Spanish Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Spanish Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

I freaking LOVE this soup and the afore mentioned Morroccan Carrot and Lentil soup.As a recent convert to soups (liquid lunches are just wrong unless Champagne is involved,dahhhling!)I like my soups thick and creamy and these soups fit the bill.Sorry,no photos for this one.

1 butternut squash,chopped and de-seeded (skin on or off,up to you)
1 large sweet potato
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube

1.Roast the BNS,sprinkled with the paprika,in the oven at appox 180 - 200 degrees till soft (about 10 mins)
2.While the BNS is roasting,chop and peel the sweet potato and boil till soft.
3.When the veg are ready,dissolve the stock cube in a medium pot and then add the veg and boil about 5 minutes.(You can add another teaspoon of paprika if you like it well flavoured)
4.Cool then whizz in the blender and enjoy!

*Another variation is to add a tablespoon or 2 of taco/nacho/fajita seasoning as well as the paprika.

Soup recipe and some random rambles.......

5 days on track :D I'd better have lost weight on Tues!!!!!!! I even managed to try the Pussycat dolls DVD.Soooooooooo much freaking fun! It requires a lot of co-ordination though (which I don't have.According to my sister being unco is 'embedded in my soul') so I hope the neighbours didn't get a fright.

Still no chocolate which is like my own personal Everest.I could practically inhale a crunchie in 10 seconds flat,chocolate fudge cake was the first thing I would look for on a menu. Eating is still on track,the only thing I could really be working on is the exercise,but one hurdle at a time.

As for the recipes............ Moroccan Carrot and Lentil Soup

5 carrots
1 cup red lentils
1 - 2 Tbs Morrocan seasoning (I prefer 2 for a super tasty,super spiced soup)
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube (whichever you prefer)

1.Bring a medium pot of water to the boil.Add the stock cube and stir until dissolved.
2.Add the lentils,bring to a boil and boil for about 10 mins.
3.Add the peeled and chopped carrots with the Moroccan seasoning.Turn the heat down and simmer the carrots and lentils another 10 - 15 mins,till the carrots and lentils are soft,and the lentils have basically turned to mush.
4.Let the soup cool and then whizz in a blender.Enjoy!

* This made loads to be frozen,and worked out to about 1/2 point per serve due to the lentils.
* Moroccan seasoning isn't 'hot-chilli' spicy,it just adds a nice flavour.You should be able to find it in an Asian shop or even better if you have a local Middle Eastern shop.

Uh-Oh

Weighed myself tyesterday.

Official starting weight,a disgusting 19 st 12 lb/126 kg.

Only 1 lb away from 20 stone!!!!!!!

Oh well,no point crying and getting depressed about it.Like the Scotsman said,before he flew out our 3rd floor window,I know how I got this big and I know what I need to do to change.Smug b*$tard.I know he means well,but sometimes I just wanna kick his 9 stone ass.He then went on to tell me how his brother in law and niece weighed themselves on the Wii fit and vowed to shift some pounds,but then his sister went on and was ecstatic because she'd put on weight and weighed a grand total of 8 stone 4 lb.B!tch! I can't even hate her because she is so darn lovely.Why couldn't I have been blessed with that metabolism?

The overall goal is to lose 8 stone/51 kg,which will get me to approx. 12 stone/75 kg and hopefully a lovely voluptuous,Monroesque hourglass size 14.I hope this is the last attempt.

April 13th (14 weeks) - Lose at least 1.5 - 2 stone/9.5 - 13kg

July 13th (13 weeks,total 27 wks) - Lose 1.5-2 stone/13 kg.Total loss 3.5 - 4 stone/25kg

Halloween (15 weeks,total 42 wks) - Lose 1.5-2 stone/13kg.Total loss 5 - 6 stone/38kg

Dec 21st - (7 wks,total 49 wks) - Lose 0.5 - 1 stone/3 -6kg.Total loss 5.5 - 7 stone/41-44kg

Don't know how this will pan out,but I think its pretty reasonable to aim for 1.5 stone in 14 weeks?

