NS February 20th, 2008
I found some American processed cheese slices in Tesco last week which allowed me to have the delicious lunch I just consumed — grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of vegetable soup. Nothing says ‘home’ and ‘love’ like yellow rubber cheese. I feel happy now.
NS January 18th, 2008
My mother-in-law bought me two jars of baby dill pickles and five Whatchamacallit chocolate bars — possibly two of my favourite things on Earth. She handed them over at 5pm yesterday and by noon today, the first jar was gone. In my defense, the first jar always goes fast and TNC helped me out quite a bit. That girl is a pickle freak too, just like her mama.
I haven’t started on the Whatchamacallits yet but I’m sure there won’t be much left of them in a few days. Thank god I’m not dieting this January.
NS November 22nd, 2007
It’s Thanksgiving, for you non-Americans who may not have realised. So time for the four Fs — food, family, friends and football. And that means I have spent the day preparing, shopping and cleaning. Oddly enough though, not cooking. Jen has taken on head chef responsibilities so I’m the sous bitch and merely have to help chop, stir, do washing up and whatever else she tells me to do. Yes, drill sergeant!
Many Brits don’t get what Thanksgiving is about (not that they have a reason to) and some think it’s like the American version of Christmas with gifts given or some kind of religious affiliation. But that’s the beauty of Turkey Day. It’s purely about being together with people you care about, eating lovely food and being thankful for all that you’ve got. And right now, I’m feeling pretty damn blessed.
NS October 23rd, 2007
My mother-in-law had Noble Child over at her house today so I could get some things done — more painting (nearly there!), shopping for the party, laundry and just chilling out. I did my household stuff, had a late lunch and then went shopping for various party items. I had an hour and a half left after all of that was finished so I bought a paper and headed to Costa for a cinnamon latte, a brownie and the sweet bliss of silence.
After I had paid and was gathering my things from the counter, the guy behind me, who had obviously just been either jogging or working out in a gym, gave me a strange look and nodded towards my brownie. I glanced down, afraid it had a hair on it or was slipping off of my plate, but it seemed perfectly normal to me. I gave him a questioning look and he just raised his eyebrow and smirked. Then he said something that, had I not been in a fairly good mood, I might have throttled him for. He actually dared to say “There’s a lot of calories in those things, you know.”
What. the. fuck, dude?! He did NOT just say that. Mmm mm. No he didn’t!
Oh, but he did. Freakin’ crazy gym-loving, chai-latte-ordering, sanctimonious bastard. Who the hell is he to a) inform me of something I ALREADY KNOW and b) trying to make me feel guilty or himself smug about it? I thought, for one split second, about saying something really nasty and in a loud voice to try to humiliate him but part of my new anger management thing is to try to let things roll off my back and not get all steamed up. So I just smiled sweetly and said “I know, that’s why they’re so good,” and walked away.
Anger: 0, Noble Savage: 1
I just hope I don’t run into him in a dark alley on the day I decide to relapse.
NS September 10th, 2007
P is out tonight so I made dinner for myself. The kiddo went to bed early since she didn’t take an afternoon nap, so I poured a glass of wine, put on some Frou Frou and started making a meal that was very simple but so good. Penne puttanesca with garlic, capers and anchovies and a salad consisting of fresh spinach leaves, walnut pieces, crumbled stilton cheese and strawberries with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. Not bad for a solo dinner, if I do say so myself. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to also have a cup of tea and whatever remains from Saturday night’s pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
There is just something so satisfying about a good meal, isn’t there? This is why I find ‘dieting’ difficult. Food is a real source of joy to me and I’m just miserable when I try to subsist on salads, water and fruit. I love all three of those things but I also love my real, filling, hearty meals and favorite snacks. But alas, I really need to get out of this mentality if I’m going to lose weight. I really, really want to lose at least 10 lbs and possibly up to 15. I don’t hate my body (I just have too much self-esteem for that, I guess) and I definitely feel sexy a lot, but when I’m naked and look down at my body and that ‘baby shelf’ of fat around my midsection that just won’t shift and that juts out, soft and jelly-like, in my full-length profile. I want to say goodbye to it, and to the increased risk of heart disease and diabetes that I incur while it sits there.
I’m not making promises because I’m still not sure how I feel about ‘dieting’ and if I’m ready to say goodbye to cheese, popcorn, ice cream, et al, but I definitely want to try. I have a smoothie already made in the fridge for my snack tomorrow, so we’ll see how that goes.
Wish me luck! And please refrain from mentioning Kit Kats.
 |
 |