So I fell off the much-touted (by me) WW wagon. It was a wobbly wagon to have clambered onto just before going away on vacation and during the holidays anyway.

I’m trying to get back on it now, despite the discouraging news from my doctor that all the podge I gained during those four months on steroids, for a still-mysterious allergy, will take twice as long to come off because the flippin’ steroids are still in my system. Gee, thanks, Doc.

Much as I’d prefer eating cake and having milk and honey baths (if only), I’m trying to be strict and ridding the house of all temptation – except for the key ingredients for baking, of course. You only live once. But no cookies and potato chips and chocolate. Sigh. All replaced by several varieties of apples, pears, and copious amounts of bananas and oranges for handy snacking.

Helping my cause is the fact that our younger son is on the verge of becoming vegetarian (would be practical if he’d only eat vegetables other than broccoli and spinach) because he feels sorry for all the chickens and cows and sheep that are passing through this home in various guises. Simultaneously, my husband and I, who don’t eat much red meat anyway, are trying to eat more plant-based food, aka veggies.

By the way, since I learned that my idol Bill Clinton is a fan of almond milk, I, (well you’ve seen the svelte Clinton surely), gave it a go and love it! Quite nice on cereals, too, and in oatmeal.

To make meals less of a pain, I’ve decided to spend less time cooking the weekday dinner. Why didn’t I think of this earlier? It’s easy to go mad sometimes, and last Thursday, having commuted home and been up already for 13 hours, I roasted a rack of lamb for supper (did I mention we don’t eat much red meat? We really don’t!) with roasted peppers and tomatoes. Yum.

Tonight, we had sardines – lots of calcium and good ol’ fish oils in them – with roasted carrots and zucchini. It took less than 30 minutes of roasting time, and perhaps 5 minutes of prep. Over the zucchini, I ground pink peppercorns, which don’t just look pretty but have a fruity taste and floral scent.

  • carrots
  • zucchini
  • canned sardines
  • cumin
  • honey
  • breadcrumbs
  • fresh herbs
  1. Wash the veg and line them up on your roasting dish
  2. Sprinkle some cumin over the carrots, and grind pink peppercorns over the zucchini (they look pretty this way and the pink peppercorns have a gentle heat)
  3. Drizzle olive oil over both
  4. Whizz some breadcrumbs with seasoning and herbs (and cayenne too, if you like) in a food processor
  5. Coat sardines in the breadcrumbs
  6. Place everything in the preheated 420F oven for 25-30 mins
  7. Make famished spouse wait a few minutes while you take photos 😉