Slow week

Still haven't been all that well for the last week. Managed to lose 1.6kgs but I think that had more to do with living off of weet-bix as it was one of the only things I could keep down. That and I've started walking to work again. Anyway no new recipes as there's only so much you can do with weet-bix!

Weekend update

I lost 0.7kgs this week. I'm quite happy with that considering I've had a pretty crappy week, having been sick and unable to workout properly as often as I'd have liked.
Going to do the 1,000 steps with my little brother today. Mind you, my little brother is over 6ft and is rather fit. I'm assuming laps will be taken past me.

Still trying to figure out how I can incorporate fitness into a career in the future. I've been thinking more about stress release for mums and programs for new mums with post natal depression. It really is a horrible thing to go through and I think I'd like to find a career where I can offer some sort of help to women who have been in the same situation.

Going out to dinner tonight with the mothers group mums. The restaurant we are going to has specialized meals for different dietary requirements on the menu so will see what it's like.

Veggie pancakes

1 large potato grated
1/2 sweet potato grated
1 large carrot grated
1 leek finely chopped
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
1 tsp garlic
Pepper
3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup water
4 eggs

Squeeze extra moisture out of grated veg then mix all ingredients together. Add more water if mixture is too dry. Lightly spray a non stick frying pan with oil and add spoonfuls of mixture. Keep heat on low so veggies cook through without the outside burning. Serve with kecap manis and Japanese mayonnaise or sweet chilli sauce

Yuck

Gained 0.8kgs this week. Feeling pretty gross, not sure if muscle was gained or just fat but still I don't like it! Anyway hopefully muscle as I was sure I would have lost weight from looking at myself in the mirror this morning. So back to being more careful with my carb intake as it's probably been a bit high this week and back to being more consistent with walking.
Going to body balance later, hopefully that will make me feel a bit better. Will have to lose over 1kg to get back on track for the next weigh in. Will increase the amount of interval training I do this week and see how it goes.

Granola!

I made some granola tonight, not sure of the nutritional value but im sure it's better than store bought and besides you only need a little bit sprinkled on yogurt!

1 1/2 cups traditional rolled oats
1/4 cup mixed seeds
1/4 cup nuts (i used raw peanuts)
2 tbs honey
3 tbs orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Small handful of sultanas

Mix dry with wet and spread on an oven tray. Cook for approx 20-30 mins till golden. Temp 160-180. Check frequently and stir every 5-10 mins. Once out stir through sultanas, let cool then transfer to an airtight container.

Lululemon and chicken meatballs

Today has been a success of epic proportions! First up, I was meeting my mum and sister for coffee at a shopping centre near by that I don't often go to. The first thing I notice as I'm looking around is a new shop, Lulu-freakin-lemon!!! Hells yeah baby! A brand that I was not even aware of a couple of weeks ago that I became instantly addicted to is near me! So of course I had to go in and look around (and try things on of course!). Anyway the prices are a bit high but the quality is incredible, so I ended up investing a jacket, the define in black. The staff are lovely, the shope is lovely the clothes are lovely, ahhhh my wallet is going to hurt! So if you are near Doncaster shopping centre and want to invest in good quality workout wear go check them out.

I decided to try again at the chicken meatballs that I did earlier this week, but this time with my own recipe and they were much much better, so here is the recipe.

500g minced chicken breast
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 egg whites
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbs chopped fresh herbs- parsley, thyme, rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Heat oven to 190 degrees and spray muffin tins lightly with oil. Roll chicken into balls, mixture will be very wet, and place into tins. Cook for approx 35 mins. Will make around 10 balls. Serve 2 per person with salad, with noodles, in a wholemeal roll. Yum yum yum

Pancakes and chicken

Here's a recipe for pancakes I found and made tonight. I think it was on the biggest loser website but I'm not sure.

2 cups plain wholemeal flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1-2 bananas

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients separately. Slowly combine then add chopped banana.
Spray non stick frying pan lightly with oil then heat up. Add 2 tbs of mixx for each pancake.
Serve hot with yogurt or honey or fresh fruit!

Chicken!
Yum chicken I made tonight following my usual routine.

