Low-carb January - 11 days in

Recipe of the week...
...Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients: 200g spinach leaves (from fresh or frozen), 6 large eggs, 100-150g cheddar cheese, a pack of Quorn Spinach and Red Pepper Slices, and butter/marg for greasing

Time taken: 25 mins prep and 25 mins in the oven

Serves: Approx. 10 muffins

Hi readers,

How are you all today? Are you well, and getting on okay back at work? Surviving the January Blues, if you’ve come down with them? And whatever cold / flu you probably have, on top?

Hang in there, readers! That’s my main message in this post today. If you’re ill, if you’re dieting, if you’re sick of it being cold and dark, if you’re going through a break up or divorce (as it would seem most people are), if you’re eleven days into the new year and already fed up of your job / house / prospects… FEAR NOT.

Chill the F out, readers. There’s plenty of time for things to turn around. Just think – 354 days of 2018 to go! Who knows what could happen in that time! For sure, it won’t stay cold and dark for the entirety (though, maybe the majority). It’s unlikely you’ll feel ill on all of those days. The diet will break / work before you know it. And so on.

Plus, I have some GLORIOUS tips for those of you in the break up / divorce team, for how to engineer human contact. What do I mean? What does she mean??

Well. You know when you become single, readers, have you noticed how you stop making contact with other humans? You see humans, probably every day. Same as before. But you just never touch them. And nobody touches you. Like – all those humans could actually be holograms and you wouldn’t know.

It’s saddening. SO I’ve been brainstorming the rare instances in which I do actually make contact with other humans (please see below) and I’m thinking, if you’re feeling down about things, maybe it might cheer you up to sort of engineer one of these to happen? Human contact! Works wonders for the single soul, I hear.  

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Here we have it...

Ten instances of human contact for the single person (read: me) 

• If I accidentally bump into someone or someone accidentally bumps into me 

• If someone is handing me something and our hands brush

• The occasional handshake in a work meeting

• If I'm holding a baby or holding a child's hand near a road 

• If I'm sat very close to someone (e.g. theatre, public transport, footy game) and our sides are touching

• If I'm stepping up or down, or crossing a river? And a friend lends me a hand for safety

• If my yoga teacher is helping me correct a pose

• If I fall over in the street or in a nightclub and someone hoists me back up again

• If we line up for a night out pic at pre-drinks and my friends put their arms round me

• If a friend or relative gets drunk or emotional and hugs me (or vice versa, if I'm drunk/emotional and hug them)

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See! I bet there were a few in there you hadn’t thought of. I hope this comes in handy, readers, and you’re feeling better soon. Just think – this summer you’re going to be spending the money you would have spent on their birthday present, on fruity cocktails instead. To sip by the sea somewhere exotic. You’re winning, right? YES YOU ARE… you’re winning!

And it will feel like it very soon, I promise.

Also – in the spirit of cheering you up, if needed – I have a recipe of the week for you, readers! This one came recommended to me by one of the besties, who has been following my progress with low-carb eating in January and recommended me a recipe that she herself has been using for a spot of healthy January eating, as you do.

This recipe, readers, is for Breakfast Muffins. And really – there’s not much of a recipe to it! As you’ll see shortly, these muffins are very easy to prepare, in just a few simple steps. And you can chuck anything in them that you like really – there’s no need to stick with the ingredients I’ve used in my muffins. Free style to your heart’s desire!

I was only using Quorn Spinach and Red Pepper Slices because I found them on offer in the shop. Although they're very tasty - so I do recommend! Here’s a vague idea of the recipe in just ten simple steps…

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Recipe: Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients: 200g spinach leaves (from fresh or frozen), 6 large eggs, 100-150g cheddar cheese, a pack of Quorn Spinach and Red Pepper Slices, and butter/marg for greasing

1.     To start off, you need to prep your ingredients. I did this the night before to maximise my time in bed in the morning, but you could sprint out of bed and sort this in the morning no problem.

2.     First off, begin by finding a pan with a lid and heating it over a low temperature. Fill the pan with spinach leaves (just leaves - no water required), then keep checking back every few minutes to stir the leaves around and add more to the pan, as the leaves begin to wilt and reduce in size.

