Category: Food

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Gorgeous Red Cranberry and Cherry Sauce Recipe

Cranberry Sauce

How to make cranberry sauce is something I have wondered for a while.

I wanted to try something different, and visiting Cosco saw me pick up a box of fresh cranberries that I fancied using to make a sauce for Christmas Day. I’m pleased to say it was easier than I expected to do, and it’s a recipe that I will probably make every year now. I would however, make it in far less quantities than I’ve ended up with as it is just to go with turkey trimmings.

I intend to freeze some tonight to see how it holds up when it’s defrosted at a later date.

[gmc_recipe 9529]

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Baker Days – Letterbox Cake Review

Baker Days sent us an early Christmas cake to review.  It came speedily, and in the form of a quirky letterbox cake.  It is perfect for small occasions, or when you want to send someone something a little special, but also know they won’t be able to answer the door for it.

There is an outer white box, which holds a cake inside a neatly made tin.

Our box also had a lovely little cracker and leaflets telling us about Baker Days.

Cakes are personalised and you can add your own message to them.   Ours simply said, Happy Christmas to the Scottish Mum Kids.

There are a few different recipes that you can choose from, and as a carrot cake loving family, we really had to stick to what we like best.  There are also options for plain sponge or for double chocolate, along with fruit cake, and even a gluten-free version.

I was quite surprised when I cut it up, that I naturally cut it into 8 pieces.  Not huge pieces obviously, but just enough for everyone to have a decent bite of cake.  It’s a perfect solution to send someone a little gift if you can’t get there for a special occasion.  I was also surprised that the cake was so moist.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but we loved it.  Although these cakes fit through the letterbox, they do also do larger versions, so give them a look if you are thinking of party cakes too.   With almost every type of occasion covered, I  like the fact that I can use the personalisation tool and see how it would fit on my cake of choice.

I do think it’s quite a lot of money for cake, but I was happy with the ability to send it, so I’ve just ordered one to be sent to my dad who starts his chemotherapy this week, with a prescription of cake portions.

It sure beats sending him a get well card.   There was also a delivery charge, so the small cake cost £17.98 to send in total and I could also pay by Paypal which is very important to me when I buy from smaller website businesses.

I’ve just bought one after trying it, so I guess I could say that it was a very successful review for me, and it is a bit of putting my money where my mouth is.

 

 

 

 

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Traditional Scottish Stovies with Oatcakes and Beetroot – Slow Cooked & with the Kids Baked Beans to serve.

What better cold weather fare could there be.   Stovies used to be made in generations gone by in our ancestors family when it was washing day, or when the nets had to be hauled down to the boats and the women didn’t have time to make a big meal for the family.

They stayed close to home on stovie days as they had to carry their men onto the fishing boats to keep them dry.  We’re talking little women carrying huge strapping 6 + footers from the side of the piers right into their boats.  With their skirts and feet soaking and cold in the North Sea, it was a hard, miserable and tough life.

Often battling against misery and exhaustion, they would come back to their stovies simmering on the pot, and ready to fill empty bellies.

Unable to stray far from the home while they were cooking, this was a method of slow cooking that needed regular stirring couldn’t be made on market days when the women would have to carry the catch in a creel on their backs for miles to sell it at market.

Most people who make stovies today, are really only  making a type of hash with boiled potatoes and meat mixed in.  For real stovies, the potatoes need to be stoved.  They are dry and not waxy, and they break apart in the mouth when you eat them.

I’ve only ever made them in a thick bottomed pan before, so this method is a new (and easier) way of doing it for me.

The quantities mentioned in this recipe are for guidance only.  This would generally have been Monday’s meal, after the Sunday roast, and using up the leftovers of meat, potatoes and sometimes other vegetables would be added in a sort of bubble and squeak effect.

My stovies are wickedly tasty ones, made with the meat and gravy from nice large chunks of a fillet steak joint that I got from Andrew Gordon  Butchery in Aberdeen.  I am always spoiled for choice when I go in there and good meat really makes a difference to the taste of a finished dish.

