Loved Up

Wow, everyone sounds like they had a great Valentines (except Robin, poor Robin!). Mine was great too...

P never does Valentines. Ever. Well, one year he did buy me a Bonsai tree two weeks after the date - which unfortunately didn't survive my tender ministrations, and died after it got hit by an unexpected frost when I wasn't at home... :-( But usually, Valentines Day will see him grumbling about commercialism and cynicism and refusing to participate at all.

This time... I got to his place to find he had laid the table with white linen and scattered the deepest, reddest rose petals all over it, and put some more roses in a bud vase. He'd laid out stemware and silverware and the few matching plates he has, and he'd printed out a menu for the evening's meal - "Valen-Thai-nes Night Chez P" - with all the food and wine he'd planned. He'd lit candles, and he'd made a real effort to put on soft, but not slushy, music. I was overwhelmed, and got a bit teary! It was so lovely.

So, from the menu, we ate

* Thai mushroom cakes
* Lemongrass and mushroom soup
* Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (with red curry paste)
* Tofu and Pepper Green Curry
* Broccoli with ginger and garlic
* Baby Leaf Salad with Smoked Tofu Croutons

We drank Veuve Cliquot and Pazo Senorans Albarino 2003. I'd bought him some vodka with fig in a heart shaped glass bottle and he drank some of that, but I didn't. We drank lots and lots of coffee afterwards, and shared one heart shaped chocolate, and talked until midnight.

It was such a gift from him to me; he is not usually demonstrative in that way. Yes, I drank more than I should have done, but the sharing of good wine is one of the things that binds us together, and so (apart from this morning's rather tender head and a fiendish craving for heavy-raisiny-carby things) I don't regret it. And the food was delicious, and not heavy, and he'd made a real effort to keep it calorie-light (he might not have managed it, but the intention was there!) and I certainly got my B's, and since the mushrooms were shittake, I even got some D. But to enjoy the evening properly, I did switch off the CRON voice in my head, and it was just... a wonderful evening.

Today I have lunch with one friend and dinner with a couple more (cooked at their house), so it will not be a CRON day, I don't think. Oh well, c'est la vie. Will try not to stress; it's not as though I am going to be mainlining fries and stuffing my face with candy and cake.

And on that sour-sweet note, this is a really interesting (and quite scary!) article on sugar.

Hearts and Flowers

P is cooking me Valentine's dinner this evening, so I have the challenge of being low cal and high nutrition before I head off to London. I also have the challenge of finding him a late, non-tacky, non-gushy, Valentines gift. The food is way easier!

I baked what I suppose is an eggwhite "tatta" in the oven yesterday with 250g spinach (raw weight) packed inside - 29g of protein, and 50% approx of vits and minerals, and 207 calories. I just ate it for breakfast with a side of blueberries and almonds and I AM STUFFED. Interesting experience, but might be better left for a dinner when it's hot and fresh. Cold, it was a bit... bouncy.

I actually went over 1100 cals in food yesterday! Plus 4oz Shiraz, not counted... I wonder which one is making me feel lethargic this morning, or gave me the nightmares about mushrooms. :-)

===========================================
Nutrition Summary for 13 February 2007
===========================================

General (84%)
===========================================
Energy | 1111.7 kcal 93%
Protein | 73.9 g 82%
Fat | 29.0 g 73%
Carbs | 164.2 g 137%
Fiber | 45.2 g 181%
Water | 1537.3 g 57%

Vitamins (87%)
===========================================
Vitamin A | 47978.9 IU 2057%
Folate | 1018.6 mcg 255%
B1 (Thiamine) | 1.6 mg 148%
B2 (Riboflavin) | 3.5 mg 319%
B3 (Niacin) | 18.3 mg 130%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)| 9.1 mg 181%
B6 (Pyridoxine) | 2.5 mg 192%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) | 1.1 mcg 47%
Vitamin C | 276.5 mg 369%
Vitamin D | 0.0 IU 0%
Vitamin E | 16.3 mg 109%
Vitamin K | 1446.6 mcg 1607%

Minerals (95%)
===========================================
Calcium | 844.5 mg 84%
Copper | 3.0 mg 335%
Iron | 17.9 mg 99%
Magnesium | 627.2 mg 196%
Manganese | 10.0 mg 555%
Phosphorus | 1640.3 mg 234%
Potassium | 5999.5 mg 128%
Selenium | 157.7 mcg 287%
Sodium | 919.4 mg 61%
Zinc | 17.2 mg 215%

Amino Acids
===========================================

Lipids (44%)
===========================================
Saturated | 3.7 g 18%
Omega-3 | 3.6 g 330%
Omega-6 | 6.7 g 56%
Cholesterol | 2.0 g 1%

Size Zero Cat

I took this picture of Tigs this morning. It's hysterical! I have no idea what I did with the camera to get her at this angle, but my cat could rival any lollipop head Hollywood Starlet. I just had to share.

