Who could possibly resist an invitation to spank you?!

One suggestion I can give re the recipes is to get a copy of Good Taste (or whatever the other supermarket’s cheap magazine is) and work through the recipes they have there. Makes the whole deciding what to eat thing easier, and you’ll learn some new things, new ingredients, etc with relatively little effort. Like joining a recipe class, almost.

I’d also recommend drinking some green tea — particularly at work. Get some loose leaf and a little teapot, preferably, rather than tea bags. Much nicer. It’s very good for digestion, metabolism, and lots of other stuff.

R

Justine: Couldn’t help but notice the little plug for Bogan Bread - somebody watched a little too much Biggest Loser this year! Would love to grab some of your soup recipes, I prefer stuff that’s simple and hearty.

Thanks for the offer of exercise companionship, but right now I feel like I couldn’t keep up! And besides, I have some news that I’m going to write about here soon…

Stella: The yoga suggestion sounds really tempting, but my main focus for the time being needs to be cardio to shift a bit of weight. I enjoy yoga and pilates so much that I’ll probably let them be my “reward” for doing the exercise I don’t like so much, and benefit from the muscle tone that comes with it. Besides, I can’t really imagine being able to do yoga in front of the TV without my dog licking my face or crawling underneath me!

Love the pressure cooker idea, I’ll keep my eye out for one!

Olivia: I know way more about the health benefits of quinoa than how to actually cook it, or what it works well with! Any ideas?

Fiona: I’m glad I’m not the only one who hides out in the ladies for a few more minutes than I really need! Sometimes it’s good to just get away from the sound of phones and narky people, y’know?

Love love love your recipe suggestion - that’s exactly the sort of Winter food that I crave. The problem isn’t so much that I crave things that are bad for me, I just crave carb-heavy foods every day. In Summer I find it easy to eat a salad or stirfry most nights, but in Winter it Just Doesn’t Cut It.

I’m joining a gym tomorrow, thanks to Tim’s generosity. Good luck finding one yourself, and let me know how you’re going with it! Maybe we can be spatula buddies!

Been missing your posts and glad one has popped up. Sorry you have been having a rough time of it. My job gives me very little satisfaction too and like yours barely covers the bills. One of my new ways of coping is taking long toilet breaks and just sitting for 5 minutes and composing stuff in my head, blog posts, stuff to talk about with friends, menus for the week- anything but work!

As for Winter food, soups are a good option, but I still find that unless they are full of pulses they can leave you with 2.30-itis, even before you hit 3.30-itis let alone 4.30-itis!

Lentils and chickpeas are good, especially made into veggie curries or the like. I’m all for all-in-one cooking at the moment. Today for lunch I have leftover Moroccan Lamb Pilaf- super easy- brown onion in non stick pan, add lamb strips, lots of veggies, tin of Moroccan tomatoes, 2 cups rice, 4 cups of stock, cover and simmer. Makes an absolute mountain of food.

I am planning on joining a gym in the next few weeks. Will have to make sure I go. It will cost money, but I look at it in the way that it will also make me healthier or something and therefore less prone to illness or something.

Whatever you do, keep blogging! I do enjoy your posts!

In your lunch hour, make a point of getting out of the office and walking at least around the block. Getting out and having the sun shine on your face is important for your state of mind. We need the Vitamin D to prevent depression.

I second the call for soups. Also, have you got a pressure cooker? Making slow cooked meals quickly is great. Make sure every meal you eat includes protein. That means breakfast too! It will keep you feeling fuller and you’ll have fewer carb cravings.

Good luck - I’m going through the same thing in Tasmania. Winter is hard.

It’s been a pleasure being your spatula, mostly in regards to the love you’ve been giving this blog, but happy to extend this to other areas of your life!

I can’t tell you the little *squeee* when I saw a blog post on Scarlet Arts come up on my RSS reader. Sad, that I only saw you yesterday but I get so excited about seeing your written word… but that is probably because I know that the regularity of your posts is often inextricably tied to how you are feeling about life in general. So on that note, I am glad you are ‘back’.

Re eating in winter, I am a massive fan of soup for a few reasons; a) can be cooked in bulk, b) taken to work and microwaved, c) usually packed full of veges and low GI lentils, d) when combined with some Burgen seeds bread is uber good for you and low GI/filling.

Re exercise, I am happy to be your partner… want to run together? Or box together? Nights are best for me too. I will even bring my spatula. I also have another weapon of motivation up my sleeve, that I shall reveal to you on Wednesday….

Re your work, I know exactly how soul destroying this can be and would be for you. I don’t have any advice other than what you’ve suggested, which is using the time you are getting paid to pursue other personal interests to keep you sane. eg, can you do any online courses in a program or hobby you are interested in? Sign up for the newsletters of the blogs you love to read, easier than reading the actual blog at work and oh so satisfying. Ummm, maybe you can be my wedding planner?

Big love to you, welcome back and look forward to smacking your arse this June
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