Slow Cooked Traditional Scottish Stovies with Oatcakes and Beetroot (and the kids beans)

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Course Mains
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 3 KG Potatoes Maris Pipers, King Edwards or Roosters - Peeled and Chopped
  • 1 - 2 Onions Chopped
  • 100 Grams Dripping Beef Dripping, Goose Fat or Vegetable Dripping
  • 1 KG Meat Usually Pork or Beef - Already Cooked
  • 200 Grams Gravy From the Pork or Beef
  • Salt & Pepper For cooking.

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan, melt approximately 100g of your lard. This will be quicker than you expect.

  • Add the onions to the pan and lightly fry.

  • Make sure that the onions are still white and are not cooked long enough to begin turning brown.



  • Add the onions, lard and your potatoes to the slow cooker and stir until all the potatoes are coated in lard. If you have to add some more, add it a teaspoon at a time, as it is easy to use too much lard.

  • Add a few spoons of the gravy from your meat, a couple of tablespoons of water, and a couple of pinches of salt.



  • Cook for 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.

  • You will need to check the pot every hour and if you need to add a little extra water, do it a teaspoon at a time. You only want just enough to stop the potatoes from burning into the pot.

  • Don't mash the potatoes as when they are ready, they will break down with the stirring.

  • Add in your meat with a few more spoonfuls of gravy.

  • Cook until the meat is thoroughly heated.

  • Normally, you would shred your meat or cut it really small, but my boys like their meat in hunky chunks so my pictures are not the effect you would get if you shredded your meat before adding it.




  • Serve with oatcakes and beetroot with a glass of milk for the traditional fare, or add beans like the Scottish Mum Kids.


If you want to make your own oatcakes, try Traditional Scottish Oatcakes.

 

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Border Biscuits Gift Collection Review

The people at Border Biscuits sent me a lovely gift box to review.  Far from being the traditional box of biscuits, they are both unusual and delicious.

Arriving thoughtfully wrapped up in Christmas paper, the boys took one look and immediately knew that it was something they might like.  With the wrapping quickly ripped off, it’s easy to see why they are calling this range “Deliciously Different.”

This ‘Deliciously different’ biscuit tin comes with a tantalising assortment of biscuit favourites, they are unusual and with combinations of flavour that need to be tried.  These biscuit tins make for excellent hostess gifts, and for something different from the usual bottle of vino, or cracker tin.

I spotted the tin in Debenhams Online for £7.50, so it would make for a perfect first footing present (a present for visiting friends and family after the new year begins)

The tin is quite solidly built and is reminiscent of old cottage kitchen with the decorative writing and splashes of colour.

The unusual flavours in my gift box are:

  • black forest cookies
  • strawberry and cream
  • chocolate and orange shortbread
  • lemon souffle cookies
  • chocolate and walnut brownies
  • toffee apple crumbles

Try them if you can, they really are a lovely biscuit.  I still love how my boys get all excited about a new biscuit or sweetie as it gets unwrapped.

In my box, there was a little booklet that explained all about Border Biscuits, baking the best buscuits they possibly can.

Visit their website to take part in a competition to win a holiday for 2 in Scotland.

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Review: Hotel Chocolat – Festive Wreath

 

I could pretend that I don’t like to be offered nice little things to try in the name of reviews, and many I don’t like to take on, but when I get the chance to try something grown up for me AND involves gorgeous goodies from Hotel Chocolat, there is no way that I could ever say no.

 

Chocolate has a habit of making even bad days seem great, so a chance to treat the family with something special just had to be done. Hotel Chocolat sent me this wee gift in the post, which was received as a most welcome surprise. It’s a Festive Wreath, made of 50% cocoa milk chocolate with cookies and caramel.

 

 

At 400g of quality chocolate, there is a lot to go round.  The lovely card that comes with it makes it perfect for a Christmas Gift, ideal for sharing, or even as the After Dinner Chocolate treat on Christmas Day.  How impressive does this look sitting on a slate to be divided up amongst the family.  How amazing would that look on the hostess table on Christmas Day?

