Sunday Sins

For my sins I have eaten one egg and bacon sandwich (it was delicious by the way, streaky bacon fried in a mixture of Olive and Sunflower oils in my new ridged frying pan) for breakfast around 10.30 am, this first day of official Wintertime. I really enjoyed the extra hour in bed.

Much later on, around five-ish, there's a feast of three slices of toasted white bread with Brussels Pate. And two chocolate sandwich biscuits with yet more coffee.

Nine pm and hunger pangs drive me to the kitchen and another Tapas dish of Chicken Curry and Rice, just like yesterday. A mug of tea follows with two thick square slabs of Lindt chocolate and a Chocolate Chip Cookie.

It's Monday morning 2 am and raging munchiemania sends me to the kitchen for an urgent three Weetabix with fresh milk, a teaspoon of sugar and clouds of cinnamon, followed by a Granny Smith apple and off to bed just after three in the small hours.

All Hail The Scale

76.8 kgs!

This happy set of numbers, down 400 grams from last week, brings in to sight the hope of getting closer to my best-weight-so-far on this now seventeen month diet, which was 76.2 kgs just after my birthday in mid September. It's taken six weeks to take off the 1.8 kgs I gained in one single week!

Shreddies Gouda Kit Kat Curry

Desperately hoping for good news on the diet front at tomorrow morning's ritual Sunday Morning Weigh In, I'm trying to be really disciplined so start with a late breakfast of a bowl of Shreddies at 1040.

Then nothing at all passes my lips, apart from the obligatory multiple mugs of coffee (black, half a sugar), until four o'clock when I binge on a delicious Gouda and Potato Salad on brown sandwich.

Mid evening a little munchie devil forces me to have a two bar KitKat and about an hour later this delicious tapas dish of chicken curry with boiled rice.


............................Chicken Curry and Boiled Rice Tapa

And, apart from one chocolate chip cookie around 1.30 am, that was All I Ate Today.

Chicken Curry

For breakfast there is just two slices of multigrain brown bread toasted and buttered about 9.30 then nothing until after 5 pm when there's a good Chicken Curry, an ok Vegetable Curry with plain boiled rice, a mini nan and two poppadoms. Later, around nine-ish two Chocolate Chip Cookies round off the flavours.

Late breaking news:- 3.11 am two Weetabix are seen leaving the packet for destinations unknown, never to be seen again.

Garlic Chicken Chocolate

I'm thankfully not feeling hungry this morning so pass on breakfast. In the afternoon, a little after three pm, I have a small Steamed Ham and Emmental sandwich on brown and, having a late meal for a change, around 9.30 pm there is half a breast of Roast Garlic Chicken with acres of salad and a Sesame Seed bun followed around eleven pm by five chocolate Trufas.

Baked Salmon Cornflakes

A bowl of Corn Flakes for breakfast is followed about three in the afternoon by some fantastic Fresh Baked Salmon with some small potatoes and a huge mound of salad.


Early evening time I'm still feeling peckish so knock up a quick two egg Tuna Omelette with two slices of buttered brown toast. Some time later I ate one Chocolate ice cream Bombon folowed by a Peach Yoghurt. Worst of all, around 1.30 am I get the munchies and have another bowl of Corn Flakes...

Chili Chocolate Cornflakes

A bowl of Corn Flakes for breakfast then nothing at all until late afternoon; a bowl of Chili Con Carne with Salad and one and a half medium potatoes fills a substantial gap and is rounded off with a single chocolate icecream bombon and that's all I ate today.

Honda Toast

Today I had to whizz down to Torremolinos to take the Civic to Honda for a few bits of bodywork. It's been the victim of a few anonymous bashes and scrapes whilst "safely" parked in various places, including one which broke the rear bumper, so with it's 4th birthday upon us and the unknown territory of its first MOT just ahead, it seemed like the right time.

With an early start there's only time for two slices of buttered white toast and some desperately needed coffee before setting off.

I get back about 11.30 am in a bright red Jazz; manual gears take a bit of getting used to after the automatic Civic but i only stalled four times! About three hours later a generously filled steamed ham and emmental on brown sandwich fills a gap nicely.

In the evening six small chocolate star biscuits and a small ice cream bonbon satisfy my sweet tooth - except right before midnight I find myself polishing off a two bar KitKat...

Damn Lying Scales

After eating so little this week I was hoping for a big weight loss but those damn lying scales came in at 77.2 kgs, only 400 gms down from last week. I'll have to try and force the pace a little more.

So all I ate today was the traditional Egg and Bacon sandwich around mid-morning, a Tuna Mayonnaise on plain brown bread sandwich in late afternoon and through the evening a 2 bar KitKat, a bowl of Corn Flakes and a Strawberry Yoghurt, in that order.