3.     While your spinach is wilting, grate your cheddar cheese and dice your slices of Quorn into small pieces.

4.     Once all your spinach has wilted, drain in a colander and then press between squares of kitchen roll, to remove moisture from the spinach – so you don’t end up with soggy muffins!

ChefBeHere Top Tip: If you’ve begun prepping the night before, you can leave it here. Store your cheese, Quorn and spinach in the fridge overnight, and pick this up in the morning.

5.     Next, heat your oven to 200C and get out a large mixing bowl.

6.     Crack six large eggs into the bowl and season with salt and pepper.

7.     Add your cheese, wilted spinach and Quorn to the bowl, and give everything a good stir together.

8.     Grease the holes of a muffin tray with butter or marg, and then spoon your eggy mix into the holes, filling them almost to the top.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: I filled ten muffins holes, but your mix might make more or less depending on how much you’ve made. Don’t fret! Just keep filling almost to the top.

9.     Carefully transport your tray into the oven, and leave the muffins to bake for around 25 minutes.

10.  Once your muffins are golden brown on top and firm to touch, you can safely remove them from the oven and switch this off. Your muffins should easily come out of their holes in the tray – leave to cool for a few minutes and then you can tuck in!

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What do you think, readers? Are you tempted by this recipe? Have you made similar breakfast muffins before? I must say – I have never tried anything of the kind, didn’t know this was a thing! And I’ve always been on the fence about whether or not I like egg and cheese paired together.

But, readers, these muffins came out well and they taste so good! I’m over the moon with them! Honestly, it’s been a good thing I’ve not been working from home today or I fear I would have snacked my way through the lot. I can confirm they can be eaten warm or cold, tasting just as good cold as warm, as there has been SOME snacking since I got home.

I originally made these muffins for breakfast this morning, before setting off to work, and they put me in such a good mood today! A warm, filling, tasty, low-carb breakfast – the dream! And a break from the monotony of yoghurt, seeds and berries, which has been my staple low-carb breakfast for ten or more days now. Far too long.

I shall be saying a BIG thank you to my friend when I see her this weekend, for recommending the recipe, and I’ll definitely be making these breakfast muffins again soon! How about you, readers? Do you think you might give these a go? Let me know what you think – I’m interested to see whether everyone raves about them as much as me! I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Until next time, readers. Take care.

And wilt safely,

Hayley

How To Be A Girl.

Recipe of the week...
...Avocado Eggs baked with Plum Tomatoes

Ingredients: 1 large avocado, 2 medium-sized eggs, a handful of plum tomatoes, cooking oil, and salt and pepper.

Serves: One breakfast-sized portion.

Time taken: Under half an hour.

Hi readers,

How are things today? And this week in general? I hope all is well in your world. All is not-too-bad with me! It’s be a frenzied week at work, with big deadlines to meet and directors away on holiday for half term, but now it’s Friday. And the end is in sight. I’m tired but I’m okay.

Tonight, readers, is my last sleep in the house I’ve been living in for a little over a year now. I’m a bit sad to be kissing goodbye to my little home and the cosy space I’ve caringly crafted for myself in my room. It’s going to be strange not to walk home there anymore. I’ll miss the neighbours and (more so) their cats.

They were friends with all my friends

But, time for something different. A fresh start and adventures yet to come. Though I’m not looking forward to the effort of moving this weekend – which will no doubt be a bloody nightmare – I am looking forward to being moved. Settling somewhere new. Making the unfamiliar into someplace familiar and mine.

Did anyone check the news this morning? And find it to be somehow even more downbeat / disheartening / dreadful than normal? Terror raids in my own city. Thousands of people trying to fake their way to free entry for the Manchester benefit concert this weekend, by claiming they were there during the attack.. though they weren’t. Dozens of people suffocated in an arson attack on a Manila casino. “Global dismay” as the US withdraws from the Paris climate agreement.

