Jezebella's Journal

Yeah, apart from the odd banana, I never really bothered with fruit before, funny how our tastes change, I couldn't live without it now :) Whats plans for today Ken?

Jez
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You've inspired me Jezzy! Today I will make a baked pear with cinnamon compote! :D

Partly because my fridge broke and I don't have much as per the 'chilled' section. Or the frozen. ... Kinda sucks. Warm flat Diet Coke is manky. ... Lol. However, I have decided. Yes.
Have a lovely 'winter' dinner planned out for tonight = Hunter's Stew (Souteed cabbages, onions, stewed together with some Healthy Living Sausages in a backdrop of barley porridge and winter vegetables on the side), served with a pear-raisin crumble (using plain puffed wheats ...) or a compote? Not sure. I'll think about it!

:)
 
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im like you minerva warm flat diet coke ewww, jez today my plan is too go the gym train for an hour or so, than watch a couple of movies inglourious basterds being one of them :) and probably clean my bedroom, and do some online shopping :) not much on the cooking front might just do a simple veg stew or another quorn dish lol
 
Sounds divine Min, am planning a wintery pork dish for dinner :) As for the rest of the day, have done what needs doing, now sitting on the couch with my lovely kitty cat, under the blanket watching chick dvds!!!

Totally what sundays should be about.

Jez
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i agree :) im on the laptop, and watching the footy, and gonna be watching the rest of the film :)
 
RTM Day 70 (Week 10)

Well tomorrow starts week 11, bread week, the one I have been dying for and dreading in equal measure. Bread has always been my great love and biggest weakness, I subsisted on bread for years and years, and most of my best meals were toast!! I thought it would be the hardest thing to give up, like the wine, but it has not been so bad. I am however looking forward to trying it tomorrow. I am a bit worried that it will have the same effect on me as pasta, so have stuck with purchasing wholmeal/wholewheat varieties.

Today was a fantastic lazy day. Woke up late, my sister went off to mass so spent an indulgent hour lying in the bed with new mattrass pad (a fabulous success and I cannot recommend it highly enough) leccy blanky on and cat curled up, reading a brilliant book - quite unputdownable. I adore reading and havent had much time to indulge in more than a page or 2 a day of late, so this was a real treat. Late breakfast of oats with banana, raisin a spoon of berry compote and a spoon of vanilla yoghurt. Quick trip to the shops as Bliss decided we should have pork for dinner and we had none in the house then home to the couch with 2 chick flicks!! Lunch was a salad with smoked salmon and cottage cheese, with the usual peppers, onions, tomato and cucumber. Very good indeed. Smoked salmon is still one of my favourite things. The movies were great and I feel soooo relaxed, a good thing as I have a dinner on tomorrow night for 400!!! Dinner was lush, some grilled pork loin (fat removed) topped with grilled apple slices, some broccoli, roasted root veg, and a nice mix of petit pois, leek and spinach. This all topped off with a wholegrain mustard gravy. Again so wintery and lovely. I really feel like I am eaitn gwith the seasons now, which is something important to me. I feel "in tune" so to speak with nature when I do this. Lots of chatting ot nice man online tonight, he finally sent me his pic and he is quite a hotty!! A lawyer and the right kind of age, so we shall see, perhaps this coffee/drink date will come off.

Pud was some lime jelly, and then a fabby "toffee apple" some baked apple with raisin and pecans and toffee yoghurt. Diiiiiiiiiivine.

Probably have a tea or coffee later maybe a shake instead, but not sure.

Whilst at the shops today, got various types of bread to try, figured I can always give it away, or pop what we dont use into the freezer. Not quite sure what I want to try first, bagel, wrap, pita or bread. Also found some BGTY naans, which might be nice with some curry later in the week. What I really must try is toast, see what that does for me being my previously favourite food.

