sez Sarah: The lure of the pancake.

So 2010 was supposed to be the year that I pulled my finger out of my ass and actually dedicated myself to healthy eating and regular exercise.

This was my first mistake of 2010 - aiming too high.

Nevertheless, the idea had legs. For the majority of 2009 I had dutifully obeyed a (relatively) healthy diet, and at one point was exercising EVERY DAY. I became one of those people I used to hate - the lithe, athletic types who rise early on the weekend to run several kilometres before returning home to a bowl of porridge and half a grapefruit. I used to be one of those people who only encountered these exercising freaks pounding the pavement at 5am because I was on my way home after another weekend bender. But in a matter of months, my life had turned 180 degrees, and I was "engaged".

Getting engaged was a very healthy idea. With the looming wedding ever-present in my mind, it became near impossible to enjoy eating Nutella out of the jar as I once had, and after nearly destroying my relationship after one too many beers on the last day of 2008, I had sworn off drinking. Then the exercise followed. Before long I was running 5km a day, which increased to a 10km fun run ("fun run" - the cruelest oxymoron of all). But the best part was the complete shock I had when I discovered that I was actually athletic. I had never been sporty as a kid, and my highschool sports activities consisted of trying not to vomit on the hockey field after a night of underage drinking. Suddenly my body - that I had damaged with years of alcohol, smoking and the occasional illicit substance - was performing in ways I never thought possible.

And although my muscles ached, I had never felt so alive.

But then, the wedding came.
And it went.
And I no longer wanted to exercise AT ALL, let alone eat healthily.

So for the past two months, I have done nothing athletic. I have eaten whatever the hell I want to eat, and I have enjoyed it.

But today, even though I am still not ready to exercise yet, I thought I would at least eat healthily.

Instead, I ate pancakes.

I would never usually make pancakes, but it seems technology has conspired against me and created this little doozie which has made the prospect of obesity well within reach -

It is called Breville Pancake Creations, but you can call it God.

You put the pancake mix in the little wells...