Jan24

How long does getting thin take ?

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“How long does getting thin take ?” asked Pooh anxiously ……

A question I know I ask myself often, especially after the 1st week on a new healthy eating regime…Note the non use of the D word !!!  Well I suppose it takes as long as it takes, everybody’s different, but as long as you know you’ve done your best most of the time, the getting thin bit will happen, but the health benefits, will happen almost instantly.

My emotions, and mood, have certainly peaked and troughed, moments of euphoria, moments of weakness & exhaustion, but one the desire to succeed has stayed with me. Being in the right frame of mind, is the most important factor of any new plan, it falters and wanes at some point, but re-focusing on your goal, stopping and thinking, taking 5 is all sometimes it needs to get back on track.

And don’t forget,changes should be for the better and for ever (note to self *take note*), they are not a punishment for your past, but for a brighter healthier future, indulgences of the food and drink kind, can be enjoyed, just make sure you enjoy them, don’t beat yourself up about them,make the conscious choice that is right for you.

O.K enough of the sermon…some tasty tips for you now, and some small changes that can make the world of difference to your wasitline, mood and overall well beingness ( Not really a word, but you know what I mean)

Eat 3 meals a day and 2 small snacks- This will keep you fully charged, without any dips in energy and willpower.
Try starting the day with Hot water and a slice of Lemon before your normal, Cup of tea or coffee, this will just help the cleansing process of the day for you.

BREAKFAST IDEAS

  • Scrambled egg, with grilled tomatoes and dry fried mushrooms, with oregano.
  • Ruby Grapefruit with a teaspoon of Cane Honey.
  • Bran flakes, with chopped banana and skimmed milk.
  • Natural Yogurt with a handful of dried fruit, and a sprinkle of omega seed mix.
SNACKS

Now some foods for instance like nuts, avocado etc are avoided as people are aware their calorie content are high, well this is the case but their health benefits, far out way this, and your body uses their nutrients for your well being, so enjoyed in small amounts they are vital as part of a healthy D !

  • Crudites with homemade healthy hummus
  • 5 dried Apricots.
  • 5 Brazil nuts.
  • Piece of fruit – best to eat whole fruit as it will have less calories that a glass of Fruit Juice, and the fibre in the fruit helps with the digestive process.
  • 2 small squares of dark chocolate – A least 70% cocoa solids.
Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries).

This is a fascinating report on how to taste and appreciate chocolate, why not have a go. Click here for the details.

Depending whether you enjoy your largest meal of the day at lunchtime or evening, they are interchangeable.  If you do eat your main meal at night, try and enjoy it at least 3 hours before bed, to give you body chance, to digest it.  This will aid restful sleep, and avoid gaining pounds from unused calories.

Lunch and Main Meals.

Here the key is to let your imagination flow,  be adventurous, and create a variety of dishes, we all know “Variety is the spice of life“, if you get bored of the same old food, you may look to snacking, or feeding your cravings with not such good options.
The main key here should be fresh, in season and tasty and filling.  Options are endless.
Find a plate that is of average size, (25cms) and only fill it 3/4 full, this then will keep your portion sizes under control.  Fill the majority of the plate with vegetables or salad, and then the rest with either Protein (Meat, eggs, beans etc) or Carbs ( Rice, Pasta, Potatoes etc)
See you if can go meat free every other day, on two counts, it will make you look for other proteins to satisfy you, and will help your Purse strings too .
Season, with fresh herbs where possible, make lively salsas, and stir in coriander and parsley, refreshing and vibrant on the taste buds too.  When using dry herbs and spices, dry fry them in a pan first to release their heady aromas.
Make your own herb garden, and keep handy to the kitchen so you have herbs on tap !

Use vinegars and lemon juice to dress salads, and Fab Friend to salads is a reduced Balsamic vinegar, which adds a hint of sweetness.

Make homemade soups, with any vegetable that is in season, and keep a pot in the fridge, ideal as a snack for a healthy cup of soup.

Try and include sustainable fish into your plan, Langostinos and dipping sauce, can be a luxurious treat, and grilled Sardines at the Chiringuito no problema,enjoy with pleasure.  Oily fish is very important in your plan.

