Tweak week 3: Recipe Help

Your MTM...

… and recipe help

Your MTM this week is quite light compared to the previous two.

First up your Pulled Chicken – prep and leave it to do its magic in the slow cooker.

Pulled Chicken

4 large chicken breasts

2 tbsp Worcester sauce

½ tsp chilli

pinch of cayenne

250ml tomato ketchup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsps lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed or 1 tsp garlic paste

125ml maple syrup

Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker – low setting. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix until well blended.

Pour over the chicken and cook for 6 hours. Shred with two forks and cook for a further 30 minutes.

A healthy accompaniment would be rice – try and steer clear of bread but if you must indulge have a warmed pitta, split and filled with the chicken, the raw slaw base and use some of the remaining marinade drizzled over the slaw. Reserve the remaining marinade and “fridge”.

As usual pop your jacket potatoes into the oven to bake – bearing in mind that you'll need extra to cover your Spie this week.

Whatever vegetables you've on your shopping list don't forget to include extra for your stir fry. The marinade from the pulled chicken is great flavour to toss through it for 2/3 minutes just before serving. Don't forget that if you want noodles, use the nests that are quick and easy. A great store cupboard addition for a stir fry is a can of water chestnuts - crunch and texture both.

Couscous is very easy to prepare – select the required weight, add boiling water, mix well, cover and allow the water to be absorbed for 5 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and it's ready – how plain and tasteless is that! Couscous is durum wheat semolina and, like any staple, rice, potatoes blah, blah, it's what you put with the staple that gives it its flavour. I would use stock instead of water – a great base and you can tailor it to suit vegetarians or meat eaters.

If you've got a surfeit of fresh herbs that need using up here's the perfect vehicle, along with any leftover roasted vegetables.

Use Middle Eastern spices like a pinch of cinnamon or a larger pinch of cumin. Try sumac or ras el hanout which is a blend of spices - fried with a drop of rapeseed oil to release their flavour and then add onions, garlic and sliced mushrooms too. Add to your fluffed up couscous.

Add a preserved lemon for extra zing. Rinse the lemon, scoop out and discard the pulp and finely slice it.

Add a can of chick peas along with some roasted pine nuts.

If you are a fruit lover throw in a handful of pomegranate seeds, chop some ready to eat dried apricots and/or a handful of sultanas.

If you don't want wholly vegetarian, you could add a baked salmon fillet.

Just a few ideas for you!

Your Spie base is quick and easy – prep in a frying pan on the hob. When the base is ready, tip it into your trusty foil tray – you could do individual portions or a whole – individual portions would be less faffing around – Thursday lunch is then ready to go.

Oh and just in case you thought I'd forgotten – if you are really committed to tweaking you will of course be omitting the butter and grated cheese topping from the Spie – nice try!

The filling for your baked jacket potato is :

Sumac-roasted Tomatoes

6 ripe tomatoes

salt and black pepper

light sprinkling of molasses sugar

olive oil

1 tbsp sumac

sprigs of thyme, leaves only

Pre-heat oven 140 fan/160c/gas mark 2.

Cut the tomatoes in half and place on a baking try. Season with salt and pepper, add a light sprinkling of sugar. Drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with the sumac and thyme leaves.

Slow-roast the tomatoes until soft and beginning to caramelise, about 20-30 minutes.

Serve with crumbled feta cheese.

I take no credit for this recipe – it came from Laura Santtini's book Flash Cooking (Fit Fast Flavours for Busy People) – a great addition to your bookshelf.

Waxing lyrical on ratatouille – have a look at the following post.

Respect the Ratatouille!

There are definitely different schools of thought on how to cook a ratatouille. There is the “chuck it all in approach” which I think is where I must have gotten my first impression of the dish – as a bowl of unappetising mush – or – you can take some care and respect the ratatouille.

Cook the onions, garlic and peppers and then add the tomatoes to make your base sauce. Cook the aubergines and the courgettes separately so that each retains its own flavour.

This dish originates from the Provence region in France and quite simply is a vegetarian stew.

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

3 large red peppers, de-seeded and chopped

3 garlic cloves crushed or 3 tsps garlic paste

450g courgettes chopped into even pieces

450g aubergines chopped into even pieces

700g chopped tomatoes

salt and black pepper

miso paste – optional

dash of Worcestershire sauce

Large pinch of Herbes de Provence

Herbes de Provence are an absolute must and so called because they are a mixture of herbs typical of the region, i.e. savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme or oregano.

