A Year’s End Meme

Teuchter over in the middle of it all has come up with her very own meme. It's a Year's End Meme so here's the four statements that I have to write about. Right let's get going!

The best things that happened in 2008 …
The worst things that happened in 2008 …
The standout highlights of 2008 …
My ambitions and hopes for 2009 …

The best things that happened in 2008 ... right, well it's not been a bad year, but the very best thing has to be the fantastic week I had in Rosas in May with my parents. We talked and laughed and toured and ate! And then talked some more - it was a real coming together of our relationship ~ we hadn't spent quality time together like that since the previous Summer and times like that always remind me how well I get on with my Mum and Dad. Yes they're my parents but I really like them as people.

I also have to give a memorable mention to a weekend in Wales, when I got to have coffee with Liz - thank you Facebook - AND dinner in Twickenham with an occupational therapist, her Coldstream Guards bandsman husband and two gay men ;o)

The worst things that happened in 2008 ... well it has to be the day of Nana's funeral - she died on Boxing Day 2007. We got a phone call in France just after lunch, my parents left for Wales 2 hours later. Simon and I stayed on for a couple of days and then made our way back to Kent. Because of the time of year things were very slow - the funeral wasn't until January 11th or somewhere around there. It was a horrible day - tears all round but lots of laughter and good memories too! But of course they don't stand out at the time!

The standout highlights of 2008 ... Strangely there's a work one of these! I say strange because it should be leisure/family times that are the "standout highlights" ... I have one of those too! Right, in July we had an OFSTED inspection. It was a horrifically stressful week - we had a phone call on the Monday, they arrived on Wednesday morning and by 4pm on Friday (after a 66 hour working week by that point!) I was a sobbing, snotty mess in the middle of a table in the nursery. Thank goodness it was over! Thank goodness it went well. Thank fuck they're not coming back!!!!

My other standout highlight was my summer, yes the weather was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed being in France and showing my GBF around the local area BUT it was also wonderful because I got to meet Bev. My Mum's cousin Roy and his wife Margaret came to stay - there's lots of garden Chez le laquet to camp in - along with Margaret and Roy came their grand-daughters and their Mum ... my cousin Bev. I know we're cousins BUT we'd never met before ... but it was wonderful, we clicked straight away - hell, we even look alike!! A new friend. But one who's going to last. Always on the end of a phone - I feel like I've known her forever.

My ambitions and hopes for 2009 ... all the usual suspects I imagine - a continued decline in my weight. An increase in my life-work-balance. And finally continued good health, happiness and love for me and mine AND of course, for you and yours.

Oh and if the lottery fairy wants to look my and get the divine Hugh to deliver the ticket ... well I won't complain ;o)

Yes! It's just an excuse to drool!!

Lunch!

I made Spicy Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup for lunch this week ... thank goodness I did because it was so bloody cold and it really hit the spot! There was a lot of chopping and blitzing on Sunday BUT it was worthwhile. There's not a recipe so to speak - I just use random amounts of vegetables ... but for what it's worth, here you go.

Jo's "it changes every time but that's one of the best bits of the surprise"
Spicy Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup

1 butternut squash
Fry light Olive-Oil spray
large pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 tsp of la Chinata paprika
onions, carrots, courgettes, celery, leeks or whatever veg you love/have handy
100 grms of red lentils*
3 tsps Marigold Swiss vegetable Bouillon powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the butternut squash** in half, scrape out the seeds, spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with chilli flakes, paprika, salt and pepper. Roast in a hot-ish oven for 40 mins until soft.
2. Put the lentils to soak/wash in cold water.
3. Clean, peel and chop the remaining vegetables and sweat*** them off in a large pan with some more of the olive oil spray.
4. Add the lentils and mix them to coat them with the lovely slippery vegetable juiciness.
5. Cover the vegetables with water and add the bouillon powder, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Then turn down, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
6. When the butternut squash is cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh out of the shell and add it to the soup along with any juices that are in the pan.
7. Then it's in with the hand blender to take the soup to your desired consistency, check the seasoning and dig right in.

Enjoy!

* I measured the lentils because I had to count the points - the rest of the veg were free.
** I don't peel it first - I scrape the flesh out of the skin afterwards ... I don't know why - I'm rather strangely unique/special ... and not always in a good way!
*** My mother says there's no need for this but Saint Delia does it in her carrot and artichoke soup which is the basis for a lot of my soups and if Saint Delia says you have to do it ... then you do it!

Making the points stretch

I love pasta bolognaise/in meat ragu and one of the awful things about WW-ing is that it just doesn't really fit in with the diet ... I can hear you all saying "of course it does!" But I like juicy, oozy meat and lashings of olive oil and glugs of red wine and parmesan shavings and sides of garlic bread and Ben & Jerry's for dessert and a couple more glasses of merlot to wash it down ... but I digress and I've made myself dribble and spit all over the monitor.

