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greekcookingmadeeasy · 4 years

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No-Κnead, 5′ Wholemeal Bread

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No-Knead Wholemeal Bread in Clay Pot prepared in 5’ – Pswmi Olikis sti yastra se 5’ horis zymwma BY: Greek Cooking Made Easy https://www.youtube.com/greekcookingmadeeasy

Check my YouTube Video: Here

Κοιτάξτε επίσης την συνταγή μου σε YouTube βίντεο, το λίνκ είναι: ΕΔΩ

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Makes 24 pieces, enough for 12 persons Can you think of anything more comforting and soothing than homemade baked Bread? My recipe to make this delightful, healthy bread, uses 7 ingredients that you usually have at home! I use a strong mixer to do all the job and a clay pot to give my wholemeal (or whole-wheat) bread that extra rural taste which we all yearn to taste! It is literally prepared in 5' and NO-kneading! You just need to wait for the bread to rise, of course! Check out how! Suitable for fasting and vegans.

INGREDIENTS: 460+40 gr /1lb 2oz / 4 cups Bread Flour 500 gr /1lb 2oz / 4 cups Wholemeal Flour 580 ml or 2 & 1/3 cups lukewarm Water 11 gr / 0.4 oz / 3.6 tsp. dry Yeast 16.5 gr / 0.6 oz / 3 tsp. Salt 18.75 gr / 0.7 oz / 1.5 tbsp. Sugar 25 ml / 1.7 tbsp. Olive Oil for the dough and A bit more to brush on the clay pot and the bread's surface

METHOD: A. Prepare the dough: 1. In the mixer’s bowl, whisk together (by hand) half of the lukewarm water, the yeast and 1 tbsp. Sugar until yeast is completely dissolved. 2. Whisk to mix them together well.

3. Gently add over the mixture half of the bread flour, until you cover it. 4. DO NOT mix flour with yeast and water-no need. 5. Simply set the bowl aside covered with a kitchen towel for about 30', until the yeast activates. You’ll know when that happens because yeast bubbles will rise on top of the flour. 6. It should look like this!

7. When the yeast has activated, place the bowl under the Strong! electric mixer using the hook attachment. 8. Start the mixer. 9. Gradually start adding the rest of the bread flour, spoon by spoon, beating to blend it in.

10. Slowly pour in the rest of the lukewarm water as well, alternating with the flour. 11. Note to keep aside about 40 gr/1.4 oz / 0.3 cup bread flour to use for flouring the clay pot! 12. Next, add the rest of sugar and salt in the dough. 13. Pour in the olive oil as well. 14. Continue, by adding spoon after spoon the wholemeal flour while beating the dough. 15. After about 5'-7', you will notice that the dough becomes one mass (lump) around the hook and has detached from the bowl. 16. Stop the mixer! 17. The dough should be elastic, soft but not sticky!

18. Use a round Clay pot (or alternatively a large round baking dish) with a capacity of 4.2 lt, dimensions DxH: 23x10 cm / 9x3.9 in.

19. Brush a bit of olive oil in the Clay pot (bottom and sides!).

20. Use the reserved flour, to flour the clay pot, making sure you cover its bottom and sides well by tossing and turning it all around. 21. Remove excess flour.

22. Now place the dough in the clay pot.

23. Wet your palm, to help spread the dough equally inside the clay pot and flatten it a bit. 24. Dough is now ready for proving, as I promised, with no kneading!! Sooo easy! Now all you have to do is wait.... B. Dough Proving: 25. Place a clean kitchen towel on top of the clay pot with the dough. 26. Bread dough now needs time to rest, but also for the yeast to be fermented and activated and to help the bread rise. 27. To do that, you could either place the covered dough near a warm source (like by a window near the sun or a radiator) or put it in the oven setting: “Dough Proving” like I did. 28. The dough needs 1h-1h30' to rise. 29. After about 1h30', remove the kitchen towel from the dish. 30. You will see that the dough has almost tripled in size.

31. Note: As I saw after 45' that the dough was rising too high, I removed the kitchen towel earlier to avoid the dough sticking on it! 32. While you preheat the oven FAN @200℃ / 390℉, pat with your palm gently spreading a bit of Olive oil on top of the bread (don’t remove it from the clay pot!).

33. Optionally, you could use a sharp knife to make a few decorative shapes (like tacks or leaves) on the bread's surface.

C. Baking instructions: 34. Bake the wholemeal bread in the clay pot for about 45' or until it turns golden all around (depends on the oven). 35. Midway through baking, turn the clay pot around to ensure the bread is baked equally. 36. After 45', check with a knife is bread is baked through. Pierce the centre of the bread; knife should come out clean! 37. Beautiful, with a nice, golden crust! 38. When bread is ready, remove it from the oven. 39. Place the clay pot on the kitchen top until it cools down.

40. Can you think of anything better than home baked bread!? The earthy, rural, appetising scents of wholemeal bread fill the whole house.

41. To serve, wait until it cools down. Then simply turn the clay pot upside down. You get a big, round “form” type of Bread with a weight of 1.5 kg / 3 lb 5 oz!! 42. Here it is!!

Check how to make easy white Bread: HERE

D. Serving suggestions: 43. Break bread and share at the family table. Enjoy precious family moments!

44. Or simply cut it in generous slices with a good bread knife! You get a crunchy crust, with tender, fluffy, village style crumb! Easy in making, extra delicious in tasting!

45. The best combination is with Greek Kasseri cheese for a simple lunch!

46. Another lunch idea is to serve it as an open sandwich with Tuna Salad and boiled egg, seasoned with salt and ground Pepper (check my separate recipes).

47. Best classic Breakfast-A generous slice of wholemeal Bread with a spread of butter and some homemade jam (forest fruits) and of course, a cup of hot Greek coffee! (check my separate recipes).

48. Everyone knows that Bread is the world's favorite side dish for any main course you serve. Here it is served for dinner with Cauliflower Kapama.

49. Another example is to accompany Kritharwto with leek and vegetables! Enjoy 😍!!

E. Storing info: If you can't consume all the bread in one day, wrap individual slices and freeze them for max. 1 month. Take one out, leave it to reach to room temperature and then grill it for 2'; it will be as fresh and crispy as the day you baked it!! F. Greek Tourist Info: Windmills appeared and spread in Greece from the 12th century onwards. They were always built in places where there was a lot of wind and were used mainly for pressing wheat, barley, rye and oats. Today, about 2,000 windmills survive, mainly in the Aegean islands, as well as some mountain peaks in mainland Greece. The island that has, of course, been identified with windmills is Mykonos. In the 19th century, Mykonos had 28 windmills, and together with its bakeries, they were the main occupation of its inhabitants, before the island entered the international tourist map.

Windmills are considered monuments of modern Greek architectural heritage and are protected by law. However, few windmills have been maintained and currently remain operational.

Check my YouTube Video: Here

Ψωμί Ολικής Άλεσης στη Γάστρα, σε 5’ χωρίς ζύμωμα BY: Greek Cooking Made Easy https://www.youtube.com/greekcookingmadeeasy Φτιάχνει 24 φέτες, αρκετό για 12 άτομα Μπορείτε να σκεφτείτε τίποτα πιο ζεστό και γεμάτο οικογενειακή θαλπωρή από το σπιτικό, ευλογημένο, χειροποίητο φρεσκοψημένο ψωμί; Η συνταγή μου για να φτιάξω αυτό το υπέροχο, υγιεινό ψωμί, χρησιμοποιεί 7 συστατικά που συνήθως έχετε στο σπίτι! Χρησιμοποιώ ισχυρό μίξερ για να κάνει όλη τη δουλειά και γάστρα για να δώσω στο ψωμί ολικής αλέσεως την επιπλέον χωριάτικη γεύση που όλοι λαχταρούμε να δοκιμάσουμε! Είναι κυριολεκτικά παρασκευασμένο σε 5' και χωρίς ζύμωμα! Απλώς πρέπει να περιμένετε να ανέβει το ζυμάρι! Δείτε πώς! Κατάλληλο για νηστεία και Βίγκαν.

ΥΛΙΚΑ: 460 + 40 γρ / 1lb 2oz / 4 φλιτζάνια Αλεύρι για ψωμί ή σκληρό 500 γρ / 1lb 2oz / 4 φλ. Αλεύρι ολικής αλέσεως 580 ml ή 2 & 1/3 φλ. χλιαρό Νερό 11 γρ / 0,4 oz / 3,6 κ.γ. ξερή Μαγιά 16,5 γρ / 0,6 oz / 3 κ.γ. Αλάτι 18,75 γρ / 0,7 oz / 1,5 κ.σ. Ζάχαρη 25 ml / 1,7 κ.σ. Ελαιόλαδο για τη ζύμη και Λίγο επιπλέον για να απλώσετε στη γάστρα και στην επιφάνεια του ψωμιού

ΜΕΘΟΔΟΣ: Α. Ετοιμάστε τη ζύμη: 1. Στο μπολ του μίξερ, χτυπήστε ελαφρά μαζί (με το χέρι) το μισό από το χλιαρό νερό, τη μαγιά και 1 κουταλιά της σούπας Ζάχαρη μέχρι να διαλυθεί εντελώς η μαγιά. 2. Ανακατέψτε τα καλά με ένα αυγοδάρτη.

3. Προσθέστε απαλά πάνω από το μείγμα το μισό από το αλεύρι για ψωμί, μέχρι να το καλύψετε. 4. ΜΗΝ αναμείξετε το αλεύρι με τη μαγιά και το νερό – δεν χρειάζεται. 5. Απλά βάλτε το μπολ στην άκρη καλυμμένο με μια πετσέτα κουζίνας για περίπου 30', έως ότου ενεργοποιηθεί η μαγιά. Θα καταλάβετε πότε θα συμβεί αυτό επειδή οι φυσαλίδες της μαγιάς θα ανέβουν πάνω από το αλεύρι. 6. Θα πρέπει να μοιάζει κάπως έτσι!

7. Μόλις ενεργοποιηθεί η μαγιά, τοποθετήστε το μπολ κάτω από το ισχυρό! ηλεκτρικό μίξερ χρησιμοποιώντας το εξάρτημα γάντζο. 8. Ξεκινήστε το μίξερ. 9. Αρχίστε σταδιακά να προσθέτετε το υπόλοιπο αλεύρι για ψωμί, κουταλιά κουταλιά, χτυπώντας για να το αναμείξετε.

10. Αδειάστε αργά και το υπόλοιπο χλιαρό νερό, εναλλάσσοντας με το αλεύρι. 11. Σημειώστε ότι πρέπει να κρατήσετε στην άκρη περίπου 40 γρ / 1,4 oz / 0,3 φλ. αλεύρι ψωμιού για να αλευρώσετε τη γάστρα! 12. Στη συνέχεια, προσθέστε το υπόλοιπο της ζάχαρης και το αλάτι μέσα στη ζύμη. 13. Ρίξτε επίσης μέσα το ελαιόλαδο. 14. Συνεχίστε, προσθέτοντας κουταλιά κουταλιά το αλεύρι ολικής αλέσεως ενόσω χτυπάτε τη ζύμη. 15. Μετά από περίπου 5'-7', θα παρατηρήσετε ότι η ζύμη γίνεται μια μάζα γύρω από το άγκιστρο και έχει αποκολληθεί από τις πλευρές του μπολ. 16. Σταματήστε το μίξερ! 17. Η ζύμη πρέπει να είναι ελαστική, μαλακή αλλά να μη κολλάει!

18. Χρησιμοποιήστε ένα στρογγυλό πήλινο δοχείο-γάστρα (ή εναλλακτικά ένα μεγάλο στρογγυλό ταψί) χωρητικότητας 4,2 lt, με διαστάσεις ΔxΥ: 23x10 cm / 9x3,9 in.

19. Απλώστε λίγο ελαιόλαδο στη γάστρα (κάτω μέρος και πλευρές!).

20. Χρησιμοποιήστε το φυλαγμένο αλεύρι για να αλευρώσετε το πήλινο δοχείο, φροντίζοντας να καλύψετε καλά τον πυθμένα και τις πλευρές του, στριφογυρίζοντάς το. 21. Αφαιρέστε το περίσσιο αλεύρι.

22. Τοποθετήστε τώρα τη ζύμη στο πήλινο σκεύος.

