Run Kiki Run

End of the Bank Holiday

2009-08-31T16:56:00.003+01:00

Unfortunately, the migraine persisted today so I took it easy. For breakfast I had my standard of porridge with an apple and a banana. Lunch was a beef & leek soup. I snacked on a slice of toast with peanut butter and strawberries of top (instead of strawberry jam as per usual). There was no exercise of the menu - booo :(

Responding to Skinny Late's comment here are some more Greece pictures! There are from the island of Sifnos, I was over there August 2007.

This is the bungalow we stayed at.

A nice little marina

This used to be my PC background for a while... You can see why!

I really miss Sifnos - cant wait till I'm back

xx

Wasted Sunday

2009-08-30T18:07:00.004+01:00

It's grey and moody outside and actually inside too. The migraine is still here despite my 2hr nap this afternoon. I had a nice light lunch of a cheese & tomato quesadilla (as picture below x2), with sone tuna and peas.

Sorry no proper picture - I forgot!

Afterwards I had 2 of my homemade cookies, which only made me feel good temporarily.

I spend some time finishing this book I have been reading for weeks 'The Secret Scripture' - Has anyone read this? I found the story interesting but the writing was a bit hard to follow, the language confused me at times.

Washed down with a glass of apple & mango juice.

I am now lying on the couch watching:
Hahaha .... I love this show. I cry like a baby at pretty much each episode!

I called this post 'wasted' cause I feel I havent done anything productive today besides sleep and eat, and that was so not my intention! Im not that worried, cause tomorrow is a Bank Holiday in the UK so I get one more day off work - yay!

Cu at dinner
xx

Waking up to a migraine

2009-08-30T08:36:00.004+01:00

Dont know if it was waking up so early (I had some errants to run) or being so tired when I went to sleep last night, but when I woke up at 8am I had this killing migraine above my right eyebrow. It was like someone was drilling a hole in my head... definately not the best way to wake up!

I got up and knew I had to take some painkillers, so I had a piece of wholewheat toast with peanut butter & strawberry jam plus a small glass of milk. Then I took some Panadol extra and I am now blogging away from my bed. My eyes feel very heavy, I think I may actually nap today.

Sorry for the moan. Here's a pretty picture from downtown Athens.

And one from the seaside!

Cya later x
Kiki

Saturday night lazy bum

2009-08-29T22:18:00.003+01:00

I tried going for a run, but no dice. I mean I ran and everything, but I wasnt feeling it. I went half way my usual route and just turned back (walking!). I know - so disappointing. Sometimes you just arent in the mood.

After showering - again, I forgot to stretch... what's wrong with me?! Do you think it'll hurt tomorrow? - I made a quick pasta dinner. I sweat a small shallot, topped it with some canned plum tomatoes, added some canned mushroom and a grated carrot. Once that and my pasta (wholewheat spaghetti) were cooked, I added some grilled courgette in the mix. Topped with parmesana cheese (I know, bad but good!)

I love having meals in bowls!

When I was back home in Athens, 2 weeks ago, we had these a-ma-zing peaches in the house. My fave breakfast was a sliced peach dipped in Total Greek Yogurt (the full-fat kind, I've never been able to eat the lower fat ones), and a small slice of wholewheat bread with peanut butter and strawberry jam.

I dont know if it was the combination of fruit, yogurt and peanut butter or just the fact that is was at least 10oC hotter than the standar London temperature but that breakfast kept me full for 3-4hrs straight!

And I leave you with a picture of the sunset from my parents fave restaurant, in Floisvos Marina in Athens. Oh so good...

Kiki x

Oh joy. More packing

2009-08-29T17:26:00.006+01:00

Just got back from my sister's place. It looks pretty much packed! This is my 2nd time packing this month and I'm really not loving it! At least her place is pretty much done and I wont have to pack for moving for a long long time.

For lunch we had chichen kebabs, chinese chichen thighs and BBQ brumsticks. I had about half of the chicken you see here, my baby leaf salad, and some carrots with reduced fat hummus.

Once I got home, I got two of my homemade chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk. Does anyone know how long you can keep cooking in the fridge? Mine contain no milk, but I have made them a few days ago... Anyone??

For a while now, I have been seeing two books around in the blog world - Veganomicon and Eat, Live & Be Vegan. I bought them a few days ago and I have been slowly reading through them. Even though, I am not a Vegan, I'm not even Vegetarian (even thought I toyed with the idea for a few years when I was 17), I wanted to expand my recipe database with some non-meat recipes. I have to say that so far ''Eat, Drive & Be a Vegan'' hasnt been that great. I mean it's good and all but it hasnt really struck a cord. However.... ''Veganomicon'' oh my god wow! I picked up so many great tips about grilling veggies and making different types of hummus!

Watch this space for some interpretations of these recipes (soon) to come!

I leave you with a view from my balcony last night. Yes it was raining (this IS london) and I managed to catch a rainbow with my camera!

Cute huh?

Cu at dinner x

Missed me?

2009-08-29T10:38:00.005+01:00

Hey! Long time no blog huh? Alright, im back now! (Hurray!)

There have been a few major things happening lately hence the lack of posting. If you remember from last time, I was packing to move house. Well I did move! It was a great change, and a very good decision to be made. I am not a bit further away than Central London but soooo much closer to work! I have gotten back into (semi)healthy eating and yes running too!

Right lets start off with breakfast today. 2 tablespoons of Total Greek Yogurt, 1 small Golden Delicious Apple, a peach, 7-8 strawberries, 2 hard-boiled eggs.

I had planned to grab that banana too but I was too full! I am now packing it in my bag for a snack later! And yes, I did have that breakfast outside in my brand new balcony which I am totally in love with.... And yes, London *was* sunny at 10.30am!

Today Im off to NorthWest London to help my sister pack and move - Haha yes I guess it's moving season!!! My arms a bit sore from last night's workout (10' minute solution DVD - Target Toning for Beginners) so I'm hoping that packing, lifting, cleaning will be a great way to get un-sore!

