Do Me A Flavour | Megan's Head

Just Walk

On April 25, 2014

In deeply personal, diet, do me a flavour

One of the things Dukan insists on is walking every day. It’s not a lot of walking, only 30 minutes. I don’t always do it for that long, but I do walk the dogs every single day, which means I do some walking every day. Some days I walk a lot; like yesterday when my friend dragged me into the Newlands forest, from his house, in Rondebosch!I can tell you that the best part of it all (aside from the exquisite forest in our back yard) was that I wasn’t carrying an extra 17kg load with me. The beach walk on weekends is filled with energy, running and playing and physical fun. Because I can actually move.

My whole body looks and feels different, and I am enjoying it again. I want to boast and show off. How great to have turned into that from the, let’s be honest, embarrassment that accompanied me most of the time when I felt so fat, unfit and uncomfortable.

I remember, not so long ago, having to drag myself out to walk the dogs. Now I can’t wait. Even right now, while I wait for the sun to come up. The dogs and I are the same. We go and walk, and then come home hungry for breakfast.

The kids are playing in the street before being picked up for school. The sun is creeping into the sky. Time to get out there.

My (ongoing) journey to find my old, skinnier self

By megan

On April 24, 2014

In deeply personal, diet, do me a flavour

My facebum post about having reached my target weight was liked and commented on by over 150 people. This is what it said. “I reached my target body weight today, after four months of successful dieting. I have lost 17kgs, and feel like my old self. I still have a way to go, with disciplined eating to keep from piling on the kilos, but I am inspired, healthy and strong.”

And I got many, many messages, asking all sorts of questions more privately. Losing weight is a huge deal, not to mention a multimillion dollar industry. And everyone has a personal story attached to this whole body, weight, food issue.

One friend who messaged me suggested I write a book about my experience. My first thought was that there was nothing much to my story. I was very overweight and hating what I looked like, I got a tip from someone about the Dukan diet, decided to try it out, had great results, stuck to it for four months and lost 17kgs. Sounds easy. It has been. I was in the right space, and my almost zero tolerance policy to wimping out really helped. But there is more. Much more. And I am going to write about it here on my blog and see whether it helps others, or even just me.

So let’s start with the facts.

1. In a slow build-up over 11 years (since I gave up smoking) I managed to get 17kgs too fat. This is far too much for somebody my height.

2. I was never successful in sticking to an exercise or diet programme.

3. I was shocked by a photograph of myself in December. And that was the trigger.

4. I found the diet that worked for me.

5. I wasn’t scared that I couldn’t do it.

6. I lost my carb and sugar cravings after 48 hours, and never really got them back.

7. I have been cheating, mostly with alcohol, but in moderation, so I don’t feel punished, ever.

8. I have been encouraged by how fast it has been. 4 months. 17kgs.

9. I have been open to all the praise and compliments and words of encouragement, and that has kept me motivated.

10. I have dispelled my personal myths. It is not my ‘body type’ to be thin, I am getting too old to be thin, I have always been overweight (not even true), I have a slow metabolism, I am obsessed with food, I comfort eat (I really don’t, and never have, I just have portion control issues which isn’t a problem on this diet because you can eat us much protein as you physically can).

I will be writing about this for the next while, spending more time on issues as they arise. If you want to check out what I did, start here at My Dukan Diet. I read the actual book in fits and starts, I have the summary of the various phases handy on my computer and I worked out my target weight and converted the lbs to kilos for my own easy use.

Oh, and I bought a scale and I weigh myself every day. And it is fantastic.

Best Winter Barley Soup Recipe

By megan

On August 18, 2013

In do me a flavour, inspiration

All my soups are one-offs because I make them up. Big friendly always says to write them down, but I don’t, and then when he asks for the ‘one like the last time’ I have no idea what I did. But yesterday’s barley soup was too good not to make a note of, so here goes. I made a nice big pot, but it is almost done!

Ingredients

2 leeks, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 chopped celery sticks

3 diced carrots

2 diced parsnips

5 skinned fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 cup pearl barley

A kettle of boiling water

1 Knorr veg stock pot

crushed cumin, turmeric, chili flakes, crushed coriander, salt, pepper

1 tsp tom yum paste

Worcestershire sauce

Sweat off onions, garlic, leeks and celery in a splash of olive oil. Add all spices, salt and pepper and cook until onions and leeks are tender and glassy. Add carrots and parsnips, stir and add water and the stock pot and the barley. Then add the tomatoes. Finally, add the tom yum paste and Worcestershire sauce. Let it cook gently for a good hour or so and add more water if the barley absorbs too much. It is delicious. And even better the next day.

Sorry. No pic. All eaten.

30 Exciting things before the year ends. And after. And latkes.

By megan

On December 26, 2012

In Cape Town, deeply personal, do me a flavour, theatre stuff, travel log, world of work

So Christmas has just been, and in a special twist of lucky fish fate it was a divine family one, with Big Friendly’s true blood in the Cape to celebrate. It was delicious, and seven year old Kai crowned me the best cooker. What an award.