 

 

The website says it serves 8, but my wreath has been going for a few days now, with 5 people having little nibbles of it every day.  The instructions say to slice it and serve, which was a good idea as there is no way to break it.  The chocolate is very thick and without a knife, the chunks would either be huge, or difficult to break off.

 

 

It really does go a long way.  We still have about a quarter of our wreath left, and we’re saving it for film night this week.

 

Remember that this is a quality 50% cocoa milk chocolate, so it’s not the soft and fluffy texture of the cheaper chocolates.

 

What did I think?

  • The packaging is lovely.
  • The wreath is very pretty.
  • It is quality chocolate.

 

Would I buy it?

The answer is a resounding yes.

It’s £20 in the online store, but we’ve had days of eating out of it.  As a gift for someone who enjoys good quality chocolate, it is a really pretty thing to give.

 

Disclaimer:
Hotel Chocolat kindly sent this lovely Festive Weath for review.   As someone who loves chocolate, there is no way that this review was ever going to be anything but amazingly positive.  A big thank you from us.

 

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Pirate Cup Cakes

I spotted this lovely box in Sainsburys (I think).  I had to buy it, and my eldest decided to don his cheffing apron and make a batch of cakes with them for Halloween.

I know it’s a bit past Halloween now, but these are great cup cakes for birthday parties.

How many little boys could bypass some delightful cakes with tasty icing for a special occasion?

The box contained enough cup cake cases and flag toppers to make up to 24 cakes.  I think he did a pretty good job of the icing and decoration for his first attempt from start to finish at making cakes, with absolutely no help from mum (well ok, just a bit).

He is rightly chuffed to bits with the outcome.

Here is the recipe that he used to make his cakes.

Pirate Cup Cakes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Bakery
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz Caster Sugar
  • 8 oz Butter Melted
  • 4 Medium Eggs
  • 8 oz Self Raising Flour
  • Packet Coloured Icing We used green and red, ready made sugarcraft icing.
  • Sprinkles or Topping For on top of your cakes.

Instructions
 

  • Add melted butter and sugar into a bowl, or mixer and mix until smooth.

  • Add the four eggs and continue to mix until thoroughly mixed.

  • Finally, add sifted flour and mix until the desired consistency is reached. I sometimes add an extra ounce or two of flour if I don't like the look of the mix.

  • Place into the cupcake cases and bake for 15 - 18 minutes at 180 degrees. Makes your oven is pre-heated.

  • When your cakes are cooked, take them out of the oven and let them cool before adding sugarcraft icing, sprinkles and the flags.

 

 

 

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Are Fizzy Drinks Bad For Us?

I love carbonated drinks.  I have a soda stream, so my fizz of choice tends to be simply diluting juice with added sparkle.  The question I really have to ask, is should I really be drinking any fizz at all?

We all know the sugary fizzy drinks, otherwise known as soda, pop, or ale depending on where in the country we live in, are really bad for us, and I keep reading that the diet versions are horrendous too.

I used to be addicted to Diet Irn Bru.  I say addicted as it was all I drank.  I’d get through at least 2 x 2 litre bottles in a day.  Weaning myself off the drink took nearly two weeks and lots of headaches, but I can now happily take a coffee, Diet Irn Bru or Diet Coke without getting a caffeine headache, although caffeine does give me acid reflux.

My concern exists as I prefer my drinks sparkly to still, and people keep telling me that all carbonated water is bad.  I thought I’d have a look to see what I could find on it.

So, Is Carbonated Water Bad for You?

With a quick Internet search, we could be forgiven for thinking that we are going to pop our clogs if we don’t stop drinking fizz, as our bones will deteriorate into a mess of osteoporosis, with rotten teeth, smelly breath, stomach pain, excess wind and possibly even cancer.  All of those things really are food for thought.

The Truth About Calcium

I found no evidence that drinking fizzy water with added juice would do anything at all to my bones or my teeth.  There is the possibility that the only reason people have calcium deficiency could really be just because they take in less calcium in their diet as a result of possibly only drinking fizzy drinks.

