French Fancies

I just spent an incredible weekend living the life of Riley in the French Alps.

We had the opportunity to go for a three day break to Morzine with fellow couple and close friends Emma and Dave. It was a once in a life time opportunity to go to this very prestigious and elite skiing town which had a thriving atmosphere as it was overrun by rally cars and mountain bikers during the Summer, to take in the views and eat lots of great food.

This is the part where I tell you, I am still a normal human being who eats naughty foods and sometimes too much of it, just like everyone else. But as expected, the food in France, Oh My God.... I actually had THE BEST CROISSANT of my life and I don't care how cliché it is to say. My only regret is gobbling it down too fast that I didn't get a photo of the big, golden, crispy pastry. 

Never the less, plenty of food snaps were taken in my usual, blasé style.

The bakery from where we purchased said croissant was frequented on more than one occasion and the following three photos, I am sure, will explain why. 

I had a Croque Monsieur, of course, but it wasn't hot which was the only minor criticism but it was still incredibly delicious and very suitable for a slight hangover which we may or may not have been suffering. I also had a raspberry éclair which was filled with creme patissiere and oh my god. I will leave it there. 

As great as the bakery was, there were many, many more good meals to be had. The next photograph may shock you. 

Yes, that is a huge hanging contraption filled with steak. This was, may I add shared between three men and I also indulged in a little alongside my deliciously creamy risotto. This was the best steak I have ever eaten it tasted like heaven. It was full of flavour and so well cooked. This was an unlimited option and the steak was replenished once this large amount was finished. It was a lot but it was good!

And last but not least, the one meal I have to speak about, which was admittedly, extortionate but another once in a life time experience that we will never forget, is the meal in the mountains.

Literally, so deep into the mountains that you can't drive up to it, the waiters drive down to a car park and collect you. The panoramic view of mountains all around was unbelievable. You can see through this photo of us at the table, what we looked out onto. 

This is where I had my own, fantastic steak experience. I ordered the sizzling hot plate steak. And what I got was a beautiful large hot plate, with a large portion of stunning and tender steak slices to cook at my own pace to my own liking. It was excellent. And the potatoes that came with it were so good, I could have bathed in them! They buttery, creamy flavour was something I would never be able to replicate and my mouth is watering thinking of them now. Oh dear!

Here is the steak, with THOSE potatoes and the most delicious garlic butter ever! Oh God take me back!

Got to have it rare!

This of course was followed by a Tarte Tatin. What else! And well, just look at it. 

If only I could explain how well cooked the apples were, how delicious and crumbly the pastry was and how creamy and vanillary the ice cream was! Great way to finish a meal.

And finally, it wouldn't be a jaunt to France without trying the wine. We had a lot of Gamay. It was peppery which is something I wouldn't have normally thought would be nice but it worked. Especially with red meat. So much so that we brought some back! 

But this wine... 

Was easily my favourite. We had it in the fancy mountain restaurant and it was so smooth and light it went down rather quickly. 

All of this food was great but of course, there is a risk of feeling heavy and bloated. However, in the Alps there is so much walking and scenery to take in, that we were averaging 20,000 steps per day, making us feel a little less guilty and a little more hungry. Perhaps we would have reigned in the indulging had we been sedentary the whole time, but I am glad we didn't. I mean, just look at it! 

I have thoroughly enjoyed reliving my French dinning experience here and I hope you have all seen that sometimes, it is okay to just go out and enjoy life. 

If you have had some excellent foodie experiences share them! Let's see some photos and reminisce about great food together! 

Christmas left overs to revive you

Post-Christmas bloat is familiar to us all. Even for the nutrition and health conscious, the Christmas binge cannot be avoided. Some indulge more than others but never-the-less, pigs in blankets, tubs of chocolates and boards of cheese get the better of most of us.

I have to admit this past week I have barely touched any form of fruit.

So tonight I packed our dinner with a whole host of nutrient dense foods whilst using up left-over Christmas staples.

I had already made my own stock (known as bone broth these days) by boiling the left-over turkey carcass with some root vegetable for hours, I created my own, incredibly good for you stock. I do this with most left over meat bones, it really is worth it.There are more minerals and vitamins hiding in the bones than in the rest of the animal - so without the broth you would seriously be missing out on a fantastic nutritious hit.

"Bone broth"

Put it in a pan and cover with water, boil and then simmer for however many hours you have spare.

I used this stock to create a Christmas broth medley. Sprouts, herbs and pancetta were left over from the big day, so by adding chicken and some other vegetables that I always have in, I was able to make a delicious hearty tea.

