Jan 09 Summer sun, peachy bums and... toddler tantrums..

[120]

New thread here...

I'm counting down my overnighter to Vancouver for frock shopping and club hopping with one of my best friends. 15 days. The longest I've been away from DD is 4 hours when I went for a mani-pedi and massage when she was 5 months old. Otherwise, its only been short stints to the shop and gym is the time I get away, and even then, I'm rushing to get home, so not really me time, as far as I'm concerned.

We have just had fresh white baguette with cheese and pickle (well they had chutney bought at the summer fayre, I had pickle) and am now really cross with myself. Should've eaten something much healthier. I've put a jacket potato in the oven for my tea tonight as well, but am now thinking I should probably have a salad instead.

I seriously reckon that not eating any naughty food at all on a Saturday night should mean an instant weight loss of at least half a stone.

Am so bored and grumpy sitting here with my foot in the air - again. Swelling seems to have gone down a lot overnight (perhaps that's what all the pain was about?) and now the bruising seems to be coming out, so I have a rather fetching yellow and green puffy looking ankle.

Ooo, come to think of it the swelling must weigh a bit extra mustn't it - got to be at least a few ounces of weight loss to come when all that goes, I reckon.

I clicked on the link. No, I won't do it. Must wait to Vancouver as I have a particular budget and I'm not dipping in this time! lol. But really, one of each please. I wish I could dress like that every day. I wish I had the knees to wear short dresses... they knock a little.

I'm thinking the swelling must weigh at least 10lbs... lol
ps... have the potatoe and salad... much better balance.

Me time? What's that then? Can't remember the last time I had some time without at least one dc with me.

I think it was the Strawberry Fair in June 2009 (and actually I was pregnant then, so dd was even there with me then, in a way).

Oh yes - 10lbs at least.

Nope, potato and white baguette in one day is too much, boring old green salad and cottage cheese it is.

Its hard enough trying to shift the pounds when you can't shift your bum, without eating loads of the wrong type of carbs as well.

Supper tonight here will be pork chops and red apple cabbage for them, followed by strawberry and grape jelly. We're having a steak, barley and grape salad from the moro cookbook.

Painting is a bit stop start as am feeling too tired today. May go and lie down instead before they get back!

Moose have you tried mediterranean salad? Will dig the recipe out for you. It's peppers, tomatoes, courgettes & red onion marinated in a soy and tomato paste sauce. Sounds odd but is really delicious and a bit more substantial than just green, but without tons of calories. Even DP's Daddy, who dislikes courgettes loves it.

where did my comma go?

Sounds a bit like what I've been eating this week 120, but would be very interested in your recipe.

Have been varying my salads so that I don't get bored and its been fine - until today, am just feeling a bit hard done by really, I guess.

When we go on holiday to Ireland we like to go to our favourite cafe/deli a couple of times and I always order their fantastic mixed salad, which is basically every type of veggie salad they have, all on one plate. I've been trying to emulate that a bit by having lots of different stuff like noodle salads (made with tamari, mange-tout, sugar snaps and baby corn) hummous, couscous, small slices of omelette/frittata etc etc. Also wholegrain and seeded wraps with extra light philadelphia and lovely cherry or baby plum tomatoes and wholemeal pittas with hoummous and avocado or philly and cucumber.

We eat tonnes of mediterranean stuff, the dcs all love peppers, tomatoes and courgettes and I get through stacks of red onions every week.

Keep meaning to have a go at your strawberry salad as well.

Am gagging for a 'proper' meal though iyswim.

I know exactly what you mean. Luckily, I wasn't really brought up on proper food (my mum would kill me if she saw this)! We had some (pretty bad) meat and two veg German meals, but by far the best stuff we had was the 'picky' stuff, as my mum preferred to eat that way.

