Week 9

Got to get back on track!

Started the week feeling strong but starving! SO wierd when you screw up all your good habits and immediately your poor body can't figure out what it needs and how much of it. Decided I would eat well but eat lots. Kept to my fruit smoothee and coffee in the morning (with lots of water) but started my lunch early - sauteed half a bunch of kale in garlic and olive oil, then added a full tin of sugar-free baked beans, and ate with a lovely green salad on side. Was sooooo what I needed and I scoffed it all down. Found myself resorting back to a decaf coffee in the arvo, just for that "full" feeling and still managed to pick a little at the kids' buns for arvo tea. Had 2 organic chooks roasting in the oven and put on a magnificent spread of roast veges to go with it. Was cleaning out my vege drawer at the same time so had a lovely org vege stock simmering at the same time, and then made up a crunchy salad of julienne celery & snow peas, and thinly sliced radish. Was to go with a lamb dish the next night but instead had some of it with the roast dinner. Instead of gravy I just used some of the pan juices with some apple juice, and reduced it in a saucepan. Just added a little depth to the dinner. Delish and ate my fill.

On to Tues and I had lots of leftovers to use for my dinner. Grilled some lamb steaks marinaded in morroccan herbs to have on wraps for the kids with salad. I had my lamb sliced up on a lovely salad of leftover crunchy stuff from yest, quinoa, cranberries and toasted macadamia nuts, all topped with the leftover tzatziki from last week. Can I just tell you, it was delightful, and I had to stop and save some for the next day as it really filled me up - all that chewing and crunching. Was still finding the bread the hardest thing to avoid during the day and had some of the kids fresh bread at lunch............. and a hot cross bun the next day. Where has all that self-control gone???? (Could maybe explain the slight scratching starting up on my head again???)

Made the banana cake as muffins for bible study again on wed morn but really enjoyed a platter a girlfriend put together with sliced tomato, avo, smoked salmon and cheese that I willingly brought out my buckwheat crispbread for! Made do for lunch, altho I finished my quinoa salad later on as well. And I had dinner all ready from the night before when I used half the chicken stock I'd made after the roast, to make Chicken noodle soup:

Saute 1 chopped onion and 1 carrot in 2 tbsp of olive oil for a few mins. Add 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 tsp finely grated ginger & 1 small chilli chopped finely and stir till fragrant. Add 3/4 litre chicken stock along with another 1/2 cup of water & simmer for 5 mins till carrot almost cooked. Add 1 cake of vermicelli noodles and wait till softened in soup before adding 2 tbsp tamari, a cup of chopped roast chook, 1/2 tin of corn kernels and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust with water if too thick, but if too runny whisk in a beaten egg before serving to give a bit more texture.

The flavour of this soup def depends on the quality of your chicken stock - whether homemade (which I def recommend), whether organic (incomparable flavour) and how long its simmered as to how concentrated the flavour will be. Once you've simmered the chicken carcasses for an hour or so, remove the bones and then you can simmer longer and the stock will concentrate more and taste heaps more "chickeny". However, it will reduce your quantity dramatically so may only get 1 litre from it. (I also make sure I skim the icky scum off the top as it simmers and I strain the stock thru a sieve lined with a clean chux to get out any other bits.)

I also made my own garlic bread to go with the soup (fresh bread spread with garlic butter - butter, crushed garlic & salt) as the pre-packed garlic breads are atrocious for all the additives they use. However, once again too tempting to me and had to have a slice or two. Had to laugh later when I kissed all the kids good night and they all had "garlic breath"!

Sigh! So much bread - what to do?

Still on the cusp of 7 kgs off, and I still feel frustrated that I can't seem to feel it in my clothes. However, i feel I could drop a size in my underwear - undies & bra, even tho my back is so much more solid from the workouts. I spose next I should get some measurements to compare - arm, thigh, belly & chest. May make it a little bit clearer for me to see what's going on. My upper arms are still big if not bigger thanks to the muscle building but I know that's a temporary thing (how long is anyone's guess). As my personal trainer explains it, the more muscle you build, the more it will start to burn off the fat around it - but it takes time to get to that stage so will have to suffer it for now. And that's why sore muscles are a good sign, because it shows you they are still contracting and utilizing all the energy stored around them. (I am no expert on this and I know my PT would explain it better if not correctly but this is just how my mind thinks or "justifies" the work.)

My chiro has thankfully worked on the weak spot in my back and I haven't had the resulting headaches I was getting from my upper back workouts at gym. Hopefully it won't return. My ankles are still sore and altho the massage she has done on them has been great, I am still struggling in the mornings. I am learning to give them a good stretch and flex in bed before getting up though so they are a bit looser.

And that's all for now, must try and think of what to have for dinner tonight. (And repeat my mantra for the day - stay away from bread, stay away from bread, stay away from bread.......)