So as befits someone who calls herself 'GluttonGirl', I've tried one or two slimming regimes in my time. And while I haven't been what an objective observer would call slim for about 20 years, they have been with limited success. What I do know though, is that when I want to drop a pound or 50, dropping the refined carbs seems to be the best way to do it (for me). I'm sure a proper expert would tell me why etc etc and I do think that once I start on the bread I JUST CAN'T STOP so I find it easier to keep away from anything refined/sugary.
Which brings me neatly to paleo. GluttonBoy has talked about this for a while and we've occasionally tried to do it, in a half-hearted fashion. The trouble with it, in my view, is that if you're out and about, and don't have anything with you to eat, and are starving, or at a client lunch or something like that, it's bread all the way. But, if you implement it in a sort of 80/20 fashion, then it does become do-able, with a bit of planning.
No refined carbs, no potatoes, no starch, no grains or pulses, no dairy. I ignore the dairy otherwise I won't have any breakfast - a greek yoghurt seems to do the trick. At the weekend we are enjoying eggs and smoked salmon, or bacon and mushrooms and things like that. I would KILL for a loaf of Sourdough slathered in butter, but that's because I'm fundamentally greedy and sourdough slathered in butter is nice.
What are you eating I hear you ask? Good question. Protein, nice salads, sweet potatoes, almonds. A lot of eggs. It's not so bad. Almonds are a filling mid-afternoon snack. Fruit and veg. Avocados. Paleo purists are no doubt in a swoon but for the first week it seems to be ok - despite 3 dinners out and carby and hardly any exercise on my part I've lost 5lbs and GluttonBoy 7. So he wants it to be 'for life'. We'll see. So 5lbs down, 80 to go. I'm 1/16 of the way. Practically home and dry.
*sigh*
GG
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
January is going to be looooong.....
So I'm always amazed when you start a new health regime and you're not immediately 5 stone lighter the next day. Rage. Still, 1.5 days in and going ok, if you ignore the 1 naan bread I ate last night along with the lamb chops at the excellent Tayyabs. And, we went to bed feeling un-bloated and, best of all, I woke up having slept all through the night! For the first time in months!
So tonight I'm also out (bizarrely) but we've opted for Turkish, so going to give the breads a swerve and stick to grills and salads where possible. I'm quite liking this January lark, but let's see how we go in a week...
Lots of love
GG
So tonight I'm also out (bizarrely) but we've opted for Turkish, so going to give the breads a swerve and stick to grills and salads where possible. I'm quite liking this January lark, but let's see how we go in a week...
Lots of love
GG
Saturday, December 29, 2012
In which the Gluttons go Paleo
Christmas is clearly the highlight of the Glutton year and, as I'm so fond of telling GluttonBoy, it's very much a marathon, not a sprint. Some people take the view that you should eat light all December to balance out the end of year onslaught. I take the opposing view, that you should start early to get into Gluttony Training. You don't want to be turning down the pigs in blankets on the 25th because you've had too many morning mince pies. There is a lot of good food to get through and you need to prepare. Last year, having got up from the table in actual pain, I spent the next 20 minutes dipping leftover yorkie puds and roasties into gravy while doing the washing up.
So the upshot of this gluttony is that ones dresses are a bit snug. Of course, if you're not a glutton year-round, this isn't really the end of the world and is easily rectified. If however, like GB and my good self, you are a) a glutton b) prone to put on weight by simply looking at cake (not that I ever stop at looking) this can become an issue. And while I don't subscribe to the slim=beautiful mantra (and luckily neither does GB), I can't help but be concerned about my long term health. My father, who was very fit, ate healthily and was normal weight etc died of a sudden heart attack in his 60s and my mother has recently succumbed to type-2 diabetes in her 60s. And I come from a long line of women built for comfort rather than speed. And, lastly, as I look down the barrel of 40, I am not quite ready to give up and commit myself wholeheartedly to the caftan and the comfy slippers.
