Couch 2 5k ... and I'm off!

... well, I never thought this day would come, so as it has I just have to write this blog post.  Mainly because I'm about to burst if I don't tell someone and everyone I know is at work.  So what's this all about ... I ... actually ... went ... RUNNING! 

There we go, I've said it now.  I'm so proud of myself. For anyone who knows me, this is a big deal.  I don't even go walking if I can avoid it.  But, I've really been wanting to take up running, but like with everything else it's always been a big deal, too much of a pfaff, not the right weather .. yada, yada.  

A couple of weeks ago I downloaded the NHS Couch to 5k podcasts, borrowed a running machine from my dad (intention was to build up before hitting the road), bought some new trainers and shorts ready for the get-go.  And basically that's as far as I got ..... shoes in their box, shorts with their tags on and running machine taking up space in my office!  Not good!

So what got me going?  Truthfully, a tweet (by a @DanJCharman) that I read on my feed this morning.  This guy has lost 3 stone in just under 10 weeks and he has been running to help his weight loss.  

The other is that, and I'm quite ashamed now, but our house faces Miss Walkers Field (part of Clarence Park) in Bury.   Here you can see the view from my front garden. 

It's not only a 20 hectare park but it's bordered by Chesham Woods and Chesham Local Nature reserve (far right of the picture)! It's beautiful and even has a Lido to boot!  I've only every walked the dogs in it and even that doesn't happen that often.

Therefore, this morning unpacked my running goodies, put my Bose headphones on, plugged into my iPhone and started week 1 of the Couch 2 5K program.  

It really wasn't that bad ... although I honestly can't tell you that I "enjoyed" it and feel "exhilarated" and all that jazz, but hopefully this is first step to getting there!

It certainly beats the Zumba DVD that I do on my own in the lounge with the curtains closed ....  Here's hoping that this leads to many runs of enjoyment in the future.  I'll keep you posted (pun intended).

Tabbouleh à la Giuseppe

So .. summer is finally here and if any of you are like me that practically means living in the garden and eating barbecued food. Yum!  One of the foods that I have always loved is Tabbouleh.

I first sampled this tasty dish when I lived in Nice, France when I was on my sandwich year (why does everything I do tend to involve food in some way or other?) many moons ago now.  I used to be able to buy it from Carrefour in a bulgur wheat and tin of juices twin-set.  Hey, I was a student and things in packets and tins were great, especially when being "Continental".  It really was sooo good, tasty, zingy and refreshing. 

It's been a dish I have tried relentless to recreate and get "just right".  Trust me, I've made many a version of this with different grains, combinations of vegetables, herbs and spices.  There are so many recipes out there for Tabbouleh as it's eaten predominantly in Arab countries, Cyprus, Turkey .. well you get the picture!  

So what I offer you here is my take on what essentially is a simple recipe.  It's quick to make, very tasty, perfect for summer lunches and best of all .... free on the Extra Easy or Green Slimming world plans.

Cooks note: this really is best made with bulgur wheat instead of couscous, the texture is just much better.

A cushion with Dad and me ....

Well, I did promise a meanding path through different things that I do and make and here is one idea for the upcoming Father's day celebrations (OK, maybe not celebrations as such, but the opportunity for cake and a glass of the fizzy stuff never goes amiss!).  I have been into up-cycling, to coin a term, for a while.  I just love the idea of making stuff with stuff that you have lying around the house! 

So this idea was born from 2 things:

1.  I have loads of old clothes (now that I'm losing weight) lying around ... well in a sack in my sewing-cum-craft room. OK, the top attic bedroom which has a desk in it with my sewing and cricut machines on it! Geez!

2. I'd bought some iron-on transfer paper that, 6 months down the line I'd still not used, which if you ever come to know me you'll understand that that is strange to start with! Very unlike me, normally if I buy something it's because I want to use it right away!

So as I was looking around my "office" - most idea's tend to come to me when I'm working and dreaming about doing other things (sorry Jane if your reading.  Jane is my manager and lovely she is too!) and I came upon one of my favorite photos of me as a toddler; me and my Dad in his family home in Agnano, Naples.  He's all super dooper young with hair, toned body and fab '70s vest top.  Me in a pink baby grow ... funny how things are pre-witten as your destiny!

Gosh, these posts are getting worse, meandering on about all sorts ... get to the point! Well .. to cut an even longer story short, I thought "Wouldn't it be fab to make some sort of memory cushion type thing.  Print the photograph onto the transfer paper, iron it onto some fabric and sew it onto a cushion.


