Tiny bit sluggish again this morning but I slept really well and had really vivid dreams!

Had a bit more of my sugar ration (half a teaspoon) in my tea this morning as well as some milk so I had a really nice cuppa to start off my day! I’ve got enough milk and sugar for a proper cup of tea on Saturday and Sunday too.

Managed a bit of a workout, nothing too energetic, and have lost 1kg so far on this challenge. Suspect it’ll be 2kgs by the end of the week but we’ll see.

Had a late brekkie of rice and water. I cooked my rice last night with both chicken stock and turmeric so it’s a lovely bright yellow and very cheerful. The colour (and flavour) helps with the monotony of rice! Tiny drizzle of beannaise sauce on it but trying to save the rest if I can.

Then I prepped our hummous for the weekend! Soaked mine and S’s chickpeas overnight, (as she is doing the challenge with me over the weekend so she has the same ration of chickpeas), then boiled them for an hour and whizzed in the blender with some oil and water and garlic powder etc.

And here is our finished tubs – two for me for Sat and Sunday and two for S.

For lunch I stir-fried some more of my cheerful bright yellow rice with some oil, chorizo, spring onions and spices. And a glass of cold fruit tea.

I also ate some of my fruit ration – a tiny bit of pomelo! 50g of fruit really isn’t much at all!

I ate the same for dinner (fried yellow rice) but forgot to take a picture!

I have also earned another treat – a hot or cold drink of my choice up to 330ml, so as it’s Friday night I’ve chosen wine and decided to have 110ml for the next 3 nights as a treat. I also made some more rice crackers – definitely need to perfect my recipe though!

This evening I did some more cooking and made up a double rice portion and a double portion of lentil soup for me and S over the weekend. She has football tomorrow morning so I wanted to make sure there was plenty cooked and ready for her to eat before her match and after we get home! She is doing really well and has raised over $500 AUD so she has also earned a vegetable as well as milk and spices etc. She’s chosen sweetcorn as her veg.

This year, just like last year, I am surprised that I haven’t cheated at all. Last year I felt sure at some point in the week I would crack and eat a tiny piece of chocolate or something, but I never did, and this year I had the same thought in my head. I obviously want to try and do the challenge properly, having raised all those funds, but part of me never really thinks I will succeed. And just like last year I am pleasantly surprised that I have not yet slipped up or caved in!

It’s sobering watching all my prepped rations in the fridge and little bags of rice and flour in the cupboard slowly dwindle and diminish. I know I will have enough to get through til Sunday night, and of course I can eat what I like on Monday too, but I imagine it must be so frightening to have to stretch your rations for a month and getting to the last week, wondering if you’ll have to go without for a couple of days if you run out before the next food distribution. Or what if the NGO is late with the distribution? I know first hand that these things happen, trucks break down or bridges are impassable, but to be a refugee waiting on food that doesn’t arrive must be unbearable.