Live For Food

In my very first post I talked about my relationship with food and my growing interest in it throughout my life, and how eventually that relationship turned slightly unhealthy.  Here is my story continued…

https://aiohealthpro.com/tp6sp6gt Following the realization that I was putting on weight, at a rate of about a pound a week as it turned out, I knew I had to do something about it.  I was just about to hit the next big number on the scales, and I had gone up to the next clothes size, and that finally signaled that enough was enough.

https://homeupgradespecialist.com/pyfhsbe4y1 Initially I began cutting back on the portion sizes that I served up to me and my husband for dinner.  We had been guilty of eating two chicken breasts each with a jar of cooking sauce between us – basically four portions between two.  We would also eat a whole frozen pizza each when a serving was half a pizza.  I would serve the most enormous helpings of pasta and rice, so I started weighing it out instead.  I cut back on my lunchtime snacking habits and didn’t buy anything extra to go with my lunch if I brought sandwiches to work.

https://nedediciones.com/uncategorized/q4rumn0 This was fairly successful and I lost a steady half a pound a week for about three months without even feeling that I was on a diet.  Then I got hold of a particular diet book, which encouraged reduction of portion sizes, making healthier choices, and making lifestyle changes one slow step at a time, together with light exercise.  To my mind at that stage a diet had always meant restriction of food, or particular food groups which I knew I wouldn’t cope with and this diet approach seemed quite revolutionary!

Fast forward eighteen months and I had lost my excess weight.  What started off with a diet book turned into keeping a food diary and calorie counting, and it did the trick.  Finally I was a healthy weight again.  However I realized that I couldn’t go back to my old habits or I would end up back in the same place again.

https://www.psicologialaboral.net/2024/08/07/zfnsir9b7qs Thus began a journey into weight maintenance.  Its about five years later now, and I have achieved weight maintenance – for now anyway! I’m about half a stone heavier than the lowest weight I managed to reach and I circle around the same few pounds over a period of weeks.  However to be honest it still feels like a continual battle at times.  I do have to watch what I eat, I have to balance off the good days with the bad days, I need to have strategies to cope with food that other people make for me or on social occasions, and I have to do some kind of exercise continuously.

https://solomedicalsupply.com/2024/08/07/ri9x9xmhiw Despite losing the weight I think I was disappointed initially that I didn’t look better than I did after what was quite a big achievement, and that the journey was never going to be over.  I realized that fitness and health are two different things.  Losing weight doesn’t suddenly give you a flat tummy, and it’s quite possible to be petite and curvy.  The realization that the smaller you become the less food you need I also found quite irritating!

Buy Xanax From Europe So where does that leave me?  Pretty much in the same place I started!  I love food but I know that I have to balance my portion sizes and eat healthily, whilst at the same time its important to me to enjoy food without it becoming a daily chore to think up different meals to cook every single day.  This blog is partly to try and help me focus on the positive aspects of food, the enjoyment I get from eating and cooking whilst acknowledging that balancing calories in and calories out is not easy for many people, and to let people know that weight maintenance is achievable.

Onwards and upwards…

The recipe I normally use for Chilli con carne is from Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food cookbook, but I thought I’d have a go at a different recipe to see if I prefer it.  The recipe I used is from the BBC Good Food website, please see the link for the method.

Xanax Australia Buy Online https://mandikaye.com/blog/8zp02tn Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1 large onion
1 red pepper
 2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder (or 1 level tbsp if you only have mild)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
500g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
½ tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp tomato purée
410g can red kidney beans
soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice, to serve

https://foster2forever.com/2024/08/snmuqhf.html Now I do have a tendency with main meals to substitute ingredients I am not so keen on, or simply don’t happen to have in, so I made the following alterations to the above list:

• I didn’t have an onion in so I used a few spring onions I had hanging around
• I added some mushrooms, a small yellow bell pepper, and a small carrot
• I crushed my garlic cloves, which isn’t actually mentioned in the recipe
• My tin of kidney beans was only 200g
• I added the end of a carton of passata that was in the fridge
• I used Frylight (a commercial oil spray) instead of actual oil
• I just served with rice, as I didn’t have any soured cream
• I didn’t add the chocolate (see tip at the bottom of the recipe) as I didn’t have any in

It turned out to be a tasty recipe, although it was a bit watery.  I was surprised it was so watery, because the recipe itself keeps commenting that you should ensure the dish doesn’t dry out – I suppose it could be partially because I added mushrooms.  Overall it tasted fairly similar to my normal Jamie recipe, there wasn’t much to choose between them.

https://homeupgradespecialist.com/nlq5h0g If I did this recipe again I would do the following:

• I would use fresh chillies instead of chilli powder – I think they taste better
• I would cook it for longer at the simmering stages, and use all passata instead of tinned tomatoes which should reduce the liquid

https://polyploid.net/blog/?p=mo5iixt19 I would cook this again, but I wont need to for a while because as there is only two of us for dinner there were some leftovers for the freezer.

