Instant gratification

The best things come to those who wait, but if you're anything like me, you're quite pleased if they come that bit quicker. I've been very much indulged this weekend with food and being looked after by my nearest and dearest.

Exhibit A

My Mum and Paul transformed my garden for me yesterday.  Here's what it looked like in March, before the first phase of it's transformation a few days later here. Yesterday was the nice bit - the greenery.

I'm not at all green-fingered. Luckily, Paul, my Mum's other half, is a Landscape Gardener. So they suggested these beautiful Red Robins to give me some privacy.

Just before they moved in.

 

 

And I removed the nets and let them bust out.

 

So, so pretty. I love their little red tops.

 

My Mum also bought along an assortment of plants, including a climbing rose, jasmine to climb up the pergola and lots and lots of lavender. I could not be happier. Now we need to keep the new arrivals very well-watered for the next few weeks as they settle in. I look forward to evenings spent watering the garden and admiring it. We bought a bird feeder today, too. Love it!

While the garden's been feeding my soul, I've made sure my body is equally well-provided for, as have my nearest and dearest.

Exhibit B

Saturday lunch was another bumper tuna salad with anchovies. These take me about twenty minutes to get through. I'm clearly part of the slow food movement!

 

Later I made my way to my friend Rachael's for dinner. I was shattered after the gardening and more than ready for some pink fizz to celebrate.

 

Rach always spoils me, and did not dissapoint with this lamb shank curry served with spinach, cauliflower and sweet potato. Hot hot hot and oh so tasty.

But the true treat came after. I've been waiting to try this homemade chocolate cheesecake for a long time. Amazing! Rich, but not overbearing. Perfectly biscuity and creamy. I had to have a second slice, just to check. Winning.

 

In an effort to burn some of our dinner and drinks off, we had a lounge disco which lasted until 2.30am. I NEVER stay up that late anymore! It was great fun, and meant I got 5000 steps in for the day before I even woke up, but it did floor me for the day today. I'm so old!

 

When I got home I immediately whipped up a grilled veggie and potato frittata to fuel up ready for my chores. The veggies are frozen from Waitrose, you just fry them up for instant grilled veg.

 

  

 

A few hours of toil later, I was ready for this colourful turkey salad before we headed to the shops for some bits and pieces, including a bird feeder. I want to make my new garden and bee, bird and butterfly hangout!

 

 

After the shops I had a little disco nap then we strolled to Nicholsons for an early Sunday night dinner - a treat from The Boy. How lucky am I? Hair of the dog came in the form of some Sangria.

 

I was super-hungry and enjoyed some paella tapas...

 ...with this grilled chicken and fries. I never eat fries - total hangover meal!

 

 

I was even up for dessert - vanilla ice cream with amaretto, espresso and amaretto biscuits. It was nice, but not a big portion. So I had some chocolate cookies when we got home, too!

 

What a weekend. I'd like to say I'll be back on the healthy eating wagon tomorrow, but next week is manic. Staying in London with an old friend tomorrow night, out straight from work Tuesday and Wednesday night then straight off for a weekend away on Friday! All this will involve eating Vietnamese, bangers and mash and visiting Disney World aka Wholefoods. Wish me luck!

 

I hope to blog on Thursday. Hope you've had a good weekend!

What's your hangover food craving?
Bread and chips. CARBS!

Your flexible friend

The title of this post is somewhat ironic. Despite trying not to be, I know I can be pretty inflexible, both physically and when it comes to making plans... The physical bit I keep meaning to address with stretching and yoga (boring!). The mental bit is difficult - I do love a schedule, even on the weekend! I know, I know, it's kind of tragic, but I like to know I'm going to be able to fit everything I need to do in and find some time to relax.

Well, this weekend's schedule went all to pot due to the weather. The schedule was that my Mum and Paul would come over on Sunday to help us plant the garden. Exciting! Except I checked the forecast yesterday and it's for heavy rain all day Sunday. After a couple of quick phone calls I was able to switch them to Saturday, but it's meant changing around all our weekend plans.

