9 Belfast Bites

[jmcbn]

I'm still wearing my retainers at night and find that on the odd occasion I don't that my jaw aches next morning so I'm guessing I'm a grinder... I wore braces in my teens, but they were removable and I was in the habit of removing them. Often. And I never wore my retainers back then, so they rotated right back to their original position pretty much, hence my decision to have the train tracks fitted a few years back. Best decision I ever made.

Anyway, I needn't have been so concerned with my first born. He was okay to eat on Wednesday evening (although it all felt a little weird/awkward), on Thursday & Friday he ate blended veg soup, yoghurt, banana & eggs pretty much. On Saturday we were travelling and he survived on very little other than an early morning smoothie at his dad's right up until tea time when we reached our destination and he had fish & chips (which he sucked rather than chewed!), then on Sunday morning he managed a cooked breakfast (bacon, eggs, tomato, white pudding, beans & sausages!) and it all got better for him from there...!! I think I remember blending ALL my food for at LEAST a week!!

Great little trip over Halloween - the weather was amazingly crisp & dry & we spent a lot of time out doors doing various forest trails, exploring Castles & various other ruins, visiting a couple of museums as well as a Whiskey Distillery - the oldest one on Ireland. Food choices were good - breakfasts were mainly poached eggs, bacon, & tomato, lunches were few & far between, and dinner was steak, salmon & then seafood chowder. Stayed in a lovely little Guest House this time rather than a Hotel, and took the brisk 35min walk into town each evening for our dinner, after a 30/45min rest in the room after being out all day so lots of healthy movement each day... Got home yesterday late afternoon, unpacked, got the washing on, packed the boys off to their dad's for two days, and got caught up with some other stuff I'm involved with right now before taking some prepped food out of the freezer for today.

Food has been a little 'same old, same old' lately so I'm excited to be following a specially crafted meal plan next week with brand spanking new W30ish recipes - the same fundamentals apply - three meals a day, the first within an hour of wakening, pre & postWO where applicable, no snacking, no tracking of kcals/macros etc. Food prep will take place on Sunday as always, and I have to say I'm really looking forward to not having to think about what to cook!

[J9er]

So good to hear about your son! Ouch! But hunger clearly won out. 

What kind of meal plan are you doing? Is it one you sign up for online? Can't wait to hear how it goes. I hear you on the "same old", although I have been making a few new things here and there thanks to you guys over here, but sometimes I feel like even those things kind of end up tasting the same because of my complete disregard of recipes . 

I am trying out an organic produce delivery service starting tomorrow. I haven't been thrilled with the selection in my local stores and the prices seemed really competitive, so I'm giving it a shot. There is a lot of seasonal produce and I'm looking forward to the challenge of creating meals with what I have vs what we like. Delivery is an added bonus! 

[jmcbn]

12 minutes ago, J9er said:

What kind of meal plan are you doing?

I'm doing the Harder To Kill Challenge with Steph Gaudreau of Stupid Easy Paleo . She focuses on the four pillars of health - Strength, Nourish, Renew Energy, & Positive Mind-set. I'm doing it mainly for the focus on building strength but also for the whole positive mindset thing. I'm hoping it will give me the push I need to make some big life changes. There's a six week (optional) meal plan, and training plan (all scale-able), as well as daily tasks/challenges based around the four pillars. I'm on week 2 day 3 and I have to say I'm loving it so far... I've finally added some meditation into my daily routine, and am really questioning the reasoning behind some of my thought processes... And later today I will mostly be bear crawling!! 

[J9er]

Oh my goodness! This is awesome. I will definitely be doing this if she holds it again, with everything going on I just couldn't add one more thing, but I'm so excited for you. She is a force to be reckoned with, and I just love where she is going with mind-set, positive body image, and strong is the new strong  . Good for you! 

