Power Monkey!!

No I'm not the power monkey...it is a newish gadget for the digital camera which can be used as a battery charger. The best thing is that it can be used abroad so we can take it to New England with us. It is VT's birthday present really but he had to get it on order from Maplins. They rang up this morning so we did our weekly shop in Sainsbury's Walton then collected it on the way back.
VT rang the Sturbridge Repertory Theatre last night at 11o'clock it was 6o'clock there! and booked our tickets for "The Night of the Living Dead" on the Saturday night of the second week. I'm really looking forward to that , it should be good fun.
Tonight we are having Friday Night "Common":
Fish Cake,
Mushy Peas/Green Beans
Sliced Fried Potatoes done in Fry Light.
Noted this morning that we are still going down, I reckon about 15lbs now.

Day of Organising

VT did a lot of organising today, mainly for the holiday coming up to New England.
He rang American Airlines to set up Vegetarian meals for both flights, rang the Airport car parking to set that up too. Went to the Cattery to give them the dates...BUT...a bit of a problem here. They can take them for the America trip, but not for Christmas because they are retiring. It's a real shame that since we have used them since they opened. In fact Lucy and Inky were their first two cats, so our cats will be the first in and last out. But they've given us the name of a new place in Lydiate to try, and it's a cat hotel..very posh.
Last night we had the Thai meals, stirfry, thai fillet and some rice 4oz.
So tonight we are having:
4oz pasta shapes,
Baby courgettes, asparagus, peas and a
Mediterranean sauce.

Quiet...Sshhh

Very quiet day today so far anyway. I have an appointment this afternoon with the Diabetic nurse at Walton, so we ain't doing much this morning. VT has been tending to the photocopier and putting toner into it so we can get better copies.
Last night we had a sort of mixed grill in the end, tomatoes, Quorn sausages, little potato slices dry fried in Fry Light, mushrooms and broccoli. All with about 10 sprays of fry light. Marvellous stuff that.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with asparagus,
Baby courgettes, bits of broccoli,
Big weigh in this morning! VT has lost another 1lb or so, I think I have stayed the same which is a tad disappointing since I have been quite good and not had too much over the top. Apart from that is the two celebration meals we had. I will watch what I have during the next few days and try to lose a bit more.
Actually tonight we might have Thai fillets and a Thai stir-fry not really sure yet.

Up and At Em !

Up early this morning, since VT had an appointment with his Financial Advisor in Ormskirk. So while he went to see her I had a mooch around the shops. Bought a very nice pair of Jeans in Bon Marche in a size 18 so was quite pleased with that. Must be getting a bit slimmer then.They will do for my holidays coming up. Put some money in Janes account for her birthday at least she can get something she wants. Bought a paperback in WHSmiths Jodi Picault £3.49 cheap enough, and some face cream and moisturiser from Superdrug so had a bit of a spending spree.
Tonight we are having:
tenderstem Broccoli,
Pork and bramley apple sausages with gravy,
Mashed potatoes.
Big weigh in tomorrow, but not expecting to have lost any this week since we have had a couple of bigger calorie celebration meals. But, not to give up here keep on going.

24 Years ago.....

I had just given birth to a lovely baby girl called Jane. 9lbs of black haired joy.
Today she lives in Manchester, and enjoys life running a posh take-away food restaurant. Doing a degree in Theology, and will get it finished someday.
August Bank Holiday Monday today, and is a usual mixture of rainy and sunny weather. Not much doing, very quiet outside, and we are really just mooching about. We had a nice pizza and salad lunch, and tonight we are having:
Quorn Escallopes,
Potatoes of some sort, probably baked ones.
Frozen vegetables, and 1/2 a packet of sauce.
We are back on our healthy eating plan again since we have had a few days off because of celebrations etc.
Jane rang us up just before to say she and Rachel her house mate had won £200 on scratch cards..that's a good birthday present eh..

Sloooow!!!!

Sometimes computers are so slow they drive you mad. Today is one of those days. Every time I type something in it takes for ever to process, which is a total pain when you are doing the many clues of a crossword.
Made some lovely roast vegetables for the pizza and a really nice loaf of brown sourdough bread which is in the oven as I type smelling fantastic.
We use part of the dough for the pizza too so it is a good deal.
Little Rusty is on my knee as I am typing this so it is a bit difficult to do but who cares.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza as per usual with
roasted vegetables.
Tomato sauce
Salad with avocado and baby yellow plum tomatoes.
Definitely the best meal of the week.

