Food or figure?

Oh this is such a dilemma

I've just reached my "if you put on another half a lb missy, it's diet time" size

I've never been a dieter. Not till I was 30 and the post-2-babies weight just had to go because I couldn't take it anymore.

Now though? I guess with all the other hang ups that being a post-30, post-2 babies, chocolatier, surrounded by yummy mummies lady brings, it kind of matters. And I like me less when I'm wobbly. I move faster when I'm not. I'm bouncier. I feel perkier. And if I'm honest, a little bit smug.

There is only one real problemo with all this. I like food. Lots.
Don't get me wrong, I can make Weight Watchers far more interesting than many people who stick to the ready meals it sells. I wouldn't be writing a food blog if I couldn't. But it's not my ideal.
I truly believe in all things in moderation. Sometimes though I'm not very good at moderating myself. Why would you want to with all the fab things to eat in the world that have way more calories than they really should.
I can stick to a diet and lose the weight but then I want to indulge in the food and drink that I want, when I want it. Then the weight comes flooding back. The (low) levels of exercise I achieve at the moment are quite frankly, all I'm ever going to achieve. I have not a lot of time to spare and I'm damned if I'm going to fill it with something I don't enjoy!

What's a girl to do?

Oh. My tea last night? That might have something to do with it..

Seeking inspiration

It's been a quiet week food wise. Nothing remarkable or even that worthy of mention. Quite a nice veggie biryani to clear the fridge but that's about it.
Yesterday I gave myself a kick up the bum and got out recipe books and filled them with scraps of paper in all the "must make!"s.
Then I made a lime and ginger cake (BBCGF) and a batch of our favourite flapjacks. I use a Jamie recipe that he wrote for red nose day a few years ago and put cranberries and apricots in. The kids love them.

Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

I was a good girl at the dentist last week so I bought myself the above book as a treat..
First bakes from it happened today -
Blueberry cake (minus the pecans) and Snickerdoodles as a gift for our nursery manager who is going on maternity leave..

Celebration meals

Not the big party sort, but the treat yourself sort.
Other half came back from a working away so dinner was prefaced by a cocktail (or two) and there was steak involved.
As he brought back a bottle of Absolut Raspberri (gotta love Duty Free) I found a recipe for a Koi Yellow

4 Parts Raspberri Vodka
2 parts Lemon Juice
1 part Simple Syrup
1 part Triple Sec
Shake with ice, strain and serve.
Delish


For dinner we had another Jamie 30 minuter.. Ribeye Steak with Dan Dan noodles..
The usual chaos ensued:

 but the result was definitely worth it!

Lemon and Ricotta Cake

I found a "just about to go off" pot of ricotta at the back of my fridge the other day.
I'm not really one for spinach and ricotta pasta and as my other half was away, I certainly wasn't up for eating an entire pot of it myself in any format. So I made a cake.
This cake..

Food of love

Milk and Dark Smashed Honeycomb Bars

Florentines

Chocolate coated pretzels

Fougasse bread

Brown butter biscuits

 We went visiting this weekend, so I took homemade treats with me as a gift, made with love.

I'm so excited...

..bread is definitely my new mission.
Whilst I love cake, dearly, it's a bit of a treat and therefore I can't always bring myself to make it, or to try something new just for the sake of it. I know. Call myself a foodie.
Bread though, well, it's bread isn't it!

I got a copy of Robert Bertinet's Dough today. Wow. Wow wow wow. I definitely want to go on his course now but in the meantime the book and dvd will have to do.

I want to make this...

...and these...

..and these...(specially that spiky l'il bugger)

..and these...

..and this...

..and this...