I finally managed to get out for a run this week! Very pleased with myself. Did my standard 5.9k training loop with intervals added (which nearly killed me...). Felt brilliant afterwards, although I did learn a valuable running lesson, this being that running 5.9k then eating a large Sunday lunch with 3 glasses of wine and then having an afternoon nap will give you a headache. A big headache! But worth it on all counts.
In other exercise news on the bike every day going to and from work (and picking it up from Halfords on Saturday morning after its service on Friday night), a lovely walk in the sunshine with Alastair one night after work and a Pilates class - I was feeling tired so went for Pilates rather than Body Tone and regretted it as I think I would have felt better after Body Tone. Pilates was neither here nor there really.
Spent the week being abstemious (after Sunday lunch that is) in advance of my Center Parcs adventure with Jules and weighed in at 8st 11lbs on Thursday. Bring on the Center Parcs treats!
Tuesday 23 April 2013
The First Daffodil!
The first daffodil appeared in the garden last Monday!
The goldfinches have also been joined by greenfinches...
...and a garden pest!
The goldfinches have also been joined by greenfinches...
...and a garden pest!
Saturday 13 April 2013
Maintenance Week Nine
Well, the treats just continued this week. I had a tapas lunch at the ever-wonderful La Tasca Durham on Thursday, then a lovely day out in York with Jane on Friday which included the best lentil dhal I'd EVER had at El Piano. Jane is coeliac, so I'd done some research and found out that everything in El Piano was vegan and gluten free.
It was a cheerful, colourful little place with a bustling atmosphere, and the menu was international and unusual. It was difficult to choose between all the very tempting options, but I ended up having the lentil dhal with rice and chickpea fritters, and Jane went Japanese with had tofu with wasabi sauce and tempura vegetables. We were both very impressed (well, I was so impressed I thought I'd died and gone to heaven it was that good, and Jane looked quite happy too!). My lentil dhal was made with coconut milk, and the sweetness of the coconut blended perfectly with the earthiness of the lentils, the pungent taste of the coriander and the slight kick of the chilli. The rice was tasty too, and the fritters were little fried mouthfuls of deliciousness. There was also a nice little bowl of sweet relish.
I tried a bit of Jane's tofu - with some trepidation - and was not unpleasantly surprised. It was silky and tasty.
Tea/coffee and cake followed - I had chocolate cake with chocolate sauce, and Jane was very happy to have sticky toffee pudding for the first time in five years!
After all this indulgence (we patronised Betty's aswell!) I felt it appropriate to be quite abstemious for the remainder of the week. I also got some good exercise in - Alastair and I did a good walk on Saturday, I've cycled to work every day, and I did a BRILLIANT Body Tone class. I didn't get my run in though which was a shame. I have so much work to do before I go away with Jules next weekend that I worked late every night. Not. Impressed. It was also really cold, otherwise I might have ventured out even after getting home late. Hopefully when the weather warms up I'll feel like running after cycling home.
Anyway, even with the relative abstemiousness - I certainly didn't deprive myself, just ate lots of fruit and veg and healthy lunches and dinners - and the exercise I was quite surprised when I weighed in at 8st 12lbs. This wasn't entirely unplanned - not only did I feel like being healthy after all my treats this week and last week, but I'm also planning to seriously indulge myself when Jules and I go away, and thought that giving myself some room to expand would be a good thing, so I wasn't too worried.
It was a cheerful, colourful little place with a bustling atmosphere, and the menu was international and unusual. It was difficult to choose between all the very tempting options, but I ended up having the lentil dhal with rice and chickpea fritters, and Jane went Japanese with had tofu with wasabi sauce and tempura vegetables. We were both very impressed (well, I was so impressed I thought I'd died and gone to heaven it was that good, and Jane looked quite happy too!). My lentil dhal was made with coconut milk, and the sweetness of the coconut blended perfectly with the earthiness of the lentils, the pungent taste of the coriander and the slight kick of the chilli. The rice was tasty too, and the fritters were little fried mouthfuls of deliciousness. There was also a nice little bowl of sweet relish.