[jmcbn]

1 hour ago, J9er said:

She is a force to be reckoned with

She truly is - she is amazing, and so down to earth, and SO involved with & invested in each one of us - and I think there are about 150 of us doing the challenge from around the globe. Sure there are pdf's & pre-recorded videos that we have access to as each challenge goes live, but she is constantly in touch via a closed group we're all a part of, answering questions, guiding everyone, cheering us all on, and doing live video Q&A sessions on the various topics we're covering, or just on something she sees pop up as a possible issue in the group (eg. portion sizes & calorie control, or fear of food prep LOL). There are a number of Whole30 alumni doing it, but there are people from ALL walks of life, eating all kinds of food, at all stages of fitness, and each with a different pillar as their primary focus. It's a really supportive & diverse group.

This is only the second one of these she has run, but I think there will be another one next year, plus there's her women's strength summit which I believe is bi-annual. I definitely plan on taking part in that too.

I have a lot on my plate too at the moment, but this just somehow felt right - I'm so glad I went with my gut!

[MeadowLily]

I'm so happy for you, too.  Sounds wonderful.  Launching out into the deep and acquiring new skillsets. My pathway to healing is taking me back to my spiritual roots. 

[jmcbn]

So today is the last day of the 6wk Challenge I've been doing, which coincided nicely with the feral child's last exam yesterday (We had a ceremonial burning of all the practice papers last night). I started the challenge primarily with a view to improving strength, but with family illness & life in general throwing me a curve ball the focus on strength took a bit of a back seat, and positivity & re-energising came into the fore, and I think I surprised even myself at how much of a positive impact that has had in all areas of my life.

So many small, sustainable changes that have had a positive knock on effect in reducing my resting heart rate, improving my sleep quality, increasing my NEAT movement & water intake - and I feel so GOOD!! The struggle is *not* real. There is no struggle.

Plus I have a whole bunch of new recipes to include in my food rotation....!!

But it doesn't end here. Going forward the plan is to catch up on the strength aspect of the program, and to revisit some of the daily challenges I feel need a little more work, and from there re-assess my SMART goals, and keep moving forward - most likely moving on to Steph's 12wk Strength Program in the new year. As I heard someone say recently - maintenance is for cars, humans should always be looking to improve.

[jmcbn]

Almost a month since my last post, and things are still going good. Food wise I've somehow managed to incorporate a number of FODMAPs back into my rotation, and I think the key has been in adding more variety in that I've basically been cooking less volume, but adding more options each week - and although it's a bit more a faff, and a little more time consuming, it's definitely been a good thing.

In other areas I've seen my strength improve substantially over the last four to six weeks with PRs in chest press, dead lifts, shoulder press & cleans. Form has improved dramatically in squats so I'll be looking to increase weight there next. Pull ups are a work in progress but I'm getting there. And I'm totally back in the game with push ups. As a result I've seen my body fat drop further with no real effort - no official weights or measurements but people have commented and I can see it/feel it for myself. It may be 'off season' for the competitors out there but I'm still chipping away, doing my bit, one day at a time.

I added in a Vitamin D3 supplement a few months back because of the lack of sunshine in this part of the world, and whether it's the supplement itself, the consistently good food, or some combination of the many other small changes I've made (increase in water intake, increase in daily NEAT movement, addition of daily meditation, etc) I'm feeling 'good' - as in happy, content, healthy, grateful...

Going forward the plan is to keep on keeping on - I got an instapot for Christmas so I'm seeking out new recipes to try in that, I've enrolled in a 6wk strength program at my local gym (did the fitness test on Saturday to set bench marks & the first session is this coming Wednesday), and I'm looking at volunteering in a local scout group for hiking events and the like, so lots to look forward to in the coming weeks.

And in the meantime I'm currently finishing off the last of the dairy I'd bought in for Christmas in the form of some Castello (Danish blue cheese) washed down with a glass of Finest Reserve Port (both very definitely NOT Whole30 but also both very 'worth it'!).

Happy New Year!

