Cruise Phase: Week 8

Cruise Phase:

Week 8

Tuesday 7th May - Sunday 12th May

Well hello again. So this is the final week, until I hit the second month of the diet and the race to hit two stone is onnnn! Now this week I've gone back to the regular alternation between PP and PV days. I'm also starting the week from Tuesday, as I barely ate anything on Monday when travelling back from London. So let's see how it's gone...

Tuesday 7th May - PV

Breakfast: Cinnamon Chocolate Oat Bran Porridge

At last! I have finally added a new dimension to the monotony that is cinnamon oat bran porridge! All I did was add a heaped teaspoon of cocoa powder to the porridge once it was cooked and mixed really well. And this is the result:

Day 59: Breakfast

And it was beautiful! Tasted like I was eating a really naughty thick hot chocolate pudding. Seriously recommend it to those who like a bit of choccy heaven in the morning for breakfast!

Lunch: Homemade Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

Day 59: Lunch

This was absolutely bursting with flavour! Sooo tasty. Now, I adapted it from a recipe I found online however I added my own extra spices and flavourings according to what I like, such as chilli powder, garlic etc, so I will put down the recipe details but I do advise you adapt it to your own taste and liking too. You could even put in some tasty pieces of bacon if you wanted to meat it up.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

500g ripe tomatoes - any kind (I used cherry tomatoes but I think those really sweet piccolo tomatoes would work lovely too)

500g red bell peppers

1 medium sized onion

A dash of extra virgin olive oil (I used the spray)

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of dried oregano (I didn't have any - and I think basil would work well too)

1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock (I used chicken)

Extra spices, herbs and/or meat - your meal, your choice :)

Wash the peppers and tomatoes thoroughly and slice into wedges. Bake in the oven at approximately 200 degrees celcius until thoroughly roasted (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, slice the onions and garlic and saute in the bottom of a soup pot with a dash of oil until soft. Add your spices/herbs. Once roasted, add the tomatoes and peppers to the pot and stir all the ingredients together. Pour on the stock and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Blend the soup to the consistency you prefer (feel free to add more stock to the mix). Taste and add extra seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.

Note: I didn't have any at the time but you could dollop some fat free fromage frais or creme fraiche on top of the soup.

ENJOY!

Snack: Celery Sticks Topped with Extra Light Cream Cheese with Chives and Chilli Powder

Day 59: Snack

Now I usually HATE celery sticks, but this was absolutely DELICIOUS! Really moreish and totally satisfying. Try it, honestly.

Dinner: Denver Steak in Pepper Jus with Mushrooms and a Yellow Pepper and Onion Mix

Day 59: Dinner

Never had denver steak before. It was really tasty but quite fatty so wouldn't recommend that specific cut of beef. All in all though, with the lovely pepper jus I made it was a really nice meal.

Wednesday 8th May - PP

Breakfast: Cinnamon Chocolate Oat Bran Porridge

Addicted already!!

Lunch: Tin of Tuna

Dinner: Seasoned Skinless Chicken Thighs

Unfortunately I don't have a photo for this, but they were generally the same kind of thing as I have had over the last week or so. Chicken on the bone is just that extra bit tastier!

Thursday 9th May - PV

Breakfast: Two Boiled Eggs with Yellow Pepper Soldiers

Day 61: Breakfast

Lunch: Smoked Salmon, Quark and Balsamic Salad

Day 61: Lunch

Dinner: Three Skinless Chicken Thighs with an Indian Spicy Omelette

Day 61: Dinner

The omelette is an indian inspired recipe, and is meant to be an omelette, but I just made a mistake and turned into a scramble at the last minute. I was not disappointed, it was spicy and tasty and didn't matter that it wasn't in omelette form! But if you fancy the omelette version, here's how to make it:

Ingredients (Serves 1)

2 eggs

Half a green chilli, de-seeded and chopped

Half a red onion, finely chopped (I used a yellow one)

1 spring onion, finely sliced (I missed this one out)

1 tablespoon of fresh coriander, chopped (I don't like coriander so I missed this out)

A pinch of garam masala

A pinch of turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper. Add the chilli, onion, coriander and spices and mix thoroughly. Lightly spray a pan and heat to medium. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook on each side for a few minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

I finished off the meal with a lovely bowl of cinnamon chocolate oat bran porridge. Yum.

Friday 10th May - PP

Breakfast: Cinnamon Oat Bran Porridge

Lunch: Ham Slices and Vanilla Yoghurt

Day 62: Lunch

Cheeky little lunch at Uni, whilst doing my work. Did the job so no complaints there!

Snack: Salmon and Quark Seasoned with Black Pepper and Lemon Juice

Dinner: Spicy Sesame Chicken with Fried Eggs

Day 62: Dinner

Mm mm mmmmm! Can't go wrong with this dish. The sesame seeds give the chicken that extra bite so you feel fuller for longer. Season the chicken with whatever you want and bake it in the oven for about 20 mins at 180-200 degrees celcius, and Bob's ya uncle!

Saturday 11th May - PV

Breakfast: Cinnamon Chocolate Oat Bran Porridge

Lunch: Ham and Chicken Slice Salad

Day 63: Lunch

Snack: Cucumber Slices, Tomatoes and Seafood Sticks

Dinner: La Stazione Restaurant!

So for the second time whilst on the diet, I am eating out. It is for a friends birthday, so no excuses really, plus on a PV day your choices are that little bit less limited than PP days. So let's see what I had and how I handled the situation!

Starter: Garlic and Chilli Prawns

Day 63: Starter

Now when I asked for this I specifically told the waiter that I did not want ANY OIL on the dish. All I wanted was a little bit of garlic and chilli, but it still came out very oily. I guess some places just don't get it even when you spell it out for them. So I just tried to eat it without eating too much of the oil. Was delicious regardless but you just have to be careful. If I was with family I would have sent it back but I think with friends you just want to get on with it!

Main: Rare Fillet Steak with Asparagus and Seasonal Vegetables

Day 63: Main

Now this, phhwoooar, this was divine! I wasn't initially going to go for steak, but in a nice restaurant you really can't go wrong with it. Again I asked for no sauce, for the steak to be grilled and for the vegetables to be steamed and this time they were successful in providing that....HOORAY! The steak was cooked to perfection and the only thing I left was the green beans which the rest of the table had no problem hoovering up for me ;)

Great end to a lovely meal.

Sunday 12th May - PP

Breakfast: Cinnamon Oat Bran Porridge

Lunch: Ham and Chicken Quark Slices with Seafood Sticks and Boiled Eggs

Day 64: Lunch

Dinner: Simply Chicken Curry

Day 64: Dinner

Simple and tasteless. I don't know what I did differently but this wasn't as nice as the last curry's I've made. Maybe I didn't put in enough spices. Oh well. There you have it! Any suggestions as to how to make a delicious Dukan curry would be much appreciated...I'll be awaiting your comments eagerly!!! :)

I made up for it though by making a lovely Cinammon Hot Cocoa Drink....mmmmmm......

Day 64: Supper

I even sprinkled some more bits of cocoa powder on the top to make it that extra bit special ;)

So that's it for another week. And as Friday 10th marked the two month mark I weighed myself and I've bloody well gone and done it.....Lost 2 stone in 2 months :D Absolutely over the moon! So all I need to do now is work even harder to make sure that I shed the last stone off by next month but also that when that happens I will be toned and tight as well. So lots of gym, bootcamp, skinnypigs, jogging sessions to be had!!! And this will be my motto as I work my arse off.......

So, watch this space! Thanks for reading, and remember.....keep following :)

Kate :) x