Three and a Half Weets

Three and a half Weetabix and some Spicy Mexican Chicken with one medium potato and a mountain of salad with three miniature chocolate croissants for afters is all I ate today.

Pork in Orange Sauce

Corn Flakes, some Solomillo Pork in Orange Sauce with homemade Potato Salad and fresh salad followed by fresh Pineapple and Chocolate ice cream, two tiny miniature chocolate croissants during the day are followed around 2 am by a slice of Chapata and cheese, a Granny Smith, and a small KitKat are all I ate today.

Cinnamon Pineapple

Three weetabix, a Granny Smith, some Spicy Chicken on Salad with homemade Potato Salad followed by fresh Pineapple and Vanilla ice cream with a special Cinnamon Sauce created by Ursula and a small KitKat is all I ate today.

Bangers and Mash

The power is back on so yesterday's breakfast of hot buttered brown bread smothered in paté is put in to action and 3 slices later it's on to the rest of the day, which includes another 100 km relocation, again.

After the trip, a late lunch of traditional English Bangers and Mash is much appreciated with a small slice of Mandarin flavoured Sponge Cake for afters; followed by nothing at all he wrote, feeling rather pleased with himself.

Granny Tuna

Even though there's still some more of that delicious Paté, there's no toast for breakfast today as, presumably due to the persistent light rain, there's a power cut. So it's Shreddies with fresh milk, a spoonful of sugar and clouds of Cinnamon to start the day.

Lunch is some Tuna Mayonnaise with salad on half a chapata followed by three orange thins; the leftover chicken tikka and the last of the chicken soup with a hunk of crusty bread makes for a nice late supper and later on there's a Granny Smith for dessert.

Chicken Soup

Three slices of toasted white bread with paté; one poppy and sesame seed covered brown roll with Emmental and potato salad; a bowl of homemade Chicken Soup; a Granny Smith; two small chocolate sandwich biscuits; and three Weetabix with Cinnamon is All I Ate Today.

Egg Bacon Chicken Tikka Ice Cream

All I ate today was an Egg and Bacon sandwich; a Granny Smith; a small serving of Chicken Tikka on a bed of salad with one medium potato; Stracciatelli ice cream; two chocolate chip cookies; two squares of chocolate; and a Tuna and Potato Salad on brown bread sandwich.

Sunday Weigh-in Good News

Great news on the weight front, this week's weigh-in comes in at 77.6 kgs, down 400 grams since last week, but nothing to get excited about as it's still 1.6 kgs above my best point of 76.2 kgs only four weeks ago.

Bahmi Goreng Recipe

Knowing there will be a large meal this evening, I try to control my appetite all day long and, trying to set a disciplined example, only allow myself three small slices of buttered brown toast for breakfast. Then nothing until mid-afternoon when I have an Emmental on brown sandwich.

The star of the day foodwise is undoubtedly the Bahmi Goreng (link to recipe) I make with some Solomillo de Cerdo or Pork Sirloin (or Sirloin of Pig, as Babel Fish has it, lol) cut into a mixture of slices and small chunks. I got one of those Conimex kits from the supermarket and added one chopped sweet Red Onion to the meat as it fried in the wok. After boiling the pasta and adding it and the re-hydrated vegetables and spices to the wok, all that remains is to make a couple of one egg omelette and serve with Ketjap Manis and Sambal Oelek.

Pleasantly stuffed by this delicious but light meal, a little later the dish was rounded off with some black tea and three chocolate chip cookies.

Corn Flakes Prevent Masturbation

A bowl of Corn Flakes start the day; if you follow the link, you'll learn how they were actually invented by John Kellogg, inspired by the mad Christian religious group he belonged to. He recommended his corn flakes be combined with male circumcision (Heads Up:- there are pictures of the penis there [and there too!]) and the application of Carbolic Acid to the clitoris (NB: pictures there) to prevent masturbation in the young! (NB: more images, including my favourite, the masturbation preventing gadget below).

"Excerpt from United States patent number 745264, filed on May 29, 1903 by Albert V. Todd. It describes a device designed to prevent masturbation by inflicting electric shocks upon the perpetrator, by ringing an alarm bell, and through spikes at the inner edge of the tube into which the penis is inserted."

Getting back to the daily diet, in mid-afternoon I enjoy a brown roll, liberally covered with poppy and sesame seeds, split and eaten as seperate halves with generous chunks of some lovely fresh Brie; later on there's the guilty pleasure of three Weetabix with milk and cinnamon; two chocolate chunk cookies; an Emmental on brown sandwich; a strawberry yoghurt; and three chocolate sandwich biscuits to complete All I Ate Today.

