Brocolli and Stilton Soup

The nights are drawing in and Halloween is approaching. So the kitchen has started to beckon to cook some nourishing hot food once more. So here is my recipe for Brocolli and Stilton soup.

Ingredients:

One head of Brocolli

A large chunk of Stilton [as much or as little as you like]

Vegetable stock

Put a couple of litres of water or stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the stock cube if you have just used water. Put in the Brocolli, cut up into small pieces and boil for 10 mins.

If you like a smooth soup wizz up with a hand blender at this stage.

Crumble up the Stilton and add to the soup. Cook for another few minutes until cheese has melted.

Change the cheese to a different one if you do not like Stilton.

Serve with crusty bread.

Yummy yum yum!

P.S.If you are detoxing don't add the cheese or the stock cube if you are being really strict.

However, don´t expect it to taste very nice!

New shoes

The shops have restocked with their winter collections, which seems a little strange because it's still in the mid 30's degrees. To see winter coats and jackets in heavy weight material is quite odd. I would be amazed if any of the locals would actually buy any of it yet, unless they were heading back to the UK in which case they would definitely need it going on the recent weather they have been having. I certainly couldn't consider it because I could be two dress sizes smaller come December.
The one thing that I would consider buying though is shoes. Shoes are universal. They generally fit whether you a dress size bigger or smaller. Being the shoe manufacturing capital of the world next to Brazil and China or course, the ranges here are pretty varied and good value for money. So, if I need a shopping fix I will head to the shoe shops!

Naughty but Nice

The scales aren't moving up nor down, but then again I have indulged in two full English breakfasts this week and a couple of beers [but not at the same time]. The weather is still hot, hot, hot and not cool enough to embark on a new exercise regime. This, I'm sure I will start in October. For now exercise is kept mainly to dog walking in the evenings, the occasional dip in the pool and trips to the shops for essential food and school paraphernalia for the kids. Roll on October.

A couple of days on

It's been a couple of days now since the detox ended. During those days I have nibbled on crisps, eaten a little chocolate and had 2 glasses of wine. The wine gave me an incredible upset tummy, so much so I haven't been back since, which I suppose isn't a bad thing. I have also been cajouled into going to Burger King by the kids. I had a Whopper.
The scales haven't really moved, maybe 1lb in the wrong direction at most. I'm still eating pumpernickle bread and tahini as that habit has kind of stuck. Apart from the bun on the whopper I haven't had bread. So I can recommend this detox lark to retrain your tastebuds into a healthier lifestyle and it also gets you used to much less food.

Day 10

Menu Day 10

Melon

Water

Totilla wrap with tomato and cheese

Water

Cranberry juice

Tuna salad

Water

Mixed nuts

After yesterday I feel I can eat a few more normal things, hence the tortilla and cheese. However, I am still being good overall. I wonder how long I can keep this up. The weather is still hot and humid which knocks your appetite, so I might as well capitalise on that whilst I can.

We have been invited out for a meal at the weekend, so it will probably go out the window then.

Toodle pip!

Day 9

Menu Day 9

Pump bread and Tahini

Water

Melon and strawberries

Freshly squeezed orange juice

Water

Beef in a peppercorn sauce and brown rice [oops how did that get in there]

Water

Today was hard. I haven't been sleeping and a combination of that, kids and lack of calories made me really light headed so I caved in at tea time and had a more substantial dinner. Yummy yum yum! I don't mind though I'm really proud I got this far. I have lost a total of 9lbs. Yippy. I intend to continue over the next few days being fairly good, but not necessarily as good as I have been.

Day 8

Menu Day 7

Pumpernickel bread and Tahini

Freshly squeezed orange juice

Guacamole and carrot sticks

Water

Fresh fruit salad

Falafels and fruity salsa [as below]

Water

This afternoon was quite tough. I met up with lots of friends at the beach. It's the norm for everyone to take heaps of scrummy food. I took fruit salad, lots of water and fruit juice. The friends and I had lots of chit chat about diets and food. In a way this detox is easier to do when you live a reclusive life and don't get into conversations about nice things to eat. It was very tempting to steal a sausage roll off of one their plates, but I didn't. It was also very tempting to reward myself and have a glass of wine tonight. I will feel proud of myself in the morning when I hop on the scales and know that I didn't give in.