But before I even relax a teeny bit I am getting ready to jump into a few things before the year is out. I am in the recording studio over the next two days, directing voice overs for GreatGuide, who have more than one or two projects on the go that I am involved with. And tomorrow (Thurs 27th) w are performing our first monthly long form experimental improv show called Jam Sandwich, at The Alexander Bar. The teeny theatre above the bar seems to have taken off with wings, and we are delighted to be part of it. I think we are all sold out for tomorrow night. How cool? Cool.

Then, rehearsals are under way for Fully Committed. I worked on directing this show at the very beginning of the year with Pieter Bosch Botha, who performed this decadent marathon of a one-man-playing-37-characters, before he took it to the Festival of Fame in Jozi. Well, now on the first two weekends of 2013 it is going to have its first showing in Cape Town at The Alexander Bar. I can’t wait. Pieter Bosch Botha is inspiring. It will be on on Friday and Saturday the 4th and 5th and again the following weekend of the 11th and 12th. Book here now because the small venue sells out fast.

And then, on the 9th of January I am winging my way to Prague, of all places, for two weeks. It’s also for GreatGuide. We are going to be designing and writing commentary for walking tours of Prague and I cannot wait! Prague. Winter. Oldness. Eastern Europe. 1st time.

I come straight back and jump into our most exciting Improv Festival at the Kalk Bay Theatre from 30 Jan to 9 Feb.

Gung ho for next year I tell ya.

But right now it is latke time with our favourite family, the Noodles. Here is my made up recipe for the most flawless, delicious latkes. Grate peeled potatoes on the fine grate. Do an onion too. Squeeze out as much juice as you can. Mix in an egg and some flour. Put blobs of the mixture in hot oil. Turn them often and try your hardest to wait until they go a delicious golden brown. Eat with sour cream, apple sauce (apparently), marmalade (not my cuppa) or even dijon mustard. Yum.

Dangerous, delicious Alexander Bar

By megan

On February 11, 2012

In Cape Town, do me a flavour

I can’t drink like I used to, but last night I really tried. And I am paying the price today. I have only been capable of moving from one horizontal surface to another, narrowly avoiding the floor. My eyeballs are sore. I got rat assed last night after getting permission from my friend Snax, who said she would drive. We were at Nicholas and Edward’s fabulous new bar in Strand Street, Alexander Bar.

Snax and I went there early and ate a fantastic cheese platter as we sat on our corner of the bar; all the tables were full. Alexander Bar is pretty, retro, quirky, with phones on every table and a telegram facility. Its staff are warm and funny and I love ordering Miss Molly in My Bed (a delicious red wine) from them. That was dangerous enough. Then our friends started arriving. And then I had tequila. Yhu. I shrieked with old friends, made brand new ones, danced with someone. I really, really, really jauled. And we came home at 2am.

This could become a nasty new habit, once every five years. I can’t live through another hangover like the one I have today.

Cauliflower, potato and fish soup

By megan

On July 28, 2011

In do me a flavour, inspiration

Big Friendly has been nagging me to write down my soup recipes when I make them up, because many a brilliant inspiration is never repeated or remembered, but I never do. Today’s creation though deserves a write up, and I guess, since this is my blog, I can do it right here. So here goes. It was delicious, hearty and so moreish.

Ingredients

1 bunch leeks
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
tablespoon unsalted butter
olive oil
4 to 5 smallish, yellowish potatoes
1 cauliflower
1 smoked kipper
1 sachet Ina Paarman’s veg stock
water
chilli flakes, salt, pepper, smoked paprika
cream
creamy blue cheese

Clean and slice the leeks, chop the shallots and garlic. Peel and dice the potatoes and chop up the cauliflower. Heat butter and a splash of olive oil in a pot and throw in the leeks, shallots and garlic. Add salt, pepper, smoked paprika and chilli flakes. Cook for a few minutes before throwing in the potatoes. Give it a few good stirs and then cover potatoes with water. Add the sachet of stock, bring to the boil and cook for a bit before adding the cauliflower. Then let it cook away for about twenty minutes. When the potatoes are very soft liquidise until the soup is quite smooth. Put the pot back onto the heat and cut the kipper into small chunks and toss them into the soup. Let it cook on a low heat for another ten minutes. Season again if you need to, pour in cream, and crumble some creamy blue cheese in. Stir, serve, eat. Yum.

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A place where Megan gets off her head.

Category: do me a flavour (Page 3 of 4)

Just Walk

My (ongoing) journey to find my old, skinnier self

Best Winter Barley Soup Recipe

30 Exciting things before the year ends. And after. And latkes.

Dangerous, delicious Alexander Bar

Cauliflower, potato and fish soup

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