22g is a portion of chocolate - really?

Tuesday 31st May 2022

Treat people with kindness - especially yourself!

Another great weekend away, time together is always good whatever we're doing, but this weekend it involved a lovely meal out Saturday evening, we walked there it was a couple of miles so GO US!  We didn't walk back though, that's what taxi's are for :) I'd fancied a risotto for weeks and finally got one but it wasn't all that, I left half, thankfully himself had ordered too much food so I got some of his steak.

Sunday we went to Charlecote Park, not the best National Trust place I've been, no decent cakes for Aryn to rate, he had a sausage roll instead, a £4 sausage roll at that - how can these places justify those prices.  Anyway, the house was open but mostly packed away or covered up, as they're having the heating system in there changed.  The grounds were a nice walk and we did get to see the Fallow deer so all was not lost, weather was a bit dodgy, it kept threatening to rain but thankfully we got away with it.  We stopped in Stratford on the way back because there was a fair and Aryn keeps going on about rowing a boat.  Thankfully I got his dad to go out with him to do that, rowing on the River Avon is not my idea of fun and neither is Dodgems on the fair so I watched and took photos.  My ribs still ain't right, I thought they'd got better, then suddenly they hurt again when I turn over in bed or reach for something.  No fun this getting old is it.

We had a BBQ on the night when we got back, I do love sitting back and being cooked for, steak, kebabs and sausages, so not the best 'diet' food but there wasn't any bread involved so not all bad.  

NOW I've been fancying a bit of chocolate so I bought a bar when I went in the shop to get the firelighters, you can't beat Galaxy, so this is what caught my attention;

£1 not a bad price of chocolate when you notice a bar a third of the size is about 80p

110g, I expected it to be 100g

Notice the nutritional info, 5 portions per pack, so 22g a portion, 

I don't know who decided that amount but I'll go with it.

Now I don't know which way you break your chocolate but this bar is 5 across by 6 down, I would be breaking off the 5 which isn't the portion, to get the 22g portion....

you have to break it lengthways - really, who does that and if you do, well you're different I think!

 My point is, make it obvious what a portion is, breaking that bar lengthways was difficult if I'm honest, much easier to break the other way, but then it wouldn't have been a portion, I'd have been owed a piece from the next row and we all know, I wouldn't have only took one piece off that next row - is that their cunning plan!

You'll be proud of me, I had that one strip and left the rest on the table when I left to come home yesterday, hopefully it'll have been eaten by the time he gets back :) 

There was definitely too much wine drunk this weekend, so last night I had a bath and an early night, no alcohol involved, I've had a good nights sleep, not a great night, menopause and middle aged seems to have stole that gift from me, I wake for the toilet, because I'm hot and sweating or because my ribs hurt as I've moved, YAY I love being me lol.

Actually I do love being me, I'm clumsy, went over on my ankle Sunday so now that hurts too, my knee often feels like it's been hit with a lump hammer but that reminds me of all the wonderful walks I've had over the years, it hurts today because we had a lovely walk Sunday, it'll ease off.  My ribs hurt because we were having too much fun, all my aches and pains have a story lol.

Now I'm going to try and get ready for work without hurting anything - wish me luck!

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

Looking forward to the weekend

Saturday 28th May 2022

You can if you think you can.

Weigh day and once again, it's not going to be good, I need to get my mojo back and start tracking and making the effort again.  My food yesterday was a chicken focaccia cob for breakfast cos the child left it the day before and I wasn't wasting good food!  lunch was a couple of pieces of chicken thighs in Caribbean jerk seasoning and a Snicker ice cream - I mean REALLY, then for dinner we had fish fingers, mash and spaghetti hoops  Actually that's not horrendous I guess but add a couple of glasses of wine and the rest of the weeks food decisions and there's plenty of room for improvement. 

Other than being a bit rubbish at losing weight this last few weeks, I'm happy as a pig in muck, don't get me wrong everything isn't rosy but we can handle anything that comes our way because we have each other and I wouldn't change that bit for the world and I know he wouldn't either.  It's a good place to be and I know I've said it before but it's truly not one I expected to be in, that's for sure.  

Moving away from the mushy :) I had smart meters fitted yesterday which will get me £50 off my UW bill - yay.  I've put it off this long because I didn't think they'd be able to get to them because of the cupboards under the stairs but bless the bloke, he said 'I'll have a go' and he managed .  Well the kettle costs 70p per hour, thankfully it only takes a couple of minutes to boil.  He was impressed that I only use 1p per hour normally, that's when things are on standby, Alexa, tv, fridge, freezer, scentsy warmer, that kind of thing, he said 'you can't get much better than that'.  I was soon told to shut up about how much everything was costing when it was turned on lol.  It is interesting though.  I'm waiting to see how much the tumble dryer uses, that's something I use a lot now that I didn't before.   I've already switched to LED light bulbs, the can use 15% less energy every year.  Here's a link to more tips Energy efficiency advice (uw.co.uk)  I'm glad I don't have a hot tub, they cost a fortune to heat, some are better than others but when I've done quotes for customers, that's the one thing that seems to take their energy usage up a lot.

I'm already up and showered and if I do say so myself, I smell lovely, because I got up earlier, I've used my body lotion and took an extra five minutes to pamper myself.  Looking forward to my weekend, here's hoping the sun shines.