I found a nice pale green linen shirt that i'd never wear again, so I cut out the front two panels and trimmed it down, giving me two rectangular pieces of fabric approximately 10 inches by 15 inches.

I decided that I wanted a zip on it too, a) because i'd just bought a bag full of zips from our local scrap store (do a good deed and all that) and b) I can always do with the practice!

So to make this cushion all you needs is:

1. Some fabric of your choice - plain on one side at least is best I find if you are going to put a picture on it as your focal point.

2. Stuffing material (or cushion pad). I tend to use hollow-fill for stuffing which is available in most haberdasheries or craft stores

3. Photograph or picture in a digital format (that means scanned onto your computer)

4. Iron-on transfer paper or printable fabric

5. A zip (optional)

6. Sewing machine and/or overlocker.

Dimensions really are up to you if you are stuffing it as I did which is perfect if you are using up odds and ends of material.  Or, you can make it to fit a standard cushion size, for example and 18inch x18inch.  I always make my fabric 1 inch smaller than the cushion, including seam allowances, which I normally set at 1/2 inch (or around 2cm) for ease of calculating.  I am TERRIBLE at math and therefore things have to be mega simple.  The reason I do this is that I like my cushions to appear full rather than saggy and limp (horses for courses) so it's up to you!

First of all I decided that I didn't want to print the photo in full colour as I thought that wouldn't look right with a muted fabric, so I turned it sepia and that just seemed to work better.  I then printed it onto the iron-on transfer paper.  I got mine from Tesco but it's widely available.  Once I had that, I followed the instructions on the packet and ironed it onto a piece of white cotton.  I then cut that down and placed it in the centre of a rectangle.  I decided to attach it to the panel using a satin stitch in green thread, thus creating a border at the same time!

I then took my two rectangular pieces and ran one short edge on each through the overlocker, then put the zip in using a normal sewing machine.  After that I wizzed the other sides together using the overlocker.  You can use a sewing machine to do it and just sew up the remaining sides, but I like the finish with the overlocker, no messy seams!  Oh er misses!

Finally I stuffed it with the fibre fill and voila! A lovely cushion in pride of place in my lounge.  I hope i've inspired you to give it a try ..... but if you don't feel up to the challenge then contact me.   I will also be putting it onto my Etsy shop soon.  I think I may make one this weekend with a lovely photo I took of the doggies so stay tuned.

Jelly Sweets à la Slimming World

I dedicate my second ever post to those of you out there who are following the Slimming World plan.  I have been on plan since 5th January 2012 and while progress is slow I have managed to loose a total of  2st 41/2 pound so far I said it was slow, but as the old adage goes, better off than on! 

Having said that, I have achieved my first milestone which was my Club 10 target.  That means loosing 10 % of your starting weight.  My next mile stone is 3 stone, the halfway point of what I want to lose hopefully by the end of the year!

So ... it is going in the right direction after all, as my consultant says "some people take the express way and some a more scenic route" and while at first I thought this was really rather cheesy, I've gradually come to realise that this isn't a competition.   With everything else in my life I want it yesterday, or at the very least by 5.30pm ... so it gives me a chance to play with whatever it is before bedtime!  However, this time I've promised myself that I'm in for the long haul, it's not a race, I want it to work and I want it stay off.

Which leads me onto the main reason for this post - Jelly Sweets.  Part of my journey has involved me joining the Diet Momma facebook group. Which, I have to say is a not only a brilliant support network and massive inspiration but contains wonderful and creative recipe ideas.  One such recipe was for a Haribo  bear replacement, Slimming World friendly Jelly Sweets.  Well, nothing ventured nothing gained and I love both Haribo and jelly so off I went to have a play in the kitchen. 

Ingredients:

1 x sachet of jelly crystals

2 x sachets of gelatine powder

1/2 pint water

2-3 small silicone moulds
optional: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Citric Acid

Method:

1.  Place 1/2 pint water in a small saucepan and put onto a gentle heat (on our Aga I put it onto the simmering plate)

2.  Add sachet of jelly crystals, I use Hartley's at 1.5 syns for 1 sachet (as pictured), and stir until dissolved.

3.  Add both sachets of gelatine powder and then gently stir until dissolved (don't worry if it goes instantly lumpy, just keep stirring and it should all dissolve)

4.  At this point add the citric acid if you like that sour edge. I love it, the more sour the better!

5.  Pour into jelly moulds and then put in fridge for at least 1 1/2 hours.

 And voila!

Jelly sweets! 

I'm starting to like these better than the shop bought ones and everyone I've forced them upon has really enjoyed them too.