It's now my 6th day so far without chocolate.Sleepover shift today,so I am having a leisurely morning and made a huge bowl of rhubarb (0) and apple (1/2) compote with Greek yogurt (1/2 point,I only used a half pot of 0% fat) and 2 chopped up Brazil nuts (1).

Believe me this is HUGE,only 2 points and took me literally 10 minutes.

Whipped up a few batches of soup - Moroccan carrot and lentil,Spanish butternut squash and sweet potato and 3 loaves of bread.Recipes and photos will follow tomorrow afternoon.

So lunch will be: sandwich with tuna,light mayo and low fat cheese (7.5)

Dinner:Big bowl soup (1/2 p due to red lentils - didn't realise they were points!),2 small slices bread (3)

Snacks: 3 mandarins (1),2 x oranges (1),Homemade rhubarb and pistachio muffin (3.5),wotsits (1.5)

If my calculation's are correct that's about 20 points.Way under,but I'm only loosely using WW as a guideline and I just don't feel that hungry.Bit under the weather with a chesty cough,so I haven't been able to exercise yet as my lungs feel as they are going to collapse on me.I actually am gutted because I have the time and the flat to myself and am raring to go with the Pussycat Dolls DVD.

Time is flying so Im off to work.Good luk until tomorrow.xox

A workout that involves a feather boa and heels?!?!?!?!?!?.......

Can you shout out F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S whilst bending and snapping?!?!?!?!? Let me back track.A week or so ago,I was sitting around with my flatmate and friends when the ad for the Pussycat Dolls workout DVD came on.I HAD to have it,quicker than you can say 'hot like me' I was plugging in my lap top and ordering it online (I'm a kitsch bitch,what can I say?The depths of my cheese lovin' even has my queeny friends cringing) Well,today is the day that it finally arrived and I actually cannot wait to try it.Yes,my lovely Scotsman nearly keeled over when I said I was actually looking forward to exercising.I will report all when I get around to trying it out,hopefully tomorrow morning.I also have a very intriguing Island Girl Tahitian Hip Hop workout DVD that I must sample as well.

Still going well so far on the healthy eating front.3 days with no chocolate!!!!!!!!!!! Or Coca Cola! And this has been a subconscious thing,i just haven't been wanting it after switching my brain on to clean and healthy eating.

Today we had..........

Homemade buttermilk pancakes - 6 points - would've been lower,but I only had butter in the house,no low fat spread.

Sugar free jam - 1

2 x bread roll - 4

2 x wafer thin ham - 1

2 x low fat cheese slices - 4

Hellmans light mayo - 1

Wotsits -1 1/2

Orange - 1/2

2 x mandarins - 1

20 points

Tomorrow is the great soup and bread making bonanza.I have no camera because someone who shall remain unnamed (my wee sister - no name's mentioned,strictly speaking!) drunkenly broke mine but I will try and remember to take photos on the phone and post em all up here.Oh and of course,my official start weight weigh in.Eek!

In the meantime here's some food p*rn from a fabulous Sydney lass.I check this site every single day,religiously.She's amazing.

xox

Please don't judge me..........................

I had all good intentions of starting today on a fresh,healthy start.As everyone knows,the New Year doesn't officially start till January 2nd.The 1st is a recovery day from all the hedonistic decadence you try to cram in the night before for you know that in the new year everything will change and there will be no more chocolate and champers for breakfast,3 pm lie ins or ordering entire 10 inch pizzas each for girlie DVD-duvet days..............or is that just me?

I had planned,with the OH,to get up at a reasonable hour (we had both worked the early shift on NY Day after 3 hours sleep.8am start for me,9am for him),go to the farmers market,get some lovely fresh organic veg,have something healthy for brunch,go home and bake 'the best bread in the world' (recipe to follow in the next few days) and cook up a few batches of soup.

