A week of Hob-Nobbing

Oh if only McVities Hob Nobs were a low fat, even better, no fat food. Last week, sheer boredom and mild weather-induced depression led me to snack every night for a week on hob nobs. At the beginning of the week, I allowed myself one hob nob. Tuesday night I increased my intake to two hob nobs. I can't say I was eating five hob nobs on Friday night but my sudden love for hob nobs, this insane eating behaviour was alarming for me. Still I didn't curb the hob nob pattern until the weekend when I discovered the pounds I had shed after weeks of eating sensibly were slowly but surely piling on. Love handles, bat wings, hipsters, thunder thighs you name all return in full force. I guess it's back to subsistence eating again.

Picnic days

What better way to spend a glorious day in the countryside, by the lake, having a picnic with friends. Yes, very civilised indeed. That's exactly what I did on Saturday. The picnic spread included; fresh french bread sticks (detoxer's nightmare), a selection of humous pots, cheese and ricotta quiche, salad and to finish a fresh fruit salad. Just my idea of total bliss. Oh and there's the bottle of crisp, cool rose too. Good picnic food, conversation, equals a perfect picnic day. My friend, Sangeetha, eagerly pottered around in the fierce afternoon heat, putting up a little mini tent to keep cool our various picnic sundries. She was keen to photograph with pride her picnic spread and the picture will follow soon.

My Perfect Morning Coffee

My perfect morning coffee is Pret's Rooibos Vanilla tea (completely caffine free) with soya milk. When I arrive at work, 8.30ish in the morning, I nip into Pret and treat myself to this wonderfully smooth hot beverage. Pret's Rooibos Vanilla tea is unlike any other rooibos tea I've ever had. This rooibos tea is smooth, palatable with a delectable creamy, velvety texture that is so satisfying. Of course, being caffine-free you don't run the risk of having that artifical boost at the beginning of the day before the afternoon slump. Rather, it's a calming beverage enabling you to plan your task list for the day with clarity. Try it. It's a soothing morning experience you could get used to.

Edamame beans vs Crisps

I can safely say I have discovered an alternative to a junk food: crisps. For years, my body was a temple. No crisps, no cake, no chocolate and certainly no sweets. What a boring life I must have led, I hear most of you cry. Without a doubt, my body was at the peak of health. Back in those days I was a Bikram yoga fanatic which had a dramatic impact on my eating habits. As I was exercising in a ludicrously hot 100 degree sauna room, I could not cope with having too much body fat. In fact, during those four years I must have lived on a liquid diet of carrot and apple juice with a shot of wheatgrass and water. I soon dropped Bikram yoga after hearing whispers among the yoga camp that too much Bikram was bad for your skin. Dehydration and crinkly skin didn't appeal. So for aesthetic reasons I abandoned this hard-core yoga in favour of something gentler. I found a wonderful class, the teacher was lovely, it was a beautiful space to practice: a huge yoga space created by an indoor pool and sweeping wooden walls which cascaded up to slanted windows. It was yoga bliss until one day I attempted the headstand with the teacher's help. She dropped my legs a little too early and I fell sideways on my neck. I fell out of love with yoga for a while after that.

So onto the glory of edamame beans. I can truly triumph the crispy sweet, nuttiness of edamame beans. Definitely try them out. A great healthy alternative to crisps. I can safely say I won't be eating another packet of cheese and onion in a hurry.