In a stew

Rhubarb and Apple.

Finally, I have a freezer - having been without one for about 3 1/2 months, and I really missed it! So today I've made up a batch of stewed rhubarb (with sweetener, not sugar) to have on my weetabix or with yoghurt in the afternoon when all my fresh fruit has been used up.

I used 2x450g packs of rhubarb, so that makes 190 calories, plus 3 Tbsp sweetener making another 24 (214) and it made 7 little pots, so about 30-35 calories a pot (each little pot holds about 120g of stewed fruit).

I've also made some stewed baking apple - we're having pork for dinner, and I love a bit of apple sauce with it - this is made with lemon juice and sweetener, and will also go in the freezer for with pork, or with yoghurt. They work out about 40cals per 120g pot.

Now I just have to wait for them to cool down enough to go in the freezer...

Hey Presto

Hey Presto - fruit prepped and in the fridge!

I don't mix it, as it keeps fresher longer kept separate (especially with fruit like pineapple that "goes" quickly). When I'm ready to eat it, I just take the selected boxes out of the fridge and mix it in my bowl.

I didn't do both melons in the end - this looked like enough and the other one isn't quite ripe yet.
There's about 360 g in each of these boxes (they held 1 large mango, 1/2 pineapple, 1/3 melon each).

Calories per 100g:
Mangoes - 65
Pineapple - 48
Honeydew Melon - 36

So, a selection of about 1/4 or 1/3 box of each fruit (around 100g each) would be about 150 - 200 cals and would be plenty for a snack meal (I allow 200cals for breakfast and snacks, then 400 for lunch and 600 for dinner, making 1600 altogether).

Getting Organised for weight loss

Step one in my renewed vigour is to get some fruit prepped and in the fridge, so that I can have this for mid morning or afternoon snack.

Fruit was one of the things I really missed last year, so I don't want to miss out on all the exotic fruit which is so lovely now (mangoes and pineapples) and the great soft fruit that will be coming soon.

Mangoes - just £1 each at Morrisons for huge, ripe ones, and melons at 2 for £3. I'll have all this prepped and in the fridge shortly (not just for me either, this stack of fruit will feed quite a few, and will stay fresh in the fridge).

Renewed Effort

I can't believe it's May already. Soon, it will be 6 months since I reached my target weight of 12 st 4lb.

Since then, my weight has been up and down a bit - I'm 12 st 9 today, which is fairly usual. However, I'd like to get back to target, or even lower - summer is coming, and I have very fat knees! It's strange, the top part of me feels tiny, but the bottom bit is still large and my legs are still trunk-like (although from much smaller trees now!). So, I am having a renewed effort to lose a bit and then maintain a lower weight.

I've noticed recently that bad habits are creeping in again - the occasional glass of wine I can forgive myself for (as it is occasional and not yet a habit) but my portion sizes have started to increase, and I'm not eating 5 times a day, but only 4 and sometimes 3.

So today is a new day - I'm getting ready for the week ahead, and let's see if I can lose a pound this week - just 1 lb a week for 6 weeks should do it!

Helpful Cat

We finally managed to find a kitchen table - some self assembly required.

This is Arthur helping out by counting the washers and making sure all the bits we need are included.

I love my new table in the kitchen - we've already used it lots, almost every mealtime since we built it.

Fishcakes

We've been out all day shopping today - looking for a small table for the new kitchen. I was hoping to buy a second hand one, as I'd like it to be a bit distressed and homely. No joy though, everything we find is too large for the space we've got.

One of the places we visit (Holden Wool Antiques) has a lovely tea room, and since it was lunchtime, we felt it would be rude not too!

I had these very tasty smoked haddock fishcakes, which came with salad rather than chips, so I didn't even have to change the option from the menu for a change, which was nice.

Beautiful Day

It's such a beautiful day, I couldn't resist having lunch outside today - we're lucky that our staff restaurant has a garden area, with picnic tables for al fresco dining.

And the omelettes and salad are really tasty too - one of the busiest days in the restaurant is omelette day!