THE BIG EASY CHELSEA

I first went to the Big Easy 20 years ago - gosh that makes me feel old writing that - the restaurant was totally kicking then and I was very surprised to see that it is still super popular now. Pascal, Arabella & I booked for 6.30pm on Friday night and we were lucky to get a table - the place was heaving.

The Big Easy actually opened in 1991 and it is inspired by the crab shacks and barbecue restaurants of the American Gulf Coast. There is often live music and it serves hearty American food with different special deals every night, for example on a Tuesday you can have limitless shrimp and a margarita or beer and on a Wednesday it is limitless fajita night.

Service was super friendly from the moment we arrived and we ordered drinks while we perused the huge menu.

I LOVE a starter platter - I knew we didnt need it but I could not resist ordering the grand appetiser for two which consisted of loaded potato skins, chicken tenders, stuffed jalapeño peppers, voodoo chicken wings, calamari, tortilla chips, prawn crackers and lots of dipping sauces.

We all adored this - Pascal loved the potato skins, I was crazy about the stuffed jalapeño peppers and Arabella devoured the chicken tenders. To be honest we could have just had this…but we are piglets so obviously ordered more.

Arabella chose from the kids menu - mac and cheese with a side of fries and an apple juice - she couldnt have been happier!! She also was a big fan of her bib….as was I!

Not the healthiest of meals - but certainly tasty!

I ordered the Big Easy Voodoo Shrimp but there was a mix up and the waiter bought me the deep fried jumbo shrimp - it wasnt a problem though as he bought me some voodoo sauce on the side which actually suited me better as it has a real kick to it and so at least I could control the amount I put on my prawns. They were delicious - really big and juicy.

On the side I had an iceberg wedge with blue cheese sauce and bacon. This was amazing but a little too big and too cheesy even for me - (I dont think I have ever said that before)! Next time Pascal and I will share this instead of ordering our own.

Pascal went for a barbecue smoked baby back ribs which came with coleslaw and barbecue baked beans.

These were all really good - I never order ribs as they are so messy and you cannot eat them in a very ladylike manner - but I was very happy to sample Pascals! He also ordered an iceberg wedge like mine and a mac and cheese which he said was the best one he had ever had - he liked it because it wasnt too creamy and the macaroni itself was big.

Unfortunately we ordered so much it was impossible to finish - I could only fit in a couple of mouthfuls of the mac and cheese which was a real shame as I agreed with Pascal that it was extremely good. There was obviously no room for pudding so we are definitely going to have to make a trip back here again very soon.

I had thought the Big Easy might be past its sell by date but I was obviously wrong and it is still going strong. It is no surprise then that they have a new restaurant in Covent Garden and are soon to open another in Canary Wharf.

The Big Easy is a great place to stuff your face with typical American fare, it has a fun atmosphere, a variety of cocktails and service with a smile. Our meal was expensive but we totally over ordered - we would have been satisfied with just half of what we had - however the menu was too good to resist!

The Big Easy

332-334 Kings Road
London
SW3 5UR
Tel: 020 7352 4071
Email: kingsroad@bigeasy.co.uk

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Day 100 it is never easy

These are the sunny, hot days of the end of the summer...

... and it is so so so hard to workout or work for that matter. Im trying to concentrate, but its hard. I work out in the very early morning and then late evening. I simply can not come to working out during the day... At the university we dont have conditioner, so Im sitting in my office in shorts and T-shirt and sweating like crazy. Its not necessarily bad, but not very pleasant either to be honest...

Level: C1.1.1

Day: 10

So, day 100 today. Yes. Just thought about it. If Meta had 90 days, and Im finishing the first level of Continuity, then Im on day 100 now. Reason for a small celebration I think! (Well, to my mind, there is always a reason for a celebration - or at least as often as possible!) The first level was not difficult really. You get used to the balancing moves after 2-3 days, and I have done the MS starting with day 7 with ankle- and wrist-weights. 

I am quite honestly dreading level 2 though... I have not previewed it yet, but will do in the evening. But I heard the first level lets you get used to the new DC and take a breather after level 9, and then the challenges start again. Well see though wont we?

I still like the DC. More than the Meta one, but then again - it might be because I did Meta DC for much longer. 

