Not another shrimp on the barbi sheil'???

Welcome to my new feature...

Now the summer is finally upon us - Dave has assembled the BBQ (after quite some time and quite a few swear words I might add) and I have got my creative cooking apron on and I'm trying out any combo that can go over those white-hot coals.

So here is my new regular freature for the summer - snappily titled:

"Not another shrimp on the barbi sheil'??"

So what will it include? Well, simple, tastilicious BBQ ideas using fresh and flavoursome ingredients (as organic as possible ideally). Quick to prepare and possibly even quicker to devour. They're also as healthy as they are tasty, meaning that a BBQ blow-out won't affect your waistline.

You'll note that I'll never be precise with my ingredients - but that's just the way I cook for BBQ's - I open the fridge, I open the cupboards, I look in my garden and see what I can throw together. I don"t weigh and I don't measure - I just create, cook and eat until I'm full, then have the leftovers for lunch the next day. Try my methods and experiment.  Keep it simple and hassel free - BBQs should be a bit of stress-free alfresco food fun. Bon apetit!!!

Now then - if only that bloody rain would stop... arghhhhhh!!!

Chantal D-H xxx

Eat yourself healthy...

Muscle cramps? Bad breath? Fatigue? They can all be caused by a lack of vitamins or minerals - so here's how to eat yourself healthy

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1292317/Muscle-cramps-Bad-breath-Fatigue-They-caused-lack-vitamins-minerals--heres-eat-healthy.html#ixzz0stAlBcBK

Although some of the info in this article about the best sources of different nutrients could have been enhanced (some items listed are not the very best sources) it does, yet again highlight the need to eat a varied diet of wholesome foods.

If we do that then there is no need to take supplements as well. There is strong evidence to suggest that we cannot absorb vitamins and minerals as well in supplement form as we can from food - of course this is rarely focused on because the supplements industry is worth far too much money.

Interesting statement:
"The RDA for vitamin C is 60mg, but taking 1,000mg or less of vitamin C supplements a day is unlikely to cause any harm because any that you don't need will be excreted in your urine."
I would want better than 'unlikely'... and if you need 60mg why produce supplements that contain 1000mg - kind of proves my point.

Anyway - anything that encourages ditching processed foods (that are completely devoid of nutritional value) is good.

Chantal Denny-Harrow

I'm in love with a deeply dishy guy...

Some of you may remember that a couple of weeks ago I developed an addiction to buffalo mozarella.

Well - fickle girl that I am I have changed my affections and it's all because of a Chicagoan experience I've had recently. And I mean a real Chicago experience - not the microwave one you can get down Iceland on bogoff.

Yes - to me - the Chicago Deep Dish Pizza experience had been confined to the small microwavable pack of two that you can get. In the 'fat old days' this was one of my mealtime treats - the pepperoni being my weapon of choice. Of course I used to make the meal healthy with mounds of broccoli on the side and lashings of low fat mayo (yes - I know my taste buds were weird then). This naturally made it OK to consume the two pack by myself and then feel good that I'd had all that broccoli...............

Ahem...

Moving on...

Last week I got the chance to visit Chicago on business, and, tornadoes aside, it proved to be very interesting (what a lovely clean, modern city) and very very tasty.

It was impossible to visit this town I felt without sampling The Real McCoy of the pizza world - the original deep dish pie.

A little research confirmed that the coveted title of being the city's first inventor of the pie belonged to approximately 5 downtown restaurants, which left me a choice of basically going to the one that I could find most easily. This we did, and ended up at the very popular (often a 2 and a half hour wait to get in!!!) Giordanos.

We went off peak - ravenous - and waited just 10 minutes to get seated and then 30 minutes for our creation to be filled to the absolute brim and baked.

What a tantalising wait as pizza pies whizzed passed us and I started to actually salivate onto my napkin.

When it arrived - we were not dissappointed. I knew from that very first cheesy stringy cut that this was going to transport me And I was right. A pastry crust that can only be described as crusty yet doughy bread on the base lined with slices of pepperoni and mushrooms then a layer of gooey cheesey cheese, then more pastry to top and rich tomato sauce, olives and pineapple on top of that. The flavour was immense - fresh, herby, tomatoey, savoury, sweet, cheesy and so utterly delicious that after the slight pleasurable moaning that ensued from our table we descended into silence for the next half an hour (again, apart from the odd appreciative 'when harry met sally' type of moan.)

It was like no pizza you could ever have tasted before. Sure 12" was waaaaaay over doing it and 10" would be more than enough for 2 and we couldnt even take a doggy bag as we were hotel and airport bound. But even the ensuing rain storm, thunder, tornado and lightening couldn't dampen my lovestruck mood that day. (and well, we did have a salad on the side so it was reeeeally healthy)

So could Dd (as in my company Dd Weight Management) now stand for 'deep dish' - ah maybe it should - maybe only I will know that it could ;)

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie thats amore.................." ah yes - my new found love - te amo, je t'aime, I love you.............

Chantal D-H x

Tune in to BBC radio H&W to hear how my attitude to food has changed.

I shall be joining Tony Fisher live on air Thursday 1st July 9am til noon (BBC Hereford and Worcester 104 FM / 94.7 FM) to talk about my personal weight-loss journey and my approach to dieting (or rather NOT dieting) to achieve a healthier weight.

If you don't live locally you can tune in online here.

In the meantime if you'd like to find out more about me and the work that I do - then please either pick up the phone (01299 405 336) and have a chat! email me: chantal@ddweightmanagement.co.uk or visit these other resources:

twitter: @DdWeightMgmt and @ditchthediet

the web: www.ddweightmanagement.co.uk

my 'break the diet habit' blog: http://www.breakthediethabit.blogspot.com/

and my book: The Answer: Diet is a Four Letter Word! (under pen name Della David) see here.

