*Linzerellos Blog: September 2010

Thursday, 30 September 2010

Just showing off now...

I'm at it again. I seem to have developed an obsession with photographing my food (possibly because I am being fairly good for a change) so you get to see what I had for dinner. Lucky people.

I worked from home today, which is always dangerous for me. I tend to find myself wandering to the kitchen every 5 minutes usually, but thankfully today, I was actually busy with work. Albeit from bed mainly (saves me putting the heating on). For the record - I was working. Honest.

Matt is out with work tonight so it meant I could cook something that he'd normally shun (meatless food, he doesn't do Vegetarian. Caveman). I'd had a Bacon Sarnie for breakfast and a WW Quiche with Roasted Beetroot and Feta (odd combination but it worked) for lunch, so I wanted something fairly low in points so I can save some for tomorrow.

Et Voilà - Potato and Mushroom Curry with Spelt Flatbread

The curry was enough for 2 at 1.5 points per portion or one very hungry person.

1 Onion chopped

300g New Potatoes, scrubbed and halved (this is not an exact science - just what I had left)

Mushrooms (I think I used about 8)

Tinned Tomatoes

Garlic

1 Tbsp Curry Powder (or however much you like really)

That's it. Fry the onion and garlic in a bit of spray oil, add in the mushrooms and fry for a few mins. Pop in the chopped potatoes and the tin of tomatoes, stir in the curry powder (as much as you like really) and simmer until the Potatoes are soft. Surprisingly tasty.

Served with Spelt Flatbread - 30g of Spelt flour (or any other flour you have), couple of teaspoons of water, pinch of salt. Mix together to form a dough, roll out and fry in a teaspoon of oil. I had half of that for a point. Simples.

So this little lot cost me 5 points (50g of dried rice). Amazing. I really am a Domestic Goddess of late.

I've a busy weekend ahead. Tomorrow we are out in Henley upon Thames after work for drinks and dinner with friends, Saturday Matt is off to see his beloved Baggies and I'm meeting a friend for lunch and then Saturday night we are off to see Sarah Millican in Reading.

Sunday should be a day of rest - or perhaps a day for trying to get myself back into exercise. I don't know why I have suddenly developed a complete lack of motivation to move my arse, it really shouldn't be so hard. Oh well, at least I am eating fairly healthily.

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Recipe Corner

I am just showing off now with these photos - but I made this last night and it was bloody lovely (sometimes my 'chuck it all in and hope for the best attitude' doesn't produce the best results), so it seemed rude not to share.

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce for 1 (Matt was off to Gaucho so I'm pretending not to be jealous)

1 Chicken breast (2.5)

Chopped Shallot or Onion

Chopped Mushrooms

Garlic Clove (or if you are lazy like me - Morrisons ready chopped garlic)

Glug of wine (1)

Chicken Oxo Cube (half) and some hot water

Extra Light Philadelphia approx tablespoon (0.5)

Lurpak Lighter (optional) approx teaspoon (1)

Salt and Pepper

Heat a frying pan and melt the butter if using or spray oil if not.

Fry the Chicken Breast until cooked through - remove from pan and cover with foil

Pop the onion or shallot in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes

Add in the garlic and stir for a further minute or so

Pop in the mushrooms on a high heat cook through

Throw in the glug of wine and simmer to reduce by half

Crumble in the Oxo and a bit of water (you can probably do without this step if you season well enough) and allow to bubble.

Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, stir in Philadelphia and serve over the chicken.

I had this with masses of rice because I had an abundance of points left. I even scraped the frying pan clean with my finger. Classy.

Enjoy.

Mental Mother in Laws

I've given myself a talking to and come to the realisation that any kind of loss should be applauded. It's taken me 34 years to get this fat, so I'm not going to wake up a slinky malinkey, now am I? I'm most definitely the tortoise in this weight loss race. So, less of the frowning today, I'm back on this never ending quest to be a little bit less of a porker (after a small encounter with a kebab last night, but we'll gloss over that).

I resorted to wine last night in the name of stress relief. My dear 'almost' mother in law has resorted to pretty much calling me a liar - which is nice. Picture the scene - Monday night I'm in the midst of a phone call (the important one which I mentioned earlier, which I probably won't mention again in case anyone from work has found me - you get me? It went well anyway) and I hear my call waiting beeping in my ear.

Once my call has finished, I check my phone and I have a missed call from Matt's mother. Now - she NEVER calls me, so I suspect it's possibly a mistake - but as I am also a drama queen, I immediately also imagine the worst and convince myself that Matt is lying in a ditch somewhere and as his next of kin - she's calling to tell me the bad news.

