Week in Eats, F3 Check In and 'a thing'

Eats!

It's important to fuel those study efforts with awesome food. You may notice a certain 'thrown together' feel to this Week in Eats. This is how I eat when kitchen time is limited.

Buckwheat sourdough with egg and avocado

First attempt at fermented buckwheat crepes. Tasted good, looked messy.

Root vege 'salad'

Salmon, kumara, broccoli, avocado, sauerkraut, pecorino cheese

Vegan Apple Crumble (topping is oats, buckwheat flour, sugar and coconut oil)

Something meaty. Pork and pineapple. This photo does not do it justice. The flavours were amazing.
I'll make this again and do some proper photos. 

Stuffed kumara with veges and sauerkraut

Random leftovers.

Smoked chicken salad with 'chreese', which is a vegan cheese substitute. I've used a powdered vegan dressing twice lately and both times The Programmer came down with a brain-exploding migraine the next morning. So this might be the last appearance of chreese on Fit to Blog.  After a bit of investigative work at the the health shop, I've discovered that the common ingredient is silicon dioxide. This is an ubiquitous free-flow agent that I've come across a lot as a food manufacturer.
 I've also seen many cases of allergy to it. I suspect my man is sensitive to it.

Chicken salad, pumpkin, sauerkraut

Study fuel! This is actually the leftovers of an asparagus omelette that had been breakfast, on avocado, on rye sourdough

Bowl of... I think it's leftover roast veg from dinner, tossed with herbs from the garden

Buckwheat Pikelets

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FESTIVE FITNESS FOCUS CHECK IN

Week one is done and dusted. If you're taking part, and would like to check in, please leave a comment on this post, or email me your spreadsheet. From conversations during the week it sounds like everyone is giving it a go and that's the main thing. :D

Personally, I had a pretty good first week. I missed one workout, but managed five, even joining another F3 challenger for a powerwalk. Eating was.. pretty good considering the back to back exams, and in spite of attending a party last night, I'm 700g down per the scales. However, after a bit of deep thought, I've decided that I have to do a thing. 

As you know, a few months ago I did a thing; I gave up coffee, having repeatedly failed at cutting back. This was very, very tough at first, but now it's NBD. In October I had two coffees when out and about, and this month I've had one pre-exam espresso (helps the mental focus, I've heard). The thing I have to do now is take a similar break from alcohol. I don't want to say that I have a problem with it, because I know that people do have real problems with alcohol, but it is getting in the way of my goals. Unacceptable. Beverages shall know their place.

I've noticed before that when I'm exercising, and particularly when I'm losing weight, my booze tolerance drops from 'marginal' to 'practically non-existent'. Even half a glass of wine is enough to dispel any plans to a) stop and one glass and b) avoid the party food (knowing that I attended an engagement 'do' last night, yes, you may take this as a confession. There was dancing; that's all I'm admitting to). As there are a number of parties in my immediate future, I think a period of abstinence is called for.

Therefore the rest of my F3 challenge will be alcohol free. Now, I've got a week to develop a survival strategy for Mamasana's 60th, which is next weekend. 

Do you have any time-honoured tips for partying without the in-glass party pal? I like to have my fingers around a drink, to avoid that awkward 'what do I do with my hands?' feeling when meeting people, but what's a good low-sugar beverage to have within? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Commentors:

F3 Challengers: It's check in day! How did your first week go? What went right, what needs work and is there anything (like me) that you need to change?

Everyone: What do you drink at parties when you are avoiding alcohol?