Instead,cue a 3pm wake up,monstrous post NY recovery and an Indian delivery.It's probably the only thing I'll eat all day though,so it hopefully won't do too much damage calorie wise.

I have however completed my online shopping and will be stocked up to the hilt on fruit,veg,healthy snacks and shed loads of Special K in all it's various fruity forms (I don't work for them or am affiliated with them in any way,but Asda are doing some amazing multi-save discounts on Special K,muesli bars,tuna and healthy stuff in general)

So,on the menu for this week will be tuna pasta salads,some form of rice salad,parsnip and apple soup,Moroccan butternut squash and sweet potato soup,some variation of carrot soup,all accompanied by various forms of sandwich made from the best homemade bread in the world.I really cannot convey just how good this bread is.I was nannying for a family that would eat nothing but this bread and always meant to ask for the recipe but was slightly apprehensive as it seemed to be some sort of closely guarded family secret. I happened upon the recipe one day when I was tidying up their cookbooks (OK,I admit,I was totally trawling the cookbooks,drooling over the photos alone - they had 'Gordon Ramsay's desserts' cookbook.It's like crack for foodies!) and I just can't eat any other bread.

And before I forget here are my resolutions.I may be old enough to know better but I just have to have a list every year.........
1.Learn how to ride a bike (yes,seriously)
2.Learn how to sew - properly.Dresses,skirts,blouses etc.
3.Cook and bake more (of course the baking shall be distributed amongst friends and family and neighbours.)
4.By July,be fit enough to either be doing Flamenco or Parkour
5.Be slim enough to be able to dress up as She Ra,Princess of Power for Halloween
6.Be slimmer than my sister for the first time in our lives.
7.Look at this list next year and know that I have achieved all of these.

I think there's a few more but I will have to write them up when my brains not so fuzzed up.

xox

Well,I've decided to go it alone.Like Sophie,and you really MUST read her blog,she's fab,I know WW inside out due to the many tries and fails over the last 6 years.I must also confess that the whole points things just feels to restricting and diet like and totally feeds into my neurotic side.

I've gutted my room in anticipation of Hogmanay.Hoping and wishing that going into the new year with a clean room will somehow make me continue these tidy habits long into 2010,and I found.............

14 pin up - rockabilly dresses
5 pencil skirts in various patterns and variations
4 cute pin up style tops and
1 FAB leopard print coat,oh so Rita Hayworth (stay with me please,it's not a trashbag one you will find at shops like Quiz etc,) All in much smaller sizes that I bought in a delusionary state,thinking I'd be able to slim down into.And there are many more gorgeous Irregular Choice and Red or Dead heel which I simply cannot walk in at the mo.

Well,no more delusions.I WILL be slim by the end of this year,and I'm not gonna look back at all my failed attempts.I'm 30 this year - this is gonna be the best decade of my life :D

Still F*AT*

I'm back.New year,new me blah blah blah and all that shite.

I weighed myself the other day and no surprise here,but I've put on a few more pounds and am at the heaviest I've ever been.I don't know what happened to my mojo.I have been slim before and therefore I KNOW I can do this.I've just been so lax and plain STOOPID.

Won't be as fabulously slim for my 30th as I would have wished,but dammit I will be fabulous and a wee bit slimmer none the less.

My 2 nearest and dearest have,as politely as you can when it comes to matters of weight,expressed concern about my health and worsening asthma.And I'm now sick of having to shop in plus size stores and not having any style of my own.I used to have my own individual style,now it's just whatever I can get that fits,and looks semi nice.

So,I don't know how I will approach this this year,but I HAVE to do this,I'm getting winded climbing up the two flights of stairs to my flat and dammit I'm vain.I want to be able to fit into my rack of pretty dresses and walk in heels and make heads turn again.....for the right reasons too.

Will report back soon with a plan of action - meeting vs. online.Weight watchers vs. Slimming world,gym vs. outdoor physical exercise.etc. etc.

xox