Not sure what time I'll be back, probably late afternoonish, so I will not do a lunch post but a rather biggie dinner post.

So I leave you with pictures to explain what I have been doing for all the time I was away.

Enjoy!

Lentils, smoked salmon, rocket salad, and tzatziki, i.e. clearing out the fridge foods.

I packed. Loads. And again. And then some more. If I see a storage box any time soon, I may break down and cry!

I spend about a week in Athens... It was soooo good. This is the House of Parliament (used to be the Palace).

And this is one of the busy shopping streets (Ermou Street) in downtown Athens.

Of course, there was a bit of staying at work late... Booo damn deadlines!

And finally, 4 things you will find on my work desk at any time.
Lipbalm
Hand creme
Water
and some sort of snack

God I used to looove Larabars so so much - I actually got a colleague addicted, but lately I havent been able to have one. I probably had too much of them and went off the taste or something!

Does anyone else out there feel that they just go off certain foods at points in time?

Kiki x

Gone baby gone

2009-07-21T22:14:00.009+01:00

I got home at 8:20pm tonight! Booo working late sucks huh?!

My day has gone pretty much like this:

Alarm goes off at 6.15. I snooze.
Goes again at 6.20. I snooze, but feeling awake now.
Goes again at 6.25, I'm thinking: Fine, I'll get up!
By the time that emergency 6.30am alarm went off, I was up.

I hit the lights switch to get some light in my room and actually be able to see around (curtains were closed, and of course it was rainy and cloudy outside).... no light comes on!!! After I played around with various plugs, switches and my main switch board, I succum and call EDF's fault's line. Oh yes! There is a fuse blown in the powerstation, pretty much everyone in my area has no power, they are aware of the fault and they are 'working on it'.... Great start huh?!

I have some breakfast (wholewheast bun roll with peanut butter + strawberry jam) and a glass of semi-skimmed milk and rely on day light to put on clothes and apply makeup - pray I dont look like a clown!

Work is relatively standard, people running around, the customer changing their minds every oh 5 minutes, people asking me the silliest of questions - my favourites being:

Where can I sit today? (It's an open-plan office and seats are first-come, first-served) - Jeez, I dont know, why dont you try the empty seat?!
Are we having the 1pm meeting? - Yes it's been going on for 3 months and we have it every-single-damn-day!!!
Do you want that in writing? - No, I want you to sing it from the rooftops!!!

Ah the joys of working in IT!

Anyway, lunch was a delicious bacon and barley soup with their fantastic thyme bread. Usually I digest soup in about 1-2hrs but this held me full for about 3.5hrs! I was chuffed! I love how they have seeds next to the soups and you can add them to your cup!

Can you tell food makes me happy? Hehe

After working away for 3-3.5hrs, going to meetings, coming back, typing emails, talking to people, chatting with some colleagues, it was time for my 2nd lunch of the day. My gorgeous wrap with some cherry tomatoes! Oh it was good, I'm telling ya!

And of course around 5pm - just as I thought that hey, I may go home on time and pack some more, the *beep* hit the fan and I had to stay at work till 7.15!!! Boy, was I pissed off! I dont mind staying back when there is actual work to be done, but I cannot stand staying behind just to babysit 4 adults who cannot tie their shoe laces unless they get spe-ci-fic information and step-by-step instructions!

Came home at 8.20 (told you, it's a hour's worth of commute!! but not for long hehe!) and quickly showered, and prepared myself a tasty, light dinner of pasta salad, cucumber, avocado and pink salmon with a yogurt dressing... Yum yum!

Now it's only 10.30pm but I am feeling so beat, I think I will just dry my hair quickly - no straighten tonight booo! - pick my clothes for tomorrow and crash! This day has overstayed its welcome - and it's only Tuesday!!!

Apologies for the rant - hope you found it more funny that annoying! It's pretty much who I am though, I love a good rant!

Speak later
xx

PS. The nice EDF people did indeed fix the power issue and at least I didnt have to shower by candlelight!

PS2. I am still sore! Love you and hate you Pilates DVD!

I cant wait for the weekend to begin!

2009-07-21T08:57:00.004+01:00

My abs are sore.
I cant feel be back on my legs.
I spend 2hrs packing last night and all I managed to pack was books, DVDs, and some more clothes.
My HUGE red suitcase is now full and there are still clothes left to pack!
The box that contains the DVDs and books is so heavy I can barely push is to the side let alone lift it...

Frustration!!!!

And of course, it's raining!

Happy Tuesday people!
x

Dizzy, my head is spinning

2009-07-20T08:56:00.004+01:00

Morning!

You know how some days you wake up and even thought you are fully functional and awake for about 1-2hrs, afterwards you get kinda dizzy and sleepy again. I have major sleepiness now and I woke up a full 2.5hrs earlier!

What's wrong with me?!?

Yesterday's dinner was same as lunch only half in size as I shared a wrap with my sister, but I also ate some sister-made spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese pie).

For breakfast this morning I had semi-skimmed milk with some multigrain bread with peanut butter and jam -delish!

My sister tells me that the delivery people just dropped off the boxes to my place (she was house-sitting for me), so I guess I really do need to pack when I get home...

God, I hate packing! Hate is with a passion! :-D

Cya later xxx

PS. I got some soreness in my gluts and my upper abs - I should have know this was coming right?

Feeling the weekend end

2009-07-19T16:02:00.007+01:00

It's only 4pm on a Sunday but I'm already feeling the weekend ending... booo so sad!

After lazying around for an hour or so after breakfast, I did some hoovering around my house (it desperately needed it!) and then poped in one of my fave exercise DVDs Pilates Perfect Body, part of the 10 Minute Solution range. These are pretty awesome as they are broken down into 5 segments of 10' so you can stop/start and modify them as you see fit. I did the whole thing - yay!!