Chicken Fajitas

A bowl of Shreddies for breakfast, one Chicken Fajita

Chicken Fajita with Guacamole and Allioli.

as a late lunch and another for supper plus three chocolate chip cookies just before midnight is All I Ate Today.

Strawberry Emmental

All I ate today was three dry cream crackers plus two babybel cheeses about 7.30 pm; later came a side plate of Chili Con Carne with three small potatoes and, as usual, a mountain of salad; three chocolate chip cookies; a peach yoghurt; an Emmental and strawberry jam on brown bread sandwich (I have a long line of adventurous sandwiches which combine unusual ingredients, which you'll almost certainly hear more of, so stick around); and, to finish, about 1.30 am, a single magdalena.


And so to bed.

Emmental Apple Tuna

Just warding off hunger all day today, managed to eat two weetabix, a tapas dish of chili with a dry slice of brown bread,

Chili Con Carne

one little madeleine, an Emmental on brown sandwich, followed by a tuna on brown and a Granny Smith just before bed.

Chili Con Carne

After a brilliant weekend in Torremolinos, it's back to Antequera and back to work.

There's no time for breakfast today so it's not until mid-afternoon that I manage to find a moment to have an Egg Mayonnaise on brown bread sandwich followed about half an hour later by three chocolate sandwich biscuits.

As the thunderstorms thrown off by Hurricane Vince pound the region with some welcome rain, I hunker down in the kitchen and, by popular request, cook up a big pot of Chili Con Carne for supper. Eaten with some plain boiled rice and a big heap of mixed salad, it's great at any time of year but especially good on a day like today as the sheet lightning flashes across the sky and the rain pours down.

And that's All I Ate Today.

What's that? The postponed weighin? Well, that's the good news, I'm down to a flat 78 kgs, 400 grams less than a week ago!

Weighin Postponed Thai Curry Consumed

Due to being away from home for the weekend, the great Sunday weighin is postponed for 24 hours, but that doesn't stop us eating our traditional Sunday breakfast.

Having been cooked by our friends, breakfast tastes even nicer as we have two Eggs, two rashers of Bacon and two slices of Toast washed down with a mixture of Tea, Orange Juice and Coffee.

In the afternoon, a lovely snack of Baguette with cheeses is a nice, simple prelude to an evening out dining in a Chinese Restaurant in Torremolinos with our friends. I have some Thai Fried Rice with Thai Chicken Curry.

When we get back from the restaurant, much fun and chocolate is had!

Chicken in Sundried Tomato and Cinnamon Sauce

All I ate today, as we head off to Torremolinos to visit our good friends Mark and Asa, was four small slices of Toasted Brown Bread with Brussels Pate and lashings of coffee for breakfast.

Later consumption includes two slices of White Bread, one with Gouda and one with Manchego Cheese; another slice of bread covered in Olive Oil in the afternoon and, for Supper, some absolutely delicious Chicken in a sauce of Sundried Tomatoes and Cinnamon.

Hake in Red Pepper Sauce Recipe

For breakfast it's the usual three Weetabix then nothing until about 5.30 pm when we have some really excellent Hake, known as Merluza in Spain where it is more popular than in England.

Hake is a really good fish for cooking, quite firm and solid. I think it's a bit like Cod, in fact I've just noticed in Wikipedia, my preferred online Encyclopedia, that both fish are members of the same family, the Gadidae. I guess Cod is way more expensive now it's nearly all gone.

This fish dish is cooked in a casserole dish with a sauce of Red Peppers, Tomatoes, Garlic and Mushrooms in a pre-heated oven at about 175ºC for an hour or so, maybe 90 minutes.

I eat it with 2 medium microwaved potatoes and, as usual, a mountain of salad. Light, filling and tastes wonderfully of the sea; this is what a diet should be like!

Night nibbles include the last of both the Gouda and the Potato Salad in a brown bread sandwich, two small bun-like cakes, two squares of Chocolate Fondant, two chocolate sandwich biscuits and, just before I wrote this, another three Weetabix, which kind of undoes the good work.

A Quiet Day

A quiet day on the food front as all I ate today was three weetabix, a gouda and potato salad sandwich, two chocolate sandwich biscuits and one and a half chocolate chip cookies. And a Granny Smith apple.

Moorish Pork Recipe

Having not eaten anything since breakfast, I don't feel guilty in eating a whole meal about 5 pm, especially when it is as delicious as this wonderful creation. We are planning to make our first visit to Morocco as soon as we can fit it in amongst a million other things there are to be done but for the time being this will have to do.

Put a good piece of pork in a casserole dish with red peppers, chopped onions, some fresh garlic, orange juice, three tablespoons of ground almonds, four teaspoons of Moroccan seasoning and a vegetable stock cube. Cook it in the centre of the oven on about 150º for about 2 hours or so. Served with a few BBQ Chips and a huge mound of salad, there is such a rich mixture of flavours in the sauce, mmmm, fabulous!