Did I mention I am a nutcase? Anyway, I call Matt, he doesn't answer. I worry, he calls me back and all is ok. So I text his Mom, asking if she's ok since she called me - and Matt calls her just to check she is in fact ok and she's not the one in the ditch.

Cue mass hysteria. She couldn't have possibly called me since she was at the hospital (this is not something to worry about - she is at the hospital daily for one reason or another) and she doesn't have my number - so I must be making it up. She then calls Matt's brother - who calls Matt and again says his mother couldn't have possibly called me since she doesn't have my number and I must be mistaken. She must be one very freaky person to be able to randomly dial 11 digits and get through to someone she knows...

Excuse me people - is this some sort of mass over reaction or what??

A. She did call me - which I can prove, obviously inadvertently, from her handbag and

B. I actually don't care, as long as everyone is alive and well.

So, basically, I am a trouble maker and fabricating phone calls. Surely, I'd pick someone like Brad Pitt if I was going to lie about such things. Matt finds it all hilarious, I quite frankly find it all a bit disturbing.

Anyway, rant over for now.

Back to the matter in hand. I had forgotten I was no longer doing the photo food diary so here are a couple of snaps of my food so far today - just because I've taken them (and my food actually looks really healthy, so I feel the need to show off)

Breakfast was Ready Brek (this stuff is bad - it's like dust) with Stewed Apples, Raspberries and Blueberries all warmed up and jam like on my wallpaper paste porridge - 2.5 points and you feel full forever. I urge you to try it.

Last night (post kebab - obviously felt guilty) I whipped up some Watercress and Spinach Soup with the remnants of my Salad Box offerings. Simple - Onion, dry fried, chuck in some stock and a chopped up potato, boil until tattie is soft, chuck in spinach and watercress, boil a little bit more. Blend, Serve, Eat. 0.5 points per serving. Very tasty and surely health giving with all that greeness??

This was served with a toasted Cheese, Pesto and Tomato Sarnie for an extra 4.5 points:

I need to learn not to eat green soup when my top contains areas of white material - as you can guarantee I will slop aforementioned soup on the white bits of the top. A classy look - I look like I have some sort of snot related issue. Nice!

Right, well I think that's me for now. I'm sure I'll be back soon with other exciting tales from Linzerello Land.

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

And the scales say...

A pound off. I know it's a loss but I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed.

I really shouldn't frown, it's just not attractive.

For some reason I had it in my
head I'd lose at least 3. One should not set oneself up for a fall!

Exercise definitely required.

Oh well, back at it tomorrow.

Must repeat to myself until it sinks in "a loss is a loss".

Some people are never happy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Scales here I come...

The final day of my food photos (for now). It's most definitely a helpful exercise in making me think before I ram things down my neck. I've had some lovely food this week, makes me realise, healthy doesn't have to equal tasteless.

Breakfast this morning was the last of the Rye Sourdough, toasted with Crunchy Peanut Butter and a cuppa (4.5).

Mid morning I had another of the Sculptress bars (3.5) which left me feeling fairly full once again so I held out for lunch until 1345. A new Linz record I think.

For lunch I had a massive 'leftovers' salad. Spinach, Watercress, Red Onion, Yellow Pepper, Tomatoes, Fresh Corn, Roast Beef with a bit of Mustard Pickle and Extra Light Salad Cream - 3 points. This was huge.

Very filling, although I am now suffering Onion Breathe which is not the most pleasant of things.

I'm posting now because once I get weighed, my dinner is rarely points friendly and you don't need to see a massive portion of Chinese or Fish and Chips now do you? I have 15 points available - so, in theory, I should be able to stick to that.

So, back later with the results from the Scales. Expect a tantrum if I don't see a downward movement.

Monday, 27 September 2010

Almost there

Its's not shaping up to be a bad week on the food front. Fingers crossed those bloody scales reward me accordingly tomorrow.

I've had another fairly stress filled day at work - which started at 0645am this morning. There is something quite satisfying about being in a totally deserted office at that time of the day, you get a heck of a lot done. Am I odd?

Anyway, after an hour and a half of web meetings, I could finally get my breakfast down my very hungry neck.

A slice of toasted Rye Sourdough with Gooseberry and Sloe Gin Jam and a bit of Lurpak (4).

Being busy at work definitely has it's advantages as I don't have time to think about food. Normally at 12pm I am off for lunch immediately, but before I realised it today it was 130pm and I'd not even thought about food. Unheard of.

Lunch today was some of my new Israeli Cous Cous which I cooked in a bit of stock, served with Watercress, Spinach, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Mint, King Prawns, Lemon Juice and a drizzle of Tahini - all of this little lot for 2 points!

I really enjoyed this - am loving this big fat cous cous.

