Meal Planning Monday - late again!

I swear - first week of January and everyone else is all motivated and organised and I'm there flapping behind, trailing in a sleep deprived, teething baby haze of Calpol, concealer and coffee. But I'm here now. And almost organised. Ish.

Meal planning for the week actually happened at the end of last week as I did our online shop for Friday. It's been quite interesting planning as I've started doing Slimming World (I know it's a bit of a new mum, new year cliche but my default weightloss position of run isn't possible because of my hips) and combining that with being dairy free for Harry is a bit of a challenge. I suspect this first week won't be entirely successful as I'm struggling with balancing being dairy free, not eating artificial sweeteners, breastfeeding, Health Extra A's and also a lot of the things that seasoned slimmers rely on like low fat yoghurts are off the table for me. Overall I've been quite hungry and conscious that I'm probably not quite meeting the mark, but am hoping my food diary and notebook will help with that come Monday.

That said Harry's reflux is so much better and his weight gain (oh the irony) is off the charts with me off dairy (and soya) that even if it means that Slimming World isn't for me it's still worth it.

The weather here is freezing, so I've been having soup each day for lunch - a homemade carrot honey and chilli concoction that I really like. It's not quite syn free as it did have a couple of teaspoons of honey and a tablespoon of olive oil - but that was for the whole batch, which has done 10 portions thus far. Next week I'm doing a yellow split pea and veg soup - a variation on this Nigella one, but without the butter or frankfurters.

Breakfasts: I've been having porridge made with oat milk (but am going to try Almond milk next week) and mixed spices - aiming for a gingerbready flavour to compensate for a lack of sugar  with a chopped apple and banana in the bowl.

Lunches: It's strange that lunch is more important now as I've spent 7 months skipping it and compensating with large quantities of biscuits...  so I'm having either soup and a tuna sandwich, or a baked potato with prawns and a plateful of veggie sticks, or an omlette with mushrooms and ham.

Suppers: 

Sunday: Super slow cooked Brisket with extra veggies

Monday: Leftover roast beef with baked potatoes and veggies

Tuesday: Leftover beef turned into cottage pie with carrot, parsnip and potato mash on top and extra veggies. If I'm short on beef I'll be bulking it out with baked beans as randomly I've run out of lentils. 

Wednesday: Leftover cottage pie with frozen peas

Thursday: I've gone back to Brownies this term so will make a veggie pasta bake and leave it in the oven on low for M

Friday: Breakfast for tea

Saturday: I made a chilli con carne this week that I've frozen some portions of, so I think that would be a lovely warming supper

Sunday: Roast chicken (mainly to ensure an easy week next week!)

That's our week. Any of you out there doing slimming world with any suggestions for Slimming world friendly weeknight dinners that M would like and don't rely on heaps of dairy, please do leave your links below... I'd be super grateful for some inspiration.

Now, if someone could just poke me to remind me to link up with At home with Mrs M I'd be very grateful.

Frozen Grapes: Probably the simplest summer essential in the world. Ever

 

So much so, I can't believe I'm writing this post. I've coerced M into taking photos so I have to write it really. But even so, I'm blushing, futilely hiding behind my rose hoping that you won't abandon me purely for the fact that I'm writing this up on a food blog.

I'm a hardened dieter/ healthy eater and abandoner of both of those pasttimes, usually in the face of something with vast quantities of butter or sugar. Junk food has never been my thing and I eat pretty healthily most of the time, but there's nothing that's quite the same as crispy roast potatoes. So, I have to think about my snacks - make sure that my innate tendency towards fabulously flavoured badness is balanced out by fresh, clean, healthiness.

This tends to mean that Monday - Friday, fruit is my snack of choice - apples, bananas, satsumas, cherry tomatoes, sharon fruit. I get frustrated when I can't get British apples, but aside from that am fairly easily pleased. I tend to avoid berries as they don't travel well when wedged in between a laptop and 16 copies of handouts and tupperware containers add to unecessary bulk when travelling on trains that no longer give you somewhere to put your luggage when you're 5'4" and can't lift something above your head.

So yes, fruit. for years I've heard about freezing grapes as a dieters sweetie. It must come up at least annually as a suggestion in every women's magazine I've ever read - from Just Seventeen up to Easy Living. It's there in every Weight Watchers and Slimming world material I've ever read. And yet, I've never tried it. I've dismissed it, much like 'swap your regular sausages for Quorn - you'll never tell the difference!' Yes. I. Will. Or, 'try Turkey bacon in place of regular bacon for a Sunday morning fry (or grill) up' No, it has a weird texture - it's squeaky. Having tried those recommedations and been forced to dismiss them on account of the fact that they're RUBBISH, I also dismissed frozen grapes. Oh how stupid I was. Frozen grapes are a cross between grape flavoured sweeties and an ice lolly. Having stupidly sensitive teeth I choose to suck them and love when they start to go squishy.