Let's get this day started, see some of you soon,

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

I love an empty mind.

Friday 27th May 2022

Keep going, you're worth the effort.

Sat here looking at the tele but not really taking the news in, empty cup of tea by my side, realising I've been sat here messing about for half hour and done nothing, yep that's what Friday mornings are all about in the house.  Although I have got workmen coming this morning so I better get my act together.

Yesterday was another good work day, lots of success and laughter in them as always, also lots of talk of cake for the Jubilee weekend (but that was just me and Elle yacking at the scales - she's a bad influence on me lol).

Yeah nothings being done fast today, since I wrote lol, another 5 minutes has passed and I've been and made another cuppa, my head feels a little empty this morning, it needs time to wake up I reckon.  It's mornings like this I remember how I couldn't have mornings like this over the last few years with mom, it wasn't an option!

See, I've been distracted again, watching the news, Rishi Sunak taking about all this cost of living support.  Well I wouldn't want to be a politician that's for sure, whatever your voting direction, I'm glad I support people in the way I do and don't have to do his job! 

Oh let's talk food!  What's on my menu today?  I have chicken thighs to use and chunky fish fingers.  I'm thinking fish finger sandwiches would be lush for lunch, I'll pop and get some bread.  But what to do with these chicken thighs, maybe tandoori, or something else you can eat with your fingers, rather than a meal as such so we can pick at them later on, then if hungry add rice or a jacket and some veggies.  Yeah I know I was going to do a meal plan - guess who didn't and we're away the weekend so I'll look at it when we get back - honest I will :) 

Rather than bore you with the bits of stuff that are popping into my head this morning, I'm going to sign off, finish my cuppa and go make myself look presentable before anyone knocks my door.

Have a fab Friday, it's almost the weekend.

Mwah, luv ya

Love me x

Happy tears

Thursday 26th May 2022

If it was easy - we'd already have it sussed!

Well yesterday was a good day all round, great huddle on morning, a few hours spent watching the last Harry Potter with Aryn.  He's had a tough couple of weeks to add to the tough year or more he's had and it's been a little tough on all of us.  I'm a 'helper', I make things better and when I can't I get frustrated and when I see people I care about in pain or hurting, I hurt too.  

I attempted cooking a pizza type tart on a roll of puff pastry from the freezer yesterday and it was an epic fail but worth it because it really made Aryn laugh and took his mind off things :), he loves to tease me and ma'an did he have some material from my cooking attempt yesterday.  By the end of it he said it was like a pizza, pastry, lasagne lol, but bless him, he ate a plate full of it.

We were waiting for a call all day that didn't come, I sent a text on the afternoon asking about the outcome of their meeting (sorry for the vagueness but it's not about me so I don't like to be so open as I normally would) thankfully she text me back at 19.38 with good news and the result we'd hoped for.  I started crying happy tears when I read it, because it's one problem solved.

Yeah I went to bed happy, we have a long way to go but that call is part of the solution hopefully  

I cooked that Nigella recipe chicken and orzo, again it wasn't a success, I wasn't keen on the flavour or the way the orzo had turned out.  Don't get me wrong the chicken was amazing and I ate a bowl but I wouldn't rush to eat it again, don't think I like tarragon either which was an ingredient and I'm guessing the taste I wasn't keen on.

I had a craving for chocolate but managed to resist going to the Co-op to fetch some, so that was one success, I did eat some flying saucers though which came in my shopping delivery!  Oops.

I was asleep by nine, so I've had a good nights sleep which I'm always grateful for, love sleeping I do!  

Today we're making our own pizzas, well we'll roll out the dough and top it, thought he'd enjoy that, he has told me never to try baking again though :) I messed up the tart and you should've seen my attempt at pancakes back in February!   He did say I can make Yorkshires again though, so I'm not completely baking banned.

Who knew you could love and care for a child you'd only known for 6 months so much who you didn't give birth too!  Especially a teenage one, I mean, they're not the easiest creatures in the world are they!

I've just watched a Morrisons advert, it's all about the Jubilee and there's cake, do we have an afternoon tea next weekend, I think maybe we should, I doubt Aryn's ever had that experience so it'll be educational won't it :) I'm thinking Victoria sponge, scones with clotted cream, triangle sandwiches, oooo that does sound like a very, good idea.

Let's get all thoughts of cake out of my head this morning, I've got a days work ahead, here's to enjoying it and everything we eat today too.  

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me 

Another day, another chance...

Wednesday 25th May 2022
Small progress is still progress.

We had a cracking good work day yesterday, we're looking at saving money this week, a very apt subject at the moment.  I've got my food shop coming this morning, I've managed to save £49.30 according to my receipt, that's by using £20 worth of vouchers I had and by buying things on offer, I've also got an Iceland delivery coming this afternoon and that's saved me £22 pound with vouchers and offers.  Total bill still £100, but theres enough food for a few weeks, so I'm happy!    Now to fit in all in the fridge and freezer ;) I should've probably done the meal plan before doing the shopping but I didn't, I will look at what's delivered though and start planning some meals, I have a few planned in my head.  

