Carrot & Couscous Salad

First day of the kids back at school and the first day of trying to cut the calories in what I eat, and drink.

At the ripe old age of 46 I am a virgin dieter.  I am tall and spent the first 20 years of my life being skinny, very skinny.  So dieting never entered my life as as long as I could remember my weight was around 7.5 stone.  The first time I recall weighing myself and realising I was not was aged 34 - and weighed over 10 stone.  But I just put it down to the new found joys of Guinness having moved to Dublin and the lack of exercise having retired from women's rugby.

Two years later I had my first child, and two more at 2 and a half year intervals.  I loved being big.  It was such a welcome change from being almost frail.  But I did wonder between pregnancies whether my tummy would ever be flat again.  But after the third caesarian I googled it, and the only answer is surgery.

In the past 4 years since Big Boy's birth I have half heartedly attempted to get fit again as that really is my goal.  I'm not too concerned about my weight (71.1kg this morning) but I would like it to stick to me better.  I love my food, and we do eat a pretty healthy if not slimming diet if I say so my self, but maybe if I watch what I eat in the week I will enjoy my food, and drink, at the weekends more.


Carrot & Couscous Salad  - 244 Calories
I was trying to keep the bulk of this salad below 100 calories, but I am surprised how it all adds up! Olive oil is the culprit.
85g cooked couscous (94cals)
3 small carrots, grated (50cals)
1 tbsp sesame seeds (50cals)
1 tsp olive oil (50cals)
1 tsp lemon juice
Few springs of fresh coriander
Pepper & salt

The sesame seeds were added to have a little protein but to be perfectly honest they were a bit lost in the salad and could be omitted.