What does this mean then. That GG is going to give up gluttony? What would be the point? I'll never be a food-is-fuel person and I derive too much pleasure from reading about food, shopping for food, cooking food and eating food. I just think I maybe need to do the following:
1) change what I eat 80% of the time (the remaining 20% I can do what I like)
2) be more active
So - GB is a big fan of the paleo way of eating - avoiding refined, grain-based foods. Before The Happiest Day of My Life (when I became Mrs GG) I avoided wheat, refined carbs and dairy and I have to say I lost a ton of weight, felt better, got fit, did loads of exercise etc. Then went to Vegas on honeymoon and that was that. I do think though that sugar and refined carbs are pretty much the devil's work so we'll be avoiding that as much as possible. Lean protein, more vegetarian meals and more fruit and veg are also key. Now before someone who is paleo-expert tells me that fruit and veg are high carb and not part of a paleo diet - I am not interested in following it to the letter and I think getting some balance is more important. We're also trying to do more exercise, although GB is already pretty active. The challenge will be eating better while eating well, if you see what I mean. I'll log weight lost and recipes used but any suggestions gratefully recieved!
GG
So the upshot of this gluttony is that ones dresses are a bit snug. Of course, if you're not a glutton year-round, this isn't really the end of the world and is easily rectified. If however, like GB and my good self, you are a) a glutton b) prone to put on weight by simply looking at cake (not that I ever stop at looking) this can become an issue. And while I don't subscribe to the slim=beautiful mantra (and luckily neither does GB), I can't help but be concerned about my long term health. My father, who was very fit, ate healthily and was normal weight etc died of a sudden heart attack in his 60s and my mother has recently succumbed to type-2 diabetes in her 60s. And I come from a long line of women built for comfort rather than speed. And, lastly, as I look down the barrel of 40, I am not quite ready to give up and commit myself wholeheartedly to the caftan and the comfy slippers.
What does this mean then. That GG is going to give up gluttony? What would be the point? I'll never be a food-is-fuel person and I derive too much pleasure from reading about food, shopping for food, cooking food and eating food. I just think I maybe need to do the following:
1) change what I eat 80% of the time (the remaining 20% I can do what I like)
2) be more active
So - GB is a big fan of the paleo way of eating - avoiding refined, grain-based foods. Before The Happiest Day of My Life (when I became Mrs GG) I avoided wheat, refined carbs and dairy and I have to say I lost a ton of weight, felt better, got fit, did loads of exercise etc. Then went to Vegas on honeymoon and that was that. I do think though that sugar and refined carbs are pretty much the devil's work so we'll be avoiding that as much as possible. Lean protein, more vegetarian meals and more fruit and veg are also key. Now before someone who is paleo-expert tells me that fruit and veg are high carb and not part of a paleo diet - I am not interested in following it to the letter and I think getting some balance is more important. We're also trying to do more exercise, although GB is already pretty active. The challenge will be eating better while eating well, if you see what I mean. I'll log weight lost and recipes used but any suggestions gratefully recieved!
GG
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Make mine a pint
I'm not a beer drinker. Never have been. Even as a teen drinker I wouldn't touch it. The one exception is on a hot day or watching football, at which time I love a cold long-neck, drunk out of the bottle.
Mr Glutton has a long-standing theory that all the best food is fermented- beer, bread and cheese, and has long harboured a wish to make beer in our garage, so last Christmas i bought him a wheat beer kit. Which stayed in it's box until September when he got made redundant. Silver linings.
So funnily enough, next time I went into the garage there seemed to be 3 brewing buckets and loads of glass bottles that I hadn't seen before. To date he's made wheat beer, White house honey ale, an abbey beer and a single hops. These seem to take a variety of maturation times so he needs a few on the go to make sure there is always something ready to drink in the rotation.
But like a good husband he didn't forget his wife. I do like a fruit beer so he's very kindly brewed me a cherry beer- 30 bottles in fact. Today we bottled and capped it, and put it away until this time next year when it will be ready to drink. Thanks Mr Glutton!
Mr Glutton has a long-standing theory that all the best food is fermented- beer, bread and cheese, and has long harboured a wish to make beer in our garage, so last Christmas i bought him a wheat beer kit. Which stayed in it's box until September when he got made redundant. Silver linings.
So funnily enough, next time I went into the garage there seemed to be 3 brewing buckets and loads of glass bottles that I hadn't seen before. To date he's made wheat beer, White house honey ale, an abbey beer and a single hops. These seem to take a variety of maturation times so he needs a few on the go to make sure there is always something ready to drink in the rotation.
