Two Years On...

Hey - haven't I seen you here before?!

It's been just over two years since my 'Quitting Bread' challenge, so meanly, wisely, and cunningly set by my sister. I thought I'd drop a quick post to say how I've been doing...

I am completely off bread now. Completely. I had a minor slip in Autumn 2011 when I tested my poor stomach with a celebratory Subway when I completed on a new flat... and paid for it in PAIN. Since then, I have been strictly off the good stuff. 

I was tempted at my best mate's house when she'd made garlic bread. However, when she remembered I can't eat that delicious stuff, she suggested I licked off the garlic butter instead for the taste. We had consumed a bottle of wine by this point...

I continue to feel healthier, have no crazy 10 day periods of hiccups, no stomach pain, and no gastronomical reasons to go to see my GP. Hooray! 

Bread, my love - I miss you.  I always will, but I can't love something that hate me so much in return. Adios!

All the best for 2013.

Lou  x

P.S. I have a new (this week!) travel blog 'Born to be a Tourist' and a writing blog too. Miss Write has been going almost a year now and it's had a great reception. Take a look!

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Challenge complete!

The end of my 30 day bread-free challange!!! Yahoo!!!

Every single one from my Baker's Dozen has been sadly missed. It's been a long month!

However, it's been easier than I expected to not snack on toast, eat sandwiches, or have bread based products. Bread and butter pudding was sadly off the menu this month (my favourite!) but I survived. I found you need to be more organised if you’re avoiding the convenience of sandwiches everyday. It takes planning - cooking, prepping, shopping and thinking ahead.

So, today for lunch I had complete freedom in the form of a bread roll sarnie, having spent my 30 days (pretty much) bread free. What did I throw together? An outstanding, delectable, mouth-watering fish finger roll - and a posh roll at that! It had olives baked into the bread, and I jazzed up the fish fingers with the rest of yesterday's roasted/pickled peppers.

                                                        A-maz-ing.

However!!! One hour later, my old friends Bloat and Indigestion came home to roost. See?! Quitting Bread did help my stomach, and the effects were immediate when I returned to a normal diet.

This challenge has done me more good than just health reasons too. I was secretly getting a little stale (!) and bored with sandwiches and their umpteen fillings. The variety I've found on the shelves at Tesco has done me good, and I'm much more inspired now when filling my lunch box.

I think I’ll still have the occasional slice of toast – that’s what I missed most – and a sandwich when there’s nothing inspiring around to eat, or I need an ultra quick snack, but I definitely will continue to find alternatives to bread. Plus, I don't know how many more curries I can attempt to eat without a naan bread. It smells and tastes so good, but this month's sacrifice has made my stomach feel much less bloated for the last month. Success!

Bloat-o-meter: 10/10 - I won't be having a sandwich tomorrow for lunch!

Signing off for the final time... I'm going to miss this blog!

Louise x

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Day Thirty - Final day of the challenge

The final day of my bread-free month. Lunch successfully avoided bread as I had mini feta cheese and herb pasties with roasted pickled peppers, a banana and a chocolate muffin. Delicious, but perhaps an M&S treat should wait until after pay day next time. £6 for all of that - and the banana was free from my fruit bowl this morning!

Quote of the day:

"People who eat white bread have no dreams."

    -  Diana Vreeland (originally Diana Dalziel)
       Quoted in AnnetteTapert and Diana EdkinsThe Power of Style (1994)

I agree whole heartedly. If you're going to eat bread, make it brown!

Stay tuned for the conclusions of my 30 days of Quitting Bread...

I cannot wait for a choice sandwich for lunch tomorrow!!! So much convenience, choice, freedom and pleasure!

Bloat-o-meter: 1/10 - a lovely variation, if a little high on fat content.

Louise x

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Day Twenty Nine - penultimate day!

Leftover potato salad was the order for the day. Delicious even 3 days later.

One slip up... I am getting sloppy! I was ravenous before hitting the gym tonight. There were some leftover sarnies from a buffet we had at work today, so I secretly scoffed a couple of ham sandwiches. Why do triangle shaped sandwiches taste even better?! Guilty pleasure…

Not much to report today. Kind fo looking forward to finishing this. I miss naan bread. Garlic bread. The convenience of the humble sandwich.

Bloat-o-meter: 2/10 - the gym worked off most of my bloated-ness from the cheap buffet sandwich I scoffed.

Louise x

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The final weekend

The final weekend of my bread-free month challenge.

Saturday, Ciaran was late home from work. Starving, I sneaked a slice of toast. I know, I know, naughty me, but there was nothing else in the cupboard to snack on. I'd have had to cook half a dinner if I hadn't cheated and eaten that wholesome, healthy wholemeal slice. We have no food! Sunday is catered for and shopping isn't done until Monday in our house!

Quote of the day:

"Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

 - The Bible, Proverbs 9:17.

Incidently, I found an amusing post online today, comparing men to slices of toast. Click here to read "Men are Toast", the short article by Brie Gatchalian.

On Sunday I had lunch out with a friend who was visiting from Stoke. We both had fish cakes – a brilliant alternative to a bread-y burger, naan bread and curry, sandwich or wrap in Las Iguanas. Yummy! 100% success rate today at least.

Bloat-o-meter: 2/10 - I'll add a point for my cheat on Saturday

Louise x

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Day Twenty Six - Date Day

Today I’d booked the day off work. Ciaran, my patient, bread-loving boyfriend, and I had a shopping day in Milton Keynes, and went to see Stomp perform. We hadn’t had a Date Night for a few weeks, so we planned “Date Day” today to catch up - theatre, lunch and shopping.

Having a bit more time in the morning than a normal weekday, I prepared us a potato salad for lunch. Always a winner!

Any potato salad I make always has the following ingredients:

• Potatoes (obviously!)
• Sweetcorn (simple, easy, healthy)
• Light Mayo
• Onions
• Chives

That’s the basics. Other ingredients I like to add if I have them is little pieces of ham or small strips of bacon, fresh peppers, crunchy bacon bits, capers, or peas. Although, peas and capers are unadvisable in the same dish as it’s hard to tell them apart – cue the occasional shock to your taste buds!

Nicely full, we left for Date Day. Stomp were fantastic, and we got some great clothes from our mini shopping spree - all in all, a great date!

Bloat-o-meter: 1/10 - I lurrrrrve potato salad!

Louise x

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Day Twenty Five - lunch at Heidi's

I'd warned my good friend Heidi about my Quitting Bread challenge, so I wondered if she would remember not to make sandwiches for lunch when I popped round today. I didn't want to put her out, but a challenge is a challenge... apart from garlic bread, as you've seen!

She had remembered! What a star!

We had a lovely jacket potato each with curried chicken and mayo on top, accompanied by tomatoes. Yum - I will have to remember that idea. I get so sick of beans and cheese on jackets!

Since then, I've googled alternatives to cheesy beans. How's this for a great selection?

• chilli con carne
• coleslaw
• cheese and leek
• salsa
• fried mushrooms and garlic
• yoghurt & cucumber
• tuna mayonaise
• corned beef
• smokes sausage and mayo
• leftover curry

Go bake that potato!

Bloat-o-meter: 1/10 - Thanks Heidi!

Louise x

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