11 out of 14

I rarely read the Times2 section in the Times but today I did, triggered by the headline "14 foods you should eat every week (including chocolate)".

I'd be the first to admit my nutrition diet is erratic at best. Superfoods, low carbs, fresh fish, ready meals, pizza, classic pub meals, all have their places. Overall I think (optimistically) a balance of duty and pleasure.

I thought I would try reading the detail of the two page article and was soon into "our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolising flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects", "rich in oxidant-rich flavonoids, naturally occurring polyphenol plant compounds that are a force for health improvements such as reducing cell damage........". Enough! Just tell me what I should eat!

So here's how I scored on the 14 "essential" foods.

1. Bananas. I'm ambivalent about bananas. On the one hand they give me energy, taste good and are an essential ingredient of my favourite smoothie, on the other they are high in carbohydrates and hence potentially fattening. I give myself half a point because I'm off them at the moment.
2. Oats. I use oat milk in my (pretty much daily) smoothies. I definitely don't like porridge but my daily granola is oat-based. Does the milk count? I say yes - one point.
3. Beetroot. I really like the taste of cooked beetroot but it's too much bother to do. I use pickled beetroot in vinegar (out of the jar) in salads. I'm giving myself a (possibly controversial) point.
4. Black tea. One every morning with breakfast, decaff and with milk. Tick.
5. Nuts. I eat so many (mixed) nuts I'm tempted to give myself a bonus point. But I'll just score the one.
6. Oranges. Satsumas, often replaced by "easy peelers", are my favourite and eaten with my granola cereal nearly every day. Tick. If they are in the fruit bowl too many days they become "difficult peelers".
7. Apples. I'm a bit fussy about apples. The tarter the better, hence there are always Granny Smiths in my fruit bowl. Score one.
8. White button mushrooms. I don't dislike mushrooms but I don't eat them regularly. Nul point.
9. Yoghurt. Yep, always in the fridge.
10. Olive oil. Extra virgin used for cooking. Tick.
11. Eggs. I'm ambivalent about eggs. Occasionally I'll think about them, buy some and make an omelette. But I eat them as part of a Tesco breakfast twice a week. Health benefits possibly counteracted by hash browns but I think this merits a point.
12. Beans, peas and lentils. Don't like lentils. Not sure whether baked beans as part of the above-mentioned cooked breakfasts counts. I'll say probably not.
13. Berries. Like nuts, lots of these, particularly raspberries and blueberries. A definite point.
14. Dark chocolate. Yep, daily. Big tick.

No mention of Classic Magnums, sadly, But a healthy eleven and a half points. And this has made me hungry, so time for lunch. Off to get my flavonoids.

Spinach, broccoli and blueberries

I don't eat many vegetables. I eat lots of fruit and usually accompany my fish or meat with salads. I'm not sure this is a healthy, balanced diet, so I asked ChatGPT (I know, don't believe everything it tells you) "is it OK to eat lots of fruit but no vegetables" (I don't bother with question marks - if ChatGPT can't figure out it's a question then it's stupid). 

Answer: not really, because I'm missing various nutrients and "phytonutrients" (it can't resist showing off). "Would you like tips on how to include more vegetables painlessly?"

Sure.

"If you dislike vegetables, you might try blending greens into smoothies or pairing raw veggies with dips".

That's why I'm sitting here, waiting patiently for tonight's key Arsenal match, nothing else to do except write a blog post, and eating/drinking a smoothie containing spinach, broccoli, blueberries, 15 grams of protein powder, cinnamon, cocoa powder and peanut butter. What a weird mixture! But it's actually remarkably refreshing - so try it!

ChatGPT recommended frozen cauliflower for a creamy texture, so that's on tomorrow's shopping list. 

As for the dips, I checked out the nutrition stats on the labels of various types (I like to minimise carbohydrate intake) and ended up with aioli, which I tried last night with raw carrot. I'm not at all sure whether this aioli is healthy or not:

(per 100g)

• 2.7g carbs (that sounds good)
• 79.0g fat (that sounds horrendous)
• of which saturates 5.9g (that's OK then - or is it?)

I THINK that means that the 73.1 grams of unsaturated fats (beneficial for heart health) are OK. Phew!