Mid afternoon I had a delivery at work - I saw a tweet from the gorgeous Jag the other day about a special offer on Maxitone Sculptress Bars - £5 instead of £25.99 for a box of 12 of them. I've heard a lot about Protein bars and the benefits of a protein rich diet and I've fancied trying these for a while. Obviously at a fiver, I couldn't resist.

From the website:

"Each bar contains fibre to keep hunger at bay and 20g of whey protein to help your muscle tone repair and recover from exercise as well as CLA, green tea and guarana to support weight loss."

They work out at 3.5 points each, so I probably won't have them all of the time - but they seem like a good bet for an afternoon snack when I am starting to feel a bit peckish. Very tasty too and I'm not sure if I imagined it, but I felt full for a good few hours afterwards. I am a marketing person's dream I am sure, I fall for everything :)

Dinner was my own version of Carbonara - Pasta cooked with Bacon, Onions, Egg and Cheese. 8.5 points.

I've loads of points still left, so I might treat myself to a bit of chocolate with a cuppa later.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be doing a happy dance and reporting a loss on the scales. Expect Mrs. Grumpy if not.

Sunday, 26 September 2010

Sunday blooming Sunday

I've had a bit of a lazy day today - which was completely planned after the busyness of yesterday, but I HAD to work this morning for a few hours and I HAVE to be in the office for 7am tomorrow to appease a blooming demanding customer in France. Do they not realise we are an hour behind here?? So I've had that Monday morning feeling all day already. Not ideal.

Anyway, I digress... I woke up this morning (very early) still feeling pretty stuffed from yesterday so I made do with a cup of coffee until my massively lazy boyfriend got himself out of bed. A few hours work done and a little bit of Social Networking and I was ready for some breakfast.

A Bacon Sarnie for 5.5 points. Yum. Made by Matt - a rarity!

After breakfast we caught up on last night's X-Factor and an episode of Fringe (I love this programme) and then I hit the kitchen.

Lunch and breakfast is sorted for tomorrow (since I'm going to have to leave the house at 0630, I need to be prepared).

For lunch I fancied something akin to a Sunday Roast, so I defrosted a couple of Minted Lamb Chops. Matt wanted chips, so we chopped some tatties and stuck them in the Actifry - the closest thing to real chips without all the fat. Lush.

So lunch for me was, Minted Lamb Chop, Potato cooked with a teaspoon of oil, Spinach, Mixed Veg, Bisto and a couple of homemade Yorkshire Puds and a teaspoon of mint sauce - 11 points.

Divine! The afternoon was then somewhat spoiled by Newcastle losing to Stoke. Harumph.

Dinner was a couple of slices of Sourdough Rye Bread with Cheese, Onion, Cherry Tomatoes and Chilli Jam - 7 points (a little bit cremated around the edges but the Chilli Jam hid that well!).

That's 23.5/26. Job's a good 'un.

So tomorrow is shaping up to be a fairly hideous day workwise. I've a phone interview tomorrow night for that Job that I wasn't sure I wanted to go for - but I figure I've nothing to lose really by at least finding out what's what.

Right then, I think that's me for today, we're off to the cinema now so I had better go and get myself dressed...

Saturday

I woke up bright and early yesterday morning - having not slept overly well. Am such a scaredy cat when Matt is away. However, it was nice to wake up and be able to make myself a coffee, pop the TV on and get back into bed. Matt always sleeps in for hours more than me so I usually have to get up once I'm awake. A rare treat to lie in bed and eat my breakfast!

I started the day with a Skinny Latte wih Sugar Free Hazelnut Syrup (0.5).

Followed by a slice of Toasted Rye Sourdough with one Egg scrambled with a little bit of milk and Mushrooms dry fried with a Butter Buds Sachet (5)

I eventually dragged myself out of bed at 1045, got myself ready and then headed into town to meet Sarah and Caroline for lunch, It was a beautiful day yesterday - sunny but freezing so I decided to walk into Reading and capture a bit of the lovely scenery on the way.

I met the girls around 12 and we had a little wander around the shops, before heading to Bills for lunch. We decided to share a jug of Pimms for starters and the Mezze Platter: Olives, Roasted Veg with Feta, Tzatziki, Humous and Babaganoush with a selection of bread. This was amazing!

After that, I seemed to develop a bit of a 'Sod it' attitude and went for the Rib Eye Steak with Garlic Butter, French Fries and Rocket. This was also amazing and I enjoyed every mouthful so no guilt.

This was washed down with a shared bottle of Rose. Rude not to really.

A little break followed and then we decided that dessert was probably in order so I opted for a slice of Coffee and Date Cake.

Once again - bloody lovely.

