In Between Days..

I don't know about everyone else, but I can't cope unless I snack between meals.. Finding creative ways to snack without heading to the standard grilled cheese and tomato toasted sandwich is an endless battle.. Between nutrition books that I've been reading, my naturopath's recommendations, and watching 'Good Chef, Bad Chef' at 6.30 every morning, I think I've got my personal favourite 'snacking menu' down pat! :) 

Protein Smoothie- My number 1 go-to snack! I use a high quality protein that's very natural. A lot of brands are highly processed and have added sugars and caffeine, especially some of the ones that you buy from supplement stores. Make sure you read the ingredients on the back before buying! I like to add flaxseed meal, chia seeds, almonds and frozen berries. I make it off water and add ice so it's extra cold. 

Buckwheat Pancakes- I always keep some buckwheat pancakes in the freezer. I'll cook a big batch in coconut oil, freeze them, then pop one or two in the toaster. They come out nice and crunchy, then I'll put avocado, or ricotta and vegemite on them. 

Roast Capsicum Dip and Mountain Bread Chips- roast a capsicum under the grill until soft and throw it in the blender with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 clove of garlic crushed, salt, pepper, a handful of raw cashews and a handful of parmesan cheese or 1 tbsp of cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Add water if you like a thinner consistency. Tear up some mountain bread and put it in the oven until crunchy, takes about 5 minutes. 

Banana Protein Muffins- 3/4 cup of rolled oats, 2 ripe bananas, handful of almonds, 1 egg, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 tsp bicarb soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla essence. Blend ingredients and pour into muffin tray about halfway, allowing them to rise. Bake at 180degrees for about ten minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Keep them in the freezer and just microwave when you need them. 

Hard Boiled Eggs- I boil about 4 at a time and keep them in their shells in the fridge. I'll peel and eat one before going out for coffee so I'm not tempted to buy food when I get there. 

Omelettes- Omelettes are my favourite late night snack. There are so many variations. I'll put steamed broccoli and dollops of ricotta in them, or Feta and mushrooms. A little grated cheese and grated zucchini. I'll throw a little can of four bean mix in with a diced fresh tomato. Or all of  the above in one massive omelette! 

Salad- Mid afternoon I sometimes like to have a little salad. I put a heavier dressing on to bulk it up a little. This dressing is blended sunflower seeds, lemon juice, EV Olive Oil, raw cashews, garlic and a little water to thin out the consistency so you can stir it through. 

Homemade Hummus- I eat more hummus than the Zohan, it's so good to have in the fridge and goes with so many things. This is my recipe. 1 can of chickpeas, juice of 1 lemon, 1 small clove of garlic, 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 100ml of  water to thin out consistency, himalayan salt to taste. Also add a 1/2 tbsp of tahini if you have it. Place all ingredients in a blender, vitamix or nutribullet and blend until smooth. Add more water if it's too thick. I keep a batch in the fridge and have it with vegie sticks or wholegrain crackers, stirred through salad, or with kale chips or sweet potato fries.

Kale Chips- remove stems of kale and tear into bite size pieces. Drizzle with coconut oil and massage oil through so all leaves are evenly covered. Sprinkle with a little Himalayan salt and chilli flakes and spread out on a tray lined with baking paper. Cook in preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes but watch carefully as they can burn quickly. I love these dipped in hummus. You can do the same thing with finely sliced sweet potato, swede or beetroot. 

Mini Quiches- Keep some little quiches in the fridge so you can take one or two out and heat them up for a quick snack. These are made from wholemeal pastry, egg, ricotta, tasty cheese, chives and cherry tomatoes. 

Avocado, egg and tuna on Burgen Weight Management Toast- this is more of a meal, but I'll have it mid afternoon sometimes if I'm really hungry and know I'm going to be having a later dinner. 

Xo

Let's Get Physical

It's not always easy getting workouts in at the gym when you have a baby.. The time tends to get away from you and before you know it, it's time to put bub down for the night and you just want to have a hot drink and crawl into bed yourself. Even going for a walk can sometimes be difficult.. It's been raining for the last week and I have a major case of cabin fever!! While I've been doing this Maxine's 12 week challenge, they've given us a really great little at-home workout routine, and I love it because I can just do it during one of Tahli's naps or even when she's awake and playing on the floor next to me. I need minimal equipment and space to do it and I aim to do it 3-4 days out of 7. Don't get me wrong, if you love the gym, some of the mums in my mothers group go after bub is down for the night and their partners stay home so they can go and have some time to themselves, and there's also some great gyms that provide crèche services while you work out.. :) 

Equipment: 

- Dumbells in different weights.. I started with 1.5kg weights to condition my muscles, then 2.5kg, now I use 4kg weights.

- Barbell This is optional, I don't have one so I just use my Dumbells and hold them at shoulder width like you would on a bar.

- Yoga Mat to workout on.

- Small Step I have no steps in my apartment so I use a small plank of wood to do my calf raises.

*rest 2-3 minutes between sets

1. 2 x 20 reps of crunches. Slide hands up legs until your fingers reach your knees, then slide back down.

2. Plank for 1min x 3 sets

3. Leg lifts 2 x 20 reps

4. 3 reps x 10 push ups.. Start on your knees at first. Once you build up your strength, you can start doing them on your toes.