As regards to the rest of the things. Hmmm. I am sticking to my anti-alcohol diet. It is actually easy. Sometimes I have a non-alcoholic beer, but thats all. My work is sometimes something like this: 

Laptop, non-alcoholic beer, coffee and sunshine... What else do you need?!

It takes a lot of time, but I am trying hard. Had a few downs in the past couple of weeks in terms of work, but I am not giving up. I know I CAN do it! I am still working on Chapters 5 and 6, but I might be able to finish 5 soon.

I have also been pretty OK with waking up early, but I still procrastinate a lot. I have no idea how to get rid of that. Any ideas? I simply spend hours online, googling things, reading articles - something completely NON-essential for my PhD... But I LOVE the workouts - they give me energy and I feel much better after them.

So level 2 of Continuity tomorrow!

PS Sorry for may be not being as cheerful as I normally am... I am pretty upset today. It was the day when Pussy Riot - if you havent heard about it check out some info here (btw, I am impressed how fast this was updated by Wiki - the sentence was there already half an hour after its announcement!!! efficient) - were sentenced to two years each for singing in the church punk-protest... I mean, it might have been crossing the border a little bit, but did NOT deserve 2 years in jail for goodness sake!!! May be 2 months public service or a fine... But 2 years??!! in jail??!!

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Losing Weight Made Easy Read These Handy Tips!

Do you feel just like youve got tried everything possible in order to lose surplus weight? You are not alone--many people have the same problem. The following article is designed to provide you with tips which you may not have even known existed. By following these tips, you will achieve your weight loss goal in no time.

When youre attempting to lose weight, concentrate on the positives about food, not the negatives. Dont think about cutting out the "bad" foods; think of all of the things that are good the healthier foods youll be eating. This can make you feel better in regards to the food choices youre making, rather than regretting the loss of the junk foods.

To help you with slimming down you should join an weight loss community that is online. Here, you will gain the support of a true number of individuals with differing backgrounds. You may come across ways of weight loss that you have never discovered previously that work for you. This is especially helpful should you not have anyone local to support you.

A weight that is great tip is to pack your lunch. No matter how carefully you make your selections, food choices at restaurants are always going to be higher in fat, calories, carbs and sodium than what you can make yourself. You can still treat yourself to a lunch out on occasion, but make a habit of taking you most days to your lunch.

Cooking your own food can be very useful if you are trying to lose weight. Many people buy processed foods because it is quicker and simpler than cooking and baking. However, unless you are a careful label reader, it can be difficult to know exactly what you are putting in your body. Serving sizes are bigger now than in the past. Cooking allows you to manage what you place into your food and hence what goes into your body. Many cookbooks have calories listed near the recipe, to help you monitor your intake.

Take the stairs as opposed to the elevator at the job everyday plus it will allow you to lose just as much as 10 pounds a year. Using the extra 5 minutes away from your to take the stairs means you will not have to force yourself to exercise later when you will be easily distracted day.

If you are trying to lose weight than you should try to eat balanced meals. Then your body will stay in an optimum weight loss zone where you can shed weight very quickly if you follow a balanced diet. Having a balanced diet is a necessity if youre trying to lose weight the way that is right.

If you are having trouble losing weight, then you might want to try natural health supplements which can boost your metabolism. These supplements that are fine your metabolism a boost, helping you digest food more quickly, allowing you to lose more weight more quickly. Ensure you check out weight loss supplements today.

In summary, not having the capability to lose surplus weight is something that affects many people. That is why being supplied with proper information could possibly be the key to you reaching your weight loss goals. Take these tips that the article has provided to you and operate it to your advantage.

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EASY MARINATED LAMB

I had some lamb steaks left over from last weeks recipe of peppered lamb steak with pesto & goats cheese so I hunted through the recipe books to see what new thing I could cook. This is what I found - a super easy recipe from Fay Ripleys second cookbook which is quick and delicious and child friendly. I could easily have just had a cadburys creme egg and malteser tiffin but I need to set a good healthy example for Arabella!! 

Ingredients for 2 people:

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 lamb steaks (around 100g each)
90g quinoa (you might want more depending on how hungry you are - it is generally 60g per person)
A pot of hummus 

The only thing you need to remember about this is to marinate the lamb beforehand - I left it for 5 hours however you can do 24 hours or as little as 1 hour.

