Day 2, Food, glorious food

It's proving challenging getting up before 7am, yet somehow, I'm managing it- and dreaming of the day when I sleep straight. Despite being baby brained and chronically sleep deprived, I'm pretty darned impressed with the culinary triumphs I'm having at present. This is a big week of food, glorious food. Tomorrow starts the preparation of the naughty treats I am creating for my hubby's art exhibition on Friday night: mini white choc cheesecakes. The recipe makes 72, but I'm planning on just making half that, using the remainder as a gift cake to someone. And because I am making these wickedly yummy little treats, I have been extra vigilant with my diet and planning meals ahead.

Last night, I made another pesto after blogging: basil -with a hint of spinach. I made a very large batch to ensure I have a delish treat to keep me motivated. It's bursting with flavour and adds so much more to a dish, however simple. It made my breaky this morning. See below...

The last slice of pesto bread was covered in a very generous amount of pesto, topped with tomato, cheese, then grilled. Honestly- a gorgeous breaky. I need to make more paleo bread- this stuff is addictive!

Cutting back on coffee means I want to pack a lot into only a few cups. This was nice- but waaay too strong. I only got through half. Such waste! 

I felt like a fresh morning tea, so made myself a green smoothy before heading off to town to get ingredients for my catering. 

This contained one small kiwi fruit, half a green apple, some ginger and a few spinach leaves blended with water. Tangy, fresh and really good.

Lunch was as delish today as it was last night- it just needed a little more protein with the boiled egg.

I am marinating chicken for tomorrow: ginger, rice malt syrup and soy sauce. If I am cooking tempting treats, I need to have tasty, healthy food on hand to keep me focused.

I scored a great bargain at Woolies- chicken pieces/ bones for $1.74 a kilo! That's even cheaper than chicken frames and much meatier too. I needed to make another stock, and this price was the motivation I needed.

Quite a good amount of meat and bones and such great value.

The chicken was covered with a few litres of cold water and a leftover brown onion, a couple of carrots, some celery, parsley, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, pepper and a hint of curry spice. I brought it to the boil and simmered it for nearly 3 hours. It's a set and forget kind of stock- super easy.

While the stock was cooking, hubby, bubby and I went for a walk to the beach. Who could waste a day as gorgeous as this? I know, I live in paradise :)

Dinner was fresh and easy peasy- fresh chicken stock with a fresh corn cob, kernels cut off, and left over chicken from making the stock. A pinch of seasoning, and voila- dinner is served. 

Considering Tuesdays is pizza day, hubby is on holidays- but at home and working like crazy and not cutting back of naughty foods just yet, and the family are eating things I can't, I think I'm doing quite well to stick to a healthy eating regime. Check out below for today's food consumed... 

  

Breaky: a large milky cuppa at 6:30am, followed by cheese and tomato on Paleo bread at 7:15am. Another half coffee at 8am.
Morning tea: green smoothy at 9:30am
Lunch: leftovers from last night
Afternoon tea: boiled egg, halved and topped with pesto at 2:15pm. A half strength, small coffee at 4pm- to ease my withdrawal headache.
Dinner: Chicken and corn soup at 5pm.

Tomorrow is the start of an epic few days of preparation for Friday night, and still cooking for the fam. lets see how I go! Until then, thanks for reading.

Day 1, Nachos and a layered steak salad

Cast your mind back 2 days. Remember my new goals: 

My personal goals by day 28:

1. I aim to be exercising for 30 minutes at least 3 days a week.

2. Cut out processed meats (including bacon) and excess salt.

3. Eliminate wheat- only because of my addiction/ weakness with bread.

4. Set a bed time/ wake-up routine. No lingering in bed, even when cuddling a cute bubby, past 7am.

5. On days I don't exercise, I still have to exercise- self control that is, by eating lighter. 

6. Cut back on the caffeine! No more large cups of it, and way less milk. This has been getting out of hand. No more than 2 per day from Monday on.