Today, I'm cooking this Chicken In A Pot with Lemon and Orzo | Nigella's Recipes | Nigella Lawson, I'm toying with whether to cook it in the slow cooker, as apparently slow cooking is cheaper than turning on the oven, plus I could leave it to cook whilst I'm out or doing something else.  I already have the orzo so this recipe was perfect for using up something that's been in my cupboard for a good while.

Yesterday I had herrings in tomato sauce on toast for breakfast, I couldn't tell the difference between them and the mackerel I'd had the day before.  Dinner was leftover pork shoulder chop and Yorkshire pudding from Sunday, jersey royals, broccoli, peas and gravy.  Tea wasn't so good, I had 2 chocolate eclairs, I'd like to blame living with a teenager but I can't blame him for me picking them up when I took him to get Choux buns, damn Tesco for selling them for 80p.

At least I don't have any junk or treats coming in todays stuff, except ice cream but I'm pretty good at resisting that.  

Other than our Be Happy Owls huddle this morning, I have nothing planned except cooking, I might get next weeks meeting talk planned as we're away the weekend and I won't be home till Monday.  For a change I've actually planned what we're doing, even booked a table for food.  Then Jubilee weekend, I've booked for us to go to the Black Country Museum, I don't fancy tackling the roads to go away, although I do like the idea of a walk up Cardingmill Valley on the Sunday, we shall see how everyone else feels in the house.

Here's to another day of doing my best to eat healthy and handle all the joys of being a grown up :) 

Have a great day

Mwah, luv you

Love me xx

£4 for a glass of pop - really!

Tuesday 25th May 2022

The grass is greener, where you water it!

Well I've just enjoyed my mug of tea so much, I'm contemplating going to get another and this can wait a little bit longer...

Well yesterday was an enjoyable day, I spent the morning planning the meetings, doing some research, oh and the doctors.  Turned out when I got there for an appointment I actually made over a month ago, it was a telephone appointment, so I went back home to wait for the call!  Thankfully I only live 100 yards away from the surgery or I'd have been a bit miffed.  Anyway the doctor thinks I most likely have vertigo, so she's prescribed me something and asked me to get the nurse to do a standing and sitting blood pressure test rather than just the sitting one she did last month.  Hopefully it'll rectify itself as it was most likely triggered by my bang on the head - that damn longboard!  Will I ever grow up?

We then went to Bella Italia for lunch because we had vouchers, I'd swapped my tesco clubcard ones.  Ouch, let's start with the price of pop, it's ridiculous, £4 for a glass of diet coke, a big glass I grant you but seriously, this is just ridiculous in my opinion.  My main was 

Now this is the picture of my actual meal and I have to say it was delicious, but shows how high in calories a pasta meal is when it's cooked all scrumptious like.  

Aryn had a pasta dish with duck in hoisin sauce which was a bit too sweet after you'd eaten half apparently, so he left some. 

OH and just for info, the second cup of tea this morning just isn't as good!  I'm sure it's because I reheated the water rather than using fresh.

Anyway, after food we went to get Aryn's eyes tested and turns out he needs glasses!  Yep he has a lazy left eye (he has a lazy body, I don't know about just his eye!) and his right eye has been doing all the work, so he needs glasses for tv, pc and reading.  Let's hope wearing glasses gets him ready ay!

I enjoyed my breakfast yesterday, had my mackerel in tomato sauce on toast, really tasty and so good for me, I actually might have the same again today.  Two portions of fish a week, at least one oily which mackerel is.  I looked at the cost of the mackerel, it was Sainsbury's home brand and is now 85p, last September it was 65p because I found an order in my email box.  These price increases are ridiculous.  The same thing is 64p in Aldi and compared to Princes which is a 'brand', Aldi has 64% mackerel in the can and Princes only 54%!  

   

I watched a few episodes of 'Secrets of Supermarket Food' yesterday on My5 app and some of it was eye opening, the amount of actual fish in your fish in batters from the Supermarkets is a joke, one only had 54%.  The other thing that made me squirm was whats on our fruit and veg, we laughed in our huddle last Wednesday about washing lettuce, I admitted I don't wash any of my fruit or veg, well after watching that yesterday, I might start doing so, there's stuff on them that you don't want in your body!  YAK!  

Right, let's get my work head on, time to eat breakfast, get dressed and ready for the day ahead.  I do love a slow start to my day, not a fan of rushing anymore.

Mwah, luv ya, 

Love me xx

Let's get this Monday started...

Monday 23rd May 2022

Another week, another chance.

Well I had my lazy day yesterday, after enjoying this breakfast, I didn't eat all that spread by the way, 

I sat and watched a lot of crap tele, I did cook a proper dinner, I even made my own Yorkshire pudding from scratch, they weren't my best but they got me back in the kitchen cooking and realising it isn't that difficult. 

Elle and I have been running huddles for a year now, she counted up the weight loss over that year yesterday - wow, how amazing are our members...

We both thank everyone who's joined us over the year, we couldn't have done it without them.  I want to thank Elle though too because it may not have happened at all had she not kept on at me!  We had talked about it a lot but when it came to reality, there was so much going on with mom, my brain was just full, then when mom passed away, it would've been so easy to not do anything, to take time off and run away.  I glad I didn't and that Elle became the logical voice in my head because I love what we've created, plus if I had run away, well I wouldn't have a teenager sleeping upstairs or a man in my life - mmm decisions, decisions lol. 