In 2005, the British Journal of Nutrition published the results of a small clinical trial comparing healthy postmenopausal women who drank about one quart of non carbonated mineral water daily with those who drank the same amount of carbonated mineral water. After eight weeks, blood and urine tests for bone turnover showed no difference between the two groups.

So, if drinking carbonated water doesn’t add to osteoporosis or teeth decay, what does?

Some studies report caffeine as the culprit, and as someone who was once addicted to caffeine, I can relate to the problem.  There are suggestions that caffeine hinders the absorption of calcium in our bodies, even if we have ingested enough to be healthy.

Water Contents

All water, tap, mineral and spring contains small amounts of calcium and other minerals.

Heart Benefits

The Journal of Nutrition study, discussed by Dr Briffa, found that drinking of sparkling mineral water did not lead to an increase in blood pressure and may actually be beneficial for our bodies.  I’m happy to live with that as fizz is a big part of my life.

What about flavours?

This is where we can easily fall down.  Cola can strip a penny back to the shiny new piece of metal it once was.   It will have caffeine, either sugar or sweetner, and possibly a whole raft of colourings, additives and flavourings.   It seems a good idea to make sure that if we use flavourings, we look at what is actually on the label, and decide if that is what we really want to drink.

Will I keep drinking fizzy drinks?

After reading article upon article, I think I have enough of a handle on what it does and doesn’t do, so I can give an appropriate answer to the next person who tells me that my fizzy water is the root of all evil.  I will also enjoy the fact that I have a better chance for lower cholesterol, and relish the knowledge that I am not harming my teeth and bones after all.

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Simpson’s Restaurant Review – A Meal for Two

I had a lovely invite from Simpson’s Hotel and Restaurant in Queens Road, Aberdeen.  The request was to review a three course meal for two at an evening sitting.  It’s been a long time since the man and I have been out together, so we decided to accept and happily trotted down to the hotel last week for our meal.

The restaurant is big and airy, and boasts an impressive entrance hall from above, with a decorative set of stairs to walk down to the dining area.

There is a side entrance that would suit anyone who needs wheelchair access. The side entrance is also pleasantly done, and not simply an after thought to meet legislation.

We were sat up at the back in a quiet corner, and I have to hold my hand up to burning the menu.  It was a very large single sheet menu and I laid it down on the table while I got my phone out of my bag.

Mr Scottish smelled the burning first, and whipped the menu up off the tealight before it went on fire.  I didn’t trust myself after that and I put the candle on a table beside us.

Bread and drinks were quickly offered, but we declined the bottle of white and settled on some soft drinks and a couple of pints for Mr Scottish during the evening.

Staff were very attentive and we were looked after for most of the night by the Restaurant Manager on duty, Elliot Virdee.

We were there to try the à la carte menu and we were spoiled for choice.  I’m not a heavy shellfish fan, so I chose the soup of the day which was Asparagus and Chestnut.  I am a bit of a soup fanatic as I make many varieties, so the combination was intriguing and surprisingly creamy.

There were exotics like Tempura Salt and Pepper Squid, Marinated Orkney Salmon, Shellfish Cocktail and Lobster.   Mr Scottish opted for the 4 Creel caught Langoustines, Grilled with Garlic & Lime Butter, but it was a hard decision to make between that and the Lobster.  He has decided he is going back, just to try it.

Meals are made to order, and the wait is gratefully received to let each course go down.

I almost played it safe to order the Classic Chicken Caesar Salad which sounded lovely, with Bacon, Anchovies and Quails Eggs, although I would have omitted the Anchovies.

The Caesar Salad is one of the dishes that can be ordered as both a main dish or a starter, so on a future visit, I’d be tempted to try it.

I decided to be a little more adventurous and order the Roast Corn Fed Chicken, with Pancetta, Cranberries, Fondant Potato, Sprout Leaves and Roasting Juice.  I was thoroughly pleased with my choice as it was delicious.  I hadn’t counted on the sweet taste of the Cranberries complementing the Chicken so well.