1-2 chicken breasts
1 tsp oil
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch salt

In a bag toss all ingredients together.
Heat a frying pan till very hot, sear chicken on each side for approx. 3 minutes then transfer to an oven set to 190 degrees and cook till juices run clear.
Slice and use on it's own or in a salad.

1.1kgs

After a big night out on Saturday I wasn't expecting much from yesterday's weigh in but I was happily surprised. In saying that obviously I would have been incredibly happy if I had of laid off the booze a little more. Anyway I need to stop writing and finish the housework so I can workout.

1,000 steps

Tackled the 1,000 steps again today. This time I managed to complete it without feeling like I was going to die. I also ran up some of the stairs and ran all the way down the stairs and back to the playground where my partner and son were waiting. Although my hip and the muscles around my right ankle are forming a hatred against me, I feel so proud and happy with myself. The next goal is to get to the top without having to stop to catch my breathe.
Am thinking a massage might be in order soon also. My muscles are feeling a bit sore from everything I've been putting my body through. It's not a bad pain as such it's just muscle fatigue or something. And anyway what excuse does anyone need for a massage!

1,000 steps

Tackled the 1,000 steps again today. This time I managed to complete it without feeling like I was going to die. I also ran up some of the stairs and ran all the way down the stairs and back to the playground where my partner and son were waiting. Although my hip and the muscles around my right ankle are forming a hatred against me, I feel so proud and happy with myself. The next goal is to get to the top without having to stop to catch my breathe.
Am thinking a massage might be in order soon also. My muscles are feeling a bit sore from everything I've been putting my body through. It's not a bad pain as such it's just muscle fatigue or something. And anyway what excuse does anyone need for a massage!

Woooohooooo!

In the last 10 days I've lost 3.7kgs, very very happy. I'm now finally on the border of overweight/obese. Only 1.3 kgs to go till my next goal is reached. It's been a lot of handwork but not to the point of ridiculousness.
The session this morning went well at the gym. Not sure about the trainer, he's very new if not still in training to become a pt. Towards the end of the session he was better and more relaxed. Anyway he's got me on an exclusive aerobic cardo set for six weeks and then we will go from there. After I have burned more fat I'll add in more strength training, although I'll continue to do weights at home. So that's today!

Gym

Have joined up at the local YMCA. I have my first session with the trainer tomorrow morning, I'm not all that interested in the actual gym there, more so their classes and pool, but at least this way I get a program written up for when I want it.
Have walked almost 25,000 steps today. Feeling pretty tired but pretty happy with myself.
Tonight's dinner was a chopped moroccan salad, recipe below.

Dressing
1 tbs oil
1 tbs honey
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs orange juice- fresh squeezed
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Salad
1/4 red onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 cup rocket chopped
1/2 cucumber chopped
1/2 tin chickpeas
1/4 cup sultanas
1 chicken breast grilled and sliced
Handful of mixed seeds
1/2 cup couscous, cook as per directions


Mix dressing ingredients together
Mix salad ingredients together
Combine dressing and salad and eat!

Muffins!

These muffins are pretty low on the sweetness scale, but if you've been trying to cut back on your sugar levels like I have (kinda), then they will be rad.

Apple and carrot muffins
1 grated apple (skin on)
1 grated carrot (skin on)
1 cup rolled oats
3 cups wholemeal flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbs oil
2 cups low fat buttermilk

Heat oven to 180 degrees. Mix dry ingredients then add apple and carrot. In a separate bowl mix wet ingredients. Mix wet and dry together till just combined. Spoon into muffin pans, sprayed lightly with oil, bake for approx 25 minutes. Don't overbake as they dry out quickly.

If you don't have butter milk then in a measuring jug put 2 tablespoons of white vinegar then fill to the 2 cup mark with low fat milk. Let sit for 5 minutes. I used this method as I have no idea where to get buttermilk from.

Thai fried rice

This is a slightly edited version of Janellas fried rice from Good Chef Bad Chef.

