It's late. I'm hungry. I don't do hungry well. I do hungry just about as well as the United States does portion control. And judging by the fact a family of 4 can eat a typical American entree and be full for a week, I'm guessing they don't do portion control well. Just like me + hungry. Especially me + tired + hungry. Especially me + tired + hungry + I really want chocolate. Yeah, yeah - I hear you - 'But I thought you said you were fine? That you didn't even miss sugar? Well that was Day #4. It's now Day #9. Things have changed. Miss-I-eat-Nutella-straight-from-the-jar wants to do just that.
I have willpower, I have willpower, I have willpower...
Round #1.
An engagement party, a welcome back party, a wake and airport food - all of which I had to contend with in my round #1 battle with no sugar. But my nose is in the air and my chest is puffed out proudly because - Nicole:1, Sugar:0.
Allow me....
Below is a list of sugary temptresses that were left retreating with their sweet sequined tails between their legs. (If sugar actually took the form of some kind of being, I'd strongly argue that the aforementioned character description would be very fitting) In other words, I resisted them all! Ok.. so I may have had a spider's wee amount of my nieces chocolate milk - spider's pee meaning a very negligible amount. Given the company, it would not have served me very well to spit it out over the table upon me remembering my no sugar rule. AND when I baked some cookies for my husband and the kids in the boarding house, I had a mouthful. What? I can't let my cookies out into the world without knowing what they taste like. George Calombaris would be appalled.
Right back to that list.
- cupcakes of the most delectable flavours - (hummingbird and white chocolate if you must know)
- champagne
- Italian handmade biscotti
- champagne
- chocolate cake
- carrot cake (that amazing one Sara Lee does that defies it's humble cardboard packaging)
- wood fired pizza
- pasta carbonara
- custard tarts
- champagne
- jam doughnuts
- chocolate eclairs
- muffins the size of melons
Did I mention champagne?? Oh, here are the cupcakes..
Crowding Out
What I chose to eat instead. It is worth noting that I adopted Sarah Wilson's 'Crowding Out' theory here. Instead of thinking about the forbidden foods, (which of course is like not thinking of the purple elephant when you have been told not to. Go on - try not to think of it) I chose to 'crowd out' those foods by filling up on others instead. So rather than go to those rather inappropriately timed social gatherings with the mantra - don't eat the cupcakes, don't look at the champagne - I told myself I could go to town on the savoury courses. And that's exactly what I did.
With the uniting of 2 European families - one Greek, one Italian, you can be rest assured we weren't doing a Maccas run after we left to make up for the big-plate-tiny-food syndrome synonymous with so many fancy restaurants these days. I. Was. Stuffed - (with the following)
- the most tender lamb chops with Greek salad
- haloumi - oh my the haloumi - with lemon
- the most amazing fillet mignon
- mushroom, rosemary and fetta bites
- moroccan chicken skewers and cous cous,
hundredsa few handfuls of green olives marinated in garlic- authentic Italian prosciutto
- crustless pea and mint quiches
Get the idea? The food was aaaah-mazing. So come dessert time, I didn't have a thing, not even a bite.
That Question (I know you're thinking it)
One of the questions I am continually being asked is (immediately following an exclamation of - 'you don't eat FRUIT??' But how do you stay..um.. er..
Let me help you.. How do I stay regular? I still find it amusing following the REALLY LOUD exclamation about fruit how the conversation gets really quiet. Come on, we all do it and with the world domination continual expansion of social media, I am really surprised people aren't tweeting about it or updating us on facebook. We tell everyone about everything else do we not?
Anyhoo.. back to the question at hand.
According to the Better Health Victorian Website, there are two broader fibre categories, of which we need to include both in our daily
diets:
- Soluble fibre - includes pectins, gums and mucilage, which are found mainly in plant cells. One of its major roles is to lower blood cholesterol levels. Good sources of soluble fibre include fruits, vegetables, oat bran, barley, seed husks, flaxseed, psyllium, dried beans, lentils, peas, soy milk and soy products. Soluble fibre can also help with constipation.
- Insoluble fibre - includes cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin, which make up the structural parts of plant cell walls. A major role of insoluble fibre is to add bulk to faeces and to prevent constipation and associated problems such as haemorrhoids. Good sources include wheat bran, corn bran, rice bran, the skins of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried beans and wholegrain foods.
So as you can see - there's a whole lot more than fruit on that list. I've bolded the foods which I have been filling my plate with. So quit your worrying, everything is working as it should be.
Before I leave you tonight, I have to share with you one super quick, super tasty snack recipe - that may or may not see you eating more than your fair share of chickpeas.
Chickpea Bombs (thanks to Sarah Wilson for these)
- a tin of rinsed, drained and patted-dry-with-paper-towels chickpeas
- a good dose of your favourite seasoning. (I used turmeric + garam masala)
- a tiny bit of oil so they don't stick (I used Olive Oil)
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl till well coated. Bake for about 40 - 45mins. Make sure you shake up the tray at the halfway mark. Let cool and munch away - they should be nice and crunchy and golden. So good!
I'm off to make myself a cuppa...
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