23. Βρέξτε την παλάμη σας, για να βοηθήσετε να απλωθεί η ζύμη εξίσου μέσα στο πήλινο και να την ισιώσετε. 24. Η ζύμη είναι τώρα έτοιμη για να φουσκώσει, όπως υποσχέθηκα, χωρίς ζύμωμα!! Πολύ εύκολα! Τώρα το μόνο που έχετε να κάνετε είναι να περιμένετε .... Β. Φούσκωμα ζύμης: 25. Τοποθετήστε μια καθαρή πετσέτα κουζίνας πάνω από τη γάστρα με τη ζύμη. 26. Το ζυμάρι χρειάζεται τώρα χρόνο για να ξεκουραστεί, αλλά και να ενεργοποιηθεί η μαγιά και να βοηθήσει το φούσκωμα του ψωμιού. 27. Για να το κάνετε αυτό, μπορείτε είτε να τοποθετήσετε την καλυμμένη ζύμη κοντά σε μια ζεστή πηγή (όπως κοντά σε ένα παράθυρο κοντά στον ήλιο ή κοντά σε καλοριφέρ) είτε να την τοποθετήσετε στο φούρνο με ρύθμιση: "Φούσκωμα ζύμης" όπως έκανα εγώ. 28. Η ζύμη χρειάζεται 1-1.30' ώρα για να φουσκώσει. 29. Μετά από περίπου 1.30 ώρα, αφαιρέστε την πετσέτα κουζίνας από το δοχείο. 30. Θα δείτε ότι η ζύμη έχει σχεδόν τριπλασιαστεί σε μέγεθος.

31. Σημείωση: Όταν είδα μετά από 45' ότι η ζύμη φούσκωνε πολύ, αφαίρεσα την πετσέτα κουζίνας για να μην κολλήσει η ζύμη πάνω της! 32. Όσο περιμένετε για να προθερμάνετε το φούρνο στο ζεστό αέρα @ 200 ℃ / 390 ℉, πατήστε ελαφρά με την παλάμη σας την επιφάνεια του ψωμιού, απλώνοντας απαλά λίγο ελαιόλαδο (μην αφαιρέσετε βέβαια τη ζύμη από τη γάστρα!).

33. Προαιρετικά, θα μπορούσατε να χρησιμοποιήσετε ένα κοφτερό μαχαίρι για να φτιάξετε μερικά διακοσμητικά σχέδια (όπως κλαδάκια ή φύλλα) στην επιφάνεια του ψωμιού.

Γ. Οδηγίες ψησίματος: 34. Ψήστε το ψωμί ολικής αλέσεως στη γάστρα για περίπου 45' ή μέχρι να χρυσίσει παντού (εξαρτάται από το φούρνο). 35. Στη μέση του ψησίματος, γυρίστε τη γάστρα από την άλλη πλευρά για να βεβαιωθείτε ότι το ψωμί θα ψηθεί εξίσου. 36. Μετά από 45', ελέγξτε με ένα μαχαίρι αν το ψωμί έχει ψηθεί μέχρι μέσα. Τρυπήστε το κέντρο του ψωμιού- το μαχαίρι θα πρέπει να βγει καθαρό! 37. Πανέμορφο ψωμί, με ωραία, χρυσή κρούστα! 38. Όταν το ψωμί είναι έτοιμο, αφαιρέστε το από το φούρνο. 39. Τοποθετήστε τη γάστρα στον πάγκο της κουζίνας μέχρι να κρυώσει.

40. Μπορείτε να σκεφτείτε κάτι καλύτερο από το σπιτικό ψωμί!; Τα γήινα, αγροτικά, ορεκτικά αρώματα του ψωμιού ολικής αλέσεως γεμίζουν ολόκληρο το σπίτι.

41. Για να σερβίρετε, περιμένετε μέχρι να κρυώσει. Στη συνέχεια, απλώς αναποδογυρίστε τη γάστρα. Θα πάρετε ένα μεγάλο, στρογγυλό ψωμί, τύπου φόρμας, με βάρος 1,5 kg / 3 lb 5 oz !! 42. Εδώ είναι!

Κοιτάξτε πώς να φτιάξετε εύκολα άσπρο Ψωμί: ΕΔΩ

Δ. Προτάσεις σερβιρίσματος: 43. Μοιράστε το ψωμί στο οικογενειακό τραπέζι. Απολαύστε πολύτιμες οικογενειακές στιγμές!

44. Ή απλώς κόψτε το σε γενναιόδωρες φέτες με ένα καλό μαχαίρι ψωμιού! Η συνταγή μου φτιάχνει ψωμί με τραγανή κρούστα και αφράτη, μαλακή, χωριάτικη ψίχα! Τόσο εύκολο στην κατασκευή, άλλο τόσο εξαιρετικά νόστιμο στη γεύση!

45. Ο καλύτερος συνδυασμός είναι με τυρί Κασέρι για ένα απλό γεύμα!

46. Μια άλλη ιδέα για μεσημεριανό γεύμα είναι να το σερβίρετε σαν ανοιχτό σάντουιτς με Τονοσαλάτα και βραστό αυγό (κοιτάξτε τις ξεχωριστές συνταγές μου), με αλάτι και φρεσκοτριμμένο πιπέρι.

47. Το καλύτερο κλασικό πρωινό - Μια γενναιόδωρη φέτα ψωμιού ολικής αλέσεως με επάλειψη από βούτυρο και σπιτική μαρμελάδα (από φρούτα του δάσους) και φυσικά, ένα φλιτζάνι ζεστός Ελληνικός καφές! (κοιτάξτε τις ξεχωριστές συνταγές μου).

48. Όλοι γνωρίζουν ότι το Ψωμί είναι το πιο αγαπημένο φαγητό στον κόσμο και συνοδεύει τέλεια οποιοδήποτε φαγητό και να φτιάξετε. Εδώ σερβίρεται για δείπνο με Κουνουπίδι Καπαμά.

49. Ένα άλλο παράδειγμα είναι να συνοδεύσει Κριθαρώτο με πράσο και λαχανικά!

Απολαύστε 😍!! Ε. Πληροφορίες φύλαξης: Εάν δεν μπορείτε να καταναλώσετε όλο το ψωμί σε μια μέρα, τυλίξτε ατομικές φέτες και καταψύξτε τις για max. 1 μήνα. Βγάλτε μια μια έξω, αφήστε τη να φτάσει σε θερμοκρασία δωματίου και έπειτα βάλτε τη στο γκριλ για 2'. θα είναι τόσο φρέσκια και τραγανή όσο τη μέρα που ψήσατε το ψωμί!! Ζ. Τουριστικός Οδηγός Ελλάδας: Οι Ανεμόμυλοι εμφανίστηκαν και εξαπλώθηκαν στην Ελλάδα από τον 12ο αιώνα και μετά. Κτιζόντουσαν πάντα σε σημεία που υπήρχε πολύς άνεμος και χρησίμευαν κυρίως για να πατιέται σιτάρι, κριθάρι, σίκαλη και βρώμη. Σήμερα σώζονται γύρω στους 2.000 ανεμόμυλους κυρίως στα νησιά του Αιγαίου πελάγους, καθώς και κάποιες βουνοκορφές της ηπειρωτικής Ελλάδας. Το νησί που έχει βεβαίως ταυτιστεί με τους ανεμόμυλους είναι η Μύκονος. Τον 19ο αιώνα, λειτουργούσαν στη Μύκονο 28 ανεμόμυλοι, και μαζί με την αρτοποιία αποτελούσαν την βασική απασχόληση των κατοίκων της, πριν το νησί μπει στο διεθνή τουριστικό χάρτη.

Οι ανεμόμυλοι θεωρούνται μνημεία της νεοελληνικής αρχιτεκτονικής κληρονομιάς και προστατεύονται από την νομοθεσία. Παρόλα αυτά, πολύ λίγες εγκαταστάσεις ανεμόμυλων έχουν συντηρηθεί αρκετά και είναι σήμερα λειτουργικά άρτιες.

Κοιτάξτε επίσης την συνταγή μου σε YouTube βίντεο, το λίνκ είναι: ΕΔΩ

#breakfast #meze #lunch #dinner #sandwich #snacks #pastry #vegetarian #vegan #diet #fasting #lactose #children #greece #greek #greekrecipes #bread #wholemealbread #ψωμί #ψωμίολικής

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growingstrongorsomething · 5 years

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4. I have a robot inside me.

Original prompt: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bo0yiq/wp_youre_a_little_slower_than_others_but_its/ If you like my story, please support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/storyforger

“The whole time you have been whispering. You are scaring people off.”

“What, I did?” Walid looks at his boss. Her face is filled with wrinkles, some from old age, some from worry.

“Yes, you are also looking at Waruna. She is crying in the freezer because she thought you are still angry at her.”

Walid slaps his face a little, trying to mold it to a more presentable look. His face now has a bit of a smile, and his eyes doesn’t gaze as sharp as before.

“She already paid for the damages. After all, I wasn’t angry at all. I just...”

Now Walid’s boss is the one massaging her face, mostly around her forehead. “Whatever it is, hold it in for now okay? We are all on the rush season. I will close this bakery for a week after Festival. Deal with your problems, get a psychiatrist, or meditate or something. Okay?”

“Yes, Mdm Kamisah.”

She holds Walid’s face and smiles broadly. “Work hard. The Festival is just three days away. I promise, we will get a big fat bonus, hm?”

“Yes. Well, I need to carry the pastries.”

“Good! That’s the spirit.”

Mdm Kamisah enters the office. Walid turns to the tray of tepung puluts. The smell of glutinous rice and pandanus flour mix in the sweetmeats are alot for him to handle. Walid thinks he is going to eat it all.

If you eat it all, you will have stomach problems again!

Walid sighs. “I am carrying food,” talking to himself again.

Oh you will, see the puddle you will flip!

[I won’t wait what oh god!]

Walid slips and almost fall flat on the tray. The floor where cakes are baked is made rough to prevent slipping, but the floor to the presentation aisles are made from smooth tiles. At least the cakes are safe.

Hamid takes the tray from Walid and places it on the counter. He then lifts Walid up, whose legs spread too far for his level of joint mobility.

“God you’re heavy!”

“Oww, oww, oww, my thighs.”

Hamid steadies Walid, who is groaning slightly from the gymnastics. “Well, I’m sending the tray.”

“No, wait.” Hamid gets a dry towel and wipes the floor from the accident to the aisle until it’s dry. “Ok, go.”

“Thanks!”

Their work that day is rather hard, and all workers are tired. Walid isn’t as tired, but his limping isn’t making things more comfortable either. At least the cleanup is made easy by the dishwashers and bots.

“That’s a wrap for the day. See you tomorrow!”

“See you!”

Walid hails a Grab and lets himself be carried to his flat. The city lights are pretty at night, especially when we are sleepy. The Grab driver thanks Walid too soon. Walid grumbles his thanks and clumsily walks up the stairs.

[Oh yeah, elevator] Walid goes to the elevator only to see that it is under maintenance. “Augh! Today?” He really wants to kick the door, but the last time someone did, that is how the elevator stopped working. Dejected, Walid winds wearily to his bed and falls asleep without even changing clothes.

Yo, how’s life?

[Life-threatening, thanks to you.]

You slipped, and I’m to blame? LOL GG.

[You’re my subconscious. How do you even know what is LOL GG?]

I am not blind when you control this body. I see what you see, I learn what you learn, I am aware of what you are aware. Well, and other things.

[What do you mean?]

We. Need. Diagrams.

Walid’s dream now forms a room. It is cozy, with two blue long sofas facing each other and a lamppost standing guard next to it. The table in between the sofas has a jug of lychee drink. Walid knows it by the smell. He pours a cup and pours the liquid into his mouth. The sweetness slams his tongue, and it flows into his body, making him... happy. He sits on the sofa, drinking more lychee juice.

You like what you’re seeing?

[Yeah, pretty much.]

Now! I will introduce myself. The subconscious slithers from behind the sofa and towards Walid. It is like the root of a ginger tree, only that it has a single straight shaft and many root fibers jutting through it. One of the larger root fibers extend a hand, as if in greeting. Walid shakes it. It does not show its face.

Subconscious, glad to meet you.

[Walid, pleasure’s all mine?]

The ‘ginger root’ slithers to the other sofa, its body reclining regally upon the sofa. Tired, Walid lies down to imitate the ‘ginger root’.