Monday's CoM Report aka A Very Dull Post

I was racking my brains trying to work out why this was so low since I felt like I was eating all day yesterday! Certainly was never hungry like last week. And then I remembered I ate a tiny leftover portion of the spinach-tofu bake I'd made at the weekend and cooked in a little ramekin. Didn't count those calories, nor the cals in my soya milk (which I must enter as one of My Foods). And I still don't believe the winter squash (which I am STILL eating!) is as low calorie as CoM says. The calorie information in the database behind CoM quite often conflicts with the information on the package in front of me (blueberries, for example, are higher in cals in CoM - only a little bit, but still).

Anyway. It's more like 1200 for the day, and I ate LOTS.

I am going to supplement with D and calcium just as soon as I can find a supplement that isn't coated in gelatin or costs me calories as a chew. If I could find those Adora tabs over here, I'd go for those (dark chocolate, mmmm), but the ones in the store I've found so far are toffee. Urgh.

Crunch for Monday

===========================================
Nutrition Summary for 12 February 2007
===========================================

General (81%)
===========================================
Energy | 995.1 kcal 83%
Protein | 62.0 g 69%
Fat | 26.7 g 67%
Carbs | 154.9 g 129%
Fiber | 39.3 g 157%
Water | 1818.8 g 67%

Vitamins (89%)
===========================================
Vitamin A | 33213.8 IU 1424%
Folate | 758.3 mcg 190%
B1 (Thiamine) | 1.3 mg 119%
B2 (Riboflavin) | 3.5 mg 320%
B3 (Niacin) | 19.6 mg 140%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)| 9.0 mg 181%
B6 (Pyridoxine) | 2.7 mg 206%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) | 1.7 mcg 69%
Vitamin C | 615.8 mg 821%
Vitamin D | 6.9 IU 3%
Vitamin E | 17.0 mg 114%
Vitamin K | 994.0 mcg 1104%

Minerals (95%)
===========================================
Calcium | 931.7 mg 93%
Copper | 2.7 mg 302%
Iron | 16.8 mg 93%
Magnesium | 477.3 mg 149%
Manganese | 7.3 mg 405%
Phosphorus | 1419.4 mg 203%
Potassium | 5744.5 mg 122%
Selenium | 150.1 mcg 273%
Sodium | 885.3 mg 59%
Zinc | 15.7 mg 196%

Amino Acids
===========================================

Lipids (41%)
===========================================
Saturated | 3.3 g 16%
Omega-3 | 3.9 g 352%
Omega-6 | 5.8 g 49%
Cholesterol | 3.0 g 1%

Weekend

This weekend my mum came to stay, and there was much shopping and walking around and wailing at the injustice of clothes designers who do not cater for the shape of the average 62 year old woman.

I think I've managed to stay fairly on track with CRON, but of course that wine crept in again. I need to recover the iron discipline of early January in that respect, and FAST! I think I've gained a little back of what I lost; I feel heavier.

I made breakfasts for us both on all three mornings (she just left this morning), with mine carefully measured and hers not so. Berries, and nuts, and seeds, and yoghurt. Two of the mornings we shared a 60g slice of rye bread.

Lunches were tricky. Mum suffers from terrible migraines, and has cut out a load of foods that she believes to be triggers - and they may be, but she still gets the headaches. So she doesn't eat anything with cheese or chocolate in, or chilli. She doesn't like fish, or shellfish, or "meaty meats" like game. She doesn't really eat many eggs either. And there's me, who doesn't eat pasta or rice if she can help it, nor cheese (not now, though I adore it), nor meat nor fish. Try finding a decent place that serves a menu to suit both of us! It was hard. On both days we went to pubs that I know do good food - well sourced, well cooked, usually delicious. Even then, it was so difficult to find something that we could / wanted to eat, despite the wonderful dishes available.

I did compromise on both occasions. Saturday lunch I ate some goat's cheese on "wafer thin pizza" (essentially crisp filo-like pastry, which I left) with roasted peppers and salad leaves. An oil and basil dressing. Sausage and mash for mum. Saturday evening I made her soup, and a spinach, rocket and watercress salad for me with steamed asparagus and hardboiled eggwhites. I also managed to find time to steam some broccoli and eat some raw mushrooms mid-afternoon, so I got close to good nutrition when I entered it all in CoM. I had no idea what to estimate for the dressing on my salad, but was surprised that the total, even being generous with th goat's cheese and adding in a couple of slices of baguette, was so low. I think I am over-estimating how many calories I consume in food when I eat out again. Note the "in food" part of that sentence!

Yesterday (Sunday) we grabbed soup in one of my favourite pubs in Bath. Mine was chilled beetroot with sour cream / yoghurt and dill. Yum! Large slice of bread. Oh dear. In the evening, I cooked a tofu, spinach, mushroom bake. 1 packet of tofu blended with 500g spinach (raw weight, didn't measure it cooked); mushrooms cooked in a little red wine; tomatoes and onions cooked with garlic. All layered with courgette, and topped with cherry tomatoes. It looked extremely 70's vegetarian, but tasted alright. And if I did the cals correctly in CoM, just over 300 cals a portion.

