Hermaj
It’s not much help to you, but 90% Dark chocolate is available in supermarkets in Oz. However, even though I love coffee and 70% dark chocolate, I don’t enjoy the 90% chocolate. ?? Off to bed now.
Cheers, Bay ?
This topic contains 11,627 replies, has 174 voices, and was last updated by hermajtomomi 6 months, 4 weeks ago.
It’s Lindt, and waitrose often have it – though tesco have given up. I’ve just discovered it’s available online – Lindt.co.uk. If you have enough discipline to buy 10 bars at a time, the delivery charge is worth it. (Actually it’s so rich that the discipline bit is ok – 1 square good, 2 squares indulgent, 3 squares too much of a good thing. Pricey, but at 1 square a night and 2 on feast days, manageable.
Thanks, bay and Fast. I love Lindt – especially salted caramel or chilli dark chocolate which are so good they should be made illegal. However, I’m proud to say that if one of us happens to buy a couple of said choccy bars as a special offer, they remain untouched in the fridge, sometimes for weeks on end. I’ll certainly have a look online.
I take your point about it not being to your taste, bay. At that strength I would definitely be thinking of using it for cooking. I confess I have been known to bake brownies on non-fast days, a lovely recipe made with beetroot and ground almonds, which somehow make it sound a lot less naughty.
I cultivate the idea in those immediately around me that 90% doesn’t taste good to eat – that means DH sticks to 70%, and I get to keep the 90% to myself.? But since neither of you knows where my stash is, if you want to acquire a taste for the really dark stuff (less sugar) try, not chewing it but simply letting it dissolve in your mouth. Fantastic texture, wonderful taste – but I agreed, defininitely a hard drug. I started on the 70%, but now find it too sweet – don’t like it if I get DH’s square by mistake.
(Apologies, Bay, and anyone else coping with first official day of Advent challenge!))
Certainly I will, I’ll be delighted, but a bit later on today or early tomorrow. It’s currently on a sticky, greasy page cut from a weekend supplement so I’ll need to type it.
Believe it or not, I’m working with a deadline to meet first thing tomorrow. That’s the way it goes in our business (translation). Like all freelancers, I work when the work is there, weekends and all, but it nearly always means a day or more skiving off midweek which is great. For some unaccountable reason I’ve had my nose to the grindstone pretty well non-stop, apart from a two-week holiday, since the summer. This is not always the case, it’s a feast or famine job.
I’m very very lucky to finally have found my ideal career, albeit a bit late in the day. Sometimes it gets tough and I find myself wishing I was stacking shelves in Sainsbury’s, usually when faced with a very badly written foreign language text. We only work into our mother tongue or language of habitual use, in my case English. Most of the stuff I do is for publication or broadcast so it’s got to read or sound as thought it were written in English in the first place. It certainly keeps the old brain functioning. 🙂 I’d better get back to it.
I interpreted squid giver as “suitable for giving to squids, i.e. small children such as grandies”. But then I’ve got a weird mind.
Rankin/Rebus fans out there will understand my delight when the OH asked me if I’d read and if not would I like Even Dogs in the Wild as a Christmas present.
For those who enjoy good police procedurals and haven’t yet met Inspector Rebus, here are the books in chronological order. I have them all and hope one day to reread them in the proper order.
Morning from chilly and sunny Portugal. Porto is beautiful. Google it if you havent been here. Im not checked out on ipad mini so apologies for errors, punctuation seems a luxury. Not able to read posts without a microscope. Teen has shown me how to paste a post from sh thread to this one so excuse the duplication.
Carbs everywhere i look. They’re out to get me but I’m doing mindful eating. And we are walking all day up steep hills. I managed a full fast yesterday, Not at all easy, miso soup and herbal tea brought from home, found a cauliflower and made a modified soup using packet onion soup as i couldn’t find any stock. Just wasn’t the same without the blender. Ofms going on about Porto pastries and francesinna – an enormous local sandwich covered in sauce – all day. Anyway i struggled through and was rewarded with 59.4 on my travel scales this am so might try one of those famous custard pastries today. I feel i can relax a bit food wise now and try another fast next Sunday when we are in the algarve.
Hope all is going well for all of you, take care.
Hi Thin
Great to hear from you. It’s hot here and we’re on the run into a very hot family Christmas. ?? ??. Enjoy the Portuguese custard tart. That’s what we travel for, to have experiences we couldn’t have at home. Your trip sounds fun.
