Month: February 2013

Healthy Living Challenge:Day 2 – Hubby’s Energy Bars

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Last night I got a lovely surprise. Went out to church to listen to the African’s Children Choir and came back to healthy sweets, made by hubby and Emma. They worked well as a team,as you will see in the pics below and the best bit is that I have now healthy things to munch on when I get a sweet tooth. Today was good,I stayed right on target with my dieting and exercise. I managed to get a walk with Emma for 45 minutes. It wasn’t sunny like yesterday but mild and just right for a relaxed walk with a little girl whose cough settled overnight, thank goodness! In terms of eating I felt more hungry that yesterday (probably a psychological thing since Saturdays used to be our treat days) but I managed to stay good with my oat breakfast(with a sprinkling of cold-milled flaxseed, a couple of walnuts and a touch of chocolate powder). I felt ravenous after our walk so I had a nice lunch of baked potato, beans and beetroot and …

40 Days Healthy Living Challenge-Day 1

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Day One rolled by successfully. I managed to go for a half an hour walk in the morning thanks to an unusually sunny day(for Northern Ireland!). So that’s my exercise covered for today. I don’t know if we’ll be as lucky tomorrow but it felt good to be out in the sun. I haven’t been out for a walk since we came back from Greece in October and it was long overdue, this walk! I have been REALLY good with my eating too: had my porridge in the morning, had a light lunch of Romanian chicken and noodle soup(skin removed and no oil added) then snacked on fruit and celery sticks with hummus(reduced fat, from Sainsbury’s).  Dinner was salmon baked in the oven(no added oil) with peas(my mother-in-law’s recipe, delicious!) and wheat free, gluten free pasta. I am heading out to a concert tonight in our church so I am a bit scared of coffee and bun time at the end. I will need all my determination NOT to touch a bun. What have I …

40 Day Healthy Living Challenge

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Okay, this week I noticed I have put weight on. Again. I know, I know, all those months of quasi-hibernation and comfort eating do just that but I think enough is enough. Need to turn this around. I have done it before in the past with diet and exercising and I have decided to set myself up for a challenge. Do just that for 40 days. Why 40? Because I remember my mum trying to fast when I was young for the whole 40 days of the Orthodox pre-Easter period and I think it’s as good a number as any. So here is what I need. I need people to join in and keep me accountable as I have come to agree with Hubby and believe that real friends are the ones who know the truth about yourself and spur you on to change when change is needed. I need advice. So if you have been on a balanced weight loss program and it has worked for you, I would like to hear your tips. …

Happy love day!

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I won’t say happy Valentine’s Day due to this reminder I saw on Facebook a few minutes ago of where Valentine’s day originates from: I just wanted to say: Enjoy your relationship at whatever level it’s at.If you’re a busy mum who can hardly find time to squeeze in a couple of kind words to hubby in the evening before collapsing in bed(like I am), do just that and accept this is reality for the moment and one day things will be better. As a couple we have seen many highs and lows in our almost seven years of marriage but the most important lesson we have learnt is that sticking together is sometimes the only thing we can do to show each other we care. The lows soon end, the highs don’t last but love in its nitty gritty form of a common me and a common you is the most beautiful thing on earth.

On baking bread

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I have been musing over half a year on the possibility of adding another dimension to my blog. I love cooking, I have said it before and I love counting calories(not that I use my knowledge in keeping my weight down!) so I am going to launch two new categories of posts: cooking easy meals and cooking light for your family. If you like them, let me know. If they inspire you to cook healthier for your family, even better. Today I will post my super easy recipe of soda bread. When I first moved to Northern Ireland Alex encouraged me to take some cooking lessons and the recipe comes from there. But I have adapted it a little bit so it’s foolproof and delicious. I use: 500g self-raising soda flour almost half a pint of buttermilk, 25 grams of butter about half a jar of sun-dried tomatoes(I buy mine from Home Bargains for about 69p per jar). Put the flour in a big bowl, mix the butter in(with your own wee hands or if …