I need to start tracking again, not been doing it and we all know that stuff gets ignored when you don't watch and record what you're choosing.  On a positive I filled the fruit bowl Saturday, I've eaten 3 or 4 conference pears, they've all gone anyway, I'm waiting for the nectarines to ripen but I'll have an apple today.  The strawberries I bought are sour though and that's what annoys me about buying fruit, you never know what it's going to taste like and they weren't cheap!  It does make me smile seeing the males in my life walk in the living room eating a piece of fruit though I have to admit, it's the little things.  This will encourage me to keep the bowl topped up.

This week, I'm going to think about how food affects mood and make choices accordingly, ooo I'll have some oily fish for breakfast, get me a bit of omega 3 oil, I need to do that more often. I've got tinned mackerel in the cupboard.  I've also got frozen salmon which I bought when it was on a whoopsie I'll have that with jersey royals and veggies.  That's one meal planned for the week ahead.

We are off to Bella Italia because I have vouchers, I swapped my Tesco clubcard ones for food ones, every 50p is worth £1.50 in Bella, so that's lunch sorted.  I've just had a quick look at the menu, I'm looking at around 1,000 calories for whatever I choose, tempted to have lasagna to compare to my sisters but I know it won't be as good :) 

I did an order for Iceland yesterday because they sent me a £15 voucher, so that's a nice saving, plus I buy the things that are on offer saving me even more, oh and I only buy stuff I'd be buying at some point anyway, otherwise you aren't saving any money at all.  I've used or got around £75 of vouchers to use this week on food, not bad.  Iceland have been sending me offers for weeks and I've ignored the lower ones, then that one arrived Saturday.  Saving money where I can!  I complained to KFC last week about the service (it wasn't good) and they sent me a £10 voucher, which will buy Aryn a bucket tomorrow, you get 9 pieces for £5.99 on a Tuesday, he'll eat some then have the rest cold on cobs the next day, he can even have a milkshake in that tenner :) 

Time to get my day started, I have doctors this morning, Aryn has an eye test this afternoon, I need to plan this weeks huddle chat, so I'm off.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

Having a do less & chill day

Sunday 22nd May 2022

A Sunday well spent brings a week of content.

I had a feeling yesterday of wanting to do something, I think it was because I knew he was working all weekend, the sun was shining, the teenager was gaming and I was thinking to myself, I could be off doing something.  The feeling didn't last long if I'm honest and the truth was I just wanted some company, the places on my to go list are places I want to go together really, not on my own.  I went and sat in the garden with my book looking at moms tree in full flower and realise it was only a little over a year ago when mom was still with us, that I was wanting to just be able to sit in the garden and relax with a good book which instantly changed my mood and I started to enjoy and appreciate the quiet.

I was just dozing off about 5ish when the door bell rang and he'd come home for the night.  He then spent the next hour servicing his car - such a romantic lol.  We did enjoy an evening in front of the tele though afterwards, we had chippy tea, I had a steak pie, I enjoyed the one I had so much last week, I needed another and no I'm cured for a good while.  

The only downside is how early he had to leave this morning but hey I can have an afternoon nap later, that's what Sundays are all about if you don't have plans and you've already done your housework for the week.

I was going to go for a long walk today but I've changed my mind, I'm going to have a lazy day, watch morning tv, I've just enjoyed a croissant with jam.  If I plan to cook I need to talk something out the freezer as most of it says defrost before cooking.  Or do I bother to get dressed and take us out for lunch, nah everywhere is busy on a Sunday isn't it and it's cheaper to cook.  I'm going to defrost the pork shoulder chops and some mash.  I'll go do it now so I can't change my mind!

DONE!

Working my way through the freezer stuff, I diced all the onions and froze them but now the freezer smells of onion - what's that all about.  Onion flavour ice cream was a little weird :) 

Loved the huddle yesterday, it's always a great way to end the week and I even managed to lose 1/2lb.  I then went to sign up a customer to Utility Warehouse https://uw.partners/beverley.longsden  if you're interested in seeing what we can do, buy all means check out the link or just give me a shout, I'll explain it all without putting you under any pressure to sign up, that's not my style.  The reason I like it is I know I'm on the best energy rate I can get, we all have unlimited everything mobile sims (4 of them cost me £50), plus my broadband means all my bills are in one but the best bit is still the UW cashback card, I get money off my bills using it instead of my debit card, this month my bill was reduced by £34.47, that's a good saving each month.

Anyway, I'm ready to do not much, maybe a bit of reading, some tele, cook some food, there might be a little wine involved later, be rude not too, I may even have a long, hot bath, ooo yeah.

Hope you get to relax today, 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

I'll never be a domestic goddess!

Saturday 21st May 2022

You are worth the effort!

I had a very grown up day yesterday!  I started in the kitchen, full on spring clean I did, emptied all the cupboards, cleaned them out then checked what food I actually have, then proceeded to clean the rest of the kitchen, fridge the lot, the doors, floor, took me bloody ages it did and as much as I hate doing it, I love how it looks at the end.   I bow down in front of cleaners, it's such hard work, when you do it properly.

Next I did the living room, not so difficult as just untidy, by now it was lunchtime and I hadn't eaten yet, I found a tub of grey peas in the freezer and ate them, mmm you don't need a photo of them, they ain't pretty but I like them.