We were sat right by the shelves of the Produce Store so it was a struggle for me not to purchase anything. So I came home with: Chilli Jelly, Israeli Cous Cous, Gooseberry and Sloe Gin Jam and some Dark Chocolate.

I'm going to try the cous cous for lunch tomorrow I think. All in all - a lovely afternoon with the ladies.

I got home around 5pm to find Matt back and sprawled on the sofa with Sky Sports on. His idea of heaven. After a little persuasion, he got himself ready and we headed back out to meet friends for a couple of drinks - I stuck to Vodka and Soda and didn't feel the need to eat again so that was one thing I guess!

Today I'm back on track. I obviously went over points yesterday, but I'm not too stressed about it.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend, I shall be back later with today's treats!

Saturday, 25 September 2010

Day 3 - complete.

Work yesterday afternoon was somewhat ridiculous. I ended up working til 7pm (having started at 8am) which is not ideal on a Friday.

So, ended up a bit of a rush to get out in the end. Slapped some slap on and went out resembling a cross between Coco the Clown and Lilly Savage. Laura ended up driving so that kept a lid on the boozing.

We went to Bar Ha Ha and just ordered a lot of starters as neither of us could decide what to have.

My first plate. 1 Chicken Satay Skewer, 1 Chilli King Prawn and some Veg.

Followed by some Greek Salad.

And then Goats Cheese with Onion Marmalade.

And a bit more salad.

Washed down with 2 glasses of Wine.

Very civilised, don't you think?

Not overly sure of the points in that little lot yet, but am hopeful it's not too bad.

Right, I'm off to try and get some more sleep. Far too early for a Saturday morning.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, 24 September 2010

Day 3 - partially....

I was up bright and early as planned to do my 3 mile walk in the rain (joyous). I was ~~delighted~~ (ok, that's perhaps a bit OTT), happy, to see my Abel & Cole Salad Box had been delivered along with some Organic Red Pepper Houmous and a Loaf of Sourdough Rye bread before I left the house. I used to get these delivered when I was living on my own and it was a brilliant way to make sure I always had something healthy in, so it's been resurrected in the Linz & Matt household.

So today we received the below - Spinach, Watercress, Tomatoes, Salad Potatoes, Mushrooms, Red Onions and Beetroot. I am fairly happy with that. I am going to switch to a normal Veg box once the weather gets worse and Salad is no longer floating my boat, but this should see us over the weekend and early next week.

Anyway, I did the walk in about 40 mins. I walked a bit faster than expected due to the drizzle - not overly pleasant in the dark. I found it all a bit harder than the last time I did this loop since I've been actively avoiding activity for weeks.

Breakfast this morning was Blueberries and Raspberries with a dollop of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and a slice of toast with Crunchy Peanut Butter. 3.5 points in total. Very filling. The berries look a bit of a mush as I cleverly dropped the tupperware on exiting the car this morning. Fortunately no spillage occurred... just a bit of fruit mashing.

Lunch was the Lasagne I should have had yesterday, which I managed to totally cremate in the Microwave - I almost had to scrape the remnants from the Microwave door - tasty. Plus a bottle of Skinny Water - which doesn't appear to be making me Skinny. I may complain. I didn't quite have a full portion of the Lasagne as Matt ever so kindly snaffled some before I packed it in (yet more of) my trusty tupperware - greedy pig. Probably around 5.5 points here... maybe 6.

Mid afternoon I was unable to resist the temptations of the food table at work and had a couple of mini bites with my cuppa. 1 flapjack and 1 chocolate crispy. Bad times. 3 points perhaps?

A mere mouthful these things are. Not really worth it - I could have had shortbread for those points - and that really is worth it.

I am off out tonight with my friend Laura, who I used to work with, for dinner and drinks so I am not sure what that will entail. My plan is to have something light - I've got some 0 point soup at home which I may have before I go out - just to take the edge off...

Tomorrow I have a boozy lunch planned with my friends Sarah and Caroline.. both of whom are Mum's so are very much looking forward to a child free catch up over some wine. I'll have a light breakfast in the morning in preparation. Anyway, since I am on this healthy(ish) eating roll, I shall be posting photos of course. Matt is off up to the Midlands tonight and back sometime tomorrow, so I think we'll probably just stay in on Saturday night and watch a film or the X-Factor (so I can cry) and perhaps have a take-away if my points allow... or I'll attempt to make a healthy version.

I'll try not to consume too much Vodka tonight. You'll know about it tomorrow if I did.

Have a good weekend people - and hello to my new followers, I hope you don't mind my sometimes inane ramblings :)

Thursday, 23 September 2010

On a roll

2 days on track, will wonders ever cease?? I had a fairly busy day at work, a sign of things to come I fear. Stops me mindlessly eating however as I just don't have time.