I would actually like to make an effort to lose some weight, so I'm going with this and actually not even drinking 0% alcohol for a week or two. I see that the can of 0% Guinness in my fridge contains 16.7 grams of carbs, so that's it - in the bin! (Not actually; I may need a celebration after tonight's match, or alternatively a consolation drink). And the blueberries are much better than bananas in my smoothies.

In case you're thinking "Nigel, you should get walking", I'll be covering that in due course.

(I guess that's different from "Nigel, you should get out more")

Tips for nutrition, smoothies, painless vegetables (no potatoes) and weight loss welcomed!

Wet December

I always thought the notion of such ideas as a Dry January were absurd. Marketing ploys or, occasionally as with Movember, charitable endeavours. There is nothing in this world that would persuade me to grow a moustache

or commit to a whole month without alcohol - or cheese, mushrooms, pizza, whatever.

I drink little alcohol but, in the approach to Christmas, it feels like I should prepare for the festive season. It would be churlish to decline offers of champagne, a good wine and a glass of brandy, so my body needs to be ready. Hence Wet December. I'll be looking for a bottle of Armagnac tomorrow, together with some decent Rioja. No alcoholic beer though - too fattening.

UPDATE: Couldn't find any Armagnac so went for Drambuie instead. More Christmassy anyway. I used to like Tia Maria so might get some of that too. Can you get decaff Tia Maria? News to follow in due course.

Aisle 26

Aisle 26 sounds like a movie title; think District 9, Super 8. But no, it's the answer to a quiz question I posed today to an Asda employee: "where can I find tofu?"

My lunch today was a feta, tomato, pecan, tofu and olives salad, with a sprinkling of Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's an interesting mix of quite strong flavours, of which the tofu is probably the most piquant. Surprisingly the pecans almost disappeared in terms of flavour, which was a disappointment. I created this concoction after, concerned that I couldn't get my weight back to normal after lockdown gains, I researched foods which were healthy and low carbohydrate.

I discovered that nuts are good sources of "good carbs" (net carbs = carbs minus fiber) and walnuts and pecans particularly so. Tofu is low in calories but high in protein and fat (presumably "good" fat). Feta is lower in calories than most cheeses. Olives are one of the staple components of Mediterranean diets. Olive oil has zero carbs. Followed by some raspberries and strawbs (low carbs, high fiber, containing antioxidants) and a glass of water.

I'm not fetishing, just trying some hopefully healthy options. Better than a bacon sarnie and a beer though.

To be honest, I find the texture of tofu takes some getting used to. We'll see about that.

The Exploding Chocolate Brownie

It's a while since I wrote a blog post. Although only six days. Now that I have returned to pre-lockdown life (it honestly took me a while to remember my routine) I am enjoying aspects of Cornish life such as outdoor cafés. While it's still dry and sunny, which I guess won't be for much longer.

I've mentioned before the new Covent Garden of the South West, aka Charlestown Harbour. I've introduced you to the coffee stall of No. 1 Cubs and now I have discovered their pièce de résistance, the exploding chocolate brownie. I have no idea why 'exploding' but I can tell you it is

The. Most. Delicious. Chocolate. Brownie. Ever.

So a daily visit to the stall is (a) the reason for having little blogging time and (b) very bad for my waistline. But hey, life's short. Probably shorter the more exploding brownies you eat. 

My epicurean day

08:00 Cereal of bran flakes and Kellogg's hazelnut and chocolate crunchy nut granola with semi skimmed dairy milk. Cup of decaffeinated tea with semi skimmed dairy milk.

10:30 Cup of instant decaffeinated coffee with semi skimmed dairy milk.

12:30 Thai chicken and lemongrass soup - not home made obviously since I don't, to my knowledge, have any lemongrass in my garden. Or chickens. Or Thais. Two glasses of home made banana/oat/whey protein/cocoa/peanut butter smoothie.

13:15 Cup of instant decaffeinated coffee with semi skimmed dairy milk, with two squares of Lindt "a touch of sea salt" dark chocolate.

16:00 Cup of Jasmine tea and one maple and pecan plait (courtesy of Lidl bakery).

17:30 Hors d'oeuvres of salmon and king prawn sushi with four lemon and herb olives.

19:00 Dinner of one cod and prawn Thai style fishcake (not home made since I don't like the smell of fish in my kitchen) with Marvellous tomatoes, spring onions, wild rocket followed by a fresh fruit salad of strawberries and grapes with mango, papaya and passion fruit yoghurt. One bottle of zero alcohol beer. 