Easy Come Easy Go....

Put a pound or two on with all the festivities of the last two days. So we will draw in the reins a bit since I want to lose some more before we go to New England at the beginning of October. Really looking forward to that trip, I love that area and the shopping is to die for as they say. Just adore the crafts and usually get one or two things for Christmas that you can't get here. Their crafts are so much nicer. And...everything is half price because of the strong pound so we have treats that we wouldn't afford easily here.
VT enjoyed his birthday, we had a really lovely meal last night, the vegetarian sushi was lovely very tasty, and the "deliciously different" meals we had from Waitrose were just that. Mine was gorgeous the beetroot very tasty. VT's had pasta and roasted vegetables and looked good.
And the pudding!!!! oh yum yum creme brulees the vanilla cinnamon one was truly divine. Then he had 3 glasses of wine so was out of it for the rest of the evening. Wine really affects him nowadays, goes right to his head, and makes him quite drunk. Ah well it was his birthday.
Tonight we are having:
The usual Chinese...
Spring Rolls,
Stir fry mushroom vegetables,
Sauce of some sort, depends what we pick up,
Egg fried rice 4oz and done in Fry Light.
And we have one little lemon pudding left to share about a teaspoon each!!

Easy Come Easy Go....

Birthday Boy,

Vincent has a birthday today...
Happy Birthday to you etc.,
Born in 1950 so work out how old he is today. Jane rang up before to wish him a Happy Birthday, but his card hasn't arrived yet.
I didn't have a clue what to give him. He wanted to get a "Power Monkey" and he had seen one on QVC but when I tried to order one it was nowhere to be found. So I ended up giving him a cheque to either get one, or his battery charger, or get his car MOT'd or whatever. I reckon that he might as well have what he wants Bless Him.
We had a lovely meal last night,
All nice things from Waitrose. The tomato tarts ended up as Spinach and pine nut parcels and were beautiful, and the little puddings were GORGEOUS! little mouthfuls of lemony curd stuff. Absolutely delicious.
Tonight we are having:
Vegetarian Sushi,
2 Different Vegetarian meals from WRose, mine has beetroot and butternut squash in it, and his has roasted vegetables and pasta.
Green vegetable mix. Asparagus, courgette and peas.
AND another pudding..A triple creme brulee in a really sweet little tray.

33 Years and Still Going strong!!

Not bad when they said it wouldn't last. 33 Years married today, Saturday 23rd August 1974 at The Alexandra hall in Crosby, which isn't there any more now apartment blocks. Ah well, progress..
THE ROOM is finished! Last night the phone went and it was Kirkdale sofas, could they bring them early since they were in the area and were running early. So in they came, and gorgeous they look too. The poor little cats don't know what to make of it all, but they will get used to it. They are lovely and a good red wine colour, with a spare set of covers for the spring and summer in Coffee.
The new rug in the middle also looks good and quite modern too No outdoor shoes allowed.
So complete makeover done. VT is justifiably proud of himself.
Yesterday VT took himself off to Waitrose and bought:
Fresh fruit cocktail,
Filo Tomato tarts (calorie counted)
Tenderstem Broccoli and green beans,
Potato croquettes, AND a Pudding!! A lemon shot in a little glass.
So that is our anniversary tea..and very nice too.
Still calorie counting but I am at a bit of a plateau..but..keep going and don't give up!!

A Bit of Haggling Saves you Money..

This morning we took ourselves off to Taskers in Aintree to search for a rug for our revamped room.
After looking around we eventually found one that we both liked and would look fairly modern in the room. Got hold of the men who rolled them back for us, then one spotted a thread loose on the edge. We ummed and aahed a bit, and had a look at another, we didn't like so much then I asked about a reduction because we liked that one. The bloke laughed a bit and said something about a tenner off I said, I've seen these programmes where you haggle you know. Then the manager one came over and offered us £30 pounds off!! I could see VT's eyes going, he does love a bargain!! and we said OK. So we have a new rug, £30 reduced and it looks great.Eeeh I love a bargain, I'm quite proud of myself now.
Dentist this afternoon for a checkup. It's a while since I last went, didn't go last year, so was ready for a check. Only need one filling and a new filling in the front one, not too bad.
Tonight we are having:
Meatballs in tomato sauce with
Pasta 4oz measured weight,
And a tiny grating of parmesan cheese for the topping.
Probably carrots depending on what he brings back from Tesco.