I tried a bit of Jane's tofu - with some trepidation - and was not unpleasantly surprised. It was silky and tasty.
Tea/coffee and cake followed - I had chocolate cake with chocolate sauce, and Jane was very happy to have sticky toffee pudding for the first time in five years!
After all this indulgence (we patronised Betty's aswell!) I felt it appropriate to be quite abstemious for the remainder of the week. I also got some good exercise in - Alastair and I did a good walk on Saturday, I've cycled to work every day, and I did a BRILLIANT Body Tone class. I didn't get my run in though which was a shame. I have so much work to do before I go away with Jules next weekend that I worked late every night. Not. Impressed. It was also really cold, otherwise I might have ventured out even after getting home late. Hopefully when the weather warms up I'll feel like running after cycling home.
Anyway, even with the relative abstemiousness - I certainly didn't deprive myself, just ate lots of fruit and veg and healthy lunches and dinners - and the exercise I was quite surprised when I weighed in at 8st 12lbs. This wasn't entirely unplanned - not only did I feel like being healthy after all my treats this week and last week, but I'm also planning to seriously indulge myself when Jules and I go away, and thought that giving myself some room to expand would be a good thing, so I wasn't too worried.
Thursday 11 April 2013
BBC Food Recipe Review: Pot au Feu
I wasn't planning this recipe, it just kind of happened. I'd been planning a chicken casserole, but when we got to Tesco there were only whole chickens left. I could have roasted the chicken we bought, but somewhere in the back of my mind was the germ of an idea. I did a quick google search and found this recipe. Surprise surprise, it was a BBC one (although from the BBC Food website not the BBC Good Food website - does anyone else find this confusing?!).
The recipe was as easy as anything to make.
I didn't have any bacon or sausages, or peppers so I just popped my whole chicken into the pot, chucked in some chopped leeks, carrots, swedes, potatoes and pearl barley, along with loads of seasoning and a couple of bay leaves, and enough cold water to cover everything.
I decided not to use the stock cube, and was glad I didn't as there was plenty enough flavour in the meat and vegetables. Finally I put the pot in the oven for two and a half hours (I always boil my stews to death!), adding the shredded cabbage at the two hour mark.
And...it was absolutely amazing! And SO economical. The meat was really tender and juicy, and just fell off the bone - there was so much of it! It made five meals I think, one for Alastair then and there and four for the freezer.
There was also a huge amount of stock, which made a giant and very flavoursome vegetable and pearl barley soup (you'll need a freezer if you do this, otherwise you'll eat nothing but chicken and veg for a week and get very sick of them!).
Serious hearty and wholesome economy cooking - love it!
The recipe was as easy as anything to make.
I didn't have any bacon or sausages, or peppers so I just popped my whole chicken into the pot, chucked in some chopped leeks, carrots, swedes, potatoes and pearl barley, along with loads of seasoning and a couple of bay leaves, and enough cold water to cover everything.
I decided not to use the stock cube, and was glad I didn't as there was plenty enough flavour in the meat and vegetables. Finally I put the pot in the oven for two and a half hours (I always boil my stews to death!), adding the shredded cabbage at the two hour mark.
And...it was absolutely amazing! And SO economical. The meat was really tender and juicy, and just fell off the bone - there was so much of it! It made five meals I think, one for Alastair then and there and four for the freezer.
There was also a huge amount of stock, which made a giant and very flavoursome vegetable and pearl barley soup (you'll need a freezer if you do this, otherwise you'll eat nothing but chicken and veg for a week and get very sick of them!).
Serious hearty and wholesome economy cooking - love it!
