The Christmas Diet

Let's talk about 'The Christmas Diet'.

Does anyone else do this? You know where you cut back on all the foods that are good in life and exchange them for the ones that you don't really want but feel that you should have. Like green beans. Today I ate green beans for the first time since I became an adult and realised that my mother couldn't tell me to eat them anymore. And why did I submit myself to this tragic bean eating frenzy? All so I can have that extra slice of turkey on Christmas Day.

It's like food just goes and ups its game when Christmas rolls around. How on earth are you meant to say no to tubs of mixed crisps, foot long jaffa cake boxes and mince pies? Not to mention the advent calendar chocolate, after eight mints and guzzling of glasses of mulled wine.

I love Christmas. I love the twinkly lights. I love the tinsel. I love the music. I love the presents. But most of all I love the food. All of the food. Even brussel sprouts get a look in.....

I have been planning what to cook for my Christmas dinner for weeks now and look forward to it with each passing day, but so I don't put on another stone in weight by the end of the year I decided that the best and most sensible thing to do was to lose a stone now so I can put it back on again.

So my Christmas Diet basically consists of a sandwich and soup for lunch and a reduced sized dinner. It's going to be so worth it though when I tuck into pigs in blankets dipped in bread sauce. Is it ok that my mouth is watering right now? I'm actually struggling to control my salvia flow at the thought of a cheeseboard. So you see its worth eating the green beans. Maybe I'll even learn to love them! Let's face it - Christmas is basically the only time of year that you can eat an entire cheeseboard to yourself and nobody judges.

C x

Mac n Cheese - Recipe

Ingredients

• 400g macaroni pasta
• 180ml single cream
• 100g half fat crème fraîche
• 1tsp English mustard
• 200g half fat medium cheese, grated
• 4 slices cooked ham, cut in 1cm cubes
• 1tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch salt

Method to the madness 

Fill a large saucepan with water. Add a splash of olive oil and bring to the boil. Add the dried macaroni and cook as per packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.

In a separate pan, add the single cream, English mustard and crème fraîche and slowly melt over a low heat. 

Add most of the grated cheese to the cream mixture, reserving some for later, and stir until all the cheese is fully incorporated. Add the chopped ham to the cream mixture and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. 

Mix the cooked hot macaroni pasta with the cream and ham mixture and place in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle some more grated cheese on top and place under a hot grill for 4–6 minutes until a golden crisp surface forms. 

Gobble it all up as quick as you can.

xxx