Last night in the end we had...Thai green fillets in sauce,
6oz new potatoes sliced and dry fried,
crrots peas and soya beans, and it was lovely actually.
Big weigh in today, and we are both down ONE STONE so that is really good I think.
VT keeps saying his pants are falling down, and he is having to tighten his belt up.
Nice day today for a change, really sunny and warm, and...no rain!!

Into the garden Maud!

We did a bit of gardening this morning..I must admit I hate gardening, really don't see the point. Pulling up weeds is not my idea of fun, but I did a bit. As long as we had a cup of coffee to help us out.
It was actually quite warm this morning and I had the sunglasses on, but it has gone cool now, in fact I might go and get a sweat shirt for after.
Totally no idea what we are going to have tonight. I think it will be one of those days when I open the Freezer and get some inspiration. We have some potatoes, so I might slice those 6oz and part cook them them fry in Fry Light.Got some mushrooms to use up, and some carrots and peas so there we go.
Had the new Rye bread for lunch today, which was very nice, but not as well risen as the last one. I think the trouble was that I left it to rise while we went to Southport, and it rose then sank a bit. But it is a nice tasting loaf though. Would make lovely toast.

Hear Hear Not!!

Busy day today, first a phone call from the sofa company, good firm that, to say that they would be delivered on Thursday morning between 8am and 12am. Then assorted phone calls and chats with lovely daughter. She is going out and about today and is going on the Manchester equivalent of "The Eye" with a friend whose birthday it is.
I made another loaf of Sourdough Rye bread which smells lovely, you can really smell the caraway seeds in it. VT and I also made a big pan of tomato sauce to be used for the bases of our Pizzas. We freeze them in t5he right portions then take one out each Sunday. Made about 8 separate portions. Pizza for lunch was gorgeous...
Then we had to ring about my hearing aids the left one of which has gone weird, making funny noises. Mind you it might have to do with the fact that I sucked it last night trying to clear it up. So we went to Southport this afternoon and took it back. It will be posted back quite quickly I hope. I am at present wearing my old one which is rubbish, don't half miss the one being repaired.
Tonight we are having:
Tomato quorn fillet,
Mixed vegetables au gratin, potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower with a packet cheese sauce and a very very tiny amount of grated cheese on top to brown.
We have currently both lost ONE STONE..very good in 7 weeks, will be 8 on Wednesday.

New Machine.

Today as regular readers will know is our crossword day. We have used our new crossword machine to help, it is courtesy of the NSM (national shopping monitor). We scan all our shopping barcodes for which we receive points. These points add up and we then get vouchers from high street stores etc. We chose £60 worth from Argos and bought a new crossword solver machine since our old one is on its last legs. this one has the Encyclopaedia Britannica on it as well as quotations so is an all singing dancing version of our old one. Very good it is too.
The cats seem to be quiet today, but it is very cool so they don't want to go outside, and who can blame them. I am in the sweatshirt again, VT is still in his thin shirt fooling himself that it is August so it must be warm!!!!
He went to Maghull and Ormskirk this morning for his weekly mooch I told him to get some vegetables because we aren't going out tomorrow. Waiting for a phone call from the sofa firm about the delivery.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza, but not with a home-made dough, using a pizza base mix.
Roasted vegetables, Asparagus
Tomato sauce,
Light Mozzarella cheese,
Salad with avocado, yellow plum tomatoes baby ones, and salads
potato salad and rice salad, both low fat.

Quiet Day Today!!