I'd decided I'd had enough of housework for one day and watched a bit of tele, but then I got a second spurt and did the rest of the house, both bathrooms which I have to add is a different experience once you have a teenager in the house!  The entire house was hoovered - another yakky job and I even got the Pledge out and a yellow duster :) 

My house is now lovely, I've just done last nights washing up - this is the thing see, you make it look lovely then you have to mess it back up if you want to eat.  We ate healthy though, had corn on the cob, roasted cubed potatoes and egg, oh and a battered fish, not the best I guess but it was delicious.  

At least it used up some of the freezer stuff again, there's not as much in that freezer as I thought to be honest, one drawer is almost full of ice cubes!  Another drawer is my curries, some veggie stuff in another which I will start eating this coming week, then lots of bits and bobs of stuff, there is salmon which I bought reduced, I could have that with veggie sticks, that'd be nice. 

A lot of the stuff in the freezer needs to be defrosted before cooking, this is why it's not being used because I'm rubbish at pre planning meals but it needs to be done, that'll be what me and Aryn do today, we can plan some meals for next week and use some of the stuff up (oh I'm well aware I've said that before by the way).

Busy morning, we have the huddle to look forward to, then I'm off to sign a customer up for Utility Warehouse, I'm not actively seeking customers at the moment but if someone gets in touch and asks for help, I'm more than happy to do that because I know UW are good, I won't be changing my bills anytime soon, I love that it's all together in one bill, plus I get that cashback, which these days is usually at least £30 a month.

Right, here's to a great day, no plans after I get back from work, I'm gonna nip to lidl's to have a nosey, my fridge is almost empty, I need a few veggies and I want some fruit in the bowl in the kitchen that I found whilst cleaning.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

Rock n Roll day ahead - NOT!

Friday 20th May 2022

Yes you can!

Well I ate my smoked salmon and that's me cured for another year, it repeats terribly on me, the eggs however were lush and that's a cheese triangle on the bread not butter :) 

Elle's been trying to find yogurts she likes and it made me think I rarely eat yogurt, which then led me to buying this one whilst I was in Aldi, mmm it was delicious, 186 calories so maybe considered a little high but it was so rich and creamy, I didn't fancy anything else for a long time, really satisfying. 

I forgot to take a photo of our tea, I wasn't really hungry but the boy was, we had some bread rolls to use up and potatoes so I made chip chunk cobs, basically I cut the spuds into cubes and roast for half hour, I did spray them with spray light and they were like a chip cob, we down well with him, he really liked them and how cheap are they.  I even left the skin on the potatoes and he ate that too so extra fibre too.  A couple hundred calories for the potato and 146 calories per roll, I'll do them again but I'll add an egg and peas to my plate and lose a roll, or both rolls, only had them as I don't want them going stale.

Today is house cleaning day, it's going to be a quiet weekend for me as he's working away, so I've decided my house needs a good top to bottom spring clean.  Well I've woke up feeling that way, how long it will last is another matter, but if I've got all weekend, I can do a bit at a time can't I.  Will start with the kitchen.

Aryn and I have agreed to make a meal plan, so if I do a deep clean in the kitchen I can also do a food inventory of the cupboards, I already did the freezer last week, this will help with the planning but also to use up what we already have, rather than buy more!  He enjoyed an Admiral fish pie yesterday, I buy them when they're on offer for £1 and keep a couple in the freezer, you can't make a fish pie that cheap really and they're useful. I've just had a quick look and Iceland do a fish pie for £1, it's a 450g one, not sure what it tastes like but that's cheap, I'm guessing Farm Foods does similar, both shops are great for filling the freezer and grabbing a bargain. 

We had a lovely day in huddles, lots of interesting chat, we're talking about food this week and how eating certain foods will help you stay full so you can use some of your allowance on the stuff you fancy whilst losing weight. 

Here's to a day of being bothered, I'm worth it, my house is worth it and I want to get stuff done!  Don't worry I will also be relaxing later because I enjoy that too.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

£50kg - what a joke!

Thursday 19th May 2022

We are our choices. 

This is my breakfast this morning after a trip to Aldi yesterday afternoon for smoked salmon!  Let me bring you up to date. 

I saw a photo of smoked salmon and eggs on our facebook group and I was 'ooo I could just eat that' so I nipped to the shop because we wanted salad too.  We popped to the Tesco garage at the bottom of the hill but they didn't have any, they did have Choux Buns though which have become the boys favourite treat lately!  They usually take a walk over the Coop and come back with a box of 2 which cost £1.80, well in Tesco it turns out you can have 2 for 85p, that's over 50% cheaper - ridiculous!  

We then drove back towards home and I stopped at the Coop to see if they had smoked salmon, oh they did but they wanted £3 for 60g, which was over £50 per kg!  I quickly looked on the Sainsburys app and their prices varied from £19.95 - £30 per kg, seriously, I know you pay more in these local small shops but that's a joke.   I decided to drive to Aldi, it's not that far away and I was curious, yeah £23 per kg and let's be honest, it'll taste just as good.  That's where we got the croissants, 246 calories but nice, I'm gonna have the smoked salmon for lunch with scrambled eggs.