So, I've had to be flexible. It hurts a bit, but I'm coping. That's why I'm blogging a bit earlier today. I'm hoping I'll be able to get another post in later on tomorrow, too. Partly to show off the garden, but mainly because next week is cray and I won't be able to post until Thursday... if at all.

Enough of my First World Problems, though. Let's crack on and see what I've been up to this week.

Wednesday dinner was Luann's kale salad with king prawns dipped in egg white and desiccated coconut and fried in coconut oil. It was nice, but, and brace yourselves for this... I think I'm over Luann's kale salad! It's just too sweet for me, especially with the prawns, too. The Boy still loves this meal but I find it a bit sickly and way too sweet now. One for Andy to make for himself.

 

I also think a sugary dinner like this just makes me crave more sweet stuff. Enter Mrs. Crimble's Chocolate Macaroons. Andy and I keep agreeing not to keep them in the house, but somehow they work their way in every now and then, and when they do, they don't last long. Macaroons - we just can't quit you. So I had two after dinner. They have three types of sugar in the ingredients list, which I try and remind myself as I bite in to their toasty, coconuty yumminess... Banned, I tell you, BANNED! Wednesday was a bit of a fail all round as I couldn't go for a walk either and it was wet, windy and just plain horrid. So, we watched The Apprentice and decided tomorrow was another day.

 

At least my addictions also include frittatas, a far less toxic affair. It was another mackerel one on Thursday, and having had a fairly early night, I was feeling far more chipper.

 

I'd been looking forward to Thursday as I had no meetings and could crack on and be productive at work. And productive I was. I got a few things out of the way and off the to do list before meeting with BC for lunch for the first time in weeks.

 

Lunch was dinner leftovers - the last of the sugar bomb salad. Good riddance!

 

We managed a walk after, too, so I felt much better. We marvelled at how big the cygnets have got - kinda creepy - and planned our Saturday night...

 

After work I headed straight out to Real Military Fitness and worked it for an hour. I much prefer the Thursday sessions as there are fewer people, so it's a bit more interactive. We were doing Tabata training - 30 seconds flat-out followed by a rest. I'm feeling it in my abs right now!

 

I'd been looking forward to dinner all day - an Albacore tuna nicoise salad. This baby had EVERYTHING in there - steamed new potatoes and green beans, a boiled egg, anchovies, black olives, red cabbage, baby salad leaves, tomato, carrot and peppers. So, so good and filling... I'm having it again for lunch today.

 

Friday started with a shocker - my first ever burnt frittata! It was a three egg and veggie one and quite thick, so I though it needed a good while under the grill. Not so! I still ate every bit though... Mmm, toasty!

 

Urgh, I'd been dreading Friday. Four meetings back to back from 11-4. What the?! Luckily the 2pm meeting finished 30 minutes early, allowing me to sneak off and enjoy my mackerel salad in peace and even manage a quick walk after around the lake to wake me up. The Boy and I were singing the praises of mackerel salad on the way home. Dang it's good!

 

I'd been waiting to say hello to this baby all day week. A 'Piece of Ass' cocktail. We headed straight out to Waitrose on foot when we got in to grab some dinner and look for sour mix for our cocktail. They didn't have it, so we substituted with lemon syrup and a drop of soda water.

 

Mix a shot of Amaretto, a shot of Southern Comfort and a shot of sour mix (in our case, half syrup, half soda water) over ice and a slice. Strong and sweet and one goes to your head pre-dinner. Lovely! Served in jam jars as we don't have decent tumblers. I liked the jam jars!

 

Meanwhile I chucked this baby in the microwave and also nuked a sweet potato and steamed some kale.

 

Perfect Friday night no-fuss, Paleo-friendly dinner. No nasties on the ingredient list = guilt free.

 

Later I felt a bit snacky so had some almonds and a small Eat Natural bar. Again, I think sugary cocktail led to sugary snack. Oh well, it was Friday and it could have been worse. In fact, I was quite proud I stopped at one drink!

