And it’s over! The last fortnight of the IQS8WP is complete, and it’s been a fun ride. I will post a more comprehensive review of the program in the next week or so, but in the meantime, here is a brief wrap up from the last fortnight.
I was lucky enough to get tickets to the sold-out screening of That Sugar Film, which included a Q and A session with Director Damon Gameau. I went along with my Mum and a bunch of other IQS Canberrans, so it was also really lovely to catch up with them and compare our experiences of the program!
The film is continuing to screen for a limited time in Australia, and is set to launch in Europe and America before being released on DVD. It is an excellent movie – thoroughly entertaining and enlightening, and very cleverly made. For those who have seen it – I asked Damon what happened to 17 year old Larry with ‘the teeth’ – apparently, he did eventually get his dentures, and joined the US military. But he still drinks Mountain Dew.
In other news, I ate a piece of chocolate cake at a birthday party this week. Not particularly interesting news, I know – but I thought it was important to include here in my experience of the program. It tasted delicious, albeit very, very sweet – and I’m glad I ate it. Some people would call this a lapse, but I prefer to think of these experiences as reminders, of why I like to live a predominately low-fructose life. As I ate the cake, I recognised the pleasure centres in my brain lighting up, saying, ‘more, more, MORE’! Fortunately now I can see this for what it is – a biological response to the fructose, and it’s easier to refrain from eating the entire cake and get back on track.
In the final fortnight of the program, my favourite meals included: Not Quite Cherry Ripe Bites (ok, not a meal, but definitely a stand-out!), Lebanese spiced lamb with sweet potato fattoush, skillet lamb nachos, french toast with berries, paprika pork chops with peach salad, and zucchini and haloumi fritters. I realise this is basically half the menu…
Perfect Sunday morning breakfast on the last day of the #IQS8WP. In addition to the vanilla I added cinnamon and ground ginger to the French toast and crumbled pecans on top. 😍
Open steak sandwich for #iqs8wp dinner tonight, thankfully cooked by my husband so I could study! This is the first time I’ve tried the roasted capsicum and eggplant chutney from Sunday’s cook-up, and it is really good… We used roasted beetroot we had in the freezer, and added leftover avocado and fetta too. 👍
MOST DELICIOUS Lebanese Spiced Lamb with Sweet Potato ‘Fattoush’. I love sweet potato chips and always make extra because I eat them straight off the pan. 😁 and that baba ghanoush! So easy but so tasty. Will be making this one again.
Smoked salmon is one of my favourite things so I was stoked to see smoked salmon and cream cheese on toast on the #iqs8wp breakfast menu. I added capers to the chives too, and used up the little bitty end pieces of my sourdough.
Satay chicken thighs with carrot and cucumber noodle salad for #iqs8wp dinner. The satay sauce is sooooo good!
Skillet lamb nachos 😍 I was just thinking a couple of weeks ago it would be nice to get a nacho recipe, and the #iqs8wp delivered! I used lamb mince and added extra zucchini, capsicum and coriander to the mince mixture. Love that there’s 8 different vegies hiding in this ‘dude food’ recipe. 😊
Yummy lime and ginger stirfry for dinner, which is just what I needed – a massive bowl of vegies! I added some chicken bone broth so it wasn’t completely vegetarian, but I love the subtle flavour it adds.
Finally! The peaches are ripe enough for us to enjoy the delicious #iqs8wp paprika pork chops with peach salad. All cooked by my husband…
Chicken Caesar Salad – what an epic salad! I bulked up the vegies in mine by adding cherry tomatoes, raw zucchini and avocado. Completely forgot the Parmesan and didn’t get around to making the dressing… But it really didn’t need it. Garlic sourdough croutons are the best! Happy Friday! #iqs8wp
On the meal plan, @iquitsugar said, ‘we’ve included a special treat, but it’s entirely optional’… 😄 That’s funny. These Not Quite Cherry Ripe Bites are AMAZING. Made with raspberries, but taste exactly like cherry ripe. The recipe was sent exclusively to #iqs8wp’ers but is available in the IQS chocolate ebook, volume 2. Since I can’t help myself, I also made the peanut butter protein crunchies that are also in the book.
I used half the egg in the rice mixture so I could add an extra poached egg on top, which I love. I used half cauliflower rice, half brown rice. The kids loved it too – baby even had a good go at spoon feeding himself!
Mmmmm breakfast bruschetta with avocado, tomato and basil. Love this trick of keeping soft boiled eggs in the fridge!
Zucchini and HALOUMI fritters for Friday night #iqs8wp dinner, which are always a hit in this house. My 1 yr old son was at my feet as I fried them up, saying ‘mumumumumumum’ until I fed him the fritters on the kitchen floor. He ate four all on his own!
Click here to view all posts related to my experience with the I Quit Sugar 8 Week Program.
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