Apricot Cheesecake Muffins

I have recently discovered the amazing resource that is the Philadelphia website. It has so many recipes I thoroughly recommend that you go there if you're stuck for an idea for tea, or even want to make yourself a sweet treat. That is if you like cream cheese of course! Philadelphia - I will gratefully receive free cheese/discount vouchers for this marketing :P

One of the many delectable cake recipes they have is for Sour Cherry Cheesecake Muffins. I thought that sounded amazing and was happy to note I had most of the ingredients. The only things I was short was an orange and the sour cherries. So I decided to make them with chopped dried apricots and lemon zest instead.

I only made half quantities too (six muffins) because I'm trying to be fairly good diet-wise, to try and keep myself from gaining more weight. My recent switch of antidepressants has made me put on at least one stone, maybe one and a half. The tablets themselves are not guilty directly; they make me super hungry and I therefore scoff more than I usually would. My BMI is currently about 28 (it shouldn't be higher than 25 to be healthy) and GP said if it got to 30 by the next time she saw me then we'd have to try a different tablet. We're both reluctant to change it though as I now sleep right through the night and my mood is a lot better than it was. Not perfect, but much better!

So, by the time I've finished writing this post the muffins are about to come out of the oven but I've yet to eat one. I'm sure they taste fab though because I had to lick a bit of the raw mixture off my fingers. I must go and get them out so they don't burn, and also Marwood is pestering me to be fed!

PHOTO AND TASTING NOTES TO FOLLOW!

All Change - From Sleepwalking to Staggering

Image from http://www.theage.com.au/

I recently changed medication for my depression from Venlafaxine to Mirtazapine. The old stuff wasn't working anymore so it was time to try something new.

My GP warned me that at first I might feel a bit sedated, but if Mirtazapine suited me then this should wear off after about a week. She wasn't kidding. To sum it up in a pithy and amusing way it was like being a Zombie Cookie Monster: Mmm brains! Mmm cookies! Not only could I sleep 24/7 if I wanted to, when I was awake I wanted to consume every foodstuff in sight. It was also a bit like being drunk but without the fun; I felt uncoordinated, unsure of my own strength and very disconcerted. It felt like I had a new glasses prescription that my eyes hadn't adjusted to and that the film I was in had been filmed with a couple of frames/second dropped.

Now I've got past that stage I feel much better. It takes me a while to come round in the morning, but because I fall asleep within half an hour of going to bed and rarely wake up I do actually see the morning! Insomnia was a terrible problem for me, and with that aspect of my illness taken care of my mood does seem improved. I might be able to get a better picture of how badly I'm affected by my chronic fatigue.

Sadly I'm not side effect free and I seem to have turned into an old woman. My muscles hurt like I've done strenuous exercise, even rubbing moisturiser into my skin causes discomfort. My joints ache like I'm coming down with 'flu. It's entirely possible that I also have oedema in my legs which adds to the aching pains. I wish I could entirely blame the size of my stomach on bloating and oedema, but sadly I think the increased desire for food as more to do with it. I reckon I've put on about half a stone in almost 2 weeks. I know there is some bloating there because I feel uncomfortable. My GP should be calling me in the next couple of days so I can discuss this with her. I hope these newer side effects do go away because the meds do seem to be working, I'd rather not be fat, aching and swollen though!