Having a minor worry that people at work will discover this little blog. I stupidly admitted to blogging and they vowed to find me (hence the cryptic message earlier). I'm not sure how I feel about people I know, knowing how much of a porker I really am!

Anyway, I've had another really good day. Check me out.

Breakfast was 50g of Quaker Raisin Granola with raspberries, blueberries and a fresh fig. You don't get much granola for 3.5 points, do you? I'll be sticking to Bear in future I think. 5 points in total. It looks disgustingly healthy doesn't it?

I'd planned left over lasagne for lunch but since my colleague was finishing today, it seemed the pub was in order. So a steak sandwich with salad for me.

I'm estimating 8.5 points for this. Note the salad. I really had to force myself to say no thanks to chips. Difficult.

Mid afternoon I mindlessly polished off the last of the Maoam sweets. 0.5 points. Thankfully no more temptation tomorrow.

I was almost in tears (ok I actually cried) when said colleague departed for the last time. We've worked together, mainly just the 2 of us, for 2.5 years so I will miss him. Plus I'm hormonal and that usually leads to random tears. Usually at the X Factor so this is slightly more acceptable.

A quick post work beverage of diet coke in our local and then homeward bound.

Dinner was a mushroom risotto which I knocked up fairly quickly. 75g of rice for 4 points and 2 points of Parmesan. The rest of the ingredients were free. I used one of those Knorr stock pots. How salty are they?? My Tongue feels like it's been cured.

A fairly tasty dinner however. Very handily leaving me enough points for a cheeky glass of wine. 2.5 points I think.

22.5/26. Voilà.

Shamefully I've still not moved my fat arse in the name of exercise. However, I'm meeting Alex at 0630 tomorrow to do a little 3 mile pre work jaunt. How lovely. Especially if this monsoon continues!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dear Joe and Dave,

If you are reading this and have tracked me down, I will kill you :)

Everyone else, ignore this - my colleagues are threatening to find me!

Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Day one in the bag

So far, so good. It's actually nice to feel in control again and to plan my meals. Let's hope I keep it up for a while!

Breakfast was a rather hefty 7.5 points. We had a bloody lovely loaf of Tiger Bread left over from my 'not quite so on track' days. I can't stand to waste things so I had 2 slices toasted. One with Whole Earth crunchy peanut butter and one with Lurpak lighter.

Served with a mug of tea and water. Not overly well toasted as I almost burnt the office down due to a bread getting stuck issue.

Lunch was only 3 points. It looks massive but there is a lot of leaf under there. Honest.

Rocket, cherry tomato, green pepper and spring onion salad with tuna and cous cous. Plus a tiny bit of extra light salad cream. Very filling.

I snacked on 4 of these mid afternoon. Not overly nutritious I admit. But the office is full of the buggers.

4 Maoam sweets. 1.5 points. Bargain.

For dinner I made a lovely Lasagne with Pork mince, bulked out with extra veggies (carrots, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes). 8.5 points for this portion. Served with garlic bread made from the last of the Tiger, lurpak light, garlic and parsley (3) and salad.

Totally enjoyed this. It's much more enjoyable to make things from scratch instead of the processed nonsense I've been making do with of late.

That's 23.5 out of a possible 26. That'll do nicely thanks.

Exercise is still lacking. Seren, you're on with the "I will if you will" challenge! :)

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WI Result

Well it would appear that I have lost half a pound. I am somewhat sceptical about this given I have not exactly been good of late.

I can only assume that the 7 pound gain the last time I weighed in was not correct. Anyway, I won't over analyse it, I am right back on the horse this morning and determined to shift some of this lard. I've actually tracked my points as well.

I'm going to have to resort to a photo food diary this week to give myself some accountability, so I shall be back later with the gastronomic delights I have polished off today.

In other news, I am being hounded by a recruitment agent to apply for a position he has available. Thing is, I quite like the job I have currently, but my colleague leaves tomorrow and from then on in, I think things here may be a tad fraught. I guess I have nothing to lose by applying for this job (plus it's more money), but I am a bit scared of change for some reason. Anyway, gives me something to think about I suppose.

I've also managed to convince myself I am menopausal. I keep waking up in the night absolutely sweltering - literally dripping in sweat. Not pleasant at all - couple that with a headache that I've had for days and my over active imagination has me going through the change! Did I mention I am ridiculous at times?? I'm guzzling water today like it's going out of fashion as I am sure the bad head is down to lack of fluids. Actually, having just Googled hot flush (or hot flash apparently) - it would appear it's down to menstruation, so that's that mystery solved. Phew.

Anyway, I am rambling now so I shall be off. Back later with my food for the day. I bet you can't wait.