I'm so embarrased by including this, but also so keen to spread the word - for those of you doing the 5:2 Feast:Fast I'm hoping frozen grapes might prove to be a something yummy you can fit in on your fast days - according to myfitnesspal, 1 grape is 2 calories and the good thing about freezing them is that you don't pop one in your mouth after another, barely tasting them as they go down. It forces you to slow down and to really enjoy each mouthful.

Quite simply, wash your grapes, put them in a tupperware or similar without a lid, and in your freezer - help yourself to them every time you're peckish.

If I weren't so embarrassed I'd submit these to Kavey's Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream this month, the subject of which is Ice lollies, but I'm too embarrassed. By far.

Besides which you see, I have confidence in me!

I appear to be awake at that awful hour of the morning that prompts introspection and a need for chamomile tea. In truth the seeds of this post have been puttering around my head for a while, I've just not been able to phrase them coherently of late (nor in any fit state to do so.) This isn't a rant however, this is a post in support, and praise, uncharacteristically, of myself. No! No! Don't run away now, I haven't abandoned cupcakes, and casseroles permanently, and this links in heavily to my thoughts, feelings and the way I write about food.

This week I posted about having a healthy week in the pantry. In truth, for the first time in a very long time I recently began a formal diet. I've felt rotten over the last month or so, chubby, out of shape and just a bit... sluggish I suppose. My energy levels have been shocking and I've been relying on caffeine and sugar to get me through the day at work. So, on reading around and speaking to friends, real and t'interwebs varieties. I decided that I needed to make some changes. As regular readers know I've just moved into a flat by myself so saw this as an ideal time to do just that - out with the old! However, in doing so it was as though I turned a spotlight on myself and suddenly, flaws which had always been tiny things were becoming huge; I hated my tummy, my boobs were too big, why do I always get a double chin when I smile? And my attitude to food started to change, I had a strangely gung-ho attitude towards this diet, but in doing so was shunning fruit, some (well, many it felt like) vegetables as well as eating more healthily. I didn't want food that didn't fit in with the diet in the house, I worried about eating normally with M, I worried about having bread in the house for his packed lunches. Seriously, I was worried about bread? For the love of god! And then I got sick. Again. Yes, I know - no change there then, but this wasn't epilepsy. This was an acute migraine which for 5 days as an inpatient in hospital was possibly anything from a bleed on the brain to meningitis. Scary stuff. Actually genuinely cry yourself to sleep, scary stuff. Anyway, it was this special type of migraine (thankfully, normally a one-off) and I'm back at home, sleeping a lot, taking a lot of painkillers (two weeks on, I still have a shocking headache), some new meds and I've cut out caffeine. Without trying. interesting. However, on trying to re-summon my motivation for the diet it seems to have evaporated. I've re-read the literature, I've tried to re-embrace the start out, detox standpoint. And I was missing cooking and eating freely - I wanted to make the Brownies Royal wedding cupcakes for our party, but didn't feel I could because of the temptation of the sugar, M and I are going on a picnic on Friday and no word of a lie, I was panicing over what to take that I could eat. And then I woke up after a bad dream an hour or so ago and decided; you know what, being well, seems so much more important. And what's worse, I feel like a hypocrite.

I am curvy, I am soft, squishy, gentle, zaftig. A Brownie once described me as 'lovely to hug.' I don't think any diet is going to change that essence of myself. I have been skinny. I was not happy, I have been curvier I was happy. I have been curvier still and unhappy. For me, clearly there's a happy medium. I love food, I love to cook, to bake, to share. If I love you, I'll cook for you. I am also an active person, I run around with kids, I pitch tents, I do activities, in the rain, in the cold, outside. I sing, I dance, I make a bit of a pratt of myself sometimes, but I love every second of it.

See what I mean about looking like a pratt?!

I read something recently about women who 'dress like they hate their body' and this week I've been reading some fashion and beauty websites, and one has stuck in my mind. I keep popping back and reading old posts, looking at pictures and thinking, you know what? I could do that, I could be happy with who I am, dress like I love myself, and stop stressing. So Lilli from Frocks and Frou Frou, thank you very much for your part in restoring this British girl's faith in herself. I think after a week in pyjamas, hospital gowns, and yoga pants I need to put on a skirt and a smile.

I've also been reading beauty blogs (thank you Modesty Brown & Lady of the Lane) and have come to the conclusion, that a new hairstyle and a focus on making myself feel lovely would also not go amiss, so some exfoliation, moisturiser, a bit of fake tan and some mascara and lippy are also called for. Today I painted my nails, they're a bit of a mess (I'm still having trouble seeing) but they're teal and I love them a lot.

I'm not going to abandon my stance from earlier this week about being healthy, but I think I'm going to do it in a more measured way. I like the low carb principles of the plan, and I'm going to keep that in the main, I'm going to add back in my fruit, and the veg I've been missing, and my Greek yoghurt for breakfast. I'm going to continue with my vitamins, and ring up about the yoga class I'm on the waiting list for and when I'm well enough I'll be back walking again.

And tomorrow, I'm going to bake the Brownies Royal Wedding cupcakes.

None of these photos are mine, as I'm in them all. Credits to Mark Reader, Lauren Lalor and Jennifer Hill