I did it in this order:

Bums & Thighs
Belly
Silhouette
Arms
Stretch

I find stretching out after excercise to be key to avoid sore muscles the next day. Although I'm pretty sure I will be beat tomorrow morning!!

Afterwards, I had my shower and made a great little wrap for myself using the following:

Wholewheat tortilla
Prawns (already cooked - ready to east)
Spinach
Total Greek Yogurt
A drop of olive oil
Salt, pepper

Also had a side of boiled broccoli and cauliflower.

It was yummy and very filling. I think wraps like this will become more of a staple in my diet. You can put in it pretty much whatever you want (I am thinking smoked salmon, tuna, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, and more spinach - althought not all together!) and they are easy to carry to work for a tasty and healthy meal.

Now I'm just on my couch taking it easy before the muscle ache sets up! Im waiting for my sister to come over and spend the night here.

Cya later
xx

Cold tofu isn't good tofu

2009-07-19T12:41:00.007+01:00

I was experimenting yesterday with posting from my iphone which it totally cool however I still havent mastered the 'art' of posting with pictures.... All in good time, I guess, I'll have another attempt later on!

I did manage to make my Suunto training watch work but turns out you need a POD to measure speed and distance... HOW ANNOYING! It was a very expensive present and something I wanted for so long so I am double disappointed about this... boooo :-(. Being as pissed off as I was, I didnt go for a run and opted for a night in front of TV instead - cause I'm cool like that! Watched Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging, which was cute even thought a bit too 'young' for me and then later my flatmate and I watched Monster In-Law, which was meh. Very average I would say.

During the first movie, I had a fantastic snack of a watermellon slice. It was so juicy and sweet... really fantastic! I still cant believe this was on sale in Whole Foods for 99p for half a (very heavy) watermellon. It tasted like summer!

My dinner was a baby leaf salad, some cherry tomatoes (I think they are hidden under the greenery), parmesan cheese and tofu. I tried out a new flavour - Cauldron salad toppers marinated in tomato and basil. The package said ready to eat but I really should have heated it up beforehand... Cold tofu isnt good tofu :-S

The meal wasnt all that, but that was probably my fault right? Hehe. Plus I felt bloated for hours aftewards - Maybe it was the cold tofu???

This morning I had 2 slices of the multigrain Whole Foods bread with peanut butter and strawberry jam and a glass of semi-skimmed milk. I cant believe I went 24 years without ever trying this combination!!! It's so awesome you have no idea - Well unless you have tried it and then you do have an idea! :-)

I leave you with a picture of my god-daughter, aka cutest kid ever! Hope her parents dont mind me posting this picture!

Cya later xxx

My first phone post

2009-07-18T18:35:00.000+01:00

Ok I have just discovered that I can post from my iphone directly to
the blog. This is just a test so bare with me...

Sent from my iPhone

Saturday in Kensington

2009-07-18T16:12:00.009+01:00

Hey all, How's your Saturdays going?

Mine so far, has been great!! My friend and I went to High Street Kensington for a light brunch. Instead of our usual 'Patisserie Valerie' we went to 'Le Pain Quotidien'. I have been hearing about this place from a few people and thought why not give it a shot?

I got the cappuccino and it was yummy! (I actually ordered another one later on, I luuuuve coffee)

The menu looked great and even though we were set for getting some eggs (there werent any on the menu), I ordered the beef carpaccio salad with asparagus, pine nuts and a pesto dressing.

Doesnt that look fab?

There was also a jar of praline spread around which we enjoyed with the fresh brown and baguette bread they brought along. My gosh that was good! So tasty and rich, I was like having desert!

The tables had the cutest salt and pepper shakers on them. These were actually on sale in the store.

What Saturday is complete without a trip to Whole Foods Market?! God how I love that store!! Wish I could shop there full-time, but it's a bit too pricey to be doing all your shopping there.

On the way to WFM, there was a girl on the street giving out vouchers. Even though I dont usually pick these up, I noticed they were for Whole Foods Market so I quickly snapped one. Guess what it was for?? Free freshly baked bread! What a fab Saturday treat! I picked up the wholegrain loaf and my friend picked up the walnut and blue cheese one. We shared them half and half so we can both enjoy both! The bakery guys even sliced them for us!

Thank you Whole Foods!

I went ahead and exchanged some of the pressies I got for my nameday last weekend. Some people take offense to that but I am a firm believer that it's better to change the presents and get something you want and will use, rather than keep some stuff in your closet that you'll never use, in order to spare people's feelings.

I got a great smart jacket from Kew (thanks Sis!) - that's where the cream cardi is from - and a great jumper from Gap! It's the softest thing, so cute! The scarf in the middle is from my flatmate - it's great huh?

My mom send me the Suunto training watch - I have wanted one of those for sooooo long! Thank u thank u thank u! Now all I gotta do is read the manual cause I cannot make it work yet!! :-)

As soon as I make it work, I am off for a run cause the weather is looking good in London town and we all know that that doesnt usually last - hehe! If the living room wasnt in such a state, I would pop in my Pilates DVD but there is no room to exercise in here for the time being. Plus it feels like a waste not to take advantage of the warm weather outside.

Cya later guys!

PS. My mom is travelling to Crete today for a 2-week vacation. While she's gone, I will be taking care of her blog Betty's Cuisine (scary thought!) so I will be doing some posts there too! I will keep you in the loop!

xx

A week's worth of recaps

2009-07-17T22:16:00.009+01:00

Seeing as it's 22.15 here in London and I am living the dream by being in my PJs and seriously considering my bed as the best place to be right now ;-) I will make this post more about the photos and less about the blah blah! Hope you enjoy.

Picking up from where I left it last, on Saturday night I had my nameday dinner with a few friends. That had a sweet ending with a variety of desserts.

Oh they were so yummy!

On Sunday I made a traditional Greek meal of roasted chicken with orzo and tomato sauce. It turned out brilliant, really reminded me of my mom's cooking.