 

[littleg]

Glad to see you posting again - I'd been wondering if everything was ok!  Great job on the strength gains - such a positive thing to focus on too (vs focusing on body/weight changes).  Did you change your lifting program?  I can't wait to be able to do cleans again - they're my favorite (but hard to do when you belly sticks out a foot!).  

Wishing you and your sons a wonderful 2017!

[jmcbn]

1 hour ago, littleg said:

Did you change your lifting program?

Steph gave us a training program as part of the Harder To Kill Challenge so I've been following that. I sliced the palm of my hand open a week in to the challenge so had to avoid any heavy lifting until that healed so I was a few weeks behind everyone else, but I basically cut out a HUGE amount of what I *had* been doing (leg press, cable work etc) & focused on squats, dead-lifts, cleans, shoulder presses, pull-ups, push-ups, front rack carries & a variety of ab exercises (planks, hollow rocks etc). And it was very much what she calls a 'minimum effective dose' approach (so sometimes say 3 sets of 5, or even 1 set of 3 which seemed SO alien!), with weights pretty much calculated backwards from your 1RM.

Squats, because I've had such issues since my back injury, I stripped right back & worked on form initially and with very light weights, building up very gradually. That has REALLY paid off.

Yesterday was the first I'd done chest presses in weeks and I was amazed to see the improvements there in terms of strength as a result of the work I've done elsewhere....

Happy New Year to you, your hubster & the bump - you'll be back at it in no time!

[J9er]

6 hours ago, jmcbn said:

Food wise I've somehow managed to incorporate a number of FODMAPs back into my rotation, and I think the key has been in adding more variety in that I've basically been cooking less volume, but adding more options each week

I just read something....somewhere, can't remember where, about this. That after an initial period of low Fodmap, one should try to really add back in as much variety as possible, or risk further sensitivities, and that lots do it with success. So good for you - must be nice to have a bit of variety now too. 

Yay for getting the Instant Pot. I don't have the 'real' one yet, but a friend gave me her old cuisinart brand pressure cooker to try and I LOVE it. I have done all my slow cooker faves in it with no problem and I think they taste way better. My current favorites are Steph Gaudreau's Mocha Rubbed Pot roast (I didn't have the figs called for, so I used a scoop of date paste). Nom nom paleo adapted the recipe for the pressure cooker. It is especially good the next day crisped up in a pan (I reserved the sauce for another use). I then add it to nom nom Paleo's curried broccoli soup (also done in the Instant pot), holy moly it is so good. 

Of course Kaluha Pig is super good and so easy. 

Amazing bone broth - I just do bones, water, a little salt and throw in half a lemon. 90 mins high pressure and I get two batches from the bones. The second batch gels but not as firm as the first.

It basically lives on my counter top now and I use it as much as possible. Glad to hear (read?  ) you're well and feeling so well heading into the new year. 

[jmcbn]

Thanks @J9er - I've been looking at NNP's list of best IP recipes and tried her lemongrass coconut chicken yesterday which turned out really well, and I even left the skin on my chicken which she recommended against. I've tried SG's mocha rubbed pot roast in the slow cooker & spotted NNP's adjustment so I'll definitely give that a try at the weekend once I get back to my usual supply stores. The curried kale turned out really tasty but I definitley need to cut back on the broth next time as I had to strain it before eating... Today I'll be trying a ground beef dish with what veg I was able to pick up from the store round the corner. Between that, the coconut chicken & what I have in the freezer (a few portions of various SEP soups) & tinned fish I'll be grand. We don't actually have the 'real' one here that all you US folk rave about, but it's got all the same functions and looks identical bar the branding - they're probalby all made in the same factory!

So today was the first day of my new strength training program. I can't normally train on Wednesday mornings, but with being off work this week I've a little more time to spare, and the idea had been that we'd all meet up today & then discuss what times suited the majority - except that the PT and one of his regular clients had already discussed what would work for her and theys ettled on Mon, Wed & Thurs mornings @ 6:30am which isn't goining to work for me (or a few of the others).