 

So here we are - Saturday! I'm about to do a bit of ironing before meeting my friend for a blustery seaside walk and swinging by the butcher. Fuelling all this pre-12pm activity (and the gardening afterwards!) is three fried eggs served with leftover roast new potatoes and brocolli. A nice change...

 

Maybe I can be flexible after all!

 

Ciao for now!

 

 

Flexible or rigid?

Probably somewhere in between...

Confusion rains

It is absolutely POURING with rain here. Bye bye summer, it was brief but oh so sweet! I was meant to go for a walk with a friend this evening but that's gone out the window! Oh well, meal planning and blogging it is. It really has been one of those horrible, dull days when you just want to curl up indoors. I think they call it winter...

Well, at least we made it to Hump Day. I've not been feeling this week so far, so I'm hoping to see some improvement. I hope you're feeling a bit more chipper out there?

What's eating me? I'll talk a bit more about that later, but first, what have I been eating?!

Monday night's dinner was a new Iowa Girl Eats recipe I've been wanting to try... Luckily The Boy volunteered to cook so I could blog before we went for a walk. It was really tasty - Cashew chicken mango salad. I love IGE's recipes - they're simple, tasty and fresh. And don't it just look so pretty? Summer on a plate.

 

After dinner we settled down to watch the end of a series we've been following... except it wasn't the end. Yep, they left us on a 'to be continued...' cliffhanger. Grrrrr! I hate that! It had been marketed as a big finale, so there was much shouting at the TV and texting my friend to rant. I've vowed to boycott series two.

 

Tuesday started with a mackerel frittata. Ooh yeah. It's been a while since I had the mackerel version, and it was as good as usual. Stinky, but good. Note the morning sunlight dappling the plate. Today I had my headlights on. Pah.

 

 

Lately more of my colleagues have been bringing their own lunches in rather than buying from the canteen. They claim I inspired them... the annoying thing is, I'm now coveting their lunches instead of the other way round!

 

Check this prawn, feta and beetroot creation, in a purple box! Not sure about the pickled onions... Actually, I just imagined it. Yes! Top marks.

 

And how about this herby, lemony fresh fabulousness? With a little dressing pot. I don't know whether to feel proud or scared that my Queen of Lunches crown will topple. Bit of both.

 

Mine looked a bit sad in comparison. Tasted good, though. Leftovers from dinner and breakfast. Thrifty and yummy.

 

But look what else was lurking in the office... Leaving day cakes from a colleague. In the spirit of my new 'I'm not on a diet and can have what I want' ethos, I told myself I could have one if I wanted. But in the end, I actually didn't. I wasn't hungry. Cakes 0 Me 1.

 

 

In keeping with my general 'meh' vibe, I really couldn't be bothered to go to RMF, but I hauled ass and pulled through the running and push-ups and squats and sit-ups and torture. It's always worth it in the end.

 

My reward was this old Waitrose recipe I dug out for coriander salmon with coconut. Oh my The Boy and I both LOVED this. So, so good. Creamy, spicy and tangy. Oooh. I made sure to swirl my steamed veggies, samphire and sweet potato around in the sauce. Definitely going on the rotation and very quick and easy to make with a hand blender. I didn't have the coriander paste and just used fresh.

 

 

Amazing.

 

This morning the fog still hadn't lifted and another mackerel frittata didn't shift it. It doesn't help that I keep getting to bed a bit too late. Early night tonight for sure.

 

Lunch was baked salmon with salad. I forgot we were having a buffet and mingle to celebrate moving to our new floor, so I also enjoyed some crudite, ham and fruit from that. Rude not to.

 

No walk at lunch because I had a beauty appointment and it was raining. So, here I am at 6.30pm having only walked 3300 steps and wondering how the hell to get the rest in! Andy has gone for a run. But he's crazy.

 

Weighting game

 

So, I weighed myself this morning and I'm still clinging on to a few holiday pounds post-Sorrento. I know it's only been just over a week since I got back, but it dropped off instantly after Greece...

