Bad habits are like comfy beds, really easy to get into & really hard to get out of!
Ive just had a wonderful 90 minutes with Alfie, I was woken at 4am by a noise I didn't recognise but it was loud turned out to be a new kind of snore coming from the dog himself! I slumbered for almost an hour then decided I'd get up because then I'd sleep better tonight. Mom was in bed so I thought brill, I'll get my yoga done before she wakes - erm not quite! Alfie had other ideas, he woke up in little tinker mood, no sooner was I on the mat than he was joining me in a very playful mood, rolling underneath me, licking my face, at one point he even hit my laptop with his paw and it rewinded to the point where he'd started playing up, which made me laugh out loud! I gave him when he started barking at me and decided to walk him first and try yoga second. A lovely bit of fresh air, we didn't go far but he was happy, he lay by the side of my mat as I finally did my yoga.
Mom's woke in a good mood too which is always a bonus! We made it through yesterday without too much drama too thankfully, it did mean me giving her 100% of my attention and constantly being aware of when she was about to turn, but in the long run it was worth it. I let her watch her without a trace for a few hours (I've honestly seen them so many times and we always seem to end up on the same two seasons) then we started a couple of films and gave up after 5 minutes before settling on An Officer and a Gentlemen and Notting Hill, both she mostly talked all the way through but as I'd seen them before it wasn't a problem and thankfully at the end she said "I really enjoyed that', bless her she only cares about the last 10 minutes and as long as that bits good, it's a winner. Oh then there was BGT that went down well too.
I did get a couple of hours in my office on the morning, really enjoyed supporting Amy on the virtual workshop, felt a bit like a member answering her questions in my head and occasionally out loud as I'm not good at being quiet! It was great to see so many faces on a Sunday morning! This week we're talking about turning a behaviour into a habit, I've decided the habit I want to work on is eating some fruit daily, yesterday I managed an apple. I need to get a fruit bowl for starters I think and maybe make sure I have some tinned too. Any other suggestions to ensure I include fruit in my day would be gratefully received.
I feel so much better than I did towards the back end of last week, moms moods and behaviour obviously influence mine and I've also got the same emotions and mood changes that every woman in her 50s has because of their hormones. My hot flushes are out in force lately, my glasses actually steamed up whilst I was out walking Alfie.
I've caved and ordered a vacuum cleaner, opted for a Hettie as opposed to Henry, pink, red I don't care what colour it is but for some reason she was cheaper than him and they're both exactly the same except for the colour, another example of where a female does exactly the same thing as a man for less money! ;)
That's due to arrive today then I plan to vacuum throughout, it's a dirty job but someones got to do it.
Food wise yesterday I tried these;
They're vegan and they were okay, but for 2SP each, I'm not so sure, I'd rather have a chicken breast with 2SP worth of chorizo, I know that's not vegan but neither am I nor is the fox because the leftover ones were still in the dish outside this morning, Alfie ate a couple though. I had chips, peas and gravy for my tea with a cob, it was immense, I had some of those onions and peppers with it too.
Now it's no surprise I gained weight on the scales this morning, 2lb on, I have no issue with that if I'm honest, I haven't been following the plan properly so I can't expect results. I did get out the WW programme material yesterday, did a video in my group refreshing everyone on how MyWW works and the difference between the 3 plans so that we could all draw a line and get ourselves back on track.
I know when I pay attention to my needs as well as moms I feel better, it isn't always possible to do that all the time but as long as I ground myself regularly I'll be okay. We're out of complete lockdown now so the worst is over, hopefully we won't go back into those conditions but I'm afraid even if we do, I will have my sister round as she's moms carer and I can't do it 24/7 without it damaging my health.
Yeah, suns shining, I'm off for a walk with my bestie this morning and all is good in the world again. When you realise it's okay to be happy, sad or any other emotion and that they won't last forever, it's easier to handle this life we have. We wouldn't be given the ability to feel so many emotions if we weren't supposed to at some time.
Today I'm grateful for having my Alfie back behaving like a puppy again and playing, I'm grateful for my sister helping me take care of my mom so I can have some respite and I'm grateful for my bestie putting me up towards the top of her priority list. I'm also grateful for all the offers of help and messages of concern - it's good to know people care and I matter to them.
But most of all (only joking) I'm grateful for my online shopping delivery slots, I'm just about to go and order some healthy stuff to come tomorrow, I'm going to bear in mind lots of food serves more than 1 so that I don't go crazy with my order. Ooo and I've just had a fancying for Nigellas chicken and peas dish, hold on I'll find the recipe for ya because it's really, really low in points. Found it, will post at the end of blog, you could adapt it and use breasts I guess, I reckon I could adapt it and make a one person version, that's what I need to do with a lot of things.
Here's to having a good day, oh it's bank holiday Monday too isn't it, plus it's national BBQ week if you're a fan, looks like perfect BBQ weather and you can do that in your own back yard. Whatever you do today, enjoy x
Mwah, luv ya
Love me xx
CHICKEN AND PEA TRAYBAKE
by Nigella. Featured in AT MY TABLE
Feeds 4, 11SP or 17SP per serving
What’s key here is the size of the roasting tin. I wouldn’t go any smaller – measuring from inside rim to inside rim – than about 38 x 28cm / 15 x 11inches (a little larger is fine) as there needs to be space around the chicken thighs for the magic to happen.
900 grams frozen petits pois 0SP or 21SP
400 grams trimmed leeks (cut into approx. 3cm / 1 inch slices
2 fat cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
4 x 15ml tablespoons dry white vermouth or wine 3SP
2 tablespoons regular olive oil 9SP (plus more for drizzling – I'd not bother with this!)
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes (plus more for sprinkling)
1 small bunch fresh dill (torn into pieces)
8 chicken thighs with skin on and bone in 42SP
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F and clatter the frozen peas into a large roasting tin, followed by the leeks, garlic, vermouth, 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of sea salt flakes and most of the dill. Turn everything together in the pan – breaking up any large clumps of the frozen peas – until well mixed. I advise you to wear CSI gloves for this, just to stop you getting frostbite, though you still will feel the cold.
Arrange the chicken thighs, skin-side up, on top, then drizzle them with a little olive oil and give them a good sprinkling of sea salt flakes, before roasting in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, give the peas a small stir or tamp down, so that the few that are sitting on the surface and drying out a little are submerged in the liquid. Don’t do the same to the leeks, however, as the bits that are peeking out will become desirably caramelised in the heat. Put back in the oven for a further 30 minutes, by which time the peas and leeks will be soft, and the chicken tender and cooked through, its skin golden and crisp.
Tear off the remaining dill fronds, and scatter over the top on serving, perhaps with some simply steamed new potatoes to soak up the pea and chicken juices.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
Refrigerate leftovers, within 2 hour of cooking, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave until piping hot all the way through.
If you prefer, you can use light chicken stock in place of the vermouth or wine.
Refrigerate leftovers, within 2 hour of cooking, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave until piping hot all the way through.
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