21st February 2011

Laughter is inner jogging. Norman Cousins
Well I had the best weekend in London, we went to see Russell Howard at the 02 and he’s a very, very funny man who kept us laughing for a good two hours. I did manage to send an email to you all on the train on the way back, but I’ve noticed that the emails I send don’t always arrive in your inbox! I copy all the emails I send to my blog www.wwbevsworld.blogspot.com and to the discussion board on my facebook group wall so if yours doesn’t arrive that’s where you can go to look.

I won’t be losing weight this morning mainly due to MacDonalds, Pizza Express and a Travelodge Buffet breakfast, but it was Vicky’s birthday weekend and that’s where she wanted to eat, although I think Maccy’s might have been my idea and I enjoyed it, although Pizza Express I wasn’t impressed and left some on my plate – I’m actually getting better at that and also with the buffet not stuffing myself silly. It’s impossible to ignore eating out when you’re away and to be honest would you want to as it’s part of the fun. It doesn’t have to be evil to your ProPoints allowance though, having looked the pizza in Pizza Express the highest one is 29 and we shared a starter of dough ball between 3 or us, I skipped dessert although I did have a liqueur coffee instead!

So whatever happens at the scales today, I’m back on track already and I had the best weekend so it’s all good. Hopefully everyone’s on track with me too.

I need to buy some frozen berries this week so I can start making smoothies again, I miss them and they’re so filling and quick. Smoothies are not only deliciously tasty but they’re also perfect to have for breakfast, as they’re full of goodness. Adding oats and nuts to them is great, because it helps slow down the absorption of the sugar from the fruit into your bloodstream, which gives you more energy for longer. The great thing about frozen fruit is that it’s been picked at it’s best, at the right time, and hasn’t been forced to grow out of season, like so much of the ‘fresh’ fruit on offer these days. It’s also cheaper and far more convenient – it will happily keep in your freezer for months on end, so any time you fancy a smoothie, you can have one!

Here’s a Jamie Oliver recipe for a frozen fruit smoothie

Makes 2 glasses – 4pp each without honey, 6pp each with honey

1 ripe banana
1 glass of frozen fruit of your choice: mango, blackcurrants or strawberries
2 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 small handful of oats
1 small handful of mixed nuts
1 glass of skimmed milk

Optional: runny honey to taste

Peel and slice your banana and put it into liquidizer with your frozen fruit and the yogurt. Whizz it up and ad the oats and nuts. Add the milk and whizz again, until nice and smooth. If it’s a bit too thick for you, just add more milk and whizz again. Give it a good stir, then have a taste, if it needs extra sweetness you could add a little honey to taste.

If you’ve made a smoothie and it was superdooper, let me know what ingredients you used so we can share the ideas.

Have a marvellous Monday and a wonderful week xx