Tuesday night in the Docklands! I love how this photo combines everything that Canary Wharf is about. Tall buildings, the Reuters sign, people in suits drinking and loads of lovely views.

Early morning view from the West side of our floor.

This was my Friday lunch at work. Work's canteen has this self-service salad bar so today's choices were:

Pasta salad with olives
Lentil salad with carrots and celery
Spinach
Roasted veggies with cous cous
Green beans
(and a few other things I cant really remember)
with a gorgeous pesto dressing. I love how sometime a dressing can just make a salad taste awesome.

And this was my Friday night dinner.

Well that and a couple of Crisprolls with peanut butter and strawberry jam (not pictured)

Both my flatmate and I are in the process of moving out of our current place, so our living room currently looks a little bit like this.

And finally what would London be without a bit of rush-hour tube traffic to keep up all ticking?!

Time for bed people! xxx

Friday bloody Friday

2009-07-11T12:10:00.013+01:00

Late post but hey!
Friday was mad and insane at work - Why does everything have to go wrong around 3pm on Fridays?! Urgh it's so annoying. I had been fighting a pretty major headache all day anyway so the combination of pain and the stress really didnt work out for me. I didnt take any paracetamol as I would normally cause I try not to take too many pills when I can. Turns out that was a mistake! My headache didnt go till I slept around midnight.

But lets recap.
Friday

For breakfast I had a bowl of cereal with semi-skilled milk. As breakfast is around 7am, that usually doesnt take me till midday (lunch). I often have a little snack around 10.30 but on Friday I managed not to. Some people say it's better to have a snack and a smaller lunch and others believe that snacks are pretty much the devil. oh well... different courses for different horses as the Brits say.

My Lunch was as pictured: Chicken broth soup with a slice of bread and a salad. I only had about 3-4 bites of the salad and had the rest at 5pm.

Dinner was a hasty affair of already-marinated tofu on a bed of spinach, balsamic vinegar and parmesan - so delicious! I hardly ever eat tofu and that's only when I'm in a restaurant, but this was very very good and I intend to make it again asap! Was very quick too - it only needed about 5' in the grill and it was all set!

Dunno what's wrong with this picture. It just wont rotate! Sorry...

Watched the Sex and the City movie on Sky Comedy and then went straight to bed as I had a killer headache :-(

Saturday

God, 10hrs of sleep feel good!
My breakie was a wholewheat roll with some butter and strawberry jam washed down with 2 glasses of semi-skimmed milk (not pictured).

I quickly got ready and headed off to Richmond to celebrate a friend's birthday. Unfortunately our ideas for a BBQ were canned as the weather was rainy and crappy.

Richmond's pretty though!

Cu later xx

She closes her eyes, dreams of pretty things, pretty things

2009-07-09T15:52:00.010+01:00

Funny post title huh? :D
It's from Athena, a Greek singer/songwritter who writes and performs in English. She's so good! Love her music.

Picking up from where I left it off yesterday, one of my colleague's wife, just had a baby, so yesterday I 'sampled' some chocolate (praline filled - de-li-ci-ous!) and some Bailey's filled ones too - yummy!

My dinner was super yummy and delicious : PIZZA! Not the healthiest of options I know, but still was so worth it. I believe that when I eat out I do end up eating more calories, or generally eat stuff that isnt so good for you. On the other hand I do believe that in most restaurants (except fast good restaurants ofc) you can make some decent choices that wont be too bad and will leave you full without being too fatty.

Like last night for example, went to Pizza Express. There, they are introducing a new range called Leggera (means 'light' in Italian I think). So I had the Gustosa pizza which basically is:

Hand torn prosciutto cotto ham, fior di latte mozzarella and slices of portobello mushroom with sweet yellow peppers and a sprinkle of thyme.

The pizza has a hole in the middle and they have placed a cute little salad there! The menu said that these pizzas have around 500cals each, which even tho it isnt 'little' it's still better than most pizzas I guess.

It was delicious and quite light, I ate about all of it, except the salad (naughty!).

This morning I had my typical breakfast of granary toast with peanut butter (seriously I LUVE this stuff, cant get enough) and a cup of semi-skimmed milk. Peanut butter keeps me going for hours with no snack. Today I had lunch a full 4.5hrs after breakfast and I wasnt even that hungry then. I had a cup of yellow split pea soup (was store-bought and very average) but I also got a medium sized salad with an assortment of cesear's salad, roasted carrots with herbs and (more!) yellow split peas with cous cous. Was a bit meugh! (so so). But it did keep me going for about 4hrs... must be all the beans!

Now I'm off to do some laundry and straighten my hair! Cu tomorrow x

I don't care if Monday's blue, Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too

2009-07-08T11:36:00.006+01:00

Remember how I was saying that it's warm and nice? Yeah, forget about that! London's back to grey - booo. So annoying having to drag out umbrellas and closed toe shoes ...

Why, London, why?

In the meantime, I had a nice nameday celebration yesterday - Got Crispy Creme doughnuts for my colleagues (and managed to only eat two!) and had a Wagamama dinner. Too bad they changed the menu so my favourite soup Miso Ramen Soup wasnt there anymore. Dont you have it when restaurants change their menu and leave out your favourite stuff?

As it was my nameday (Greek tradition by which you celebrate if you're named after a Saint on the day of the Saint's day basically), I am expecting muchos presents over the next few days as I see my sister and friends... I'll keep u guys posted! I'm very very very excited! :D

I had a quick work breakfast of granary toast with crunchy peanut butter spread (I think I prefer the smooth one overall tho - I am such a HUGE peanut butter fan - love it!) with a glass of semi-skimmed milk - yes we have one of those fancy vending machines at work which has the bad stuff (crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks) and the good stuff (nuts, milk, cereal, energy bars). This works out pretty well when the 4pm hunger strikes and you have forgotten to pack some snacks from home.

