Day 15, when things are sent to try us, smile and cook!

It's day 15. Not a great sleep to boast about, but sufficient to function. Not due to bubby, but bills. Well, one bill and a non payment. It is far too easy to let the stress of human error ruin the day, but I refuse to let it. Sure, I need to challenge things, like politely emailing a company that should have paid me yesterday, and also, challenging an internet provider who has charged me twice for the same hefty connection fee. But if I let stress get to me, everyone's day will be ruined. So today, I choose to enjoy my hubby, my bubby, my teens, and work on being their reason to smile. I like to think of it as my emotional boot camp for the day :) 

A very good thing to happen- the weigh in! Read it people- down to 65kg in 2 weeks!!! I have lost approximately 3 and a bit kilo's in this time through sensible, mostly real food eating and very gentle exercise. No sugar is working!!! This former dessert queen is a bit chuffed indeed. 

Down to 65kg's! Haven't been this weight since mid pregnancy :)

Today started out challenging but ended amazingly well. Sometimes, it's easy to assume how a day starts is how it finishes. Not true! Making a decision to shift the focus off the problem and change our response is the key. And I'm blessed I have an amazing hubby who helps me refocus when I find it hard to do this quickly. My beautiful non teen cheered me up too, and being allowed to cry is also helpful. As is eating yummy food. I made today a day for cooking, and eating things that made my soul feel good, not just my belly.

A morning tea treat; boiled egg topped with my divine spinach pesto.

Flowers to cheer me up from my sweet non teen. They worked :)

Today, I finally put that lonely eggplant to good use. And as I was in the mood for some wholesome comfort food, this is my interesting version of caponata.

In a pan, heat a tablespoon of coconut oil. Fry one medium eggplant, roughly chopped, until golden and soft. Remove and set aside.

In the same pan, add a knob of butter, then add chopped zucchini, red onion, tomatoes, and in this case, cherry tomatoes too. Lightly fry until golden and softened. May need a splash of water.

I didn't have green olives, so I used black Spanish olives instead, and added the eggplant back to the pan. Then I added a generous splash of malt vinegar. Season with salt and cracked black pepper.

Lastly, i added a budget tin of chickpeas, and a good splash of Italian passata. Stir through until all combined and stew for 5 minutes more. Again, a splash of water can be added if mixture gets too dry.

Place into four bowls. Top with herbs of choice. I used the only one I had available- coriander. Makes a great main meal or even side dish.

As life is gearing up to full speed with hubby part of 3 exhibitions in the coming weeks, it's important for him, and me, to have healthy food already in the fridge. I find a few days of either ready made meals, or left-overs, are not only money saving, but often health saving too, as they can prevent junk snacking, which is often a convenience go to.

My second afternoon tea; strawberry, chia, beetroot smoothy. With cinnamon, it's incredibly sweet and very yummy.

Hubby has a big day tomorrow, so I prepared this omelette in advance. Now, he just needs to heat and eat his breaky. It was simply a slash of olive oil, baby spinach, red onions and mushrooms sauteed with a few slices of ham. Then it was covered with 4 beaten eggs mixed with a splash of milk, then covered with grated cheese. The top was browned off under the grill.

The omelette made 3 serves and will easily last the weekend in the fridge, maybe!

Lastly, I slow roasted some pumpkin to use in salads over the next few days. I love the sweet hit it gives meals. So keen to eat it. 

Todays eating went something like this...

On waking: cuppa with whole milk at 6:30am

Breaky: Pear bircher muesli at 7am.

Morning tea: Boiled egg with pesto.

Lunch: Mountain bread wrap with another egg, pesto and dry coleslaw, and a cuppa at 12 noon.

Afternoon tea number 1: 5 strawberries and 8 almonds at 2pm.

Afternoon tea number 2: strawberry smoothy combo at 3:30pm.
Dinner: Caponata at 4:45pm.

There we go. Enjoy, and talk soon :)