, the sugar level is really high and the banana adds a load more sugar. We met up at our house in Ramsgate and walked round to Broadstairs. Aunty Marion joined us too and we walked along in the chilly April sunshine, enjoying the bright blue skies and coastal scenery. I have blogged about this lovely walk before but here are a few more pictures. This walk is so enjoyable being partly along the lovely sandy beach and partly along the promenades.After an hours stroll (which you could do more quickly) we arrived at the picturesque setting that is Viking Bay, Broadstairs.
We had a table booked at Osteria Posillipo in Broadstairs. The decor in here is a bit basic and it is cramped but the food is excellent and the staff very friendly, particularly to the children.

While we browsed the menu we nibbled on olives and drank some white wine. Yes, I had a glass of vino and very nice it was too.

I had chicken escalopes with Parma ham and Mozarella in a white wine sauce. It looks like it is swimming in butter but it is not. Served with sautee potatoes and spinach. There were 3 pieces of chicken and I gave one to James. However, I also tried some gnocchi and lasagne so I expect it all evened out. This would have been a healthier option. Aunty Marion chose the antipasti starter for 2 which made it a meal size which is a good idea. This was a pine nut tart with vanilla ice cream. Not what I was expecting at all. I thought it would be a pastry tart filled with pine nuts and caramelised. After a long and leisurely lunch we returned to the house for presents and more cake! This is one of my favourite spots to sit and relax and admire the view. I like it even more with my family sitting on it 🙂Ramsgate Marina looked gorgeous in the afternoon sunshine.
What a lovely view.

You will probably not be surprised to hear that I was not hungry when we got home after such a big lunch and cake. Tomorrow will be focused on not eating sugar and eating very healthily.

Posted in Diet Struggles | Leave a comment

In The Garden

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Lose Weight and Gain Health

It was sunny today !!!!!

Lara was heading back to Durham at Midday and we decided it would be fun to go out to brunch. We went to Frankie’s in Staplehurst which I have previously blogged about here.

I have not been here for ages and since my last visit the shop section of the building is reduced in size and the cafe has grown. The breakfast menu was really limited to toast, eggs and bacon which was a bit disappointing. I think this is a better place to come for lunch. However, the poached eggs on toast and bacon I had were fine and this is a lovely space to sit in. The staff are friendly and helpful, the coffee was ok and there was a lovely busyness about the place so the ambience was good. We also had coffee and cake as we were all very hungry. I am not sure it was warm enough to sit outside today but it was glorious to be in the sunshine. Harvey enjoyed looking at the geese and goats and playing on the zip wire while we browsed the garden centre and farm shop. To cheer myself up after saying au revoir to Lara for a couple of months (this just does not get easier!), I went to my favourite local plant nursery, The Walled Nursery in Hawkhurst. If you have never been to this charming place, pop along and enjoy pottering about in their collection of Victorian glasshouses. The owners are so enthusiastic and friendly it makes choosing plants, most of which are grown on site, a real pleasure. A little bit of shopping therapy began to cheer me up. I then spent all afternoon, until 6pm, in the garden. It was wonderful to be outside, planting again. The little fella came out to help. He did dig in 3 plants but in the process trampled another plant but I enjoyed his interest in the garden and his lovely company. This time last year I had lots growing in the vegetable beds, such as chard and kale. This year though, I only have a few beetroot, which have gone woody but are ok in smoothies. Plus some parsnips. I want the space for this years planting so I pulled a few up for supper. I am way behind growing seeds this year so I bought some vegetable plants from the Walled Nursery. I planted them all today so now my vegetable beds contain little plants for peas, spinach, purple sprouting broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and globe artichoke. I feel so happy that I have started growing veggies again. I also planted flowers in pots, plus bought some herbs (coriander, flat leaf parsley, lemon verbena, thyme and oregano) and strawberries. All planted put and hopefully growing well and of no interest to the 2 huge rabbits who have recently taken up residence in our garden! For supper I made a parsnip, halloumi and orange salad which I previously blogged about here which I served with a small baked potato and juicy tomatoes sprinkled with thyme. The parsnips were still delicious and I really enjoy the combination of the salty halloumi with the sweet parsnips and caramelised orange. Delicious.Grow veggies, grow!