The weather was too nice today, I'll start my intensive training regime tomorrow instead. Or, if I go for a day out in Sheffield/Birmingham/Manchester/somewhere-along-those-lines tomorrow, as I've already decided to do, I'll do it on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, let's talk about cooking. Being on a diet that involves a lot of vegetables, I find that I've previously only thought of veggies as something you have with a roast dinner - boil them in a pan and plonk them on the plate. So it only took three days for me to get tired of having cabbage with dinner and conclude that I need to do something new. I had a really quite nice semi-casserole-kind-of-thing with beef, peppers, mange tout, broccoli and tomatoes tonight, and I'm feeling like a real proper chef. I've even bought herbs. Also, Worcestershire sauce.
Anyone got any cooking ideas that I can do with the kind of veggies that are low in carbohydrates and GI? (GI stands for something, I can't remember what, but I'm fairly certain that in this context it isn't an American soldier.) Because this diet is proving to be quite fun, and if I can find ways to keep the meals interesting, I'm probably not going to get bored with it and return to my chocolate-scoffing ways for another month or so at least. I get to eat as much rhubarb as I want! And while technically I've always been free to eat as much rhubarb as I want, I've never really availed myself of the opportunity until now. Rhubarb is great.
Meanwhile, another thing I've been meaning to mention is the Cambridge Memory Championship. I've had a few inquiries about it, and I want to gauge public interest in the idea. Please can you let me know if you would definitely/possibly/under no circumstances (delete as applicable) come to a memory competition in Nottingham, probably, in July, say. Email me or comment here, or shout at me if you happen to be passing my flat and notice that the window's open (warning, I might not hear you). I believe the current plans are to have the UK Championship in August, German in September and World in October, so this would be a good way to warm up. I can promise (well, not promise, but at least express the hope) that the room will be infinitely bigger and quieter than the one we've had for the last couple of years, but that the beginner-friendly and pleasantly social atmosphere will be better than ever!
Oh, and one more important thing! Did you know that Kinder eggs are illegal in the USA? And not just that they don't sell them there (like pretty much every kind of edible chocolate snack except Twixes), they're properly banned, you're not allowed to import them or send them to Americans who might want them! There are laws about having an inedible object inside an edible product, apparently, and also the small parts are unsuitable for children. I think this is disgraceful, and I'm going to set up a smuggling racket immediately.
I'd be up for the comp in Nottingham in July - pls don't have it on Sat 9th though!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the slow-carb diet, from Tim Ferriss' 4-Hour Body. Being the dullard I am, i use frozen chicken parts, frozen mixed veggies, frozen California Blend veggies and canned beans for most of my meals. Micro-wave till done.
ReplyDeleteHe also tells how to give women 15 minute orgasms but since I tire easily I haven't used the technique.
A bit more of a clue about what veggies count might be helpful. Or simply the things you can't have.
ReplyDeleteI made a nice pasta sauce last night to eat over the next few days - sliced up a butternut squash, drizzled with olive oil, then salt, pepper and sage, roasted in the oven for about 45 minutes while I got on with cooking the stuff I planned to eat yesterday (45 minutes is longer than I want to spend cooking after work, hence not making it fresh tonight) then mashed up with a tub of ricotta cheese. Mascarpone or cream cheese would work too. And pasta sauce that isn't based on tomato! The whole thing took 5 minutes chopping, 5 minutes peeling the cooked squash and mashing it, and will need to be heated for 5 minutes tonight. How much easier do you want?
See, to me that sounds like the kind of monstrously complicated recipe that only Delia Smith would dare to attempt. But it does sound good, though, and I'm allowed to eat all those things, so I'll give it a try! I'll own my own restaurant yet!
ReplyDeleteIt's really dead, dead simple. Practically no work at all. You could also try stir-frying a bag of chopped vegetables for 5 minutes with a bit of oil and some 5-spice (if you want to put meat in it, it'll take a bit longer - put the meat in a hot pan first, chopped up quite small, and wait til the meat is cooked through before you add the veg). And the BBC Good Food website has loads of suggestions too.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben,
ReplyDeleteDave B here. Yep, would come to Nottingham for the comp, hopefully see you there!
Jobs are used to stop people from learning these fantastic skills. Here's a diet tip: Don't buy big yoghurts (even "natural ones") they are really sugary and once you start you just won't stop. If you have to have yoghurt just get multi-packs.
ReplyDeleteHiya Ben,
ReplyDeleteYeah Nottingham would be great, see you soon!
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteI would probably take part in a competition in July! :)