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Paris Losers
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I make kick-ass (vegetarian) chili. And that is what I am making for dinner tonight. Will post the recipe if anyone's interested...
KO - Yeah, pumpkins are hard to find here so I use butternut squash. I'm gonna post a recipe because it's low fat and very hearty. The amounts change each time but use your own judgement and tastebuds for ratios.
1 * pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cubed; 1-2 onions, diced; 5-6 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste), end cut off but leave the skin on so it doesn't burn; 3-4 cms of fresh ginger, peel and roughly chop (not too small); ground pepper, chilli powder, cumin, tumeric to taste.
Put it all in a roasting dish, lightly coat with olive oil, use a spoon or your hands to make sure everything is coated in oil. Now into the oven at roasting temp (160-180 ish). Stir a couple of times and cook until the pumpkin and onions are soft (approx 45 mins - 1hr). Wait until it cools or do straight away. Remove the garlic skins. Put it all in a blender/bowl, add some boiling water to the roasting pan to get all the flavour out, then add this to the blender/bowl. Wizz it all up, adding water to get a consistency you like and done. To increase the protien content add cheese and/or bacon pieces & fresh chilli (rather than powder above). Makes about 3 portions depending on the size of your squash.
Definitely.
I'm a fussy bugger with meat. Will eat steak tartare, all manner of offal etc but if I find a piece of bone or gristle in mince/sausage I want to hurl. That means to make chilli con carne I have to mince 'pure' beef hence i can't be bothered doing it often.
Vegetables, on the other hand, I will happily eat any of. Except runner beans. Obviously.
Yo' the (wo) man!Will give this a whirl too. Sometimes make soup with BNS/sweet potato/carrots that's similar but not roasted first so probably doesn't have as rich, sweet intense flavour?
Sometimes roast BNS that way (with skins on and with cumin, cinamon and chilli powder) and its gorgeous. Love the texture of the skin after roasting.
Bit high calorie now but not bad.
I've just been out on my bike. 450 beautiful calories that I can now eat....I am *so* happy.
ATM, you rock....
Vegetarian Chili (makes a ton, and is really filling from the beans + bulgur or brown rice):
1 tbsp olive oil1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, diced (if you can’t find jalapeños, just use hot green or red chilies)
2 tbsp chili powder (NOT chili pepper! if you can't find chili powder, see below)*
2 400g (14oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 400g (14oz) cans kidney beans (or use 1 can kidney beans + 1 can black beans)
1 cup corn kernels
1 tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup bulgur wheat or brown rice (120ml volume)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (60ml volume)
*If you can’t find Chili Powder, then add extra 1-1.5 tbs. ground cumin, .5 tsp. each oregano + basil, and cayenne pepper to taste)
Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots and garlic; sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add peppers, jalapenos, and chili powder; cook another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans (with liquid!), corn, salt and spices. Bring to a boil. Stir in bulgur or rice. Cover and simmer at least 50 minutes until the bulgur/brown rice is cooked through, stirring occasionally to scrape bulgur or brown rice from settling on bottom. (You may have to add a bit of extra water if using brown rice—maybe 1/3 cup100ml?). Just as you’re taking the chili off the heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar (it really adds an extra layer of flavor).
Serve with yellow or blue corn tortilla chips, sour cream/Greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, and/or sliced hot Italian sausage. (Or, if you’re like me and love insanely spicy food, extra jalapeño slices and Tabasco sauce.)
I ask because I cycled 18 miles in an hour yesterday, but the evil machine said I only burned I think 305 calories?!?
It's on my list for the next few days.
So far so good today, doing a bit of exercise definitely makes it easier.
Ugh. It was going better today with food choices (banana + apple + pb for breakfast, tomato soup + vanilla soy yogurt for lunch), and I was going to make veggie chili for dinner, then... *CRASH*. Invite to my brother's wedding arrived from the U.S. addressed to me + ex. So I had to RSVP for me alone. I haven't really told my family yet (I guess hoping that things would get worked out... I didn't tell my parents anything in Paris, and haven't talked much to them since because of feeling like ass all the time and not wanting to lie about anything to them...).
I don't want to have a birthday. There's nothing to frakkin' celebrate about getting old and being unattractive and alone. Two of my girlfriends are taking me out and I told them: no dessert.
I went and got my tattoo, then... takeout. I did make a healthy decision by having a portobello mushroom burger, but I caved and got an order of small fries. Oh well.
Cycling + cross training day tomorrow. And my birthday.
So. That was today. Can I go to bed already and just sleep through tomorrow?!?
You're going to feel knocked back by things like that for a while....try to not beat yourself up when it does. One day something will happen and after a while you'll realise you feel ok about it - you just want that time to be right now!
Getting older is good. I absolutely loved hitting 40 last year - truly (and yes I know you're nowhere near that yet!). The older I get, the more I like myself. As for being unattractive, well I could tell you you're lovely until I'm blue in the face but at the moment you don't believe it. Fries won't change that, but if they tasted good then what the hell, the world isn't going to end.