So all ready for the week ahead. Have only had cheese 3 days of this week, and as lovely as it was, I feel no great urge to have it every day. Let's hope the same happens to me with bread :)

OOOOH before I forget, the other most exciting news of the day for those of you following the Miss Lily story, her little companion child was born today. 2 little girls in the litter, one Oriental chocolate torbie (a spotted tortie) and one oriental black tortie. They have been named after the Bronte sisters, so are Emily (chocolate) and Charlotte (black). I really do love the thought of a chocolate torbie, and the name, which is the same as my sisters feels like a sign. So will be popping out for a visit in the next week or 2 to see them. I guess I really cannot decide which baby is coming home with us. Emily (the sister) is also having a look at a lovely little oriental red boy called Chai. This might be a 3 cat household which was always the plan!!

Have a great week everyone.

Jez
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Jez, I used to do the same thing with toast. In fact I worked with someone who cut out bread from her diet and I remember I could not contemplate a lunch without bread of some sort. However, mostly I'd be so lazy that I'd have plain toast with maybe a bit of tomato for lunch. Hardly appealing and actually more calories than any lunch I've had since RTM, though now my lunches really are fab so I can honestly say I don't miss bread. I've had it occasionally but make sure it's wholemeal, same as the pitta, wraps etc.

Have a good week...:D
 
wow jez i must say you live a hectic life, dinner for hundreds impressive i must say :)
and some of your meal ideas sound divine
 
Oh Jez - how lovely to know the new kittens have arrived safely. Three cats will be lovely, but two Emily's may be confusing? I must google the cat breed as I'm not sure I have ever seen one.

Your recipes continue to inspire me, for which I am very appreciative.

It's also good to hear you had some r&r for once. I love reading too and often read late into the night if I have a particularly stimulating story to hand. xx
 
Orientals are self coloured siamese, so all the body, shape etc and personality of siamese but without the points. So a tortie is really a calico cat that is siamese, a torbie is a tortie tabby but siamese.

Found this pic on the net, this cat has the most awesome ears, she is a black torbie, Emily who's name will change, but to what I am not sure yet, is a chocolate so will be paler a milk chocolate as opposed a dark!! I am sooo excited.

Ken 400 is big enough but the big ones are things like polo which is over 1000 and obviously my very biggie every year which is the Brits which can go up to 5000!! Think of me in Feb :)

Jez
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Great to hear you had a great lazy day Jez. I do love lazy days and enjoyed mine today!

Looking forward to hearing more about hotty man and Ms Lily's lil friend! All very exciting stuff.

Have a good day tomorrow. Sounds like it will be a busy one!

Kat xx
 
RTM Day 71 (Week 11)

Well week 11 is upon us at last, the bread week. This btw will be a very quick post as we have just got in from the event for 400, for the obesity forum!! Sadly they did not end up going with my low cal, meal :( But it was interesting to listen in on all the medical stuff.

Breakfast at 10 of porridge with banana, spoon of berry compote, raisins and spoon of vanilla yoghurt.

Lunch was long planned for and omg it was amazing,so far no ill effects either. A soft wholemeal bap, with lean bacon, egg, tomato and portobello mushroom. I cannot explain just how nice it was. I was really worried the bread would make me feel awful but so far nothing. At about 6pm half a plum and a strawberry jelly. We took dinner along to the event so sat down before service and had some gorgeous chicken, with balsamic roast root veggies and spoonful of cous cous and a spoonful of tagine sauce. It was gorgeous but I am now so full I doubt I can fit anything else in. 3 cups of coffee with milk today, well 2 coffee one tea. Not a lot else to write , well I could go on about the bread and all it's lovliness, but I shan't and wait until tomorrow to go into more detail.

Kittens are doing so well, so cannot wait to go and see them in a few weeks time so I can choose.

More tomorrow

Jez
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:) Sounds wonderful Jezzy with the kittens - it's nice to know you're a devout cat-lover (like me)!
But are you buying them from a dealer? Or a friend? Pedigree bred cats often can have genetic problems because the genetic pool is so limited, so they are prone to have defects, health issues, that may not be so obvious... so I would urge you to neuter yours for that reason.
... I come from a very strong animal charity background (from growing up...) so ... I find such things iffy especially when there are so many cats in desperate need of homes as well. I myself have a wonderful kitty who would have been put to sleep if no one took him (his face twitches for no real reason, he had wonky legs as a kitten, and he is FIV positive). His story begun inside a box carried around by some chavs who were going to throw him into a dumpster to be crushed by the bin men. He is a pedigree who was obviously bred for it, but didn't make the "grade" to sell. His (aids) status is because with such a limited pool of these cats around, it gets bred into them. ...