I think you have a lot of questions.

[Are you a ghost? Will you kill me? Is this poison?]

No. I need you alive. I can’t really tell you what I am yet, it will only create more questions. But I am ready to show you.

Walid thinks of the ginger root unzipping its costume and a pretty woman’s leg jut out of it.

No, unfortunately, I am not that sexy. But let me show you.

[How are you going to do that?]

I am going to take over your body. Just for a day. You will have my word, you can get full control of it once I have done my business.

Walid chugs down the lychee. The entirety of his life’s lessons flash before his eyes. All his life, his parents never told him what to do when your subconscious wants to take control of your body. Don’t open the door if the parents don’t expect guests, don’t touch other people’s breasts (and dicks once he came out), don’t steal, don’t show your private parts on the internet, and most importantly, if the offer is too good to be true, turn it down and run like hell.

I am twenty and honest to God, I need an adult.

[As frightening as it is, I am an adult. I assure you, your good health and functioning body is in my best interest.]

Come to think of it, the stress of his life isn’t going away anytime soon either. He still have to work hard tomorrow at the bakery. And he had to take Chinese exam next week, just so employers will consider him a worthy job candidate. Walid pours another cup. He raises it. To the last possible day of me being the conscious mind.

[To a more fruitful Walid.]

They both chug down the lychee. Walid sees the ‘ginger root’ face for a split second before the dream ends.

The next morning, Walid finds his body to be moving to the fridge. It dips some wholemeal bread into the black coffee and sends the bread into its mouth. Walid tried to move his body but it can’t.

Ginger root, are you controlling me?

[Yes, I do. You want answers. I am in the process of showing you. But first, your body needs some fuel and coolant!]

Fuel? Coolant? I am not a robot!

[Oh you’ll understand. By the way, you have a sick leave today. Convenient!]

Convenient for what? Hey, why are we walking?

[To the Doctor!]

The body washes itself. It washes its muscular body with water, then lathers soap on it. The body cleans everywhere, including the nether regions. Walid feels a slight pain as that area is stil a bit overstretched from yesterday. Walid can feel how clean his body is. And how it hurts to almost slip again from water puddles.

The body then pats itself dry with a towel. Walid tries wipe his face a bit more but the body doesn;t listen.

Ginger root, wipe my face!

[Alright, fine!]

Walid feels the intrinsic itch to his soul scratched for now. The body wears a tight T shirt and a sports trousers. Walid always feel comfortable wearing the trousers, but the tight T shirt is chafing his nipples.

Can we get a looser shirt?

[No, I always want to show off this awesome body.]

Walid would like to huff, but it only manifests as the word ‘huff’. He spies to the side of his eyes. There are numbers and letters, some jumbled.

Are those coordinates, distance in kilometers, and name of The Doctor?

[Yes! Now be quite and observe!]

The body hails a Grab and calmly enters the car. The body chats with the driver a bit. Walid thinks the mouth is moving but the language isn’t what he is used to.

“Ni de shangban meiyou mang ma?”

“Aiya, zui mang! Quanbu ren bu yao mai che, he quanbu de shangdian hen yuan la!”

And they both laughed. This son of a bitchy ginger root, he actually knows Mandarin!

The chat ends as the car arrived before the clinic. The sign says ‘The Doctor’s Swig’. This isn’t a clinic, this is a bloody pub.

Wait! I am a Muslim, I can’t drink alcohol.

[Oh come on, we’re meeting a doctor, not drinking!]

This is a pub!

[Oh god, just watch!]

The ginger root moves the body. Well, the insides is a pub. People are eating sunflower seeds and pistachios while watching the news. And drinking beer. There is a blackboard with a chalk drawn picture of a jar and ‘Lihing Limited Edition’ hanging above the bartender’s head.

“Bear with me bro, I need a help.”

The bartender winks. “What help?”

“Health Care.”

“One sec.” The bartender gives a call. “Number?”

Ginger root gives a small paper. The bartender whispers to the phone, and burns the small paper. The bartender then whispers to Ginger Root. “The Doctor is available now. Please come in.”

The Ginger Root smiles and nods. The back of the pub has three doors. Two unisex toilets and one closet. Ginger Root presses the code and the closet door opens. He enters the room, which is littered with brooms, mops, and scoops for the dust. Ginger Root places his hand on a brick, and pushes. A door swings open, away from the body. The body bravely marches through the darkness.

The dark path isn’t very dark to Walid, but he’s still afraid. He instinctively makes command to jerk his foot, but the body remains stoic, moving forward without flinching. They make their way down some stairs and more dark alleys, some branching.

Ginger Root, where are you taking me?

[Oh I’m Ginger Root now? Well, like I always said, just watch. We have a checkup AND a job.]

Walid is too afraid to complain further.

The darkness ends at the end of the tunnel, where the body pulls the door open. Inside is a room. Bodies of men and women are hung, suspended from the ceiling with ropes and hooks.

AAAAAAAHHHHH!

[Stop shouting, I almost jumped!]

A young man, barely 20, rushes forward and shakes the body’s hand with much enthusiasm. “I am always honoured to service you sir.”

“Hello to you too. Please check this body first.”

“Yes, this way.” The room of bodies gave way to a few beds. Ginger Root lies the body on an empty bed, the eyes pointing upward.

“Sir, we are about to begin checkup. Please leave the body.”

And Walid lose consciousness.

SYNCHRONISING NERVOUS SYSTEM... 100%

SYSTEM ERROR? ... RESOLVING... 100%

MUSCLE MOVEMENT? 100%

AUDITORY SYSTEM? 100%

VISUAL SYSTEM? 100%

TOUCH INPUT? 100%

STARTING AUXILIARY FUNCTION...

AUXILIARY FUNCTION ON. ERROR?

...

NONE. SYSTEM STARTING.

Walid finds himself still unable to control his body. The body is strapping some belts and pouches.

Wait, what time is it?

[10 am. We have a mission. Rescuing hostages.]

Wait, I am not a soldier!

[I am. Sit tight, you’re my mecha. Switching off auditory output, Auxilia HI.]

Wait, don’t shut me... And Walid can only see and think, not form words. The eyes emits a small screen of the ginger root. His face like an odd, jagged, jack-o-lantern, but Walid doesn’t feel a thing from it.

[I need you to listen closely. I am on a high risk mission to rescue fellow, well, ‘ginger roots’. They are stuck in some continents away. You must trust me that I will bring us alive okay.]

Walid would like to say yes, if only from desperation.

[We may get injured. Yes, even me in this cockpit. You will have extra functions in the fight, but mostly for your brainpower. Just remember, even if you lost all four limbs, you can be repaired.]

[Switching on auditory output, Auxilia HI.]

I thought I was human! Well... if I survive whatever comes, I need a lot of questions answered.

[OK, fair enough. I need to concentrate, so... Switching off auditory output, Auxilia HI]

Ginger Root meets with a few other people. Men and women, they are well-equipped with weapons and body armour.

“Listen up, our hostage situation has turned sour. The kidnappers decided not to further negotiations, and will kill all hostages this midnight. We have to save them. We do not have to kill all of the kidnappers, but we will kill anyone standing in our way. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir!” Their voiced are lowered, but their voice are filled with fire.

“Good. We Drive Humanity Forward...”

“... So Our Survival’s Assured!”

The team raced to a truck and is driven to an abandoned building. There they dismounted and fan out to secure the perimeter. “The police has been notified of our mission and they will not stand in our way. If you see any uninfected policeman, rescue them. Reports shown that some are held hostage after a failed assault.”

“Our target is 200 meters southwest. We will have to secure a rooftop entry, Damit. Then, Hamidah, Rizal, Shafwan, you three enter first and get a foot hold. We will enter as soon as it’s clear.”

The team races to the top of the abandoned building. To the southwest, they could see three men chatting and drinking coffee on a rooftop balcony. Damit scopes with the sniper rifle. “Three men, mostly bored.”

“Are they armed?”

“No, I don’t think so, Ikhlas.”

Walid knows the name doesn’t refer to him, but Ginger Root. Ikhlas eh?

Ikhlas looks intently with a binocular. “They are, I could see their rifles resting on the wall, behind the sitting man drinking.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Shoot the sitting man first. Then the two.”

Damit pushes the sniper stock close to his shoulder, aims at the sitting man’s neck. He holds his breath, and shoots.

The sitting man falls on the rifles and the two other fumbles to grab their guns. Damit shoots their heads clean off with one shot.

“Double headshot at 200 meters. Easy gg lol.”

Damit sighs. “That isn’t how humans speak.”

Ikhlas writes down the kills. “I know. Still funny though. Shafwan, the rappel.”

Shafwan shoots the rappel rope with his crossbow. The bolt buries deep into the wall. Shafwan slides down first, with some equipment. The others slide down one by one, Ikhlas being the last. They switched equipment amongst each other, as they had carried others’ equipments too.

Walid sees the map screen appear before his eyes. Ikhlas gives the signal to huddle.

“Everyone have maps and possible enemies?”

Everyone nodded.

“We stick together. Rizal at front, Shafwan and Hamidah center, me and Damit behind. Get to the target, fight our way out to the ground floor. Then we evacuate.”

Ikhlas points at the door. Rizal rammed the door with the butt of his gun and the rest streamed in. They move quickly downstairs, but stop before the first door facing the stairs. Two gunmen gets out from the door, laughing along the way. Rizal throws a smoke grenade.

Instead of shouting ‘Boogies’ or something, the two writhed in agony. Their bodies twist and turn, coughing out blood and mucus. Soon, some organisms escape their mouth. It tries to wipe itself clean from the smoke, but it drops as it shouts a small screech of pain.

The two gunmen lays unconscious. Ikhlas’ team moves forward. A few minutes later, they are stopped by three kidnappers running to them. The team manages to take cover behind the walls as the kidnappers shoot to kill. They only stop to reload.

Shafwan takes the opportunity to shoot them in the head, but they do not drop. Instead, they keep firing. Shafwan remains unfazed as a bullet rips through his right upper arm. Some wires frayed out, but his movement isn’t hindered as he reload. Hamidah is about to throw another smoke grenade, but Ikhlas stopped her. Ikhlas waits until they reload again, and turns to shoot.

He aimed at the stomach of the kidnappers. They drop dead as soon as the bullet hits them. Damit moves forward and pumps another bullet in the temple to each of them. Rizal takes the forward position and the team keeps moving forward.

Rizal raises his fist, a signal to move forward. They stopped before the turn of a hallway. Rizal watches the other side with a mirror. “Four men. Standing guard.”

Ikhlas nods to Hamidah. She hands over a defragmentation grenade to Rizal. Rizal removes the pin and moves forward to throw it. The four guards points the gun at Rizal.

They centered their fire Rizal’s head, but Rizal ducks while throwing. Instead, his right arm is severely riddled with holes as the grenade flies. The four is about to jump, but the grenade explodes. The four disintegrated into the smoke. Ikhlas’ team fires forward, as Rizal slings his rifle. He looks at the uselessly hanging right hand. He rips it off. The fingers wiggle uncontrollably as the hand is separated from the body. Rizal holds his rifle on the left hand and joins Ikhlas.

Ikhlas leads the team forward. There seems to be no more kidnappers left. It’s... too quiet. Walid begins to feel uneasy. He wants to ask Ikhlas what is going on, but he can’t say anything. They entered an open courtyard, with doors flanking it.

The silence is finally interrupted a few minutes later. Two kidnappers storm out of a door, but Ikhlas manages to shoot them both before they could open fire. Ikhlas is about to walk forward to the target area, but he is suddenly thrown away by an explosion. Ikhlas almost lands at the other side of the courtyard wall.

A large man, about 9 feet tall appears before the team. Rizal fires his rifle at the man’s face. Its face is chipped away as the bullets ricochet off from the metallic skeleton. The rest pumps their gun dry to the robot. But all their bullets do not even dent it.

Hamidah jumps to give the man a flying kick. Her shin hits his neck. The man calmly grabs her leg and throws her straight through a wall. Shafwan jumps to the man’s shoulders, stand on it, and pumps a new magazine worth of bullets between the chest and the shoulder blade. The man grabs Shafwan and slams him a few times. Sounds of twisting metal can be heard from Shafwan’s body as he tries to stab and sever the wires in the robot’s hands. The robot throws Shafwan and he is impaled on a pole by the left chest. Shafwan tries to remove himself.