A little later, to cleanse my palate after such rich food, I have one of those small plain Magdalena cakes, as they're called here in Spain.

10 pm snack Profiteroles. Yeah, I know!

Later, a half a melon slides down my throat with no effort at all, sweet and juicy.

The Party's Over

Right, all the birthday and anniversary celebrations are done and dusted and it's time to start re-focussing on business and other serious stuff, right after a quick breakfast of three toasted slices of white bread with Brussels Pate.

The Laughing Cow

Following yesterday's birthday celebrations, today is our 5th Wedding Anniversary and also the birthday of our eldest dog, the beautiful Miniature Schnauzer we call Molly.

Feeling a little fragile after last night, I have three slices of toast with Brussels Pate for breakfast and then nothing at all until late. So it's probably about 1130 pm now and to hold off serious hunger I have a Gouda and Potato Salad sandwich on brown bread with sesame seeds and, whilst I'm making it, I nibble up a whole mini BabyBel (nb: this is a link to a site called cheesesupplydotcom, I couldn't find a page on it in Wikipedia) - and that's all I ate today.


A mini BabyBel cheese, mmmmmmmmmmooooooooooooo lovely!

This cheese is made by a brand called The Laughing Cow. I was going to add a link to the company site but I just had a quick look and it was so boring I decided to spare you that. But I am delighted to report that there is a wonderfully insane website run by some French lunatics devoted to the discussion of why exactly the cow is laughing.


La Vache Qui Rit

Nasi Goreng

Monday the 3rd of October is my beautiful wife Ursula's birthday and I'm planning to cook for her later but to get a busy day started I have three Weetabix for breakfast, which get me right through the day.

About 10 pm, we sit in the living room and eat an absolutely delicious Chicken Nasi Goreng, which is one of my favourite meals of all time. I have my own little version of this classic meal which is more usually eaten for breakfast in Indonesia but we usually eat it at night. Here's a link to a typical recipe in case you want to make it too.

Washed down with some celebratory Cava it is truly a wonderful meal. One of Ursula's presents was a bar of chocolate with Cointreau and I help her out by eating three of the nasty little sugary things, as you do!

Bits and Pieces

For the rest of the day, I'm depressed about the continuing weight increase but still have to eat so all I had was a cereal bowl sized serving of Tuna in a Tomato Marinara Sauce with Fusilli Pasta and a little salad for Lunch.

For the rest of the day, all I ate was a small Emmental Cheese sandwich on brown bread and a Granny Smith apple.

Egg and Bacon Sandwich

Yes, despite the continuing bad news on the weight front today, a tradition is a tradition and it's straight from the bathroom to the kitchen to keep the great habit alive for another week and have an Egg and Bacon Sandwich on white for breakfast.

The Great Sunday Morning Weigh-in

Uh-OH! Bad news on the weight front.

Two visits to the ugly piece of junk that is our bathroom scales reveals that last weekend's bad news trend has continued for another week as today's date with fate is a massive 78.4 kgs !

Appalling!

Good day, bad day

October gets off to a good start with a late breakfast of Shreddies with fresh milk, a spoonful of sugar and a generous dusting of Cinnamon with lashings of black coffee on the side to fuel this beautiful and sunny Saturday morning.

Late afternoon snack attack is an Emmental on brown bread sandwich and this packet

of small and tasty chocolate biscuits called Filipinos, all of which keeps me going until, about 10.30 pm at a small cafe in Nerja I have some coffee and a Tarta Manzana or Apple Tart.

Much later, the small hours of weakness strike again and a slice of Spanish Tortilla, a Granny Smith apple, three Weetabix with milk, sugar and cinnamon and two chocolate sandwich biscuits are tucked away in next to no time at all.

Tuna Steaks In Coconut Milk

Thanks to yesterday's shopping trip to Nerja we, ok, I treated myself to a box of hard-to-find-round-here Shreddies and had a great-tasting bowl of them for breakfast this morning, before taking the dogs to the vets for grooming.



That kept me going until around 6-ish when we had Tuna Steaks cooked in Coconut Milk, Butter and Garlic, served with a Mixed Salad and a few roasted Potato and Onion thingies. It was absolutely great, which can't be said for the small chocolate covered but totally bland and chewy cake inside. I'm fed up with all these lame desserts lately.

About 10.30 pm I've got the munchies again and have a slice of Spanish Tortilla, which is always good. Half an hour munchies revisits and takes the form of two small slices of brown bread with sesame seeds with some Emmental cheese.

Late night relapse: two chocolate chip cookies, a magdalena and a granny smith apple. My bad.