A Quick and Healthy Diet

I don't usually pay attention to my weight unless I start to feel uncomfortable. Well, a week ago that day came. I've been super busy and not riding as much as I'd like over the past month, without changing my eating habits to accommodate. It was fine for a while, until one day I got on the bike and... well, let's just say I felt my tummy jiggle and fold in on itself as I pedaled. It was disconcerting. So I decided to go on a diet and get myself to a state of feeling comfortable again. The healthiest version of a crash diet I know is a low-carb, high fiber, high nutrition diet. It works extremely well, because in addition to making you eat healthier it also acts as an appetite suppressor. Here are the rules for anyone interested:

Things to cut out completely: 
alcohol, sweets, junk food, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, soda, most juices

Things to eat: 
vegetables, lentils, nuts, eggs, milk, fish and meat (or tofu and quorn), high-fiber oatmeal, apples, berries, cheese, butter, unsweetened carrot and cranberry juice

How much to eat: 
For a woman my size not engaged in strenuous exercise, around 1,200 calories a day will work. But this is ballpark; adjust for size/gender/exercise level. Go heavy on the vegetables, light on the fatty stuff, and medium on the protein.

How long will it take? 
I see results in 1-2 weeks when I follow this strictly.

Sample Day's Menu:
  breakfast:
     oatmeal with butter and blueberries
  lunch:
     steamed spinach with sesame seeds and sliced almonds
  dinner:
     grilled salmon and asparagus, lentil soup
  snacks:
     apple, nuts, broccoli florets, baby carrots, coffee and tea with milk

So... I have been doing this for 5 days now. It was difficult on the first two days, then it got much easier. The fiber, the reduced carbohydrates, and the elimination of alcohol are the key here. I already feel a difference and in another week my body should be back to normal. Then I will have a good look at my schedule and try to get more riding in, so that I can eat whatever I want again (kidding, I will try to generally eat healthy from now on is what I meant to say)...

Quick, Healthy, Brazing-Inspired Dessert

The main thing you are taught when learning to braze a bicycle frame, is temperature control. For instance: When brazing a lugged joint, the tube, the lug, the flux (gooey stuff the joint is smeared with) and the silver you add all heat up at different rates - and what you try to do is get them to the point where they are in sync. I thought about this as I eyed the pile of fruit and berries I'd brought home from the grocery store. I wanted to make dessert for the husband, and his request was something healthy and light. I decided to keep it simple and approach it as I would brazing: First I'd heat up the thick, heavy ingredients, adding the delicate, leaky ones after the overall temperature was sufficiently hot. Here is the result:

Autumnal Fruit and Nut Medley

Ingredients:
apples
cranberries
blackberries
blueberries
walnuts
lemon
honey
bourbon

Preparation time:
7 minutes

Instructions:
In a bowl, mix a bunch of hard sliced apples with a fistful of crushed walnuts and a fistful of raw cranberries. Add a spoon of lemon juice, a spoon of honey and a shot of bourbon. Heat in microwave for 2.5 minutes or in oven (in appropriate container) until apples turn soft. Alternatively, if preparing in workshop, you could use a brazing torch (held upside down and pointed at the bottom of the bowl - as you would heat a bottom bracket). Let sit for 30 seconds. Add blackberries and blueberries. Heat for additional 1 minute or just long enough for berries to release colour onto the rest of the concoction. Remove, let cool for a bit, and serve with tea.

This dish is basically like a fruit tart, only without the dough. Tastes surprisingly good, looks festive and takes very little effort to prepare. Want to make it less healthy? Add whipped cream.

Enjoy your Sunday evening!