The robot is shaking, it finds itself hard to straighten its body. The robot walks to Shafwan, but he isn’t as fast as he was a few minutes ago.

Rizal and Hamidah pumps more bullets into the robot. But this time, they try to aim at the joints. Hamidah fires all her bullets into the left knee, circling to the front and back. The robot swings his fists to Hamidah but Hamidah can easily evade the robot. Rizal aimed at robot’s right shoulder. The robot turns his attention to Rizal and is preparing to launch himself to him.

The robot sprints towards Rizal. Rizal turns to run away, and the robot is running at full force.

Suddenly, the robot’s trajectory is thwarted by a shot to his head. Damit fires more sniper rounds at the robot. The robot turns and runs towards Damit. He holds his ground, but the robot still charges forward.

Ikhlas bodily throws himself at the robot, pushing the robot away. The robot is flat on its back, and Ikhlas desperately tries to reach his shotgun. The robot grabs him by the leg, and pulls Ikhlas towards him.

Walid feels all the past actions of his flood back to him. His killings of animals, his bullying of other kids, his angry rants against his parents’ He wants to say sorry for all he has done, and he can’t even say in it his inner voice!

Ikhlas the Ginger Root is sweating in its cockpit. He can feel all the anguish that Walid has. Added to his own, he is almost mad from all this. None of his training ever prepared him for this, and none of his experiences ever will. What can he do?

The robot tries to stand, but the connections in its body is too damaged to command his legs for the proper procedure. Instead, the legs dig into the soil erratically. The robot grabs Ikhlas by the neck and raises him up.

“Damit, its elbow!”

Damit aims at the elbow. The robot’s right hand plops uselessly as the bullet hits the joint but Ikhlas still can’t remove himself. He drags the robot’s right hand with him as the robot tightens its grip. But the grip gets looser and looser with each wire ripped from the robot’s hand. Ikhlas’ team gives the robot a wide berth.

The robot tries to stand up with its remaining appendages. But it only ends up wriggling and writhing.

Ikhlas looks for something in his back pouch. “Hamidah, you have anymore grenades?”

“I only have two, and it’s all used up.”

Shafwan has extracted himself from the pole. He hands to Ikhlas one smoke grenade.

Ikhlas throws the grenade to the robot, and it gives out a lot of smoke. When the smoke clears, the robot is still writhing.

“We have to deactivate it, it’s not an exosuit.”

Damit pumps a few sniper rounds to the robot’s left shoulder joint. Shafwan ties his bayonet to a stick and cuts all the wires from a few feet away, far from the robot’s grip. The robot’s hand almost come dangerously close to snatching the stick, but Shafwan deftly retracts it. Soon, the robot is uselessly moving its appendages. Rizal steps forward and jams his left hand to the robot’s neck. He pulls the here and there a bit, and soon the robot stops writhing. Its eyes loses its blue colour, fading to transparent black.

The hostages are brought outside by Shafwan, while Damit checks the perimeter. “It seems like all the kidnappers are dead or have fled. The hostages are just behind me.”

One of the hostages rushes forward to hold Ikhlas’ hands. Ikhlas raises his hands to meet it, but the right hand doesn’t budge.

The hostage looks at Ikhlas’ right hand. Shee shakes her head, but then shakes Ikhlas’ left hand vigourously. “All you have risked your lives to save us. I assure you, the High Root will reward your team well.”

“Thank you, madam, but we aren’t necessarily in the clear yet. We should get out of here quickly.”

They allow the hostages to leave from the front door. The police receives them and hands them to the healthcare unit stationed behind the blockade. Ikhlas’ team goes to the back gate. Along the way, they passed through one of the guard’s body. One being of goo is breathing weakly as the body writhes weakly.

“This... isn’t... over... We... will... be... victors...”

“It never is.” Ikhlas shoots the goo with his pistol.

The team gets into the extraction truck. Rizal holds his severed hand, while Damit ogles Shafwan’s large hole in the chest. Shafwan slaps Damit’s hands as he try to touch his dangling wires.

[Switching on auditory output, Auxilia HI.]

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

Aaa... Aaa... Aaa...

Walid could hear a small screeching on the screen. Is that the ginger root shouting too or the echo in the suit?

[Well, any questions?]

Lots. Wh... Well, what the fuck? I’m a robot? Was my memory real? Did I signed a waiver? Why does all this have anything to do with me?

[Your body is a robot. Your mind is from a human brain, taken from your body. You signed a waiver, but it’s because you are losing all use of legs and hands. It had nothing to do with you, you are just my mecha. Your service to us is how you pay back for the surgery. You also get some money on the side, but from bonuses or bounties.]

Bonuses? Bounties? So I am what, an army equipment? Whose army?

[Yeah. You’re a medium grade military equipment. We are the military arm of Court of Mother Zingiber, Grand Commandery of Lady Goddess Halya of Earth. We have branches in other planets. But in recent centuries, battles are mostly forged here.]

[That goo organism you see is one of our enemies. Just call them Oozes of Doom. As if we want to call them by their regal name, hah!]

So, what happens to me?

[You will be repaired of course. I always intended for you to know about this sooner or later. Having a human on our side helps us to blend in. We can mimic human behaviour, but we aren’t always successful.]

This is too much for me to take in now. You’re in charge I guess, Ikhlas. But can I ask one thing?

[What is it?]

I want to be conscious to see the repairs. I need to see for myself what I am.

[Okay.]

Ikhlas takes the body down to The Doctor. Walid sees the ginger root climb out of his abdomen. The Doctor sets up the machinery as they chat. The language isn’t like any on Earth, so Walid stopped bothering to listen.

The Doctor then starts checking Walid’s right hand. He massages the hand to find where to slice, and starts slicing. Soon Wires are pulled out, reattached, and returned into the body. The Doctor continues with repairing the rest of the bullet injuries. Finally, the damaged body tissue are removed and pastes of new body cells are placed on spots.

The operation as a whole is quite soothing. Walid doesn’t feel any pain, and The Doctor’s movements are as smooth as silk. Soon, Walid’s body is as good as new. Walid extends his right palm to Ikhlas and Ikhlas creeps on to the palm of his hand.

“So that’s how I got my muscular body.”

“These days. Even before the surgery, you’re rather muscular.”

Why I didn’t remembered that? But Walid remembers another thing.

“Why I didn’t feel pain during the firefight just now, but I felt pain from my fall yesterday?’

“Pain reception can be switched on and off. Usually when we take over the body from you, we shut off the pain reception so you won’t go mad from it.”

“Can you make it stay off?”

“No, we want to blend in, and includes you having to feel pain in normal life situations. Can I get into your body now?”

Walid shrugged. “Sure.”

The ginger root presses some buttons on a small key that he holds. Walid’s stomach split into two, and door hinges opento both sides. A small podium with a seat extends out. Walid places his palm before the podium and Ikhlas takes his seat. He presses a button, and the podium pulls back in and Walid’s stomach closes shut.

Walid can move his body again. “Hey, Ikhlas, you there?”

Yeah. Enjoy your bodily autonomy for now. We may be called for next mission later.

Walid sighs. Now he has two jobs, one a part-time back breaking work, and the other a part-time body-breaking work. At least this one has good healthcare benefits.

The team is escorted by The Doctor to a door. “Well, this is goodbye for now. I am always honoured to service you. Your pay will be sent to your accounts by this week. And here are the MCs you require should your bosses question you.”

Walid takes a piece of paper from The Doctor. An MC from... Yang Yang and Co. Clinic?

Walid fishes out his handphone from the pocket. Funny how it survived the carnage. Walid hails a Grab and lets the car carry him to his flat.

#robots #alien exosuit #cyborg #male asfr #asfr #scifi

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roadtoslamdunk · 5 years

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Day 16.

Alright, it’s actually today.

March 13. Weight: 96.05kg Steps: 2,359

Workout: BB SQUAT 3 x12 @ 40kg + bar / 45kg + bar / 55kg + bar Kettle Bell Dead Light 4x12 @ 20kg Prone Leg Curl 4x12 @ 32kg / 45kg / 45kg / 45kg Leg Extension 4x12 @ 32kg / 32kg / 45kg / 45kg Food: Tomato & Basil Tuna 95g Lemon & Pepper Tuna 95g 2 x Wholemeal Wrap Bread Homemade Mushroom Soup 1 Litre Homemade Zucchini Slice 4 Slices Long Black Latte Wheat Crackers 2 serves 200g Greek Yoghurt Garden Grown Tomatoes & Cucumber 2L of Water I went a little bit easy on todays workout because i seen to have a recurring lower back thing and i don’t wanna not be able to move, so i might need to change up my leg days if it becomes a issue, which it seems to be.

Went to visit my parents for dinner and their house is my vice. I have a bad habit of just absolutely raiding their pantry for anything i can find to eat once i walk through the door haha, its always a test on my will whenever I got over. My mum cooks the best food and its always hard to say no, or stop when you know you’ve had enough.

Today my fast ended at 18 hours, it feels good to be back in the groove. My daily calorie intake hovers between 1700-1900 calories a day. It does vary depending on a few things like activity, if i’m meeting friends for dinner, if i have band practice or even if i’m staying in bed and watching tv all night. I still wanna live my life i’m just watching it closely and trying not to over do it if i can avoid it.

Bassy <3

#fitness #goals #weightloss #slamdunk #food #bassy #intermittentfasting

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gold-from-straw · 5 years

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Full fic on AO3 - chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Chapter 10 - Christmas fluff! Only a teeny bit of angst, don’t let the first words fool you...

“I hate her,” Credence hissed on Christmas Eve. They were lying on the sofa bed, Harry staring out of the window at the bare branches of the rowan tree outside, wondering how much longer he could stay there before having to creep back into his own bed.

He rolled over and stroked Credence’s shoulder, rigid with fury. “I hate her,” Credence said again, and he could hear how his jaw was clenched, the words hissed out between his teeth.

“You’re allowed to hate her,” Harry said.

He rolled over and glared at him, but there was a fear not far beneath the fury burning there. “I hate her so much, I could… I could kill her.”

Harry raised his eyebrows, his glasses shifting uncomfortably, trapped by the pillow. “You know, you can’t scare me off like that. I hate her too.”

The hard mask faded away, leaving his sad eyes begging Harry for something. He didn’t know what, so he leaned forwards and kissed him.

“You don’t think it’s evil? To hate your own mother?” he whispered.

“Of course not. She’s the evil one! She hurt you, Credence, she hurt you for years, it’s a miracle you came out of there as kind and caring as you are.”

“I should have got out earlier.”

“How?” he asked. “Where would you have gone?”

“I should have been stronger—“

“You were a child. I mean, legally we still are, I guess. But you survived, and that’s amazing - that’s so strong. You came through the other side and you’re hurt, but you’re here. You know how awesome you are?”

Credence looked at him for a long moment. Then he shifted closer, took Harry’s glasses off and kissed him again, lifting himself up on his elbow and covering him, chest to chest. Harry gasped into the kiss and dug his fingers into his hair, luxuriating in the feeling of having him safe and strong and free and here. When he pulled back he was breathing hard, his face burning. “We’re going to get in so much trouble if we carry on like that.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly, and pulled back, tucking himself in on his front so there was a good foot of mattress and duvet between them.

Harry regretted speaking immediately. “You don’t have to go that far.”

“Yeah, I do,” he whispered, smiling up at him. “You’re supposed to be in your own bed, anyway.”

Harry rolled his eyes and took his glasses back. “Fine, I guess. If you’re going to be the sensible one.”

“You started it.”

He was pretty sure he had something smart to say back. But when he saw the moonlight falling on Credence’s pale skin, casting shadows across his ethereal face, he forgot all of them. He reached out and linked their fingers together. Credence watched him with a small smile on his face, and stroked his knuckles with his thumb. They fell asleep smiling at each other.

***

“Wake up! Wake up, you sleepy heads!”

Harry blinked and winced as his glasses shifted, leaving a painful pressure point on the bridge of his nose and the bruise on his temple.

“It’s Christmas morning!” Sirius whisper-shrieked. “And you! You, Harry James Potter, are no fun whatsoever.”

“Huh?”

