Category Archives: Food

Not so sugar free this weekend

Posted on by
Reply

It’s Easter weekend, and it would be nearly unrealistic to imagine I could go the whole weekend without indulging in some sugar.

So I have let my hair down.

Yesterday I shared a box of chocolates with C and tonight I’m doing something crazy. I’m going to have some puffy dogs in tomato sauce.

TOMATO. SAUCE.

Giving up tomato sauce was hard for me in the beginning. I had it with eggs in the morning and quite frequently with dinner. Then all of a sudden nothing. No sauces.

I imagine my withdrawals again next week are going to be hell. But I’m prepared and I know what to expect this time. And even though I have had some chocolates and sweets, they don’t hold the allure they used to.

I’m enjoying the sugar for the moment but I look forward to cutting it out again.

How’s everyone else’s Easter travelling?

A Good Friday morning – literally!

Posted on by
1

Good Friday morning - literallyThis morning C finished work at 6am, so knowing that he needed to get some serious sleep in I arranged to be out of the house. I’m very good at being noisy and disruptive and all.

Earlier in the week, I had been on the phone to my mother when she mentioned she would be meeting my aunty for morning tea/lunch at a nearby cafe my aunt had discovered. She invited me along, to which I graciously accepted.

When I woke up this morning, I was pleased to find it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside. I put some clothes on to wash, did a quick spot of weeding (the more serious effort comes tomorrow, but at least I’ve cleared the weeds from the back deck), and then cooked breakfast. I made myself some poached eggs on toast, which tasted as amazing as I hoped for. I have really nailed the poached eggs thing, leaving them for just enough time ensure the yolk is solid on the outside, but when you slice it open the yolk just oozes everywhere. Divine. Now I just need to nail hollendaise and I can make an eggs benedict.

Finally the time rolled around for me to leave to meet my family. After a cautious glance towards the darker clouds on the horizon, I decided it was such a nice day that I should ride my bike the short distance rather than drive . The clouds looked too far away for there to be any real threat of rain. As I rode along I was so thankful I had made that decision, as the roads were gridlock trying to get into Mooloolaba. It looked like everyone had planned on spending the morning at the beach.

I parked my bike at my aunt’s unit then we walked down to the cafe. It was AMAZING. I don’t know my design terms, so the best I can do is point you to the photo at the top. There was lots of wood with flecked paint, antique sewing machines, gardening tools and wrought iron everywhere, and the women were dressed like housewives of the 50s. Floral dresses, bright red lipstick, and immaculate hairdos. Even the barista had overalls and a french cap on his head. It’s the cafe with a culture that Mooloolaba has been pining for, and it’s hidden away and no one knows it’s there except for locals.

It’s a local’s paradise.

I had a coriander chicken baguette which I couldn’t finish despite my best efforts. It was fantastic. The coffee was of a great temperature and tasted incredible. The juice that I bought to wash everything down was recommended by the waitress, and the mix of pineapple juice, passionfruit, mint and something else was just superb.

It was so good that I’m going there tomorrow with C and my friends.

Good Saturday too perhaps?

Now because you’re reading my blog I will let you in on a secret. The place is called The Velo Project, and it’s currently a hit on Bean Hunter.

See you there?

Hi, my name is Kelsbells and I’m a sugar addict.

Posted on by
6

Hi, my name is Kelsbells and I’m a sugar addict.

I’ve written about being an addict before, and trying to give it up, but I now find myself 6 months later still addicted and 8kgs heavier. I’m back to a weight I swore I would never be at. To say that I’m disappointed would be an understatement. I’m disgusted, furious and more. I’m back to having cellulite on my legs, wobbly bits, and a gut.

I want it gone.

So this time I’m doing it the right way. I downloaded the book The Sweet Poison Quit Plan (a recommendation from some friends on twitter), I have a greater understanding of exactly where I can find sugar and in what foods, and I have myself a support network. Both C and I are going through this process together, so that when we’re struggling we each can turn to each other.

Phase 1 of sugar free - cleaning out the cupboard

The sorry state of our cupboard after removing anything containing sugar

I have the choice of going through this in private, or blogging my way through this challenge. I chose to blog about it in the hope that others thinking of going through the same process will be able to see and understand what goes on, and hopefully start their own progression to breaking the addiction. In fact, the author of one of the blogs that I read, Suger Coat It, also details her own process of giving up sugar. It was she who inspired me to start this process, although I doubt she knows it. I didn’t realise it was possible, and it implanted the seed in my mind. I mentioned it on twitter, got pointed in the direction of the book, and here I am today.

So it’s my turn to share it with you all.

Continue reading →

Tasty but ugly Simply Fruit Bars

Posted on by
Reply

Product  Talk by Nuffnang

I am one of those people that I’m starving by morning tea, roughly about 10.30am. I’m the person that sits in on a meeting, drinking too much water to try and stop their stomach from rumbling because you just know it’s going to be loud, and then everyone will think I’ve passed wind. Oh yeah, I totally just brought up farting. I’m a classy lady.

I also get super bored with food super fast. My morning tea snacks will usually range from too much chocolate (therefore feeling sick for the rest of the day), yoghurt, or a piece of fruit. That means that any time something new grabs my eye I’m keen to try it. Recently I got the opportunity to try out the Uncle Toby’s Simply Fruit Bars.

Uncle Toby's Simply Fruit Bars

There's 4 in each pack

I’m not going to lie. The packaging isn’t crash hot to look at, and when you see the actual bar you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that it’s reminiscent of something that may be flushed away in the bathroom.

The bar

Hmm...nutty. Or is it just me?

I tell you what though – they taste damn good! I try to be healthy, but I’m not an expert. I could tell you the nutritional panel, preach about parts of it then let you make up your own mind, or you could just look at the Uncle Toby’s product page if that’s the kind of thing you’re into. When I glanced at it myself, the only thing that really stood out to me was that there was 13.8g of sugar in each bar (it seemed a little bit high to me).

What I can tell you is that when I did use it as a morning tea replacement it was more than satisfactory. I was starving when I ate the bar, and by the end I wasn’t hungry. I actually didn’t even notice when lunch rolled around until I looked at the clock and realised I should have probably eaten an hour prior. It’s definitely a hunger buster.

It takes a little to overcome the appearance of the bars, and my housemate did take some convincing before she tried it, but she agreed it tasted pretty awesome.

If you’re looking for some snacks for your kids or yourself, definitely give it a try. Close your eyes and bite, cause this is one of those things where it tastes a helluva lot better than it looks. I’ll be buying these again.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free in exchange for an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.