I’m on the sugar free challenge. Because I’m eating fruit this time, I seem to be having the munchies every day rather than a ghastly 3.5 days at the beginning as per the Lenten challenge. Today I munched on corn chips (corn, salt and oil) and drank a Corona after golf.
Cheers, Bay
Morning Bay, how funny – OH is reading Saints Of The Shadow Bible. Will join you on your next sf challenge. Not missing the heat. Hope you had a good squirt of fresh lime in that Corona. Coffee here is the best Ive ever tasted and ridiculously cheap. We have the most incredible view from our apt windows, such a beautiful spot.
Hi Thin
Welcome to the Northern Hemisphere..we are almost neighbours again ?
I’m running out of time in Edinburgh to do all the literary spots, Bay, but I’ll try again after Christmas.
Mr P is a big Rankin fan, Herm. I’m not that keen on detective stories…my imagination runs away with me. ?
We had a great few days at Oban and on Mull…even had snow yesterday. I,too, am not missing the heat Thin.
We haven’t clocked up many steps this weekend and the carbs have been prominent on the menu. We both need to fast today as penance. ? P
FastFastSlow and any other brownie fans:
Here is the recipe for squidgy brownies, as promised. If enlisting the help of small relatives, I suggest they don’t wear pristine white Buzz Lightyear suits as my 5-year-old great-nephew did last Christmas. Getting covered in chocolate is part of the fun whenever we have one of our family cook-outs. I and his elder brother do starters and mains, little guy and his mum are the pastry chefs while OH bakes bread (without the aid of a machine) and generally helps out. We have one of these meetings coming up in three weeks time.
Beetroot chilli chocolate brownies.
Makes 16 (but easily divided into half or a third)
250 g ready-cooked beetroot
250 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
100 g butter, plus a little extra for greasing
3 eggs (if halving the recipe quantity use 2 or 1 topped up with a little milk if necessary)
250 g light or dark brown sugar
150 g ground almonds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder (optional –using less or a little more according to taste)
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6
Prepare a 23 cm baking tin (smaller if not making the full 16), by greasing all over with a little butter. Line the tin with a wide strip of baking paper leaving two “tails” on either side to help you lift the cooked brownie out of the tin.
Break the chocolate into squares and put it in a heatproof bowl along with the butter. Set the bowl over a pan if gently simmering water and allow to melt, stirring the mix as it does so.
Tip the beetroot into a food processor and process to a purée, pausing the motor to scrape down the sides if necessary. Add the melted chocolate and butter and the eggs then whizz again until combined. Again, scrape the sides down, then add the sugar, ground almonds, cocoa, baking powder and cayenne pepper (if using) and process to make a smooth batter.
Pour the batter into the lined baking tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is set and the brownie is starting to pull a little way from the sides. A skewer inserted will come out fairly clean but still a touch sticky. This is fine, as it will firm up while cooling. These brownies are designed to be quite squidgy and moist.
Using the baking-paper tails, ease the brownie from the tin and cut into squares. Dust with a little icing sugar if you wish.
Thank you, hermaj- they sound fantastic. Afraid I might have to wait a while for little people to help with making them – my Grands are 27 and 24, so next generation, I guess! – but I think I could manage by myself. Suspect I’d better wait till Christmas, though, or the sugar challenge won’t stand a chance!
Thanks Herm. I’ll make them when I get home.
Just spent a lovely day with Happy in the Lakes district. She whizzed us around, showing us some of the gorgeous scenery and well known attractions. It’s great to catch up with cyber friends in the flesh. Thanks Happy, Mr P and I enjoyed our day and meeting you. ?
Fast,
It’s taken me several attempts to get the right degree of squidginess.
Purple, I’d love to have been there with the three of you. The Lake District is beautiful. I owe it a visit as I haven’t been there since the age of 16 when I went youth hostelling with a bunch of classmates after we finished our O-levels. We were heartbroken when one of the gang developed mumps and we all had to go home. Apart from that I spent most of the time sliding down steep hillsides on my bum – I’m still rubbish walking downhill and downstairs. Where are you off to next?
Hi Happy,
Definitely something to be considered when the days are a bit longer. It would be fun, whatever your driving speed.
BTW all you potential brownie bakers. When I first found the recipe I wasn’t quite sure where to find the RIGHT sort of beetroot. I was only aware of pickled and raw, neither of which I like. The stuff used in the recipe is boiled in its own juice then vacuum packed and is usually lurking somewhere near the fresh veggies.
