When I did my rather extreme 8 week blood sugar diet, my solution to low carbing was to cook what I normally cooked but add extra vegetables, and then miss out the starch element in my serving. So I ate home cooked curry without rice, meatballs in tomato sauce without pasta, lots of stews without potato, etc. This meant our family meals were undisrupted. I still do this for most of the weekday meals me and Mr Heavenly have.
I'd find it hard to have curry without rice or some substitute. The cauliflower rice was pretty good, although I did cheat by buying it in a microwaveable sachet. When I was doing Slimming World I tried making it myself and the kitchen ended up covered in bits of cauliflower. I am taxed in my mind about what to do as a noodles substitute for our Saturday night stir fry but will make inquiries at our local health food shop tomorrow. Not sure there is much to be done about the accompanying prawn crackers...
I too think I want to move in with @Firenze, but that's more to do with the interesting alcohol they seem to drink, which I guess wouldn't be that good for me.
Have you tried meal boxes @nenya? We have a box from Mindful Chef (other companies are available) once a month. We have three meals in our box and they are always interesting and low calorie. We have the vegan options but they do do veggie and meat/fish options too. The best thing about those sort of meals is it gives you ideas for what else you can cook.
Just to counter the impression of a healthy Eden, I'm thinking of The Pan for Friday (bacon, egg, black pudding, fries) and steak'n'kidney'n'mushroom in puff pastry on Saturday.
Have you tried meal boxes @nenya? We have a box from Mindful Chef (other companies are available) once a month.
The Nenlets use meal boxes (Nenlet2 and his husband I believe have a very regular delivery) but I haven't heard of Mindful Chef. It does look like an interesting and helpful option, both for my low-carb focus and for Mr Nen's gluten-intolerant stomach. I thought at first you had to become a subscriber but I see there's an option to order a one-off box. Thank you.
@Doublethink and @Heavenlyannie , when you cook cabbage for stir fry do you simply boil or steam it, or do you fry it? I did obtain a spiraliser and try courgetti spaghetti in my Slimming World days, didn't get on with it at all.
The alcohol is going to be a bit of a challenge as I'm apparently permitted a glass of wine (preferably a dry red) which is very good news; the not-so-wonderful news is that it's a "medium" glass of 150ml, which is a tiddler by the standards of the Nen Chateau. I think I'll have to find a small glass so at least I feel I'm getting a full one.
Hope you like the Mindful Chef box @nenya. My brother swears by Hello Fresh and he cooked us a meal from them when we dropped in to see him last month, and another friend was talking about Gusto when we saw her yesterday, so maybe try a few.
I am no fan of beansprouts, but thank you for the idea.
I believe the Nenlets have all tried both Hello Fresh and Gusto and prefer Gusto.
Thank you for the reminder about gin and tonic, @Heavenlyannie . I find gin gives me a headache these days, but I do have non-alcoholic gin in the cupboard and it does have that nice gin taste so that could be an option, with lots of ice and lemon.
I've also found a low-carb recipe book on my shelves which has clearly been languishing there for some years...
Mr F having managed to break an entire front tooth (and no dental appointment until 5/11) it's Cuisine Squidge for the foreseeable. So that'll be mushroom omelette tonight, and something with lamb mince and aubergine tomorrow.
As for stir fries, Fuchsia Dunlop is my go-to. Typically hers are aromatics (chilli, garlic, ginger) protein (chicken, prawn, tofu) plus veg, sometimes nuts, and sauce. Noodles are a whole different category.
At our local health food emporium yesterday I bought a pack of no-carb noodles and one of no-carb rice (buy one get the second half price) so am interested to see what they're like. The noodles will be sampled with tomorrow night's stir fry.
I'm sorry to hear about Mr F's tooth but am sure that even Cuisine Squidge at Casa Firenze is delicious.
Amazing what you can find on the interwebs. Two things needing to be used up in the veggie drawer are lettuce and cauliflower - and yes, there is a recipe for lettuce and cauliflower soup.
My mum used to make lettuce soup; I think it was adapted from the Watercress soup recipe from the Food Aid cookbook (which may or may not have been contributed by the late Princess of Wales). IIRC it was rather good, in a green sort of way.
I'm feeling virtuous as I managed to get to a Pilates class for the first time in a couple of months. I'm hoping it bodes well for the rest of the year.
I had to miss some swims over Christmas as the pool was closed, but now I'm back to my usual routine. I was amazed to discover that I'd actually lost a small amount of weight over Christmas!
My type 2 diabetes has been declared “ in remission” ie my numbers, whilst still in the
“ at risk” range, have been safely below the threshold for the last five years. I have not been ultra-strict with myself, far from it, but am now being tempted to throw caution to the winds, at least in January. Chocolates to eat up.
That's good news @puzzler, long may it continue.
So far I'm having a good January having managed to not eat any cakes or drink any alcohol. I've also been doing on-line Pilates when I can't get out for a proper walk or a real-life class. I'm hoping to lose most of the stone I've put since moving here by the summer. I have lots of events on where I'm likely to be in photos and I want to look at least half-way good in them (yes I know I'm vain).
I'm starting the New Year with long walks and gentle mountain hikes early in the morning while it is still cool planning to begin yoga classes next week.
Yes *sheepishly * I took it last week as a rare selfie, and thought that I have had enough of the old pic of Elizabethan Catholic saint Mary Ward. Since my partner died I have become less guarded and private on social media and couldn't think of any reason to stay anonymous on the Ship when a number of posters know me from activist or ecumenical churchy things and where I live, etc. We used to have a gallery of pics on the old Ship and I know some people participated in online Zoom liturgies with Simon, I enjoyed seeing others in real life.