Day 1; Yes, I did get out of bed well before 7am, and I did set my alarm -at 2am after a night feed. Oops. Getting up this morning was oh so hard. We had an epic weekend, and lots of food- it was great! However, tired just doesn't cover it. Of course, my first day would be torture getting up. And keeping the coffee down to a minimum was super challenging. I sort of did it, but I had 3.5 coffees, not two. I couldn't finish the last one.

What did work well was my diet. I ate gorgeous food today, and I feel so good now. Breaky was diving. Se below for details...

1 slice of Paleo bread and an egg, lightly fried in olive oil.

The egg stuck a little- not enough oil. The toasted Paleo bread was covered in a generous amount of spinach pesto. Seriously AH-MAZING! 

I had made a small cherry-yoghurt-oat parfait for breaky, but that became my lunch instead with a crisp, green apple side. Satisfyingly yummy.

Monday=Family Dinner Night, and this can prove a challenge when not everyone is eating healthy. Hubby doesn't start his regime until next week, and my non teen wouldn't eat the food I was making them either, so tonight turned into two dinners. Both were simple, easy to prepare and left all very happy. 

I started mine, and my non teen's dinner first, as it had the most ingredients. 

I began by slicing some red onion, zucchini and pumpkin. 

Then I lightly fried the pumpkin in minimal olive oil until coloured and just soft.

I placed the red onion in a container with malt vinegar and some sea salt, covered it, shook it and let it stand.

Then I did the zucchini the same was as the pumpkin, and added it to the salad bowl, which already had a layer of spinach & rocket mix and the cooked pumpkin.

The next layer was a cob of fresh corn kernels. Probably one of my fave fresh veggies at present- naturally sweet and so delish and nutrient packed. 

The next stage was to start on the nacho's. and cook the mince. It was super oily, so I drained it in the garden when cooked. Once the mix was done, it was simply a case of layering 1.5 packets of corn chips on a pizza tray, layering mince, mexican salsa dip, grated cheese, and grilling.

I simply drained as much of the mince fat as I could, and used the remainder to stir fry my lean steak strips in. Once cooked, they made the next layer. This was then topped with drained red onions, some chopped red capsicum and flat leaf parsley. Just before serving, it was drizzled with a little olive oil.

This was my serve- a very generous plate full of gorgeous colours and flavours. I have a small serve left over, and with a boiled egg, that is tomorrows lunch :)

I forgot to add sour cream to the nacho's- no one seemed to mind though.But now I have some that I will have to turn into another meal this week. Potato bake perhaps? 

I was quite satisfied with today's eating, and feel the day, overall, was a success.

To keep the tradition going, I will inform you of today's actual meals...

Breaky: 1.5 milky coffees and paleo bread with egg and pesto at 7am.

Lunch: cherry parfait and a green apple at 11am.

Afternoon tea: a cuppa at 12:30. 2 boiled eggs with pesto at 2:30pm.

Dinner: Large serve of layered steak salad at 5pm.

There was another coffee in there somewhere! I'm just not sure when.

That is it for day 1 of the next 28 days. Hope you've enjoyed reading. Until tomorrow :)

Day 30, results, plans, and a party

I made it! 30 whole days, done and dusted. Yay!!! And what a huge day It's been. My sweet little bubby has eaten big and gone to bed already. I'm tempted to join her. 

I woke up ravenous this morning. So much so, I had to interrupt my usual morning snuggle with bubby to eat. After an early morning weigh in, I was a bit down that the scales hadn't moved for around 2 weeks. This made me feel a little guilty for indulging my appetite. But then I thought- hang on, what are the positives here? I have decided to list them...

* I haven't consumed sugar in 30 days. That's one month- sugar free! 

* I have lost nearly 4 kilo's in 4 weeks on minimal exercise, just by changing my diet.

*I have been eating a healthy amount of saturated fat, yet maintaining my weight.