I'm sat in front of the tele watching Sky News and all it's talking about is the cost of living crisis, it's scary isn't it.  

Whilst Aryn had leftover KFC cobs yesterday, I cooked the chicken nuggets that I'd had in a £5 freezer meal deal from Coop, I won't have that one again, I'm not a fan of them at all. At least there was salad on the plate.

And they wonder why people don't eat healthy, tub of strawberries yesterday £2.25, 4 choux buns £1.70, seriously, a bag of salad leaves £1.25 but it doesn't fill you up!  Yes I did buy all of these things and thankfully he ate the strawberries, but I didn't buy me a tub.

I know we can eat healthily as cheaply as unhealthily but it isn't as easy and people like easy.  I could've bought a pizza meal deal in the Tesco garage, 1 big pizza, a side and dips for £5, it's the quicker, easier option isn't it.  

One thing that was evident in our huddle yesterday morning is people 'can't be bothered' when it comes to taking care of themselves, they do it for others but neglect themselves.  This is something we're gonna have to start to address going forward.  We are worth the effort, we matter too!

On that note, I've just really enjoyed my breakfast, I'm just finishing my latte, that's around 300 calories in total spent, nice.  I've got my salmon and eggs for lunch, just dinner to decide on, I'm tempted by the grey peas in the freezer, now they're not a badly priced meal, the peas are cheap, it's the bacon that costs the money.  

Here's to a great day, make it a good one.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me 

Finger lickin good!

Wednesday 18th May 2022

keep going, keep going, keep going...

We're talking food in our huddles this week, I do love talking food, unfortunately sometimes it makes me want the foods we talk about, last week it was pie and can I add the steak pie I had was epic, plus it was worth 503 calories (Pukka pie).  Thankfully this week it's the healthier stuff we're talking about and it's good to see a few light bulbs go on in peoples heads when they have a realisation as you talk - I do love a nodding head!  

Now the last few days, Aryn and I have started watching Harry Potter films from the beginning and in the scenes where they are having a feast, there's always the most amazing looking dishes of corn on the cob, which I commented on.  

Apparently temptation is all around and affects us all because Aryn asked what we were having for tea after my corn on the cob comment, when I asked him what he was thinking, it turned out, corn on the cob had made him think of KFC, plus if you look at that photo the fried chicken is next to the corn in the scene also!  Tuesday's is 9 pieces for £5.99 offer, two large sides for an extra £2.50 so yeah you guessed it that's what we did, he had fries and gravy, I had corn on the cob.  The service was dreadful but only because the app was crap and the staff overworked then I couldn't get off the car park because someone had blocked both sides of the road whilst waiting to go through the drive thru - deep sigh.  The chicken was epic though I won't lie, I like the wings and the drumsticks, which are 175 calories for a wing piece and 170 calories for a drumstick, the corn on the cob is 170 for 2 cobs.  Just for info a thigh pieces is 285 calories and the breast (Keel) is 265 calories so at least I opted for the smaller pieces and he's got 3 pieces left for him to eat cold lunchtime today.

I had trout at lunchtime with the last few spoonfuls of lentil dhal and that was me foodwise, oh 2 slices of toast for breakfast from a 400g wholemeal loaf.  

I need more veggies and salad in my diet again, I've got frozen and tinned stuff I can use, I also want to make a tuna pasta salad, that'll be perfect for tomorrow when I have my busy day so I've got no thinking, I'll make it ready today I think so I have no excuses! 

I have a bag of onions I need to do something with, I bought them to make a stew but then changed my mind, I might chop and slice them, then freeze them so they're ready for when I need some, the other option is to go buy beef and I don't really want to do that as I have a freezer full of food.

That's enough food talk, I need another cuppa followed by a shower, busy morning, huddle at Wimborne Road, followed by a visit from one of the school inclusion team coming to see Aryn.  Aryn and I did a couple of hours school work yesterday, we're using the books he had in Ireland, I'm thinking English and Maths is the same whatever country your in, plus he read for 20 minutes, he's agreed to do that daily under duress lol. 

Have a great day, we're halfway through the week - don't they fly by these weeks!

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

Shall we have a tremendous Tuesday?

Tuesday 17th May 2022

Don't panic, do your best!

Well I had an early night but then got woke up about nine by next door drilling and banging, that went on until about tennish when I fell asleep again, erm that better not become a regular thing, I like my sleep!

Yesterday was a quiet day otherwise, spent all morning on Be Happy Owls stuff, nipped over the doctors to pick up a letter re Aryn for the 'school inclusion' people, hopefully that'll help his case, I can see me having to home school him if this doesn't get sorted. 

Foodwise, we lived off leftover Indian takeaway from the Sunday, now to decide what to eat this week. I need eggs, but that's it really, I have everything else, freezers full, there's plenty of healthy stuff going on in there.  

One of the sides I ordered from the takeaway was a Dhall Samba which was delicious and a great reminder of how good you can make lentils taste with the right herbs and spices and once you have those spices, the lentils are cheap, so definitely a recipe worth looking up, or any dahl recipe.

I won't be doing recipes today though, busy day ahead at huddles, looking forward to catching up with everyone, 

I need to focus on the 21.5lb I've lost and not the 2lb I gained on Saturday, I'm still 4lb lighter than I was this time last month overall - focus on the positives!