Sirius was standing at the foot of the sofa bed, pointing a bony, tattooed finger at him. “You’re supposed to be in your own bed so I can jump on you at 6am. That’s what we do. I can’t jump on you now! That’d mean I’m jumping on Credence’s bed too, and we don’t know each other well enough for that!”

“That’s not why they’re in trouble,” Remus called from the kitchen.

“Yes it is! That’s totally what the problem is with this situation, I don’t get to jump on Harry’s bed and wake him up on Christmas morning, it’s our thing!”

Remus appeared at the doorway, an apron on over his pyjamas already. “No, they’re in trouble because they’re teenage boyfriends and they’re not old enough to be sharing a bed.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Oh, like we weren’t sh—“

“Don’t you dare, Sirius!”

“—sharing a bed in a completely chaste manner at that age,” he said, blinking innocently. “Why, what did you think I was going to say, Remus?”

Remus narrowed his eyes and shook his head, but Harry could see the smile threatening under his mock stern face. Sirius turned back to them. “Well, get up then! Santa came last night!”

Harry laughed, because sure enough, the tree that had been bare the night before was now scattered with badly wrapped parcels. He scrambled out of bed and went to brush his teeth and pull on a dressing gown. By the time he came back, the bed had been folded back into a sofa, and Credence was sitting with his bandaged hand wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate, and the duvet draped over his shoulders. “I don’t know any of the traditions,” he whispered to Harry as he sat next to him, snuggling close.

“That’s OK,” Harry said back, kissing his cheek. “Just go along with Sirius and humour him.”

Remus brought out scrambled eggs on toast, followed by Sirius, whining loudly. “Breakfast before presents, Re? You’re so boring! Tell him, boys!” Harry laughed and took his plate. Sirius slumped onto the armchair sulkily. “You’re a traitor. What kind of kid are you? You should be tearing at the wrapping paper already!”

He looked at the fluffy, creamy egg on wholemeal toast and shook his head, chopping off a huge mouthful to cram into his mouth. Dudley had been like that, tearing through the mountain of presents under the tree before even considering breakfast. He’d then whined after breakfast if there weren’t more presents, and they’d usually be gone by eleven, off to Grandma Dursley’s for Christmas lunch, leaving Harry in peace. Christmas to him had always been cold and quiet, and he thought, looking around the sitting room now, that maybe that had been true for all of them.

Sirius, he knew, had spent his childhood in a cold, formal household, rigid and strict, where Christmas was opulent and impressive, but only for the guests. Remus barely talked about his childhood, but Harry knew he’d spent most of it in and out of hospital. And Credence… well, his every day had been a nightmare of tension and fear. Harry wanted to make Christmas bright and warm and loving, with silly little gifts and rich food and people who loved him.

He looked up at Sirius, who’d finished his own breakfast and was now bouncing on his chair, his eyes sparkling. He thought maybe he knew why Sirius always made such a big deal of Christmas for Harry.

“Come on then, Sirius,” he said, a grin spreading across his face as he swallowed the last of his egg. “Can we give out the presents now?”

They both looked at Remus who rolled his eyes and waved them on. They scrambled to their knees to the foot of the tree and pulled out the gifts, Harry’s heart rate picking up at the performance. “Credence, here’s one for you!”

Credence almost choked. “Wh- me? But I—“

“It’s from Remy and me,” Sirius said, whipping it out of Harry’s hand and passing it up.

“But… but—“

“You’re going to need it today,” Remus said, smiling fondly.

“Thank you,” he said, peeling the sellotape back in awe.

“Rip it!” Sirius yelled. Harry laughed and joined in, and they both cheered when Credence tore the paper.

He held up a fluffy green dressing gown, his eyes wide. “It’s like yours.”

Harry nodded and stroked the soft fabric of his own. “The house gets cold in the mornings, it’s not as well insulated as the Weasley’s.”

“And it’s a Black-Lupin-Potter household tradition to wear dressing gowns all day on Christmas,” Sirius nodded. “Well, now it’s a Black-Lupin-Potter-Barebone tradition, isn’t it?”

Credence’s head snapped to him and Harry thought he might cry. Instead, he stood up, letting the duvet slump behind him, and tugged the dressing gown on, snugging into it with his eyes shut in bliss. Harry had to admit to himself that he was starting to get a bit of a thing about seeing his boyfriend warm and safe.

“Come on, Harry,” Sirius said, snapping him out of it. “This one’s yours.”

***

Sirius and Remus were dozing in front of the telly, Sirius draped over Remus’ lap. There was soft jingle bell music every time the programme went to an advert, and the lights on the tree were flickering red to blue to green and back. Harry beckoned to Credence and the two boys crept out quietly.

Credence tucked his new dressing gown around him and took the hot chocolate Harry held out. They crammed their feet into their trainers and slipped the door open to the garden. The frost crunched underfoot and their breath condensed into thick clouds of white the moment it touched the frigid air. Harry shivered and looked up at the stars.

“No chance of snow,” he said. “Shame.”

“I don’t mind,” Credence shrugged. “It used to snow a lot in December back in New York. Just meant frostbite for us.”

“When it snows here, we’ll go out and enjoy it,” he promised. “Make some better memories.”

“You already have,” he said, nudging Harry and pressing his cold nose into his neck.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispered, gripping his dressing gown.

“Me too. I never thought this was possible. I thought it was a pipe dream, that… that family like this wasn’t meant for someone like me.”

Harry couldn’t find the words, couldn’t push them past the prickling in his throat. Instead he kissed Credence, cold lips and warm tongues brushing and pressing. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered.

“Merry Christmas, Harry.”

#my writing #harry/credence #Stop me in Hours of Darkness #fluff #angst #christmas #child abuse #well that's an interesting collection of tags

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ssportlive4 · 3 years

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Homemade Fish Tacos. This is the page for Homemade Fish Taco, and it should not be confused with Fish Taco. Homemade Baja taste, with fresh pico de gallo. This item never drops any seeds.

The fish—we use cod, but any flaky variety works—marinates in a mixture of lime juice, chili powder. While they are no hard rules for an authentic SD fish taco - I believe a few things are key. A nicely battered & crispy outside, a moist & tender inside.

Hello everybody, it is Drew, welcome to my recipe page. Today, I'm gonna show you how to prepare a distinctive dish, homemade fish tacos. One of my favorites food recipes. For mine, I am going to make it a little bit tasty. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

This is the page for Homemade Fish Taco, and it should not be confused with Fish Taco. Homemade Baja taste, with fresh pico de gallo. This item never drops any seeds.

Homemade Fish Tacos is one of the most favored of current trending meals in the world. It's enjoyed by millions every day. It's simple, it is fast, it tastes yummy. Homemade Fish Tacos is something that I have loved my entire life. They're nice and they look wonderful.

To get started with this particular recipe, we have to first prepare a few ingredients. You can have homemade fish tacos using 34 ingredients and 8 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.

The ingredients needed to make Homemade Fish Tacos:

{Make ready of Rub/Seasoning (Tajin style Copycat).

{Get 1 tbsp of paprika.

{Get 1/2 tsp of ground cumin.

{Make ready 1/4 tsp of garlic powder.

{Make ready 1/4 tsp of onion powder.

{Make ready 1/4 tsp of ground coriander.

{Take 1/4 tsp of salt.

{Take 1/4 tsp of chilli or cayenne pepper.

{Get 1/8 tsp of sugar.

{Get 2-3 tsp of lime juice.

{Take of Fish.

{Take 3 of large or 4 smaller cod pieces.

{Prepare 1/2 tsp of cumin.

{Take 1/2 tsp of salt.

{Take 1-2 tbsp of olive oil.

{Get of Sauce.

{Get 1/4 cup of Greek fat yogurt.

{Prepare 3 tbsp of light or fat-free mayonnaise.

{Take 1 tbsp of lime juice.

{Make ready 1-2 tbsp of water, to thin the sauce out.

{Get 3/4 tsp of chilli and lime salt or seasoning mix.

{Take of Salt to taste.

{Take of Slaw.

{Prepare 1/4 cup of chopped coriander.

{Make ready 1 cup (70 g) of white cabbage, sliced.

{Take 1 cup (70 g) of red cabbage, sliced.

{Make ready 1/4 cup of (1 small) carrot.

{Take 1 tbsp of olive oil.

{Take 1 tbsp of lime juice.

{Make ready of Salt to taste.

{Make ready of To assemble.

{Make ready 8 of tortillas, I used wholemeal.

{Prepare of Lime wedges (optional).

{Prepare of Pickles.

I had tilapia fish tacos last week from a restaurant in Wisconsin Dells. The tilapia was baked, and cut into. A recipe for homemade fish tacos using fresh fish, cilantro lime rice, Chipotle Aoli and topped with Pico de Gallo. Fish Taco Recipe: How to Make Fish Tacos at Home.

Instructions to make Homemade Fish Tacos:

For the rub, the recipe originally calls for a chilli and lime seasoning so any similar shop brought seasonings will do. To make it you basically mix it all together into a paste and set aside till needed..

For the fish cut into smaller pieces if the fillets are big. season using the rub and add the rest of the ingredients. I chose to keep the skin on but that's optional I also like to marinade it and keep it in the fridge for a few hours beforehand but it can be marinated just before frying..

For the sauce mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl, cover and place in fridge till needed. I used a type of salt mix and added extra chilli powder to the sauce. Set.

For the slaw mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and keep in fridge until needed..

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes beforehand to 200c..

Air-fry the fish 6-10 minutes, turning once. Alternatively pan fried it for 5-6 minutes on each side..

Char the tortillas over an open flame or in a dry pan for 30 seconds to a minute on each side. Keep them warm while the rest are charring..

Assemble the tacos by placing slaw at the bottom then top with fish and drizzle with the sauce..

The Best Types of Fish for Tacos. The key to mastering homemade fish tacos is all about achieving the light, airy, and satisfyingly crisp exterior on the fish. Most restaurants do that by deep-frying, but we knew there had to be an easier. Homemade guacamole is not as challenging as it sounds, I promise! You can mix up a batch in just a few moments.

So that is going to wrap it up with this special food homemade fish tacos recipe. Thank you very much for reading. I am confident that you can make this at home. There's gonna be more interesting food in home recipes coming up. Remember to save this page on your browser, and share it to your loved ones, colleague and friends. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!

#recipesfood

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suzieb-fit · 2 years

Text

I fancied an omelette for lunch today.

Not had one in a very long time.

And I wanted it to be a bit different than the usual ham or tuna.

So I got a small tin of anchovies.

I added cheese and spring onion, and drizzled a little mayo on the wholemeal wrap before folding it over.

Now, whilst I'll admit I have tinned anchovies so rarely that I keep forgetting how salty they are (😳😂😂), I really enjoyed it.

Excellent lunch. But yeah, where's my mug of tea......

#fitspo #fitspiration #fitblr #fitness #healthy living #health and fitness #fitness-by-suzie #health and nutrition #diet and nutrition

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a-kind-of-truth · 6 years

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Do you take prompts perchance? I was wondering if you could find it interesting to write about a university superhero AU where Anna has a crush on Elsa who's this shy awkward thing that actually likes her back but can only find the confidence to show it when she's behind her mask but Anna is kind of annoyed at having a superhero admirer trying to dazzle her (Anna thinking she's being played) So there's tons of misunderstandings and awkwardness and Anna trying not to be saved from trivial things.

Why yes, yes I do love to take prompts and here’s my quick take on that.

She hated heights, she was terrified of them. Anything higher than five stories with a view had her hyperventilating. Her tendency to fall, and be thrown off of, from heights meant she avoided them like they were her doom. Because she sincerely, and reasonably, believed one day they would be.

But super villains were assholes, Especially when they found out your deepest fears.

So here she was on a school day morning, when she would rather be enjoying the tender mercies of her insane work load, hanging by her shoulder from the grand asshole’s grip himself, Conquest, “Tick tock Ice Queen! Tick. Tock.”

Anna looked, noticing the Ice Queen. She had to be too far away, had to. THis time… this time it was a race she would lose.

Then gravity made her it’s bitch and she was falling and screaming and possibly doomed to die at the sudden stop. Anna tried to grab the edge of the building. She really did. But with a supervillain projecting you like ten feet out into the air there wasn’t anything she could do. That and the whole screaming thing as her mind went blank in absolute terror.