I often try to bring lunch and/or snacks from home as it's a) healthier - you know what's in your food cause you made it! b) portion controlled - no temptations by an extra portion of cheese/bread/sauce and c) cost-effective - spending £5+ a day on just lunch is too too much and even though there is plenty of option around my work area it's still kinda silly to be spending that much just on one meal a day. However, I am now in the process of moving houses so I am trying to keep my pantry and freezer stocks low and eat them up as before I move out. It's not a very smart idea to have to move food around so my fridge is looking rather like a wasteland at the moment. Which means of course, there is nothing to make into lunch food, hence I buy from the shops!

Ok just realised how long this post is! Sorry, didnt mean to just rant! And since I dont like blocks of texts with no pictures, here's a little selection of what I already have!

Tube Strike London

My sister making friends with a little goat at Mudchute Farm

cu later xx

Kitchen pressies

2009-07-05T14:12:00.011+01:00

Sundays always put me in a sort of sad mood when I was younger. Maybe cause the weekend was away, maybe cause a full school week was ahead of me, anyway I always kinda got me down. At uni, Sunday wasnt like that anymore, it became a day to sleep in late (well... later than usual that is hehe) and just relax with friends. Now that I'm working, it has unfortunately gone back to that feeling on sadness. It probably factors in all the tiredness from the week and the fact that I try to make weekends quite busy as they are my only free days!

So today was picking up kitchen appliances day - hehe! I told you about those friends of mine who are moving out of their place right? Well they have a whole BUNCH of brand new, barely used kitchen appliances that they were leaving behind or taking out for trash! What a waste!!!

Look what I picked up - arent they pretty?!

- A coffee maker
- A toaster/grill

- A multimixer
- Electric salt + pepper dispensers
- A coffee/milk broth mixer
- A wok
- Taboo board game
- Another mixer for soups/sauces

Oh on the way there I had a Starbucks Frappucino Coffee Light (medium size). It was delish and so good in the heat!

Once I got home I had my dinner, which tonight was 2 grilled turkey fillets with some broccoli and cauliflower. Was good but rather boring.

Im now off to watch some (bad) TV and straighten my hair. Cu tomorrow

x

My sister's keeper

2009-07-04T23:24:00.007+01:00

Hey all,

Just came back from the movies - my sister and I caught the evening screening of 'My Sister's Keeper' at the Odeon Whiteleys. The movie wasnt all that - however, it was a nice good film to watch - definately kept the tears flowing. I am the easiest person to cry with a movie - hell, I even cried with 'Escape from Alcatraz'! Overall, I'd give it a 6/10 - wouldnt buy it on DVD, but may watch it again if it was on TV.

The rest of my day evolved around watching 'Factory Girl' on DVD (love that movie, love Sienna Miller, and loooove the 60s - and there is a Bob Dylan character in the movie - my all time favourite) and unfortunately some apartment cleaning up - dunno if I've mentioned it before, but I'm currently in the process of moving out of my sweet little (and a bit run-down) flat into a great, roomy, new complex down in the Docklands! So the estate agency are doing viewings which means the place needs to be in a decent condition 24/7 (boooo!).

I had some lentil soup for lunch (and dinner!) - Check out the recipe on my mom's blog here

I'm now home relaxing in front of the TV with some nice rose wine... mmm yummy. This used to my my old flatmate's (and best friend) fave wine - so this one's for you, Kat!

Cant wait for tomorrow - I've recently been hanging out with a very sweet couple - Nikos and Katerina. They are moving back to Greece permanently in a few days, and we're going over their place tomorrow to 'help them packing', i.e. sit around, have a nice final - booo :( - gossip, and perhaps pick up some of their fantastic kitchen appliances.... I'll keep you posted!

-----------------------------
New Blogger Alert!!!

I may not have mentioned this before but I am a keen reader of Meghann's blog The Inner Workings of a College Graduate. While she is on a cruise (lucky girl), her sister Kelly wrote a guest blog. Kelly is inspired by her sister's blog so much, she has now created her own!! Check it out at Beneath It All. Dont know about you but I am quite new to the blogging world and this is the first time I am following up a blog from its beginnings! I am very happy for Kelly to have found this outlet and I hope she keeps it up. Keep blogging girl!

xx

London's hot!

2009-07-02T21:17:00.015+01:00

For British standards :) !!
Temperatures were 'soaring' according to the papers to .... (hold your breaths)... 31oC hahaha hilarious! Obviously in the office the air conditioning is at 15oC which mean I need a cardigan! Oh my...

So when it's 30oC outside... what do we do?!

1. We have lunchbreaks outside - preferably in a park by the fountain

2. We drink nice freshly squashed juices

3. We spend some time by the river

4. We drink a LOT of Pimm's

5. We get some honey-blonde highlights to match our sunny mood!

6. We get ice-cream!

I suggest we enjoy it while it lasts. The papers said today that the temperature will return to more normal – for this time of the year – standards, i.e. low 20oC…. Time to bring out the duvet!

x

Got it!

2009-04-30T21:33:00.002+01:00

Ok quick note before I collapse from exhaustion!

I got the promotion - YAY!

Im so happy :)

Will do proper post soon!

xx

Busy Sunday

2009-04-26T20:34:00.015+01:00

A little inside joke: My full name (Kyriaki) in Greek means Sunday (the day) - People ask if I was born on a Sunday (I wasnt) but it's my grandma's name hence I was named after her. So what a busy Sunday (day) and a busy Sunday (me!) it was today...

But first thing's first.

I spend Saturday night at a wonderful grastropub (London's full of them) overlooking the Hammersmith Bridge. Isn't it pretty?

There we enganged in a hour-long debate with my friends (all of us Greek) over this 'hot-of-the-press' topic: Are we in Hammersmith area or are we in Chiswick area? Haha yes we are very silly, even though we are pushing 25 (god!)... Does anyone actually know the answer to this one? We'd be grateful for an answer!!