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Xanax Where To Buy Uk Many of my favorite foods fall into the unhealthy category.  I love pizza, cheese, chocolate, cakes, pastries… I think you get the idea.  It seems so inherently unfair that all the unhealthy foods taste better than the healthy ones.

https://aiohealthpro.com/q0dwgsya I always remember this birthday card a friend received.  It had a picture of God with two plates of food in front of him – a slice of cake on one and a lone carrot on the other.  God was holding two signs up, one said 500 calories and the other said 10 calories – and he is about to place the 500 calorie sign on the cake and the 10 calorie sign on the carrot. The caption said something like “God screws up!”  Mildly irreverent, but it does sum up my feelings on this subject.

https://udaan.org/dti6gtkinv.php I know the reasons why unhealthy foods taste good – they are mainly packed with salt, sugar or other artificial ingredients designed to keep us coming back for more.  They mess with our blood sugar levels, our serotonin levels, and our feelings of hunger.

https://blog.extraface.com/2024/08/07/cw6jtk5i1 I’m not a nutritionist so I don’t have much more of an understanding than that, but the practical experience tells me its true as on the days when I eat a chocolate bar for lunch I then often can’t stop eating cookies and cake all day.

https://solomedicalsupply.com/2024/08/07/ry3lzaslk I suppose I just need to focus on the healthy foods I DO enjoy.  I like smoked salmon, fresh strawberries, avocado, roast chicken, fresh granary bread, and sweet tomatoes… yum!

One day at work I was at a clients with my boss, and the client offered to go and get us a sandwich.  My boss told him to make sure he got me a brown bread sandwich because it was my favorite.  Now I consciously choose brown bread over white because its better for me – but when my boss said that I suddenly realized that actually I DO prefer brown bread to white – which wasn’t the case a few years ago.

https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/blog/ccnl7wkho5n So it is true in some cases that the more you eat a food, the more you will grow to like it.  Its the same principle as teaching a child to like new foods.  You can’t just try it once – you have to present it a number of times in different ways before its accepted and you enjoy it.  I’ve seen them say on programmes like Supernanny that it can take as many as 20 presentations of a food before the child will accept it – why should adults be any different?

I think the other thing is that we have to accept that some foods we will never like, regardless of how many times we try them.  I don’t think I will ever enjoy chowing down on a chickpea salad – although I do enjoy hummus.  Its okay to have likes and dislikes among healthy foods – the key is finding out which you like and which you don’t.

What would I pick then if faced with a choice of fresh strawberries or chocolate gateau?  That’s a tough one and the answer is it depends.  Or perhaps the answer would be both together!

https://nedediciones.com/uncategorized/2ihku3f9l The solution has to be everything in moderation.  Enjoy your favorite foods and make sure they are a mixture of healthy and unhealthy – preferably saving the unhealthy ones for treats or one off occasions.  Don’t forbid them completely, or you will end up having a binge.  And try to plan them in advance so that you don’t get distracted and end up having a completely unhealthy day, as seems to happen to me slightly too often.

What are your favorite food items – healthy or unhealthy?!

https://foster2forever.com/2024/08/iv3ywa6a.html  

https://mandikaye.com/blog/kh0vkwe I frequently attend buffet meals.  Most of these are at church.  If there is ever a function, or a lunch, or a social occasion at church you can guarantee that there will be a buffet lunch or supper.  The trend these days seems to be for a “bring and share” meal to be prepared, where everyone brings a dish and you can therefore end up with absolutely anything.

https://aiohealthpro.com/8u7u0jny The majority of the time it works out well, but there were a few occasions when it did not.  One time I remember we had five different beef casseroles as main courses which people brought in their slow cookers and just one potato bake to go with it.  Another time there was not enough main course, and my husband had five helpings of pudding because they ran out of main by the time he got to the table.  Then there was the church picnic, in the week that a particular supermarket had an offer on those little mini scotch egg things, and the picnic was mostly mini scotch egg things.

These instances aside generally things work out well.  There is a variety of main courses, some hot, some cold, together with bread, salad, and cheese followed by various desserts, cakes and fruit.  The problem I have at these events is that I want to try EVERYTHING.  But even a tiny bit of everything adds up to one great big massive plateful and me wishing that once again my eyes had not been bigger than my stomach.  

https://www.psicologialaboral.net/2024/08/07/1zqp69em Too many of these events can lead to me putting on weight, so I have developed a weight maintenance strategy for dealing with the buffet meal to try and curb my enthusiasm for all that food in front of me.