*I feel more in control of what goes in my mouth. Not complete control- but far more than when I started.

*My husband is motivated to start a healthy eating regime.

*I am motivated, and able, to start exercising again.

I could go on! This is such a positive list. I have done well :)

Stable weight- a positive sign. Ready for the next phase now :)

This has been a week of birthdays. Not counting relatives who don't live nearby, we have done a bit of celebrating already, and today was no exception. It was my father-in-laws birthday, and we celebrated it at Saltbar restaurant. All 9 adults and 4 little people. Hubby has a big family. I was so keen to eat again, still feeling as though no food had touched the sides all morning, and I was thrilled to discover my ma-in-law had ordered share plates of creamy salad (thankfully not mayo but sour cream) and crumbed seafood platters with chips. Oh-so-good! I was satisfied with the free water and declined dessert, but honestly, I didn't feel deprived. I was more than satisfied with my share of lunch. And my ginormous cappuccino after it. Thanks Ma :)

A delish, sour cream laced salad with plenty of veg and egg for protein. Very low sugar but high on taste.

Due to exhaustion, however, dinner tonight was lazy and very naughty. Seriously, I felt too tired to care. We had shopped for gifts before the lunch, stayed for close to 3 hours with hubby's family, then gone and grabbed some extra groceries after lunch as our student is having her brother visit from tonight. We had been going pretty well all day. No one cared about me not making dinner- it was a 'help yourself' night thankfully. 

This white bread treat, however, will be very short lived. Since hubby and I have been talking about food and health, and how what we eat will directly influence our beautiful bubby girl, there will be some major changes happening. A few slices of bread now is a rare, and to be honest, it has to be, because white bread is my weakness. Simple, plain, fluffy, high GI white bread really does it for me :) But I know my body isn't grateful for it. At all.

Now, before I get into the next 'challenge', let me fill you in on my daily consumption this fine Saturday...

Breaky: 1 slice paleo bread wrapped in 2 slices of bacon at 4:50am
Morning tea: Large, milky coffee and water at 7am and 2 slices of Paleo bread with pesto at 9am
Lunch: salad and crumbed seafood, water and a large cappuccino at 1pm
Afternoon tea:  quarter of a rockmelon and 50gms walnuts at 3:30pm'
Dinner: A very lazy me ate 2 white bread bacon sangas at 5:30pm. Oh white bread- why are you so fluffy and tempting?!

There, not as glowingly healthy as it could have been. Definitely yummy though!  

Now, onto the next stage. I'm actually quite excited about it! Starting from Monday (because tomorrow is another birthday party!), I am embarking on 28 days of getting even more serious with my health. Hubby will start his 21 days a week into it, as making serious changes just before his first solo exhibition is a little unwise, especially as his body adjusts from a high processed sugar diet to more natural forms. Let me explain it like this...

My personal goals by day 28:

1. I aim to be exercising for 30 minutes at least 3 days a week.

2. Cut out processed meats (including bacon) and excess salt.

3. Eliminate wheat- only because of my addiction/ weakness with bread.

4. Set a bed time/ wake-up routine. No lingering in bed, even when cuddling a cute bubby, past 7am.

5. On days I don't exercise, I still have to exercise- self control that is, by eating lighter. 

6. Cut back on the caffeine! No more large cups of it, and way less milk. This has been getting out of hand. No more than 2 per day from Monday on.

These may sound simple, but the effects will be immense. I'm nervous- especially if bubby has one of her 'special' night's where she wakes lots and I'm not only tempted to sleep in, but not exercise and then wake up with coffee. If that does happen, I know I can do all of this. Why? Because I want to do it, and choose to do it.