For added flavour try miso paste – as a guide 1 tsp of paste to 8fl oz/225ml of liquid.

Monday supper suggests an omelette with your ratatouille – might sound a little unusual – give it a go – lovely stuff and versatile too.

The E word

Two weeks in to our tweaking – now I have to break it to you that you'll feel even better if you include some exercise in your new routine.

I can hear your howling protests. Give me a chance - I'm not recommending you sign up for a marathon!

I'm sure you think that exercise has nothing to do with a food blog – totally beyond the remit. Erm, there is a connection and I would be remiss if I didn't plant a few ideas – the tweaking and the E word are a great combination if you can find the right recipe for you – sorry!

It's the same principle mentioned in Lets begin .... Choose an activity that you'll enjoy and suits your timetable.

Stating the obvious I know, but wherever possible during your day, walk when you can (briskly) and as often as you can. If you normally take a lift take the stairs – obviously if your office is on the 10^th floor or higher don't do it – but you could walk up a couple of floors.

Walk the dog further – if you don't have a dog you could always borrow one! Every effort counts, no matter how small.

Make sure you're wearing the right kit for the job. Your best stilettos aren't advisable for a brisk walk.

If you are considering taking exercise in the way of a class there are all sorts to choose from that don't involve an expensive gym membership.

Check out a Pilates class – the best ever for posture and creaking bits and pieces and the least impact. 20 years on and I would never give it up.

Dancing – whatever sort – if you love music and dancing why not. It's also possible these days to do a class like Zumba, which includes both. If you think you can't do a dance class because you need a partner – wrong – try line dancing.

However it's no good signing up for any class if you can't fit it in to your daily schedule relatively easily, so think about what time of day suits you and proximity to work or home – you'll be more likely to stick with it if it's convenient and doesn't involve, for example, a round trip of an hour or more travelling time to get to and from said class.

Make it easy on yourself – to quote that brilliant song from 1965.

P.s. It goes without saying that if you have any health issues or concerns you should check with your Health Care Professional that you are able to embark on any exercise programme.

Tweak week 3

I'm sure that by now, after two weeks of tweaking, you're getting the gist of this and I hope that you might even have a little more “spring in your step”. Hope it's goin' good!

Tweak week 3

Pulled chicken

Spie

(Friday supper and Much Maligned Mince)

Baked jacket potatoes

Chicken stir fry with noodles

Couscous

Ratatouille

Here's the grid for this week :

Monday :        Pulled chicken              Ratatouille with an omelette

Tuesday :        Couscous                     Spie

Wednesday :   Ratatouille                    Stir fry chicken and noodles

Thursday :       Spie                             Baked jacket potato

Friday :           Couscous                     Weekend – hurray!

Remember that there are no set rules here, if you've enjoyed combinations from the previous two weeks mix it up to suit you.

Salad or Slaw – this is the question!

If you are trying out this “tweaking” lark and you're not keen on the traditional idea of salad and by that I mean greenery – it's quite expensive and has a limited lifespan – limp greenery is not nice, read on. Prepared bags of “leaves” deteriorate very quickly and it's also my experience that it's not packaged in suitable sizes. You've generally got to buy huge amounts for it to be economical and then of course you've lost the will half way through.

Here's my solution – try the “raw slaw” concept. It's better and more practical than salad that has to be “made”.

Finely slice whatever you fancy and bag it – red cabbage (or sweetheart, or white), carrots and onions. Bag each ingredient separately – red cabbage and carrots can bleed and onions will taint your other ingredients.

If you like fruit in your slaw throw a couple of handfuls of sultanas into a box (with a lid) and cover them with apple juice – leave for 2/3 hours and then drain off the apple juice – lovely plump bursts!

You can then make up your slaw as and when you need it – fresh to go with whatever you've chosen that day.

The method is easy – grab 2 handfuls of cabbage to 1 of carrots and 1 of onions as a rough guide.

Now for the dressing – you can if you wish do the low fat mayo and ditto crème fraiche – a dessertspoon of each, mixed and a slug of lemon juice. You could even add a tsp of Dijon mustard. Season with salt and black pepper a good pinch of sweet smoked paprika or chilli powder if you prefer.