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

Scale fear

I am scared. I have not been good for days (weeks?) Not especially bad either, but not really good. Exercise is avoiding me at the moment too.

I haven't been weighed for 3 weeks, what with Man Flu, Holiday and Traffic Hell and the last time I weighed in, there was the mammoth gain (+7) to contend with. I am scared that this will be even more of a gain. I could be back in extreme fatso territory if I am not careful.

But - it will put me back on the right track if nothing else. My clothes don't feel tight at all, so that has to be a good sign and my osteopath last night told me I looked like I'd lost more weight since I saw her last.... I am maybe grasping at straws here.

I shall be back later with the verdict!

Sunday, 19 September 2010

Soup attack

I'm going to start a petition for longer weekends. How can they possibly go by so quickly? I have that Sunday night dread already.

My night out on Thursday passed by relatively unscathed. I managed to stick to Vodka and Soda without much trauma and I shared a little bit of tapas with one of the guys from work. Nothing too damaging. I can obviously hold my drink a bit better than most as I was finding myself surrounded by a lot of drunken colleagues as the night went on. Most amusing. There were a few bad heads on Friday.

Eating over the weekend has been a bit hit and miss, what with the Parentals being here. I've tried to make decent enough choices, but I've eaten out 4 times in the space of 3 days so it hasn't been plain sailing. Friday night was ok, we went to our favourite restaurant and I pretty much managed to come in on points.

On Saturday me and my Mam went into Reading to do some shopping while Matt and my Dad sat and watched Sky Sports for hours - I am sure Matt is a carbon copy of my Dad. Was a lovely day weather wise so we spent a good few hours wandering around and spending money I really don't have! My Mam bought me a few bits and pieces to take home for Christmas which was much appreciated. I bought myself a couple of lovely pairs of shoes from Primarni (or Primark as it's more commonly known) so I didn't spend too much more than I should have.

We had a lovely lunch in a new place in Reading called Bill's. I've been to the one in Brighton so I was muchly excited to hear this was opening here. Very nice food - I shall definitely be going back. Maybe next time I won't order the (absolutely gorgeous) Macaroni Cheese (see how I slipped that in there... pretend you didn't read it.)

I decided to get myself prepared for the week by making up a batch of Leek and Potato Soup, which then attacked me. I popped half of it in the blender once I had finished simmering it... but the bloody blender decided to explode all over my arm. Worse still I couldn't get to the plug to switch the blooming thing off so it just keep exploding everywhere.... This is the result! 4 Blisters and much soreness... Being healthy is not agreeing with me!

Right then, I had better be off. We are going to the cinema ce soir to see Salt and Matt is pacing around waiting for me to be ready so I shall bid you farewell.

Hope you've all had a good weekend.

Thursday, 16 September 2010

Finding a balance

After all this time attempting to lose weight, I still seem to be struggling with finding some sort of balance. It would appear I am very much all or nothing. I had a very good day yesterday - too good perhaps and finished up last night with 9 points left. Unheard of - but I just wasn't hungry so there was no point in eating for the sake of it. It would appear that today I feel the need to reward my good behaviour - with a burger and chips for lunch.

Matt was out last night which meant I had a dinner of Roasted Veg (leeks, onions, peppers, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes) with some Chicken marinated in Lemon, Thyme and Garlic (Matt would have turned his nose up at this unmanly concoction) which was delicious. This after I had gutted the flat with a big old Autumn Clean (not that we live in extreme dirt I hasten to add, I'm just a massive clean freak). Is it normal for housework to cause perspiration? I can count it as exercise I suppose.

This morning I decided to get the train into work as I am out tonight for a leaving do. I love it when I get to the station to see my train departing without me and a 30 minute wait to the next one. I thought I'd treat myself to a coffee and a small baguette of egg mayonnaise (I know, I know, not the most healthy of options) whilst waiting. Given I had 25 minutes approximately to spare, you'd imagine this to be a relatively straight forward task.

Clearly you've never been to Upper Crust in Reading Train Station.

Server: Next Please (after about 10 mins of chatting amongst themselves)

Me: A small skinny latte and a small egg mayonnaise baguette please.

Server: A peppermint tea and an egg and bacon muffin?

Me: Erm no, small skinny latte and egg baguette please.

Server: Yes madam, next please? (Clearly paying no attention)

Server hands me a large hot chocolate and a sausage baguette....

Me: Erm, don't think this is mine - I ordered a small skinny latte and a small egg mayo baguette

Server: ah yes, sorry madam, one minute.

Server hands me a large latte (definitely not skinny) and a hot baguette of egg mayo.

By this point my train is in and I am not one for missing 2 trains of a morning so I take these items and run (well kind of stomp I suppose, it's not that easy to run with a coffee and an extra 5 stone on board).

