Moonwatcher's JUDDD diary

The lamb was very tasty - will post a piccy in a moment.

Atomic - forgot to say earlier that I did adapt the recipe a bit. I was using kalamata olives and as they are very strong olive-y tasting (!) which my OH isn't too mad keen on, I cut the amount by half. If you used blander olives, you probably wouldn't need to. I also didn't add the full amount of extra salt, as those olives are quite salty tasting, so I just gave it a couple of grinds of sea salt.
 
OK, so slight change to today's menu. We actually had the bread and butter pudding with a cup of coffee mid afternoon as OH was home early, and he was, of course 'starving.' So made a slight adaptation to the pudding menu tonight, and followed the Calabrian Lamb with Ginger Caramel Pears with Dark Chocolate & Greek Yogurt. Both courses delicious and simple to do. The pears were just cored and peeled, sliced and fried for a minute in a little butter mixed with a spritz of olive oil, then I sprinkled some ground ginger and soft light brown sugar on top and turned up the heat until it started to caramelise. Into the bowl with some yogurt drizzled artistically around and some veeerrrryyy dark chocolate grated on top! Yummy!

I have decided to post pictures more often from now on, as I think I will really like looking back at the diary and remembering what I had, and the picture makes that easier to do.

Calabrian Lamb cooking.jpg Lamb in the pan!


Calabrian Lamb.jpg Plated up with potato wedges, sweet potato wedges, creamy nutmeg onions and peas (peas instead of green beans in the end)


GINGER PEARS.jpg ... and the Caramelised Ginger Pears etc...
 
Friday 12th April

Not had much time to be online today, so just updating for today's DD food.

Lunch - home made chick pea tomato and bacon soup (150 cals) This was based on a Jamie Oliver recipe for bacon, tomatp and white bean soup adjusted a bit for a DD. It was very tasty and filling.

Dinner - 2 egg fritatta/omelette with onion, chilli, chorizo, herbs and goats cheese, served with some beetroot. Total cals for today 504.

Took a picture of the soup - but it doesn't look as exciting as it tasted! Completely forgot to take a pic of the frittata though. Only a very empty plate remains!

Have a serious attack of the munchies looming - not hungry, just want to eat today. Will drink plenty tonight and hope that is enough to ward it off.

Looking forward to tomorrow and the first day of the double UP day weekend

Planned food for tomorrow, Saturday 13th April:

Breakfast - bagel with butter and marmalade

Lunch - Home made hummous with herby warburton square wraps to dip in, and a clementine, date and beetroot salad with toasted sesame seeds and toasted almonds.

Dinner - Chicken, tomato and pea curry (already in the slow cooker, so it can sit overnight, as they are sooooo much better when re-heated) Will probably serve it with spicy rice, garlic pickle and yogurt mint raita.

We have to go out in the morning to collect a shower door for the camper, but if there is time I am hoping to make something with some very dark chocolate I have - maybe chocolate and apricot flapjack type thingies?
 
Great calorie use for yesterday's DD. Sounds lovely. The pears from the previous day also looked really scrummy. I used to have baked pears with vanilla and sweetener with porridge for breafkast but i haven't done them for a while. I might have to rectify this.

I think taking more pictures is a really good idea. I find it helps to be able to look back at stuff for ideas but also to see how the sorts of things I eat and the portions change over time. I think on the whole the plates of food that I have now are probably smaller than the ones I was having when I started my diary nearly a year ago.

You should definitely make the flpajacks. Mmmmm. And remember the stem ginger. I really need to make them again soon but as OH doesn't really like them there never seems much point. Although I guess I could just save one or two and take the others into work thus earning major brownie points with my colleagues.

Enjoy the double up day weekend :)
 
Saturday 13th April

WI this morning was 14st 13.8 lbs, so down 0.2 lbs! Just in to the 14s, although would have liked a bit more. Definitely retaining some fluid this morning and have been in and out of the loo all day, so will keep plodding on and hope for a whoosh soon to get rid of the Easter gain.

If things don't pick up soon I am going to have to re-assess my UP days. Waiting at the moment as have been at home for a fortnight, had Easter weekend, haven't been doing much exercise and the exercises I have been doing are the squats in the squats challenge (100 today) and they have made me sore, which I suppose is retaining fluid. I still can't do anything aerobic or that involves moving around much as it sets off the whooping cough fits. So overall I am trying to be patient, but can't carry on for long with no decent losses as after all I am supposed to be losing weight. It is now mid April and I am still about 5lbs up on my pre-Christmas weight. It's going to be a bit of a boring diary soon if I just keep repeating the same old up and down over the same 4 or 5 pounds!

Will post pics of today's lunch in a mo. Just going to have a cuppa with BGT first. Cider with curry later!
 
