Hasn't January gone quickly?! I vowed to cut out alcohol for a month and that's exactly what I did. I had a little help from Brita along the way but I'm glad I accepted the challenge and there have been so many positives about giving up alcohol. I will keep all of that and full round up for my final Brita Boost post in the week.
If you've been following the BRITA Boost Challenge posts you'll know that there are five main reasons why people drink and I've been given ways to overcome all of them:
Taste - Maggie went to a Mixology Masterclass to learn how to make alcohol free cocktails.
Relaxation - I had a wonderful full body massage to unwind without reaching for a glass of wine.
Confidence Booster - The lovely Maggie attended a Confidence class last week and will be reporting back soon.
Buzz - I'm going on a skiing lesson tomorrow as the final part of my challenge.
And finally
Social - I was treated to a Foodelity box filled with everything I needed for a alcohol free dinner party with some friends. This is how I got on...
After choosing the menu online for the 3 course meal, my box arrived with everything I needed for the dishes, in exact quantities, so there was no need to measure. They were all colour coded so I knew which items were each course.
The ingredients arrived with step-by-step recipe cards with pictures, which were easy so easy to follow. I'm a keen cook but I have to admit I'm no the best and stick to tried and tested recipes so I was excited to try this adventurous menu. I found all of this very easy to make and when I normally cook for friends I'm so stressed out trying to get all the timings right I feel like I need a glass of wine by the end of it.
There was even a timeline included so I knew when to prep and put things in the oven which meant more time chatting to my guests instead of slaving away in the kitchen.
For my starter I chose pan seared king scallops with pea puree and balsamic vinegar reduction which I hope you agree looks pretty impressive. I felt like this was a fancy treat as I don't normally cook anything as extravagant as this at home.
My main course was a very tasty roast poussin with sumac and red cabbage with minted potato. Presentation has never been my forte so I'm pleased with how this dish turned out.
Dessert was probably my favourite course. I made my first tarte tatin and this pear one with lime and ginger had plenty of kick. Mmmmm!
There wasn't a single drop of wine to accompany the food and it really wasn't missed at all. My brother, his partner and I are all trying to shed a few lbs for our holiday later in the year and wine would have just added to the overall calorie total. I filled my Brita jug with some lemon and lime for the dinner party. The simple drink to accompany the meal meant that we could appreciate all the flavours in the food far more.
My boyfriend joined me for the meal too and he drives to visit me so can't ever drink when I cook for him. Nobody had any alcohol at all so this really helped those who drive and normally have to turn down alcohol feel a lot less left out.
This looks amazing, I really like the look of that tarte tatin!
ReplyDeleteMaria xxx