1 cup brown rice- cooked then rinsed and cooled in the fridge
Handful prawns
1/2 cup diced firm tofu
1/4 capsicum thinly sliced
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
2 tomatoes roughly chopped
Bean sprouts
Bamboo shoots- thinly sliced
Water chestnuts- roughly chopped
2 eggs beaten


Sauce
Chilli
Garlic
Soy sauce
Lemon juice
Brown sugar
Oil

Fry egg in wok and set aside.
Cook capsicum, tomato and onion for a couple of minutes. Slowly add tofu and prawns. Add bamboo and chestnuts and cook for a few more minutes. Stir through rice. Once rice has heated through add bean sprouts. Add sauce ingredients to taste. Top with crushed roasted peanuts and either parsley/Thai basil or coriander depending on what you prefer.

My 2 year old son ate this and said it was yummy at every mouthful, so this is pretty family friendly!

Christmas catch up

Finally weighed in on Thursday, the first time since Xmas, had gained 1.9kgs which was pretty disappointing. Back on track now though and hopefully over the next two weeks I will be back in the clear. In good news though I managed to squeeze into my size 10 jeans and get them done up! Pretty exciting knowing that I WILL be wearing those jeans by the end of the year.

Paaaaaiiiiiiin!

1km swim, 1,000 step trail, 2.5 hour walk followed by 30 minutes of yoga moves I haven't done before, means my body is a bit sore. Today I'm going to torment my body a bit further with a body balance session. Hopefully my back pain will ease up a bit once I start up again.
I've had two of the shakes so far. Both have tasted surprisingly good! My body isn't quite use to the limited calories just yet. By the end of the day I'm starving and craving carbs, fingers crossed my stomach learns to deal with what is a normal size meal rather than the massive meals I was eating earlier.

Amcal shakes

I'm trying out the Amcal 'Be good to yourself' shakes. Starting tomorrow I'm going to substitute my lunch for one of the shakes. I also got a handy little booklet that has different measurements for each protein and carb I should be having at each meal. I've gotten one of each flavor to see which is the best. I can also add fruit to them to make them nicer. The woman at the chemist said she had lost 10kgs since being on it, but didn't specify how long it had taken. I'm not going to bother with the bars as they don't look that appetizing. The weight watchers brand bars are pretty delicious, so I think I might keep getting them. Anyway I'll see how it goes, obviously a major part of any weightloss I have will be more to do with portion sizes of my meals than what the shakes will do, but they are high in protein which might be more beneficial for the amount if exercise I'm doing and what I want to achieve.

Awesome breakfast

Just made a delicious breakfast wrap that I thought I would share!

In a non stick frying pan heat 1 tsp oil then fry off- tomato, capsicum, red onion, mushrooms and low fat ham. Once veg are cooked add 2 beaten eggs. Once egg is half cooked top with ripped up baby spinach and fresh herbs ( I used basil, oregano and parsley). Flip half of the omlette ontop of itself and allow to cook for a few more minutes. Heat a wholegrain wrap in the microwave and serve omlette ontop of wrap, roll up and enjoy!

Thai red curry

Heat 2 tbs red curry paste over high heat with 1 finely chopped onion. Cook till onion softens and oils are released in the paste. Add 1/2 green capsicum finely sliced, a handful of green beans, 1/2 a pumpkin chopped in 3cm cubes and 4-5 potatoes in 2cm cubes. Stir to coat in the paste. Add approx 400mls of coconut milk and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and let simmer till potato and pumkin are tender. Add a handful of baby spinach leaves and 1 tbs of finely shredded basil leaves. Serve with brown rice or on it's own. You can also add chicken at the same stage the vegies are added or firm tofu.

Christmas and New Year

The week before xmas I lost 1.2kgs, I haven't weighed in since as there has been limited exercise and a reasonable consumption of food and alcohol. The difference this time is that it wasn't a ridiculous, over the top, 3 serves kind of holiday. I'm proud of my restraint. Anyhow today is my first day back on the wagon as such. Dinner tonight is tandoori chicken wraps. Here's how I do them.

1-2 chicken breasts
Tandoori paste
Low fat Greek yogurt
Cucumber
Tomato
Baby spinach leaves
Wholegrain wraps

Prepare paste as per instructions on pack.
Slice chicken in thin strips, then marinate in paste.
Heat grill and cook chicken on each side till cooked through.
Spread a tsp of yogurt over wrap, then baby spinach, cucumber and tomato. Place cooked chicken on top and roll up.
Can also be done with cold chicken or use warmed Turkish bread instead of the wrap.