It's Now Or Never

Breakfast:
cup of tea (milk from HEa)
Mixed fruit, canned prunes (2 syns), branflakes (HEb), low fat yoghurt. Liquorice tea.

Snack:
Apple. Liquorice tea.

Lunch:
1/2 Tortilla Patatas (thanks Jules - I love these) with lots of salad leaves and half a dozen cherry tomatoes. Banana. Liquorice tea.

Dinner:
Rest of last night's lasagne (0.5 syn) with LOTS of salad leaves. Cuppa (soya milk from part of HEa).
Banana milkshake - banana (4 syns), rest of soya milk (rest of HEa)

Total syns: 6.5
Water: prob about 4 pints in tea.
Exercise: weather noted good so just the hour walk to work - drove to childminder
 
How did the hair look once it had dried? Nice and truffle-y? xxx
 
Well I didn't do the roots seperately properly, so they are very slightly lighter which is frustrating. To be honest it just looks similar to the usual colour I do it, it looks alright. I have too much grey these days not to, and I have every intention of growing old disgracefully. :) I think it was actually chocolate brownie in the end. I swear they're trying to sabotage the duet! :)
 
Mmmm, tortilla. Nom! I'm making patatas bravas tomorrow night. Can't wait! Xx
 
I'm getting much better with the Tortilla too, really pleased with how my last one turned out. Have the other half with salad today.
Sausage - I'd really like to try your Patatas Bravas - have you posted your recipe before?

Am feeling a bit smug, as I told my Project Manager that I'm taking time off in lieu next Friday (Beanie has an Inset day) for the extra hours I've done. I never used to be so pedantic, and have slogged my guts out before now, in fact most of the time - done really silly hours. But when you see your PM sodding off at 4.30 half the time, you think sod it -no one else is killing themselves on this project, so why should I? So now I claim some hours back every so often. Usually if I know I have some time available with the bairn coming up. So am pretty excited about that. May go cycling I think. :)
 
Yay! I WISH that I could do that. Tot up all the hours that I spend on weekends/holidays/in the middle of the night on the phone/sending urgent instructions/blah blah blah. If I told my boss that I was taking the day off because I'd spent 23 hours of my time over the last month working, he's probably spit in my eye. All the way from Nashville. Fortunately, I love my job.

Haven't posted the recipe before, but am doing it here just for you! (Tweaked to make it SW friendly):

FRYLIGHT!!
1kg peeled potatoes, chopped in to ~1" cubes (waxy potatoes are best, I find - also, I tend to leave the skin on, because I'm lazy)
1 onion and 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1tsp sugar
1.5-2tsp paprika
approx 1/2 cup passata
1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
chilli powder to taste

*Boil the potato cubes 'til they're just starting to soften. Drain.
*In Frylight, fry onion and garlic til soft (don't burn)
*Add chopped tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper, vinegar, sugar (here I add a tsp of chilli powder - add 1/2 to start if you're not a fan of the heat)
*Give it a good stir, cover, leave to simmer on medium heat for ~10mins
*Add more chilli if it's not hot enough - remember these are "FIERCE potatoes"!
*Salsa should be consistency of a medium-thick gravy. If it looks too runny, remove the lid and let it reduce a bit, if too thick, add some more passata
*Frylight a frying pan and cook the potatoes. Careful not to burn them, they should be cooked all the way through and browned on the outside
*Pour salsa over the potatoes and serve!

NOTES:
1. I'd probably syn some Olive oil when cooking the potatoes - this'll ensure they don't burn and will give more flavour. Originally, this dish is DRIPPING in Olive oil
2. Use chilli powder (or dried chillis) but do not substitute Tobasco. This is ok for a chilli con carne (although I would still not recommend it - chilli powder has a specific flavour - I prefer my Tobasco on toast) where there are a LOT of flavours going on, but not here
3. Don't miss out on the sugar (sweetener does not work well here!). Honestly, the 1 syn for the tsp goes a LONG way - it works with the chilli, and removes some of the astringency of the tomatoes and vinegar. This dish should be quite mellow tomato-wise. Very tomato-ey, but not with a sourness that makes your jaw cramp up

Thus endeth the sermon. Go forth, and make your potatoes all fierce and sh*t.

xx
 
Thanks Sausage. I may try that as part if tea on Sunday (with your butter bean dip in fact!).

My company still get more than their monies worth from me. But every so often now I just gently make the point, and tell them I taking a little bit back. Lol

I am so hungry. And tired. I went for some leaving drinks - and there was a buffet full of stodgy fried stuff. I didn't touch any of it. Am on train home now, and got a skinny latte at Victoria which I'll count as ny HEa. But had to have something just to keep the hunger pangs at bay.

So far though Ive had 2 syns in my breakfast, and everything else either free, superfree or HEb. Could do with something super quick when I get in, as it will be late, about quarter to 11. God knows what though, I've eaten all the supernoodles! :)

Am going to do day three of the run in the morning. Then shower and shop. Am then collecting a friend whom I haven't seen for a year, and going for a girlie shop and lunch in Canterbury. Really looking forward to it. Then want to paint kitchen ceiling and clean house. My parents are comings for lunch on Sunday. Then I'll leave my dad and the bairn to watch the football and be manly (I'll get Bean a can if ginger beer, and my dad a can of lager and some crisps) then my Mum and I are going to the garden centre to look for little trees. Really looking forward to my weekend actually.

