Biggest loser Australia.. hurry up and finish!

I got am email today saying that my goodies from ethical superstore has been dispatched! Yay! I am looking forward to trying the cacao nibs especially.

Today for breakfast I tried the porridge oats I got last week. They are oats, banana flakes and vanilla bean (no sugar or salt or flavourings added). The instructions said 50g oats to 150ml liquid. I did 30g oats and 100ml liquid but there was nowhere near enough liquid! It totalled in the end 140ml; I like porridge on the runny side. It had a sweet flavour, but not too overpowering. I am not keen on strong flavours for breakfast, so normally if I have porridge I have oats, milk, raisins and cinnamon. I think cinnamon would have tasted nice with this (but was having some on pear at lunch so didn’t want overload, not that cinnamon overload is even remotely possible! Plus I wanted to taste it on its own first of all). The banana flavour was very subtle, in fact I could taste the vanilla bean more, which is good as although I like bananas (as long as they have green on them) and things with real banana in (banana bread anyone?) I have never liked banana “flavour” things and also do not like dried banana. I tried this one as they had other flavours (strawberry and chocolate) but they both had added sugar which I didn’t want. Anyway the oats were nice, a little sweet, I think they would be super tasty in maybe oatmeal raisin cookies.

I have been busy working this evening so had a 30g Nak’d cocoa loco bar to keep me going before dinner. There are the perfect size for a nibble, plus because they have oats in them (I do love oats) they are filling and give you longer lasting energy. They are also super-tasty! I need not go on!

I have been watching the Australian Biggest Loser on TV and I am getting so fed up! I want this series to end! (for anyone who doesn’t know it’s a series where extremely overweight contestants live in a house and are trained for several hours a day, educated about good nutrition, and the people who lose the least each week are up for elimination until the final where someone is crowned “the biggest loser”. The winner often ends up losing 50% of their original body weight and they are educated to exercise and make their own healthy food etc). I really like the American series, but this one is so gimmicky with “the walk” and surprise eliminations and surprise contestants coming back and people going to “the commando” (why does he wear sunglasses at night time???), the crazy Emazon lady and so on. Anyway I had it on in the background while I was working but I am hoping it will end soon!

For dinner I had an adaptation of sausage and bean bake from Rachel Allen’s Bake;

(Serves 2)

Brown one chopped red onion, add 2 chopped peppers, splash of balsamic and mix for a bit. Then add 1 carton chopped tomatoes, some garlic and herbs (I had basil), and a tin of cannelini beans. Put into an oven proof dish (boyfriend had his with 2 sausages which we cooked for 10 minutes beforehand and a sprinkle of chilli powder on top) and bake for 35 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese, and some (home-made) bread. Delicious! You can add whatever veggies you like, courgettes are nice too with the beans. I have made it before with a veggie sausage for me but I cant find the ones I like any more, and the ones I have tried are all like pretend meat which I don’t like, or way too cheesy in taste.

Last night I managed to stay up til 1am watching the election stuff, so tonight I will be having an early night.