What really matters to you in life?

Having had time to think about things, I'm working out what's important in my life.

Breakfast: Oats so Simple porridge with a handful of raspberries

Lunch: Jacket potato with beans and salad

Dinner: Roast turkey breast with rosemary roasted new potatoes and steamed carrots and brocoli

Snacks: Noooooo snacks today :-)

Today I've had a lovely time, spending most of it with one of my sisters. She arrived last night and slept over and today we've spent most of our time visiting various antiques shops in Surrey, drinking tea and attempting to go to a National Trust property.

After eating porridge with raspberries for breakfast and washing it down with a nice cup of tea, my sister and I left home and got to our first antiques shop at just after 10:30. The Bourne Mill Antiques Centre is absolutely huge - over 40 rooms of 'things' which you could seriously spend a few hours wandering around if you're majorly into antiques. Thankfully we managed to wander round in just over an hour and as it was nearing lunch time we ordered some lunch in the cafe that's part of the shop as well. If you've read my Blog from a couple of days ago, you'll know I am really trying to refocus my healthy eating after a couple of days of eating crap, therefore I'm hyper-sensitive about what I'm putting into my body, simply because before, if I ate unhealthy things I'd think 'Well, I've failed, so I may as well continue eating unhealthy things' and I'd go back to old habits.

Looking at the menu, there was one thing that looked the most healthy, a good old spud - Rather than have it with bacon and cheese like my darling sister, I opted for beans - Wow.. there were a lot of beans. It was absolutely lovely and listening to my body, I actually didn't finish it all as I felt really full. Once we'd eaten, we headed off to another antiques place nearby - The Packhouse antiques centre (less than 10 minutes drive, Hurrah!). I hadn't been there for a while, however they seem to have redone it and it seems to be a lot bigger and have a lot more things in there - perfect for my sister, as she's really into 'Shabby chic' which is probably as far removed from my taste as you can get, still... we had a nice time chatting as we walked round :-)

Then it was off to the third antique place - The Antiques Warehouse, which is again, less than 10 minutes drive. Unfortunately, despite going to three places with amazing antiques, there was nothing that 'floated my boat'. Probably a good thing as I don't get paid for another week and all of this socialising is certainly denting my bank balance :-( Once done, we planned to go to Clandon House which is a beautiful house in Surrey. What we didn't realise was, a massive fire had completely gutted the house in April 2015, so when we turned up, we couldn't get in. Despite it being closed, we actually managed to find our way into the car park and walk around some of the public footpaths nearby which I really enjoyed as it was a lovely sunny day and despite all the walking around antique shops, I prefer being outside wherever possible.

Poor Clandon House looked really sad with all the cranes and workmen - I really hope it can be restored as it no doubt looked amazing before the fire. 

Spending today with my sister and catching up with life has been lovely - Really, really nice. The difference not being at work has made to my mental state is really profound. Rather than dedicating 50% of my thought process to 'What do I need to do at work tomorrow?' or even, 'Is my Boss really planning on sacking me?' I can devote 100% of my attention to my sister, the beautiful surroundings and just enjoying the lovely weather. I think at the moment, my relationships with family, friends and my Boyfriend are one of the most important things in my life at the moment - looking back in retrospect over the last few months, all of them have been so supportive to me and I really want to strengthen my bonds with all of them.

Equally, I want to continue my healthy eating - not just to change how I look, but also to get my body as ready as possible for being a Mother. In Devon, my Boyfriend and I talked about children again and I think it's pretty clear we're going to start trying to have children in the next few months - even before we buy a house. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn't.. there won't be as much pressure on things.... I would like to eat more healthy simply because I'd like to think I'd be carrying a baby in a more healthy body, which can't be a bad thing, surely?

Dinner was an absolutely amazing BBQ Turkey steak I bought from Sainsburys and I topped it off with some steamed vegetables and roasted baby potatoes. One thing I don't think I've ever mentioned is how I roast my potatoes. Having read the book ' The diet myth' by Tim Spector which details all the different types of oil, I threw away my virgin olive oil and actually use extra virgin olive oil - as 'extra virgin' as you can get. I don't use spray oil, simply because I don't like the taste, however I only use a drop and then toss the potatoes around in a small roasting tray. They taste amazing and they're certainly not dripping in oil :-)

Tomorrow is my most chilled day, I think - I don't have a lot on, so I'm going to see what I can plan once I get up in the morning.... 