Why on earth would you microwave a lovely crusty baguette of delicious egg mayonnaise, thus rendering it soggy and inedible (not to mention tasteless)? 2 mouthfuls later, it was in the bin - along with most of the coffee... I can't bear fat milk these days, it's like drinking lard. So that was £4.08 well spent.

I think this may explain my decision to treat myself at the pub for lunch. We go to this pub often and I always go for a Jacket Spud of some sort - as was the plan today. Imagine my surprise when I ordered and somehow "Lamb and Mint Burger please" popped out of my mouth.

In fairness, it wasn't really a greasy burger (most definitely homemade) and came with a smallish bun and no mayo or any of that business.... and I didn't eat all of the chips... but..... ah no but's, it was lush and I bloody well enjoyed it so I am not going to overly berate myself. I'll eat dust tonight.

So, I am out tonight with colleagues of the male variety, I fear they will be heading for a curry at some point this evening, at which point I'll be heading home. I am stuffed, so I may not require any further sustenance and I am only drinking Vodka with Soda. Honest Guv.

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

Soups

Yesterday was a pretty good day on the food front. Despite not making it to my WI last night I am trying to remain positive. I was so frustrated by the traffic - 3 hours to travel 12 miles - 2.5 of those hours to do the last 3 miles!! Anyway, one of those things I guess, I just need to remain focussed this week and hopefully move the scales in the right direction.

The soup and salad situation is still going strong. I made up a few batches of soups on Monday night. French Onion and also Mushroom & Sherry. Both of which were delicious. Recipes are below. I am finding soup really fills me up which I didn't expect - my mindset has always very much been that soup is not a meal in itself... no wonder I am a porker :)

The fridge is fully stocked with vegetables, so I've no excuse over the next few days. Exercise has been a bit lacking - mainly due to knackeredness, but I know that exercise will probably help me so I just need to bloody well get on with it.

I've a leaving do tomorrow night, which means alcohol and probably eating out and then the Radio Rentals are down for the weekend so we are off out for dinner on Friday night. Hopefully they won't want to do too much else while they are here so I can try to remain on track.

Anyone who has any good soup recipes (Heather!) - please feel free to pass them on :)

French Onion Soup (3 servings at 0.5 points each)

3 large Onions
1/2 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoon of oil
750ml of Beef stock
2 tablespoons of Sherry
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional for an extra point per serving - 3 x 1cm slice of french stick and bit of grated Gruyere (10g)

In a large non-stick saucepan, heat the oil and very slowly saute the onions on a medium heat until they are golden brown (about 30-40 mins). Stir to make sure they don't stick

Stir in flour and mix well to combine with onions, slowly pour in the sherry and stock and stir constantly to bring to the boil. Simmer for around 20 mins and season to taste.

If using - top the french stick with the cheese and grill until bubbling. Serve the soup with the topped bread.

Voila!

This was today's lunch with my graze box 'west country cheddar, red onion and chutney focaccia' which was lovely for 2 points.

Mushroom and Sherry Soup (2 servings at 0.5 points each)

1 clove of garlic
3 shallots
250g Mushrooms
1 pint of stock (I used chicken)
150ml of skimmed milk
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce or mushroom ketchup
Spray oil

Spray a large saucepan with the oil and sauté the garlic and diced shallots

Add in the mushrooms and the stock and bring to the boil and then simmer for around 20 mins

Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth

Add back to the pan, stir in the mushroom ketchup or worc sauce, sherry and milk and heat through. Season to taste.

Eat, bosh. It tastes nicer than it looks - honest!

Tuesday, 14 September 2010

WI unlikely

Given class starts at 1830 and it's now 1915, I'm probably not getting weighed tonight. Thanks to this:

I've been in traffic now for nearly 3 hours. More than a bit frustrating!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Forbury Rd,Reading,United Kingdom

Monday, 13 September 2010

Help for Heroes and a better day

Yesterday food was bad. Not my intention, but it turned out that way. Curses to the fast food places at Twickenham Stadium!

I woke up really late (11am) which is unheard of for me so had a quick breakfast of toast before heading over to my friends house in Twickenham for lunch - we ended up stuck in really bad traffic so I was famished by the time we eventually arrived. She had cooked a lovely cheesy pasta bake with fresh bread and salad - I had 2 servings of the pasta and countless bits of bread. Not clever.

We then headed over to the Stadium for the Help for Heroes Concert. It was brilliant. The atmosphere was great and we were so lucky with the weather. I was genuinely moved by the stories of the many injured soldiers who have benefited from the Help for Heroes charity. All of the acts were amazing, Robbie and Gary obviously topped it for me, but Plan B was brilliant as were James Blunt and Alexandra Burke. For some reason Matt loved The Saturdays (sure it was nothing to do with the way they look!!).