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Ah Atomic - I don't have any stem ginger left, so the flapjacks will have to wait for another day. Instead I am going to make some buttermilk scones, some plain and some with apricots and dark chocolate, and also some rhubarb turnovers for the OH tomorrow with our first rhubarb from the garden. That will be tomorrow as I didn't get round to them today. Back to today...

Had ran out of bagels, so made a loaf in the breadmaker and had toast with butter and jam instead for breakfast.

Lunch was the hummous as planned...

Beetroot and Orange salad.jpg The beet and orange salad in a coarse mustard/orange juice dressing, with toasted sesame seeds and toasted almonds.

bread.jpg Warburton square wrap warmed with olive oil, rosemary and oregano.

Hoummous plus....jpg On the plate (but not for long!) with olives and sweet chilli jelly.

Still full enough tonight to not need rice with the chicken and pea curry, so just had a bowl of the curry with dollops of mint raita, mango chutney and garlic chutney, followed by a bowl of grapefruit and orange segments.
 
That salad looks really tasty and I love the square wraps warmed like that. I have done garlic and coriander "naan" with them like that which was delicious.

Well done on the loss and seeing the 14s again! I know it is probably frustrating things not moving at the speed that you think they should or want them to but it does sound like there are some valid reasons for things at the moment so I think the patient approach probably is still the best one. Hope things speed up soon.

How was the curry? We have chicken and spinach curry for tonight which I think I might do some chilli and mint paneer with. Mmmmm.
 
Well I'm up into the 15s again this morning Atomic, but only at 15st 0.4lbs so that is to be expected after an UP day and is acceptable! I just really hope things do get moving again in the proper downward direction. I know I need to be exercising more and to be honest I am as frustrated by not being able to do that than by the scales not moving much! I always feel so much more positive and 'empowered' when I am exercising - even just doing the squats challenge has made me feel more positive. OH and I are planning to have a go at the C25K this year, but no way can we run at the moment. I think I may be able to get some stretching/yoga in this week and now I'm back at work will be walking in and out each day. It's not far but every little helps!

The curry was delicious - although with a stint in the slow cooker and then reheating it had turned a bit more into a thick curry soup, especially as we didn't have the rice to soak up the juices. Very tasty though...

Chicken curry bowl.jpg
 
Looks very unctuous and tasty.

I know exactly what you mean about the exercise. I think it is a state of mind that it inspires more than anything. But with the cough and things you shouldn't beat yourself up about not exercising recently, its not really been possible as you say. Walking and a bit of yoga sounds like a good way of testing the water though.
 
Sunday April 14th

Back to work tomorrow! :( As the weather has been pretty bad here over the last two weeks I admit I have become a teeny bit addicted to staying in and watching Food Network. Think it is unlikely they will allow me to watch it on the sly in lessons, so I will have to go cold turkey!

Food for today..

Breakfast bagel - wow this was so yummy! Toasted onion and chive bagel with cream cheese, bacon pieces, peach slices and maple syrup. I think I am in heaven!

smiley bagel.jpgA very smiley bagel plate with the cream cheese, waiting for bacon, maple syrup and peaches. Picture taken by my OH. Do you think he has too much time on his hands? :D



Bacon bagel plus.jpg Ready to fold and eat!

Dinner today will be a steak pie (from the freezer) with mash, peas and gravy. OH will have a rhubarb turnover to follow.

I have a bit of cooking to be getting on with soon - scones and rhubarb turnovers. I also need to decide on a soup and an evening meal for tomorrow's down day, get the soup made and prepare anything that needs doing in advance for the evening.

Not planning a lunch as such, as breakfast was late, and I am sure some scones will be consumed later, so we'll call that lunch!
 
Didn't have the steak pie meal in the end yesterday - we were too full from the scones - one brown sugar and two dark chocolate and apricot. Ahem! As today is a DD though I didn't want to go right through from mid afternoon with nothing, so we had beans on toast with HP sauce!

Food for Monday 15th April - back to work today

Lunch - home made leek soup (70 cals)

Dinner - chipotle and lime chicken stir fry with onion, green beans and celery, plus 1 oz of noodles, and beetroot and peach salad (416 cals)

Splash of milk in one tea, (15 cals) others black

Total for the day 501

Will post a piccy in a while.

UP day tomorrow. Tuna, onion and chilli sandwich in home made bread for lunch. Dinner will be pork ribs in a BBQ type sauce, with spicy potato and parsnip cakes, and sweetcorn and green beans with coconut dressing.
 
Pic of yesterday's scones - a couple of brown sugar square ones, a couple of coconut and lime, a couple of dark choc and apricot, and ... wait for it, as OH insisted - a couple with cherry jam, in the mix itself. If you look at the back ones, you can just make out a purple edge!