But then something hit her side, and she was going sideways instead of down. With eyes full of tears she wrapped herself around her savior, praying that they didn’t drop her. Not until they were on terra firma.

“You really got to stop falling for me.” Anna ignored the one-liner, pushing her face into the cold uniform of the Ice Queen as she blocked out the vertigo and sight and anything but the thought of safety and being on the ground and being able to see Elsa again and maybe after this near-death experience she would finally get the balls to confess to the dork.

“And here’s our stop.” Anna felt herself placed down. The sweet firm earth, her worst enemy and greatest friend. Her legs were too wobbly and she fell onto her ass before the Ice Queen could catch her.

“Stay safe, we have a date. Coffee, my treat.” Anna just sat there, numbly nodding as the stranger booped her nose. She didn’t move until the Ice Queen ran off, probably to deal with Conquest. No, Anna was too busy freaking out. She almost died. AGAIN.

“You alright honey?” Anna looked up into the half mask of the Ice Queen. It was almost mirror bright and made of ice. She knew because after a whole year of getting rescued she had been up close and personal with most parts of the freezing uniform. Willingly or not.

“Just peachy.” The Ice Queen’s shoulders squared out from their hunched position, her hand held out.

“So, I do believe I owe you a coffee sweetcheeks?” Anna blinked and then frowned. NO, she was not going to let herself be pulled in. She wasn’t some cape chaser and it didn’t matter if she got rescued by one on a regular basis.

“I… I should be getting to school, thank you though.” Anna debuffed her for what had to be the… actually she had lost count. She had been rescued enough times that most newscasts were had an actual tally. She would have to look it up, then she could figure out just how many dates she had turned down from the flirtatious superhero.

“One day Anna you’re going to agree and you’re gonna have the night of your life!” The super heroine shrugged, laughing it off. The super heroine gestured with a hand, creating a deer of ice. With an effortless jump she was on and the two were off to God knew where.

“Sure, when hell freezes over.” Anna gruffed annoyed, shaking off the last of the adrenaline. School, it was almost time for her first course to start. She turned and booked it, knowing the busses would be twice as late after this whole damn fiasco.

It was just another day in the city of Heltopolis

Meanwhile the Ice Queen grabbed the trussed up Conquest and tossed him onto the deer. Not even bothering to secure him so he didn’t bounce. Or fall off once or twice. If he hadn’t been such a jerk she might have considered conjuring a sled, but no, he was trash so he got treated like it. She knew Conquest was well aware of Anna’s acrophobia. Next time they fought in front of a TV crew it was going to involve a giant ice spider. Let’s see how he liked it when people used his fears against him.

The tradeoff to the police was quick and efficient despite her fuming. And people avoided her, knowing what the little bundles of localized snow storm meant. Up to the point where she hid in one of her cubby holes. Located all around the city they always had a pair of clothes stashed. It hadn’t even helped when she realized that this cubby had the sweater she had been looking for the last few months. She was still ready to spit nails.

But then she gave a gesture and her uniform spiraled away. Her mask she took off wholemeal. Now just as Elsa Winters she felt a lot of her bravado die. Conquest was a superhero and if he caught her without it she couldn’t do much but...ha, freeze. Without it she was just a random bystander with the power to destroy the local ecosystem.

The Ice Queen was the real hero in control and the only reason she knew anything about Anna. The mask was the only reason she had the guts to even try and ask her out. Or flirt. Or even talk to her without her cheeks starting a fire. She really should leave off, Anna was starting to get testy with the flirting. But it was so darn hard, her mouth just opened and it all came out!

Elsa sighed as she let the mask dissipate.

One quick coffee detour later she was sitting in her seat and ready to force herself to concentrate through sheer willpower. Being a core class it was one of the few time she saw Anna outside of work. She tried to be subtle but eventually even purposely looking she couldn’t find the familiar head of red hair.

Maybe she had skipped today? She had been tossed off a building after all… She really did need to try harder to get to the villains before they got a hand on a person. She really did suck at this super heroine business didn’t she? The hero Average Joe never had to deal with hostage situations. Or having his crush kidnapped over and over. Maybe she could talk him into taking over Anna duty? Anna wasn’t likely to get annoyed that he was rescuing her instead of-

“Psst, Elsa.” Elsa blinked, why was the voice so familiar? “Psst!”

Her eye drifted until it stopped on Anna, hiding under her desk, “Scoot over, I don’t want Mr. Hardass catching me.”

For a moment she just stared, eyes wide and mouth falling open, but Anna nudged her knee and she quickly scrabbled over. With her space free Anna popped out from under the table and quickly dropped her stuff on the table before the teacher could turn around and notice her impromptu appearance.

“Thanks Elsa, I owe you one.” Anna smiled and Elsa just felt her heart melt.

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emospritelet · 7 years

Text

Empty Corridors - Ch 14

Last chapter Gold and Lacey actually spent the night together (in their own uncommunicative way). So it seems as though things are looking up for them! *screams into pillow with frustration*

AO3 link

It took a moment or two to realise where she was.

The room was darker than she was used to, and she was very warm. Lacey shifted, feeling hot, damp skin pressed against her cheek, and the body beside her moved. She realised that she was half-draped across Gold, one leg between his and her face pushed into his neck. His scent was all over her, warm and familiar, and an arm held her in place as his chest rose and fell with his breath. She raised her head to glance up at him, her eyes adjusting to the darkness until she could make out his features, picked out in shades of deep blue. His breathing was quiet and even, and she let her head fall back onto the firm heat of his chest, feeling his am tighten around her instinctively as she moved. It felt nice, to lie curled up with someone. It felt almost safe, as though nothing could touch her while she was in his arms. Wanting to roll her eyes at her own imaginings, she settled down with a sigh. She could stay until morning.

It was light when she woke, the first glow of dawn seeping through the curtains, and Lacey blinked rapidly, stretching. There was a mild thumping in her head, a dryness in her mouth, and she grumbled a little as she remembered how many shots she had had. She didn’t feel nearly as bad as she usually did after a night out, so the water she had drunk must have helped.

She turned over, stretching out an arm, but the bed beside her was empty. The sheets were still warm, though, so wherever Gold was, he hadn’t been gone long. She pushed up, sliding out of bed and snatching up his discarded shirt to pull it on and trot to the bathroom.

The scent of fresh coffee was in the air, and once she had washed her hands and curled a lip at the streaks of mascara under her eyes, she padded downstairs. Gold was standing at the kitchen counter, clad in a pair of pyjama pants that he definitely hadn’t been wearing when they fell asleep, and a bathrobe in thick black damask silk, belted at the waist. His hair was wonderfully messy, his feet bare, and he turned to face her with a brief smile, his eyes gleaming with warmth.

“Morning,” he said. “Coffee?”

“God, yes!”

She leaned back against the counter as he poured them both a cup.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“Okay, considering. Man, Leroy can drink!”

“I thought you said that you and Miss Lucas were going out,” he said, and she pulled a face.

“Yeah, she dumped me to go and bang her on-off girlfriend,” she said. “No big deal, I mean I get it. Just lucky Leroy was in the mood to down some shots.”

He grinned at that, lifting the cup to take a sip.

“I could make you breakfast,” he suggested. Lacey wrinkled her nose.

“Better not. The kittens have been on their own all night and I should really get back and feed them.”

“It won’t take long.” He took another drink. “Toast and scrambled eggs, what do you say?”

Her stomach growled in interest, and Gold’s smile widened.

“Fine!” she sighed. “Scrambled eggs, huh?”

“I could show you how to make it,” he said. “If you like.”

“I can make scrambled eggs!” she said indignantly. “You just whisk ‘em and put ‘em in the microwave for a minute or so, it’s not exactly haute cuisine!”

Gold closed his eyes with what she thought was an expression of pain, but when he opened them again his face was clear.

“Well, that’s one way to do it, of course,” he acknowledged. “Would you let me show you the way my aunts taught me to make it?”

She eyed him a little suspiciously, but he hadn’t ridiculed her or insisted he knew best, so she nodded.

“Okay.”

He set down his coffee, turning to take out a glass bowl and put it on the counter. He then reached into one of the cupboards, removing a small frying pan and setting it on the stove.

“A non-stick pan’s best,” he said, turning on the heat. “There’s bread in the box there. Could you put some slices in the toaster?”

Lacey put down her coffee and went to take four slices of good wholemeal bread from the bread box. She set them in the toaster, pushing the lever down, and Gold nodded, reaching into one of the drawers. He handed her some cutlery, and she set it on the table.

“What’s next?” she asked.

“Whisk your eggs up in a bowl with some salt,” he said, taking three eggs from the earthenware bowl on the counter and juggling them with rapid flicks of his hands. Lacey giggled as he tried to catch them in one hand, cracking two of them.

“Shit!” he swore, tipping the contents into the glass bowl. “Okay, don’t try to be clever about it, just crack the bloody things as normal.”

He added another egg and a pinch of salt, and beat the mixture briskly with a fork. Lacey watched as he cut a large knob of butter and added it to the hot pan. It began to melt, spreading across the pan and frothing, and he turned down the heat before adding the beaten egg and grabbing a silicone spatula.

“Now all you need to do is stir it until it’s done,” he said, working the egg in loops and folds. “Could you butter the toast? This won’t take long.”

She took the hot toast and set it on plates, spreading butter over the thick slices, and watched as Gold stirred the eggs. They had grown paler as they solidified, and she noted how they didn’t stick to the pan. That would actually be easier than trying to clean the plastic dishes she used when she microwaved the stuff, she thought. She had seen the cooks at the diner do something similar, albeit on a larger scale, and she thought she could certainly give it a try. Gold turned off the heat, continuing to stir, and divided the soft, creamy eggs between the plates of buttered toast.

“It does look good,” she admitted, and his eyes crinkled as he smiled.

“Take a seat,” he said. “Black pepper?”

“Um - sure.”

She took her coffee and sat down at the kitchen table, watching as he ground a little black pepper over the eggs and set hers in front of her, turning to fetch his own. She picked up a fork and dug in. It was delicious, soft and creamy, rich with the butter, and she made a noise of contentment. Gold grinned as he sat opposite.

“I’ll take that as approval.”

She cut a piece of toast, loading it up with eggs and almost shoving it in her mouth. Butter made her fingers slippery, and she licked them clean, picking up her knife again.

“Are you working today?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“Day off, thank God,” she said. “I really need to get back and spend some time with the cats before they stop speaking to me.”

“I’m going to the shop,” he offered. “I can drive you.”

She looked up at him.

“It’s Sunday,” she said, and he shrugged.

“I have stocktaking to do.”

“You should live a little, Gold,” she remarked, cutting her toast. “All work and no play…”

“How many hours have you worked this week?” he asked mildly, and she sighed.

“That’s not because I love the job, that’s because I need to survive. Totally different.”

“Hmm.” He took a forkful of eggs, watching her. “How is it that you never went to college?”

“Couldn’t afford it,” she said bluntly. “Dad never put anything by for it, or if he had, he drank it before I left high school.”

“Well, did you take the SATs?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“No point,” she said brusquely. “Knew I couldn’t go, so why put myself through the stress?”

“Weren’t you curious about what kind of score you could get?”

Lacey pulled a face.

“Look, it wouldn’t have been a good outcome either way,” she said. “I could have gotten a crappy result and felt even worse than I already do, or a good result and felt bitter because I couldn’t do anything with it, you know?”

He opened his mouth, and she raised her fork, shaking her head.

“Anyway, I don’t want to talk about it,” she added. “Let me enjoy these delicious eggs in peace, okay?”

He smiled, a brief quirk of his lips, and turned his attention to his own breakfast. Lacey poked at her eggs, her appetite suddenly gone. She had never regretted her decision not to take the SATs, for the reasons she had given him. But the fact that she was only a high school graduate in a dead-end job bothered her more than she liked, particularly when she was seated across from the most powerful man in Storybrooke. She hated feeling inferior.

Think I’d be used to it by now, she thought dryly. It was true, she was used to giving herself a hard time, but few people realised the true lack of her self-esteem, hidden as it was behind the face she showed to the world. She could feel that it was starting to be different with him, and the thought was unnerving. The persona she had created for herself, the mask she wore, were at risk of slipping around him. She was in danger of letting him see the person behind the walls, the real Lacey that only her true friends knew. She was in danger of falling in love with him.