The final addition is the drained sultanas and add an eating apple of your choice – the sharper flavour the better – ¼ed, cored and chopped. For another variation in texture add a handful of chopped walnuts.

If you'd like another low fat dressing choice, try this :

Pomegranate Dressing

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

juice of two limes

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Generous pinch of nigella seeds

1-2 tsps sumac

Mix all the ingredients together and keep in a screw top jar

and fridge

The raw slaw ingredients are relatively inexpensive and have a longer fridge life in addition to which because you are bagging and fridging individually in their raw state they don't deteriorate as quickly as green salad alternatives.

I'd like to bet you'll never buy ready-made coleslaw again.

Tweak week 2: Recipe Help

Your MTM….

...and recipe help

(For the uninitiated see the original Multi-Tasking Morning post!)

Pre-heat your oven to 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Make your Asian Spiced Salmon marinade and submerge your fillets – enough for a lunch and a supper – set aside.

Wrap your jacket potatoes in foil and pop into the oven.

Make your chilli and cook on the hob. The chilli is a “throw it all in” recipe and is really quick – if you're being really strict don't add the chocolate at the end of the recipe and avoid high fat sides. You could try a blob of mango chutney for a change.

Put your salmon in the oven – don't forget to set your timer.

Make your meatballs and tomato sauce. The meatball recipe is straight forward and not too time consuming. When made seal the meatballs on all sides in a frying pan with a drop of rapeseed oil – leave to cool and then “fridge” - these are then ready to use. Pop into a pre-heated oven on a baking tray for 15 minutes.

Tomato sauce – see below.

Prep your raw slaw – see separate post – Salad or Slaw.

Low fat cream cheese and cashew nut paté to go with Tuesday's lunch.

Low fat cream cheese and cashew nut paté

1 carrot, finely grated

225g low fat cream cheese

100g roasted cashew nuts, crushed to a rubble – not

to a dust!

tbsp of chopped chives

salt and black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together, box and fridge – you can if you wish use the individual baby pots if you are transporting your lunch – an ideal use. If you are feeling really virtuous have a side of raw carrot.

Prep your San Choy Bow. Have a glance at the recipe – chop your chilli, chestnut mushrooms, spring onions (sorry – salad onions – oops!) and water chestnuts. Wrap or bag as you wish. Make up your sauce mixture and that's all the advance prep done and dusted.

I realise that this MTM list looks to be out of order with the grid. I'm just making the best use of your time – your chilli is cooking whilst you're moving on to the next task and you'll not be hanging around twiddling your thumbs waiting for stuff to cook!

Tomato Sauce

If you've the time and inclination you can spend a morning making a sauce from scratch – if you'd rather not, here's a shorter route :

500g passata or the equivalent in cans of chopped tomatoes

1 medium/large onion, chopped finely

1 garlic clove crushed or tsp of garlic paste

1 tbsp of rapeseed oil

knob of butter - optional

1 vegetable stock pot and 250ml of boiling water

Good pinch of oregano or garlic Italian seasoning

salt and black pepper

1 tsp caster sugar

Melt the oil and butter in a saucepan, add the onion and fry gently until soft then add the garlic. Add the oregano or garlic Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. Then add your stock pot and boiling water so that it melts, add the tomatoes and sugar. The sugar is meant to balance out the acidity that one sometimes gets with tomatoes. Simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes. The sauce will improve with “standing” so if you want to make it a couple of days ahead and refrigerate so much the better. You can also freeze it.

N.B. If you want to add extra depth you can add a tbsp of tomato paste. I would suggest that you taste your sauce before you simmer for 20 minutes. If you add paste then the simmering process will cook it out and its important that you do this - it tastes horrid and bitter if you don't. A lot depends on personal taste and how good your tomatoes are.

A basic carton or jar of passata is not expensive, i.e. 68p for 680g.

Just before I go, consider this. Why not substitute the mince element in either the San Choy Bow or the chilli in this week's grid with the Quorn version – it's a healthier low fat option and because of the nature of these two recipes i.e. they both include lots of different flavours even if you're not a convert give it a try – you might be pleasantly surprised!