Scones.jpg


Chipotle chicken stir fry.jpg Tonight's DD dinner of chipotle and lime chicken stir fry with veg, noodles and beetroot
 
Oh my word. Subscribing in the hope you'll invite me round for one if those bagels with amazing things on!
 
Sounds like a really nice dd and up day! The lime and chipotle chicken sounds (and looks) lovely. I love all things made me chipotle chillies. I've done a big mexican veg stew tonight with chipotle and ancho chillies. Mmmmm. And you can't beat pork ribs. They are so so tasty.
 
You'd all be welcome, although at this rate I may have to move to a bigger house!

The mexican stew sounds very tasty Atomic. We love all things chilli in this house!

Food today was as planned, with the addition of one piece of wholemeal toast, butter and jam for breakfast, the last coconut and lime scone with a cup of tea this afternoon, and peas instead of beans with the coconut sweetcorn. Followed the ribs with fresh mango and a couple of slices of peach.

Ribs and more...

Ribs etc.jpg


Food has been very good and very tasty over the last few days, but I know I have been eating far too much wheat for my stomach/IBS and sinuses. I have been suffering for it and feeling pretty rough because of it, and not sleeping well either because of the rumbling, grumbling and other assorted noises and high jumps that my digestive system has been producing. I have also been really bloated and retaining water, with my rings digging into my fingers, which also always happens when I overdo it on bread etc.

On WW the points system tended to reduce the amount of bread and bread products 'naturally' but since being on JUDDD I have definitely had too many on my UP days - sometimes for every meal and for snacks inbetween. I have been reading a bit over the last few days on wheat free/low wheat eating - including a look at Paleo and the Primal Blueprint, in conjunction with fasting. I'm not sure yet that I want to cut wheat and/or other grains out completely, but the arguments for cutting down/out do look quite compelling - especially when I look at the negative effects I know they have on my body. I'm going to look into it all more thoroughly, but in the meantime I will run down my pantry stocks of wheat and grains and try to be more aware again of how much of them I am consuming, especially on UP days.

DD tomorrow - with home made spicy red lentil soup for lunch. Not sure about tea yet. May get some smoked mackerel out of the freezer.
 
Wednesday 17th April

DD today.

Lunch - home made spicy lentil soup

Dinner - piece of wholemeal toast, one rasher bacon, one poached egg and baked beans

Calories 485

No pics, as I'm sure you have all seen beans on toast before!

One more UD, and one more DD until WI. Daily WI this week - went down to 14st 13.4lbs after Monday's DD, back up to 15st 0.4 lbs this morning after yesterday's UD, so fingers crossed it goes down a little bit more each DD!

Will be home late tomorrow as have booked into a late afternoon training session on Literacy Across the Curriculum, so will do something with some sausage-meat and flaky pastry for tomorrow evening - probably with leeks and nutmeg in cream cheese sauce and sweet potato wedges. Tomorrow's lunch is already packed - cheese and bacon roll with pineapple chunks, and some more pineapple chunks to follow!

Have had to give up the squat challenge :( as my knees were just not up to that many squats in one day. I got up to 105 a day, but when I went back to work I noticed that my knees were quite painful going up the stairs. Shame, because they didn't actually hurt whilst doing the squats, and I was very careful with the technique, but they were still creaking a lot. I don't want to make the cartilage problem that I have had since I fell off a step about 18 months ago and landed knees first, any worse, so the squat challenge has had to go.
 
Hi Moonwatcher,
Fingers crossed for you that you get a good WI in two days time. I have todays UD and then fridays DD so hoping saturday morinin i'll have some kind of loss but i was a pig on sunday and Tuesday so im not sure what will happen. Pity about your knees, i think you were right to stop though. I remeber getting really sore knees doing Shred last year, once i stopped it soon got better.

Are you a teacher then? What age group do you have at the mo?

Have a good day tomor.
 
We'll both be keeping our fingers crossed for Saturday morning then! Yes I was disappointed about the squats because I could really feel them working, but I have to think long-term - no good ending up with a very toned bum and thighs if I can't walk anywhere because my knees are shot!

No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a learning support assistant for special needs pupils in a local high school and college (11 - 18 years). I absolutely love it as we cover every subject in the curriculum, so it is extremely varied and (most of the time!) very satisfying.
 
How are you doing moonwatcher, are you still on track for saturdays weigh in? I had a sneeky peek on scales yesterdaay morning after DD and scales showed a 2lb gain on last week. I'm hoping to god that was just my muscles holding onto water or something from exercise. I'll be so cross if that is trhe result tomor morining.

Btw your job sounds fab. Makes such a difference when you enjoy your work.
 
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