We Can't Say We Weren't Warned..........

..... or, how to gain 5 pounds in one meal, without even trying.......

Our friend André cautioned us to eat sparingly during breakfast on the day we were all invited to Martine and Yvan's home for lunch. His remarks were just a friendly reminder for what we already knew would be a gourmet meal of marathon proportions.

We had already had the pleasure of a 5 star meal at the home of our friends during a previous visit and as we looked forward to another amazing repast, we once again realized that we were poorly trained in the area of the multi-course, mega calorie, five hour French meal.

The four of us (André, Louise, Mark and myself) arrived, chez nos amis, harboring no expectations whatsoever of waddling away with less than 4000 calories each under our belts. Martine had been preparing her assault for three days, with the help of her daughter Carole (shown above) and would be taking no prisoners.

The apéritif, which began our evening, consisted of several bottles of champagne and a salute to the French craze called "verrines" http://verrines-de-fetes.com/ These irresistable morsels, be they sweet or savory, were served before our meal in miniature glasses, large ceramic spoons and palm sized plates. Knowing what was to come, we tried .....and I say.....tried.....to regulate our consumption. All the while, these delicious bits danced along the coffee table saying...."Sandy, eat me".......

At the table, we savored each course, from the roquefort, walnut and apple mille feuille, all the way (about 4 hours and 3 or 4 bottles of wine later) to the chocolate fudge tarte with homemade mango sorbet and nutty biscuit.

Lest you think the afternoon was mired in decadence and indulgence, we redeemed ourselves by participating in a favorite French pasttime, "the promenade".

Before we became too comfortable, we were whisked away by car to the nearest monument, Le Chateau de Tonquedec (just a stone's throw from Lannion) for a two hour stroll along the river. http://www.chateau-tonquedec.com/

Even on a brisk day such as this, there were countless other health enthusiasts, (besides André and Mark) who were "strolling away" their sumptuous Sunday lunches.

And after today's meal, I'm feeling quite fortunate NOT to have a scale at my disposal.

Support your local CSA

Preparing the soil at Three Springs Farm....

Before we left for our month in France, I had already invested in our local CSA (Community Supported Agrigulture), Three Springs Farm, which is a relatively small five acre, all organic farm in northeastern Oklahoma. http://www.threespringsfarm.com/index.html

"Community Supported Agriculture started in the early 1980s in New England as a means of connecting communities with their local farmers. Members pay up-front to provide the farmers with much needed capital at the beginning of the season. The concept of "community support" also guarantees farmers an outlet for their products. In exchange, members get fresh local products and an intimate connection to the people growing their food." owners Emily Oakley and Mike Appel

Since changing from conventional to organic food sources, I'd been looking for a healthy and delicious, but economical way to fulfill our requirements.

From my childhood, I remembered the "fresh from the garden taste" of just picked tomatoes, the tender stalks of asparagus and the succulent, sweet flavor of strawberries eaten right out of the strawberry patch. My family was lucky enough to have an enormous garden, meticulously planted each year by my father. It was with this in mind that I started my search for a local Farmer's Market, hoping to recapture the memories and tastes of my youth.

The Cherry Street Farmer's Market, http://www.cherrystreetfarmersmarket.com/ which was established in 1998, was my market of choice since I had visited there one Saturday several years ago and was impressed by the selection and quality of the local produce. After looking at their website, I came across my CSA and decided that I wanted to be a part of it, even if that meant rising earlier than I would like on a Saturday morning. So, the rest is....or will be ...history.

More and more cities across the U.S. now have local Farmer's Markets, much like the markets we see across Europe. Here in Lannion, we visit the weekly Thursday marché as well as local markets in the neighboring towns, each with their own traditions and specialties.

Lannion Thursday marché

For now, our account is "on hold" until we return to the U.S. but in the meantime, I'm looking forward to practicing my shopping skills "en francais" in Lannion, my home away from home.

Anyone for a sugar fix?

Somewhere underneath this mountain of marshmallow confection lies a birthday cake of unknown proportion. I had my doubts about its actual existence until I read the description on the side of the container.

I'll have to say that on occasion I've fallen victim to most of the well known French temptations: pain au chocolat, chocolate eclairs, tarte tatin, frozen Mystères and crêpes, crêpes and more crêpes but the idea of consuming this suspisciously American looking dessert only made my teeth hurt.

I've made a deal with myself while in France this month, to avoid the consumption of calorie laden sweets............. Oh, who am I kidding? The most I can hope for is to REDUCE my consumption of calorie laden sweets................... As a matter of fact, the stress of trying to completely ELIMINATE calorie laden sweets from my diet will be enough to increase my cortisol levels to the point of involuntary weight gain. Better to go with the honest calorie and be done with it.

That said, I'm happy to report that there were an awful lot of those "cakes" still sitting on the display table in the supermarché as we walked past. Perhaps the French aren't as easily influenced afterall to partake in this All-American "sport"!

On the road to ruin.....NOT

Temptation rears its ugly head at every corner, especially now that Mark and I are in France. I was happy with the fact that I had lost another 2 pounds by the end of 4 weeks of "training" but I knew that my plans were in jeopardy once we boarded the plane enroute to France.

We arrived in Paris early yesterday morning and finally made it to our final destination of Lannion after going through what felt like our own version of "Trains, Planes and Automobiles".

Sitting in Envoy Class (U.S.Airways version of 1st Class) with its newly installed sleeper beds, was a pleasant touch, even though I managed only about two hours sleep during the night. My lack of rest was probably due to the guilty feelings over too little exercise and too much food during the previous few days.

I tried to strike a "happy medium" on the flight by only indulging in one glass of white wine and avoiding the decadent chocolate cake that was offered after my meal. I opted instead for a slightly less sinful selection of cheeses, crackers and fruit along with a cup of coffee. For breakfast, I turned down the fruit and nut loaf and went with yogurt, granola and fresh fruit.

Since we got our exercise, schlepping our heavy bags from one terminal to the next and into various trains, buses and cars, I felt semi-vendicated for not having practiced my yoga for several days.

Upon our arrival at our friend's house in Lannion, we were treated to tea with French pastries and after a rest of several hours we enjoyed glasses of Cremant, Alsace's versian of champagne, along with a delicious and healthy salad platter of sliced tomatoes, lettuce, hearts of palm, boiled potatoes and thinly sliced, smoked duck. More guilty pleasures of sorbet drizzled with Calvados (Normandy apple brandy) and a slice of fudgy, chocolate torte accompanied by two small chocolate Easter eggs rounded out our meal.

These small indulgences (or perhaps, rather large endulgences) may play havoc with my weight loss plans but with continued exercise, I just may be able to stave off added pounds while I enjoy my little slice of paradise!