Chantal D-H x

Sugar to be banned in hospital tea - poison to be added instead...

Hospital Ban on Sugar in Patients Tea

Well it's a Monday morning and this ridiculous news has got me riled :( 

What a pathetic time-wasting knee-jerk reaction to one of the biggest health issues facing the UK. Patients need energy to recover when they are ill and in the absence of any food provided by hospitals that actually provides energy (or any other nutritional benefit for that matter - and I have seen enough hosiptal food in my time to know just how poor it is) the patients need a cup of tea with sugar to get them through the day! 

And as if that weren't enough, these 'powers that be' will substitute a toxic poison for the sugar, in the form of artificial sweetener - linked to a multitude of illnesses - not to mention the fact that articifical sweeteners are also proven to cause cravings for real sugar!!!. Patients will be escaping just to get down the sweet shop - aren't they suffering enough???

Who the hell is running the PCTs and NHS these days? Clearly some very overpaid idiots.... I pray to god I never have to go into a hospital in this country ever again. Well I did warn you I was riled :( 

Have a great week in the nanny state...

Chantal Denny-Harrow

Plane food? ... anything but...

I'm just back from a business trip / short break to the amazing city of Chicago.

Now I did have the priviledge of travelling Business Class on the flight from Birmingham to Chicago (via Zurich). (A necessary luxury so that it's possible to do some work on the way.)

In the old days food was pretty grim, however you travelled. Yes it was pretty safe to eat (well it has to be on a plane after all) but it was completely uninspiring, often unrecognisable and rarely worth the effort of tucking your elbows in like you're about to do the birdy dance, in an attempt to eat without hitting your neighbour or wearing most of the food. Ah the joys...

But I just felt the need to blog about how impressed I am with how much some airplane food has progressed (albeit that different airlines offer wildly different standards) and lets just say that certain airlines could learn a thing or two from Swiss Air. Passengers with contented bellies surely make for good, easy going passengers and also loyal ones - great food and service is always something to return for. It makes good business sense doesn't it??

Swiss air have chosen to offer food with a Swiss element, created especially by different featured Swiss chefs. I think it's a wonderful idea. Our flight featured food that had been designed by Tanja Grandits - "a passionate gourmet chef and head of the legendary Restaurant Stucki in Basel."

So what was on our lunch menu?

First course -

Sliced boiled beef with lemongrass vinaigrette and pickled vegetables

OR

Vanilla marniated pike-perch, spiced jus and sauteed melon

+

Seasonal salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Main Course -

Veal steak with soya and Basler Leckerli jus, thyme polenta and aubergine caviar

OR

Chicken ragout with morel cream sauce, linguine pasta and sugar-snap peas

OR

Baked salmon with wasabi crumble, wasabi sauce, saffron and lemon basmati rice and fennel sauerkraut

OR

Chicory piccata, barley risotto and tomato ragout

Cheese -

Selection of Swiss cheese with pear bread

Dessert -

Yoghurt panacotta with rosemary, apriciot and ginger gazpacho

OR

Fresh fruit salad

To end -

Swiss chocolates with coffee and a selection of teas

So, as you can see, what a treat and what a decision to have to make!!

I had the boiled beef to start - which maybe doesn't sound that appetising - but it was melt-in-the-mouth and the lemongrass was inspired. The pickled vegetables were in fact a very fine slaw of white and orange roots and simply delicious. The whole dish tasted so light and fresh - a perfect appetiser if ever there was one.

David had the vanilla pike-perch and I have never tasted anything like it - it was beautiful. So delicate and an amazing combination of flavours.

For main course I had the chicken ragout and although it looked very plane (OK - plain) the flavour of the mushroom sauce was earthy, rich and luxurious.

Whilst Swiss cheese isn't usually known for its strong, flavoursome varieties, somehow it would have ruined this meal if it had ended on too pungent a note, so the mild nutty flavours were perfect and the warm pear bread was something I wanted to smuggle off the plane by the basket-load.

I opted for fresh fruit at the end (having already enjoyed one creamy dish) but I regret that now - to hell with the kcals - I should have had the panacotta because I'm sure it would have matched that heavenly feeling up there in the clouds. 

I'm sure I saw a number nine float slowly by underneath us during lunch....

So plain plane food?? far from it...

Chantal Denny-Harrow xx

Well done Swiss Air - you've got my foodie vote and if I'm ever in Basel I think I'll stop by Tanja's restaurant.

p.s. no photos I'm afraid as mobile off and camera in case! shame...

Info for the hunter gatherer in you...

I cannot think of any one client I have helped over the years who hasn't ended up making some dramatic changes to the way in which they shop for food.

Pretty much everyone has started cooking more regulalry (I mean 'real' cooking - from scratch), bought more fresh ingredients (as opposed to processed foods) and decided to buy more organic foods. Some (like me) have even started to grow their own food!

They have all developed a far greater awareness of where food comes from and what it can, potentially contain and they really care about what they are eating. Perhaps I have managed to ignite their dormant recessive hunter / gatherer gene??

With this in mind I wanted to post a couple of helpful links - because sourcing fresh wholesome produce at your local supermarket can sometimes be a bit of a contradiction in terms!

Try here for a comprehensive list of UK-wide organic box sxhemes.

Find your nearest Farmers Market here - a practical and fun day out!

Try buying your store cupboard ingredients here - Ocado has one of the best organic ranges and if you pick your time right you can get free delivery and many discount offers.

AND don't forget to visit your local shops - get talking to the owners - they will know far more about where their produce comes from and how it was produced. With all due respect, the young lad stacking up the mass-produced forced veg at Tescos won't have a clue...

Chantal xx