Purple,
Your mentioning Oban made me remember visiting the rare breeds park a little way out of town. Visitors could buy bags of feed which was suitable for all the “inmates”. Except one – poor old Giles, the very fat sheep. He wandered around freely so that that punters could have a few kind words and pat his lovely woolly coat. But on his back was a notice. “I’m on a diet. Please don’t feed me”, it said.
I confess 5:2 did go though my mind, Fast. This was way back in the 90s, long before 5:2 was even a twinkle in Michael Mosley’s eye. So poor old Giles was probably on a strict low calorie diet, or possibly Atkins or South Beach, although neither seem to have been tailored for overweight sheep.
I couldn’t help thinking Giles’s notice could be put on a T-shirt to be worn when visiting over-zealous friends and rellies who wanted to stuff one full of cake.
Two years five months in program and now doing 6:1. Weight in five pound range, waist still three inches down from start. Cholesterol and A1-C stable just below 6. Discipline still required on fast days but routine is welcome, especially during holiday season; it’s just necessary to identify fast day/days early when social calendar is forming. Walk as much as possible when weather permits about 40 minutes three times a week. Soups are a great fast day alternative during cold weather season and a helpful evening meal on non-fast days. Happy Fasting to all. Chasman
Welcome Chasman,
Glad you are enjoying the feelgood factor that comes along with the measurable results of 5:2. I so agree with you about soups on fast and non-fast days. I also agree with what Purple calls “residual discipline” and know from my own experience that going too far over the top on a non-fast results in rebellion of the digestive system that has become accustomed to a healthy, more modest intake. A blessing in disguise, really. You feel so awful that you are unlikely to indulge again any time soon.
Hi Hermaj, Thanks for that recipe. It will have to wait until my sugar free month is over. I am making dozens of mince pies today for extended family, and have decided to eat exactly one half of one pie. To make sure they’re edible, you understand. ???
Happy, Last week a raspberry tart jumped off the bench and into my mouth. I can say that I did not enjoy it, too sweet. Now that was a lesson well learnt. Shocking! ??
Fast, Lichtle, As you all can tell, this sugar free challenge is very different to the Lenten challenge in which I went cold turkey. I am interpreting the Lenten dispensation of 6:1 sugar free as applicable to the Advent challenge.
Cheers, Bay ??. Hot weather has arrived as is normal for us at the beginning of December. Over 30 C for the next few days. ??????????⛳️⛳️⛳️
Hi Bay,
I’m delighted that the brownie recipe is finding its way to the Southern Hemisphere. One of the advantages of goodies based on chocolate is that they aren’t too sweet.
Fortunately I’m not very fond of mince pies or traditional Christmas pud. However, when it comes to German Stollen or Italian panettone I’m in deep trouble, especially as they are now so widely available.
I had churos with caramel sauce tonight, just to keep a young relative happy. We WERE sopping wet from walking to the Mexican, so really had to stay as long as possible. Far too sweet for me. Fish and chips and then churos? Guess who’s fasting tomorrow ? P
Ps I think even looking at ads with chocolate in them is overpoweringly sickly ?
Purple, I feel for you. I do hope they were good fish and chips. They can be anything from divine to disgusting. I can’t remember whether you are due to return to Edinburgh, but if so you might sample some Scottish fish and chips. I’m not sure what it is that makes them special but they can be streets ahead of those south of the border.
I can’t remember either whether you have spent time in Spain, but the tradition there is after a night on the town to finish at about 2 or 3 a.m. in a churreria where you eat churros, dipped in a cup of hot chocolate with the consistency of custard. In my misspent youth I had quite a few nights on the town but I could never bring myself to acquire the churro habit. One or two at teatime OK but not in the small hours.
Have a good fast day tomorrow, maybe with a small salad or some light vegetable soup which will no doubt feel like heaven after churros and chips.
Bay, you’re not the only one finding it tough. This is far harder than Lent – mainly because most people at least understand Lent as a ‘giving up something’ time, even if they wouldn’t dream of doing so themselves and have no understanding of fasting, but they have never realised that Advent is also a fasting period. Combined with the difficulty our society has wIth deferred gratification, the result is that people all around us are already celebrating Christmas, so we’re surrounded by parties and festive food, a month before the festival, in a way that doesn’t happen before Easter. (Fasting apart, the sad thing is that those same people will think Christmas is all over by Boxing Day, when they could go on celebrating until 12th night, or even until Candlemass on 2 Feb!). So any success at all is admirable – the occasional topple from the wagon is definitely forgiveable. You’re doing great!!