Saturday, and not much doing today. We have done the bedding which is done every two weeks unless it is very hot which it is most certainly not. Currently I am typing this while wearing a sweat shirt, which fort the middle of August is ridiculous.
We have read the Saturday papers, and watched The Chase and Mountain recorded from last Sunday night, and had a nice cheese, olive and crackers lunch. We try to go easy on the cheese while we are healthy eating so have spready ones or hummous or pate.
We both reckon now to have lost a stone which is really great. We certainly have not starved but have made small changes to our eating habits and cooking which is obviously working.
Tonight we are having:
Egg Fried Rice 4oz, with peas and 2 eggs,
Spring Rolls Tesco Vegetarian ones,
A Chinese style sauce which we will choose later,
Stir-fry vegetables cooked in Fry Light.
While on the healthy eating plan I have tried to keep our meals roughly to what we were used to, but with small changes. Certainly in the amount of oil we would have used, I would have put quite a lot in the stirfry and the fried rice, and we would have used a lot more rice. Now I stick to the 4oz between us which is plenty really.
Keep it up eh!

Totally Finished.

Well the room is completely finished, all decorated and painted. The only thing we have to get is a new rug for the middle of the room, and two others, onne for the front of the fire and the other for in front of the kitchen. We had a look in The Range shop in Southport but they weren't to our liking really, so I think a visit to Taskers is in order.
The cats seem to have recovered today and are much perkier Rusty didn't move last night at all, completely worn out, but they aren't twitching today, so I gave them some Chicken and they are quite happy.
Last night's Lasagne was very tasty actually, I did some carrots and soya beans with it, and we actually had a pudding!!! a Dole pineapple with coconut cream and it was quite nice.
Tonight we are having:
Quorn Burger in a Wholemeal bun,
1 Cheese slice each and 2 onion rings,
Salad garnish.
I forgot to say that the big weigh in yesterday was very successful and we are both now down by 13lbs. Just a little to go and we will have both lost a stone!!! Not bad in 7 weeks, bearing in mind that we are not starving ourselves either..
Pat on back time I think.

It's a Can't think of a Heading day today.

VT is finishing off all the paint today so the room will be complete. All he has to do is the paint around the doors then it's done. Wow...I never thought it would be done this year, we have been saying for so long now that we would do the room, and here it is done.
It's A level results day today, it has been reported that one in four students has an A grade which seems very high, they must be getting easier.
30 years since Elvis Presley died aged 42, I wonder what he would look like if he were still alive. Great man and great voice, what looks he had!
The cats kept us awake last night, vin had done their flea treatment and the poor little things were jumping around all over the bed and twitching like mad. Rusty will be really tired today.
Tonight we are having:
Butternut Squash Lasagne from the freezer,
Mushrooms, carrots and any other vegetables I need to use up.
No Garlic bread because of the healthy eating plan.

Wednesday Moochday!

Took ourselves off to Ormskirk for a mooch today. nearly didn't bother because it was tipping down, but ir cleared up a bit by the time we got there. Went to Argos for an Encyclopaedia brittannica/ crossword solver machine to replace the one we have had for years. Every time we do any shopping we scan in the till receipts for The national Shopping Monitor, and we get points. So, we decided to use some of the points as Argos vouchers and got £60 worth to pay for it with. Since it is used every Sunday for the crosswords we do it will be a good thing to get.
VT won two £50 premium bonds today as well so we are on a roll at the moment.
I bought 2 tops from Bon Marche £2 each!!!! everything is reduced I suppose because of the weather, nobody is buying summer tops and skirts etc. I bought size L as well not XL so that is a step forward too.
Last night we ended up having:
Quorn Lamb Style grills
Carrots and peas,
4oz mashed potatoes
gravy. Very tasty too.
Tonight we are having:
Meatballs in Goulash sauce,with mushrooms,
4oz rice
Mixed vegetables.

Curtains!!

Finishing off gradually. VT and I put up our new curtains this morning, and they make one big difference. They are quite heavy ones so we had to put up a new thicher pine curtain pole, but they look gorgeous. They have a design on them with a little wine colour to match the new sofas, but mainly a cream/beige background. The people from Kirkdale Sofa's rang this morning to say they would ring again on Monday, then the sofas would come a couple of days after that. Very good firm that, I'd recommend them to anyone.
VT is now painting the skirting boards, and that is about it. All we need to get is a couple of rugs, one for the middle, and two for the fireplace, and in front of the kitchen. And, keep the cats off the paint!!
I have made a Rye Sourdough bread this morning, mostly rye flour with white bread flour, honey and a tsp of carraway seeds. This is by way of an experiment, because all the rye breads I have ever tried have turned out like bricks, but the dough enhancer has made it nice and billowy. Should make good sandwiches I hope.
Not really sure what we are having tonight, but maybe:
Quorn Meatballs in a goulash sauce,
1/2 pack microwave rice or 4oz white rice,
Carrots and peas.
Big weigh in tomorrow again. I think that is 7 weeks. We seem to have slowed down a bit, but that is the danger time, don't give up now.
I ordered a TSV from QVC which is a set of two T-Shirts from Quacker factory, and I ordered a smaller size, a Large instead of XLarge, so that is a step forward isn't it.

