Battling with weight

I have always been a large & curvy girl. I would classify myself as an emotional eater. I eat when I am sad, happy, excited or even worried.

Back in 2006/2007 while at university, I started The Cambridge Diet and within 6 months I had reached my goal weight of 10 stone with a BMI of 24; I was full of self confidence and even took up a bit of modelling! It was great not being classified as OBESE.

During the last few weeks of my first year at university my hair became thin and I thought I had alopecia. I went along to my doctors and she said she would need to rule out pregnancy. I laughed and said "Ok, but there is no chance as I am on the pill". Within minutes of doing a test it turned positive. The doctor seems shocked and carried out another just to be certain. Again, this turned positive! I couldn't believe it. She felt my stomach and said I couldn't have been any more than a few weeks as I was not showing. She booked me in for a scan the following week.

I could not get my head around being pregnant. I didn't know what to tell my family. What would they think? I had just completed my first year at university; I didn't want to let them down. So, I said nothing until I had the scan. In my mind I would have an abortion if I was under 6 weeks.

Scan day came around quickly; as soon as the ultrasound wand touched my tummy, I looked at the screen and saw a perfect little baby with arms, legs and a strong heart beat. The technician confirmed I was around 18 weeks pregnant. I couldn't believe it. There was no way after seeing the little baby on the screen I could go through with an abortion. I had NO bump, I was STILL taking the pill and I had been out drinking over the easter bank holiday weekend.

I knew I would have to tell my Mum soon as I wasn't sure how long it would be before I started showing. I remember telling my Mum while standing at the top of the stairs; her reaction was totally unexpected. She was pleased to be a Nanny!

After I had Jack in December 2008 I was determined to loose the "baby weight" which I had gained. I wanted to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. But thats when I was diagnosed with postnatal depression. I was lucky to have the support of my Mum and my Health Visitor. But thats when the weight started creeping on. The more weight I put on, the less motivated I was to do anything about it. My relationship with food had become a tasty habit which needed to stop. 

I started to become more and more depressed. I'd stay in the house all the time and I turned down many social invitations. I didn't want to be seen. I felt like everyone was staring and judging me over my weight.

I have tried many different popular diets; but the weight still was creeping on. I felt embarrassed being weighed in front of a group of strangers, and I was always the girl with the most to lose. A lot has been going on with my life and it wasn't until today that I realised I NEED to do something about my weight. I am no longer happy & confident with myself.

Today, I feel I have taken the right steps and I am going to loose this weight.
I am back on The Cambridge diet. I am not doing this for anyone but myself; it's my choice and I truly want to be successful.

Andy Warhol + Bugaboo collaboration launch party, London

A day in pictures;
Andy Warhol + Bugaboo collaboration launch party, London on 12/04/2013

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day!

Pancake Recipe

Yummmmmy!

Ingredients

For the pancake mixture:

110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter

To serve (optional):

Caster sugar

Honey

Chocolate Spread

Lemon juice 
Lemon wedges

Preparation method

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

Next; gradually add small amounts of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream.

Melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake.

Now, get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate.

Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.

To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar. Try this step with chocolate spread or honey to make a yummy sweet treat. You could even add strawberries or oranges!

Halloween Treats!

Not long until Halloween is here! (And my birthday!) I thought I would share with you some recipes I found for some lovely Halloween party food.

All recipes and images are from family fun. There are lots more ides which can be found on their website!

First up is my favourite Goblin Grins!

Cheeky Goblin Grins!

• 1 pea pod
• 1 red bell pepper
• a few slivered almonds

For each one, use a tip of a peeling knife to cut a small centred slit in one side of an edible pea pod. Next, cut out a tongue shape from the red pepper and insert the top of it through the opening in the pea pod (it looks better if the inside of the pepper faces up). For the finishing touches, insert a few slivered almonds for teeth.

Next up is Cheese-Finger Food!

Yummy Cheese-Fingers!

• mozzarella string cheese
• green bell pepper
• cream cheese

Wearing plastic gloves (to keep the cheese as smudge-free as possible) use a peeling knife to cut each string in half and then carve the shallow area for a fingernail at one end. Round this end to create the tip of the finger. Next, mark the joint right below the nail as well as the knuckle joint by carving out small horizontal wedges of cheese. For the fingernails, slice a green bell pepper into small strips and trip the pulp so it's half as thick. Cut the strips into ragged topped nail shapes and stick them into place with the cream cheese.

How about some Swamp Juice!

Tasty Swamp Juice!