But like a good husband he didn't forget his wife. I do like a fruit beer so he's very kindly brewed me a cherry beer- 30 bottles in fact. Today we bottled and capped it, and put it away until this time next year when it will be ready to drink. Thanks Mr Glutton!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Family secrets
Now the Glutton family, on both sides, is no stranger to crazy. Seriously, that's a whole blog in itself, but every family is mad in it's own special way. And while your particular variety of family crazy is, to you, normal, other people's family crazy is just, well, crazy. For example, in my family we always have yorkshire pudding with Christmas dinner. GluttonBoy's family however would consider that just plain odd. But they have BEEF for Christmas dinner, which I think is bonkers.
In the same vein, and linked to the earlier post about use-it-up recipes, every family also has a recipe that is a delicious, much loved and much anticipated favourite. That gladdens the heart when it appears but that, should it be served up to someone who has never seen it before, would elicit shudders of disgust. In GB's family, that was sausage special, a delightful blend of sausages, tomato and, bien sur, Branston Pickle. I know. Totes shudder of disgust, right? That said, I started making it after GB's mother died and it is actually not bad at all.
When I was a child and going on school trips, as you could only have fish or veggie sandwiches (I went to a Jewish primary school), sarnies were often fish paste (sardine and tomato, specifically) or mashed up pilchards (the sort in tomato sauce). In fact, I seem to remember fish paste being a standard sarnie filling in my teens as well, but GB assures me that most people wouldn't ever have eaten it. If it enters the house, he claims to be nauseated. So, bearing in mind this reliance on tomato-fishy goodness, it wouldn't surprise you to know that our family secret dish is pilchard fishcakes. My mum makes them every single time I visit (as long as GB isn't with me) as they are easy, cheap, good for you (she's diabetic) and we both love love love them. And they literally couldn't be easier.
Take one large tin of pilchards in tomato sauce (I think my mum buys the Glenryk ones which are only one step up from cat food) and shove in processor. Throw in an onion and a handful of matzo meal. Mix. If a bit sticky, add more mazto meal meal. S & P. Shape into patties, fry. If you really want to push the boat out, add a slice of cheese. Serve with a baked potato.
A good reminder that life can't always be rib-eye beef and heritage vegetables. Sometimes only the flavours of our childhood will do. And for me, that's tinned fish and tomatoes.
Love
GG
In the same vein, and linked to the earlier post about use-it-up recipes, every family also has a recipe that is a delicious, much loved and much anticipated favourite. That gladdens the heart when it appears but that, should it be served up to someone who has never seen it before, would elicit shudders of disgust. In GB's family, that was sausage special, a delightful blend of sausages, tomato and, bien sur, Branston Pickle. I know. Totes shudder of disgust, right? That said, I started making it after GB's mother died and it is actually not bad at all.
When I was a child and going on school trips, as you could only have fish or veggie sandwiches (I went to a Jewish primary school), sarnies were often fish paste (sardine and tomato, specifically) or mashed up pilchards (the sort in tomato sauce). In fact, I seem to remember fish paste being a standard sarnie filling in my teens as well, but GB assures me that most people wouldn't ever have eaten it. If it enters the house, he claims to be nauseated. So, bearing in mind this reliance on tomato-fishy goodness, it wouldn't surprise you to know that our family secret dish is pilchard fishcakes. My mum makes them every single time I visit (as long as GB isn't with me) as they are easy, cheap, good for you (she's diabetic) and we both love love love them. And they literally couldn't be easier.
Take one large tin of pilchards in tomato sauce (I think my mum buys the Glenryk ones which are only one step up from cat food) and shove in processor. Throw in an onion and a handful of matzo meal. Mix. If a bit sticky, add more mazto meal meal. S & P. Shape into patties, fry. If you really want to push the boat out, add a slice of cheese. Serve with a baked potato.
A good reminder that life can't always be rib-eye beef and heritage vegetables. Sometimes only the flavours of our childhood will do. And for me, that's tinned fish and tomatoes.
Love
GG
Sunday, September 30, 2012
What's at the bottom of the fridge...
I have a theory that every family has a sort of recipe that is brought into play to use up odds and ends in the fridge. When I was younger, my mum would make a quiche with half a courgette, some wrinkled old peppers and whatever else was on the turn but not plentiful enough to be the star turn of a meal. GluttonBoy tells me his mother used to make soup for the same reason.
In our house, our 'thing' is frittata- a brilliant Sunday night solution to use up whatever is lurking in the bottom of the vegetable drawer. I have two golden rules though, which help make it a bit less leftover-y- one, to roast as many of the veg as possible in advance (that bit of charring adds so much flavour) and if there is chorizo on the fridge, then there's chorizo in the frittata.