They finished their breakfast in near silence, Lacey lost in her own thoughts and Gold seemingly unwilling to disturb them. He drove her into town, parking up outside his shop, and she got out with a brief kiss to his cheek, telling him she’d see him around, or something equally casual. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked to her own apartment, and it made her shiver.

The kittens were delighted to see her, crawling over one another in their haste to be petted, and she talked nonsense to them as she set out food into their bowls, scratching their heads as they ate. She took a shower, wrapping herself in a fluffy robe, and made herself some coffee, huddled on the couch with her feet tucked under her. Her growing feelings for Gold were new and alarming, and she was finding it hard to process them, to understand what it was she truly felt.

Maybe it’s because he’s great in the sack, she thought. Maybe it’s nothing more meaningful than that.

She sighed, letting her head roll back against the cushions. Whatever she felt for him was moot. He had said the previous night that it didn’t mean anything, and he was right. Didn’t mean they couldn’t hang out or even bang every now and then; she just had to get over her crush. Have that whole ‘friends with benefits’ thing, however ridiculous the thought of the two of them being friends was. She took a sip of her coffee, the bitter liquid soothing, and made a decision to take him coffee and cake later that afternoon. Just to prove they could interact without her behaving like a lovesick idiot. She could act just as casual as he could.

She made her way over just after three, a cardboard tray carrying two cups of coffee in one hand and a paper bag with a piece of Granny’s double chocolate cake in the other. Ruby had given her a curious look when she saw that Lacey had ordered two coffees, but luckily the diner was busy and she hadn’t had time to ask the reason. Lacey had dressed in clothes more fitting to the cold weather than her usual diner outfit. Her tights were thick beneath a short, black wool dress and a tiny fitted leather jacket. She was even wearing a scarf, dark red wool wound around her throat. The bell above the door to the pawn shop jingled as she entered, and she noticed Gold standing on a set of steps at one of the shelves, a piece of china in his hand.

“Lacey,” he said, with a tiny smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“I brought you coffee and cake,” she said casually, setting the cups and the paper bag on the counter. “Got myself a coffee and figured you probably hadn’t left this place all day.”

He got down immediately and leaned on the counter with both hands, his cane resting against the wall behind him.

“It’s very kind of you.” He opened the bag, smiling at the contents. “My favourite. Would you like to share? We could sit down in the back room.”

“Nah, I can’t stay,” she said. “You made me breakfast, I brought you cake. Quid pro quo, right? It doesn’t mean anything serious.”

“I didn’t think it did,” he said, his face growing oddly blank. “It’s nice of you to think of me and bring some over, that’s all.”

“It’s just cake, Gold.”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “It seems so.”

There was a weird heaviness in the air, hanging between them, and she thought it was probably her fault. She tried for a lighter tone.

“Besides, I know what happens when you get me in that back room,” she said, grinning at him. “I can’t spend an hour bent over your bench, I have shit to do.”

He sent her a faint smile, a trace of the usual wicked glint in his eyes.

“I’m sure you have far more important things to be doing,” he said.

“Yeah, you too.” She bounced on her toes a little, still feeling uncomfortable.

“Not like either one of us is emotionally invested in this thing we have going, right?” she added, and he blinked at her.

“Right,” he said quietly.

Why did that hurt, deep in her chest? She had come over to tell him that she saw their relationship in the same casual light that he did. She knew that what they had couldn’t last, that he would tire of her and move on, just as her father said he would. Why did it hurt so much to have him confirm it? She shoved the thoughts away, concentrating on the counter in front of her. She could think about it later. Or not. Not thinking about it sounded even better. She turned away with her coffee in hand, walking slowly through the shop, glancing at the collection of things on the shelves: books and trinkets and vases.

“How come no one ever comes in here?” she asked, running a finger along one of the shelves.

“They come in to pay rent, or to make loan payments,” he said. “Or to pawn things, of course.”

“But you don’t sell the things they pawn,” she said, and he pointed.

“That vase you’re perilously close to knocking off its shelf is an item for sale,” he said. “It’s just that the market for antiques and fine jewellery is somewhat limited in this town, and we don’t get many summer visitors.”

“Don’t you use Ebay?” she asked, and he looked at her as though she was speaking a foreign language.

“No.”

“Why not?” She suddenly chuckled. “No, don’t tell me, I’ve seen your flip phone. I’m guessing you have about as much knowledge of technology as Leroy has of international diplomacy.”

“I like my flip phone,” he said defensively, and she laughed harder.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, for dramatic effect it’s great,” she said. “Remind me to get you an iPhone when I win the lottery.”

“I think not,” he said coldly, and she chuckled again.

“So, what about the Ebay thing?” she went on, after a moment of silence. “I’m serious. You’d shift a bunch of stuff.”

“And then I’d have to restock,” he said, and she shot him a look.

“Gold, I’ve seen your house,” she said patiently. “You have tons of stuff there. I didn’t even look in the basement yet, but I bet that’s full of more boxes of crap.”

He shifted his feet, his mouth flattening, and she snickered.

“Thought so. Seriously, you could make a killing.”

“I earn a very good living as it is,” he said, in a tone that didn’t invite further comment. She rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” she sighed. “Guess I’d better get going. I only came over to give you the cake.”

She turned back to face him properly, and he lifted a hand, a quelling gesture.

“A moment,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about what you said at breakfast.”

“What did I say?” she asked, suddenly wary, and he grasped his cane, walking out from behind the counter.

“You said you hadn’t taken your SATs because there was no point, because you couldn’t afford to go to college,” he said. “But there are lots of grants and scholarships, you know. Plenty of opportunities to apply for funding, when you have little income of your own.”

“Gold…”

She raised her eyes to the ceiling.

“I’m serious, Lacey,” he said. “You could do well, I’m sure of it.”

“Well, that makes one of us.”

He sighed, seemingly weary of her attitude.

“Surely it’s worth looking into.”

“Like I don’t already have enough to do with my life?” she said dryly, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I must have missed the part where you told me you loved working in the diner and couldn’t imagine ever doing anything else,” he said sarcastically. “How very remiss of me.”

“Yeah, well, most of the time we spend together ends up naked, so I guess there hasn’t been the opportunity to have deep conversations about the future,” she shot back, and he blinked.

“I - I still think you should consider it.”

His voice had changed again, becoming low and calm and careful, as though he was trying to reason with a stubborn toddler. It made her bristle.

“Maybe I don’t have time, mister, did you ever think about that?” she snapped, and he scowled.

“Well, maybe you should make time,” he said, the sharpness returning. “Unless of course you like slinging burgers for minimum wage.”

“Oh, you think I do that because I like it?” she demanded.

“No,” he said coldly. “I think you do it because it’s safe. Because you don’t have to think about it. Because you can bitch and whine to your friends about how dreadful your life is and all the while take no concrete steps to better yourself, when you’re more than capable of doing something you actually enjoy. Because not trying at all is easier than trying and failing.”

“How dare you!” She wanted to throw her coffee over him. “It’s easy for you, isn’t it? The guy who never had to worry about money in his life!”

“You know nothing about my life,” he said, his eyes flashing, and she curled her lip.

“Yeah, and I don’t want to,” she said. “Enjoy the coffee.”

She stomped out, almost slamming the door behind her. Bloody, bloody bloody man!

Gold watched her go, frustrated with himself as much as with her. What business was it of his if she wanted to waste her life? He picked up the coffee, taking a sip. The brew was dark and bitter, matching his mood, and he stomped into the back room to sit at his bench and drink it. He had once again failed to understand the beautiful, volatile mystery that was Lacey French.

Gold went home early, and slept poorly, a mixture of regret and indignation making his thoughts run in circles. It was a relief to wake in the grey dawn, grainy-eyed and aching, and once he had showered and shaved and drunk two cups of strong coffee he felt better. He dressed to suit his mood, in unrelieved black, and decided to walk to the shop, as it would give him more opportunities to scowl at people. Spying Lacey bustling through the diner with a tray of empty plates, he elected not to go in for his usual morning coffee. He was too tired to think of a clever response to anything she might have said to him.

Thankfully he had plenty to keep him busy in the form of chasing up late rent and loan payments, and being able to use a mix of sarcasm and intimidation made him feel better. As a result, Leroy Pitman barged into the shop at just after four, glowering at Gold before striding up to the counter.

“It’s all there,” he said gruffly, and Gold nodded, counting out the money.

“Excellent,” he said absently. “You’re paid up until next month.”

Leroy said nothing, and Gold looked up from his ledger with a frown.

“Was there something else?”

“I hear you told Lacey she should take her SATs,” said Leroy, and Gold frowned.

“She told you?” he asked, and Leroy shrugged.

“Well, there was a lot of ‘who the hell does he think he is?’ and ‘I don’t need another man telling me how to live my life’, but yeah. I got it out of her in the end.”

“She deserves better than waiting tables in this dump of a town,” grumbled Gold. “I wanted to help, that’s all.”

“By telling her what to do?”

Leroy was looking at him as though he was an idiot, and it was making him angry.

“By telling her there was nothing stopping her from going to college other than herself,” he snapped, and Leroy sucked air in over his teeth.

“Ouch,” he said, and Gold began to pace, irritated.

“Okay, so possibly I could have worded it more tactfully.”

“‘Possibly?’” said Leroy, and Gold winced.

“It’s not as though she’s remotely interested in my opinion, anyway,” he said, aware that he sounded bitter, and hating it.

Leroy curled his lip.

“You know, for an intelligent guy, you’re really fucking stupid,” he said, and Gold felt his nostrils flare.

“Would you care to rephrase that sentence into something that won’t make me evict you?” he said, in a freezing voice, and Leroy sighed.

“Look man, I don’t know what the hell’s going on between you two, and I’m not sure I want to,” he said. “But Lacey’s not what people think she is. She pretends she’s a hard-drinking, hard-loving - well, hardass. But she cares what people think. Those whose opinions matter, anyway.”

“Like who?” asked Gold suspiciously.

“Like her friends,” said Leroy patiently. “Me. Ruby. Granny. You, for some reason. Even her dad, although she’d never admit it. But she’s also stubborn as a mule.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” said Gold, voice dripping with sarcasm. “What’s your point?”

“My point is, you could be giving her the best advice in the world,” said Leroy. “But if she thinks you’re pushing her to do something, she’ll push back. She doesn’t do well with authority.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” said Gold dryly.

“So you have to change the way you go about it,” added Leroy. “Sounds to me like you care what happens to her, which makes you one of a select few in this place.”

Gold stayed silent, glowering, and Leroy rolled his eyes.

“Look, you need to approach things differently, is all I’m saying,” he said. “She won’t respond to threats, or orders, or you losing your damn temper.”

“I didn’t!” protested Gold, unable to believe he was being lectured by a hospital security guard with a bad attitude and a drink problem.

“Let her feel like she has some say in it,” said Leroy. “Like she has a choice, that’s all. That’s all she wants.”

A choice. Well, he could understand that. He’d been in enough situations where he’d had no choices of his own, after all.

“Thank you for the advice,” he said coldly. “Unsolicited though it was.”

Leroy grunted.

“Look, if you can convince her to make something more of her life, I’ll be your biggest fan,” he said. “You gonna write me a receipt for that payment, or are we gonna hug and confess our feelings?”

Gold glared at him, but picked up his pen. A choice, was it? He thought he had just the thing.

He thought about calling her, but in the end it was she that came to him, looking a little subdued and tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth in that adorable way she had. He tried to remember when he had started thinking of some of her traits as adorable, and found that he couldn’t. She walked slowly to the counter, looking unsure of herself, and he waited for her to speak.

“You - uh.” She looked over her shoulder, as if to make certain they were alone. “You didn’t come in the diner this morning.”

“No.” He clutched at the handle of his cane. “I was - well, I didn’t sleep much last night. I wasn’t fit for company.”

She shifted uncomfortably.

“Luckily it’s a day to chase up rent stragglers,” he added, “so I didn’t have to suffer too much of it.”

She smiled faintly, swivelling her right foot back and forth.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“Well, I’m sorry too,” he said, with a brief smile. “Perhaps we should try to be less defensive around one another.”

“Yeah, we could try that.”

She sounded dry, as though she thought it was wishful thinking. It probably was.

“I’m glad you came over,” he said. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What?” she asked, and he settled back on one foot.

“Lacey, would you like a job?” he asked, and she frowned at him.