So.... I can wait for the next group starting in 6wks & see what works for the majority there - assuming they'll actually allow everyone some input, or I can negotiate to maybe attend one of the group sessions (Thursday) and push for a 1-2-1, which might actually work out better in the long run. I dunno. Gotta give it some thought. I'll attend again tomorrow & take it from there. Maybe I can just continue on doing what I'm doing but I'd kind of like that extra push/accountability.

Today's plan is to get the boys to school then get all the Christmas stuff down & put away, and give the house a good clean from top to bottom - plenty of NEAT movement in store...

[littleg]

@J9er Do you have a ratio of bones/water that you use?  I've never really had bone broth gel.  The only time it does is when I'm making beef shanks (to cook the meat) and have 2-3 lbs of bone-in meat + 3-4 cups of water in the IP.  I only have tried to make chicken bone broth (from the bones of a single 3-4 lb chicken) and it tasted fine, but didn't gel at all.  

I saw that lemongrass recipe a while ago when she posted it - never made it.  Maybe I'll do that.  Since by the looks of it I won't be having a baby today either

@jmcbn Hope you find something that works well for this 6 week strength period.  Could you possibly work out on your own (with the program's programming) on your own time and send the PT your results so you can be tracked?  Might be a middle ground for not being able to meet with the group...  Any other strong women around that you could lift with?  It definitely helps to not workout alone!

 

[jmcbn]

6 minutes ago, littleg said:

I saw that lemongrass recipe a while ago when she posted it - never made it.  Maybe I'll do that.  Since by the looks of it I won't be having a baby today either

It might even be better than fudge!

I'll have to have a chat with the PT maybe tomorrow after the group session. I'm thinking x1 group session, x1 1-21, and the rest by mself in my own time might actually still be okay. I'd still be a part of the group for accountability, I'd still be following the program, but I wouldn't be putting anyone else out or messing with my own routine... I'll see what he says, and see what I think of tomorrow's session too.

Your bump is awesome by the way - it looks like all baby - just shows it pays to keep active!!

[littleg]

Better than fudge... I'll believe that when I see it! 

I'm mostly baby.  I have no idea how... maybe it was the activity because it certainly wasn't the 8 months of soybean oil, artificial food coloring, etc!  Though maybe eating that stuff intermittently versus on a daily basis helped.  Who knows!  

Looking forward to living vicariously through your lifting!  Post details!

[J9er]

9 hours ago, littleg said:

o you have a ratio of bones/water that you use?  I've never really had bone broth gel.  The only time it does is when I'm making beef shanks (to cook the meat) and have 2-3 lbs of bone-in meat + 3-4 cups of water in the IP.  I only have tried to make chicken bone broth (from the bones of a single 3-4 lb chicken) and it tasted fine, but didn't gel at all.  

Yes you need more bones for sure. I usually spatchcock my chickens so I cut out the backs and save them with the necks and gizzard and hearts in a container. I even make my husband save the drum stick bones off his plate . I probably cook 2 chickens a week, plus a batch of drum sticks or bone in thighs. We eat a lot lol. I would say I use a whole carcass plus 2 backs and necks And maybe a few more leg bones? I'll try to pay closer attention next time. I jam those in and I think it's about 8-10 cups of water for each batch and 90 mins on HP. Like I said, the second batch never fully gels, but it still taste pretty chickeny. 

Also, I never could get my broth to fully gel in the slow cooker, only since I've started using the pressure cooker does it form up completely. It may have been a water ratio thing. 

The lemongrass recipe is awesome, it's on the rotation here and I gave up pulling the skin off ages ago, I like it , and that's just way too much effort for me lol. I occasionally will serve it with white rice....because ya know....So good. 

9 hours ago, jmcbn said:

It might even be better than fudge!

Ok. I think I really am going to make fudge now!!! 

[littleg]

Spatchcocking is awesome.  Thats what we do too - we save all the bones from that plus the neck but that was all I used per batch.  I'll make sure to wait until I've got 2 next time!  