Tweak week 2

I hope you found the first tweak week's suggestions helpful and that you are feeling better. Regaining control after all that mayhem leading up to the holidays is empowering, me thinks! Anyway I digress – if you're up for it here's another week with another lunch and supper grid.

Tweak week 2

San Choy Bow

(“Culinary Lucky Dip”)

Meatballs and tomato sauce

(“Saturday night slob”)

Asian Spiced Salmon

(“Life with GOM: Chapter two”)

Baked jacket potatoes

Winter coleslaw

Chilli

(“Saturday Supper with Strictly”)

Monday :       Asian Spiced Salmon                     San Choy Bow

Tuesday :      Rice cakes with Cream                  Meatballs in tomato sauce

                      cheese & cashew nut paté             with rice or spaghetti

Wednesday :  San Choy Bow                               Chilli

Thursday :     Meatballs                                       Baked jacket potato with Asian Spiced Salmon

                                                                              and Winter coleslaw

Friday :          Chilli                                            Weekend – hurray!

By the way – are you a cabbage fan but don't like it boiled to within an inch of its life – try this :

A sweetheart cabbage

(or a Savoy)

2 carrots

1 medium onion

1 pepper

all finely sliced

plus any other stray vegetables that you've

got in your fridge – again finely sliced

heat a glug of rapeseed oil in your wok until hot

throw (not literally) in all the above and

stir fry – add a tsp of garlic paste if you feel

inclined

season with sea salt and black pepper

keep it moving for 2/3 minutes

add a slug of Balsamic vinegar and

a slug of dark soy sauce

keep it moving for another minute ensuring

that all the veggies are coated

Serve straight away

It just so happened that I had a sweetheart cabbage in my fridge last week and this is what happened to it – there wasn't a scrap left!

… and another thing

Remember the suggestion sprinkling bran flakes on top of fruit and yogurt for breakfast – I thought you might be interested to know that you can get spelt flakes too. They are expensive - £3.86 for 375g but I suppose you're not using a large amount per breakfast so you might consider it worthwhile.

“Doves Farm” make a healthy range of flapjacks – useful for “on the go” and stashing in the car/about your person for emergency purposes - gluten free too.

I know I've mentioned “Mrs. Crimble” products previously but – did you know there is a range of gluten free snacks – both sweet and savoury.

“Nairn's” make a whole range of products but they are probably most famous for their oatcakes. They also produce gluten free cheese oatcakes. If you get fed up with rice cakes and feel like a change these little gems are well worth keeping in your pantry/emergency/on the go stash. You get 3 packets of oatcakes, each containing 5, per box. It's true that gluten free products are more expensive but this is one I believe is worth it.

My final snack tip (for the moment) I found in Home Bargains, one of the cheaper “bargain” stores if you get my drift. Rice Thins are made by Rice snax. Suitable for vegetarians and gluten free. Available in different flavours – sour cream and onion, salt & vinegar to name but two. Another handy store cupboard item. Thought you might like to see a photo

I'm sure that there will be more stuff to add to this list – it's a work in progress!

Tweak sweet!

For those with a sweet tooth and needing a sweet hit after lunch or supper there are loads of choices :

if biscuits are your thing, you can buy sweet

flavoured rice cakes – I mentioned the brand

Kallo – they have a blueberry and vanilla

version as well as caramel

check out what fresh fruit is in season or,

what is on offer or reasonably priced – prepare

ahead, box and fridge, then you're ready to roll

check out the frozen fruits, these days you can

get pretty much anything you like

if using frozen fruit, defrosted, use the juice

from it to drizzle over frozen yogurt

if you are a jelly person, there are sugar free

versions out there – add frozen fruits to the

jelly

check out frozen yogurt - “Yoo Moo” make

vanilla and cherry to name but two – there are

other brands out there

of the non frozen variety check out “The Collective Dairy”

range of yogurts – loads of different flavours

plus “Straight up” in other words plain and

simple

“Skyr” produces a fat free, reduced sugar

high protein yogurt – honey and strawberry flavours

A small tip – low fat usually means high sugar so check the labels.

Another small tip – check out the baby aisle for individual pots. You can make your jellies in these dinky little pots. They are well made with lids that fit – perfect for travel and safe for the dishwasher. They also come in fab colours – have a look at the photo.

How cool are they!

Tweak week 1...