To make 8 servings:

• 1/2 cup of small tapioca pearls (found in the baking section in a shop)
• food colouring
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 8 gummy fish
• seltzer water
• lemonade
• 8 gummy worms

First is how to make the eggs: bring 6 cups of water to the boil and add the tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring often for around 25 minutes. Now we need to colour the eggs: divide the pearls with the remaining water between two bowls. Add 4 drops of food colouring (use 1 drop of blue and 3 drops of yellow in one bowl and 4 drops of blue in the other) and add 2 tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. Stir the mixture and allow them to sit uncovered for around 20 minutes. Drain and rinse each of the bowls with cold water. We now need to assemble the drink: spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass and drop in a gummy fish. Fill the glasses with the seltzer water, add a splash of lemonade. To finish the drink; place a gummy worm around a spoon!

How about some yummy Monster Toes?

Juicy Monster Toes!

• cocktail sausages
• 6 inch tortillas
• ketchup
• cocktail sticks

Using a peeling knife cut a small toenail shape into one end of sausage. Cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide and discard the ends. Soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for about 10 to 30 seconds. Roll each sausage in a tortilla strip and secure with a cocktail stick. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and fill the toenail with ketchup. Make sure you remove the cocktail sticks before serving!

Lastly why not try Pizza Mummies?

Cheesy Pizza Mummies!

• english muffins
• pizza sauce
• spring onions
• red or green pepper
• black olives
• cheese sticks or slices

Heat the oven to gas mark 5 or 175°C. For each mummy, spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an english muffin. You can toast the muffin before if you like! Set the olive slices in place for the eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils. Next, lay strips of cheese across the muffin for the mummy's wrappings. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty.

Hipp Organic Product Review

The lovely people at Hipp Organic sent Jack a few products to review. Unfortunately he can't type words yet; so he asked me to document his thoughts on them!
When the postman delivered the box we opened it with excitement; Jack was a little overwhelmed at all the yummy food! We were given seven products to review. These were:

1. Little Nibbles: Organic crispy biscottes (Stage 3 from 10 months)
2. Little Nibbles: Organic crumbly rusks (Stage 1 from 6 months)
3. Little Nibbles: Organic carrot & pumpkin rice cakes (Stage 2 from 7 months)
4. Cheesy leek & chicken macaroni (Stage 3 from 10 months)
5. Mediterranean ratatouille with gnocchi (Stage 3 from 10 months)
6. Scrumptious lasagne (Stages 3 & 4; 1-3 years)
7. Chunky vegetable pasticcio (Stages 3 & 4; 1-3 years)

Hipp Organic Products

As you can see the organic carrot & pumpkin rice cakes are not in the image above; Jack couldn't wait to open them! I was unsure how they might taste as I have never seen carrot and pumpkin used together. I tried one myself and it was yummy! Jack certainly enjoyed eating them. The rice cakes contain a blend of carrot and pumpkin juice concentrate and contain no added salt or sugar. Hipp Organic have a special snack range called "Little nibbles". All products in the Hipp Organic range are prepared using the finest quality organic ingredients. The organic crispy biscottes are fantastic! Jack enjoys his as a snack with fruit. They look like mini toasts; but are twice-baked wheat biscuits. Jack also enjoys munching on the organic crumbly rusks. I feel confident to give these to him as I know there is no added sugar; unlike the unhealthy biscuits you find in supermarkets.

Munching on Carrot & Pumpkin Rice Cakes

Because I am on a diet I worry what Jack is going to eat for his dinner as I am not cooking a meal just for him! I found that some baby meals don't look or smell very nice and Jack doesn't enjoy eating them. I was unsure if Jack would enjoy this lasagne. I put the heart shaped pot into the microwave for a minute. I couldn't believe it when I cooked the scrumptious lasagne; not only did it smell wonderful it actually tasted like lasagne should! This is because there are no artificial flavours or ingredients.

Hipp Organic; Scrumptious Lasagne

Tonight, I tried out chunky vegetable pasticcio. I had no idea what this was but from the picture I guessed it was a vegetable pasta dish. Again, I microwaved this meal for a minute and it smelt wonderful. I wish I could have eaten it! Jack enjoyed this meal more than I thought he would. There was no need for me to worry about Jack having a healthy meal as this meal was full of vegetables.

Enjoying chunky vegetable pasticcio

We used the smaller pots of cheesy leek & chicken macaroni and mediterranean ratatouille with gnocchi for lunch. They are the perfect size to pop in a handbag or changing bag. Each pot is gently steamed cooked for optimal goodness. Each pot contains organic rapeseed oil with omega 3; which is important for the development of your baby or toddler. This is something which not many baby products can offer. I will most defiantly be buying some more from this range.