I have to confess appalling ignorance about the relationship between chocolate and Advent calendars and I’d love someone to explain. My lack of knowledge is probably due to my being a fully paid-up member of the Bah! Humbug! fraternity. Not because of the reason why Christmas is celebrated. That seems to be widely forgotten amid all the hype and sentimental tosh that surrounds Christmas in an effort to make people spend large amounts of money that they can’t really afford and eat and drink until they explode. Don’t get me wrong, I love buying gifts for close family – 5 in all – although I confess it’s mostly done on line, but the prezzies are exchanged face to face.
Sorry to be boring about Spain in two successive posts, but unless things have changed drastically over the last decade or so, they seem to have the balance right. The run-up to Christmas doesn’t really start until well into December, not in August or September as it sometimes does in the UK, and the present-giving doesn’t happen until January 6, el Día de Reyes, which celebrates the arrival of los Reyes Magos, the Three Kings who came to Bethlehem, bearing gifts.
The religious message isn’t forgotten. The Belén, or Nativity scene, is the main Christmas decoration. Spectacular Belenes appear in public – the scene doesn’t only include the Holy Family, the shepherds and the Three Kings but also people from miles around carrying the tools of their trade – and many Spaniards put together their own Beléns at home.
Yes Herm, we did have an excellent fast yesterday, capped off with a small piece of Happy’s devine gingerbread from Grassmere…nectar of the gods methinks!
The fish and (very few) chips were indeed up to Aussie standards. Our previous attempts at Brighton, Hastings and Whitby, on other trips, left us very underwhelmed. One try a trip is more than enough.
The churros in caramel sauce were far better than those tried in Melbourne but as I’m not a sweet tooth, they can stay on the plate in future.
I know I’m a slow learner, but it occurs to me that to be a maintainer is far more difficult than losing weight. If I still weighed in the 80kgs I could eat a lot more and still lose some weight. Being under 60kg, I am always eating significantly less than the heavier PVE ? Fact.
Hi Bay,
Good to hear that you are finding some sweet things too sweet. Hopefully other ‘treats’ will go the same way and the list of things that tempt you will dwindle…
P,
I know it’s been said before, but maintenance is constant vigilance, no more eating whatever and however much you want! Choice, compromise and sacrifice…
I’m with Dad for a few days, and today we’re lunching out. While I am skipping breakfast to mitigate, he is having his usual (cereals, eggs and toast!). In his defence, he mostly doesn’t eat lunch now…but he hasn’t yet worked out that if he does, he ought to eat less at breakfast or in the evening!
I will need to fast next week anyway though…to mitigate the gingerbread and cheesecake 🙂
Hi all
Just finished a big day of family, festivities and food. ?????? Will start all over again tomorrow with friends over for Christmas nibbles and drinks. Luckily we have walks and painting of fences to distract us and wear off a bit of the food. Not putting on any weight as I don’t eat like I used to.
Cheers to all the travellers, distant friends and maintainers everywhere. Bay ??
I assume your heat has gone Bay if you’re painting. we’ve still got 40 degrees here! ☀️ Good you’re out of that purple!
Out to lunch today – they were planning pizzas in their pizza oven – hope they’ve changed their mind about that! The Xmas celebrations have started but I’m managing to keep my head!
I remember how beautiful England is at Xmas time with all the lights in the streets and the houses. Enjoy purple along with the mulled wine!
We cooked pizzas in an outdoor, gas, pizza oven last Christmas in the stinking heat, in the bush west of the Blue Mountains. Totally different. It IS pretty with the lights at night (read as any time after 3.30pm until 9am ?). A night swim on a warm night in Aus is good at Xmas too, Carol. ? Wherever you are, enjoy. ?
You must be logged in to reply.
Michael is touring Australia this September! Here's a link to dates and tickets. Hope to see you there.
Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
Michael looks at the Horizon special, "What's the Right Diet for You" and tells us which diet they say is best for him.
in Welcome to The Fast Diet and Exercise forums • updated 25 minutes ago by ccco
in Weight loss • updated 4 hours, 12 minutes ago by Brads27
in Medical conditions and fasting • updated 4 hours, 52 minutes ago by maryglo
11:44 am
29 Nov 15