IDEAS
Don’t think I’ve forgotten, the taste of sweetness, sometimes that’s all we want… their are many puds you can enjoy….Homemade jellies, using fresh juice, Meringues (fat free), sorbet, ice lollies. dried fruit.
There are many excellent recipes, to suit all diet types on The BBC Good Food Site
So in a nutshell ;
  • With small changes you can see big results.
  • No D word in sight !
  • Embrace celebrations with gusto, and indulge with what you choose, without regret.
  • Eat calmly, and thoughtfully, acknowledge what you are eating and enjoy.
  • If hunger is not the problem, than eating is not the answer.
  • Drink lots of water.
  • There will be times in the month, hormonal, stressful & testing.  Breath deeply, take stock, talk it over with someone, or take 5 me time minutes, before comfort eating.  If you choose to comfort eat, enjoy it, then move on.
REMEMBER TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY ITS THE ONLY PLACE YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN
So happy eating, enjoy your road to a new you, and don’t forget its
good to talk be it virtually 😉 or face to face.
Lynsey x
Jan24

My Bounty – Wonderful Avocados fresh from the tree.

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My Bounty – Wonderful Avocados fresh from the tree.

Everyone loves to receive a gift, an offering, I am no exception, and if it comes in the guise of food even better.  My bounty  at La Rosilla this week was huge bag of Avocados, scrumped ! no picked by a local for me.

The perfect avocado season, but like when all fruits and vegetables are at their prime, glut always springs to mind,  so I set myself up on a challenge...gosh my New Year is full of these..and decided to investigate the not so humble, but luxuriously rich Avocado.
  • An average avocado tree produces about 1200 avocados annually.
  • The avocado is a climacteric fruit (the banana is another), which means that it matures on the tree but ripens off the tree Once picked, avocados ripen in a few days at room temperature (faster if stored with other fruits such as apples or bananas).
  • A ripe avocado yields to gentle pressure when held in the palm of the hand and squeezed. The flesh is prone to turning brown quickly after exposure to air. To prevent this, lemon juice can be added to avocados after they are peeled and if you keep the stone from the avocado with the pulp in a dish this help too.
Thought this was a funny anecdote; oh how much more we know about food now !!

In the UK, the avocado became widely available in the 1960s when it was introduced by M & S  under the name ‘avocado pear’. However, many customers tried to use it as a dessert ingredient like other pears (e.g. with custard), and complained to the store that it was inedible. As a result, Marks and Spencer dropped the word ‘pear’ and labelled it simply ‘avocado’.
The healthy part :

Avocados are high in valuable fats and appear to have a beneficial effect on blood serum levels. For a typical avocado:
  • About 75% of an avocado’s calories come from fat, most of which is good fat, which can significantly lower cholesterol monounsaturated fat.
  • Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas.
  • They are rich in vitamins B, E & K.
So forget the calories…these little babies are good for you.

The yummy part

Obviously there many dishes we all know using avocados, Guacamole, Avocado and prawns, salsas to name a few but I have come across an unusual Avocado and Lime soup, hopefully you may enjoy .
Avocado Lime Soup
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks  Cup Celery, finely chopped
  • 1  Leek (white only), finely chopped
  • 1 clove of Garlic, finely chopped
  • 25g Unsalted butter
  • ¼ Cup Flour
  • 2 Pints Chicken stock
  • 3 – 4 ripe Avocados, pureed
  • Juice of 1 lime.
  • Handful of fresh coriander , chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground white pepper – to taste
  • Creme fraiche or sour cream – as needed for garnish
  • Roasted pimiento or red  pepper, julienned – as needed for garnish
Instructions
Sauté the onion, celery, leek and garlic in butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour; cook over low heat, stirring constantly 3 or 4 minutes. Whisk in the stock; simmer until vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the avocado; simmer for 10 minutes. Finally, stir in the lime juice, coriander, salt and pepper.
To serve chilled or hot, garnish 1-1/2 cup soup with a dollop of crème fraiche / or natural yog and a few strips of pimiento.and some nachos or baked tortillas or perhaps add chopped toms and red onions..
The fun part

You can also quite easily grow your own avocado tree, a great fun thing for kids to do, you can find instructions for this on my site  mini chefs.
The ME part

So as I’ve ventured on my new healthy eating plan,thanks to www.familyinspain.com I’ll enjoy the goodness of these lush fruit, what  with these and my other new detox recipes, my body will believe its a temple, next thing you’ll know is that I’ve started chanting 😉