Mix the oil, cumin, ginger and vinegar together and rub all over the chops. I dip this in a bowl, which I then covered and put in the fridge for several hours.

Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Mine needed to be heated in 300ml of cool water, until it boiled and then simmered for 15 minutes.

Grill the lamb steaks under a medium to high heat for 5 minutes on each side.

Finally serve the lamb and quinoa with a big dollop of hummus.

This was good - I really liked the way the spices enhanced the lamb and I can never get enough of hummus however it was lacking some veg or salad and the quinoa was bland….it needed some green!! I would definitely do it again but instead I would either add a Greek salad or spinach and goats cheese quinoa or roasted vegetable and goats cheese quinoa. That would make the recipe perfect! 

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How To Lose Weight Fast and Easy NO EXERCISE Weight Loss Lifestyle

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Fast Weight Loss Tips Discover Easy Ways to Drop Weight

Amid the numerous weight loss programs and products out there, nearly all individuals would imagine that the weight loss process is actually a really complex process and it would require professionals and people who have done in-depth research or even those who went pursued a doctorate degree in diet-intake as well as any other related course to manage to find a trusted weight loss solution, but the reverse is the case.
Losing body weight is probably more easy than we thought, as a matter of fact most of us know some of these fast weight loss tips but we fail time after time again to put them into practice, additionally considering the enormous variety of solutions out there, it becomes impossible for a few to stick to a certain weight loss plan and they keep on switch and from one weight loss plan to another, when actually the whole process is primarily based on self-motivation. Id like to share with an individual some fast weight loss tips that would in the end get a large chunk of your weight off you and also keep it off completely leaving you even healthier compared to before.
Tip No 1: Have a goal
Even in everyday life, having a goal is quite necessary for reaching a given task or reaching your dream, having a long-term or short-term goal for losing weight is quite necessary to ensure those excess weight come off, these goals should always be achievable, do not have a "lose 10lbs in 5 days" goal, those kind regarding goals are rarely achievable and would even leave you more frustrated than in the past, so I advice that you set reachable goals and then work toward those goals with diligence, take out and about a paper and write out her you will achieve those goals, diet-cuts, workout routines and any other methodology you mean to use in achieving those goals, you can also have year-long goal for the total of weight you would want to lose at the conclusion of the year, these goals whenever set properly would propel the entire process and enable you lose a sufficient amount of weight
Tip No 2: Do not starve yourself.
If you skip meals in ordering to lose weight, you are doing more harm compared to good to yourself, I have seen that people who skipped meals can certainly make up for the lost meal into their next meal, they eat more than just a in their next meal and this specific faults the weight loss process. It is advised that you go for 6 small meals every day, instead involving 3 huge ones, by doing that you may not feel hungry all the time helping regulate your metabolism instead of lowering it, it is pertinent to note that metabolism aids process.
Tip No 3: Exercise
Daily exercises have proved to follow an efficient factor in the weight loss process, walking, running and other forms of exercise support a lot in making sure that all of us shed a sufficient amount of weight, this fast weight loss tip if done consistently, would bring about a reduction in body weight, using the treadmills for 20-30 mins daily or even jogging around the neighborhood would fasten the entire process.
Tip No 4: Commitment and Focus
There is a huge possibility that you would get tired of the whole practice and maybe feel distracted, but in order to actually lose those weights, you ought to stay committed and focused, these fast weight loss tips are so easy and concurrently complex, results might not be visible in a short while but give it some period, continue doing whatever you are accomplishing and when the results start into the future in, it would be massive and you would love the fact that you maintained and pressed harder.

In summary, weight loss processes are not so difficult; you will need you as an individual to method the whole process with the right mind set and in the end you would achieve your goals, follow these firm weight loss tips and you would discover how simple it is to shed excess body weight.

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Easy Diet Tips For Healthy Weight Loss

Here are some easy diet suggestions so that you can easily start out a healthy diet plan and lose weight. The below tips should really enable you to if you truly care about balanced weight loss.