Now, this is hubby's part, which of course, involves me :) Men can consume more than women and not gain weight. Sorry ladies, but that's just how it is. Of course this doesn't translate to men gorging and piling on the weight either, but understanding that men's needs are a little greater. Especially active blokes like my hubby. So, hubby wants to start his 21 days, sensibly after his exhibition, and that involves me. While I am eating sensibly, I will also be searching for budget friendly ways of preparing nutrient dense, low sugar, filling meals that satisfy my man's appetite and energy output. This means, that the last 3 weeks of my next challenge, we will be doing it together :) That makes me happy.

Exciting days ahead! So, stay tuned guys. This coming week will provide an extra challenge for me, as I am catering for my hubby's exhibition. I'm talking, mini white choc cheese cakes and delish canapes that I really won't be able to eat. Fun times! 

Until next time, hope you have a great weekend, and remember, I welcome any feedback.

Day 29, coconut cherry cupcake, with a twist

What a challenging, exciting, confronting but freeing day! The challenging aspect was not only having someone go through practically every single outfit and show you what doesn't suit through photo evidence, but also seeing yourself in certain outfits and realising that for the longest time, you have been hiding behind baggy clothes, trying to 'hide' weight gain, and perhaps appear slimmer. Silly me. I was shocked to discover how flattering things that emphasised my waist actually were. Who'd have thought. Another challenging aspect- the giant bag of clothes, and pile next to it; not needed, just wrong or just don't suit and are headed off to the Op Shop. Wow- so many items! And such an empty robe now. But I did want a fresh start, and this definitely qualifies. Mind you, nothing was thrown without my permission. I am proud of me. No more keeping out of date items 'skinny me' wore. No more hiding behind daggy comfort clothes unless of course I'm having a day indoors. Everyone needs indoor, sloth day rags :) 

Seeing how I currently look was a little confronting. I haven't seemed to be able to shift extra weight recently. Even after a tummy bug. Groan. However, I honestly no longer crave sugar! At all! And I have managed to trim my waist and improve my overall outlook. Since tomorrow is the last day, how can I say that I've failed? I haven't. I have also motivated my husband to embrace healthier eating. That is a fantastic outcome! Being partnered with someone in health is always easier than going solo.

For breaky, I felt like experimenting with my own version of a muggin after trying the choc one in Sarah Wilson's book on day  21. I created a coconut cherry cupcake. See below for details...

 

In a mug, place 2 level tablespoons of coconut flour, 1 egg, 2 level tablespoons of desiccated coconut , some cinnamon, some chia seeds, a hint of stevia (or rice malt syrup), a splash of milk and a generous amount of frozen cherries. Mix well.

Cook in microwave for approximately 2 minutes- but check after one and a half. Serve with natural yoghurt.  It was surprisingly filling. Very yummy way to start the day :)

I must say, nerves shrank my belly today- I wasn't overly hungry at all. I guess having years of collected clothing completely overhauled made me quite anxious if truth be told. I wanted it done- but letting go isn't always easy. Still, I did have sufficient food, and I am trying not to eat unless actually hungry. Forced overeating is so wrong. I'm practicing asking myself- am I really hungry?- its a valuable thing to do. Of course, bodies need food, but sometimes, you can get away without constantly overloading the system. I didn't eat for nearly 3 days before my bubby was born due to illness, and we weren't malnourished at all. As I type, I feel satisfied, and have had enough to keep me functioning very well. I was just lazy with dinner- it had been a BIG day! Look below to see today's actual eating... 

On waking: a milky cuppa at 7:30am
Breaky: coconut cherry cupcake at 8:15am
Morning tea: Cuppa at 9am
Lunch: 100gms tuna in olive oil at 1pm.
Afternoon tea: 2 boiled eggs with pesto between 2 & 3pm
Dinner: Olive ciabatta- 2 crusty end bits, and a slice of rockmelon at 5pm.

Tomorrow is the end of the 30 days, but not this blog, so fear not! I have a clear idea of where I would like to head with this, and have also realised my weaknesses and hope to work on them, like my defaulting to drinking too much caffeine! I am undecided if I should weigh myself tomorrow, or wait a day. opinions will be considered :) 

Until then, thanks for reading.

