I have had a carb overload this weekend; Dominos for date night (hubs choice), a jacket potato at Costco Saturday lunch, Pasta Bake for dinner on Saturday and Mexican buffet with the extended fam Sunday evening! I know all such delicious meals, but Monday I felt so bloated and heavy so just had an energy booster smoothie at lunch. I have done well not to really eat much sugar this weekend but deffs overdid it with carbs eeeeeek…don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means a carb hater I just know they’re not good for the body at certain times of day and in excess (unfortunately) add that to doing ZERO exercise classes this week, we didn’t end well at all!
This was not how my week started out though, I spent a couple of days with my second mum (aka Naths Mum) & ate mainly soup… extremely delicious soup – Naths mum makes some of my fave soups i’ve had and also some pretty random experimental ones too haha So Monday we enjoyed a lovely leek and potato (with home grown leeks) which I enjoyed helping to make and getting some handy tips in the process. Then whilst out together Tuesday a spicy butter nut squash in the cafe mmmmmm so yummy! I actually could live off soup at this time of year, its sooo moreish! In fact when I went home weds afternoon I made a spicy carrot and sweet potato soup which we had with hummus and veg on the side for dinner – it was gorge central and the kids dominated it! Please don’t ask me how I made it – I always chuck it all in, blend it with stock and season and then hope for the best!
Being with my mother in law always reminds me how simple yet delicious food can be, when were all together (me her and my Sisters in law) we will often discuss tried and tested recipes we’ve found and often a lot of our meals when all the fam are together end up being a random assortment of veggies that somehow always work. This week her new fave was grilled veggies with hummus, beans, grated carrot and artichoke in a brown wrap – it was scrummy…we then discussed how you can make a load of it (it being the grilled veges – peppers, aubergine, courgettes etc) at the beginning of the week and keep it in the fridge to have in a salad, in wraps, pasta sauce etc combine that with a couple of home made soups or stews and the family is fed quickly, deliciously and most important – nutritionally. I decided id give it a go and simplify the way we eat, some weeks we have so many different meals all with their own ingredients or different meats or accompaniments that you end up spending a bomb or not actually being able to make an alternative if that night you don’t particularly fancy that. On the other hand a tonne of veg is a very versatile way to shop as you can chuck it together with all sorts of herbs, spices or stock and make amazing things.. I went to my local Asian supermarket on Saturday and it was flipping £26 for the bulk of our “weekly shop” (I spent a further £8 in total at morrisions/Costco on dairy free milk, stock and food for the family gathering sunday) lots of herbs and spices, fresh corriander in bulk (love it) fruit and veg, lentils, brown pitta, tins of tomatoes, natural yog and some snacks for the kids. My best buy was a crate of tomatoes for £1.49, i made salsa for sunday, a load for snacks and salad, a tomato soup and the rest will be the bulk of the curry I plan to do also – 1 ruddy 49 ..you cant go wroing!
I’ve made up another soup and frozen it and plan on a lentil stew, spinach curry, chicken curry and jackets one night probably too as well as momma smiths grilled veggie combos. I love shopping cheap whilst eating well, I love to have delicious meals that are actually so simple and minimal ingredients and mostly I love that despite a weekend of carbs Ive lost a further 1.5lbs YESSSSSSS get in there! Hello 161.5lb – another small step closer to my ideal weight!
Another bonus feature was that my new “black friday bargain coat” finally came – H&M UK 12 £49.99 – I grabbed a steal that friday at £24.99 whoop whoop came today and its gorgeous! Fits comfortably with a chunky jumper under , which is perfect now its butt freezing, casual but then classy dressed up too and well im basically loving it, its timing is almost a little reward for the L.Bz im shedding slowly but surely.
The image of the coat is courtesy of the H&M website and the product can be found here
