Category Archives: Food

Diet fad – The caveman diet?

Posted by jamiebarton on September 7, 2011 No comment

Well the latest fad diet out seems a bit farfetched, well on the face of it, it does. The caveman diet is supposed to help our bodies go back to what they can handle and apparently our genetics or nutritional needs have scarcely changed since Palaeolithic times, even though foods available have. So all those processed foods we eat are no good for us and are they are making us fat!

Although I have always thought processed foods weren’t that ‘healthy’ I eating them in small portions can’t be that bad for us however they are! We should be eating more like our hairy ancestors were such as grass-fed pasture raised-meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots and nuts which are available still today. However we should avoid grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar and processed oil. Anything that has to be ‘processed’ to be eaten should be avoided because well back in Neanderthal times they wouldn’t have had a Gregg’s sausage roll or the like!

Now I am not 100% sure I could manage this diet as it would mean giving up ‘treats’ that I enjoy but don’t overdo such as cakes, ice cream, chocolate, alcohol and sweets however I do like trying to eat as much natural and non-processed meats and vegetables as possible, so may have to up my veg box order!

Great weekend

Posted by jamiebarton on August 2, 2011 No comment

I was lucky this weekend, for the first time in what seems ages we had great weather, which was lucky as I threw a summer party. So thankfully no rain meant it went off without a hitch! Whilst the weather was good I also took time out on Sunday to take a nice walk before stopping off at a local pub for a spot of Sunday lunch. Can’t beat a Yorkshire pudding with yummy beef, lots of veg, roasties and plenty of gravy to beat a hangover!

I spent the rest of Sunday evening/night slobbed out in front of the TV, watching the last in the series of Top Gear, gutted now, especially as they had Louie Walsh on who said XFactor is starting again soon, up until Xmas! Argh I’m not a fan of XFactor so having to put up with friends who love it and the continuous coverage in the press will yet again get on my nerves!

On a final not I must mention I enjoyed seeing highlights from this year other Royal Wedding, it was such a Lovely day in Edinburgh for Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall I was glad they didn’t experience the wet weather I normally do when I’m up there. I thought Zara looked ever so pretty and Mark didn’t half scrub up well.

Unfortunately for the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate the press seemed far to intent of picking up the fact that she wore an outfit that she has worn before. I don’t see the big deal, it’s nice to get plenty of use out of your favourite outfits, plus I’m sure the press would ‘have a go’ if she was never seen in the same thing twice, no doubt then she would be deemed as wasteful! I think it’s great that she re-wears some outfits, most of them are classic pieces so it makes sense to keep onto them.

Summer party

Posted by jamiebarton on July 28, 2011 No comment

I’m hoping the weather for this weekend is going to be okay as I am throwing a summer party for my friends and family, to celebrate a couple of birthdays and a wedding anniversary which are all around this month.  At the moment the weather seems to be looking like it could be sunny however it’s not looking too warm. Still just in case I have hired a small marquee for the food and drinks to shelter under and guests.

The summer wouldn’t be the same without a BBQ so I have dusted mine off after a year in hibernation and pre made lots of burgers as well as sorting out and par cooking chicken bits that I have marinated. I also bought lots of little nibbles and dips for people to snack on, as well as traditional party favourites; sausage roll, cocktail sausages and mini quiches.

I will also be serving some deserts too, such as jelly and ice cream and my favourite trifle. I have also borrowed my friends chocolate fountain so I am looking forward to seeing how that goes down with everyone.

For drinks I have asked everyone to BYO; however I will be serving some Pims as well as a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail. I’ve learnt in the past not to use my own glasses, and hiring is expensive so I have bought a load of plastic glasses for the occasion. Don’t worry though I will recycle them after the party.

I have also bought some summer bunting for the garden which is made out of recycled paper as well as some cute paper lanterns. My DIY lighting includes jam jars with tea lights inside, for the tables and also to hang off branches, which required some wire around the top of the jars. Nice, simple and effective, especially when the rest of the decorations are provided for by the flowers in my garden, so I haven’t had to spend too much money.

No more Jamie at Sainsbury’s

Posted by jamiebarton on July 19, 2011 No comment

I read the other day that Jamie Oliver will no longer be working with Sainsbury’s, no longer will his cheeky chappy smile grace our TV screens during the adverts, well no longer on Sainsbury’s adverts anyway! I have to say I will miss him although some people may disagree, numerous people rejoiced when the news broke! I am a Jamie Oliver fan, like many of our friends, it’s probably our age that attributes to liking him, and my mother isn’t a fan!