Tomorrow you have two friends who sound like they love you, care about you having a nice birthday and don't think you're so hideous that they can't be seen in public with you, taking you out. Enjoy it. have dessert. You can burn it off on Friday
Want some solutions? Take a good friend to the wedding. You're first line family so should get a pass to. I did that at my brother's wedding and had an awesome time. She now understands my circumstances/madness way better...I'm the normalish one.
For your birthday alone...it sucks but do something for you. Is there anything or a place that you've wanted to visit but couldn't because of BF? What about a facial, box set of grey anatomy etc? whoops just read the rest of your post...GO MAD at dinner with your friends. 80/20 rule. Be good 80% of the time and the other 20% you can be a little bad
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! It's YOUR day! If some stupid phucker that's too crap to know what he's lost rains on it ignore him. Pass on by.
What was the tattoo Kate?
Sal's right about the doing something for you. I don't bother a whole lot about my birthday but I do usually get an urge to do something, whether its a tip to the gym and something to eat in the restaurant after, heading up a hill in the dales or whatever.
Decent day for me, aided and abetted (is that how you spell abetted?) by a short run. That really does help.
Forgot that I hadn't told my why. Here it is:
During training for Paris I wasn't working so could focus on what I was eating and did all the training etc. So I lost about a stone which I am very pleased about, me smug...nevaaaa. Didn't lose anything for the first two marathons, even though I thought I was being goodish. BUT am now going back to work (long hours, no time to get food let alone cook it and there will be stress) and as far as running goes it'll be hard to get in the training.
I REALLY don't want to put any back on and want to keep losing (another 5 kgs at least), will put BMI (not that I think it's that accurate) in better range, reduce the wobble when I run and I should get SPEEEED. So I'm hoping all your tales of goodness and slips will help me to keep making good choices. 
Also means if I am encouraging others I'm more likely to be good and take my own advice...hopefully. 
Yer_maj: Must be the outdoors--you probably get a far more challenging workout.
Thanks!
And, per your absolution, I will have dessert.
RS: Great solutions! I'm in the wedding (bridesmaid), so it's probably for the absolute best that I don't have a date. But you raise a good point: I have an awesome friend who I haven't seen since the last time I was in the U.S., so maybe he can go with me! Perfect excuse to catch up. THANKS!
And to this:
Okay, so I literally fell off a chair laughing: Never say, "What about a facial?" to someone who lives in Amsterdam. You'll see what I mean in a few months. Inadvertently, you offered me the best laugh I've had in a few days, so thank you. I totally needed that!KO - being a bridesmaid is brilliant fun! I'd probably not take you mate though but it depends on the timetable/set-up of the wedding. He won't want to be hanging around while you girls are getting ready or come to the ceremony with the wedding party so will have to turn up on his lonesome. Then you'll all probably go for photos so he's left by himself...then at the reception you might be on a separate table so he'd be left on a randoms table. If the wedding party is mixed up across other tables though, it'd be great fun. I may be a far too experienced bridesmaid but I love it. You get all the fun bits without having the stress the bride does. You don't even have to pick an outfit and hope it's okay. If it's crap you can blame the bride (out of earshot though) your only job is to keep her happy and calm. (easy for some but a right laugh for others).
so a facial isn't a facial in amsterdam...I wonder what it is
Think I've got a pretty good idea.
Now then, this chapter and life behind where you should be. Where "should" you be? Says whom??
Bullseye.
My guess is it's an item of jewellery.
Not exactly sure what but something a bit higher up than a pearl necklace.
K - a very very happy b'day for tomorrow, am in agreement with DLR, I never tend to do much for mine (but then sulk like hell when no-one else bothers either!) do what YOU would like to do, eat your pud, have a glass of wine and enjoy yourself; there's nothing worse than depriving yourself, you'll only feel worse after.
Had a good day yesterday (i.e. no desperate glass of wine on return from work) and felt so much better for it but boss is driving me nuts tonight so have had a glass of wine or 3...
. Have got a big training session tomorrow night though so will hopefully burn it all off.
Has anyone every had any allergy/food intolerance testing done.. I'm wondering whether or not I should get it done - having had my gallbladder removed 18 months ago after a rapid weightloss and lots of pain, it has made no difference whatsoever; have been in agony since Sunday - I had eggs, baked, wrapped in bacon so not hugely fatty but clearly did something wrong. I know I should probably try and eliminate things - coffee, dairy, wine etc but would rather someone just waved a magic wand and told me instantly what I can't eat. Oh, and major confession.... I really need to stop smoking; DLR, any wise words to help me quit? Only time I have stopped is when I have been pregnant, I have the worst willpower in the world...
That's rather what I thought - it'll take me forever to eliminate things but there seems to be a huge difference between 'allergy' and 'intolerance' but I can't quite face cutting out my coffee just yet - i have tried soya milk and hated it, I think the dairy is the worst culprit for me. I've got a million pro/pre biotics, powders, supplements etc sitting in the cupboard so might try those for a bit and see what happens.
Just had a bit of retail therapy
happy words