Easy Diet Tip #1
First of all, drink lot of water while dieting. This is because in several crash diets, you will lose a lot of water instead of fat. Now this isnt the ideal weight loss solution.
You should lose body fat rather than water. So drinking lots of water during the day would help you find out whether what youre losing is water weight or fat.
There are other benefits of ingesting water. Water is said to help increase 1s metabolism. Metabolism is the pace at which the body burns unhealthy calories. So if you drink water it can help your metabolism price which can thus help in weight reduction.
Moreover drinking water can also help with digestion as well as breaking the food down. If digestion is proper, there are also less chances of you getting extra fat.
Some obese people might actually have more water retention. Drinking lot of water will actually make your body memory less water.
If you do not drink enough water your body may panic and start out storing water as it fears will not have sufficient supply of water in future. So drinking more measure will prevent it from storing water.

Easy Diet Tip #2
Another good diet secret is to mix moderate levels of exercise with your diet plan. See, it is very difficult to shed weight with just diets alone. You also need to ensure that you have sufficient physical exercise throughout the day so that you are able to remain fit and lean in the long run.
Walking, gardening, jogging, swimming etc. are a couple of the pleasurable exercises which are not too exhausting and can provide you with all the required amount of physical activity.
Do these or any other physical activity in moderate amounts and not overmuch, specially at the start. Later if you feel like it and cope with it, you can increase it further prefer.
Being physically active and exercising can also be good for your memory, self-respect and also helps you in dealing with stress.

Easy Diet Tip#3:
The third good diet tip My spouse and i would like to give you is to consume lots of raw fruits and greens. They are very good for your well being and they are not fattening. When youre dieting, it is very likely that you be depriving your body of essential nutrients. By eating fruits and produce you can overcome this problem in order to a certain extent.
Having a serving of fresh fruits and greens just before every meal can populate your stomach quickly so that consumed less. The fiber content in fruits and vegetables is good for digestion.

So munch on them and store them handy at all times. For case in point you can have some carrots or even apple etc. in your fridge and if you feel like having a snack, you can munch on these types of instead of eating fatty foods as well as snacks.

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Great Ideas To Assist You Slim Down And Take It Easy

Weight loss is within the reach of everyone. It just takes educating yourself about the way that is best for you to lose weight. Everyone is not the same. This article can help you find ways that are best for you to use when losing weight. Knowledge and motivation can make slimming down a reachable goal.

One weight loss tip is to eat only the egg whites and dispose of the yolk. The yolk is never as healthy as the whites, and it contains high degrees of cholesterol and fat. If you consume egg whites, you will get a lot of quality protein.

Keep your alcohol intake to the very least, especially in the first few weeks of a diet and exercise program, for maximum results. Alcohol inhibits and lowers your metabolism, as well as being high in calorie content. These calories have no value that is nutritional are known as empty calories.

So that you can lose weight faster, combine a healthy diet with a sensible exercise regimen. While each of these practices leads to weight loss, their effect when combined is exponentially greater than their effect individually. A good diet gives you more energy and improves your workouts. Exercising helps your system burn the energy a diet that is healthy.

Here is a tip for maintaining motivation during a weight loss program: Hang onto clothes that become too large for you personally. Into the way that is same outgrowing a piece of clothing can be depressing, clothing that has become too baggy reminds you of how far you have come. Keep clothes that are such your closet for a pick-me-up when you really need to remind yourself that your particular program is working.

That you achieve if you make an effort to exercise before going to work each day, you might be surprised by the weight loss results. Studies have shown that the stress of the day, along with the amount of energy exerted, causes people to be more likely to go home and relax rather than work out.

Eat breakfast to stay thin or to lose weight. Lots of people believe skipping breakfast shall help them lose weight, but they are wrong. You will have increased hunger for lunch and you will eat more after not getting your digestion and metabolism kick started during breakfast while you may think youre about to save those calories. Youll be more lured to grab something like a donut, that you simply want to avoid.

Eat with another person and talk to avoid eating too much. When eating alone we are more focused on the food and we tend to everything that is eating the plate.

Consider setting weight loss goals other than just pounds lost or a certain number on the scale. We can get discourage when we dont meet the goals we set for ourselves, but sometimes the scale isnt showing what we want. You can set goals of pants waist or size measurements. You might be in that size 6 long before you see 120 on a scale.