Sunday 7 April 2013
Maintenance Week Eight
Maintenance Week Eight included Easter Weekend, during which I did nothing but feast! It started on Thursday evening with a gorgeous, gorgeous meal (and Prosecco, and nibbles, and red wine!) at Nikki's house. Nikki baked lamb with rosemary and garlic and served it with a beautiful red wine gravy, new potatoes and a cabbage and purple sprouting broccoli mix. She did something very simple I've never ever thought to do which lifted the whole meal - drizzled a bit of lemon juice over the greens. It was really tasty against the richness of the lamb. I contributed white chocolate and cranberry cookies for dessert.
Alastair and I then did a brilliant walk on the North York Moors - knee high snowdrifts still in some places! - which left our legs feeling pleasantly sore and which was followed by an Easter feast at my mother-in-law's house. It was one of those amazing meals where everything is laid out on the table and you take a bit of everything...I had cold roast chicken, delicious potato salad and lots of salad veg. And trifle AND simnel cake for pudding! Alastair's Auntie Avril makes an amazing simnel cake and I just couldn't resist. I tell you, whoever thought of putting marzipan inside fruit cakes was a genius! I also ate some rather nice litle nibbles from M&S before dinner - cocktail sausages, mini-Scotch eggs and the like - and a LOT of Easter chocolates, courtesy of a gorgeous parcel from Jules, before and after dinner, and in the evening, and at intervals throughout the weekend!
To make up for all this feasting I did at least do some exercise over the weekend and the following week - our walk was really good exercise, and I also did an hour's weeding and digging in the garden (gardening gets activity points, how cool is that?!). Monday was a stressy day at work so I took myself off for a run after cycling home. It was officially my first 10k training run - I'm using the Race for Life plan - and I was meant to do 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk, 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk, 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk, repeat twice, but I cheated and only did 1 minute walk breaks (it was cold!). I think I covered about 5k in about 40 minutes. I think I'm going to have to be very flexible with my 10k training though, depending on how much my knees hurt and how tough cycling is at any time - it was really cold and windy this week so having worn myself out with a run on Monday all I did for the rest of the week was slog it out on the bike in the cold wind! I missed strength training, and am contemplating a quick arm and core circuit as I type this...maybe! The next official entry on my plan is 3 mins fast run, 2 mins walk, repeat twice so I can knock that out quickly after work one night. Incidentally, I've just realised writing this that the first official entry on my plan was actually easy run 5mins, walk 5mins repeat twice - I did 45 minutes instead of 15! Ooh, I feel quite smug now!
Anyway, even with the exercise I did last week, after all the aforementioned feasting it was not a surprise that I ate all my daily points, weekly points AND activity points throughout the week - so I was very surprised and pleased to weigh in at 8st 13lbs on Thursday evening! BMI 21.6, body fat percentage 26.9 this week (I found out that it fluctuates due to hydration levels). Let's hope the price of my indulgence isn't lying in wait for me next week!
Alastair and I then did a brilliant walk on the North York Moors - knee high snowdrifts still in some places! - which left our legs feeling pleasantly sore and which was followed by an Easter feast at my mother-in-law's house. It was one of those amazing meals where everything is laid out on the table and you take a bit of everything...I had cold roast chicken, delicious potato salad and lots of salad veg. And trifle AND simnel cake for pudding! Alastair's Auntie Avril makes an amazing simnel cake and I just couldn't resist. I tell you, whoever thought of putting marzipan inside fruit cakes was a genius! I also ate some rather nice litle nibbles from M&S before dinner - cocktail sausages, mini-Scotch eggs and the like - and a LOT of Easter chocolates, courtesy of a gorgeous parcel from Jules, before and after dinner, and in the evening, and at intervals throughout the weekend!
