Back on the Keto train!

Back on Keto!

From reading my blog you probably know that I have been on and off eating low carb since about 2014 give or take. When I first arrived in Spain I found it really easy to be on keto.  I was eating lots of lovely spanish cheese, chorizo and meat. Unfortunately I began to eat all of the other lovely Spanish food including the carby Russian Salad and gorgeous rustic Malaga bread (kind of a cross between brown and white bread). Eating keto got away from me and suddenly everything was back on the menu - and I ate it all!

Sleep

However, I've been beginning to feel like I wanted a change and that I wanted to get back on to keto. I wasn't sleeping aswell as I used to which I put down to all of the sugar I was consuming late at night after dinner. I should clarify that for me sleeping badly is when I don't get my 8hrs of sleep. Eating late as night meant that I was going to bed later because I was buzzing and so probably only going to sleep after midnight which is way too late for me. I work best with about 8.5 or 9 hrs sleep.

So I set a date of returning to keto after Valentine's Day.

For a few days I've been watching keto videos on youtube to get psyched up for getting back on the wagon. I found a few new people on youtube that seem to be worth a watch - Dr Bosworth and Steve of Serious Keto  (check out this video series) along with my old favourites of Keto Connect and Dr Berg and also Flavacity.  Let me know if you watch any of them.

And so it was back to meal planning and organising things along with looking up some of the recipes that I love.

Yesterday I made my keto cauliflower mac and cheese replacement, which I named "Mock and Cheese". Lol!

Keto Cauliflower & Cheese aka "Mock & Cheese"

Here's the pics of it being made

The first thing I did, which I had never done before, was that I roasted the cauliflower in the oven before I added it to the cheese mix

To start the cheese mix I melted butter and added a bit of chicken stock (the chicken stock was also a new addition for this recipe - I had it in the fridge leftover from the Valentines Day fondant potatoes)

Here's some of the items that went in to the cheese mix - a lot of cheese including cheddar, emmental and cream cheese along with the above butter and also cooking cream. 

So the gist of how to make the "Mock and Cheese" is you make up a creamy cheesy fatty sauce and then add in the roasted cauliflower. I also added a little cayenne pepper on top just to pretty it up.

Served up with meatballs (to which I added grated cheese) this cheesy cauli dish is the best!

Lilly Pulitzer package!

What a lovely "Lilly" surprise!

What a nice package to receive in the post today - all the way from Florida to me here in Spain. 

My twin sister sent me these divine Lilly Pulitzer earrings!! I absolutely adore them and am already planning to wear them at the opening of Ciaran's solo art exhibition next March.

I love Lilly P. and am lucky to have a sister who has easy access to a Lilly Pulitzer store in Key West, Florida and she sends me the occasional little gift from time to time. The last thing she sent me was a gorgeous yellow Lilly dress back in November for my birthday. I haven't had the chance to wear it yet but am looking forward to wearing it now that the weather is getting better. Watch this space - I'll share pics on this blog.

Thank you so very much Amy for the fantastic gift!

A perfect Valentine's Day in Spain

Valentine's Day in Malaga

Malaga Alcazaba

We had a perfect day here in Malaga yesterday for Valentine's Day. Ciaran had suggested that we head up to the Alcazaba view point in the mornings time and so we set off there about 11am. It was just lovely up there at the top - click here to see pics on Ciaran's website.

After that we pretty much lay in the sun and listened to music for the day until 4pm when the Ireland-France rugby game was on. Disappointingly Ireland lost.

Valentine's Dinner

After the rugby game, we decided to put the dinner on to the BBQ earlier than usual in order to sit out on the balcony and have dinner before the sun went down. Dinner was a starter of cheese and chorizo along with membrillo (sort of like quince) and then steak with fondant potatoes that had been cooked in chicken stock - so delish! And then after for dessert we had these heart shaped mousses which were also delicious particularly with the nice bottle of wine that I had bought especially for the occasion.

All in all a great Sunday in Malaga.

And suddenly, just like that, we are back open....

Open Malaga 

On Thursday after my Padel class (which I wore a mask for), I heard that shops and restaurants were opening back up from Saturday here in Malaga.

And so on Saturday, I was back volunteering in the Cudeca Charity Shop and then afterwards we went out for a late lunch and glass of wine, well, just because we could.

It was pretty busy about town but there was a big police presence (look in the background of the pic of me) probably to ensure all of the bars were closed by 6pm - which they always are.  In fairness, they tend to start closing well before time and are always finished serving and shut up by closing time. It felt safe for us given that we ate outside.

A new restriction that has been introduced is that only wine or beer can be bought after 6pm. I had heard that there was going to be restrictions on buying alcohol and had anticipated that that would be for all alcohol. But the Spanish way seems to be a restriction on "hard liquor" and not vino y cervesas. 

There is still travel restrictions and people can only travel from one region to the next if they have a reason too.

Let's see what happens next, it is very different from the lockdown that is currently ongoing in Ireland and was extended from a March 5th finish date to sometime in April. Numbers are running at about 1,000 a day so still too high to open up.

A sweet surprise delivery!!!