This was my breakfast:

Milk
Tsoureki - I swear it's never ending!
A large granny smith apple - loooove these!

Seeing how I hadnt done any exercice this week, I decided on something simple. A 40' walk from my place to High Street Kensington where I was meeting a friend for lunch and coffee (yes we are VERY Greek!).

These are some photos of places I passed in my walk... Isnt London the prettiest when it's sunny? (about 10 days a year...)

This is my old neighbourhood in Notting Hill - Dont be fooled by the gorgeous exterior! I lived in a 'cupboard' paying waaaay too much for rent. But hey that's zone 1 for ya!

These babies were waiting for their owner outside a cafe - cute cuteness cuties! If I was ever home at a normal time during the week and had a garden or an outside space I would soooo luuuv to have a dog, they are adorable!

A very typical Notting Hill front door. The residents were actually very close to the window when I was taking this picture so I had to be swift and move on!

This is my parents favourite pub, just as you enter Kensington Church Street.

And then the church itself. If you are around early on a Sunday, you see so many people coming out in their Sunday best.

Finally the High Street itself. I love shopping here, not as crowded as Oxford Street, everything is within easy walking distance, plus you get Whole Foods Market - what's not to love?!

This is the cafe where we had lunch. Patisserie Valerie is such a favourite, they do the best cappucino in London (I think), pastries, cakes, lunch, brunch, sandwiches, pretthy much the whole lot ... I heart Valerie!

This was my tasty lunch. Forgot to take the pix as the plate arrived, it was only after a couple of bites that I remembered :S Whooops! I had a brown bread sandwich with gruyere cheese, tomato, avocado and a pesto dressing. Oh it was tasty. It came with a cute green salad and some crisps which I quickly passed on to my friend - they were too greasy anyway.

Now after all that, I took the bus home, couldnt face another walk as my feet were absolutely killing me!

I am up for a promotion at work, for which I have to sit through an all day assessment centre, including an interview, a presentation, a case study and god knows what else... So I had some homework to do when I got home. It felt so strange having to actually revise for something, I hadnt done any sort of 'homework' since graduating in 2007.... It felt weird I tell you.

And as a final note...
If you are eating, have an upset stomach, are easily grossed out, cant stand injuries PLEASE LOOK AWAY NOW....

Otherwise, have a look as my flat-as-a-pancake feet and the wonderful blister I inherited for my walk today.

Can you believe I get these every single time I walk, run, wear heels, or wear any sort of shoe that isnt flat????

Boooo

Ok back to homework - Kiki needs that promotion!

xxx

Wagamama without Mamma

2009-04-25T18:03:00.008+01:00

I spent Saturday in East London with my sis. First I had a small breakfast at home

Milk
Tsoureki
Some red grapes

I stopped by the post office before meeting my sis to pick up my new arrival - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book! Haha I'm such a geek - but I've seen all the movies and read all the books (plus I used to work for the production company) so it made sense to get this one too!

Of course the Jubilee line is down again today, so I had to make the dreaded change to the DLR at Bank Station - urgh such a labyrinth of a station that is. Check out the Docklands - so pretty huh?!

The Canary Wharf Tower....

And a view of Limehouse Marina from the DLR train

Lunch was an all-time favourite: Wagamama!!! My mom called while we were there and was making a cute complaint about us going there without her.... Hence the title of this post haha! :) I had the miso ramen soup (as always), my sis had the chicken soup and we had some tori kara age to share, downed with some peach ice tea - oh yummy!

As a footnote I would like to add the following message:

My thoughs go out to Jenna who lost her brother yesterday... It's funny but when you read someone's blog, you feel like you're reading their journal, like you're actually getting to know them. It was just so tragic and scary getting these bad news for her family.

Take care everyone x

Happy Nameday Mom!

2009-04-24T23:47:00.004+01:00

Before I forget, today's my mom's nameday! Xronia Polla Mama!

Check out how many prezies she's got

Unfortunately, my present is being held hostage by the postman ---- Please just deliver it! It's been over a week since I send it to her...

Cant wait to find out what she thinks of it!!!

xxx

Pretty. Crazy.

2009-04-24T23:20:00.010+01:00

Had a mad week but hey! The weekend is here!!
This is what I've been up to lately...

Thursday

Breakfast was a usual of late

Glass of semiskimmed milk
A slice (or two) of tsoureki
4 strawberries
Half a mango
Handful of green grapes
A small red apple

I didnt finish all my fruit, so I packed it up in a baggie and had them at work as my 10.30am snack!

Lunch was a usual salad (forgot to take picture but it was 2 cauliflower and broccoli florets with some tuna chucks) but dinner was liquid (3 glasses of Chilean Merlot wine --- oooh so bad but also sooo good)

Friday

Breakfast

Strawberries
Granny Smith apple - so tasty!
Some red grapes
Milk
Tsoureki!

Lunch was a store-bought salad: Grilled salmon, new potatoes, cucumber, lettuce - yumminess at £3.25

Snack was what was some nuts:

Brazil Nuts
Stragalia (roasted chickpeas --- Does anyone know what the english word for these is?)
Roasted almonds

Dinner was liquid as per yesterday but I also had some cheese and meat platter with bread - naughty naughty naughty!

I'm off to take it easy now after what was a positively hellish work week and I'll keep u posted on my weekend!!

xx

PS. Must exercise over the weekend - must must must!!

Traffic is traffic

2009-04-22T21:09:00.005+01:00

Next time I hear people complain about Athens traffic, I'll just remind them that it's an international concept...

My commute from West London (home) to East London (work) unfortunately includes a 20 minute bus ride. For no reason today, it was a 40' bus ride ... urgh

Check out London traffic...

Needless to say what was for dinner right?! My gosh, I though that lamb would never end. It's over now however! Next time I eat red meat, it'll be May - I dont think my body can take any more at the moment :)

Recipe at http://bettyscuisine.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post_9023.html

A view from above

2009-04-22T10:58:00.006+01:00

Cant believe it's only Wednesday.... When will the weekend start?!