Meh... Makes me sad. :(
 
Jezz, they are beautiful - I know it is not what you had intended - but adopted kids are as important as born kids. :D ;)

If everyone neutered their animals because they "might" have health problems due to a "smaller genetic pool", then the situation will only get worse until that breed is extinct.

Responsible pet ownership does not necisarily mean instant neutering. I know you mean well Min. But personally I have always believed having an animal neutered or spayed is a pretty individual and personal choice. :)

We are a rescue family as well - 7 of the 9 cats we have had in the last 8 years are rescues. But I wish my little guy Monet and My gal Vincent had not been neutered/spayed. Would have loved to have one of thei babes, for the same reasons you did Jez....to always have one of their line with me always.

Its such a personal choice, when to neuter an animal. Certainly not the first thought you want to have when you bring the little mites home!! PLenty of time to think about that after weeks and months of oooooing and ahhhhhhhing. :D
 
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In my opinion it gives them a less stressful life to be neutered, and I have seen the effects of both. ... And I guess I just don't agree in supporting purposeful Pedigree breeding (by buying them, therefore creating a demand) because almost all purposefully bred Pedigrees that I've seen have had terrible problems.
But that's my personal opinion... Everyone has their own, I guess we'll all have to agree to disagree. :)


As for food-wise, I'm glad you enjoyed your wholemeal bap! Never feel forced to follow RTM completely "by the book" I remember, I did my own slower version of RTM, and introduced certain foods only when ready and at my own pace. :) However, you seem quite happy, so I'm not too worried. ;)
Cous cous is wonderful isn't it! I swear I live on the stuff. Lol. Well, only 25g (dry) weight at a time - so it's not much, but fills me up ever so nicely. I find with carbs, always less is more!
Ryvitas are also absolutely divine instead of a slice of bread - a slice of Wholegrain Rye Ryvita with a big warm wintery soup is soooo delicious. Mmmmm... Definitely hits the spot. :D
 
Sounds fab jez :)
so what made
you get into the catering business
 
In my opinion it gives them a less stressful life to be neutered, and I have seen the effects of both. ... And I guess I just don't agree in supporting purposeful Pedigree breeding (by buying them, therefore creating a demand) because almost all purposefully bred Pedigrees that I've seen have had terrible problems.
But that's my personal opinion... Everyone has their own, I guess we'll all have to agree to disagree. :)

Just to be clear, I don;t disagree with neurtering or spaying - absolutely agree when the time is right, it is the responsible thing to do - its just not the FIRST thing I do when I get an animal - I need time to know if I want one of its offspring, etc.

What I would like to see happen - becuase I do appreciate pedigree animals, and why people wan't them - and I have no problem with that at all. That is how the lines stay pure, which is essential in the big wide world of animal preservation. But, there are some things I would like to see happen.

I don;t think you have to have a dog license here in the UK, do you? (I find it funny - you need a license to watch TV but any bugger can have a dog...) :D

In the states, or at least California, you have to pay for a license per dog, in order to keep a dog. Its not bank breaking, but it is not cheap either.

I would like to see breeders have to pay for a license. It is not the act of breeding pedigrees that cause the problem - it is the act of irresponsible breeding, generally fueled by greed. People do not take it seriously enough and start breeding in and among the same line - and thats where things go wrong. ANd they do that because its easy, its quick, its cheap - and the turn around is cash in their pockets.

But if they are responsible, and bred properly, a pedigree animal can be as healthy as a non-pedigree.

But unfortunately, the irresponsible have seemed to give the whole thing a bad name.

ANyway, as you say, to each their own. JUst wanted to say I understoof where you were coming from and to a certain degree, agree with it. :)

Sorry for the hijack Jez! ;)
 
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