Mr Scottish had the 400g Aberdeen Angus T-Bone Steak which is served with Watercress, Shallot Onion Rings and Matchstick Fries.   He chose the Wild Mushroom sauce to go with his steak but he could have also picked from Peppercorn or Béarnaise.

After our main courses, we were both quite full.    Some fries and green salad made up the whole meal.

Contrary to our previous à la carte experiences, the portion sizes were very good.

Historically, I have always related à la carte to mean tiny portions for a fortune, but that is certainly not what Simpson’s hotel provides.  The portion sizes were just right and we had to debate whether we were going to manage a Dessert at all.

Elliot arrived with the Dessert menu just as Mr Scottish mentioned that he fancied something caramelised.  The first Dessert on the menu was Caramelised Lemontart with Blackberries, Caramelised Pumpkin Seeds and Blackberry Sorbet, so that’s what he had.

I tried a piece of the Lemontart and can’t help wishing I’d ordered that for myself.

I’d spotted the Hot Chocolate Fondant with Chocolate Sauce and Sour Cherry Ice Cream.

The menu said it takes 20 minutes to prepare, so I had to try it for the factor of simply being unusual.   It was lovely and the Sour Cherry Ice Cream was gorgeous.

I couldn’t finish it as it was a bit too much chocolate for me with the fondant and the sauce, but the ice cream was quickly eaten.

We had a lovely evening.  The staff were attentive and pleasant, without being obtrusive.

Most of the evening clientele when we were in was situated around hotel occupants, and I would imagine mostly oil industry related people.

I can’t help thinking Aberdeen and our diverse population is missing a trick here.

Midweek couples would do well to have a meal in nice surroundings, be treated well AND have fabulous food at the same time as being able to park easily in a good area of town.

I found prices on the menu very reasonable for the surroundings, service and quality.

For a starter, my gorgeous soup was £5, while Mr Scottish had the Langoustines at £12.

For main meals, options start at £12 with good priced salads and vegetarian choices, with the most expensive at £42 for an Aberdeen Angus Rib on the Bone to share.

Within 10 minutes of being home, Mr Scottish was on the phone to a friend to say his meal was “outstanding” and that he’d be back.  That’s a result for my usually very fussy Mr.

Thank you Simpsons for the lovely meal.

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

If you want to treat that someone special in your life, try out Simpson’s for yourself and make a reservation Online, by Telephone, (0)1224 327777, or Email: reservations@simpsonshotel.co.uk.

 

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How I Cooked the Aberdeen Gordonian Best Steak as a Roast

We took home a lovely piece of meat from Andrew Gordon Butchery and Fine Foods and had a lovely and luxurious meal fit for a King and Queen.

Questions that people often ask are around how to roast a joint of meat, or how to cook roast beef properly so I thought I’d write it down.

This piece of meat is a new steak that is sweeping the meat-eating population of Aberdeen off their feet.  Tempted to try it, I went a bit further and had a whole roast for our Sunday dinner last week.

This picture shows the Gordonian Best Steak Roast in all it’s glory.  It is actually upside down as there’s a layer of fat on the other side that allows the roast to drip juices and keep it moist as it cooks.  My pictures are upside down to show the effect of the quality of the rich colour in the beef.

As a tender piece of meat, the roasting time can be slightly shorter and at a slightly higher temperature than a cheaper, or less tender roast of beef.

It’s a truly gorgeous piece of meat that anyone would be proud to have on their table for a cracking and filling meal.

The best way to roast a tender piece of meat is going to be in the oven, and after searing all sides in a pan first.

Tender cuts of meat always do well roasted.

The purpose of the roasting is only to use the fat to cook the roast, simply and with the occasional baste (spooning juices over the top) to help it along.

To seal the roast in, the easiest thing is to use a frying or sauté pan to help seal in the juices and help along the crusty and full of flavour outside of the roast.

While you are preparing and sealing your roast, make sure your oven is on to pre-heat. You want the oven nice and hot before it goes in to be finished.

Make sure your roasting pan is big enough to hold your roast, but not as large as the juices all escape and leave you nothing to baste your roast with as it cooks.  You really want enough juices left over to make awesome gravy as a trimming.

