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Quality Irish Cheese

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Carrigaline Farmhouse cheese - smoked in waxed roundI grew up on cheddar. If you’re Irish and over 30(ish) you probably know what I mean. It’s not as if other cheeses were readily available in Irish shops back in the 1970s when I was growing up. So you had cheddar or you had some other bland cheeses that weren’t exactly “exciting”. More exotic cheeses probably were available in cities like Dublin or Cork, but I grew up in the west of Ireland where “exotic” wasn’t part of the vernacular.

These days, thankfully, things have changed and even my local corner shop stocks fairly “exotic” cheeses. Some are Irish, others are imported.

One of my favourite recent discoveries is an Irish cheese company from Cork called Carrigaline Farmhouse Cheese. Their smoked cheese is out of this world and totally addictive. Of course eating large quantities of cheese isn’t exactly compatible with a healthy weight loss regime, but if you like cheese then you might as well enjoy good quality Irish cheese!

The company makes three different flavours, the smoked one, which I’m addicted to, a garlic and herb one and a “semi-soft” cheese.

If you can get your hands on any of them you won’t regret it!

Eating (Almost) Like A Vegetarian

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Cuban black bean soupI am not a vegetarian. I was a vegetarian briefly back in 1991 when I was sharing a house with a few vegetarians and my girlfriend at the time was vegetarian.

I like meat. I love eating pretty much every type of meat imaginable, so the idea of me becoming vegetarian or vegan just wouldn’t fly.

However that doesn’t mean that I eat meat every single day and that I can’t enjoy good food made with lots of fresh vegetables, pulses and other tasty non-meat ingredients..

This week, for example, I’ve been mostly eating salads and vegetarian pasta dishes in the evening, while during the day my lunch is primarily vegetable focussed. With the weather slightly warmer, by Irish standards, switching to eating fresh salads is great. They’re quick and easy to prepare and you can vary them by swapping around extra ingredients and using your imagination.

Soups on the other hand are something I always buy in. As Paul suggested, making soups isn’t that hard, but so far I haven’t risen to the challenge!

Today’s lunch was Cuban Black Bean soup from Just Food (looks like they’ve revamped their website, though it’s still not exactly stellar!)

Calorie count: 172 calories for a 400g container of soup

Amount of meat included? Zero.

“Cooking” it is simple, just pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes and you’re done.

But more importantly, in my opinion, the soup is damn tasty!

While my weight loss progress hasn’t been stellar over the last few months at least I’m not piling on the weight and I’m happy with what I’m eating, which is very important for me.

Eating more fresh fruit and vegetables can’t hurt, though I haven’t dumped meat from my diet and I have no intention of doing so.

Tasty Probiotic Yoghurts From Killowen Farm

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killowen-premium-yogurts-rangeI like yoghurt and I like trying out small Irish producers’ products. Killowen Farms’ yoghurts, therefore, fit the bill perfectly.

They’re made in Wexford, which is quite close to where I live in Carlow.

This morning I picked up two pots of yoghurt for breakfast, as I didn’t have enough fresh fruit and vegetables to do my own juice.

I picked up a pot of their rhubarb yoghurt and another pot of their blueberry yoghurt

The rhubarb weighed in at around 121 calories, while the blueberry one was about 180

 

While my own homemade yoghurt would be nicer in some ways, picking up a ready made good quality product works for me – especially when it’s this tasty

And the calorie count isn’t too elevated:

killowen-premium-rhubarb-yoghurt-ingredients-nutritional-information

 

You can find out more about their products here.

 

Fitbit Flex Now Shipping (In US)

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The much awaited Fitbit Flex is now shipping for US orders.

The US site and online shop is now offering a “buy now” option, though there appears to be a two week backlog.

If you’re based in Europe, however, you’ll have to wait another few weeks.

The new device should prove popular with a lot of users, as it is wearable on your wrist, so you’re less likely to lose it and more likely to wear it at all times.

The Fitbit Flex can do pretty much everything the Fitbit One does, with the exception of tracking stairs climbed:

Fitbit device versions compared

Fitbit device versions compared

It’s a pretty slick looking device:

fitbit-flex-colours

 

The Fitbit Flex retails for USD$99.95 / UK79.99 (though some sites are listing it for lower)

Cooking With Random Vegetables & Anchovies

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Vegetables & anchovies

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been cooking quite random dishes of my own concoction. Partially because I like experimenting and partially because I keep ending up without the right combination of ingredients for “normal” recipes.

This evening, for example, I had some leftover tomatoes that were “on their last legs” ie. if I didn’t use them they’d have gone off. So I combined them with garlic, onion, mushrooms, peppers and a leftover jar of anchovies.

To give it a bit more “kick” I also threw in a couple of diced chillies.

Served with some wholewheat pasta, courtesy of Gianni.. it was very very tasty.

All fresh vegetables, freshly cooked.. I’m not sure on the calorie count, but I suspect it’s not stupidly high.

Some Caffeine Facts Illustrated

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I am a coffee addict. The only time I’ve ever been without coffee for any extended period of time was back in the mid 90s when I ended up being stuck in the middle of Extremadura without access to coffee for a few weeks. Weird experience when you consider how important coffee is to Spanish culture and life ..

Anyway here are some facts about caffeine illustrated

 

15 Things You Should Know About Caffeine

15 Things You Should Know About Caffeine

Via

Beetroot, Carrot and Orange Juice

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Raw beetroot is full of goodness. It contains potassium, magnesium and iron as well as vitamins A, B6 and C, and folic acid. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, as I’ve already mentioned, it’s not that tasty as a juice unless you combine it with other fruit or vegetables.

Depending on what you have in the cupboard you might end up being a bit limited in your options. In my case I’ve run out of several items that I’d normally have, so tomorrow’s juice will be a mix of beetroot, carrot and orange.

Print

Beetroot, Carrot and Orange Juice

A breakfast juice freshly juiced to start the day
Course Juice
Keyword beetroot, juice
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 4 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients

  • 1 uncooked beetroot
  • 2 oranges
  • 4 carrots
  • 1 slice of fresh ginger
  • 1/2 lemon

Instructions

  1. Top and tail the beetroot and carrot.
  2. Slice up the ginger.
  3. Optionally peel the orange, as the skin can give it a slightly bitter taste
  4. Chop up and juice