Hello Dear Reader,
It’s only Thursday and it already feels as if it’s been a jam packed full week. As promised I’ll start with the bacon and lentil soup and include the WW points.
The following recipe makes four portions. I had one for dinner, one for lunch tomorrow and two have gone into margarine tubs and into the freezer for the weekend. It’s really thick and substantial and really filling and what’s more really delicious.
Ingredients.
One large onion finely diced = 0
One large leek, finely diced - 0
150g of bacon lardons (or the same weight of bacon) = 13
100g of red lentils = 3
Half a butternut squash = 0
Four sticks of celery = 0
One chicken stock cube in one litre of water = 1
Half a pack of spinach = 0
4.5 points per portion.
Here’s what you do.
1. Saute the onions, leek, celery and lardons - don’t add any oil.
2. Add the butternut squash and lentils.
3. Bring to boil and then simmer for 15 minutes - or longer, check that the lentils are completely soft.
4. Add spinach and stir through until wilted.
5. Blitz with hand blender.
So, there’s the warm soup and we need it, it’s below freezing here and I mean! I have palm trees in my garden and I’m not used to this!
OK, drum roll please, weight! Total weight loss so far is 6lbs. I’ve been to the gym every day and have ‘upped’ my exercise to an hour a day. After being fitness tested (health and bleedin’ safety!) I found out I have blood pressure of 110 over 60 and my heart rate goes back to ‘resting’ in ten seconds after rigorous exercise……it’s been a very very long time since anyone has ever described me as ‘fit’; it also takes a lot of cardio work to get my heart up to where it should be as I’m already ‘fit’ in the first place. I’ve been working really hard at it and crawl, sweating and crying into the changing room at the end of it! Still, pissing off the skinny kids by being totally body confident and not giving a wobbly tit that I’m fat, old and naked in a sea of mini-butts! The positive to hold onto is the fact that I’m shrinking.
Fitting the gym and fat fighters into my already busy life is a challenge but I’m ‘up for it’ and even want to share one of my favourite exercises with you. You do it in 10 second bursts and it’s a strengthening exercise.Planking!
Start on elbows and knees, locking hands together. Straighten legs and raise your body so that you’re supported by the balls of your feet, with feet hip-distance apart. Face the floor, being careful not to arch your back or stick your bottom in the air. Hold this position for 45 seconds 10 seconds if you can stand it to begin with, extending the time as you get stronger.
Here’s another for you - lunge walking - add a tin of beans in each hand. I hope the picture explains itself!
I’ve had lots of interest in the sewing for beginners and star block work shops but there are still places available so don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’ve had lovely emails from folk who’ve heard me on the radio or read about me in Woman’s Own and a heap of new followers. It is an utter delight to hear from you and I’m really looking forward to meeting dear readers at the workshops and hope some of you will phone, text or email Radio Cornwall when I’m there again on Sunday 17th February at 11 am.
I’ll be back tomorrow with a money saving tip that I’m excited to share with you and a catch up on my energy monitoring.
Over to you Dear Reader, do you have any simple exercise tips, anyone a new follower and not left a comment yet? Anyone else on the ‘points’ with any frugal food ideas to share? Does anyone else ‘plank’?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxxx
Advertisements
After a no-sleep night last night with the new baby, I'm looking forward to “planking” in my bed tonight! x
LikeLike
Wow, that's really good because you said before you had already lost 8lb since the start of the year. I feel inspired to try and copy you - I can certainly manage the standing in the changing room with wobbly bits, got plenty of those LOL
LikeLike
I love your blog Froogs, thank you so much for making it so interesting for us all.
I look forward to it everyday. I am currently catching up with all of your previous posts and it is like a good book that you cannot put down. I read well into the night and cannot wait to get back to read more!
I have been in Texas USA for 22 years now and it is lovely to have your window on Cornwall and the UK.
Heard you on the radio, really enjoyed listening. Thanks so much.
LikeLike
congratulations down 6 pounds!! You have contagious enthusiasm!
LikeLike
Great effort on the weight loss!
Soup looks delicious, will be trying that one out for sure!
Judy xx
LikeLike
I made my version today.. no squash… but I did use the tail end of a bag of mixed sliced peppers “found” in the bottom drawer of the freezer xx very tasty … and some left to go in the freezer xx
LikeLike
My DB insists I try to plank..it is most excellent for your core. And cat stretches on your knees is like flossing your spine. Lol. Feels wonderful!