 

I know I need to be patient but I'm sure it hasn't helped with my mood today! I'm going to try and keep at my 'not dieting' and take it easy, but it's hard when I've been feeling so good and now, not so good. Patience, little one! I know the more I obsess, the more likely I'll be just to think 'stuff it' and eat a load of crap.

 

Scales are evil.

 

The end!

 

Do you know how much you weigh?

Sadly, yes.

Monday musings

Good evening, friends. How has Monday treated you? Mine started off very productively but descended in to chaos as the work piled up and the diary filled and changed. Best laid plans and all that. Still, one outcome is I get to visit an old friend in London next week, so not all bad!

I'm in a pensive mood today, and I feel like sharing. So, let me tell you about the weekend first and then hopefully you'll see where I'm coming from.

Saturday afternoon I had a late lunch of a very tasty albacore tuna and avocado salad.

 

Then, I strolled along to my friend's wedding blessing, which was very touching and bathed in sunshine - a welcome change from the downpour in Sorrento!

 

Afterwards we headed to a cosy bar by the sea to celebrate. The buffet was really good - I went for garlic chicken, ham, salami and poached salmon with olives and salad. I also had a few glasses of wine.

 

We had a dance and I headed home. Well, hobbled is the word. Walking for an hour to the reception in very pretty but very flimsy sandals, followed by dancing, led to HUGE blisters on the bottom of both feet. I was really struggling!

 

I woke up on Sunday with a fuzzy head, painful ankles and the aforementioned blisters. And it was grey outside. Not a great start! I knew I was pushing my ankles a bit too far on Saturday with the walk, but our work walking challenge suggested we aim for a personal best at the weekend and I just felt I had to go for it. The upshot? I did 23000 steps Saturday and 2000 steps yesterday because I could barely walk. I also felt fed up for most of the day, being stuck indoors. It's weird - all week long at work I dream of some downtime alone at home. And when I get it I get bored and restless! What's with that?

 

My smoked salmon breakfast frittata dealt with the head fuzz. I only had three glasses of wine, but one was a cheap rosé and I really don't think it agrees with me. Expensive rosé only, please!

 

Then I moped around until The Boy returned from his trip to London and I fixed myself a nice ham salad for lunch. Even that failed to cheer me up! Seriously!

 

Andy went off to the gym a little while later and the sun came out, so I went in to the garden with my books and iPad. MUCH better.

 

I got to thinking about the Whole 30. I love it and it makes me feel amazing. But, like the walking challenge and keeping a clean house and all the other things I like to do to perfection in my life, I'm using it as a stick to beat myself with when I really don't need to.

 

It dawned on me yesterday that I really still haven't let go of my all or nothing mentality, especially with food. I know it's simply not possible for me to be on a Whole 30 all the time. Nor would I want to be. But, when I do go 'off plan', I still see it as a failure, and then I get into that familiar 'Oh, what the hell, I've blown it now, may as well eat the whole box/bar/cupboard'. Not healthy.

 

I'm trying to figure out what works for me. I love the Paleo way of eating but I need to relax my rules and realise I can't be perfect and having a treat doesn't mean I've 'blown' anything. So, yesterday afternoon, I had a snack of peanut butter and oatmeal with maple syrup and some dates. I enjoyed it and tried not to feel 'bad'.

 

I soaked up the sun as long as I could before heading in and cooking up some homemade burgers with red onion alongside the legend that is Luann's Kale salad.

 

I also decided we should finish the week off right with a bit of wedding limoncello in our very tasteful souvenir glasses from Sorrento. Sweet!

 

As we settled down for what was left of the weekend, I still felt peckish and raided The Boy's snack supplies. I usually steer clear of Eat Natural bars as they don't stand up to my ingredient scrutiny, despite their health claims. However, I ain't too proud to beg and I was hungry. And it was gooooood. Almonds and apricots in a yoghurt coating. I followed it with a smaller, dark chocolate version. Not quite as good. Usually this would lead to further cupboard raiding, but I managed to stop there, quite satisfied. This is progress. My relationship with food is still so complex. I need to realise I can't undo years of dieting/bingeing in a few months.