Swoon.....

Can't think why he enjoyed this performance??

We had fairly good seats so I could zoom in with my camera fairly well - I have so many photos and I have absolutely no idea what I will do with them all!

The Comedians were all really good too, plus we got to see Spellbound perform with Katherine Jenkins - absolutely brilliant. I've recorded the show that was on the BBC last night in case I missed anything while we were there, but the show actually lasted 5 hours, so I am sure the BBC show had to cut out lots of it.

I had a "Posh Pasty" of Lamb and Mint in the Stadium which barely touched the sides (but was apparently only 240 calories, bargain hey?) and then when we left, my friend's road was closed for almost an hour to allow pedestrians to get to the station - so we sat in the car with a dodgy Burger Van cheeseburger whilst waiting to get home. I didn't even want it and it was fairly gross - boredom eating at it's best. I felt completely sick by the time I got to bed around midnight. Clever Linz.

So spurred on by my rubbishness yesterday, today has been much improved. I had porridge for breakfast which was beyond dull (I forgot my fruit to go with it.) I need to take some inspiration from JAG and Laura who always seem to have really amazing looking bowls of oats, as despite eating my rather dull wallpaper paste attempt, I felt full for absolutely ages. Porridge could be the future for me.

Lunch was a Sweet Chilli Chicken Salad which I made yesterday morning with Lettuce, Spinach, Red Pepper, Spring Onions, Cucumber and Cherry Tomatoes and a tablespoon of reduced fat coleslaw. Mid afternoon I had a packet of Bear Granola Nibbles with my cuppa and I feel completely satisfied. I think I actually sickened myself with food last week, it's nice to feel back on track.

Soup is the plan for the week, I am off food shopping tonight and am armed with a few WW friendly soup recipes. Not sure how I feel about soup for dinner (it's a starter in my book) but that is the plan if I can stick to it later.

Exercise will commence once again tomorrow with a quick Jillian fix.

I am sure the scales will be evil tomorrow, but I am ready for it and ready to fight back. Watch out scales, I am on the warpath.

Saturday, 11 September 2010

Back from a little bit of heaven...

Hello people. I am back - not overly happy about it either I can tell you. There is nothing worse than leaving 32 degree sunshine and landing at Gatwick in pouring rain and approximately 7 degrees. Ouch.

Ah well, we had a lovely time. I am sure I must have put on some weight. I tried to be good, I ate less than I wanted to, I drank less than I could have and I exercised 4 whole times - Jillian twice and a walk along this beach and back twice (as far as you can see to the end of those trees - about 20 mins each way). How lovely. There were scales in the room and I weighed myself every day and I seemed to be pretty neutral, but I am sure that can't be right.

I drank too many of these - Coco Loco's which were made with fresh coconut water and rum - delicious but lethal. The 'problem' with our resort is that everything was included - cocktails as well. We only succumbed to champagne at breakfast twice - fairly good going I'd say.

We actually didn't do much at all for the whole week. It was so nice to just chill - I read 4 books, slept a lot, and that's about it. We spent most days lying by the pool and a couple of ventures to the beach. The sea was so warm and the pool was like a bath. I think I love the Caribbean.

Below is a picture of me in the hotel lobby - and yes, I am wearing a jumpsuit! Size 18 from New Look no less. I think I am perhaps too old for this look - but I felt good in it, even if I am perhaps a bit too porky to pull it off. I'm not sure I'd wear it at home, but on holiday it will get another outing I am sure.

So, today has been a bit of an off day on the food front. We had a night flight so landed at Gatwick at 0730 this morning. Finally got home at 1030 (how long does it take to get suitcases off a plane??) and straight to bed for a few hours. Woke up around 1330 and had bacon sandwiches and a milky coffee and dinner was half a pie each from our local butchers with mushy peas. Healthy stuff hey?

Tomorrow we are off to Twickenham for the Help for Heroes Concert which should be amazing so we are meeting friends for lunch first - and then back to reality I guess. Work on Monday will be more than tedious. Especially since my colleague handed in his notice while I was away - I knew it was coming but now it's a reality, the next few months are going to be a bloody nightmare.

I am looking forward to getting back to healthy eating - although I did eat a lot of fruit and veg and fresh fish on holiday so I might not have been as bad as I thought. I am going to try now to lay off the booze until my sister's wedding in October (but I seem to have a lot on between now and then so that might be a struggle) as that has to help with the weight loss situation.

Anyway, I will find out on Tuesday just how much damage I have done, but I am fairly confident I can get myself back on track.

Hope you've all been good, I seem to be on a different time zone still so I am off to catch up with you all.