As earlier mentioned, weight loss is truly inside the reach of everyone. Not everyone will be able to slim down the same way. By applying the advice that you found in this article, you can find a weight loss method that works for you. All it requires is knowledge and motivation.

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Easy Ways to Get Free Dieting Tips

If you are on a diet, no doubt you are willing to get all the tips possible that contain to do with weight loss. Losing weight is not always easy, and on occasion it is easy to get in to a slump. However, tips for weight loss can help you get yourself back on track again and give an individual a new perspective on how you tin lose weight.
The great thing is that you could find free diet tips in a variety of places. You wont even have to pay to acquire some of the best tips out there. So, where can you find them? Here are three great places to start out when looking for tips on a diet and weight loss.
Check Out Your Old Magazines
What about all those old publications that you have been saving? You really werent paying attention to the dieting and weight loss sections before when you read these people. Go ahead and dig out hundreds of old issues and go back and look for the articles on dieting and weight loss. More than likely you are about to find some great tips that you didnt remember. Some about exercise to get rid of weight and some about nutritional foods to consume will most likely be found. Exactly what a great way to make use of the magazines that have just been gathering dust.
Browse Online Diet Sites
Another place to find some wonderful free diet tips is online. There are many sites that you can find that include tips. All you need to complete is run a search with the keywords "eating plan tips" and no doubt it will bring up hundreds of sites who have tips to offer. The Internet is truly full of helpful information, and you actually wont have to pay a thing to get all sorts of free diet tips online.
Sign Up For Weight Loss Newsletters

One way to get free diet plan tips that you probably havent considered is getting them by means of a weight loss newsletter. There are some websites in existence that actually send out newsletters on a regular basis that are full regarding great tips for people who making the effort to lose some weight. When you wake up in the morning you can go check your current email inbox for a few daily diet tips to enable you to get through the day. Imagine how additional weight you would be able to get rid of if you constantly were getting superb advice that would help. All you want to do is sign up with a site and you can start having your own free tips right in your inbox each day.

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EASY CHICKEN AND LEEK BAKE

I love a chicken pie but I am not that mad on pastry, therefore I was delighted to find this recipe for a chicken bake with a crispy topping. The weather is miserable and winter is on its way so this was the perfect recipe to cook. Plus it was easy!! It took about 45-50 minutes in total to prepare and cook.

Ingredients for 4 people:

2 tbsp olive oil
6 chicken thighs,skinned, boned and cubed
6 rashes of smoked streaky bacon, roughly cut into 1 cm wide strips
2 leeks, sliced
4 lemon thyme sprigs (I just used normal thyme as that is all we had in the garden)
350g tub of cheese sauce (I used a three cheese sauce)
35g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 x 25g packs Walkers Sour Cream and Cracked Pepper Sunbites, crumbled
25g flat leaf parsley, chopped

Prepare all the ingredients such as cutting the chicken, crumble the crisps (I squeezed the packets), slice the leeks and chop the parsley.

You can fry the bacon but I prefer to grill it as it is "slightly" healthier so heat the grill to a medium to high heat and then put the bacon in for around 8 minutes, turning half way through.

Once the bacon has cooked start preheating the oven to 200 C / gas mark 6.

At the same time heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan and cook the chicken over a high heat for 6 minutes until nicely browned.

The bacon should be ready around now and so chop into strips and then add to the chicken with the leeks and the thyme and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the leeks are softened.

Stir in the cheese sauce, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through - it is always wise to check….no one wants food poisoning!!

Meanwhile stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil into the breadcrumbs and then mix in the crumbled Sunbite crisps and parsley.

Spoon the chicken mixture into an oven proof dish.

Scatter over the parsley and breadcrumb mix.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until crunchy and golden.

Serve either on its own or with a mixed green leaf salad or vegetables.

This was good - I will admit we added some grated cheese which I think it needed, however I am a cheese obsessive. When I cook it next time, I will add some Parmesan to the breadcrumb, crisp and parsley topping. If you are a vegetarian you could substitute the chicken and bacon for some mushrooms, peppers and courgettes and the chicken mixture is freezable.

I much preferred this to a normal pie - Arabella moaned there was too much parsley and I think I should have chopped it into smaller pieces however it didnt really make a difference as we really enjoyed it and managed to polish off the entire portion between the three of us! 

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