Day 28, Paleo bread, pesto and lasagne

As you can see, I skipped a day. You can thank a non glamorous illness for that. We shall politely call it a tummy bug. Hubby and I thought it might be great to have it together, because nothing says 'fun' like two parents sick simultaneously. Today was the better day, but really, though I have eaten due to hunger, I'm still not feeling the overriding enthusiasm for food. Which makes blogging about food, well, interesting. It also makes it extra special- I did this while feeling off, and I ate it, and liked it too. Amazing really, when you think about it :)

I was keen to try some making more pesto. Ok, my motivation was simply having run out of pesto ages ago, so I made a fresh batch, but this time, I added garlic. Oh, sweet garlic, how I've missed you! It made the pesto explode with extra flavour! 

Just about ready to blitz: cashews, spinach leaves, parmesan cheese, a large clove of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

A few simple ingredients go a long way in making a delish spread or dip.

A little chunky, but oh so yummy. So much so, my non teen asked for the recipe after trying some today. I am flattered :)

Now, onto making Paleo bread, or, Paleo Inside-Out Bread on page 61 of Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar For Life cookbook. 

After 1.5 cups almond meal, 3/4 cup of arrowroot, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and half a teaspoon of bi-carb had been mixed in a bowl, I added the wet mix. This was made up of 1 tablespoon of finely chopped flat leaf parsely; 1/3 cup pitted olives, halved; 3/4 cup grated zucchini; 1/3 cup finely diced ham;1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese that had this mixed through- 5 eggs that had been whisked with 1.5 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

The wet and dry were combined- it took just over a minute.

While I cooked, I had a visitor again. He kept watching me through the kitchen window :)

The mixture was then placed in a greased, lined loaf tin, covered with a couple of tablespoons of pepitas and placed in a slow oven for approximately 1 hour. The original recipe said 30-35mins to cook, but that was no where near enough. It pays to work with your own oven. I ended up covering the top to prevent burning for the last 20 minutes.

This is the cooked bread. Smells amazing!

After letting it cool for about 20 minutes, I cut it- which was easy as it isn't crumbly.

And then it was sliced. Some slices went into the freezer, some found their way into mine and my non teens bellies. With pesto on top, the taste was sensational. So glad I made the effort, and will most definitely do this again soon.

And now, onto dinner. I had a personal training trial in my lounge room this afternoon. It was fantastic! I was told by the trainer not to expect what everyone else does. I am so glad I said yes, and grateful on another level- this was free lesson number 1, and I have 1 more to go. After today, I have so much restored hope, actually feel better, and know it's only a matter of time before my body is functioning better than before. And after the trials, he is still much cheaper than a physio. If today is anything to go by, I  will be fighting fit, and flexible very soon. I also like his approach- far more holistic than anyone I have personally been trained by before. That works for me. 

But that meant dinner was a bit delayed. I had promised the teens a lasagne, but for obvious reasons, that didn't happen yesterday. I had the mince out defrosting this morning- full fat, cheap mince- the best kind. After the training session, I quickly diced a whole brown onion, grated a zucchini, thinly sliced a few sticks of celery, chopped flat leaf parsley and lightly fried them in olive oil. Then I added the mince when the onions softened. When the mince was a little browned, I added a jar of Italian passata and a little salt and pepper.

While that was cooking down a little on low heat, I prepared the lasagne dish with a little olive oil. Then it was a matter of layering mince, lasagne sheets, cream until the top layer which was cream topped with a generous portion of grated cheese. It was popped in a hot oven, covered, for 40 mins and uncovered for 20. It was a tad runny, but still very good considering how rushed it was. 

I must say, though I didn't feel like eating much dinner, I did force this down. Creamy lasagne is just too good to waste!

That is your lot for today. And, after a days absence, this is what I consumed this fine Thursday...