That fudge is good.  AND easy.  Oh, and I bought the vanilla powder in the recipe.  $$$ but worth it.  

[jmcbn]

I did't go to the group session today. I mean, I could have made it easily (I did so yesterday), and Thursday is my usual early morning day anyway, BUT.... the more I thought about it last night the more it bothered me; there are 12 of us in the group. Only 10 could make it to the fitness assessment on Saturday, a different 10 made it to the group session yesterday, and of those 10 a few said they wouldn't be able to make it today. One guy had made a point of saying on Saturday when we were told the first session would be yesterday that early mornings would always be a struggle for him, and yet here we are now with ALL group sessions planned for early morning at the suggestion of ONE member of the group. It just doesn't sit well with me because from what I gather the idea is that you go to as many as you can & pay the same price as those going to all.... And if you want 1-2-1 for the purposes of assessment/coaching etc then you pay more. Yeah, no thanks

So, I'm going to sit on it. See how this first group go & then maybe re-assess and join the next group, OR do what I'd originally planned and go for Steph's 12 week strength training program, which will just follow on from what we did in HTK anyways, and in the meantime stick with what I've been doing throughout HTK, add in a few more free weight exercises for variety, and increase the weights as I go. Six weeks more with increased weights will still see good results.

In other news something I noticed this morning that I'd never noticed before. Ok, I'm not Whole30ing, and I wasn't over Christmas, so there was definitely more sugar on the scene than would be 'normal' (which is, as you know, pretty damned close to Whole30). On Jan 2nd I put on a pair of my favourite trainers and thought 'hmmm, they feel a little tight' and actually my ankles looked puffy... Gym clothes didn't look or feel any different, nor did my regular clothes. On Jan 2nd in the evening I used up the last of the thick stem ginger cream (hello sugar!) in my coffee, and finished off the last of the fantastically delicious & amazingly more-ish luxury dark chocolate florentines and went back to my 'norm' save for some kerrygold in my eggs and on my potatoes. On Jan 3rd & 4th I wore two different pairs of trainers (okay, so I have a thing about shoes...!! ) and today went back to the Jan 2nd pair (cos they matched my top ) and lo and behold the tightness & puffiness is completely gone & all is well with the world again.

Sugar Sucks.

Oh, and today I will be mostly baking potatoes in my instant pot

[J9er]

Sugar does suck. Lol. It's crazy. And scary! I have had very little if not no refined sugar for three months. Added some dates or maple syrup to recipes if called for and were really needed. Over Christmas I did some baking with maple syrup and honey and really didn't eat a ton, I enjoyed it but was easily able to not shove it all in my face. The day after I had the 1/2 slice of cheesecake (which of course would have been all refined sugar) I was crazy. Super grumpy, craving all the things all day, and foggy. I do know that dairy isn't my best friend but I think it was a terrible combo with the sugar. 

I know that maple syrup and honey are sugar in the end, and I sure don't claim I can eat it with abandon, but just thought that whole scenario was interesting. 

So frustrating about the group and a little strange! I would probably do the same thing as you. It's one thing if there is some attempt to accommodate as best possible, and there is some give and take, but for most to have to bend over backwards to make it work doesn't make sense. Not worth the stress! 

Im still trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I've been plugging away at a routine I really like, but have done a couple times through now and am ready to move on. 

The problem is, I work out in my basement and my equipment is limited. I have a good set of adjustable dumbbells, a couple kettlebells, Swiss ball, bosu ball. I don't have a proper doorframe for a pull up apparatus so I use bands although I am really not getting a lot of benefit from them anymore. I do have a barbell rack with a few weights and would be willing to expand that a little if needed but I can't do anything overhead with it right now because our ceilings are too low. I can do deadlifts and squats though. Do you think I could do Steph's program with that stuff? 