Miscellaneous Veg

I added pearl barley, sage and thyme into the broth and let it cook away. While that cooked I chopped the pancetta, mushrooms and sprouts up and fried them in a little butter and olive oil until crispy. I added sage and thyme to the pan to cook and at the last minute added crushed garlic.

When I was about 4 minutes away from completion I added finely sliced chicken breast to the stock and pearl barley pot and finally, I threw in some spinach at the last minute.

Once everything was cooked and seasoned to taste I dished out the stock concoction and spooned the pancetta, mushroom and sprout medley on the top.

Finished dish

It was deep in flavour and full of goodness. I recommend it to anyone wanting to use up any left over foods from the festive season, or even for a quick evening tea.

Sugar free my a**

I have just about had it with all these fad diets and trends.

Why is it so difficult to grasp the concept of eating well. We eat food that fuels our bodies and what nourishes our bodies, or so we should.

Now, I will be the first person to agree that sugar is the enemy. Refined sugar that is. If it has been processed it is no good for you! Your body cannot deal with it, you will not digest it the way you should, it is unnatural and therefore not designed for human consumption.

However, I do believe that a little bit of what you fancy will not kill you. If you want that donut, eat that donut. Just stop at one and ensure all your other meals and snacks are nutritious. I would be the first to eat the donut.

But to hear all these people now say that fruit should be cut out, FRUIT! Yes, fruit it full of sugar, but it is natural. I like to think of it in the same way as fat. There was a huge trend for a long time saying that fat is the

enemy. Again, unnatural processed fats are. But dairy, nuts, salmon, avocado, they are among the many foods which burn fat, and guess what, they are high in fat.

Did you know you need fat to burn fat? That may not make sense to a lot of people but the healthy fats like omega 3 and 6 feed the body and give it the ability to slowly release energy and burn the visceral fat.

So now to be told to cut out fruit has really wound me up. As someone with a sweet tooth, I need fruit to help me avoid eating biscuits every day. (And I would). Not only is it a better alternative but think about all the fibre and vitamins you would miss out on too. Vitamin C, potassium, calcium, the list goes on.

Also, the sugar in fruit helps fuel my runs, because you need carbs and sugar to give you the energy to run.

Why does it have to be a diet? Why does it have to be a lifestyle, fat free, sugar free, dairy free, wheat free. Unless you have an allergy or a personal reason for not eating a certain food group, then eat that food.

What a lot of people cannot grasp is that it is all about moderation and nutrition. You feed your body the kind of food that it needs, that helps it run at optimum performance then you can have that slice of cake, it is fine. The only thing I have heard of lately which I agree with is the 80/20 method.

Eat well 80% of the time then that left over 20% when you want to eat something naughty, don't feel guilty for it. Your body can handle it because it is happy.

Think of your diet as a healthy life style, a way of living and eating rather than a quick fix fad diet which will work for a week and then the weight and the lethargy will come flooding back.

Today's lesson: Eat that apple, then eat your steamed chicken and veg and then you know what... Eat that Rocky Road!

Food really is fuel

We have all heard it 100 times before, you need food to fuel your body.

And the food you eat depends on how you use your  body.

It goes without saying healthy eating is a must for all. Filling your body with vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals is the most important thing. But, we all have a treat now and again - you have to!

As someone who really loves cake, sugary cereals and ice cream (to name just a few vices), I have to work hard so I don't give in or I would eat it all day, every day.

But remembering that sugar is the enemy is difficult when that brownie is melting in your mouth.

Which is what happened to me over the weekend. Cooking lunches, dinners, breakfasts, even snacks are not difficult for me. I only cook healthy food with natural ingredients - wherever possible - it is just that cookie that is presented to me that ruins things. But as those kinds of sugary treats hadn't really been on my radar since coming back from holiday and I haven't struggled too much.

I enjoyed feeling energetic and fresh last week living on a hearty and healthy diet. I didn't even feel hungry!

But then I went home to Yorkshire - where the dreaded monster mum lives and it all went down hill.

She had baked brownies, chocolate cake and a strawberry tart. We also had a big family BBQ. I managed to reign it in with the BBQ, eating just a few nice pieces of meat and some salad with only one (homemade) breadcake.

And what a BBQ it was

But then came the strawberry tart with homemade ice cream. (I did ensure it was a small portion but when you're out drinking all night ((a friends wedding do)) the calories rack up no matter what.)

Then the next day I enjoyed two big sticky brownies. Yes I did turn down the chocolate cake but the amount of sugar consumed in everything else made up for it anyway.