Right, my mugs empty, it needs refilling because it was a cracking cuppa, I've gone back to Yorkshire Tea, it really is my favourite.  Here's to a great day, I might even do some housework in-between the huddles later (maybe....) 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

I love chilling!

Monday 16th May 2022

It's all part of the process.

I know Monday's aren't popular with a lot of people, but I quite like them, I'd rather have another Sunday because we're all home but at least on a Monday, I don't have to go out to work, I get to start my day slowly, spend some time planning our meeting chat and then decide what to do with the rest of my day.  I really ought to spend some time doing housework but meh, it'll wait, I fancy a day in front of the tele, chilling out, especially as the weather is a soggy and Aryn still isn't well, so we can't go anywhere.  

I've really enjoyed the weekend, we did NOTHING and I loved every minute of it, well obviously we did something but it was all very laid back and relaxing, not sorting out the camper or going anywhere.  I went and picked him up Saturday and when we got home, we nipped to the pub for a few hours, then came back and enjoyed a couple of hours sitting in the garden enjoying the sunshine and some music - my idea of heaven.  

Sunday was a lie in and a slow start, I made us a ham, cheese, spring onion and tomato omelette - forgot the photo and it looked so good, it also kept us satisfied until almost 6pm, when we had a takeaway.  I just didn't want to cook, that rarely happens because I like cooking but I wasn't in the mood and we had been going to have a takeaway the night before but changed our mind and I really fancied Tandoori Chicken and it didn't disappoint.  We had it from Masala Lounge because I know that's Elle's favourite and I wanted to give it a go, I'd been once, many, many years ago.  We were all impressed, would definitely have again and we collected Masala Lounge Wednesfield - Masala Lounge Wednesfield (mymasalalounge.com) so that meant we got it quickly and also saved a bit doing it, I think it said 10% discount if collecting.  I have to say Pearl of Bengal on the Cannock Road which is my regular Indian is just as good, but next time I fancy eating out, Masala Lounge will definitely be an option.

After all that, we were ready for an early night, we did watch the new Rebel Wilson Netflix film, Senior Year, easy watching, a few laugh out loud moments, even from himself! 

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't work out the calories in my food last night, I didn't eat loads which is something, but there is leftovers which I shall mostly be eating today so there won't be any counting today either, I won't be thinking 'sod it' either though.  

I picked up some salmon yesterday in the garage, reduced in the whoopsies, so that'll be on the menu this week, oh I tried one of these Saturday 

I had them from Aldi a very, long time ago and they've been in the freezer ever since, not even sure if they do them anymore but they are full of 'real' fish, 188 calories.  I had them on one of these Warburton sandwich rolls 189 calories that Tina had given me.  

Anyway, enough of this food talk, I need another cuppa and to get my brain into gear at least for a few hours :)

Happy Monday, have a great day, 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

 

Gonna be an ouch today...

Saturday 14th May 2022

Don't overthink things. 

Well I'm ready for the gain on the scales this morning and it's all part of life, it's been an emotional week and I've eaten for pleasure and comfort!  

Yesterday was a waiting game on the morning, I waited from 9.30 for a phone appointment off the doctor, it was almost 12 by the time it came through and then I had to drive to Codsall for my breast screening, I made it in time though so all good. 

I'm not gonna lie I had chippy yesterday, we've mentioned 'PIE' all week in our chat and I wanted a pukka pie and ma'an was it just what I imagined, I enjoyed every mouthful.  I chilled for the rest of the day in front of the tele and I was in bed by 8 and I've slept till 5.30am, loving my bed at the minute.

Busy morning ahead at our Huddle, then I'm going to pick his lordship up to save him bringing the van home, so a nice drive out for me.

I haven't even thought about what we'll all be eating today, but tuna pasta bakes just sprung to mind, will see what they fancy, it's that or they can have ribs, there's plenty of them in freezer, I can have something else.  I'm ready to get back to healthy eating, my emotions are back and settled (for now), the conversation with the doctor about Aryn was positive, everything will be okay, we're not all supposed to be the same and everyone gets through life in their own way.  I missed lots of school when I was a teenager and I've done okay and so will he because he's a good kid and a smart one and he has us!

What to have for breakfast?  I haven't been eating it for a few weeks so it'll had to the scales result if I have this morning lol, I'm not actually hungry if I'm honest, the only thing I fancy is a sausage baguette from Greggs but that's not going to help me get back on track so I'll give that a miss.  

When you love food, weight loss is a constant challenge, but hey so is so many other things in life and I'm up for that challenge - are you?  Let's have a great day.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx

Few words today.

Friday 13rh May 2022

We make our own luck.

Slept in this morning, I've got to go over docs at 8 to try and get Aryn an appointment, so this blog will be a short on.

My day was a good one yesterday, loved our huddles and was glad to be kept busy, foodwise it was a better day than the day before, egg sandwich for breakfast, fish finger cob for lunch and chicken chow mein for tea but I left lots as it wasn't very good at all.  I'll be amazed if I don't gain weight tomorrow.

I'm having my first mammogram today, let's hope it's all clear shall we, not feeling the 'Friday the 13th' love lol.  I'm sat here thinking house needs hovering, at least I've put a load of washing in, I'm feeling a lazy day once the appointments have been done.  The forecast is dry and if it does warm up this afternoon, I fancy sitting in the garden with my book.

