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It's the end of the financial year here tomorrow and Rob and I are both on a much-needed holiday. In the eight years that I have been working for myself, this past year has been the busiest. I have decided to limit the amount and type of work I take on from now on - Rob said recently that we live together but he feels like he never sees me. It has been great to have some quality time together while on holiday. Am also looking forward to getting back into regular exercise again. I've been able to lose weight and maintain my new weight by diet alone, but I'm itching to do something more than walk TJ, which is all I've felt like I've had time to do lately. Hopefully I'll have time for a little more blogging too!

Painting Project

Wow, can’t believe it’s been about a month since I last posted!

Work has been keeping me busy, and in between I’ve been making plans for my new office. My current office is under the stairs, and it’s pretty cold and dark

I decided I wanted to move my office upstairs, where it’s lighter and warmer. The only problem? The room I want to use looked like a paint shop had exploded in it.

There was a young girl in this room when we inspected the house before buying it, and it looked like she had been given free reign with the choice and application of paint. The wall around the window was dark purple (applied in swirls), the rest of the walls were pink, and the window trim was lilac. And she had definitely coloured outside the lines – no painter’s tape for this girl.

I had to sand back the purple swirl effect around the window, and sand the gloss off the window trim before I could even start painting. LOTs of undercoat was needed to cover up the purple paint and lilac trim.

I finally finished the painting earlier this week. The green skirting boards are staying for now, until we replace the green carpet

Ta da!

Now I just have to furnish it!

Liquid Polymeal

I was at the library a couple of weeks ago and picked up a copy of Jonny Bowden's The Healthiest Meals on Earth. In it he talks about 'polymeals' (ideal meals that maximize intake of anti-inflammatories, antioxidants, fibre, good fats, protein, vitamins and minerals). The book has a range of recipes, including a template for creating a liquid polymeal (smoothie).

Liquid Polymeal Formula

1 cup (235 ml) milk, such as cow, almond, or rice

1 scoop protein powder (whey, egg protein, hemp, rice); 1/3 cup (75 g) silken tofu; or 1/3 cup (80 ml) pasteurized egg whites

1 cup (140-170 g) fruit or vegetable, such as fresh or frozen berries, melon, kiwifruit, cherries, papaya, guava, mango, or peaches, or 1 to 2 tablespoons (13 g) cranberries (with a sweetener), or 1/3 cup (75 g) cooked pumpkin or skinned baked sweet potato

1 to 2 tablespoons (15-30ml) great fats, such as avocado, flaxseed oil, coconut milk, coconut oil, almonds, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or nut butters, or 1 teaspoon fish oil

1 to 2 tablespoons (7-14 g) extra fibre, such as ground flaxseed or flax meal, raw whole oats, wheat germ or bran, or a fibre supplement

Optional extras, to taste, such as dried coconut, dried goji berries, prunes, maca powder, fresh bee pollen, raw cacao, cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, nutritional yeast, powdered ginger, ginger juice, 1/3 banana, 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon (20 g) agave nectar or raw honey, sprinking xylitol, or 1 packet or 2 drops stevia

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Yield: 1 generous or 2 small servings

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This morning I made a smoothie for my breakfast based on the polymeal template. I put in rice milk, rice protein, blueberries, almond butter, chia seeds, maca powder, cinnamon and banana

It was tasty and filling - a good combo!

Powered by Hot Cross Buns

Last night I prepared some gluten-free hot cross buns. When I got up this morning I just had to preheat the oven, pop them in, then make coffee when they were nearly ready.

I ended up having two hot-cross buns and two cups of coffee. I very rarely have coffee these days (usually one cup with Rob on a Sunday morning), so, fueled up with carbs and caffeine, I decided to tackle the area down the side of our house. It was a mess when we moved in nearly two years ago, and has barely been touched since, apart from Rob occasionally going in with a weed eater.

I pulled out bricks, roof tiles, sticks and weeds, and a few hours later it looked much tidier

There’s still a pile of broken bricks near the ducted heating unit, but I think I’ll need a wheelbarrow to do any justice to it.

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Thought I’d throw in a few pics of some other food I’ve enjoyed eating this week…

Leftover roasted veges with hummus

 

Green Goddess Smoothie

 

Spanish eggs with tomatoes and chorizo sausage. (Our friend Luke stayed on Friday night and made us all breakfast on Saturday morning.)

Enjoy the rest of your Easter!

Treadmill Fails

Got to thank my Dad for sending me this. Has sound so you may want to mute if you are watching at work.

New Shoes

I had to go to a podiatrist recently because I was developing a lump near the ball of my foot. It was uncomfortable to walk about the house in bare feet. And I was starting to feel it towards the end of long runs.