I've just today arranged next weekend too. Am having a friend come over to stay next Sat. So I'm toying with the idea if Spanish tapas type dishes. Any other recipe ideas anyone has please shout. :)

Oh I'm so pooped, just wish this train would hurry up.
 
OK - food - my evening meal has consisted of 3 plums, 1 apple and there's a couple of clementines who are probably gonna get it big time too.

I'm taking my make up off - waiting for this schedule to run and then tying up a couple of lose ends (yep, working again) then I am going to bed. Really looking forward to my run tomorrow. It will be very strange doing it on my own, without my wee personal trainer to motivate me! ;-)
 
I know all about the non-stop work. Have just climbed in to bed having been on the phone/email all night!

I can help you with some tapas dishes if you're interested? Albondigas are always a good idea (Spanish meatballs) and tortilla. Then you can do champiñones al ajillo, (garlic mushrooms) pinchitos morunos, (like mini kebabs) gambas, (shrimp/prawns) and ensalada rusa (Spanish potato salad). You'll need mince meat, garlic, mushrooms, fresh parsley, peppers, fresh and tinned tomatoes, paprika, onions, lean pork (for the kebabs). I can type up some basic instructions for you tomorrow if you're interested?

Xx
 
Thanks sausage that would be lovely, if you wouldn't mind. I wouldn't have much time to prepare immediately before I have company, so anything that is too elaborate on that front might not work. I would prob do much of prep earlier that morning. I have football that afternoon you see. (Leeds, so yet another 'interesting' one). I thought I'd also do a Spanish type rice, with chorizo. I reckon most of this stuff I could do syn free, and then I'll just be a little measured with the portions of the costlier stuff when I'm shoving it in my gob. This is where I'll be so pleased I've given up booze, as if I'd had a drink, the '**** it' factor would apply and I'd lose all control.

Work - do you think its a London thing? It does tend to be more, well manic here I think. They are squeezing everyone so much at our place. The pressure and work load people are under is massive. And mostly avoidable in my opinion too. And its getting worse. I remember going down to the supply chain controller floor, and observing how young they all were. And the reply I got, was because they burnt out and left before they got old. Like stockmarket traders. Ridiculous. My friend there is seriously struggling, and I want to help him. But just don't have the time myself. But like you, for all that I really do love my job, and now I have my promo there is more room to grow again. So its really nice to have that challenge.

It's half six and I've been awake for nearly 2 hours. Gonna have a banana and a cuppa then go for my run I think.

Sausage - I'm organising the team meal. Any suggestions for a good venue? They are fairly conservative, but I like the idea of something a bit fun, with a bit of a twist perhaps.
 
Hope today's run goes well :) I am wide awake on Saturday morning, missin bf cos we usually have a lazy Saturday morning together and really wanting to get out and do some exercise. Except that I can hear the rain and wind battering against my window. Wish I didn't feel the cold so much cos I know as soon as I went out there I'd turn and come right back inside!!

As for working all day/night, I am quite lucky in that I leave the office at 5 (or 4 if I'm lucky) and can forget about it for the night. I am intending to go self-employed with my boss at some point tho, and then I'll be able to do some work from home. I do worry that that will make me more susceptible to never being fully switched off... Hopefully I will be able to set some ground rules for myself tho :) xx
 
Aw, I imagine it is so hard missing him. Especially those times when you have certain routines. You keep aiming for that body beautiful though and looking after yourself, and the time will fly (ish) by.

Yes, with homeworking you do have to be disciplined about switching off. Something I'm not always good at. Being on call doesn't always help either, as that is 24/7 so really permeates your life at times. I have an office at home though, so try and psychologically shut the door on that when I finish working. Not always very well. Wi-fi laptop means I'm not restricted to the office. The upside being I can sit in the garden and work when its warm. All in all I have it good I think. I've worked bloody hard and sacrificed a lot over the years for the privilege though. I'm just lucky that it was worth it.

Just done run 3. After third interval I felt quite sick and thought it might be the banana. But it was actually on a slight incline. Though broadly it was a very flat run. I was absolutely fine on the way back, and prob could have done a couple more runs. My runkeeper gps'd it too this time - so I have a little map of my run. Most pleased. :) Off for a shower and stop poncing about on my phone. Weekly shopping to do and washing to hang out.
 
Well done for run 3, I'm kinda nervous and excited to see what week 2 brings, I hope I can do it lol.

I have two loads of washing which would like to be hung out, but unfortunately I don't think that's likely today...

Have decided I'm gonna get a me a little bit of exercise tho, by walking to asda. Don't need much so it is a good excuse to get some exercise and not buy too much lol xx
 
Maverick said:
Well done for run 3, I'm kinda nervous and excited to see what week 2 brings, I hope I can do it lol.

I have two loads of washing which would like to be hung out, but unfortunately I don't think that's likely today...

Have decided I'm gonna get a me a little bit of exercise tho, by walking to asda. Don't need much so it is a good excuse to get some exercise and not buy too much lol xx

A couple of years ago I got back into my cycling, and I'd ride down to the school, drop Beanie off, then cycle up (and I mean up, it was horrible) to the supermarket and did my shop. Twice a week. When I lose a bit more I may consider doing again. Great way to save petrol and keep fit. There's only so much you can fit in two paniers though. :)

And you're not wrong about week 2. Still, baby steps. We'll get there.
 
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