[jmcbn]

I rarely do dates or honey or anything like that these days unless it's in a savoury dish. I used to make paleo cookies, cakes & the like, or invest in a 'treat box' for Christmas but I threw some of the last box out so I didn't even bother with those this year.... Dairy really isn't my friend either, but I make the exception on holiday and since cheesecake is/was my favourite dessert I'd have definitely considered it worth it even if the sugar/dairy combo is so dangerous!

With the equipment you've got you could do everything but the shoulder presses in Stephs HTK program. I haven't actually looked at the 12wk program on her site as yet but she did say it's a progression from what we've done so I assume the moves will be pretty much the same, with a couple of additions (Jerks maybe for instance?). Basically there are a lot of mobility exercises & stretches to start (a lot of which are way harder than they look!) then in level 2 (which you'd be) there is some combination of cleans, deadlifts, back squats, shoulder presses, pull-ups, front rack carries, push-ups, planks, super-mans, L-sits, & hollow rocks x3 days a week (she did M,W,F but I worked to my own schedule) plus a bonus HiiT session for a Saturday or Sunday.

Level 1 was more dumbell work (rows, shoulder press, renegade rows), alternate leg lunges, suitcase deadlifts, goblet squats, waiter walks, tricep dips etc but still working on the same muscle groups, and all totally scaleable.

Do you have a door-frame in your home that you could put a frame on? I got a really good one for very little on eBay (or maybe Amazon I don't remember) with a number of different hand grip positions, and it doesn't require any 'fitting' - it just hooks around the frame and easily be lifted off & on as required.

So yes, I think you could totally do her program. She's doing a rolling start date now for HTK too by the way....

[J9er]

Haha, yes @littleg said she thought it sounded worth it too, it really was amazing. What scared me though was after the first bite I couldn't stop and my husband and I were having a battle with our spoons at the dinner table fighting over every last crumb. Lol. But I'm going to accept it as meaning it was totally worth it, I would gladly repeat it again next year. 

I think I can make something work for the pull ups, I would have to go into another room, which is totally fine. I bought one of those things awhile ago from Walmart but it was really shoddy and I returned it so I will check out Amazon and eBay and see what they have. Thank you  

 

[jmcbn]

10 minutes ago, J9er said:

I will check out Amazon and eBay

Mine was called 'Iron Man Door Gym Extreme' or something similar and got really good reviews.

It looks like it could be this one...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DOOR-GYM-XTREME-EXTREME-IRON-MAN-PULL-UP-PUSH-UP-EXERCISE-BAR-/232001850678?hash=item3604634d36:g:aP0AAOSwEjFXehW4

[jmcbn]

Last day off work before returning on Monday (ok, so I have the weekend off too but I'd have had that off anyways...) and there's a bit of a decadent day on the cards:

Breakfast @ the gym - they're doing a porridge promotion (NOT Whole30) and giving away free porridge with various (healthy) toppings in the gym cafe every day this week.

Lunch with one of my besties @ a Farm shop cafe just around the corner.

Dinner @ a local dining establishment with 9 old school friends (there are a group of about 40 of us from the school year that stay in touch & meet up every few months when anyone living away comes home for a visit and I've missed the last few gatherings so haven't seen most of these girls for a while)

Food choices will be on point, and the 'craic will be ninety' (Google it!)

But first, school run, then gym time............. Happy Friday!

[jmcbn]

Breakfast & lunch done, and home for a quick re-fresh, shower & then out again.

My dad helped me to take the second born's bike to the bike shop to get the chain fixed and we had an interesting conversation en route about diet. My dad asked if I'd seen some program on TV earlier in the week about diet & exercise. First off this program was on @ 11pm - WAY past my bedtime, and way past the bedtime of anyone who cares about their health. Secondly it was promoting just 3mins of intense cardio exercise per week, nothing more - eh, healthy movement anyone? 