Cook a roast in the oven to finish off the process at around 180 – 200 C, or Gas Mark 6 for approximately the following times per pound of meat.

– Rare (15 – 20 minutes)
– Medium (20 – 25 minutes)
– Well Done (25 – 30 minutes)

I cooked my roast for the kids, which needed an extra 20 minutes on top of the cooking time to ensure there was absolutely no pink at all in the meat.  I know that isn’t the ideal way to cook, nor the way that butchers or chefs would recommend, but any redness at all and my kids won’t eat it.

For fabulous roasts, they really do need to rest after they’ve been cooked.   Once it’s cooked, just put it to the side for about 15 – 30 minutes and cover  it very loosely with some tin foil to help keep the heat in.   Resting lets the meat reach a more consistent texture and helps the meat to be consistently juicy.

Use the juices left over from roasting to make wickedly tasty gravy and serve with veg, and sides.  I have to apologise for the lack of plate pictures on this post, as I took a couple of hurried pictures as the family were so hungry, and neither of them came out.

The meat was fabulous.  The roast only had a teensy bit left over at the end of the meal, as the man and kids both had seconds.

I had hoped to have enough to make Gordonian Best Steak Roast luxurious stovies the next day, but alas, my boys cleared too much of it at the first sitting.

 

 

 

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Kids Make Chicken Fillets Decorative

I decided to let the kids get creative with their supper.   They were not liking how it looked on the plate when they got a plateful of Costco Chicken Fillets with some stir fried veg for supper.  This is how dads plate looked when it was dished up.

While not impressed, they decided to take presentation into their own hands so I could put it on the blog.  So here goes the version of chicken fillets, with stir fried veg, à la Scottish Mum kids.

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Slow Cooked Steak & Potato Hotpot

For the steak and potato hotpot recipe, I’ve used Diced Steak (Round Steak) from Aberdeen Angus cattle.  We really like the rich meaty taste of the Aberdeen Angus, so I knew this was going to be a great meal before I started out.

Steak Hotpot

I didn’t add any fancy herbs, spices or taste altering ingredients.  I decided just to go with the flavour of the meat itself, with only some salt and pepper to help the vegetables along.  The result was a fabulously rich and healthy warming hotpot that I know I am going to make several variations of in future.

Slow Cooked Steak & Potato Hotpot with Diced Steak from a great butcher.

Lesley S Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Lunch
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 1.8 kg Diced Steak Round Steak from Andrew Gordon Butchery and Fine Foods
  • 2 Onions Finely Chopped
  • 1 Leek Finely Chopped
  • 2 Carrots Chopped
  • 1 Stock Pot Use Fresh or Concentrated Stock
  • 3 Potatoes Sliced
  • Salt & Pepper To Taste

Instructions
 

  • Switch on the slow cooker. Add half a litre of boiled water, and leave it to heat while you prepare the ingredients.

  • In a frying pan, lightly brown the steak, which should only take a few minutes to do, then put the steak into the slow cooker.

  • Lightly fry the onions and leek in a frying pan. I add the carrots for about 30 seconds.

  • Add the vegetables to the slow cooker, along with the sliced potatoes, and another half litre of water.



  • Leave to simmer for 8 hours on slow.

  • Thicken gravy if necessary using bisto or cornflour.

 

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Chocolate is GOOD FOR YOU

Unwrapping a lovely gift for my birthday, I eagerly opened the layers while anticipating a nice box of perfume or a little trinket.   Three faces beaming with delight stood in front of me, and I kept the smile frozen on my face as the last layer came adrift, to the sight of my favourite bar of chocolate – a HUGE one.  My heart sank to my boots and I instantly fought to find words to thank them, and give them all a huge kiss for.  Inside, I felt like weeping at the thought of another two inches on my hips.

Opening it up right away, I snapped sections off and handed the kids all one each.  They ran for little plastic bags from the kitchen and dropped their slabs into protective wrapping before slinking off into the sunset.  I was relieved that I had managed to hand out so much of the bar.

