Step away from the wok.

Now my whole family are trying to torture me.

Yesterday the girls decided to do some baking, which is lovely - don't get me wrong - but hello... chocolate cake & iced biscuits? Mmmmmm... I'd be happy just with some milk in my cuppa to be honest.

Saffie was determined to go it alone with no help whatsoever allowed from mummy. At the same time both hugely liberating, yet soooo hard not to interfere. Actually I really enjoyed watching her figure it all out on her own and prove yet again how difficult recipes can be to work with (watch this space for more on that subject...).

The recipe was beaten into submission though and she spent a delightful couple of hours completely absorbed in decorating the cookies in dribbly, multi-coloured icing, making sure nearby bits of kitchen and clothing didn't feel left out.

Meanwhile Rose made 'A Plate of Soil with Engine Oil" (Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes). Again, much independence was had and the final decorated cake was exquisitely pretty. And delicious, I imagine...

Having truly caught the bug, Saffie went on to stir-fry noodles in the evening - an entirely different wok of veg - lots of heat and fire involved and not so easy to step away from. I really do try not to be a 'helicopter mum' but to avoid "oooooh, mind your fingers", "watch it..." & "Oh my God, BE CAREFUL!!!", I decided to leave the room. She did a great job without me, of course.

Back in Paleo land, I'm happy to report successful completion of Week One. And even happier to report that there is 5lb less of me than there was this time last week. Hurrah.

R.I.P. popcorn.

Never mind paleo, primal, primark - whatever - you should really try making these. Sweet, salty, crunchy - what more could a snack-deprived girl ask for? Happily they are from my paleo-cook-book-of-the-moment & you can find the recipe here: Caramelised Coconut Chips. Enjoy!

Never let a man shop alone.

Is buying a loaf of bread grounds for divorce? I think it might be. Having never done it before, my dear husband chose this weekend to buy this mound of forbidden scrumptiousness for the girls to have for their toasties. Just plain cruel.

Day Four. (Really? Is that all?)

Feeling completely rubbish today. Tired, lethargic and a little light-headed. Nothing that a cup of NORMAL tea with MILK and a nice CAKE wouldn't cure mind.

But... today in the shops appeared English Strawberries - woo hoo!!! Goodness knows how they've managed to persuade them to turn red - there's hardly been a peep of sunshine for weeks, and it did feel rather strange buying punnets of berries with me winter coat on.

Delicious.

All entirely legal too :-)

Yummy.

Well who knew cauliflower could be so delicious! Whizzed up raw then stir fried with spices & pine nuts - I was less than optimistic about this culinary adventure. But it turned out to be easily the nicest thing I've eaten this week - had it with marinated (marinaded?) grilled salmon, which I burnt.

I haven't elaborated on what this wacky eating is all about. Paleo. Primal. No grains of any kind. No sugar of any kind. No dairy, apart from clarified butter (ghee). Just for 30 days but NO slipping or cheating allowed. Oh and no alcohol... ho hum.

Whole30 Eve...

As luck would have it we found ourselves sans children last night so took the chance to eat out. There was a distinct 'last supper' atmosphere at our table and I felt compelled to take some photos of my meal. I had planned to go for the full three courses but we were beaten by the first two, so no pud to report. Please note that even ahead of time, I didn't eat my bun...!

Not much meal planning done yet, so we winged it this morning with predictable eggs for breakfast.

And so it begins...