How sweet!!

Look what the postman delivered today!

Look at this - I got the most sweet delivery today of gorgeous Valentine's themed chocolates (fudge, I think!) and cookies.  Cake by Karen is a specialist cake maker in Spain based on the Costa Brava (seriously look at that cute heart cookie) and I was beyond happy to get a box of goodies from Cake by Karen.

Of course, who they are actually from, is my older sister Faith in Ireland.  Thanks Faith, I love them!

What a gorgeous Valentine's day treat, I can't wait to taste them all.

Here's pics of the beautiful gift presentation.

Heart Cookie

I did not know what to expect as I opened the package but was so happy to see these lovelies when I opened the box.  Yum is all I can say!!

Fudge

How tasty does this fudge bar look. It's really gorgeous with little heart decorations on it. As well as looking good, the fudge tastes absolutely delicious - creamy sweet gorgeousness, so divine. I think it may be the best fudge I've tasted. It's a beautifully presented gift and to order your own sweet treats you can contact Cake by Karen on their facebook page which is here. 

They also have an instagram page which is packed full of pics of glorious cakes and treats.

The little heart cookie is seriously cute - I'm going to save it and enjoy it with a coffee on Valentines Day!

Thanks again Faith for the really thoughtful gift.

*********

EDIT 16 Feb 2021

Taste Report!

Best fudge I ever tasted!!!  So good!

What I've been watching....

I recommend....

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

So somehow I missed the buzz about Mrs Maisel and happily when I got around to watching it there were 3 seasons built up for me to binge watch. Unfortunately the 4th season is now currently delayed due to Covid but still at least it is on the cards and I will eventually get to see how it all works out for Mrs Maisel on the comedy circuit starting in Greenwich Village.

Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) the series introduced me to how a 1950's Jewish Family lived. Charismatic Midge Maisel seems to have it all - a nice home, husband, two children(boy and a girl) and doting parents who live in the same building and seem to take on a huge part of the childcare burden for Midge. I can't help compare how Irish people were living at the same time as Midge and marvel at her super stylish wardrobe (seriously how much clothes does one person need) along with her lifestyle (taxis and having a fridge freezer being the norm). Let's just say 1950's middle class Ireland looks years apart from Midge's set up....and not in a good way. Even while queuing for meat (to entertain the Rabbi) Midge's style and glamour is apparent. But it is not her style and glamour that is her appeal - it is also her charm and knowledge of how things must be socially - but once she gets on the comedy stage we are exposed to her full personality and wit and that's where it all takes off and Midge goes on a different course from being a traditional Jewish housewife. It's definitely worth watching.....but be aware that it does not all go entirely smoothly as unfortunately Midge says it how it is and sometimes just doesn't know when to stop. 

As an add on I was fascinated to see the whole family encamp to some place in the Catskills for the Summer - pretty much exactly like Dirty Dancing, which of course you know from reading this blog that I am a big fan. I never really understood the whole thing in Dirty Dancing about the sister nearly in tears over not bringing more shoes with her to the holiday camp, but after seeing Midge and her mother pack for their trip I am beginning to understand. The didn't do anything by half in the 50's it seems, and I guess there were multiple costume changes needed during the day depending on whatever activity one got up to!

Late Night

I happened upon "Late night" starring Emma Thompson and found it to be a very watchable film. In recent times, I have started so many movies and then switched them off after awhile for various reasons. But this one was good in my opinion. Starring Emma Thompson as a Late Night Talk Show host at the top of her game but probably hitting the point where someone new is going to swoop in and take her job, she hires a new show writer (Mindy Kaling) to invigorate the show. It's not a laugh a minute film - I wonder is it even a comedy, but it is definitely entertaining.  I highly recommend it!

It's worth a watch for Emma Thompson's hairstyle alone!!

Grand Hotel

And the final thing I have been watching is Grand Hotel. or Gran Hotel in Spanish.  

Groan.....it's so bad and the only reason I've stayed watching it is I am looking at it in Spanish along with Spanish subtitles in order to improve my Spanish. But honestly it is just so terrible with hard to follow over the top ridiculous storylines (but maybe I am finding it hard to follow because of my poor Spanish) and laughable dramatic music. Just bad, bad.

I've watching 8 programmes so far, but I don't think I can go any further.

Let me know what you are watching these days and whether you recommend it. Leave a comment below!

Spreading Valentine's Cheer across the World

Sending Love to my sister

I saw on Facebook that the Wesley House Valentine Gala Ball was cancelled this year due to Covid. In the place of the Gala and in order to fundraise, they were selling hearts for the garden. 

I thought this was a really great fun idea so I ordered one for my sister in Key West. 

I ordered it about 5pm Spanish time (around midday in Florida) and when she arrived home from work that day she was surprised to find a heart planted in her garden!

Supporting Wesley House

She posted pics on facebook asking who sent her the heart and also used the hashtag #sharewhlove which you can search to see other homes and businesses in Key West decorated with hearts and supporting Wesley House.

Wesley House provides a range of supports for different families - click here to see more and also to send love and hearts to your friends in the Florida Keys.