IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, try try try again and again (and again...)

[ellie1969]

ive got goji berries in the cuboard and keep meaning to try them in my muffins, think ill have them tommorrow with sweetened quark filling yummm. I also suspect I have several goji berry bushes in the garden

 

[Maintainer]

By the way, I don't put sweetener in the muffins, just gojis...
Robin - unfortunately no, I've never found a low enough fat one with a similar taste/texture to the Philly xlite. You're in stabilisation though so I'm sure you could have a splodge of the real thing (here we can find normal Philly...). Maybe St Moret also? Just that I don't know St Moret specifically as it's not low enough fat for Cruise.

 

[alottolose]

No sweetener in muffins Jo? is that because the goji's are sweet enough or just personal choice? xx

 

[Maintainer]

The latter... leastwise they're sweet enough for me, and I have been cutting down on sweetener etc so I now notice when things are overly sweet. I think goji muffins taste a bit like fruit cake (I also have a very active imagination fortunately ).

I've just seen the forecast for the forthcoming days here... ok no snow but sooo cold:

Mercredi 1 février Min/Max% Précipitations

Ensoleillé. Frais. -7°C / -1°C0%
Jeudi 2 février Min/Max% Précipitations

Ensoleillé. Frais. -11°C / -4°C0%
Vendredi 3 février Min/Max% Précipitations

Très nuageux. Frais. -12°C / -3°C0%
Samedi 4 février Min/Max% Précipitations

Ensoleillé. Frais. -9°C / -4°C0%
Dimanche 5 février Min/Max% Précipitations

Très nuageux. Frais. -12°C / -5°C0%
Lundi 6 février Min/Max% Précipitations

Nuages dispersés. Frais. -9°C / -3°C0%
Mardi 7 février Min/Max% Précipitations

Ensoleillé. Frais. -10°C / -3°C0%

Does this mean I need to wear a woolly hat?!!

 

[alottolose]

Could be time for tea cosy headwear

I saw on the news Eastern Europe is having a torrid time with low temperatures...36 dead apparently

not that bad here for next few days thankfully - freezing point for a few days dipping just below at nights.

have a good night Jo x

p.s. totally with you on things tasting too sweet...bought some ready made jellys, the orange one was so sickly sweet x

 

[m-mouse]

By the way, I don't put sweetener in the muffins, just gojis...
Robin - unfortunately no, I've never found a low enough fat one with a similar taste/texture to the Philly xlite. You're in stabilisation though so I'm sure you could have a splodge of the real thing (here we can find normal Philly...). Maybe St Moret also? Just that I don't know St Moret specifically as it's not low enough fat for Cruise.

Laura, I think that quark is a little similar.

 

[Maintainer]

I've never found quark here either Laura, and fromage blanc is nothing like xtra lite philly (which I incidentally wish I never HAD discovered!!). I've finished the three pots someone bought me over in November, expiring end Jan, so now I can avoid the three I bought me end Dec which expire in March for a while

Cold cold cold today... my head will be in a hat methinks for my walk to work

 

[robinhood]

Colder here too and set to continue so. Wee lad is coughing more, no doctor's appointment available until Friday morning (think the GP has a trainee - wasn't him who answered the phone - so appointments are twice as long, I suppose). Suppose everyone is ill just now too!

Never seen quark either, just presumed it was thick fromage blanc, so I suppose I could strain some fromage blanc, or use strained yogurt. Or just do without icing.

 

[m-mouse]

I think on the official site they mix cottage cheese and fromage blanc to 'make' quark?

 

[ellie1969]

chilly here today too... hubby said it was minus 7 on his drive into work at 5am this morning.... didnt feel that temp under my 2 duvets LOL

tried the goji berry muffins.... mmmm I like... could be doing with a wee bit more flavour though

 

[m-mouse]

Oh Laura/Jo I remember what I found in France that was a little bit like quark - those cubes of far free cheese - the plain flavoured one in the clue wrapper. I reckon you could use that.

 

[Supertonic]

I put tspoon of cinnamon & tsp of mixed spice in my goji muffins, plus a little lemon zest - livens it up a bit. I also put some sweetener in, although agree it doesn't need much. I've been soaking the gojis for 10 mins or so first, as the batch I got seemed v dry, but again, not sure need to.

I rather suspect if I try the Philly xlite on them, I'll be completely hooked.....!

 

[Maintainer]

low fat cottage cheese isn't available here, and I hate those squares of "low fat cheese" you mention, Mouse. If that's quark, then you can KEEP IT!! (I really hate raw cheese... only cooked, or gratinée'ed...)

I do often put cinammon in mine too, but never sweetener now... the frosting does make it a special treat for a Sunday but I stick to just the one muffin and freeze the rest!

I've just been reading about windchill factor and temperatures and, with windchill, it's now minus 25°C where my house is! yikes! (Glad I cut the water off and left the heating on!) (Mind you, as houses don't move... much... I don't s'pose they're bothered by windchill!)

 

[couteaux]

Yum - really fancy some of those muffins now! I need to do some baking this weekend

Hope the weather isn't too awful there, I have been hibernating today but need to brave the cold tomorrow. *shudder*

 

[Maintainer]

Minus 7°C outside and I'll be off shortly... it's surreal because it's soooo hot in my flat but I must ignore that and wrap up well... I see trees swaying outside which bothers me. I'll walk to work without cutting across the park which will be open and windy... 5KM walk.
x

 

[trudyc]

BTW Maintainer, just looked at your before and after pics and tbh I am sure it is not the same person - way to go lady!!! I understand your struggle to maintain it but wow you need to give yourself some serious praise cos your journey has been simply awesome!!!! Also top marks for being back in the zone just as you promised from the start of 2012. Not ever easy to do once you have fallen off the horse for a bit!!! Amazing.

 

[Maintainer]

Oh Trudy, that's really kind of you. I am my harshest critic, I know, but the fear of returning to that other person is ever present

 

[Maintainer]

Minus 9°C right now, and it's now cold in my flat too (cos the building's boiler went off for six hours yesterday so we were COLD yesterday evening, despite it now working ish...)

BUT, as our guru says, "cold is good" and I've had a nice weight loss this week! Also I'm realising that it's now a calendar month since I (rerere)restarted Dukan and I've "lost" 7K! OK lots of silly water weight on and off, but still!

Hat, two scarfs and two pairs of gloves today for my walk...

What is strange with these very extreme temperatures (they say to take a further 10°c off in the wind - and the trees are moving aaaaaah!) is that I've not slipped or slid once! It's dry cold! Lovely blue skies, sunny days, I'm a fan!

Enjoy your weekends! I'll be perched in front of the log fire when I get to the house tonight, where it's colder still... cos it's on the edge of the plateau de Langres which is one of the coldest places in France! In fact, if the bedrooms are 10°C only like last weekend, I might suggest we sleep on the sofa bed in front of the fire! awwwh!

 

[Whitey27]

Wow water weight or not that's a fab loss. Well done! The strictness obviously pays off

Enjoy your walk

 

[robinhood]

Wish we had blue skies - it's bitter out there and no hint of colour in the sky. Husband was to be going ski-ing next week, but think he's gone off the idea.

Well done on the loss this week, Jo. Stay warm over the weekend!