Yesterday's effort involved me roasting some butternut squash that had definitely seen better days, a red pepper, new potatoes and carrots. That done, I fried plenty of chorizo and some courgette and mushrooms, then added all the roasted veg. Six eggs, a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, 25 mins in a medium oven until golden and 10 minutes resting- done.
Eat with a fork, on the sofa, watching Downton.
Happy Sunday
GG
In our house, our 'thing' is frittata- a brilliant Sunday night solution to use up whatever is lurking in the bottom of the vegetable drawer. I have two golden rules though, which help make it a bit less leftover-y- one, to roast as many of the veg as possible in advance (that bit of charring adds so much flavour) and if there is chorizo on the fridge, then there's chorizo in the frittata.
Yesterday's effort involved me roasting some butternut squash that had definitely seen better days, a red pepper, new potatoes and carrots. That done, I fried plenty of chorizo and some courgette and mushrooms, then added all the roasted veg. Six eggs, a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, 25 mins in a medium oven until golden and 10 minutes resting- done.
Eat with a fork, on the sofa, watching Downton.
Happy Sunday
GG
Christmas
Now I know it is, for today at least, only September, but as the evenings get darker and mornings chillier, a glutton's thoughts inevitably turn to the festive season which is, for the truly greedy amongst us, is the highlight of the year.
And it's not only the main meal itself which is so good, although I do look forward to it enormously, but the cheese/cold meats hurrah of boxing day, the endless pastry grazing, the using up of bits and pieces, the chocolate, the boozing and, from the 2nd January, the lurch to miso soup and steamed greens in order to prevent what our continental neighbours would call a crise de foie.
So an integral part of Christmas for me are condiments, and, as befits someone who likes to feel all smug, I enjoy making a load of chutneys and pickles to give as gifts, take to people along with wine and, of course, open with the cheese. And chutneys needing time to mature, early October is a serious making time.
The main list this year includes:
Rhubarb and apple chutney for the neighbours
Boxing-day chutney for colleagues
Fig Mostarda, wholegrain beer mustard and ale chutney for the girls
Clementine and cointreau marmalade for general use
And that doesn't include the ad-hocs such as quince jelly or cranberry jelly.
Using the last of the apples from our courtyard, I've already made the rhubarb/apple chutney, which is awaiting decorating with festive labels etc. I've got a day off work in OCtober to crack through the rest of it and actually it gives me enormous satisfaction (what's that feeling called, is it smugness?) to know it's all done. As the weather turns cold, 'putting up', even if its not going to be eaten by us, feels like a defense against the colder months (as I think I've said before).
The Clem/Coint marmalade is also nearly made - I'll blog the recipe once it's done. I've only got one jar left of last year's batch and it's been my favourite of the year.
My other early Christmas preparation - two tins of quality st bought and put away to be resisted until the 24th December!
Festive wishes,
GG
And it's not only the main meal itself which is so good, although I do look forward to it enormously, but the cheese/cold meats hurrah of boxing day, the endless pastry grazing, the using up of bits and pieces, the chocolate, the boozing and, from the 2nd January, the lurch to miso soup and steamed greens in order to prevent what our continental neighbours would call a crise de foie.
So an integral part of Christmas for me are condiments, and, as befits someone who likes to feel all smug, I enjoy making a load of chutneys and pickles to give as gifts, take to people along with wine and, of course, open with the cheese. And chutneys needing time to mature, early October is a serious making time.
The main list this year includes:
Rhubarb and apple chutney for the neighbours
Boxing-day chutney for colleagues
Fig Mostarda, wholegrain beer mustard and ale chutney for the girls
Clementine and cointreau marmalade for general use
And that doesn't include the ad-hocs such as quince jelly or cranberry jelly.
Using the last of the apples from our courtyard, I've already made the rhubarb/apple chutney, which is awaiting decorating with festive labels etc. I've got a day off work in OCtober to crack through the rest of it and actually it gives me enormous satisfaction (what's that feeling called, is it smugness?) to know it's all done. As the weather turns cold, 'putting up', even if its not going to be eaten by us, feels like a defense against the colder months (as I think I've said before).
The Clem/Coint marmalade is also nearly made - I'll blog the recipe once it's done. I've only got one jar left of last year's batch and it's been my favourite of the year.
My other early Christmas preparation - two tins of quality st bought and put away to be resisted until the 24th December!
Festive wishes,
GG
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