Is chocolate really that bad for us, or is it just that people don’t want us to actually enjoy something that does something with the endorphins in our brains that makes us think we’ve done a 12 mile run.   How have I managed to give myself such a guilt trip over eating one thing that I really do enjoy?

The guilt comes on with one square or ten squares.  If I eat it, I feel annoyed with myself, and I don’t think I am alone in that.

Why is chocolate good for us?

The Guardian reported that “A study by the German Institute of Human nutrition found that flavanols from cocoa boost the body’s supply of nitric oxide, which helps to lower blood pressure.”  I take that to mean eating chocolate is not all bad, even if it’s not dark chocolate.  One point to me.  By eating one square of regular chocolate a day, could I really be reducing my risk of stroke or heart attack?  That sounds like a nice prescription.

They reported the study from the European Heart Journal that flavanols in cocoa are the reason for the reduced blood pressure, and strokes could be reduced by the increase of blood around the brain.

1,568 people were studied, of which, 57% ate milk chocolate, 24% ate dark and 2% ate white chocolate.

Chocolate to excess!

Sadly, the study showed that the benefits were from eating a smallish amount of chocolate as part of the daily diet.   I am more convinced that it would be healthier to have just a few squares a day, but that isn’t easy to do when it’s just sitting there, looking at you and begging to be eaten.

Yes, chocolate is very high in calories, with upwards of 500 calories per hundred grams, so it’s not something that can be eaten without any thought at all.  We all know the damage that eating too many treats can do to our bodies, but some of us just can’t stop.

Why do we crave sweet things ?

Imagine a world where someone with foresight and creative ability found a safe way to avoid sugar cravings.  I, along with my craving affected sisters, would instantly transform them into a being of ever lasting hero worship, making them an overnight billionaire, and more famous than Mrs and Mrs Beckham.

In the real world, we have to do what we can.

Giving in to a sugar craving can send us into a downward spiral where the need to have something sweet takes over our lives.  We satisfy that need with some sugar and our bodies tell us to eat some more.  I have no idea why some of our bodies seem to work so sadly against us, but it is a constant fight to retain some semblance of normality and reducing the sugar need.

How to avoid sugar cravings.

A chocolate bar can be anything up to about 50% (and more) just of sugar.

It’s all about understanding the carbs !!!!  I know this, yet I still struggle, but it’s good to remind myself.   The good carbs will help us keep sugar cravings to a minimum.   Starches like vegetables and cereals do this by breaking down the carbs slowly, and not allowing the blood sugar to get to abnormal levels.

Some tricks to try and help reduce cravings are:

  • Look at the food we eat.  Processed food tends to be quite high in refined sugars, and might be hidden under names like, lactose, dextrose, fructose etc.
  • If you drink tea and coffee and use sugar, gradually cut down the amount of sugar you use, until you can stop altogether.  It really doesn’t take long before the taste of a hot drink with sugar will turn your stomach.
  • In general, white flour and rice has been processed.  Try to replace them with whole grain versions.  Do this by mixing the white with whole grain until you get the taste for it.
  • Try to eat regularly.  Skipping meals can make us more hungry when we do start to eat, and drop our blood sugar levels to increase cravings.  I struggle with this one as I am fine until I start eating in a day.  If I could just stop eating, like an alcoholic can just stop drinking, then I’d have no problem with controlling my weight.
  • Eat fruit and vegetables to replace sugary snacks.   Common sense, but I find there are days when I just can’t get the fruit I would like.
  • I’ve seen the recommendations to use a sugar substitute.   All I can say about that is “bleurgh.”  I’d rather do without than add a substitute.  I’ve used Agave Syrup and Stevia for the kids and cooking quite a bit.  They don’t seem to notice, so I’ll carry on with that.

Chocolate is GOOD FOR YOU? 

Perhaps if I can change my mindset into thinking and believing that chocolate really is good for me, it will lose the love / hate relationship I now have with it.  I want to enjoy eating it, and be able to control how much of a bar I eat.

My new mantra…

Chocolate is good for you, chocolate is good for you, chocolate is good for you, chocolate is good for you, chocolate IS good for you.