There were only 3 of us for lunchtime pickleball today so I invented a version of 3 player pickleball. Odds are somebody has thought of it long before I did.
So far this year I have managed to get back to a daily exercise routine, which is a mixture of yoga pilates and physio exercises. It had become less reliable over the last few years, but I really need it to maintain flexibility and repair some old injuries. It also makes me feel better overall.
Now to persevere!]
This is to announce I will be going in on 3 Feb to have my gallbladder removed. I had gall stones removed at end of November last year. It will be day surgery.
Did 75 minutes of kundalini yoga, a new class. Startled by how many muscles woke up like Rip van Winkle asking what year it might be and complaining of tight stretches and lifts. I had no idea that daily walking and swimming leave key muscle groups untouched.
I managed to go to Pilates this morning and was please to discover that I seem to be recovering some of my (not very good) core strength, as I could do some exercises I couldn't last time I did the same class. I've been doing on-line classes in-between.
I was discussing yoga classes with a friend while we were waiting for the classes to start. She reckoned the yoga classes at our Leisure Centre are very similar to the Pilates ones if you go with the instructor who does Monday's class. Useful to know as there are often spaces on that when Pilates is full.
@Sarasa, I was just thinking I might fit in some Pilates this coming winter to supplement the yoga!
What I find most helpful right now with yoga is the fast breathing exercises ('breath of fire') and how I breathe in more deeply from the solar plexus and lower belly.
Good news @Gramps. Its amazing how much surgery has progressed. My mum was in hospital for about ten days and was rather poorly when she had her gall-bladder removed in the 1970s.
Follow-up phone call from the hospital to see how I'm doing one week post-op. I was able to say no lymphoedema, only modest discomfort at worst. Only problem is that the little support pillow tends to lock you into one sleeping position which eventually pinches on a nerve.
Comments
Unfortunately, the intersection of "the diet I enjoy" and "the diet that will cause me to lose weight" is virtually a null set.
Have you tried meal boxes @nenya? We have a box from Mindful Chef (other companies are available) once a month. We have three meals in our box and they are always interesting and low calorie. We have the vegan options but they do do veggie and meat/fish options too. The best thing about those sort of meals is it gives you ideas for what else you can cook.
And as @Sarasa notes, quite a lot of alcohol.
@Doublethink and @Heavenlyannie , when you cook cabbage for stir fry do you simply boil or steam it, or do you fry it? I did obtain a spiraliser and try courgetti spaghetti in my Slimming World days, didn't get on with it at all.
The alcohol is going to be a bit of a challenge as I'm apparently permitted a glass of wine (preferably a dry red) which is very good news; the not-so-wonderful news is that it's a "medium" glass of 150ml, which is a tiddler by the standards of the Nen Chateau. I think I'll have to find a small glass so at least I feel I'm getting a full one.
Yes, when I did my strict diet I occasionally had a small glass of wine. Gin with low cal tonic is very low on calories.
I believe the Nenlets have all tried both Hello Fresh and Gusto and prefer Gusto.
Thank you for the reminder about gin and tonic, @Heavenlyannie . I find gin gives me a headache these days, but I do have non-alcoholic gin in the cupboard and it does have that nice gin taste so that could be an option, with lots of ice and lemon.
I've also found a low-carb recipe book on my shelves which has clearly been languishing there for some years...
And about as filling as air.
As for stir fries, Fuchsia Dunlop is my go-to. Typically hers are aromatics (chilli, garlic, ginger) protein (chicken, prawn, tofu) plus veg, sometimes nuts, and sauce. Noodles are a whole different category.
I'm sorry to hear about Mr F's tooth but am sure that even Cuisine Squidge at Casa Firenze is delicious.
He says, looking at a pint of Titanic Cherry Porter* at the open mic and cheese night...
*not convinced to be honest.
“ at risk” range, have been safely below the threshold for the last five years. I have not been ultra-strict with myself, far from it, but am now being tempted to throw caution to the winds, at least in January. Chocolates to eat up.
So far I'm having a good January having managed to not eat any cakes or drink any alcohol. I've also been doing on-line Pilates when I can't get out for a proper walk or a real-life class. I'm hoping to lose most of the stone I've put since moving here by the summer. I have lots of events on where I'm likely to be in photos and I want to look at least half-way good in them (yes I know I'm vain).
I'm starting the New Year with long walks and gentle mountain hikes early in the morning while it is still cool planning to begin yoga classes next week.
I'd noticed it too. Is it actually of you, @MaryLouise ?
Now to persevere!]
Nurse said it is a piece of cake until it isn't. But I will be prepared.
Did 75 minutes of kundalini yoga, a new class. Startled by how many muscles woke up like Rip van Winkle asking what year it might be and complaining of tight stretches and lifts. I had no idea that daily walking and swimming leave key muscle groups untouched.
I was discussing yoga classes with a friend while we were waiting for the classes to start. She reckoned the yoga classes at our Leisure Centre are very similar to the Pilates ones if you go with the instructor who does Monday's class. Useful to know as there are often spaces on that when Pilates is full.
What I find most helpful right now with yoga is the fast breathing exercises ('breath of fire') and how I breathe in more deeply from the solar plexus and lower belly.
I haven't swum yet this week due to a nasty cold - getting better though.