20:00 Cup of percolated decaffeinated coffee with a dash of hazelnut milk.

21:00 Second cup of percolated decaffeinated coffee with a dash of hazelnut milk and a small glass of Armagnac.

Total carbs: too many to count.

Satisfaction rating: 9.5/10 (marks deducted for not the best yoghurt in my fridge - and it's too strong for the fruit - and for instant coffee).

Nigel, this is definitely not an essay. And Coco says "where pictures?"

Food and drink dilemmas

I'm drinking peppermint tea. Or is it just peppermint? That's what it says on the box. I thought "tea" was a generic term for drinks you make by pouring boiling water over leaves. But maybe tea is a protected term in some post-colonial Anglo-Indian trade treaty. Or maybe peppermint is different from peppermint tea? Who knows.

Should you make coffee with water which is boiling, nearly boiling or what? (This is obviously not for those who use the pesky machines). How do you get a kettle to produce water nearly boiling? I guess most people are like me and try to time it to the microsecond but miss out and...it boils. Is post boiled water the same as nearly boiled? Does anyone notice any difference?

Should you put the jam first on a scone, or cream first? This depends, of course, on whether you are in Cornwall or Devon. The answer, as we Cornishmen know all too well is....hang on, let me check -
in Cornwall it's jam first (correct), in Devon cream first (incorrect).

Should we decant wine from screwtop bottles? Wrong question - should we even be drinking from screwtop bottles? (I mean wine in screwtop bottles; don't get the impression I drink from the bottle) Corks good, screws bad, as George Orwell said.

And there's the age-old problem of eating spaghetti. Do you twirl the spag around a fork against the side of a spoon, cut into pieces with the spoon against a fork, suck in a genteel fashion (is that a sexist term? If so, add ladylike for balance) or just duck your head and slurp?

Don't get me going on chopsticks. Whoever invented those? I mean the person, not the nation. What ridiculous implements. I get that maybe they pre-dated knives, forks and spoons but now? That's just silly.

Enjoy your dinner, people! Or should it be supper? I think one is for a meal you cook for family and friends and the other involves eating in a restaurant but I don't care enough to check this. It's just food! And drink. Obviously.

Baking is for wimps

No, you bakers are definitely not the wimps. I am the wimp - having no confidence that anything I do in the kitchen will turn out as expected.

But...

Today I am baking some cookies. You must be aware by now that cooking and baking are not my favourite pastimes but they are definitely useful ways to fill lockdown time. Until recently I have never made cookies. And I tend to avoid anything floury on the basis that I put on weight rather easily (I know, it's also because I have an aversion to exercise).

I have made two batches of cookies recently. The first, plain ones, were not exactly a failure but on the success scale would rate about 3.5. Too wet hence rather flaky, too chunky so filling, possibly undercooked. For the second I decided that recipes were more in the nature of general guidelines rather than prescriptions, so I slightly increased the flour content, flattened them and cooked them at a higher temperature and for longer than the recipe stated. And added chocolate chips. Result: 10.0 on the Nige scale. Very tasty, probably fattening but if I only eat a few every day maybe that won't matter (just kidding, one a day with morning coffee).

Today I have run out of chocolate chips so am going to try raisins. Dunno how that will work out.

I did think of posting this as a video but that seemed rather overrating my kitchen skills and behaviour. And my grandson Oliver has already done a really good cooking video, which I cannot compete with.

In fact I decided to make oatmeal raisin cookies, using a recipe on bbcgoodfood.com (I'm not sure this is a good use of licence payers' money, or what a public service broadcaster should be doing, but I'll skip over that). With some adjustments/substitutions.

Once finished, I hope to post a picture of the finished articles.

[An hour passes]

And here they are:

You can see two things from that. One is that I probably should have made more smaller cookies than fewer larger ones (minor point, I can just halve them when eating). The other, more important, is that I probably cooked them a little too long or possibly at a lower temperature (that was one the adjustments I made - Nigel, don't think you know better than these people). They are definitely a little crispy.

[Ed: you also need to sort out the lighting on these pics]

Now for the taste test. I am pleasantly surprised at the texture - soft and chewy on the inside and harder on the outside is probably what I'm aiming for. However, they are definitely a little TOO crispy, so my overall rating for this batch is:

7.0