I had a lovely breakie today

a glass of semi-skimmed milk
half a mango
handful of red grapes
a red apple
and some tsoureki (god I love that stuff)

I love sunny London so much! The temperature is in the 20soC - so good! Check out the view from my window at work - Good huh??

My lunch will be a standard of regular goodies:

Spinach
Hard boiled egg
Cucumber
Green Pepper
Turkey Ham
Applewood cheese - If you havent tried this stuff - seriously do! It's AMAZING!

I had to sneak my iphone quickly in and out of handbag to take this picture. It's an open space office, and I'd rather I didnt get puzzled looks and questions as to why I'm photographing my - as they call it - rabbit food! Ha!

As I have the whole lunchtime and more, booked out for a series of meetings, it looks like an early lunch today, which would give me enough time to enjoy my afternoon snack of banana and actimel! Mmmm Yumminess

An uneventful night

2009-04-21T20:54:00.009+01:00

I came home so late today I had to skip my run, which I found so annoying. It's funny, but when I plan something and then it doesnt happen, it does piss me off somehow.

I had a pretty busy but univentful day at work - had the usual crazy mix-throw-what's-in-the-fridge salad with:

spinach
feta cheese
turkey ham
egg
cucumber
green pepper
grilled artichokes (I finished the container :( )

Then around 4pm had an Actimel Strawberry and a banana for snack but was pretty hungry when I left work. I was going to get a sesame snap snack from the shop in the station but it was already 7pm when I made it to the tube so I just waited for dinner as I knew I wouldnt be home before 8pm - Damn 1hour commute from East to West London!!!

Dinner was... Oh yeah, you guessed it right: Easter Lamb!

Recipe at http://bettyscuisine.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post_9023.html

Now Im off to catch up with some Lost (mmm Sawyer...) and then it's bed time!

Cya later!

xx

Top Gear

2009-04-21T09:48:00.005+01:00

Im telling you, going to be before midnight makes all the difference in the world... Even though, I really didnt wanna get out of bed this morning I could tell the difference, my head was less dizzy, my legs less heavy, generally I felt more rested.

My breakfast this morning was very similar to yesterday:

Bowl of fruit: mellon, pineapple, grapes
Glass of semi-skimmed milk
A gorgeous slice of tsoureki

I love how sunny it was today! Reminds me of home!

When I arrived at work, guess who's filming outside the tube station? That's right : TOP GEAR! There were sooo many people around, didnt know what to think of it in the beginning, assumed it was a fire alarm or sth!

Anyway better get doing some work - cya later xx

Leftover Lamb

2009-04-20T20:31:00.006+01:00

MMM Delicious leftover lamb... such an easy and tasty option for when you come back home at 8pm so tired!

Recipe at http://bettyscuisine.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post_9023.html

Going back, around mid-afternoon I had an Actimel 0% fat strawberry flavoured - which did the trick for a little bit, but not too long... I followed up with a banana and a cup of semi-skimmed milk, which held me up till I got home.

I debated exercise but being so tired I decided against it, thought I should listen to my body and took it easy today.

Cant wait for new episode of 24 and Britain's Next Top Model tonight - Yes, I like trash TV haha!

G'night people! xx

I dont like Mondays

2009-04-20T15:32:00.004+01:00

I shoulda gone to bed earlier, so I woulda been able to get up without feeling so confused as to why my alarm is asking me to get out of sweety, comfy bed at crazy-o-clock! Urgh - hindsight is a great thing isnt it!?!

Had a fruit salad for freakfast (watermellon, mango about 350gr), 2 spoonfulls of Total Greek Yogurt (full fat - i cant take that watered down 0% yogurts) and a slice of tsoureki.... oh how good it is, I had forgotten!!

Had a black coffee at work, and then an early lunch of my wonderful leftovers salad

cucumber
tomato
feta cheese
spinach
grilled artichoke
cubbed lamb from yesterday

And it was tasty!!! :) - I really ought to start photographing my meals huh?

I guess I'm having pretty much the same thing tomorrow, but need to spice it up a little... once I'm home will open fridge and ponder!

Bad news is a had a pretty major energy drop around 1pm.... Dunno what it was, but I literally couldnt keep my eyes open in my afternoon meeting... And I was hosting it - How embarassiiiing! So I had to have another cup of black coffee to compensate. I promised it'll be the last one of today. It didnt work really, I'm still feeling pretty tired and generally exhausted, which is rather typical of me when I have a busy weekend, I am pretty hyper on Sunday nights and dont get to bed till like 1.30 or so...

Ok back to work now - 2 more hrs and I should be off!

xx Kiki

PS. Must remember to post a picture from the view from the window near my desk - it's so pretty!

PS2. Do I have to exercise tonight? Do I??

Happy Greek Easter people!

2009-04-19T21:58:00.008+01:00

When Greeks think of Easter, they think of roast lamb (probably on a spit), dyed eggs, tsoureki (sweet cake-bread-y thing that tastes a-ma-zing!) and most importantly ... over-eating! And today I was a true Greek haha!

I started preparing the lamb at 11.30, put it in the oven at 12.15 (it takes a while...). Did some cleaning around, and then my sister arrives. Lucky girl was in Athens for 3 weeks (urgh I miss being a student, with all the vacations...) and brought me sooo many goodies (thanks mom, thanks dad, thanks bakers of Athens!). I got a tsoureki, an easter egg AND some presents - how great are Greek parents huh?!

The poor leg of lamb took a good 3 hours in the oven to be done, so in the meantime I had a few strawberries and a cup of French Roast coffee from Whole Foods Market. It did the trick and when we had lunch at 3.30 (ok ok late lunch) I was perfectly hungry to savour the gorgeous taste of the lamb, roast potatoes and greek salad (horiatiki = villagers salad).

For dessert we had mini haagen dazs icecreams (Yum!) and then, in the true spirit of easter, watched a silly movie on tv.