The thing is with these the possibilities are endless, you can try different flavours, adding a tablespoon of yoghurt to make a different texture, even splitting the layers to have multi-coloured sweets.

It's a fab activity to try with the kids and you can even get experimental with the moulds you have around the house: egg cups, yogurt pots, cake moulds, ice-cube trays, shot glasses and on and on.  If you use anything non silicone based, i would recommend spraying the inside with FryLight first to make it easier to get out.

If you're interested, I got the butterfly, teddy and heart moulds from Home Bargains for 79p each.  PoundStretcher and B&M also do them from time to time and I found the other chocolate moulds in T.K.Maxx.  Now I'm always on the look out for fun moulds.  Enjoy and report back if you find any cool variations.  

Happy slimming!

P.S. I have tried (in vain) to make syn free versions of the above that would still remain edible.  I have tried sugar free squashes and also diet fizzy drinks but none taste as good as with the jelly crystals.  So feel free to try, but believe me, I wouldn't bother, so throw caution to the wind and use your 1 1/2 syns.   You deserve it (wink).

The joy of baking ... a giant flower power doughnut and ice-cream cupcakes!

Well .. here it is, my first blog post!  Wow, it felt good to say that.  I've been agonising over it for months and finally today ... with a little sun and help from my little sister my blog was born!  So what better way to start than by showcasing some of the cakes that I made this weekend.

My little sister, Giovanna, has just completed her degree (OK, not that little, but she is the youngest and therefore will remain so for me!) and asked if I could bake her a cake when she came home for the weekend.  Never to be outdone by a challenge I set about doing some "research"; if browsing YouTube can be classed as such anyway.  I always have trouble in deciding where to start, you see, I have sooo many gadgets to choose from, the Cricut Cake, various moulds not to forget my beloved KitchenAid mixer. 

If I could I would combine using them all! Recently however, I bought some Blossom SugarArt moulds and really wanted to use those on a bona-fide cake.  This is because I've been just making random flowers out of marzipan and fondant icing just for the fun of it and because I'm on a diet, forcing them on whoever crossed my path.  I don't care as long as I'm not the one eating them as I would have once-upon-a-time but that's another blog post.   Anyway, back to the cakes ... so I had one element, my blossom moulds. 

During my "research" I came across a super idea of making cupcakes in ice-cream cones! WOW! That's amazing (I am easily wowed by the way) I shouted across the lounge.  Archie, my deaf white border-collie (yet another story) was not very impressed as at my booming exclamation must have made the floorboards vibrate!  So, I started hatching a little plan ... what could I do to showcase these little gems.  Well, last year I made my little sis a giant cupcake so I couldn't do that again, wait, I'd bought a giant DOUGHNUT mould ages ago and never used it!  I have a tendency to buy things when I see them and store them away, because they'll come in handy at some point ... I love it when a plan starts to come together.  Right, I can make a huge doughnut, cover it in icing and then put some of the blossom flowers on it! Yay!  I was getting excited now.  

Back to the ice-cream cones, how could I make them more exciting.  Think, think ... ha!  Got it!  I can make them all different colours, like ice-cream flavours and put white chocolate chips in them, she loves white chocolate and they would be a further "surprise" element.  But what about the topping, we are all on diets and not too keen on the texture and flavour of buttercream icing.  American frosting was to be the answer, I love it.  It's like Fluff, soft and dreamy on the inside and form a slight crust which is perfect for keeping its shape.  Better still it's only sugar and egg whites and is a pure brilliant white shade in colour! Just like a '99'! If anyone is old enough to remember those. 

And there we have it, I set to work baking the cakes, colouring the batter, spooning it into the ice-cream cones ... oops we have a problem here! The cones are pointy!  They won't sit on the baking sheet to go into the Aga!  What to do ....  what else? Cut the bottoms off. Then what? Erm ... Tin foil the bottom and so all was not lost, with foil-bottomed cones in the oven they went.  A nervous 20 minute wait and success! Even better, the batter has slightly spilled out, colouring the outside of the cones like a melted ice-cream dribble!  I was so giddy at this point as they were looking fab! 

I set them out on a cupcake stand (bought for me by my other sister, Sara!) at which point my Dad came round to walk the dogs.  "Pe! (short for Giuseppe, don't ask!) put da ice-creams in the fridge or they will melt". Yes! They were that good!  "Dad don't worry, they are cakes".  Well ... if you could have seen the look .. just magic!  Needless to say, the cakes went down a storm and I had a lovely warm feeling which is what baking should be about!

If you like the idea of the ice-cream cupcakes and would like me to write a post on how to make them, leave me some feedback!