5. Dumbell Rows- steady yourself on a chair and make sure you keep your back straight and as parallel to the floor as possible. Fully extend your arm and then pull powerfully up to your ribs, then extend again in a slow, controlled manner. 3 x 10 reps on each arm.

6. Standing Barbell Press: 3 x 10 reps. Grab bar/weights with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Push powerfully up and lower slowly. Don't arch your back excessively. 

7. Standing Bicep Curls: 3 x 10 reps. Grip barbell/ weights with and underhand grip at shoulder width. Curl the weight up until muscle is fully contracted and then down in a controlled arc. 

8. Close Grip push-ups: 3 x 10-15 reps. Adopt a push up position with hands close together under your chest, with thumbs just touching. Press up and down like a push up, focusing on keeping your arms close to your body. You should feel majority of effort in your triceps.

9. Barbell squats- 3 x 10-15 reps. Rest Bar/weights on your shoulders, just outside shoulder width. Feet should be shoulder width apart. When squatting, keep your head up and your back straight. Squat down until your thighs go a little further down than parallel to the floor. Look on YouTube if you're unsure if your form is right, as form is very important with squats to avoid injury.

10. Reverse Lunges- 2 x 20 reps. Starting from standing position, take a big step backwards, bending your knee until your front leg is bent at almost 90 degrees and the knee of your back leg is almost touching the floor. Pause briefly at the bottom, then push back up to your starting point. To increase the intensity, hold a dumbell in each hand.

11. One Leg Standing Calf Raise- 2 x 20 reps. Find a step or use a block of wood and put the ball of your foot on the step with your heel stretching down toward the floor. Keep your leg relatively straight with your knee locked, and steady yourself by putting your hand against the wall. Raise up on the ball of your foot to get a strong contraction in your calf then lower back down for a good stretch. Do 2 sets of 20 reps on each leg, and for more resistance hold a dumbell in one hand.

You Don't Make Friends With Salad

I'm doing this 12 week challenge at the moment, and I've been trying very hard to make the food a little exciting, as the eating plan is very simple and a bit of a snooze fest.. Don't get me wrong, I love salads, but it gets a little monotonous after a while! Here are some of the meals and snacks I've made so far.. 

1 can of tuna, 1/2 avocado, lemon juice, quinoa, and salt and pepper mashed together then tossed through a garden salad.

Garden salad with tri-coloured quinoa, and tofu cooked in lemon juice, salt and cracked pepper.

Tandoori Salmon- mix Greek yoghurt with curry powder and ground cumin. Then pan fry the salmon quickly on each side. Stick it in a baking tray on some baking paper and cover the top of the fillet thickly with the yoghurt mixture. Bake in oven until cooked through to your preference. 

Sweet Onion Meatballs- Fry 1 finely chopped onion and 1 grated zucchini in 2 Tbsp of butter, add herbs and salt and pepper to taste.. Mix this through 500gms of mince with 2 egg yolks (save the whites for an omelette) then roll into balls and bake at 180 degrees until cooked through. Serve with dipping sauce of choice or wrap in crispy iceberg lettuce leaves. www.iquitsugar.com

Beef and chunks of sweet potato in the slow cooker- with a can of tomatoes, 1 cup of stock, parsley and 1 lge clove of garlic. I throw in whatever other vegies I have too, this one has celery and carrot. Serve with steamed greens and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Prawns cooked in garlic, chilli, stock, canned diced tomatoes and white wine. Tossed through Slendier "pasta" with a garden salad.

Chicken with a can of chickpeas, chicken stock and curry powder, cumin and a can of tomatoes in the slow cooker. Served with coriander and basmati rice.

Coconutty granola from the I Quit Sugar cookbook.. It's shredded coconut and a variety of crushed nuts and chia seeds. Toss through some ground cinnamon and organic coconut oil and bake in the oven until crispy and golden. I mix through some natural greek yoghurt to serve. 

Last night's vegie leftovers mashed with a can of tuna and an egg. Made into patty shapes and fried in a little olive oil. Perfect with a salad for lunch.

Marinated chicken breast in lemon juice, garlic, parsley and salt. 

Herb crusted chicken breast- I cover with a mixture of whatever fresh herbs I have in my fridge and a little lemon zest. I add half a cup of pasta to Dave's to bulk his up. 

Salmon and broccolini grilled with pepper and herbs and a salad platter. 

1 yolk/ 3 Egg white omelette on Burgen weight management bread with homemade tomato sauce from the I Quit Sugar Cookbook. 

Tofu grilled with curry powder and cumin

Steak grilled in chilli flakes, garlic powder and sea salt with homemade sugar free tomato sauce.

After dinner snack of frozen mixed berries with a tablespoon of Greek yoghurt.

And when I really just want a treat, I have a Rooibos Vanilla Tea and a couple of squares of homemade chocolate. I make it with coconut oil, raw cacao powder, brown rice malt syrup, sea salt and crushed cashews. I keep it in the freezer for when I'm in need! 

Xo

The First Of Many

The first day of Maxine's 12 week fitness challenge went well, ate a healthy lunch, then went into the city to catch up with my Daddy-O, and he ate a cheese and tomato toasted sandwich in front of me, which was a complete killer! But controlled myself and came home to do my training session.. Doing sit-ups with a beautiful view of the amazing sunset was pretty damn awesome! Then Dave and I tortured ourselves further by watching the Masterchef Finale.. A protein shake was the only thing that stopped us running to Maccas.. 

Xo