Stage 3 Wholesome Pots

We would like to thank everyone at Hipp Organic for sending us these lovely products to review. I think Jack had the better end of the deal!! We will definitely be adding these to our trolley next time we go shopping! You can find many more of the Hipp Organic range on their website; and even order food (I didn't know this!)

Ella's Kitchen Product Withdrawal Notice

Hi everyone
I had this email yesterday from the people at Ella's Kitchen and thought I would share it with you as some of you may not be registered with them.

"We wanted to get in touch to let our friends know that some mums + dads have contacted us about an issue with a number of our Carrots, Apples + Parsnips stage one baby food pouches. 

We've looked into this and found that 3 of our products produced at one isolated factory have been subject to natural product spoilage, occurring inside the straw of the pouches.

This has affected our Carrots, Apples + Parsnips; Strawberries + Apples; and Apples + Bananas stage 1 baby food.

Whilst we believe that this spoilage is completely harmless, we are currently investigating thoroughly, and this process will take some time to analyse fully. In the meantime, while we carry out our investigations into the exact cause, and because we believe that mums, dads and hungry little ones should be enjoying all of our products in tip top condition, we have decided to withdraw all products produced at this one factory, until we know what's gone wrong. This includes the above affected products, plus our 'Yellow One' smoothie fruit snack as a precautionary measure. 

The batches we are withdrawing are limited to products with the letters'CAP', 'SA', 'YO' and 'AB' in the batch code and with the best before dates of April 11, May 11, June 11 and July 11 (both found on the back of pack). 

If you have one of these pouches, and you'd like to get in touch, then we'd love to hear from you by:

	Contacting us by email on this address: customercare@ellaskitchen.co.uk
	Ringing our customer care line on this number: 01491 629 120. We'll be here to answer calls Mon – Fri 9 –5pm. If you leave a message we'll get back to you on the next working day. IN the event of an emergency, please call us on 01491 629 123.
	Or, you can pop the pouch in an envelope. All you need to write on the envelope is "Freepost Ella's Kitchen". Just make sure you include your name, address and telephone number so that we can get in-touch with you and refund your money.

We can assure you that no other Ella's pouches affected, having all been made in another factory to Ella's high standards.

We'd like to say a big thank you to those mums and dads who have taken the time to get in touch and let us know about this. We're really sorry to have let you down on this occasion. It's really important to us that we make sure you always enjoy our products in tip top condition. 

If you would like to chat to us about this or any of our products please do give us a ring on 01491 629 120 or email: customercare@ellaskitchen.co.uk"

Weight

I have been hearing a lot about weight over the past few weeks. After having Jack I know I put nearly 4 stone on and  I became very self conscious of my appearance and body. I knew of a way out and that was to diet. I have a very close relationship with food and having to cut back seemed like a living nightmare! I tried it for a few weeks; trying to cut out all the best bits and started to eat healthily. But it didn't last and it wasn't giving me the weight loss I wanted.
In my mind I wanted a fast, quick and effective weight loss programme. I remembered how hard it was when I did the Cambridge Diet nearly 4 years ago; but it worked. I remember loosing 3 stone and feeling like a new person.

I plucked up the courage to ring a local councillor who was really welcoming and friendly. After starting the diet nearly 6 weeks ago I am proud to say I have lost 19lbs and kept it off. I am still on the diet and having just 3 packs a day which is only 415 calories and I must admit it is hard fighting the temptation with food but I am getting there they way I wanted.

I will keep you updated weekly on my progress and I would love to hear of ways you battled with your baby bulge.

Thrilling Thursday!

Today my pop'n'gro nappies arrived!!
It felt like christmas when the postman knocked on the door! He handed me a big brown box! My eye must have lite up LOL! As soon as I had signed for it; I closed the door and began to open the box frantically. As I opened the box I felt like a ray of light came out (the kind you see on a cartoon!)

I began to unpack the nappies touching and opening each one! I loaded then into the washing machine to get them washed and ready to use. Once they had washed I had the mission of drying them all. I hung them on my clothes airer to dry; they looked so pritty all the aqua, green and yellow nappies.

Tomorrow will be the day I convert from disposibles to reusables. Tonight Jack went to bed in one; I hope it doesn't leak!

Nappies drying!

I also cooked a super yummy dinner! I made pork, apple, mushroom and yellow pepper kebabs with vegtable rice. It was really nice and even Jack enjoyed the smaller one I made him.

I have started to cook alot more home-cooked meals for Jack and I have noticed he enjoys eatting more! He must be a growing boy! He always seems to be eatting; he never seems satisfied. Typical male I guess!

Just beore they went in the oven.

Served and ready to be eatten!