The comments have started...

'Have you lost weight?'

Is something that some people may wish to hear, however I find it really hard to deal with that question. When I was 19 stone, noone ever said to me 'Have you put on weight?' or pointed out the fact that my trousers were incredibly tight and my shirts were bulging at the front. However when I lose weight, a lot of my family / friends or colleagues will ask me if I've lost weight. As I'm not advertising the fact and noone in real life (apart from my Boyfriend) knows that I'm actively healthy eating and changing my lifestyle, noone really shows any interest in my eating habits UNTIL they notice I'm losing weight.

Tonight I went to see my friend in Twickenham and she redid my eyelashes. I'm now in possession of awesome lashes, but also some mango and sticky rice which she kindly gave to me - I went to Thailand last year which was utterly amazing and one of the deserts I had was mango and sticky rice. As my friend is from Hong Kong, she's had the mango desert a number of times and knows where to find it in the UK, so she kindly gave me a portion. I really appreciate her making the effort, however there was part of me thinking 'Argh! More food!' However it's now safely in the freezer and can stay there until I feel like eating it :-) 

Half way through the 'procedure' she commented on my shape and said it looked like I had lost weight. I went for the half-hearted 'Yeah, maybe, can't say I've been weighing myself' comment which didn't deter her from asking me about my eating habits and what I've been up to recently. Thing is, she's incredibly slim - A size 6/8 maybe, so it's not as if she'd want eating habits from someone who is twice her size! It's funny, how some people always want to know what you've been doing to lose weight, as if you're a weight-loss guru or something.

When she had finished, she showed me to her garden and asked my advice on something - It turns out that an injured Magpie had been in her garden for 3 days and she had been feeding it bread and water but it couldn't fly. She asked me what she should do with it and I suggested calling the RSPB - However, when Googling them, it turns out they're just a charity apparently and actually, it's the RSPCA you should call. As she'd kept the bird alive for 3 days, I suggested giving them a ring as birds usually die within 24 hours if they're badly injured and this one was incredibly perky however seemed to have an injured wing, poor thing. 

I also suggested potentially putting it in a box, inside - as there's no guarantee a cat wouldn't come in the garden and eat it, however suggested asking the RSPCA for guidance first. 

I managed to get back home for 8:30pm and my Boyfriend texted me, saying he'd picked up all my 'winnings' from the auction we went to on Saturday. Behold! My amazing new antiques! I appreciate they're not to everyones taste, however I really like gothic stuff and I was thinking of getting the mirror restored and having it in the hallway - Oh, not that I have a hallway at the moment, but in the house we're going to buy next year :-) I also have 2 camphor wood chests at the moment as well, so this one makes 3 - I think I'll put this one inside the other ones, like a set of Russian Dolls.... 

My mum texted me half an hour ago and told me she's on her way down to my house, so we can leave early tomorrow for an incredibly fun day out. I really enjoyed spending the day with her at the Chelsea Flower Show last month, so I'm hoping tomorrow will be just as fun. It's apparently going to be really hot, so I'm going to ensure I've got a lot of water, sun cream and potentially even a hat so I don't get burnt - and most importantly, I'll make sure I have some healthy food at hand so I'm not tempted to eat rubbish. If my Mum wants a cream tea or some cakes, then I'll gladly buy them for her, but I'm going to save 'treats' for when I get a job offer as I think that's a nice thing to celebrate.

I'm famous!!!!

So in the grand scheme of things, I'm saying 'famous', however I guess it's all about context :-)

I buy two magazines a month and have been buying the same magazines for over 3 years. I've got my BBC Good Food Magazine which is great for telling me when the latest food festivals are, what interesting food is out there to try and giving me some really interesting new recipes to try - However, the magazine doesn't focus on healthy food. There may be an article or a few pages devoted to low fat / low calorie / low carb recipes / gluten free recipes etc, however it's not a regular thing and whilst all recipes give you the calorie content, fat content and all the other usual contents, if you're trying to eat healthy, it's not the best magazine to support your goals.