Matt and I didn't eat very well that day, skipping meals and eating bread and oil when we finally wanted something to eat at 8pm!

I am ashamed.

But the main point of all of this is, the next day I really felt it. I was sluggish and lethargic - as was Matt and when it came to going to the gym neither of us had it in us to actually train hard. After 20 minutes of slowly trying to push ourselves we gave in.

We were close to burning out and it just isn't worth the exhaustion. So we went home to rest up and I am happy to say we both ate very well, as we will the rest of the week.

Grilled chicken, sweet potato and veg. Mmmm

So, hopefully with properly fueled bodies we can train hard again and get back into the fantastic shape we were a month ago!

A little bit of what you fancy

Now, I know this blog is about the battle against the sweet tooth and fitness goals - but... I am a firm believer of having a little bit of what you fancy.

Every week, my boyfriend and I have a day of eating what we want. We both enjoy exercising (in fact he is my training partner) and we both like to eat well, so we look forward to letting loose.

I would be lying if I said it was the only day of the week we ate badly, sometimes it turns into a weekend and we do give in to the odd treat throughout the week, but generally, this is the day we look forward to.

And yesterday was so good it was worth sharing with you all. I won't talk about everything we ate, just my top three foods of the day.

The most delicious ice cream

First, the sun was shining so we went on a little drive to a place called Blaze Farm where fresh ice cream is produced.

There is nothing better than eating fresh ice cream in the sun, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by green hills. I had cappuccino and raspberry, Matt had Turkish delight and rhubarb and custard (vile in my opinion).

We also made our own pizza, base and all. It was purely experimental and I had to use two different flours but it turned out pretty well. We both topped our own pizza's and then split them.

My pizza (the best) parma ham, pineapple and sweetcorn.

Matt's very meaty pizza

And then, the piece de resistance. Nutella stuffed digestives. We both love biscuits, they are a big weakness for us. And we both love a classic digestive - sometimes over a chocolate covered one. And dunked in a good brew they cannot be beaten. At least that is what I thought. I love Nutella, I eat it out of the jar with a spoon. So, I had a light bulb moment and spread a nice thick layer of Nutella on a digestive and topped it with another. Dunked in that brew - it was like heaven. I don't think you could get a better snack.

It just looks perfect

It tasted like perfection

By no means am I trying to say that throughout the week we eat boring food. We cook some delicious healthy meals but we both have a sweet tooth which is our downfall and what we miss for five and six days of the week.

I am a firm believer of the 80/20 rule (even if sometimes the ratio is not quite that). I would rather indulge in good foods which we crave once in a while than have the perfect body and feel grumpy and hungry all the time. I am the kind of person that suffers with the "hangry" syndrome (hungry and angry). As is Matt.

We both enjoyed what we ate so much yesterday it was worth a mention. It may be a contrast to my usual blog posts but I wanted to show that everyone deserves a treat.

Falling off the bandwagon..... again!

It was a spectacular fall.
Let me give you an example. Yesterday I had two slices of cake, didn't eat tea and went to bed scoffing lots of chocolate.
Woke up this morning, knowing I was going out for dinner and cocktails, had a healthy cereal and scoffed lots more chocolate.

Coming back to monster mums I discovered I still had a tin of Roses left from Christmas - sorry waistline!

 I weighed myself and I am three pounds heavier than I want to be.
To be honest, I just haven't been focusing on food lately. I guess it has been a nice break but it is my birthday next week and I want to look my best for a good night out.
I need to gather all my will power and have a strong week which I know I can if there is no temptation in my way... which I strongly believe there may be, in the form of cake! - Birthday cake!
MODERATION - that is key which needs ingraining in my mind!

What is cake without a brew - what is a brew without cake?

But seriously, if I wanted cake I had it, if I wanted to eat a pack of biscuits I did and so on and so forth. The problem is, I always want this stuff so, as one might imagine, I have been a little greedy porker recently!
On the plus side, I have also been nailing the gym and weights! Not so much cardio, I am working on that! So I truly believe that one of those pounds may be muscle. That's what I am going to continue to tell myself anyway.
I'm terrified I'm falling too far off the bandwagon though so I need to focus. 

Get my head in the game! Happy, healthy eating all!

Festive feasting and running with Rudolph

Okay, so I didn't exactly go running with Rudolph - what can I say I am a sucker for alliteration - but I did go running on Christmas day.

So what? I had this to burn off....

I also had a shiny new high vis jacket I just had to try out, not that it was needed in the blinding, winter sun. Yep it was one of those glorious days today in ye ole' Yorkshire.