Things like 'Abendbrot', where you have plates of cut meats and cheeses, a cabbage, potato or pasta salad, some green salad and a basket of yummy German bread and rolls. All served with a big tray of pickles and relishes. Or a curry where there would be little bowls of raita, mango chutney, cut up banana, dried coconut and raisins to go with the main curry/rice/dahl act.

I can't bear anything that I'd regard as diet food, so won't eat any product created to be a low fat version as I know they tend to just up the sugar. I try to eat things like full fat yoghurt and cheese in moderation, but fail, mainly because we don't usually eat that much meat and I think my body craves protein.

Am feeling hungry now! Managed to get stuck into the painting after all so rather pleased with myself. Still kid free but I suspect they'll be back shortly.

I hate how they market things as diet food when all they have really done is replace the fat with sugar. Basically you have the choice of eating the fat directly or making your own out of the sugar.

That said, my current treat is yeo valley fat free natural yoghurt with fresh strawberries (I think that's not too bad for sugar content).

The only 'hard' cheese I've eaten in the last two weeks was a sprinkle on top of the tomatoey, quorn thing I made earlier this week (and I usually live on the stuff).

I am horrified at the fat and salt levels in things like wraps/tortillas though. The trade off for me there though is that they don't make me feel all stodged like bread does.

Between the fat, sugar, carbs and salt levels in things I'm finding it a real minefield. Frankly, its just been easier to stick mainly to fresh fruit and salad with a bit of extra low fat cheese, the odd egg, fat free yoghurt and a couple of nuts here and there. I have new found love of cottage cheese though, which is surprising, as I always hated the stuff before.

All a bit disheartening really, when I know I'll be lucky to lose a pound a week until I can start exercising again.

Well done with getting on with the portrait, must've been lovely being child free for a couple of hours.

Sartre would only eat pastries; he felt that as we are an advanced civilization, we should only be eating foods we construct, none of that fresh foods. lol.

Moose sounds like you eat very healthy. For salad recipes, I go here. This one I've made a few times but they have the best alternative recipes for salads and light eating that I go back all the time because they are so good. Actually, I get the emails so I'm constantly reminded that there is other food out there besides sauted veg and pasta... my favourite.

I was brought up on Shake & Bake(d) meat, mashed potatoe and a veg that was either frozen corn, peas or carrots. Turnips at holiday time which I despise. To this day, I can't eat mashed potatoe. Makes me wretch. Even thinking about it, like right now, my mouth is contorting. lol.

DH and DD have left for the morning. Whew. DH gets up and says, 'I just couldn't get up with her at 6. If it was 7, I would have. I've been up at 7 the last two mornings.' Ah... to watch football, but I didn't remind him.

Moose You are thinking about food too much! Don't worry too much when you are held up with injury. Just keep it in your mind that you are getting fitter and thinner by the minute.

120 The 'low fat' statement on products is such a misnomer, eh?

Ah you see Chef mashed potato is one of my comfort foods. I lurve mash with mashed swede, carrot and parsnips with gravy and a splash of soy or veggie worcestershire sauce.

You are right, I am thinking about food too much. That's the problem when you are just sat on your bum with nothing to occupy your mind.

Thanks for the link, will have a drool look a bit later.

Just tried to eat my jacket potato and cottage cheese and couldn't get through it all. Think my stomach might have started to shrink even if nothing else has.

Mum popped round earlier and as soon as I opened the door she said "you've lost weight, you look a lot thinner" which was nice of her, but not totally convincing considering I've only lost 9lbs over two weeks.

Ah well, I have to hobble to the school again tomorrow afternoon, and its a quite a workout pushing the pushchair and using a walking stick at the same time, so hopefully I'll burn a couple of calories off then.

9lbs! That's awesome.

Dog, it was a 'what is dinner and who brings that to me because I haven't thought about it' type face.

9lbs over two weeks!!! That's loads Moose. Brilliant!