In addition to needing new shoes, I was told that I needed some with more cushioning in the forefoot, and that I would also need switch to non-weight bearing cardio (cycling or swimming) for a while to give my foot a chance to recover. Just after seeing the podiatrist I got a bad cold, so was unable to train. That gave my foot a bit of a break, and this weekend I felt well enough to venture into town to get some new shoes.

I've worn Brooks runners for a few years now, but after trying on some Brooks and some Asics at Athletes Foot, I decided on a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus. My first reaction on trying them on was that it was like wearing a pair of slippers - very soft!

Blue/Purple

In addition to red fruit and vegetables, and yellow/orange fruit and vegetables, I'm also trying to include blue/purple fruit and vegetables in my daily diet.

Some of the purple carrots I've been eating recently

According to this source, blue and purple fruits and vegetables
contain nutrients which include lutein, zeaxanthin, resveratrol, vitamin C, fiber, flavonoids, ellagic acid, and quercetin. These nutrients support retinal health, lower LDL cholesterol, boost immune system activity, support healthy digestion, improve calcium and other mineral absorption, fight inflammation, reduce tumor growth, act as an anticarcinogens in the digestive tract, and limit the activity of cancer cells

Some examples:
Black currants
Blackberries
Blueberries
Eggplant
Plums
Pomegranates
Prunes
Purple cabbage
Purple carrots
Purple figs
Purple grapes
Raisins

Yellow/Orange

In addition to eating one cup of red fruit and vegetables each day, I'm also trying to include one cup of yellow/orange fruit and vegetables each day.

According to this source, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables
contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related macula degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.

Some examples:
Apricots
Cantaloupe (rockmelon)
Carrots
Golden kiwifruit
Grapefruit
Lemon
Mangoes
Nectarines
Oranges
Papayas
Peaches
Persimmons
Pineapples
Pumpkin
Rutabagas (swedes)
Sweet corn
Sweet potatoes
Tangerines
Yellow apples
Yellow pears
Yellow peppers
Yellow potatoes
Yellow squash
Yellow tomatoes

Red

At the moment I'm trying to include one cup of red fruit or vegetables in my diet each day.

According to this source, red fruits and vegetables contain nutrients such as lycopene, ellagic acid, Quercetin, and Hesperidin, to name a few. These nutrients reduce the risk of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce tumor growth and LDL cholesterol levels, scavenge harmful free-radicals, and support join tissue in arthritis cases.

Some examples:
Beets
Blood oranges
Cherries
Cranberries
Guava
Papaya
Pink grapefruit
Pomegranates
Radicchio
Radishes
Raspberries
Red apples
Red capsicums
Red chilli peppers
Red grapes
Red onions
Red pears
Red peppers
Red potatoes
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Watermelon

link

Low Carb Noodles

I saw these noodles advertised in the Sunday paper. Until now the only way to buy this kind of  noodles (made from konjac, a Japanese root) was from overseas (Miracle Noodles) or in an Asian food store (shirataki noodles). They are now available in the health food section of Woolworths, as Slim Pasta (Angel Hair).

Last night I decided to have a go at cooking with them. First you have to drain and rinse them, then soak them in hot water for one minute.

They swell up a bit after soaking in the hot water. Drain, then toss into your dish.

Bon appetite!

I found the noodles to be quite flavourless on their own, so you’d definitely want to eat them in something, rather than underneath or on the side of  a dish as you would with rice.

They are low carb, but because of the properties of the konjac, they swell slightly in your stomach, so I felt quite satisfied after the meal, even though there was no rice.

We’ve tried a few different gluten-free noodles and these ones are pretty good. Rob said he’d happily have them again.

Program 1.1, Day 2

Starting day 2 of my new (old) program on Wednesday morning. Here are the exercises I'll be doing.

Front Squats


Push Ups


Hip Dominant Back Extensions


Standing Split Stance Cable Row


Face Pulls


Tall Kneeling Pallof Press ISO


followed by KB swings

Program 1.1, Day 1

Have pulled out another of my old Mike Robertson programs to start on Monday morning. Here are the exercises I'll be doing.

Romanian Deadlift (RDL)


Chest Supported Row


Offset Split Squat (weight in one hand only: if right foot is in front, hold weight in left hand)


Standing Split Stance Cable Press


Shoulder I, T, Y (on floor)


Ball Rollouts


External Rotation at 90 Degrees


followed by bike intervals and medicine ball slams

Self-Doubt

I weighed myself when I got up yesterday. For some reason I'm OK with not weighing myself at the start of the week, but sometimes as it gets closer to the end of the week I feel like I want to get on the scales to see if what I am doing with my food and exercise is 'working'. Scale weight doesn't tell the whole story, but when I get on the scales and my weight is going the opposite way to what it's supposed to, I have a moment (OK, a whole day) of self-doubt. Is how I'm eating helping me or hindering me with weight loss? Am I doing enough exercise? And on and on.