After a couple of hours (i mean 4 - couldnt move before that!) and a massive clean up that was required in my kitchen, I followed my Perfect Pilates body DVD and did around 40' of it (Silhouette, Bums/Tums, Arms and Stretch). Finally it was shower time, and then a little supper of leftover salad and a small slice of lamb... oh it was goooood!

I also dug into my easter egg - tasty and not too sweet... so nice. Im now off to continue with the task of cleaning up - seriously Easter cleaning takes for EVER and then bed time! It's a proper work day in London tomorrow, unlike Greece - Man, im jealous!

Night night! xx

Check out the lamb recipe of http://bettyscuisine.blogspot.com/.

A pretty bad blogger...

2009-04-19T01:44:00.004+01:00

hungs head in shame... :(

i know... such a bad blogger....

dont even know if I should bother continuing. i guess time will tell huh?

I am very very VERY surprised Ms Kiwi http://organicallycooked.blogspot.com/ has even commented on this blog, as I didnt even bother to tell anyone about it, let alone advertise it (ps. Thanks!!!!) but in some way I guess it's given me the strength to keep going...

I'm off to bed as I have a full day of Greek Easter cooking tomorrow!

I'll keep u guys posted!

xx
Kiki

Betty's Cuisine

2009-04-14T15:02:00.002+01:00

For delicious, easy recipes

http://bettyscuisine.blogspot.com/

Day 1

2009-03-29T13:00:00.005+01:00

Ok so Day 1!

My oh my here we go

Got up at 11am - early for a Sunday, but if I oversleep then I cant get to bed before midnight and then Mondays are oh so very painful. :s Urgh mondays

Had a nice little Sunday breakfast (2 slices of granary toast, with light butter, and thin slices of turkey ham, sorry no picture, i was sleepy :S). Gooffed around online for a while, had a small cup of instant coffee - no sugar, sweetener or milk, just plain. And then debated what time I should be hitting the road...

Had a medium banana, and a cup of green team at 2pm, folded my clean laudry, looked for my fleece for 10' - and found it!, put my gear on and hit the road around 2.30pm. I'm lucky enough to live in a residential area, and I often see runners around - didnt feel like too much of an alien... So my route today will be my house to the 2nd nearest tube station - this is normally a 12' walk (I walk quickly). The book said:
60sec run
3min walk
and repeat 5 times

As I run to the station and back, I'm not sure how many time i repeated, I guess it was 5 or 6. The first 5' passed quickly and then the pain set in. The back of my throat hurt like I wouldnt break, the underside of my feet hurt like I'm getting blisters under the arch of my feet, my hands were cold.... oh I so wished I was sitting on my couch watching Lost (mmm sawyer.... )

But I braved through, and made it to the station and back, took me around 30' net time. Twas ok and not too painful in the end, even though the underside of my feet is now pink and feels blister-y (not sure if that's a word!). Had a nice long shower, heated up some of yesterday's lentil soup (hmmm soup :D) and on the couch I hop!

For dinner I had about 2 schoops of unbaked cookie dough - oh god it's sooo good and yummy. I make these soft cookies to bring to my colleagues, and they go like hotcakes literally, I dont always manage to get any, there are none left by the time I'm hungry!

Watched some bad Sunday TV (even with Sky, there doesnt seem to be much one, except a couple of episodes of CSI and Law & Order, which are repeats from the week).... Bed, my darling bed here I come, good night

PS. My feet hurt :(

The beginning...

2009-03-28T21:18:00.003Z

Reason for blogging #1: Discipline!

I wanna get fitter, stronger, be less of a couch-potato and more of a i'll-have-that-in-a-smaller size-tato :) so I need all you nice folks out there reading my efforts, commenting on them and encouraging me to go on!

But lets start from the basics...

I'm a 24-year-old Greek living in London. Been here for 7+ years and I'm loving it. Well... mostly loving it. I miss Athens's sunshine, the fact that I wouldn get coffee at 11pm and food at 4am. But oh well, 9 out of 10 times London's worth it. This town makes you feel alive, like anything is possible, like your big chance is right around the corner. This is pretty much the way it's been for me since 2002 when I moved here.

And now 7 years later, after getting my degree, some work experience, my masters and now my first graduate job, some of the magic has worn off but the allure remains. Few things can compare with walking alongside South Bank at sunset, the view from Canary Wharf Tower, moving through the crowds at Saturday's Portobello Market... oh I could go on.

Instead I'll come right to the point, the reason behind this blog. My weight. Like I said, I'm Greek. And that comes at a price. Yes, I have (what my Brit friends call) a natural tan. Yes, I have a great immediate and extended family, i.e. more cousins that I can count (I'm sure you've all seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding so I neednt continue...). However, I got a very Mediterranean body type, which needs regular exercice to remain slim (or slim-er). If I let go, it lets me let go too :(. I never was a could-eat-whatever-she-wants-and-is-as-slim-as-a-string-bean type of gal, but this isnt right either my physique at the moment, it doesnt feel good either. And as I am an obsessive person, with everything, including foods, places and people, I'm really keen in making this work!

Since I started full-time work, a desk and pc job, exercise seems to have taken the backseat, or no seat at all! Recently I discovered I have put on a full 10 kilos (!!!) - as I discovered today that is 22 pounds aka A LOT - since the summer of 2006 and if that isnt dreadful then I dont know what is. My goal is to lose that, return to my natural weight and that's where running comes into the equation (I hope!). I was hoping to post some current pictures and show the differences week-by-week, but Im a bit camera shy so I guess that will have to wait.

So today I went out there got myself some great running shoes (maximum support as I have feet that are as flat as a pancake), a decent sports bra, 2 booking on running (insert title here), packed my fridge with fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and determination, and off we go!

I intend to publish my daily routing (both running and eating) and let's hope this will get me somewhere! Looking forward to your comments and I promise most blogs will be shorter than this!

xx Kiki