….recipe help

Take a look at the Nasi Goreng recipe (Culinary Lucky Dip) and you'll see there's very little to prepare for Monday supper. You don't have to make the omelette top. You can use microwave rice. Put your prawns in a sealed container in the fridge on Sunday to defrost in time for use on Monday evening.

Smoke the chicken fillets – poach them in chicken stock for 6/7 minutes and allow them to cool in the stock. The smoked chicken fillets should be small – set your timer and leave to their own devices! When you are smoking your chicken fillets include the extra 175g to include in the Nasi Goreng.

The soup really is straight forward and can be on the hob simmering whilst you are moving on to make your paté.

I've said baked jacket potatoes plural, since you may be serving more than one person in your new “tweak week”. Wrap the required number in foil and bake whilst your oven is on.

For the potato filling :

120g approx tin of tuna in sunflower oil

sweetcorn

one red onion, chopped finely

one tsp garlic paste

pinch of chilli

salt and black pepper

malt vinegar

1 tsp creamed horseradish

Flake the tuna using a drop of the sunflower oil. If you are using tuna already drained then use a drop of rapeseed oil. Add malt vinegar, season and add the remaining ingredients, mix well.

Roast your beetroot in your trusted foil tray.

The Squashed does take some boring slicing and dicing but it's not too bad – if you're feeling adventurous peel and dice a small bunch of beetroot into small cubes and add to the recipe – it's not compulsory – just a thought. If you can't be bothered to prep the bunch of beetroot then buy vac packed organic beetroot – cube it and add it when the Squashed vegetables are cooked.

The tweak sheet

Tweak week 1

Nasi Goreng

Carrot, coriander and chick pea soup

Smoked mackerel paté

Baked jacket potatoes

Smoked chicken fillets and Squashed!

Tweak week 2

San Choy Bow

Meatballs and tomato sauce

Asian Spiced Salmon

Baked jacket potatoes

Winter coleslaw

Chilli

Tweak week 3

Pulled chicken

Spie

Baked jacket potatoes

Chicken stir fry with noodles

Couscous

Ratatouille

… Lets do lunch – and supper too

You all know how much you multi-task, juggle balls in the air, split atoms – any of the above - indeed my second post was called Multi-tasking Morning (MTM). So, I am taking for granted that things haven't changed too much and you still spend some time in the kitchen at the weekend so here's another MTM for you, not too tasking I hope you'll agree!

Your MTM list :

Tweak week 1

Nasi Goreng

(“Culinary Lucky Dip”)

Carrot, coriander and chick pea soup

(“Thoroughly Thrifty Thursday”)

Smoked mackerel paté

(“Canapés”)

Baked jacket potatoes

Honey roasted beetroot

(“Kitchen investments and Wednesday supper”)

Smoked chicken fillets and Squashed!

(“By the way”)

Gives you lunches and suppers for your first 4½ days :

Monday:         CCC soup                                          Nasi Goreng

Tuesday:        Paté and rice cakes                           CCC soup & dumplings

Wednesday:   Nasi Goreng                                      Smoked chicken & Squashed!

Thursday:     Jacket potato                                     Paté and pasta

                      & tuna filling

Friday:        Smoked chicken                                 Weekend – hurray!

                     & Squashed!

In an office it really depends on variables – do you have your own office or are you sharing space with others – what sort of facilities are available - a microwave would be very helpful!

Home based is easier in some ways in that you have access to your own kitchen. In other ways it's more difficult – by that I mean that you won't give yourself any time off, so, work as if you were in an office and take an hour!

That's your first tweak week options - have a look at the tweak sheet in the following posts, there's more!

Neat pieces of kit

I would never recommend spending dosh unless I felt it was worthwhile and good value.

Here are three pieces of kit that are worth a look.

Treat yourself to a posh water bottle – a filter version is also available – portable, cheaper than buying small bottles of water on the run. I've said previously very often we mistake hunger with being dehydrated. What is also true is that if you have a bottle of water with you - you can take a slug or two and it becomes a really good habit.

Whichever of the work/life categories you fall into the water bottle is a must for everyone.

Treat yourself to a soup mug – if you're a soup lover, or casserole for that matter, have a look at Sistema mugs. I've attached a photo to illustrate. These mugs are easy to source. They come in fab colours and, as you can see from the lid they have really tough clips to secure properly and a microwave vent that is easy to use. You can freeze your soup in the mugs if you wish, so it's a “pull from the freezer” and go!