Breaky: a small cuppa and 2 boiled eggs with pesto at 7am
Morning tea: portion of almonds at 9am, followed by 2 slices of paleo bread with pesto at 10am. Weak, half cuppa.
Lunch: 1 medium apple
Afternoon tea: a stronger cuppa at 2pm.
Dinner: large piece of lasagne and a small dinner roll at 6pm.

That's it guys. Until tomorrow, when I shall also fill you in on my wardrobe make-over. part 1 of that is tomorrow! 

Day 26, simple low carb stir fry

Hello dear readers. I hope this brief blog suffices today. Feeling just a bit under the weather. On a plus, at least it has kept the eating down today :)

Today was a Tweed City trip. My teen looked for work, hubby, bubby and I went shopping. Hubby is a week and a half away from his first solo exhibition, so the pressure is on, and there isn't much time for luxury shopping trips. It was all business. The same for me. A growing bubby means things need replenishing often. At this stage, I'm trying not to be sad breastfeeding didn't work, especially as we now go through 3 tins a fortnight. Not cheap! But, she is so worth it, and a healthy bubby is what we have, and really, that is all that matters.

Dinner tonight was simple. Honestly, I made myself make and eat it. I haven't really had the stomach for food today. Here is a simple, low carb stir fry. 

In minimal oil and butter, stir fry (medium heat) broccoli, onion, garlic, tomato, celery and a little red capsicum. Fridge left overs really.

No need to add water, as the carb free fettuccine has plenty (carb free pasta is found in a packet in the health food aisle). Add a whole packet and stir. Add some soy sauce. Cook til some of the liquid reduces.

Add seasoning of choice. I used my boring basics: curry powder, a little salt and pepper. Mix well, and add cooked meat or protein of choice. I had cooked some beef strips yesterday, so threw them in, heated through thoroughly, then served. 

This stir fry is nutritious, filling and serves 2 generous portions. 

This is how I ate today:

7am: strawberry parfait and a large milky cuppa.

11:30am: small apple and medium serve of almonds.

1:30pm: small cappucino

2:30pm: 1 piece of wholemeal bread.

5pm: serve of the above stir fry.

There you go, a simple blog, but I aim to be consistent. Hopefully, tomorrow will be another theme park day while everyone is on school holidays. Lets see how my eating goes then :) 

Bye for now.

Day 25, a sleepy kind of day

It really has been a sleepy kind of day all day. And cold. Welcome back winter. For me, the temptation when it's a sleepy, cold kind of day is to eat sugary, carb laden foods to 'boost' my mood and energy levels. I did eat carb foods- but the good kind- unprocessed. Unless you call a smoothy processed.

Bubby was a sleepy girl today. She slept reasonably well last night, though did end up in her mumma's bed at 3am. She didn't seem interested in food after her 2:30am feed until around 10:30am as she was sleepy. After lunch, she was, you guessed it, sleepy again. So, I settled her on my bed with a cuddle, and proceeded to sleep for an hour and a half myself. I guess we both needed a zzzzzzz catch up today. 

Remember that breaky parfait I made yesterday? Well, here it is as a smoothy. I just felt like blitzing my first meal of the day, so I simply emptied the glass into the magic bullet, added water, and hey presto, a simple , nutritious and filling breakfast.

For lunch, I was feeling the cold a bit, so I made a mushroom and cheese 2 egg omelette and added it to a Mountain Bread wrap with some red capsicum, red onion, parsley and a thin line of whole egg mayo and some pepper. So good!

Monday night, as regular readers will know, is family dinner night. The challenge is to make healthy, appealing food that everyone loves, but doesn't leave me feeling as though I have blown a weeks worth of good eating. We did have one teen less tonight- she had a special dinner with a friend who is relocating, so I considered that was a worthy exit from a family ritual. 

Dinner was an easy, quick meal. I simply cut up 4 chicken thigh fillets and fried them off in minimal olive oil, as the chicken has a little fat that renders down to help cook the meat anyway.