Interestingly though (and as I've been finding more & more and have been trying SO HARD to spread the word to all and sundry!) one expert was talking about how our overall healthstems from our gut health. So my dad was asking about 'that stuff that you make like beer' (kombucha) and that 'other stuff, from the cabbage family but it just looks like cabbage too?' (sauerkraut - he thought this was actually a type of vegetable rather than the name for the dish). Anyway after my [briefish] explanation of fermentation, probiotics, gut health etc (and when his eyes had lost that glazed expression!) he said he'd maybe consider trying some sauerkraut but that he couldn't possibly drink kombucha because he's seen 'all those things in the jars' (my SCOBY hotels!). So in a bid to encourage the kraut ingestion I told him you can ferment any type of veg thinking he might like carrot & ginger, but he said he was only interested in the cabbage 'because I could eat that warm with my potatoes...' When I explained that heating the kraut would kill off any of the probiotics he winced, shook his head, & said 'well I'm not eating it cold...!!'

So actually what my dad wants to eat is meat, cabbage & potatoes - typical Irish man!!

[jmcbn]

Back to work tomorrow after a two week break so lots of time spent in the kitchen today doing food prep. It's been lovely to cook 'on the hop' while I've been off, but I'm a big fan of routine, and it's a good feeling when the fridge is full of prepped food, all ready to grab & go.

So today I made a batch of Stupid Easy Paleo's Creamy Leek & Cauliflower soup (aka Crack Soup as it's SO addictive!!). Usually I make this on the stove top but this week I tried it in the Instantpot. It's turned out the same taste-wise as expected, but it really was just SO much quicker & easier to prepare as I didn't have to watch over the pot as it came to a boil & then reduce it down to the simmer - the Instantpot did all the work for me - meanwhile I was able to get on with prepping the rest of the food.

The instantpot really only needs a run under the tap when you're done, but I'd definitely consider buying a spare bucket part (no idea what it's actual name is) as this would mean you could lift one out & literally put the spare one in with ingredients chopped & ready to go. I wouldn't be behind the door about serving up a soup or a chilli straight from the 'bucket' either if I had a crowd of friends round...

Once the soup was done I added some chopped mushrooms, peppers, onion, & garlic, gave them a saute in some ghee, then added a load of chicken thighs, some chopped tomatoes, bone broth, a tin of green beans (I'd planned on artichoke hearts but changed my mind at the last minute), a quick grind of salt & pepper, a sprinkle of oregano, pressed the button and that was my second dish dish done for the week. Also on the menu a salmon & egg bake, and the remainders of the lemongrass coconut chicken and the beef & broccoli stew I made earlier in the week which I'll serve over baked potatoes - who knew they'd turn out so good?!

I've quite a stash of salmon in my freezer too, so once I'm back at work and can get to the farm shop I'll pick up some veg that can be prepped to serve along side those.

Pre-Christmas my youngest son was sitting exams to determine which school he'll move on to. The results will be out in a few weeks, so starting this Friday we'll be attending a number of Open Days/Nights at the various schools he'd like to attend. Interestingly he's been asking about a school in the nearest city - about a 30min train journey away. We'd considered the same school for his older brother, but he said he didn't want to travel. I'm not sure what the attraction is, but he's really keen to go take a look so we're adding that one to the list....

So Friday was my day of decadence. Porridge at the gym topped with chopped banana & almond butter (NOT Whole30), followed by baked potato topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato & mayo for lunch at the Farm Shop, and then one of 'Go-to' meals for eating out - Seafood Chowder (NOT Whole30) at the Bistro. It's kind of a tradition to eat fish here on a Friday so why break the habit of a lifetime?!

As expected the craic was ninety - some of the girls I went out for dinner with I see around town from time to time, one I see fairly regularly at the gym (& her son goes to school with mine), but the others I hadn't seen for around 2 years so it was good to catch up. It was a late night, there was Prosecco involved (NOT Whole30), and it was a lovely way to end my Christmas break.

Back to the proverbial porridge tomorrow, and I have to say, as prepared as I am, I'm really not looking forward to it.....