 

This morning I had the rest of that gorgeous smoked salmon.

 

And lunch was another repeat, of last night's dinner. I heart leftovers and it makes making lunches so quick and easy!

 

Now Andy's making dinner and we're going for a little walk later as the sun has decided to appear at just the right time. It's the finale of a programme we've been watching later, so, all in all, a nice Monday evening to round off a funny old day.

 

Happy Monday!

 

What's for dinner?

Chicken, mango and cashew salad.

Sunshine and Champagne!

What a title... what a week! I can't believe this time last week I was still feasting my way around Sorrento!

It's been a long and intense week. I went straight back to work and in to three days of offsite training on Monday, only getting back to the office properly on Thursday. The training was really interesting and I came out of feeling like I'd learnt so much, not only about the workshop they were teaching us to teach, but about myself. We were given 'homework' on Monday and Tuesday night and then had to present back to the rest of the group each day after. Scary! The biggest thing I learned is that I can be creative. I'd never say I was, but everyone else seemed to think so. It's amazing what you can come up with under pressure.

Anyway, normal life is slowly resuming after all that, and there has indeed been sunshine, and champagne, so here's a round-up of the week that was...

Breakfasts

The usual mix of frittatas made a welcome return.

 

Salmon.

 

Roast Chicken

 

Anchovy!

 

And here's a wide shot for you pug tablewear lovers.

 

Lunches

 

I was hoping for the best at the rather fancy hotel we were training in, but day one's sad offerings led me to take in my own protein for the next two days!

 

 

Day one back at work, in the hotel conference centre. Time to face the emails! Armed with tea and water.

 

They served this lacklustre tuna with the salad every day.

 

 

So I took roast chicken.

 

And prawns.

 

That's better!

 

Luckily I was able to get my lunchtime walk in the grounds and we were really close to the office so I could have my usual lakeside walks, too. I hate being stuck in a room all day, particularly as we've had a super-sunny week here.

 

 

Back at the office and back to one of my usual veggie-packed albacore tuna salads with Kalamata olives and anchovies. Home again!

 

And yesterday I had a treat at Chimichanga at lunchtime with colleagues. Sizzling seabass and vegetables. It was good, especially when I added Cholula hot sauce. I miss spicy food!

 

Dinners

 

We got straight back on track with healthy meals from Sunday night. After all that indulgence it's been so nice to eat simple, home cooked meals.

 

 

Smoked haddock with steamed vegetables and sweet potato.

 

 

Roast chicken with roasted root vegetables.

Checking out the progress of the rose garden on an evening walk with The Boy.

 



 

Salmon and ginger broth with pak choy.

 

Grilled ribeye steak with roasted broccoli and sweet potato.

 

Grilled pork chops with steamed vegetables, fried apple and cinnamon and sweet potato.

 

Happenings

 

Other than eating, I went to Real Military Fitness twice this week - it was great to be back, but my ankle is still a little weak from my fall...

 

 

The walk back from RMF.

 

 

And lastnight Andy and I finally checked out the pop up Champagne bar that opens at our local castle (!) every Friday in the summer. It was like stepping in to a secret club! From the outside it's just a quiet castle... Inside there's a DJ playing, people mingling and good food and drink to be had.

Can you think of a better way to spend a Friday evening?

 

 

We strolled there straight after work, had a drink and strolled back home in the evening sunshine.

 

This will be my new home this summer!

 

 This morning I went for my usual Saturday walk. A little earlier than usual to avoid the crowds.

 

I just adore the rose garden.

 The smell in the summer is intoxicating. Love. Love. Love.

 

 

And look at all the flowers along the shoreline...

 

A wonderful start to the weekend. Now I need to get my make-up and gladrags on ready for the wedding blessing and party tonight! It's all go!

 

Did you learn anything about yourself this week? Share with the class!