All I wanted for Christmas (sad I know) was a high vis jacket, now the nights come early and it is dark for what seems like 24 hours of the day, I have been putting my life on the line to pound the pavements.

Yes, high vis and sunglasses combination, and what?!

I have been sticking to the streets to run on an evening purely because the tracks are too scary in the dark! Haha.
But most of my running clothes and jackets are black, some maybe with a splash of bright colour but not enough to ensure my safety. Now I am more eager to get out and run a couple of times per week.
I haven't run to often lately, I have been a bit under the weather but I will not let it beat me!
So I slipped on my trainers and off I went this morning to burn up an appetite ready for my Christmas dinner.

What a bright and beautiful run 

And what a great, refreshing run it was. I felt so much better for it and I love taking in the fresh air of the Yorkshire countryside. And as we all know, this is one of my most favourite routes.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and good running!

Terrible two's

So, while I totally believe that the only way to have the best body you could have is to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, I also believe that we need to indulge once in a while.
Unfortunately for me, it is more often then once in a while.
Well not anymore. I have no excuse for it because I genuinely enjoy healthy food, I look forward to having fruit and yogurt for breakfast and I usually don't enjoy myself when I binge, but I do it anyway.
So I recently decided to swap my high carb/low fat diet to high fat/low carb. In one respect it has done wonders for me. I have barely felt shaky, I have low blood sugar levels so I can come over all funny very quickly and need sugary shots fast. This seems to be under control now and it makes sense to me that the less sugar I eat the less shaky I will be. So this is one positive. But then I weighed myself on Friday and had put two pounds on. Anyone who has ever weighed themselves knows how disheartening that is.
I will admit, I haven't been totally strict and have eaten what I wanted when I wanted in the last week but I have not been too bad.
So, seeing this I realized, if I want to drop what was half a stone, now is three-quarters of a stone I need to commit fully for a while.
I allowed myself this weekend to eat what I wanted but I went a little bit overboard. I refuse to weigh myself for the next few days it will just depress me.
First thing in the morning I will wake up with a positive attitude and get back on track. I will be going home next week so that will be a challenge as I won't have full control over dinners and what is in the fridge but it will be a test to my will power (that is non-existent but I am working on it).
I loved the way I felt when I was eating healthy all the time so I need to channel that.
I will blog more, to keep me motivated and keep that beach body image in mind.
This confession that I have overeaten was my first step, hopefully it will send me off in the right direction.
Wish me luck.

Get a Grip

I started this Blog because I thought publicly humiliating myself and my eating habits would help me.
The past two weeks I think it is safe to say I am disgusted in myself. I will not even go into what I have eaten today.
I have been slacking from the gym too. I have been going but I don't feel like I have been working very hard.
Well that is it. I am sick of telling myself at the beginning of the week that I will be good this week and then by the weekend I over indulge beyond belief.

My enemies of the day

Now, I have no desire to be stick thin, hungry and missing out on food but I need some self control.
Believe it or not some of the healthiest meals I cook are my favourite. It is the snacking I need to control. Chocolate and cereal are my worst enemy.
I am horrendous with biscuits but since I stopped buying them I seem cured. A chocolate bar or chocolate mousse is all too easy to pick up and I will not give up my cereal.
Cereal is my favourite thing in the world. I could live on it.
Yes you may say you could be eating worse things but it is the quantity that is the problem.
Most of my cereals are healthy, oats, Special K and Alpen which I adore on a morning and intend to stick to eating.
I believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day and is the best time to indulge. So I need to remember that when I go for a bowl of Frosties at 9pm.
As I said in a previous post, I have made two big batches of soup. That is lunch sorted. I have also planned dinner time meals.

Monday: Tomato and basil chicken with salad. 20 minute run on the treadmill, ab weights and Zumba.
Tuesday: Fish and steamed vegetables, 1 hour 30 minutes gym routine.
Wednesday: Spiced chicken and quinoa salad, 1 hour 30 minutes gym routine
Thursday: Soy glazed Tuna with spiced steamed vegetables and 45 minute spin class
Friday: Homemade pasta, pesto and scallops, 1 hour 30 minute gym routine
Saturday: 3 mile run and cottage pie.
Sunday: Rest day and carvery.
I will stick to this, snacks will be fruit and nuts which I will constantly have to hand and I will make a mango mousse for dessert on Saturday for being good. (If I am good). I feel more determined then ever to stick to this. I feel I am letting the Blog down as I started it and have barley reported anything good. Wish me luck and I will update daily.

Eat smart this week folks.