So anyway, when I decided in June that I needed to loose the weight I realised that I needed to change the way a) I made my sauce and b) the way I ate and enjoyed it.

Firstly this would not all be possible without the wonder that is spray light. I've stopped using tomato puree - because of the amount of oil in it and I've discovered that good balsamic vinegar works wonders ~ giving the taste of a good glug of wine. Sooooo, here I present my new recipe ... works for 4 but the guts that I live with usually polishes off the leftovers ;o)

Spicy Ragu
4 "squits" of spray light
1 large onion, sliced
1 large carrot, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed - it's up to you.
500 grms of lean minced beef
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp of chilli flakes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of Marigold vegetable stock powder
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar*
Salt and pepper to taste
a large handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Ok, cook off the onion and carrot with 2 sprays of fry light ... they're not browning, just cooking slowly. When they've began to soften add the garlic and continue to let the vegetables sweat.
2. In another frying pan, brown off the mince with the other 2 sprays of fry light and when this has browned ... and this is a trick for me - pour the beef into a fine sieve and drain well ... getting rid of even more fat.
3. Add the tomatoes, chilli, stock, bay leaf and balsamic vinegar to the onions and garlic. Bring to the simmer and then add the minced beef and enough water to cover the meat.
4. Turn down the heat and then let the mixture cook gently for as long as you can wait before falling face down into the pan. The longer it cooks, the softer the meat gets - because of course you've drained all the fat out of it!
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper**, chuck in the handful of freshly chopped parsley, mix and serve with the pasta of your choice - gigli in this house, because I like the frill and the name makes me chortle.

*I actually use the vinegar out of a jar of Tesco's Borettane onions ... the ones Saint Delia recommends in her cheats Boeuf Bourguinon. The vinegar is always around because I've wolfed the onions while Simon wasn't looking.
** I normally add another splash of vinegar and crunch/slurp on a few onions at this point - a girl has got to have a treat you know!

It's dawned

I've just realised. It's dawned on me.

As of this morning - I've lost over 50 lbs!!!

HELL YES :o)

Less of me

I went to see the nurse on Wednesday afternoon, she was very pleased with me for a number of reasons *preens happily* obviously gold star material!

My cholesterol is down from 7.1 (hadn't admitted this to my mother - she wasn't best pleased) to 5.1 ~ woo hoo! Only 0.1 "whatevers" off normal!

My blood pressure was down to 132 over 82 - that's apparently "normal."

And I've lost 4 more kgs.

Oh and that 2 lbs has come off *does happy bunny twirl* now if I could just catch the dreaded lurgy that's doing the rounds I might loose some more!!

Two-sday

What does a girl need to do to lose a pound around here? WW - keeping to my points and yet I've put on 2lbs!! 2 frigging lbs! My first thought is WTF? How? When? What did I do? When? I can't remember what's gone wrong? Especially to put on 2 pounds.

TWO!

Disappointed with myself. Worried about what the nurse is going to say tomorrow.

BUGGER!

Gold star

Thank god for WW ... to quote MsMac "it's the points baby!" The nurse was very pleased ... my blood presure is down. Apparently in February it was 160 over 110!! Shit - I didn't realise it was THAT bad! Yesterday it was 133 over 88. Not brilliant BUT so much better. She weighed me and that's another 3lbs off. This won't turn into a weightloss blog honest - mind you then at least I'd post more reguarly.

Big announcement

... but not quite as big as it was in June!

I came home from Rosas in June feeling foul, fat and frumpy. My mother (who's been WW-ing since last December) looked fantastic - she'd lost 6 stone and was like a different person ... thinner, fitter, healthier and above all happier. She didn't nag but she did suggest that I give it a go. BUT I was on my holiday!! And I just didn't want to think about it. NO! Because for me it's not a matter of loosing a couple of lbs and everything being ok - it's about changing eating (and drinking) habits for life. A whole lifestyle change. And that's not what holidays are about.

And then pain in my knee started. And I thought do I want to be 40 and still fat? Finding walking hard? High blood pressure and popping medication like candy?

And maybe something clicked in my head because this morning I am 3 stone (42 lbs / 18.6 kgs) lighter than I was the day I got back from Rosas, 3 (almost 5 in some makes) dress sizes smaller. I am wearing clothes that haven't come near me for 5 years. I have lost significantly over 10% of my body weight and my blood pressure is down. I am off to see the doctor today to see by how much and am midway through chucking out 7 pairs of trousers. People in work are asking what I am doing - parents as well as colleagues.

My next goal is to weigh less than my 6' 2" husband - I'm going to catch you Simon ... watch this space ;o)