“A job?”

“Yes.” He leaned on the counter, shaking his hair back. “You said I should open an Ebay shop. I’ve thought it over and I think you’re probably right.”

She sent him a smirk.

“Obviously.”

“But as you so eloquently said,” he went on, “I know as much about technology as Mr Pitman knows about international diplomacy. So I need someone to set it up and run it for me.”

She took a step closer, interest brightening her face.

“You - you want me to run it?” she said eagerly, and he shrugged.

“If you don’t, I’ll probably end up getting scammed by a Nigerian prince, or something.”

Lacey snorted. “Well, that’s true!”

“Then you’ll do it?” he asked, and she folded her arms.

“What are you paying?”

“To start with, fifteen an hour,” he said. “Full-time hours, and we’ll take it from there. If I’m pleased with what you’ve done at the end of two months, we can talk about a raise.”

Her eyes had widened at the mention of the wage. It was no doubt almost double what she was currently getting. After a moment, though, she looked unsure.

“Look, it won’t take me forty hours a week to run this thing,” she said. “Not after I first set it all up, anyway. It’s gonna be cataloguing everything that’ll be the real bitch. After that it’ll just be maintenance, monitoring sales, arranging shipping, that sort of thing.”

“Well, if the work slackens off, I’m sure I can find you something to do,” he said. “Are you interested or not?”

Her eyes narrowed then, and he pretended a lack of interest in her response, looking at his fingernails.

“You won’t find it weird?” she asked. “Me working here, after we’ve - well - after we’ve been - together?”

Gold gave her his most nonchalant shrug.

“I thought you weren’t emotionally invested.”

“I’m not,” she said quickly.

“Well then.”

He waited, wanting to drum his fingers on the counter impatiently, but keeping them clenched around the cane handle.

“Okay,” she said eventually. “I’d like to come and work for you. What’s my job title?”

“I don’t care,” he said. “Choose whatever you like. I’ll have an employment contract drawn up for you to look over.”

“A - right. Of course.” She looked at him shrewdly. “Do I get medical insurance?”

“Yes.”

“Cool.” She grinned at him, and he sent her a thin smile.

“There’s one other condition of you taking this post, however,” he said.

“And what’s that?” she asked suspiciously. His smile widened.

“Well, given that you didn’t study beyond high school, I need to be sure of the calibre of assistant I’m getting,” he said. “I’d like you to take the SATs.”

Lacey sighed, rolling her eyes.

“Gold…”

“What?” he asked. “It’s a reasonable request. I’ll pay for the tests. All you have to do is turn up and complete them to the best of your ability.”

“And if I don’t, I don’t get the job?” she asked. “This is low, even for you.”

“Oh, you’ll still get the job,” he assured her. “It just might make it more difficult when it comes to assess your pay, that’s all.”

“My pay?” she snapped. “You know how hard I work! I don’t see why this is necessary.”

“I do know how hard you work,” he agreed. “I also know that your resume probably reads ‘waitress: 2012 to present’, and therefore displays no experience in the role I propose.”

Lacey glared at him.

“You’re a bastard!”

“Yes, so I’ve been told,” he said, in a bored voice. “Repeatedly, I might add.”

“I don’t believe this…”

“Those are my terms, Miss French,” he said. “What do you think?”

She put her hands on her hips, looking him up and down, and he could almost see her mind working.

“You want to make any pay rise dependent on me taking the tests, huh?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm.” She pursed her lips. “Do you want to make a deal?”

Gold’s eyes narrowed.

“What kind of deal?”

“How about the better my score, the more of a pay rise I get,” she suggested, and he pretended to think about it, opening and closing his fingers on the cane.

“What is it you’re proposing?”

She looked at the ceiling, as though she was thinking about something, and he waited.

“Okay,” she said. “How about anything over 1200 and I get twenty bucks an hour?”

Gold snorted. “I think not. I might pay sixteen dollars an hour for that, but not twenty. Anything over 1500 and I might agree.”

“Oh, come on!”

She stamped her foot, but he gazed at her steadily, and she sighed.

“Fine, anything over 1300 then.”

“1450.”

“Bastard!”

Gold tutted, shaking his head with a twisted little smile, and Lacey sighed again.

“1350.”

“I’ll go as low as 1400, but that’s it,” he said sternly.

“Fine,” she said, a little sulkily. “1400. And you’re a manipulative little shit, has anyone ever told you that?”

“I believe you already know the answer to that.”

She huffed, pacing back and forth and muttering to herself, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Is it really so terrible?” he said mildly. “What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid!” she said immediately.

“Then what’s the problem?” he asked, and she stomped up to him, raising her chin.

“Fine! I’ll take the stupid tests, okay?”

“Excellent.” He smiled at her. “Then I’ll have the contract ready tomorrow.”

“Well, fuck you very much,” she drawled, and he showed his teeth.

“Some other time,” he said, and she stomped away again.

His grin broadened as he watched her go. One step closer to getting her to believe in herself. She was cross with him, of course, but he could live with that.

#golden lace fic #rumbelle fic #golden lace #fic: empty corridors #rumbelle

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strategicnet0 · 5 years

Text

What Did I Eat This Week? Fatgirlskinny Slimming World Food Diary

Happy Sunday 🙂 How is everyone? I am a happy girl as I had a 4lb loss this week. I am writing to you all today because I want to share with you my weekly food diary…

I receive emails on a weekly basis asking what I eat each week or asking why they aren’t losing weight? I do my best to offer advice on peoples food diaries but I cannot always answer everyone. So I thought putting together what I have eaten this week may give you all some ideas, or see where you might be going wrong…

Firstly let me give you a few tips/rules that I follow…

I do NOT eat Muller lights or flavoured yoghurts.. I only eat fat free greek style yoghurt.

I limit myself on fruit.. as I believe the extra sugar from fruit limits my weight loss. I receive emails from people who eat fruit all day long. Don’t get me wrong this may work for some but it doesn’t for me.

I track EVERYTHING… It is so easy to forget that cheeky Syn you had for lunch.

I very rarely use my full Syn allowance.

I don’t always use my Healthy Extra’s. Since SW introduced 2 HEA per day I often struggle to use these. I don’t drink tea/coffee so that doesn’t really help either.

Am I perfect? No… I don’t always stay on plan, I gain weight on our holidays and I cannot seem to get past my 4 stone loss! I always tell friends and family that I am excellent at telling everyone else how to lose weight but rubbish at doing it myself! But I do know how the SW plan works and how to lose weight with it. That is why you are here right?

One of the BIGGEST tips I can give you is to don’t go it alone. Either get your family involved, join a group or get on instagram and start posting your meals. Mrfatgirlskinny took a bit of persuading but once he got fully involved with the plan he realised that it just works and we enjoy cooking together. Sometimes he is served up some really weird dishes but he smiles sweetly and makes himself an omelette if it’s that bad. This plan is all about experimenting and trying new things. Otherwise you will become bored quickly and go off plan. Keep it interesting 🙂

To help me track my Syns I print my awesome Syn tracker guide each week and stick it in the kitchen.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT

Notes about the diary:

HEA – Means Healthy Extra A

HEB – Means Healthy Extra B

If you Click the highlighted links they will take you to the recipe or product.

Please check the Syn values, they are correct as far as I am aware or at time of article going live.

I don’t exercise at all other than day to day stuff and what I do at work which is very little.

DAY ONE

BREAKFAST: 40g Weetabix Chocolate Minis with Skimmed Milk – HEB and HEA.

LUNCH: Bannisters Baked Potato, 1/2 Tin Reduced Sugar Baked Beans with a side salad – 1 SYN.

DINNER: Chicken Fajita Pasta Recipe – SYN FREE.

SNACKS: Maryland Mini Cookies 19.8g – 5 SYNS.

TOTAL SYNS: 6 HEALTHY EXTRAS: 1 HEA and HEB

Delicious Chicken Fajita Chicken Pasta

DAY TWO

BREAKFAST: 40g Weetabix Chocolate Minis , Skimmed Milk and a chopped banana – HEB and HEA.

LUNCH: A delicious Salad with lettuce, tomato, chicken, sweetcorn, red pepper and boiled egg – SYN FREE.

DINNER: Double Cajun Beefburger with bacon and cheese, Kingsmill Wholemeal Roll, Syn Free Chips, 2 Corn On The Cobs and Spinach – HEA For Cheese, 8 SYNS for Roll.

SNACKS: 1 Banana, 1 Salted Caramel Alpen Light Bar (3 SYNS)

TOTAL SYNS: 11 HEALTHY EXTRAS: 2 HEA and HEB

DAY THREE

BREAKFAST: 2 Boiled Dippy Eggs with 3 Slices Kingsmill Crust Free – HEB

LUNCH: Pasta salad made with pasta, chicken, red pepper, sweetcorn, grated cheese and 1 Tablespoon Lighter than light mayonnaise – HEA and 1/2 A SYN

DINNER: Cheeky Nandos Fakeaway meal with Chicken, Rice, Syn free Chips, 1 Corn on the cob and Spinach – SYN FREE

SNACKS: 1/2 A chopped honeydew melon, 10 red seedless grapes, Maryland Mini Cookies 19.8g Bag (5 SYNS)

TOTAL SYNS: 5.5 HEALTHY EXTRAS: 1 HEA and HEB

Cheeky Nandos Fakeaway

DAY FOUR

BREAKFAST: 40g Weetabix Chocolate Minis with Skimmed Milk – HEB and HEA.

LUNCH: Leftover Pasta Salad mixed with 1 Tablespoon of lighter than light mayonnaise , Spinach and Tomatoes – 1/2 A SYN

DINNER: Cajun Chicken Burger topped with pulled chicken, Kingsmill wholemeal roll, Syn free Chips, 1 Corn on the cob and Spinach – 8 SYNS for roll.

SNACKS: 1 Banana, 1/2 Honeydew Melon mixed with Fat free greek style yoghurt, Chocolate Mousse (5.5 SYNS)

TOTAL SYNS: 14 HEALTHY EXTRAS: 1 HEA and HEB

DAY FIVE

BREAKFAST: 3 Sliced Kingsmill Crust Free, 2 Eggs fried eggs, 1 Large fried tomato, Spinach, 3 Bacon medallions, 1/4 Tin reduced sugar baked beans – HEB

LUNCH: Ham and spinach wrap made with 1 Lo Dough wrap and a banana – 2 SYNS

DINNER: Rustic Bacon Mac and Cheese with a side salad – 2 HEA

SNACKS: Double Chocolate Fibre one bar (4 SYNS), Philadelphia Light and tasty snack (5 SYNS)

TOTAL SYNS: 11 HEALTHY EXTRAS: 2 HEA and HEB

Rustic Bacon Mac And Cheese

DAY SIX

BREAKFAST: Belgian waffles made with HEB Oats, Waldens sugar free pancake syrup, 1 banana and a few raspberries – HEB, 1/2 Syn

LUNCH: A delicious Salad with lettuce, tomato, chicken, sweetcorn, red pepper, grated cheese and boiled egg – HEA

DINNER: Cheeky Nandos Fakeaway meal with Chicken, Rice, Syn free Chips, 1 Corn on the cob and Spinach – SYN FREE

SNACKS: 10 Red seedless grapes, 1/2 Honeydew melon mixed with fat free greek style yoghurt and 1 Carrot cake Fibre One bar (4 SYNS), 1 Chocolate Mini Milk ice lolly (1.5 SYNS)

TOTAL SYNS: 6 HEALTHY EXTRAS: 1 HEA and HEB

DAY SEVEN

BRUNCH: 3 Sliced Kingsmill Crust Free, 2 Eggs fried, 1/2 Tin Reduced sugar baked beans and 1 tomato – HEB

LUNCH: 1 Banana

DINNER: Roast Chicken, Syn free roast potatoes, 2 Yorkshire puddings, Carrot/swede mash, peas, gravy – 2 SYNS For Yorkshires, 3 Syns for gravy

SNACKS: 1 Strawberry Mini Milk ice lolly (1.5 SYNS)

TOTAL SYNS: 6.5 HEALTHY EXTRAS: HEB

TOTAL SYNS FOR WEEK: 60 / 105

I really hope this helps 🙂 If you have any luck following this plan, questions or comments please leave below. Remember I’m not perfect and I do eat a lot of the same things but this is how I lost weight this week.

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