Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie is the easiest pie ever, I always feel like a total cheat when people go on about how good it is, it's my husband's favourite and I don't think he will be too impressed when there's none left for him tonight!

This is a standard recipe that is in most cookbooks, I add lime zest for added tang and because I can't get graham crackers in Ireland I use a pack of Lincoln biscuits. Easy peasy and done in no time.  It's much better chilled, so bake the night before if you can!

Ingredients:

• 1 pack lincoln biscuits (shortbread will work too)
• 3-4 tbsp melted butter
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz.) fresh squeezed lime juice
• zest of two limes
• Whipped cream to garnish
• Lime wedges, to garnish

Pre-heat oven to 175C / 325 F

Use a food processor to blitz the biscuits into crumbs (a bag and rolling pin will also work). Add the melted butter and press into a pie dish.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg yolks and add the condensed milk, lime juice and lime zest.  Whisk until combined, it will thicken.

When crust is done, allow to cool for a minute or two and pour in the filling.  Bake for fifteen minutes.  Remove and allow to come to room temperature.  It will get more solid as it cools.  Refrigerate for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Whip cream and spread on top, garnish with lime wedges and additional lime zest if wanted.

The Fast Diet Update

If you've found your way here from the Indo, welcome! I'm still a bit in shock that my weight was published in a National Paper, but with a few glasses of wine I am sure I will recover! :)

I have now lost a total of 20lb on the fast diet and still love it.  I schedule my fast days on Mondays and Wednesdays when I am busy with the kids activities and don't really have time to think about eating.  I also make sure to cook something for them that I don't really like, like Spaghetti Bolognaise or Shepherd's Pie.  I hold off on eating in the morning as long as I can and will then have an omelette or a couple of mini-quiches or my healthy asian soup. 

After the kids are fed and in bed, I will worry about dinner, as I find I get most nibble-ish at night.  If I have my dinner later, around 8:30pm or so, I find that I don't have as much of a problem.  I will often treat myself to Bang Bang Prawns, which is so damn good I feel like I'm cheating, or I'll make a big salad with cos lettuce, chopped apple, cucumber, tomato, red onions and enough chicken to finish off my 500 calories. I use a fat free low-cal dressing.

I switch to skim milk in my tea on fast days and drink a lot of it as well as some herbal or green tea, which keeps me from snacking and keeps me hydrated.  All in all, the day goes quickly and when you know you can eat anything the next day, it's completely doable.

I find I don't eat anything the next day though and actually eat less than normal. I'm just not as hungry. The strange thing was that during the month where I had to pack/move/unpack/have mother-in-law here from America/do Easter and be generally ridiculously busy I didn't diet.  I expected to step on the scale and be up a lot. Nothing. Not an ounce. It was very strange, not like other diets at all where you usually gain it all back and more. I think it really does alter your metabolism for the better.  Energy wise I feel great and much sharper mentally.

For fast days I use My Fitness Pal to track my calories on my iPhone and if I am feeling nibbly I use my soda stream and make some fizzy water and flavour it with lemon or lime juice and it feels like a refreshing treat.  I really see no downside and I have been on every diet ever invented since I was eight, yes eight, years old! 

So that's the latest, I don't anticipate stopping anytime soon, have a ways to go and feel for once in my lifetime that it's something I can do! If you're also on the diet, what are some of your tips and tricks?  Feel free to ask questions too, the more support and help we can get, the better we'll all do!  Here's to a happy and healthy 2013! :)