Crock-Pot Food Warmer Lunchbox – this “does exactly what it says on the tin” – in other words you can re-heat home cooked food. It holds 600ml of food – enough for one person. Have a look at the photo. It has a travel lid and a handle. Plug the lunchbox in when you arrive at work – hot lunch will be ready and there are no food aromas driving your work colleagues crazy. The inner pot removes for easy dish washing. Now for the good bit - £24.99 – I bought one for a Christmas gift and was so impressed with it I ordered one for myself. I don't think it matters whether you use this at the office or at home – it still saves time, effort and money.

… and your stall out!

How much coffee or tea do you consume – how much sugar do you take? Boot camp this is not – whatever your intake try and halve it or at least reduce the number of cups or mugs you drink – use a smaller one. Whilst this suggestion might sound ridiculously simple it all helps.

These days there are all sorts of fancy herbal/fruit teas if that's your bag. Me, I'd rather drink water – don't think me virtuous – I'm not remotely civil until I've had two small mugs of strong coffee in the morning - try anything more complicated than “good morning” at your peril!

Unless there's a good reason I don't drink tea or coffee after 12 noon – water only, until the sun goes down – metaphorically speaking I mean – I'm not suggesting I hit the bottle at 4pm!

If you have a problem with drinking straight water then buy Hi Juice low sugar cordial to add some flavour.. If you have to commute to your office you can buy tiny bottles of cordial which stash very conveniently in the portmanteau or briefcase you carry.

Alcohol has to be the top of the Achilles' heel list, equal probably with the other usual suspect, chocolate. Once again, only you know what you've consumed. If you're really strong willed then you won't consume any for the 4½ days and then only moderately for the remaining 2½. Set your own rules and if you like, keep a record of what you do eat and drink and then compare it with the original list you made.

The snack attack

I mentioned hunger pangs in Setting the scene – usually occurring 4pm or thereabouts.

If you must snack then think ahead and have a supply of a healthy version in your handbag, briefcase or car – by healthy I mean a small box of raisins – a handful of Brazil nuts or almonds. There are really good nutrition bars out there – have a look at Perkier – perkier.co.uk or Trek – naturalbalancefoods.co.uk. Please note - a bag of crisps – kidding yourself that because they are reduced fat it's ok – it's not! Do what you like at the weekend (within reason) but if you want this to work then you've got to play the game properly – you're only deluding yourself.

Bon chance!

Setting the scene

How snug are your jeans – this is the burning question.

The jeans – or a similar favourite piece of clothing - are the key. There's no need to bother with scales – an inanimate piece of intimidation – that sounds so weird – how can a pair of scales intimidate?

If “BC” (before Christmas) you were happy with your eating habits then it's just a matter of reverting to your previous routine. However, the brain plays tricks – very quickly we get used to all that rubbish i.e. sugar and fat and we like it. It's all the more difficult therefore to get a grip.

Have you done the dirty deed as suggested in Coming next … tweak week! And written down what you've consumed in the last week? When you read it did you think “ouch – did I really consume all that?”. I promise you that no-one can hear you so an expletive or two is permitted under the circumstances.

There ain't no magic to this – try and eat three meals a day – if you can't or you know that you're going to struggle because you've got to drive three hours for a meeting or you've got to take your child to an appointment slap bang in the middle of the day then plan for it. There are products out there that will do the job or, if you prefer and have the time to make a lunch-box either for yourself to pop into the car or for yourself and your child – make it an adventure and you get to share – it ain't rocket science, it just needs a little thought, planning and prep.

If you need any encouragement then remember you're going to be sensible for 4½ days!

A few preliminaries :

Think about your daily routine – are you :

home based

office based, commuting daily

in the car for long periods

and a few questions :

Do you eat breakfast

Do you take a lunch-break at a regular time

Do you get hunger pangs at the same time

every day – commonly referred to as a “snack attack”

That should keep you pondering for a while!

Lets begin …

Spend time choosing a breakfast, a lunch and an evening meal that fits in with your working day. Your choices need to be practical to suit you – it's no good choosing scrambled egg on a piece of toast for breakfast if you know you have to drive to the station to catch a train and are not good at getting up in any event – you'll be heading for the nearest fast food outlet before you can say “chocolate bar”.