I want to start making pretty food again though, food that looks good on the plate and will be delicious and CR friendly. I love my piles of veggies and my salads but there are times when I look at the greens that need to be consumed and just wilt in the face of them.

I read the online article that featured Mary and was linked to in her blog and once again I just don't understand how people think CRON involves so little food! Eat the mountain of kale if you want it and the vat of soup; I do!

Nigel Slater in yesterday's Observer has some totally yummy kale suggestions... I love Nigel Slater's food writing; reading his recipes is almost better than eating the results... I need to get some miso; that kale and chilli soup sounds just right for me at the moment; it is a totally foul, wet and windy February day.

Wedding... well, obviously I am hoping that CRON will transform me into a stunning bride! So it's sort of connected to this blog. But I won't go all Bridezilla and keep going on about it. I might post some pictures of the venue though, if anyone is interested; it is so pretty! And on this horrible cold day, I need a summer party to look forward to.

Random Musings and Observations

From the last 24 hours, to Self, partially tongue-in-cheek

- The view from Hungerford Bridge across the river to St Pauls and the South Bank at dusk is one of the wonders of London. You should stand and gaze at it more often.

- You can't handle coffee after 4pm, no matter how nice it is, or how continental you feel sipping it out of the bowls at Le Pain Quotidien. It makes you more neurotic than usual, and you really don't need it. Do yourself a favour and do Decaff.

- You can get a really nice tofu salad at LePQ, but it would be even better if they'd put the dressings on the side like you'd asked. The Nebbiolo didn't really cancel out the caffeine in your coffee. Still, your average is well and truly bumped.

- Eating that much broccoli and that many mushrooms at lunchtime is really not a good idea after all. It left you short on A, and bloated your tummy so much a couple of hours later that both your friend who is 7 months pregnant AND yourself were offered seats on the tube on the way home, and given knowing, conspiratorial, "when's it due?" glances from random sympathetic women.

- P will eat dinner with unusual appetite and enjoyment at 10pm. He's just never hungry before that. He never told you before.

- If he is distracted by cooking said dinner, he won't freak out when you write out the phrasing and choose the fonts for your Save The Dates and invitations. He will even contribute. And by some miracle you actually agree on the font to be used.

- Three cats are very useful hot water bottle substitutes on a cold night.

- Sleeping in pantyhose hurts your toes.

- You must remember that the electronic scales in Boots are no longer a good option for monitoring your weight, since they've upgraded them to shout instructions and then the said weight in a loud and patronising voice across the entire store. This is very embarrassing.

Booze and Cake

Last night's wine tasting was Bordeaux under £20. Frenchy cabs, April! A couple of unexpected stunners; I particularly liked two - one with 30% malbec in the blend (pretty unusual) and one with 2% carmenere. For the most part though, they were too thin and bitter for my taste, and although I am assured that in 10 years or so, some would be delicious, I like my wine to be good right now thank you very much.

You might have noticed I have little patience. :-)

Also didn't manage to do so badly with food - one small piece of bread, some aubergine dip, one small pumpkin pasty, and 6 black olives at the tasting; slice of rye toast and some cottage cheese and some red grapes when we got home. I couldn't be bothered to cook, and my nutrition was already acceptable-to-good.

This just has to be the cold weather.... today I have a yen for something carby and cakey; heavy on seeds and nuts and sultanas and good things. Raisin-Rye bread from Borough Market, mmmm. (I won't be indulging it).

So I decided to look up the megamuffin recipe. I googled it, and the first hit (from calorierestriction.org) was spot on. Now, why did I think it was so difficult? Why do I remember postings about endive and mango and green slime and chaos in the kitchen? I think with a bit of online ordering I should be able to manage them. And then, when I find I am having a low calorie day and can't face the idea of piles more broccoli, I can grab one from the freezer and problem sorted. If they taste good, that is. I wonder what adding cocoa would do to the recipe... I will wait until payday, because some of the ingredient, esp the flaxmeal (which I presume translates to ground flax?), are quite pricey online.

But I love the idea on Aaron's blog of making some kind of mega-cereal from the dry ingredients. That's definitely something to play around with on CoM. I had oatmeal this morning: it was cold, I needed hot food, and I forgot to bring blueberries with me. I ate my brazil and almonds with it, but it would be nice to know there are more "nutritionals" there. And plus, if I made a Sara cereal, I could package it up and bring it to London and that would be London breakfasts sorted. If I could fit it into my calorie day, of course.

I am also toying with the idea of getting another electronic scale to keep at P's. He could do with one...

I clearly have too little work to do. I want to go home and cook and experiment now!

I have also hit upon a working lunch for a London day that is reasonably easy to get hold of and - from a quick look at CoM - nutritious,if oddball. One 240g package raw broccoli, one 250g package of organic mushrooms, 170g salsa, approx 100g yoghurt. Bless M&S. Not sure I will be able to move for the rest of the afternoon now though... and I still have 5 mushrooms lined up on my desk staring at me. :-)