1. Do not be the first person up to the table.  Otherwise you will finish your meal before everyone else and then want to go for seconds simply because everyone else is still eating.  Find someone you want to talk to, and chat to them first, arriving at the buffet table in the middle of the line.  Don’t wait till last or all the nice food will be gone!
2. When you arrive at the table, survey the whole table and try to eye up the things you like.  Otherwise you will fill your plate quickly and realize there is food at the other end of the table that you want.
3. Go easy on the sandwiches, just have one or two.  Sandwiches are boring, you can have them at home anytime.
4. Don’t have more than one thing with pastry, or try and avoid the pastry altogether.  So only have one sausage roll, or one small slice of quiche (there is ALWAYS a quiche at a church tea!).
5. Try and have lots of salad items.
6. Do not have more than one layer of food on your plate – one plateful only of main course, with no piling up.
7. Try to sit with interesting people when you eat your meal, so that you focus on the conversation, and don’t think about all the food that is left!
8. When you go for dessert, again survey the table first.  Decide which is your favorite one, or a maximum of two puddings or cakes.
9. Help yourself to one bowl or plate of pudding with your one or two items on it.
10. Step away from the table and do not return!
11. When you have finished your pudding, offer to help wash up or make the cups of tea, so that you don’t have to go near the table again.  Beware doing the job of clearing the table up as this opens up the temptation to nibble at the leftovers.

So there you have it – my best tips for sensible eating at a buffet.  It doesn’t always work mind you, I still have days where I go over the top, but at least I always have a PLAN, and consequently I manage to restrain myself to some extent most of the time.

https://transculturalexchange.org/191gs8x What are your top tips for sensible eating at a buffet meal?

https://merangue.com/p942nyotvop Following on from my last post of eggs, I have a couple of ideas for using up eggs, but this time in the cakes and desserts category.  The first one is very straightforward, and uses up three eggs at a time:

https://homeupgradespecialist.com/7tz4mvwlb https://oevenezolano.org/2024/08/oyzgisgt4 Victoria Sandwich

This is the only cake that I can cook without a recipe, and its quick and easy, and always tastes good.  You need to take three eggs and weigh them – when I did this last week my eggs weighed 160 grams.  Then you need the equivalent weight of butter (or margarine), sugar, and self raising flour.

https://nedediciones.com/uncategorized/8cxyfbvh Firstly, take two 7 inch cake tins, and either grease and flour them, or grease them and line them with greaseproof paper.  Preheat your oven to 180 C.

https://udaan.org/n4d9dh1.php Cream the sugar and butter together, using the back of a wooden spoon.  In a separate bowl beat the eggs together, then add them to the sugar and butter mixture and mix well.  Sift in the flour, and fold it into the mixture until you have a smooth batter.

https://sugandhmalhotra.com/2024/08/07/1b9xxj85 Split the mixture between the two tins, and cook in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.  To check they are cooked, insert a skewer into one of the cakes, and if it comes out clean its cooked, if not, give them another 5 minutes and check again.

Torn City Cheapest Xanax When they are cool, remove from the tins, and sandwich together with jam of your choice.  I like strawberry or raspberry.  Best enjoyed on the day its made, but will keep in a tin for a week or so.

https://oevenezolano.org/2024/08/7s98sdx As an alternative, you can substitute 25 grams of flour for cocoa powder, and add a dash of vanilla essence.  Voila, you have chocolate sponge instead – best filled with buttercream icing.

https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/blog/9ogy3n3keh I confess that I don’t tend to bother with the creaming and folding of the mixture, I just whack my electric mixer on and whip it into shape.  The results still taste good to me!

Buy Xiemed Alprazolam If you keep your eggs in the fridge try and get them out in advance to come up to room temperature before using them, otherwise the cake mixture will curdle.

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Generic Xanax Online Egg custard

https://inteligencialimite.org/2024/08/07/3bml7vu9h41 I always think of egg custard or egg custard tarts as being a classic British pudding.  Its something I remember my mum making when I was little, and always seems to be a favourite with older people.  I have just cooked the custard here, as that is a healthier dessert than served in a pastry case, and I personally think its very tasty on its own.

To make enough egg custard for three ramekins you will need: 2 eggs, 25g of caster sugar, 300ml of milk, and some grated nutmeg.

Preheat your oven to 140 C (yes, it is meant to be that low!)

Put the milk in a pan and heat it up – do not let it boil.  Beat the eggs and the sugar together.  Pour the milk over the top of the egg mixture and stir it round.

Pour the egg mixture into the ramekins and then sprinkle some nutmeg on the top.  Put the ramekins into an ovenproof container of cold water and the put the whole thing in the oven.  Cook for between one hour and one hour and a quarter, until firm.

Many recipes you will find say you only use the egg yolks, but it always tastes fine to me using the whole egg, and then you don’t have whites left over.

To make a larger egg custard you can double the above quantities and use one large glass bowl instead of the individual ramekins.  Increase the cooking time to between one and a quarter and one and a half hours.

The recipe as a whole is flexible: if you use say one less egg it will still work – the custard will just be a lot softer.

Finally the cold water container surrounding the ramekins may be more effective if it is not used for the first 10-15 minutes of cooking time as the water will remain cooler.

Enjoy – and let me know your favourite egg recipes as I still have plenty to use up.