To make up for all this feasting I did at least do some exercise over the weekend and the following week - our walk was really good exercise, and I also did an hour's weeding and digging in the garden (gardening gets activity points, how cool is that?!). Monday was a stressy day at work so I took myself off for a run after cycling home. It was officially my first 10k training run - I'm using the Race for Life plan - and I was meant to do 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk, 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk, 5 mins easy run, 5 mins walk, repeat twice, but I cheated and only did 1 minute walk breaks (it was cold!). I think I covered about 5k in about 40 minutes. I think I'm going to have to be very flexible with my 10k training though, depending on how much my knees hurt and how tough cycling is at any time - it was really cold and windy this week so having worn myself out with a run on Monday all I did for the rest of the week was slog it out on the bike in the cold wind! I missed strength training, and am contemplating a quick arm and core circuit as I type this...maybe! The next official entry on my plan is 3 mins fast run, 2 mins walk, repeat twice so I can knock that out quickly after work one night. Incidentally, I've just realised writing this that the first official entry on my plan was actually easy run 5mins, walk 5mins repeat twice - I did 45 minutes instead of 15! Ooh, I feel quite smug now!
Anyway, even with the exercise I did last week, after all the aforementioned feasting it was not a surprise that I ate all my daily points, weekly points AND activity points throughout the week - so I was very surprised and pleased to weigh in at 8st 13lbs on Thursday evening! BMI 21.6, body fat percentage 26.9 this week (I found out that it fluctuates due to hydration levels). Let's hope the price of my indulgence isn't lying in wait for me next week!
Monday 1 April 2013
Maintenance Week Seven
A distictly lack-lustre week as far as exercise goes this week. Managed to cycle to and from work on Monday - possibly the coldest and most unpleasant bike-ride I've EVER done, and a gentle circuits class on Tuesday. In spite of that, thank to post-conference abstinence, I lost a pound this week and weighed in at 8st 13lbs (my preferred weight). BMI 21.5, body fat percentage 24.4%. This week!
BBC Good Food Recipe Review: White Chocolate and Raspbery Sponge
Oh. My. God. This recipe was in the March BBC Good Food Magazine (not as yet on the website) and Alastair asked me to make it for him. Being a good, obliging (and not at all self-interested) wife I did so and it was AMAZING. Like a Victoria Sponge but BETTER. And unbelievably easy to make. Because of the raspberries it's lovely and fresh, and would make a perfect Easter cake (although I realise I'm posting this on Easter Monday so a bit late...do it next year!).
All you had to do do make it was melt some white chocolate...
...mix it into creamed butter and caster sugar...
...fold in the flour and raspberries and bake.
All you had to do do make it was melt some white chocolate...
...mix it into creamed butter and caster sugar...
...fold in the flour and raspberries and bake.
The filling - which elevated the whole experience into something akin to heaven - consisted of melted white chocolate mixed into whipped cream. I did my usual trick of not whipping the cream enough so it all oozed out the sides of the cake, but as for the taste...there are no words!
The Easter Bunny Visits
Easter came this weekend, the clocks went forward, and Spring arrived! The first sunshine and blue skies for what feels like - and I think what has been - months felt so precious. It feels like we might just have made it through the winter.
We've had a lovely Easter weekend. We did a fabulous walk on the North York Moors, where there were lambs and catkins but still a lot of snow on the tops.
We had a lovely Easter meal with Alastair's mam and step-dad, and we've eaten a LOT of chocolate. I even got out into the garden for an hour this afternoon - just hoeing and digging over the big veg patch. This time last year we had daffodils and tulips - it's been so cold this year that the crocuses have only just struggled out, along with the little flowers that live underneath Buddleia whose name I don't know.
We've had a lovely Easter weekend. We did a fabulous walk on the North York Moors, where there were lambs and catkins but still a lot of snow on the tops.
We had a lovely Easter meal with Alastair's mam and step-dad, and we've eaten a LOT of chocolate. I even got out into the garden for an hour this afternoon - just hoeing and digging over the big veg patch. This time last year we had daffodils and tulips - it's been so cold this year that the crocuses have only just struggled out, along with the little flowers that live underneath Buddleia whose name I don't know.
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