LikeLike
Sea of minibutts! LOL!!! Congratulations on your weight loss. 🙂 I begin working out on Monday. I work on the 7th floor. My goal is to start taking the stairs whenever possible. I want to work up to walking up and down the stairs after I eat lunch at least twice. My husband bought me a bicycle for Christmas and I would like to ride that on the weekends. However, it is too cold and dark. I wish I could join the gym, but for now I will workout to different DVDs in my home. My library does not carry many exercise DVDs, but I noticed at the local Salvation Army they have quite a few exercise DVDs for sale.
LikeLike
God I luff this blog.
My tips are to walk everywhere and always take the stairs and do a lot of hardcore gardening-it's very physical and you absolutely cannot eat while doing it.
I also carry my 11 kilo toddler about the traps which is good for toning the arms.
Froogs I cannot wait til you start doing your own vege patch it will change your life.
If I lived in the same hemisphere I would sign up for the sewing class. I bought a machine beacuse of you but have limited skills. My talents lying elsewhere and all. xxx
PS congrats on the weight loss.
LikeLike
My simple exercise tip: squats and lunges burn more energy than arm exercises. They cost nothing. You need no equipment. And you feel them! So I encourage people to add in some regular squats and lunges.
Do you do stretches, Froogs?
LikeLike
We do the plank and versions thereof regularly in my yoga class, so yes, I'm a planker. Enjoying the points recipes too - I'm trying to lose a bit of weight so these are very helpful.
LikeLike
Haha your posts are so funny 'you crawl sweatig and crying to the changing room at the end of it'!
You sound like me!! Well done on the 6lbs weight loss! Mine is coming away slowly but got the flu this week so thats knackered this weeks weight loss up no doubt!
Soup looks yummy, will give that recipe a go xx
LikeLike
I've been with the Slimming World for ages, out of experience: they are even better and easier to work with then WW 😀 but I'm guessing it's a matter of preference 😉 Hi five on 6lb 😀 Same here 🙂 2 weeks of the gym and SW dieting and here it is 😀 Yaaaaay 😀
LikeLike
Get some ear plugs??? Pin duvet over your door for sound proofing or sleep down stairs
LikeLike
Love that soup recipe. I'm going to print it out and put it in my folder of yummy stuff from blogs.
Congrats on the 6lbs. That's a great achievement!
I prefer to go by the weight redistribution rather than poundage, as it is easy to be discouraged if the results don't appear on the scale. The waistband is a great way to gauge success.
As an aside, I had a recipe that was cut out from the English Womens' Weekly back in the early 1990s. It had chicken stock, red lentils, carrot, a bay leaf or two, celery and I can't remember what else. It was a lovely light meal and very delicious. (Cheap too, no meat in it). If anyone knows this recipe, I'd be eternally grateful.
LikeLike
I'm a planker. At home I try to do a bit of yoga everyday and plank is one of my favorite poses besides child's pose.
LikeLike
I’ve nominated you on my blog for a “Liebster” award – an award for blogs I like to visit. There are (aren’t there always?!) particular rules that one is supposed to follow…However, I do appreciate that many bloggers find such things a bit tedious, or not actually what they blog for. So, if it doesn’t float you boat, no worries. Just be happy that I’ve (hopefully) sent others to look at your blog and enjoy it as much as I do. If you do want to join in, then hop over to my blog to find out the “rules”.
http://fatdormouse.blogspot.fr/2013/01/im-sweetheart.html
LikeLike
Woohoo! Fantastic stuff, and that soup looks yummy. But is going to the gym truly frugal (says the woman who once had to replace her lounge light fitting after a particularly enthusiastic star jump).
LikeLike
This soup sounds and looks amazing, after reading your blog for a few weeks I have followed your advice and shopped at approved foods, I was so impressed I've told all my friends about it. Not only did I save a heap of money, I also didn't have to go out into the cold and heave heavy bags about!
LikeLike
I plank! I have lost 2.5 stone in the last year and determined to get my tummy flat for Summer. My advice with exercise is just do it! Don't put it off, you'll feel so much better for it.
LikeLike
I do plie squats while I clean my teeth!
LikeLike