What a pile of gloom. I don’t know about you, readers, but it makes me sad. On leg four of my commute this morning, checking the news on my phone, I was quite saddened. BUT – you know what’s good? We have butterfly magnets in the office now. And a freezer and a fan to help with the warm weather. And there’s upbeat new music out (I’m listening to Paramore, Rita Ora and Mr Jukes this week).

Flutterby magnets

Also, this week, I’ve developed an obsession with a podcast called How To Be A Girl (you can find it here). This podcast is produced by a mum living in America, with a young daughter who is transgender. She shares stories from their life and tells of her little daughter’s struggles and successes growing up with changing politics and public opinions medical options, available to transgender people.

I’ve been hooked. She also shares her moments of stress and joy as a parent, trying to raise a child with a gender that she doesn’t have herself. Letting go of her attachment to her son and his name and the ease of having a cisgender child, and embracing her daughter and her new name and learning about transgender. Trying to safeguard her kid and protect their privacy, and taking on the battle of advocating rights for all transgender people.

Yes they are

I find Marlo Mack and her daughter to be inspiring. Their story makes me aware of how privileged I am to have been born a girl in all senses. I’ve never been teased about my private parts. I’ve made no decisions and fought no fight for that. No one to questions that I’m a girl, even on days when I look like shit. Even when I cut my hair short and wear jeans for weeks in a row. When I don’t bother with make up or jewellery or perfume. 

I can use the girl’s toilet and the girl’s changing room and shop in womenswear. Have you ever given this much thought, readers? Because, until this week, I hadn't thought about this at all. And I don' think I'm the only one. If you have the time spare over the weekend, readers, and there’s room in your life to try an inspiring and enlightening podcast, go give it a go. You don’t even have to have the time spare – you can play this while you’re walking or cooking or ironing… multitask! 

Check it out!

Also, if you’re having a more leisurely weekend than mine, I have a recipe for you to try out. My recipe of the week, readers, for Avocado Eggs baked with Plum Tomatoes, comes from Tesco’s May 2017 edition of their free magazine (entitled ‘The Healthy Issue) on page 72. Now I’m a big fan of eggs and avocado in the morning on a weekend and, when time’s on your side, I think it’s nice to do something a bit different for a change. Present your breakfast in a fancy way – for absolutely no reason! Here’s what you do, in just seven simple steps…

Recipe: Avocado Eggs baked with Plum Tomatoes

1.     Pour an OJ, stick the kettle on and heat your oven to 200C.

2.     Halve your avocado, remove the stone and put the halves of the avocado on a plate.

3.     Look at the size of your eggs and the size of the holes available. Do you think they’re going to fit? If so, crack away. If not, spoon out some of the avocado flesh to make a bigger hole for the egg to sit in.

ChefBeHere Top Tip: It’s a shame to waste avocado when it’s such a pricey (and tasty) ingredient so I just cracked away and mopped up any egg white that spilled over the top. Use your best judgement and it will work out!

4.     Add your tomatoes to the plate (making sure there’s no raw egg white on there, first) and then season everything with salt and pepper.

5.     Steadily transport your plate into the oven to bake for quarter of an hour.

6.     Once your tomatoes are beginning to split and your eggs look as they’re cooked to your liking, then safely remove your plate from the oven and switch this off.

7.     Leave for a few minutes to cool and the tuck into a tasty, colourful breakfast.

What do you think, readers? Because, I like this! Here are three of my favourite flavours all together on one plate. It’s a healthy, filling breakfast – I went to a spin class on this and put in some serious effort on my bike! And I had fun in the kitchen trying to balance my avocado halves and keep the egg inside… it was messy but there was a definite sense of achievement when I tucked in.

Let me know, readers, how you get on if you give this recipe a go. Did your eggs stay in the avocados?? Was it worth the hassle? Would you do this again? Send your thoughts my way and I hope you have some fun in the kitchen trying to work this out! I say, if at first you don’t succeed, keep on trying… and maybe have spare eggs on stand-by.

Take care, readers. Don’t let the news get you down, when there are butterfly magnets in the world and transgender kids can happily play with their legos.

Breakfast safely,

Hayley