Right, I did say it was going to be a short one, I meant it. 

Let's all do the best we can today and make it a good one.

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

Bloody Tears!

Thursday 12th May 2022

Time is non-refundable, use it with intention.

Yesterday was a day of two halves!  The first half went well, great huddle, enjoyed my breakfast of eggs and tomatoes on toast, I think too the car for a service and had a walk round Wednesfield. 

Nipped to the post office and transferred our £1k donation to the girls football team, (1) Lane Head Galaxy | Facebook, these amazing young ladies are in the final on Saturday after only starting up in 2019 before Covid - how amazing are they.

Then my day changed, I had a phone call that wasn't the news I was hoping for, came home to a poorly Aryn and the rest of the day just went tits up!  

My eating wasn't great, I tried, had gammon for lunch, had defrosted it but Aryn didn't eat, so I had both pieces of gammon!

Ate two packet of snaps, had a mash potato sandwich and later even ate these!  No wonder people eat high calorie food when it's only £1 for 2, 296 calories each, way too easy to eat both.

I cried a lot yesterday! Don't get me wrong, my life is great right now and I'm in a really good place but my emotions some days are just out of my control.  I think some of it is because of the menopause, some is grief - I miss my mom!  But also yesterday that phone call made me feel I was about to have to start a battle, I really didn't want to - but I will!  I also don't want to see a young man I've grown to love be unwell and upset, damn this parenting lark is hard work!

The scales are gonna laugh out loud at me this week, no chance of a weight loss, but it's okay, there's more to life than those results. Having said that, we shall again do our best today to eat well.  On a positive I did do a Freezer Inventory, I now know what's in there for eating and there's plenty to keep me out the supermarket for a good few days.

Right, I'm gonna have a shower and wake myself up, here's to a better day, 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me 

 

Midweek already, these weeks are flying.

Wednesday 11th May 2022

Make today a happy day.

100% chance of rain today, let's not let that affect our mood though, let's decide to have a happy day and eat food that makes us feel good and improves our health.

I enjoyed my eggs and tomatoes with my bread yesterday, great way to start my day, might have the same again today as I'm taking the car to be serviced straight after the huddle this morning. 

After a couple of great huddles yesterday, I went home and enjoyed this ready meal that a member had recommended, it was alright but I wouldn't buy again, rather make my own for less calories, 555 calories for that seemed a lot, it was obviously all in the chees sauce which had single cream in, my cheese sauce is just as good and a bit of parmesan would've done it as good.

I wasn't overly hungry when I got home on the night after another cracking huddle so I ate the two cold slices of pizza that Aryn had left at lunchtime, not the best option but I'm trying not to waste food and save some cash along the way.

Meal planning is the answer to saving some cash isn't it!  I really need to do that, I know I've said it before but it really would help not just financially but with staying on track with the calories too.  I'm thinking grey peas today as I have some in freezer, or if Aryn fancies it we could have curry and rice as I've got that all made up in freezer too, it's certainly the weather for something warm.

Right that's my plan of action today, huddle this morning at Wimborne Road, take car for service, do a freezer inventory to see what foods I have in there and plan some meals using them up!  

Here's to a very, good day - you in?

 

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me x

Damn those coupons!

Tuesday 5th May 2022

Be 1% better than you were yesterday.

My day started great yesterday, had eggs on toast for breakfast, missed my eggs in the morning, not been eating breakfast at all and it's a favourite meal some days so I'll get back to that, I was going to have tinned tomatoes with them but can you believe I didn't have any in the cupboard, I don't remember a time when I didn't have a tin of toms in my kitchen.  I've took some out the freezer that have been flavoured up by my brother so will enjoy them today with my eggs.  

My next task was the greenery on the front garden, he'd cut all the shrubs back at the weekend so I made a few trips to the tip with it all in the back of the Saab, then hoovered it all out afterwards and apart from a couple of green bugs that won't come out you wouldn't know it had been full of so many branches and leaves! 

We were rebels though and had our lunch from McDonalds because they sent me a 50% off voucher if I ordered for pick up via the app - oops.  Having said that I didn't eat again so not so bad and I did really enjoy it, I had a diet sprite instead of coke which I really enjoyed, I'll buy me some cans of that I think.

This will be todays lunch, it's been recommended by a member, quite high in calories at 555 but the fact the fat and saturates is in red is more of a concern than the calories, it was on offer and I fancied giving it a try.  It serves 1 but if Aryn shows interest I might split it between us and add more veggies.

I've got some tinned soup too that I can always have, the weathers undecided and muggy I think, I've had a migraine for the last two days, I thought it was a hangover from the white wine I'd had Saturday but soon realised it was more when I woke up with it again yesterday, I can still touch the pain this morning, it's like someone has stuck a steel thin poker in the corner of my eye where my nose is - NICE NOT!

Okay, time to get ready to go do our Be Happy Owls thing, looking forward to our day, hope to see lots of members looking forward to a summer of healthy eating and loving life.  Let your friends know where we are, help us continue doing a job we both love. 

Here's to tracking this Tuesday and staying within my allowance! 

mwah, luv ya 

Love me