By the same token some of us can't face eating breakfast at 6am in a hurry – then don't – choose a portable option that you can eat on the bus or train or when you arrive at the office. If you have to drive a distance then sorry – get up a little earlier so that you can eat before you leave home.

Breakfasts :

Home based

If you're at home then the world is your lobster! If you like a cooked breakfast and have the time, try good old fashioned baked beans on a thin slice of wholemeal toast – quick and easy.

You can tweak and create the “full English” by using Quorn based products like bacon or sausage, scrambled egg, mushrooms cooked in stock and grilled tomatoes.

If porridge is your bag and you make your own with either skimmed milk or water then great – if you don't like the faff check out Perkier as mentioned previously – they make porridge in conveniently sized pots, just add water.

If it's cereals that you love, Shredded Wheat or Bran Flakes are the most nutritious – try shredded wheat with warm milk and a sprinkle of sugar substitute.

Fresh fruit and plain yogurt is fab – sprinkle with Bran Flakes.

Office based – commuting

Probably the most awkward to cater for – limited space on public transport, be it bus or train. If you need or prefer to eat en route then a bar like Perkier or Trek is probably the best option. Add a piece of fruit – the banana being the original fast food cos it comes in its own wrapping.

At the office the instant porridge pot is a strong contender.

If you are a devotee of the “continental” breakfast you could make a sandwich using thin sliced wholemeal bread – cut off the crusts if you are feeling really committed. Fill this sandwich with Quorn wafer thin ham or chicken slices – no butter or spread – substitute with a trace of Branston sauce or HP or Dijon mustard or, if you're in the “love it” gang – yeast extract!

If you love fruit and grapefruit in particular, you can buy segments in juice – not syrup – ready to eat so no fuss and performance. Easily transportable in small pots.

Ditto the fresh fruit and yogurt sprinkled with Bran Flakes – note to self – keep the flakes bagged separately otherwise they'll be very soggy by the time you get to the office – yuk!

Coming next …tweak week!

I'm going to give you my two pennyworth as to how you can “tweak” and its got nothing to do with limp celery sticks and ships biscuits – in truth I have absolutely no idea what a ships biscuit tastes like but it don't sound too appealing!

The trouble with January is that it's winter-time and so with that season you want comfort and warmth – do not despair, it just takes a little planning.

The aim will be to get back into sync – you've just spent so much time food shopping for the festivities that “normal” has long since disappeared into the ether.

Part of your tweak has to be an inspection of your food cupboards. If you have treats leftover from the holidays either freeze them if possible or bite the bullet and give them away. New broom sweeps clean and all that!

So, as well as back to the saving time, money and effort mantra, you'll reduce your waistline at the same time.

Here's a small task – if you've a mind to – write down what you eat and drink for a week – be truthful and keep your notes. You may want to compare with your new regimen.

The idea then is that if you are strict for 4½ days you can relax a little at the weekend and may be have a treat or two – not to be confused with consuming vast quantities of alcohol or chocolate or whatever your Achilles' heel might be.

It won't be as difficult as you think!

The “T” word

Have you noticed how things have changed. For years from Boxing Day onwards virtually every advert on the television was for holidays. I know they haven't disappeared altogether but they seem to have been overtaken by adverts promoting a particular answer to weight loss.

The fashion these days is you spend a small mortgage on having pre-prepared “healthy” “well-balanced” meals – aka ready-meals – delivered a month at a time. 'Tis your prerogative of course and I'm all for convenience during the working week but would venture to suggest that whilst they may be “healthy” and “well-balanced” I think you might find that the tiny portion size might have something to do with it!

If you've been celebrating New Year with friends and family how many times were you asked about any resolutions you were going to make? If by some chance you are contemplating changes regarding the way you eat then I'd like to make a couple of suggestions.

If you do want to change the way you eat, make the resolution privately, to yourself. That way you'll immediately do away with any outside pressures - “how much have your lost this week?” - “oh, I've lost xlbs – i.e. more than you have”. It becomes competitive and adds pressure and you'll be heading for the hidden chocolate bars/biscuits by the end of the first week in January.