VT's Success..

Monday today, and VT is finishing off the painting of the wallpaper. It all looks really beautiful. I know I have said before but I'll say it again, that the room looks so much bigger, and lighter. An amazing difference.
Jane has been on the phone for quite a while this afternoon, she and Rachel have bought two goldfish, one called Sonic, and the other called Tails. They went to Petsworld, and bought all the things to go with them as well, a decent tank, and filter and a rock and cave, so they should be happy fishies. She seems really chuffed with them. They have been babysitting a fish for a friend called Fish, the fish not the friend! and got quite attached I think. It'll do her good anyway teach her responsibility.
She is nice on the phone, interesting and good fun, I asked her why she hasn't been home in ages, and she said that we get on better on the phone!!
Tonight we are having:
Small new potatoes 4oz.,
Quorn of some kind, I shall see what we have got in the freezer,
Vegetables...mushrooms, carrots, green beans.
1/2 a packet of sauce, probably onion or savoury white.
VT has unpacked the new curtains which look really good, quite expensive. They have a tone of wine in them so should match the new sofas when they come. Can't wait now.
Quiet day today otherwise.

Crosswords and Pizza's.

If it's Sunday it is the crosswords. I have already done the Sunday Express birthday quiz which is Ulrika Jonsson, who is 40 on Thursday. Thought she was older than that actually, she seems to have been around for years, and been married as many times!
Anyway, the bread is doing in the machine, I shall go down and tend to it in a minute, it needs removing from the machine and folding. I don't knead Sourdough, it is folded a few times then put into the bread tin, with a lump saved for the Pizza base.
VT finished all the wallpapering at 7.30 last night and it is really looking fantastic. It makes the room look so much bigger, it's amazing. I didn't realise how drab the old paper was even though it was a Laura Ashley one.He is having a day off today, and has gone off on one of his "mooches " to Maghull. to get a few things. He is going to finish the painting tomorrow "Monday" then if the Sofa firm ring up we will be ready.
What a Makeover!!!! He's a clever boy isn't he my husband. he is also looking after next doors cat as well for a few days. Jan's sister has died in London so they have gone down for the funeral, she wasn't very old I don't think, it was a cancer of some sort.
Tonight we are having the usual:
Pizza made with wholewheat sourdough base,
Tomato sauce,
Roasted Vegetables, with some antipasti vegetables as well,
Healthy Eating Mozzarella cheese.
Salad with baby plum tomatoes and avocado.
Best meal of the week.

Computer Pains..

I think it's an illness...like everyone, sometimes you have an off day. today it is the computers turn. It took an age to "sign on" in the first place, then every transaction took a further age. I decided that there was nothing for it but to turn off and restart. So far that seem to have worked.
VT has been working really hard today, finishing off the wallpapering, the bit that he had plastered and has now dried, and the window wall.
That all looks gorgeous now and makes the room unbelievably light and airy looking. All it needs now is two coats of the soft cream paint, and the gloss around the skirting board.
He has just come upstairs to tell me that he has recorded an item from the news about a poor little piggy . It is the most gorgeous piggy that had dropped from a van onto a motorway, nearly run over by a motorist who took it to an animal rescue centre. It is now a very pampered piggy, beiong fed every four hours, and when it is big enough it will be given a loving home. The poor little thing called Squeaky looked really cute.and they reckoned it was only 1/2 hour old. God I'm glad I'm vegetarian!
Tonight we are having:
The usual Chinese...
Spring Rolls,
Stir-Fry cooked in Fry Light,
Honey and Coriander Sauce,
4oz Egg fried Rice.
Last nights tea turned out to be a mexican after all. We had 1/2 a packet of basmati brown rice, a tin of vegetable chilli, very hot, and the Fajita strips.
Followed by...A Skinny Cow Ice Cream..95 calories and really nice.