I also get the 'Healthy Good Food Magazine'- half the size of the BBC Good Food magazine and not as much content, however it's purely focussed on eating healthy so every recipe you read about, is good for you and not laden in fat or calories. I like both magazines and tend to rip out any that I want to try and put them in my 'owl folder' - a massive lever-arch binder that has a picture of an owl on it (Classy, I know). Last month, when my magazines were delivered, I tweeted 'My new Healthy Good Food Guide has arrived!' - This month, when my magazine was delivered, I started reading it and... I'm in print! Wow! Check it out! :-) Form an orderly queue for autographs.....

Today has been pretty awesome. Firstly, My boyfriend and I went to an antiques auction which unfortunately meant we needed to get up at 7:00am - This was quite painful for me as I haven't been sleeping well recently, however the prospect of adding to my already crowded house was impetus enough to get up, have a shower and reacquaint myself with another kipper for breakfast. Mr Kipper shared the plate with some scrambled egg (made from the last egg I had left in the box) Whilst small, it was enough to keep me going for a while, healthy and also made a change from the last 5 days worth of porridge.

After we got to the auction and had a look round, I was rather disappointed. Nothing stood out and shouted 'Buy me! it doesn't matter that you've already got 5 Oak coffers in your two bedroom house, you *need* me as well'. That being said, I did find a golden mirror that looks pretty gothic and a small camphor wood chest which I thought might make friends with the two camphor wood chests I've already got in my house, so I did an absent bid and we headed off to another auction house before gong back home to grab some lunch.

In my vegetable box this week, Riverford had kindly given me broad beans. I haven't eaten broad beans in years and don't think I've ever cooked them before. When I first saw them, I was flummoxed as to what I could use them in, however Riverford had thoughtfully provided a few suggestions on a recipe card - One of them being 'broad bean dip'. I decided this was a good idea as it seemed like a different type of houmous and as we know.... I love houmous :-) It was really easy to make as well:

1. Grab loads of broad beans.

2. Shell aforesaid bean into a saucepan

3. Boil for approx 4 minutes.

4. Stick in colander and cool with cold water.

5. They'll look all wrinkly, so it's easy to pop them out of their harder, lighter green shell.

6. Once you've shelled them all. Place into blender.

7. Add a squirt of lemon juice, some cumin, some salt and one clove of garlic

8. Add some half fat creme fraiche to make it taste a bit richer and blend!

Done :-) 

I have to say, I thought I did rather well for a first attempt. After eating the lot of it, my mouth did taste quite strongly of garlic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as I wasn't planning on going clubbing and kissing anyone! 

We headed off to Malborough for yet more antiques shops and after we'd wandered round them, we headed back home, at which point, I get an email from the auction house telling me that I'd won everything I'd bin on! Hurrah - God knows where I'm going to put things, however I'm sure I'll find a space and when I've got them back to my house, I'll take photos and proudly display them on my blog :-) 

Once we got home, we watched an episode of 'Kevin McCloud's escape to the wild' or as my Boyfriend likes to call him 'K-Dog' (If you've never read about the Grand Designs drinking game, you should Google it, it's really amusing) A bit of 'chill time' was really welcome before we embarked on the mammoth task of dinner - I say 'mammoth task', my dinner was incredibly easy to make as I'd decided I'd make sashimi.

If you have a COSTCO near you and like salmon - Go and investigate! My boyfriend found a 1Kg salmon for under £13 and the quality was stunning. I grabbed some from one end and cut it into strips, whilst frying a small top side steak I found reduced from Marks and Sepencers. I love my steak blue, so it took me approximately 3 minutes of effort to cook. Most effort came with making the sushi rice, which to be fair, just needed to be boiled for 12 minutes and then left with the lid on for 45 minutes and hey presto... Dinner was ready.

As it's been such a beautiful day, I suggested we eat dinner in my garden, sitting on a blanket. My boyfriend had cooked the rest of the salmon and as he's doing his Atkin-esque diet, decided to just eat that on its own with some salad cream. It looked nice, but for me, that type of eating wouldn't be sustainable and therefore we were very happy to help each other in the kitchen, but stick to our own meal plans.

It's been a lovely, lovely day and we're now going to head out for a quiet drink at a lovely pub and enjoy the nice weather. 

Happy Saturday everyone!