I woke up this morning, didn't get on the scales, looked in my favourite mirror (the one with the most flattering lighting) and felt much better. I thought about how good I've been feeling the way I've been eating lately, how soft my skin is and how much more energy I have. I thought about how I've been enjoying my exercise. And I pushed those feelings of self-doubt aside.

How do you deal with feelings of self-doubt?

Dragon Fruit

Yesterday in our fruit and veg box we received a dragon fruit!

I’ve never eaten one before so today I Googled to see if ours was ripe to eat. Apparently it was, so I decided to dig in!

  

Look, it’s like a fruit version of beetroot!

It had a strong sweet perfume, a melon-like texture and seeds like a kiwifruit. Different!

Confident, much?

This morning when I started my workout I was alternating between pull throughs and DB rows. There was a guy working out near me but I wasn't paying too much attention to him. He came over after I finished my last set of the group and asked me what the pull throughs were for. I said glutes. He said he'd never seen them done before and that he thought I was 'posing for him'. I just laughed. Jerk.

Raw Vegan Brownies

 

This is one of my favourite homemade sweet treats.  The original recipe is here (along with nutritional info) but I thought I’d repost it on my blog along with some pics.

Raw Vegan Brownie

Ingredients

brownie:
1 c walnuts
1 c dates
1/4 c cocoa powder
___
icing:
2 avocados
1/2 c agave nectar [or maple syrup] 
1/4 c cocoa powder
2 T coconut oil
1 T vanilla extract
dash salt
dash cinnamon

Method

Process the brownie ingredients until blended and dry chunky. Press into a small pan.
Put all icing ingredients into blender, and blend on high till smooth. [I put ingredients in large bowl and blended with stab mixer]
Spread icing over brownie and pop in freezer to set for 1 hour.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

 

 

Lemon-scented polenta porridge

recipe from fit food by teresa cutter

Lemon-scented polenta porridge
serves 4

3½ cups water
150g (5 oz) polenta
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut essence
Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
1/2 cup low-fat coconut milk or malt-free soy milk
4 bananas, sliced
1 punnet blueberries
2 tablespoons flaked toasted almonds

Bring water to the boil and pour in polenta. Turn down to a gentle simmer.
Add the salt, vanilla, coconut, lemon zest, juce, maple syrup and coconut milk.
Cook over a gentle heat stirring frequently for about 20-25 minutes until nice and thick.

Divide between serving bowls. Top with sliced banana, blueberries and toasted almonds.

I See Red

My neck still isn’t completely better (and it’s making me feel quite worn out), so I didn’t do a workout today.

I (unintentionally) had a lot of red food today.

Breakfast was quinoa and yoghurt topped with a diced peach and a diced plum

Lunch was roast beef with relish, cherry tomatoes and cucumber

plus sandwich thins with avocado and tomato

Dinner was gluten-free spaghetti with garlic, capers, olives, chilli, black pepper, tomatoes, spinach and olive oil

 

plus some canned salmon

Have a good weekend!

My Day in Dot Points

• 40 minute jog with Rob and TJ
• banana blueberry smoothie

• eggs with onion, mushrooms, silverbeet and goat cheese, on gluten-free toast

• pork stir-fry with garlic, ginger, chilli, onion, carrot, zucchini, mushrooms, silverbeet and oyster sauce, served on basmati rice and topped with slivered almonds

• watch My Kitchen Rules

See you tomorrow!

Sandwich Thins

I didn’t sleep well last night but managed to get up at 6.45 this morning and go for a walk with Rob and TJ. When we got home I did some foam rolling. I was feeling quite tired afterwards, so stretched out on the floor in the sun and fell asleep!

After I woke up I did a bit of tidying up around the house then went to the gym to do a 7km treadmill run. It was quite hard work today.

When I got home I had a banana blueberry smoothie

Lunch was some roast pork, pumpkin, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes

plus some Helga’s sandwich thins, split, toasted and topped with avocado and tomato

I was quite excited when I saw these sandwich thins advertised last week. Amused by small things, aren’t I?

They’re like a thin English muffin and I think they’d probably make a good low-carb burger bun alternative. One sandwich thin (top and bottom) is 43g and has 21.8g of carbohydrate.

Two things I’m not so keen on: they’re quite sweet (sugar is listed as one of the ingredients), and they’re made in the USA! Can't Helga's make these in Australia?

Dinner was also bread-based: a gluten-free wrap with lamb and salad (dressed with olive oil and lemon juice).

Looking forward to Rob coming home from work so we can watch My Kitchen Rules together (I’m recording it). See you tomorrow!