Read the labels...

Weighed in this morning and we were both down by one pound or maybe even two. I reckon to have lost around 12lbs now, and VT around 10-11lbs. I'm really pleased with that.
We did our weekly shop in Sainsbury's Walton this morning, it's quite a good shop to go to, a good variety of products, and not too many screaming kids running around. Spent £60 odd pounds so this healthy eating isn't exactly cheaper on the budget is it!!Bought quite a lot of things we had run out of though or needed to stock up on like washing up liquid etc.
Tonight we were looking for something tasty for our evening meal, and VT fancied something Mexican in a Pitta bread or Wrap. Till we looked at the calorie content of them!!!!! 164 and so on for ONE wrap!!! and Pitta breads weren't much better. And I always thought they were low in calories...just shows you.So tonight we are having:
Fajita Strips..Quorn..1/2 a pack each.
1/2 a pack of Savoury mexican rice
Salsa and natural yogurt.
Might do a salsa thingy with an Avocado and tomato and a bit of spring onion too.
VT isn't doing any decorating today he is having a rest says his zing has gone!! Aaah. He will do some tomorrow when the final plaster is dry.

Finishing Off...Nearly!

VT is finishing off bits and pieces today. Waiting for the outer plaster to dry now, he has a good finish on the wall. Then it will be ready for the last lengths of wallpaper and paint. He's varnished the door again and that looks really nice. We were about to go to bed last night when a Spider ran across the room, I hate spiders with a passion, and just sat there with my feet up on the sofa while Hero looked for it. Of course no sign..so I can't settle in there now. VT has sprayed round, with an anti spider spray but... actually just writing about them gives me the Heebie Jeebies..couldn't go to Australia, I'd have to have Hypnotherapy or something first. Stupid I know...
Last night's tea was a success, very tasty, a pasta base with asparagus, baby courgette, mushrooms and an organic tomato sauce . Just a very light sprinkling of parmesan on top. The microplane is the answer, it grates parmesan into a fluffy cloud so it looks more.
Tonight we are having:
Quorn steak in tomato roma sauce,
Tesco stir-fry frozen mix with pasta and vegetables,
Any left over vegetables that need using up.

Weigh In Plateau?

Big weekly weigh -in this morning.VT is 11 stones 7lbs, and I am 12stones and 7lbs. We both reckon to have lost around 11lbs, which is good going. I must admit that I thought we would have lost a bit more this week, but at least we are going down not up! I got an appointment with the Diabetic Nurse at walton in 2 weeks, so they should be pleased with the weight loss.
Had a mooch around Ormskirk this morning, and triedd some clothes on in the sale. Didn't buy any though, in case I get any slimmer, they would be too big...God..that's hopeful isn't it!
Tonight we are having:
4oz Pasta
Low Calorie tomato sauce,
Asparagus, baby courgettes, and mushrooms.
No garlic bread must be good mustn't we...and only a tiny bit of parmesan to sprinkle on.

Weigh In Plateau?

What's new??

Nothing much really, VT is still awaiting his plaster drying. He has all the windows open, and a draught going trying to get it dried quickly. Just a matter of time I suppose. He has fixed the new curtain pole, and the hooks for the tie backs, and is doing the new blind now.
I have a lot of veggies to use for tonight, bought some beautiful Portobello mushrooms reduced in Tesco yesterday so I need to think what to do with those.
Tonight we are having:
Quorn Escallopes with blueberry and wensleydale,
Portobello mushrooms,
Chanterey carrots,
4oz new potatoes boiled and crushed,
We need to reduce a little bit more since we seem to be sticking at the 10lbs mark,and I want to lose an average of 2lbs each week. Wednesday is the weigh in day, and this Wednesday it will be 6 weeks, so that should be 12lbs if everything goes to plan.
The couple at the end house have just called with a residents parking form. Seems terrible that you have to consider that, but the parking is quite bad now, the dentists have a number of cars, and also people leave cars and go off to the station too. Parked up these days.

Still Waiting...