So I'm suggesting that you “tweak” what you consume – hence the “T” word. In other words make adjustments to what you eat. I know that you aren't going to like this but if your ultimate aim is to get onto an even keel, then exercise – i.e. doing some form of – will make a huge difference – adjustments alone won't cut it!

It's a bit like the tortoise and the hare …... slow and steady wins the race!

Festive Feedback

Remember what I said in “Pause for thought ...” about ringing the changes and doing something different – i.e. chips with everything. I am happy to report that it worked like a charm.

Of course I took with me a couple of surprises, one savoury, one sweet. Bullseye on both.

The savoury extra was pulled chicken – conveniently boxed and frozen in small foil containers. This is the recipe mentioned in Madness III – tee hee! One box out to defrost and one stashed in my Sister's freezer. Fast forward to Christmas night – peckish – one slider filled with chicken, can't remember what else went with it but I do know that it vanished at the speed of light.

Now for the sweet surprise. This is not my recipe, it comes from the Waitrose Magazine September 2015 – The Sweet Spot - Pizookie – pizza-cookie. It's absolutely true what they say - “utterly addictive”. I know that you can get the recipe on line because I forwarded it to a friend on Boxing Day – give it a go, it really is a show-stopper - find the recipe here. One or two minor points that aren't mentioned in the recipe from the magazine. It's 160 fan – I left my pizookie in for 30 minutes and it was still squidgy inside. I have also frozen it. Defrost when you are ready to use – you can re-heat the whole pizookie in a warm oven for 10 minutes or you could portion and zap on medium for 20 seconds in the microwave – serve with or without ice cream but you'll definitely need spoons.

“... I've just eaten my bodyweight in amazing goodies!....pulled chicken is amazing”.

“... The pizookie tastes fantastic and the pulled chicken is incredible...”

Not traditional festive fare I agree but it's great to serve food that is a little outside the box and just as much of a treat – all the more so for the cook when you can make ahead and freeze – no effort at all.

Courage mon brave! Or – be brave my friend.

P.s. A message received on Christmas Day

“ … Thank you for my HEAVENLY nut roast! Sheer bliss on a plate – an amazing Christmas dinner!”

Who'd have thought it!

Santa came early for me this year - my Editor and IT consultant, aka my nephew Lucas, bought me a website www.miammiamcookery.com – so much easier – it will take you straight to the blog. The best present!

Way back in the year, in the post By the way I mentioned chatting to Bernie Keith (bernie.keith@bbc.co.uk) on his BBC Radio Northampton morning show. In early December I received an invitation from the lovely Sarah, his Producer, to Bernie's outside broadcast from his home on 23^rd December to do a food demo in his kitchen during the show. Mad woman I hear you splutter – and you'd be right!

To cut a long story short I decided to make, among other things, tuna pastries (see Summer Holidays) and White Christmas (see Crossword Clue) for the sweet hit. The pastries are quick, easy and tasty and make a great canapé. The White Christmas is, you may recall in feedback from the taste testing - “...better than Rocky Road!” Good choice I thought.

Off I went on my merry way with my comforter – the satnav!

It was the best morning. I've cooked in confined spaces, surrounded by people, many times before but this experience took it to a whole new level. You must have heard the expression “vertically challenged” - a suitable description of myself – for once being so challenged came into its own – duckin' and divin' with trays of tuna pastries and trying hard not to injure guests when trying to open the oven door! The guests were kind and the recipe for the tuna pastries requested – they all disappeared.

A lady guest spotted the huge bowl of white chocolate melting on the hob and “was intrigued”. When the time came to assemble I tapped her (politely of course) on the shoulder and asked if she would like to see the end result. I tipped the remaining ingredients into the melted chocolate – “it's difficult to believe all those ingredients will disappear into the chocolate”. I can confirm that they did. I was then able to utter those immortal words, “... and here's one I made earlier!” offering the sweet treat to the guests from boxes that were ready to eat – depositing the one just made into Bernie's fridge to set. Went down a storm, even though I say so myself!

It was such fun and great to put faces to names that I've been listening to for ages - thanks for the invitation Bernie (and Sarah of course).

P.s. The following morning en route to Derbyshire, listening to Bernie. before we were out of range, I'm delighted to report that he'd found the tray of White Christmas in his fridge - the remaining boxes he'd taken into the Station and sampled whilst on air – he liked it!

What a way to start the holidays!