Once the chicken has been sealed on each side, I added half a chopped red onion, some frozen broccoli/ peas/ beans and 1 chopped fresh carrot.

To this, I added some salt, pepper, paprika and soy sauce. 

Then I added half of the rice I had just cooked by absorption method. I stirred it carefully until all the rice was coated. Sample and season as needed. I added some more soy sauce.

The remaining rice I stored in a sealed container and froze for another night. I'm almost tempted to make crumbed, cheesy rice balls- a personal fave. You will have to see :)

For my dinner portion, I added a truck load of shredded iceberg lettuce to my bowl as a filler.

Then I put a small serve of the rice dish on top, and covered that with chopped red capsicum, parsley and a little olive oil.

Everyone else got this portion. Well, except hubby- he did get a little bit more.

Now, the bit we all love, my daily eating....

On waking: a strong, less milk coffee at 6:30am

Breaky: Parfait smoothy at 7am

Morning tea: Strawberry protein smoothy- dairy free at 9am

Lunch: Mountain Bread wrap at noon

Afternoon tea: Cuppa

Dinner: Salad and rice dish followed by a milky decaff at 5:30pm

Before I finish for the day, I should share my good news. When my 30 days is done, hubby wants me to blog his 21 day challenge- 21 days being how long it takes to make or break a habit. I personally think he likes the fact that I will be cooking him all the meals he needs. Hmmm, smart man. But, if that is what it takes to help him get healthy, then I am all for it. Challenge accepted! 

Until tomorrow, thanks for reading.

Day 24, the icing on the cake

Before running out the door to church this morning, I managed to quickly decorate the top of my non teens birthday cake. I wanted it to be the first thing she saw when she walked in the door for her birthday lunch. I was so thrilled yesterday when a trip to the shops bagged me 3 punnets of strawberries for only $3- I knew that would make the perfect topping. It was then just a matter of trimming several strawberries, placing them in the centre of the cake, melting a row of cooking chocolate and roughly dolloping it on top, then sifting a small amount of icing sugar over it all. And here is the result...

Mmmmmm, decadent, moist devils food cake.

As I knew lunch would be quite large, as birthday lunches can be, I wanted to start with a healthy breakfast. This smoothy was simply delish...

And was made with these ingredients. I honestly prefer not to consume protein powders containing soy, but at the moment, it's all I have. Still shopping around for a substitute. 

Lunch was so basic and really good: lamb meatballs with nothing but rosemary, salt and pepper. The salad: wild rocket, pear, red onion and crumbled parmesan with lemon juice, olive oil and salt/pepper seasoning. This food was accompanied with a loaf of ciabatta that had olive oil and spices to dip into. As stunning as it was simple.

This very generous slice was my non teens. 

Only four slices gone and so is over half the cake! Proud to say, none went into my mouth. I enjoyed the bread and olive oil quite a lot.

My happy daughters, one being cuddled, and one birthday girl ready to enjoy her cake. 

After all of that, I needed to make myself ready for the week, so as always, I want to start how I plan to finish. These contain the following from bottom to top: 1 tablespoon of oats, 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt, a heaped teaspoon of almond meal, 3 chopped strawberries, a tablespoon of pepitas, cinnamon and a 1/4 cup of whole milk. 

As yet, I haven't eaten dinner. I am trying to get into the habit of not eating unless I am actually hungry, and after a big bread feed with lunch, I'm not. Just thirsty, so i am flushing with plenty of water. If I do get hungry, I will eat something light and simple, like a salad or steamed green veg.

And now, today's eating, which I have pretty well just told you anyway...

On waking: A big, milky coffee at 7:30am

Breaky: green smoothy at 8:15am

Lunch: 2 lamb meatballs, large serve of salad, several pieces of ciabatta dipped in olive oil and spices, followed by a large coffee at 1:30

Dinner: Nothing at present 

That's your lot for today. Hope you all are having a great weekend. Until tomorrow