On the plus side though television chef Lorraine Pascale is going to replace Jamie, (yey) I’m a big fan of the catwalk model turned chef and loved watching her cookery programme and trying out her recipes. So I will be excited to see the new adds when they arrive and hopefully food ranges too!

Helping out a friend for the Yorkshire Show

Posted by jamiebarton on July 10, 2011 No comment

One of my friends runs their own jam making business, it’s locally based using mainly local ingredients and I just love all their jams. So when I was asked if I could help out at the Yorkshire Show on their stall, for free jam I couldn’t say no. I normally go to the Great Yorkshire Show which runs from Tuesday 12 to Thursday 14 July 2011 just as a visitor so it will be a bit of a change working on a stall.

One of my tasks was to sort out some t-shirts for everyone working to wear, so we could be easily recognisable, luckily I have experience with t shirt printing so it wasn’t a problem. The problem was my friend only told me on Wednesday night about wanting t-shirts with logo’s on so that gave me just under a week to sort it out. Luckily Adlogo, the online printing company I like to use, have a 48hr express service which means the t-shirts arrived yesterday. In plenty of time for the show!

I’m hoping that I will have some time to explore the show, whilst I am working and I really hope the weather stays good, fingers crossed!

Getting fresh fruit and veg

Posted by jamiebarton on March 21, 2011 No comment

I was reading recently that the price of fruit and veg is going up, so much so those on low incomes won’t be able to afford to eat it, which got me pondering the question, if people can’t afford fruit and veg, what is left for them to eat?

Supermarkets have been slowly putting up the price of veg for the past few years while I have found quality has gone down, what was once standard veg for a cheap price has now been moved to organic or ‘special’ charged at a higher price and poor quality now been sold as standard. For some there is no option other to buy from a supermarket, many fruit and veg retailers in smaller towns have all but disappeared so people are forced to buy from the supermarkets who dictate prices to demand and profit margins hence price increases.

Recently I have decided to move away from supermarket veg after struggling to find good quality consistently and now looking into vegetable boxes which can be delivered to my home fresh from my local area, with seasonal produce. This way I know where my food comes from and know that it is fresh and the bonus it is cheaper than the supermarket, just need to wait and taste it!

Healthy eating

Posted by jamiebarton on March 13, 2011 No comment

I mentioned at the beginning of the year I was looking to be healthier, not going on a diet but changing my diet so it was healthier and taking part in some light exercise. I have been quite successful with the exercise part mainly because the Kinect I got for my Xbox is so darn fun; however I am still struggling to keep a healthier diet.

For example I still snack quite a lot and although I’m trying to eat healthier alternatives to crisps and chocolate I still don’t get round to it, although I did read recently that popcorn is a better for you than crisps, although I’m presuming plain popcorn not the stuff covered in butter and sugar. On the other hand however I have cut down my tea consumption and am now drinking more water instead although I’m not convinced that, that is making much of a difference yet.

I’m currently scouring the internet for foods, recommended by various health experts that should be included into your diet such as Blueberries, broccoli, Brazil nuts, blackberries, strawberries, goji berries, oily fish, eggs and so much more. I am though however finding it a harder task incorporating some things into my diet, a lot of the time I spend is looking for recipes, but this is the price you pay for trying to stay healthy and enjoying a varied diet.

An excuse for eating Easter eggs

Posted by jamiebarton on April 1, 2010 No comment

Recent news that chocolate is good for you will be music to the ears of many chocoholic like me and just in time for Easter, but and there is always a but with things like this only certain types of chocolate actually have health benefits.

The average milk chocolate bar with its high levels of sugar and calories as well as other flavourings is not at all good and especially in large quantities but darker chocolates and unsweetened cocoa powder is.

Now for the science part as to why, the key component of chocolate that has the health benefits are flavanoids, which are found in the seeds of cacao plants (from which chocolate is made). These flavanoids are generally bitter in taste so are normally removed in most commercial chocolate processing however darker chocolates and unsweetened cocoa powder still have some in! Hurray!

So this Easter I am going to opt for a nice darker chocolate Easter egg and enjoy safe in the knowledge it’s not that bad for me, well one isn’t!

 

Dark chocolate Easter egg

Dark chocolate Easter egg

Picture courtesy of Chocolate Review