VT is awaiting his plaster drying, it is still a bit damp looking, but it's a nice dry day today so shouldn't be long. he has rehung the pictures on the walls in the middle room, and the difference that the cream walls have made is amazing. The pictures look so much brighter somehow, and fresher, and look great against the soft cream background. We have put most of them back, just ditched a couple that were dated.
Tesco for shopping this morning. Very restrained too, mostly veggies for the next couple of days, and a few bargain reduced ones I will fit into a meal.
We seem to have stuck weight wise this week so far, the weekends being our higher calorie times. Working on lowering the calorie intake over the next few days so that by Wednesday we will hopefully have gone down a bit again.
We had a sandwich for lunch with the new improved bread, and tonight we are having:
Leftover Pizza, from last night's tea,
Salad, I bought an egg and potato salad and we will have an avocado with that + the rest of the cartons of salads left.
2 meals out of one Pizza..not bad eh!

Improved Bread..

Plaster isn't dry yet so there is an enforced rest for VT today. He has gone off on his Sunday Mooch probably Maghull and Ormskirk, to get some things from his favourite shops, and also some screws to make the new curtain pole more secure. We have bought a bigger pine one, and some new curtains which are heavier than the previous ones, so he has drilled into the brick rather than the plaster. When he does a job he is indeed very thorough.
Crossword day today, I have already done the Sunday Express birthday quiz. Very easy today it is Dustin Hoffman, who is 70 on Wednesday. Didn't think he was that old.
Going to do the Roast Vegetables for the Pizza in a few minutes. Yesterday's bread was a big success, the dough improver certainly works well. It has made a beautiful brown wholewheat bread with a gorgeous smell and a softer less dense texture. I will use that again definitely.
I wanted a bread that was mostly brown flour but not so "solid" and this seem to have done the trick. I used:
Wholewheat Flour
Barleycorn Flour,
1/4 cup of honey instead of sugar
1/4 cup of potato flakes
1/3 cup of porridge oats, plus the other usual ingredients.
Tonight being Sunday we are having:
Pizza made with a pizza base,
Tomato bruchetta sauce, we have run out of our home-made,
Roasted Vegetables,
Baby Mozzarella balls
Olives- black, and some basil leaves.
Salad with baby plum tomatoes, avocado, mixed lettuce leaves cucumber and mixed seeds.
Yun Yun I love this meal.

Plastering and Bread..

Today Vin has plastered all of the window wall, and a very good job he has done of it too. The plaster under the window is now smooth and drying, and the wall to the left is waiting for the second coat. Well Done.
While he was doing that I made a loaf of Wholewheat Sourdough bread in the machine. I used wholewheat flour, Barleycorn flour and 1/2 a cup of white flour. The cup measures that are used by the Americans are great, I am a real convert. It is such an easy way to measure. I wanted to make a good loaf of brown bread, which can be used for toast and also for sandwiches. I find that a loaf of bread lasts us generally about a week, but that is just Vin having toast, I have my rice crackers.
Yesterday I got my order from Lakeland, only took...wait for it...two days!! couldn't believe it, what a service. I had ordered some Butterbuds, which are great for putting on veggies or potatoes and are very low in calories, some labels which were on sale, a trial pack of tinfoil, and a tub of bread improver. This I was keen to try out. It is supposed to make the bread lighter, especially brown bread, so I have given it a go. They also sent me as a present another free pack of tinfoil, so I am well chuffed.
Tonight is Chinese night so we are having:
Goujons or dippers...Quorn products,
Sauce, Honey and Coriander,
Mushroom stir-fry fried in Fry Light,
Egg Fried Rice, with fresh peas, and 4oz of rice.
Anyone who knows us knows we always have something Chinese on a Saturday night, if we didn't have, the healthy eating plan wouldn't work, I am convinced of that. Likewise with the Pizza on a Sunday night.

Plastering and Bread..

Time To Get Plastered.

