Monday 30 May 2011

Best Laid Plans

Image Courtesy of Zaggora.com
 (This bum does not belong to me, that would be wishful thinking!)
This is a MuMenTum post that will link up on Liska's blog alongside a few other lovely ladies who want to lose their Mum Tums. The MuMenTum blog hop is open to everyone who has a mum tum and wants rid. We support each other daily through twitter #mumentum and we meet up weekly on a Monday to share our plans, pains, achievements and inner ramblings relating to diet and exercise.

Well I said a few weeks ago that I am giving up diets and focussing on the exercise. It has gone quite well this week. I have been to a few classes at the gym, all ones I really enjoy like body balance and aqua fit. I am going to go to the same classes this week and add in a couple more. My targets for this week are:


  • Attend at least 4 classes at the gym (Can't wait to go in my HotPants when they arrive!)
  • No unnecessary snacking between meals
  • Drink more water, one glass with every meal
  • Stick to the planned meals
I like a plan and I always have a good week when I plan out my meals, shop online for the ingredients I need and of course, stick to the plan (this is the hard bit). I have made a meal plan this week and it's not based on any kind of diet at all. I just thought, what do I want to eat? What would the picky hubby eat? What is easy to cook with JC clinging on to my ankles? What can I make that he can also eat? What is cheap to make because I am on a tight budget? What can I cook that will use similar ingredients so that I don't throw out loads at the end of a week?

I feel like I have many plates to spin but I sat down and came up with a plan for the week. I have included it in the post as it might give you inspiration if you feel stuck in a rut or fancy a change. There is nothing fancy about any of the meals. They are plain and simple and that is how I like my food. Sometimes it's the way you cook things that makes the difference. For example, a soggy baked potato done in the micro would look and taste uninspiring but rub a little rock salt and rosemary on it and stick in in the oven under the grill for 5 mins and you will see and taste a huge difference (Jamie Oliver tip). 

I haven't included my breakfast and lunch as it is usually porridge for breakfast and soup and a bread roll for lunch. Sometimes I mix it up with a feta cheese salad or a ham baguette if I am feeling especially adventurous.

Day
Dinner
Monday
Chicken Stirfry with noodles
(Cook with sesame oil, remove JC’s portion then add soy sauce for us)

Tuesday
Baked Potato Night with choices of different fillings and corn on the cob and salad
(beans, cheese, tuna, bolognese in freezer)

Wednesday
Spaghetti Bolognese
(Make a big batch and freeze some)

Thursday
Fish Cakes, sautéed leek and potato, mixed veg
(leek and potato are from leftover veg bought for making soup)

Friday
Steak Tacos with Rice
(Serve JC’s with a pitta bread)

Saturday
Chicken stuffed with quark, tarragon, garlic and some grated lemon zest, wrapped in bacon cooked in oven 220 for 30 mins.
(serve with potatoes and mixed veg)

Sunday
Pasta Night
(easy peasy homemade tomato and bacon sauce this week)


I have a new code for anyone who want to pre order a pair of HotPants

The £4.40 I will receive as payment you typing in my code will be donated to the Post Natal Depression Service in Edinburgh run by the charity CrossReach.







20 comments:

  1. jessies_online30 May 2011 at 16:57

    I'm definitely stuck in a rut when it comes to cooking family meals, we seem to rotate the same ones every week! I try & meal plan before I do the online shop but it doesn't always work out - mainly because I've forgotten to take something out the freezer or put dinner in the slow cooker!
    A backside like that & weighing 120lb would be a nice thought!
    x

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  2. Wow you've been really good, all that exercise last week, you should be proud of yourself!

    Meal planning is great isn't it, it's something I have done in the past and intend to start doing again, I think it really does help.

    Best of luck with your week ahead. iI I could fit into a pair of Hot Pants I wouldn't writing this reply, I'd be out in the sunshine strutting my stuff ;)

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  3. Now that arse is something to work towards isn't it?! You're right, nothing sabotages a healthy diet plan, than no plan... Upping the exercise is essential, but the flab is determined in your kitchen not in the gym... Good luck & I look forward to the hotpants photos ;))

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  4. Well done hun on being so good! And I love that you are donating your hot pant money. Good on you xx

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  5. Wow sounds like you are doing great and I am loving the meal planning. So organised! Good luck with this week and you will have a bum like that before you know it :-) x

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  6. You are so organised! Very impressive. Sounds like you are doing fab! xxx

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  7. Meal planning is something that I know WOULD work for me, yet I have never done it. Thanks for giving me a great idea, which I will certainly be trying, Liska xxx
    Fab comprehensive post by the way xxx

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  8. Yeah give it a try! I find that by planning ahead I take the thought out of it. Just make sure you plan things you do actually like or you won't eat it or want to cook it when that day comes round. (code for blog hop has been added!) x

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  9. I've been working on this meal plan for a few weeks, tweeking it here and there but I think it's just about right. x

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  10. I don't think my bum would ever look like that but if I could just firm it up a wee bit I'd be happy! x

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  11. They are such a great charity and have been a huge support to me over the past few months. I am doing all I can to raise money for them so that they can keep offering support to mums like me.

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  12. The exercise is more so a step towards a healthier lifestyle. I can't do diets as I just sabotage myself and end up feeling worse about it. I actually eat less and more of the right things when I am not trying to actively cut back. The minute I am on a diet it's like a switch goes off in my head and I totally lose the plot! I will post up a photo of me in hotpants but it will not look like the one on my blog, ever!

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  13. Good luck to you too Carole, great to have you on board! I really think that being organised is the best way forward for me. I am loving the exercise too!

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  14. I write notes all the time on my fridge message board like "take the fish cakes out the freezer!" Sometimes it doesn't work but I try!

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  15. jessies_online30 May 2011 at 21:48

    I have lists with things like that on......I need a list to remind me to look at it though!! x

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  16. Well done you - wow so many gym classes, am jealous. I go once a week and try and walk as much as poss. Need to start running again x

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  17. Wow you are seriously organised! Well done. x

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  18. Kirsteen Murray31 May 2011 at 11:44

    I'm a big fan of meal planning. It's such a little thing really, but it seems to make life so much easier!

    Well done on the exercise too.

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  19. Whoop whoop! Check you go girl! I'm seriously impressed by how organised you are with it hun xx

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  20. PR Mummy www.prmummy.com31 May 2011 at 18:56

    There are some seriously yummy dinners in there. What a great idea to plan your food. I might be taking a leaf. Xx

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