Crunchie for breakfast today not such a good start. But sandwich and cookies for lunch was nice.
For dinner we had the leftover chicken curry but I didn’t want to have exactly the same two nights in a row, so I fried some rice in butter for a few minutes, threw in some boiling water then mixed it through the curry. The whole lot went in a casserole dish and in the oven for forty minutes. Chicken curry pilaf was the result and very delicious it was too.
Today I was a very good girl and model of efficiency. In amongst all the work I made chicken curry for two nights and lasagne for two nights. Yay me. Had the chicken curry with baked potato tonight. Lemon tart for pud.
Other food today comprised: cereal, a crisp sandwich, a caramel wafer and two chocolate biscuits.
So…today. Cereal for breakfast (honey loops!). Made lunch for sister and her children too today as they were here helping me clear things from Mum’s house. Yummy, very big bacon sandwiches all round.
Therefore just a simple supper…roast chicken with tomato and salad. Lemon tart (bought) for dessert. I’m working from home most of this week so hopefully I might produce something exciting.
Oh, I should admit to a Tunnock’s caramel wafer in there somewhere too.
So, tonight I finally got back in the kitchen. It feels really nice to be cooking again…it’s been a surreal few weeks so hopefully this will help me to feel a bit more grounded in reality.
I’m making an old favourite…easy but very delicious. Boursin-stuffed chicken breasts roasted on a mixture of tomatoes, onion and mushrooms with potato wedges.
For the wedges, just slice up potatoes, toss in a roasting dish with olive oil, seasoning and maybe some dried herbs. Put it in a hot oven to cook while you get on with the chicken.
All you do is slice an onion (red for my preference) and some mushrooms. Saute them in a saucepan with some olive oil for a few minutes, then add a slug of balsamic vinegar (not an expensive one!). Let it bubble away then add some seasoning, dried herbs and a tin of chopped tomatoes. Stir through and heat for five minutes or so, then pour it all into an ovenproof dish. Loosen the skin on the chicken breasts and stuff in a good portion of boursin. Squish it down, then place the chicken on top of the tomato mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Put in the hot oven and roast for 25 mins to half an hour or until the chicken is cooked through – it really depends on the size of your chicken. Tonight I took the breasts off a 2.2 kilo chicken and they are enormous! This is a good thing as I am very hungry. It smells delicious so you’ll have to excuse me…
Well, it’s a month since I started this so I guess time for a weigh-in! I started at 242lb and now am just under 237lb – so just over 5lb lost in the month. And considering the month I’ve had, I’m actually really pleased with that.
At this pace it would take me about 2 years to lose all the excess weight – which seems about right. So, onwards and ever sidewards, into February and back into the kitchen tonight. More on that later.
As an aside, I did make sticky chicken for dinner the other night, using the recipe for all-purpose glaze on the Jack Daniels website. Finger lickin’ good!
I haven’t given up on this. It’s been a surreal and unhappy few weeks.
I last posted on a Tuesday three weeks ago. Wednesday to Friday I was in our Glasgow office so just hotel and canteen food. I spent the weekend in London with my friend S which was great fun.
Then on Monday, my mother was taken ill and went into hospital. She has been bravely battling with motor neurone disease for almost three years but it was slowly winning. She got a chest infection which was more serious than it previously had been as her chest muscles were too weak to cough anything up. For three days she really fought hard but sadly she lost the fight at 2am on Friday 21st January. My sister and I were with her when when she passed and we love her and will miss her so much.
For those who don’t know about Motor Neurone disease, it’s cruel, terrible and relentless, stealing your life by inches, by degrees. It kills the nerves that control your muscles, so that the muscles die and become useless. When my mother died, she could not move or speak and was completely dependent on 24-hr care for everything. This was a really affront to her dignity. Without the support of her wonderful, fabulous carers, the last couple of years would have been intolerable. In spite of that, her personalilty and beautiful laugh came through right to the end – she was laughing and joking with us in the hospital.
The week she was in hospital and the week or so since then have been really very strange and don’t feel like real life. It’s funny how when someone dies there is suddenly so much to do. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll understand I haven’t been cooking much, but I’ll get there soon. If anything, all this has made me even more determined to do this. I have a body that will on the whole do what I ask of it. I mustn’t take that for granted – life is short and fragile, so I need to make the most of what I have. It seems like an appropriate tribute to her.
See you soon in the kitchen.
x