Plastered indeed! not in an alcoholical sense but in the plastering of a wall sense. Vin is replacing the plaster on the window wall of the middle room, aiming to cover the areas that were damp. He has finished all the damp proof coursing, and is now working on the affected wall. What a good job he has done, I'm very proud of him.
We bought a new lamp for the mantlepiece which is a lovely cream colour and matches the wall colour beautifully.Vin spotted it yesterday in the Focus sale, at 1/2 price so is only £15, a bargain and perfect for the room.
Did our Weekend shopping in Tesco's today, mainly for speed because he wanted a few things from Focus. Must admit their system of putting calorie counts on all their food is brilliant, you can see at a glance which is the best food for you. Excellent.
We are still going down, about 11lbs in total in 5 weeks so is looking good. Vin's shirts are definitely looking better on him and my clothes are fitting me better too. We are having a bit of a treat tonight...Chips!! yes Chips..I bought these chunky chips in a box from Tesco and they are 250 calories for 1/2 a box so can be used with something not calorie high. We are having :
A fishless fish cake,
Chips, 1/2 a box,
Fresh peas and sweetcorn instead of mushy peas which are quite high.
Probably some baked tomato also.
Things we have found...Portion Control, watch the carbs especially rice, pasta and potatoes. You can have them but less of them.
Watch the cakes/biscuits, again you can still have them but calorie count them in, a small Mr Kipling cake is around 120 calories is fine. Imagine the calorie count of a big slice of home-made cake, nice as they are.
Aim for variety..I have tried to have something different each night so you don't get bored.
Diet plans don't seem to work for us, you need to have the sort of things you are used to, but tweak them about so there are less calories.
Cheese is a biggy for us..we had quite a lot of cheese especially at the weekend, so we are using spready ones, or the small individual cheeses which are better.
Try and make it less of a "Diet" more of a healthy eating plan. Vin said today that he has not felt that he was on a diet, I was pleased about that because that was what I wanted, we have had full plates of tasty foods,but without the extras. Forexample,last night we had a lovely spinach and ricotta canneloni which we would have had with the garlic bread. Lose that and you immediately save loads of calories. Small changes!!
We have mainly lost an average of about 2lbs each week which is a really good healthy balanced loss I think. By the time we go away in October, we should be quite a bit down I hope.

Damp...What Damp??

Vin has been finishing off the damp proof course, drilling the wall and filling with the Dryzone cream. He seems quite impressed and it is easy to do..he says. Called in at Tesco on the way because I wanted some more flowers, my birthday flaowers have gone to the compost heap in the sky, and I always like flowers in the kitchen. Tescos flowers are very good, always last longer than everyone elses.
Noticed Tesco had an Organic vegetable box which at £10 seems OK value. I might try one of those one day. It seemed to have a reasonably good mix of veggies and fruit so would be an interesting experiment, especially at the beginning of the week.
Yesterday we had in the end:
Mushroom Burger, 125 calories,
Baked tomatoes with a spray of Fry Light, and some chopped olives,
2Onion rings baked in the oven with the burger,
4oz new potatoes, sliced boiled then fried in 8 Fry Light sprays.
It was all very tasty actually, and an unbelievably good calorie count too.
Tonight we are having:
Spinach and Ricotta Canneloni, Ross Frozen, 250 calories,
Tenderstem Broccoli on the side
An easy tea tonight, but what I am after is variety really, so we don't get tired of the same meals.
Seems to be working, I think I am now on 11lbs loss so am really pleased with that.

Internet Shopping...

What a pain..some shopping on the Net is so easy, you fill out the details, and away you go. Then there are the awkward ones. I have just ordered from Lakeland Ltd, very easy ordering, user friendly site, absolutely no problems. Then I tried to renew my account with Recipezaar, and have attempted to key in my card details. Each time I get almost to the end and get a "Oooops Sorry there is a problem with your card number" I know there isn't because I have keyed in the number correctly about six times.So, have given up and left them an e-mail.
Big weigh in this morning, the results of Healthy Eating for 5 weeks is..DaDa 10lbs each. Not bad eh! not exactly crash dieting, but a good weight loss. Think of it in terms of 20 packs of butter that would be a carrier bag full. Vin is definitely looking slimmer, he has lost the paunch and he says his trousers are looser. My skirts are fitting better too so we are quite happy.
Tonight we are having:
No idea really!!
Something with Purple Sprouting Broccfoli,
New potatoes, probably baked in the oven,
Something out of the freezer.
Vin is doing the new damp proof treatment outside. He has drilled all the walls and has hired a gun to put the treatment into the wall.
He has also varnished the middle room door which is looking lovely. Bit by bit we are getting there!