Glad I had eaten before I checked back in, I'd be slobbering by now Dinner here was falafel [that Lordy for those packets of mix lying about the cupboard], new potato, coleslaw and cheese salad which dh got on a Sainsbo dash. So healthy and colourful, if carb laden. Oh well.
I also resisted pizza last night, mum was up for the night and she and dh got one each. Our local does the best pepperoni I have tasted anywhere on earth. Truly scrum, really spicey & oily.

Haven't ironed yet, sigh. But book bag sorted, reading done, washing in, and dh has put the pebbles down the sides of the paving. SO a productive day, although house looks a tip iyswim.

Girls been swimming wth mum, I have no idea how she manages both of them. DD1 was a really tense misery when she got back, has now done 2 huge poos and is feeling 'brighter, and less like her tummy wll pull her forwards'. Poor thing. Dd2 is collapsed in her cot...until later......

Mmmm... Falafels are my favorite too. DD and I had chickpeas and bacon with our pasta last night. Don't know what we are having for dinner tonight as DH is off and will be cooking. Probably a mussel starter because he had to go to the fisherman's wharf to get some for the restaurant and usually it means we get a wee bit too. It saves so much money having him a chef.

I was hoping a couple of you with older kids, 3-7 I guess, that would like to be a part of a sticker club my friends DS has started. We are doing it because she doesn't have any friends outside of where she lives with LO's besides me. The idea is to get stickers from all over the place. They are in Ontario. I would need your mailing address. I send you a letter and you buy only one pack of stickers for the child's name on the paper. Then you photocopy the letter and send it to six children/parents. In about two weeks, your LO will have six packs of stickers from, hopefully, around the world. I only need about 3 of you. I'm sending a message on FB too.

No Dog, you are right, 120 wanted the recipe too so she can compare it with the packet mixes and come up with a recipe of her own.

I found a couple of chickpea pattie/veggieburger recipes on the Tesco site the other day and have bought the ingredients to have a go at them. Boys seem to be liking chickpeas at the moment so thought I'd get in there before I miss the window of opportunity.

Tree, sounds like you have had a productive day. Well done for resisting the pizza. We never get takeaway pizza and its so much nicer than shop bought. We always have to make our own using gluten free bases these days. Healthier, but definitely not the same.

Weightloss isn't bad I suppose, but I lost most of it the first week when I was actually walking and I know its the walking/exercise that gets the weight off me. Have only lost 2lbs this week while I've been off my feet.

You'd think just not eating the sheer amount of crap I was indulging in would make a huge difference, but it never seems to work like that does it. Its so easy to put weight on and so hard to get it off again and much harder once you hit the big four O - or so I've been told.

It wouldn't normally bother me this much. I usually go by how I look/feel, but its this flipping wedding looming on the horizon and the prospect of only having lost another 8 lbs or so when I need to lose about another 15-20 at least. I was hopeful that I'd at least get 2/3 rds of the way there before the wedding, but I don't stand a chance now.

Just caught dd drawing on the living room wall (aargh my Farrow and Ball Paint!) with a pencil her brothers left where she could get hold of it.

I told her off and she tried every cute, giggly, smiley trick in the book to get round me. Then I got a piece of paper and we drew together while I said loads of 'good girl, draw on the paper, not on the wall' and 'good drawing' etc etc and she pointed at the wall and grinned at me while I said "no not on the wall - on the paper, good girl". So I have been sat here like an idiot going "this is the wall, we don't draw on the wall" " this is paper, we can draw on the paper, drawing on paper is good". That's it, my final shred of sanity is lost.

Bldy Farrow and Ball paint marks lie bry and if you try to wash it or use any other form home remedy or mark removing stuff, it just makes it worse. We'll have to repaint it now and I don't think there's enough pain left.

Eurgh, why on earth did it embolden all that?

Saw that happen on another thread earlier today actually.

I dont know, if you want it to embolden a whole phrase and only use two asterisks it won't do it, then when you don't want it to, it emboldens everything. Gah!

AND it shortened my swear words - harrumph!