Mindblock

I’v had a hard past couple of days.. last week I was diagnosed with depression anxiety disorder (thanks to uni) and I’ve been put on antidepressants for the time being. Only thing is, they’v really flattened me out – I feel like my head is full of concrete and my body has slowed to almost stop. This has made exercise and study very very difficult, so I’ve tried to prioritise and do things when I feel most energetic. I’ve had to ditch class for this week – I’ve attempted to attend the past couple of days but just sat in tutorials looking, and feeling, like a zombie. I went to gym both yesterday and today but it was pretty terrible, my legs were moving so slow on the crosstrainer that the old lady next to me was going about 5 times my speed, yet I was sweating and exhausted 😦 yuck.

Also, sitting around makes me even more depressed so I’ve taken to eating for comfort 😦 big no no!! Argh at least most of my nibblies are reeeasonably healthy – apart from the naughty icecream I had today on the way back from the doctors.

I had a burst of energy Sunday night so did my cooking then – easy meals that will get me through the week.

 

Meal 1/Breakfast:

Berry Pancakes – still loving these but now slotting them in before my morning workout in attempt to give myself as much energy as possible

 

Meal 2:

Health Chocolate Fudge Protein Brownies

(Adapted from leanbodylifestyle.blogspot.com.au)

Serves 12

1 cup oat flour

2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup Stevia

4 egg whites

1/2 cup almond milk

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2. Mix all dry ingredients, then add wet

3. Spray a baking tray with non-stick cooking oil, then pour in mixture

4. Bake for 15 minutes

Nutritional info: per 1/12 bars

Calories: 87

Total fat: 3.4g

Total carbs: 5.8g

Sugar: 0.6g

Protein: 7.2g

 

Meal 3/Lunch:

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

1kg lean turkey mince

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dry yellow mustard

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 onion

1/2 cup mushroom

1/2 cup celery

Iceberg lettuce

1. Cook turkey in a frying pan until brown, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook until combined

2. Throw it in some lettuce leaves! I’ve been eating this with the mince cold, and topping the wraps with chopped tomato/salsa, and mixing in some brown rice in order to get some carbs – super yum!

 

Meal 4:

Berry Muffins of course! I used frozen mixed berries instead of blueberries just for something different, but I have to say that I prefer the simple blueberry version 🙂

 

Meal 5/Dinner:

I bought a slow cooker on the weekend and have absolutely no clue how to use one so I found a really basic recipe for my first attempt.

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Spinach and Chicken

(From thegraciouspantry.com)

(I know it’s not pretty but it tastes better than it looks!)

Serves 8

4 large chicken breasts

250g spinach

700g can diced tomatoes

500g jar of pasta sauce

– I added 1/2 green capsicum and 1/2 onion but you could add whatever vegies you want I suppose

1. Throw everything in the slow cooker

2. Cook for 6-8 hours

3. Easy!! The only thing was that I didn’t time this very well and had to set my alarm to wake up at 2am to check on it and turn the slow cooker off.. I think I’m going to buy one of those egg timers that automatically switch the power point off (I’d never heard of these but my boyfriend kindly told me about these AFTER I got up at 2am…)

Nutritional info: per 1/8 serves

Calories: 222

Total fat: 3.1g

Total carbs: 14.6g

Sugar: 8.2g

Protein: 31.3g

 

Meal 6:

Whatever I can be bothered throwing together!

 

So yeah I’m going to keep battling through this week – the doctor said I will become less drowsy and lethargic after a week or so.. fingers crossed he’s right! Wish me luck 🙂

Chocolate Satisfaction

Last weeks food was the perfect amount; I even had some left over – and everything tasted amazing! However, I tend to get bored if I each too much of the same thing, so I did some research & I’ve tried a few different recipes this week. Here goes:

 

Meal 1/Breakfast:

Protein Porridge

Serves 1

1/3 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup water

Dash of chia seed, flax seed, cinnamon and goji berries

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder

1. Mix all ingredients except cinnamon, blueberries and protein powder, and microwave according to the oat packet

2. Once cooked, blend in a scoop of protein powder and a dash of cinnamon

3. Fold in the blueberries – YUM!

NB You can change the added ingredients according to your preference

 

Meal 2:

Blueberry Muffins (same as last week)

Serves 12

1 & 1/2 cups oat flour

3x 30g scoops of vanilla whey protein powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup Stevia baking formula (or 12 packets of concentrated Stevia)

Pinch of sea salt

1/3 cup egg whites

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup blueberries (again I used frozen)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients (except the blueberries) and mix well. Lastly, fold in the blueberries. Spray a muffin pan with oil, and fill each 3/4 full with the batter. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until just firm on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Careful not to over-bake!

To make them taste fresh out of the oven again, microwave each muffin for 15-20 seconds

 

Meal 3:

Chicken Salsa

Serves 4

1 large jar of Bolognese Sauce

1/2 onion – diced

3 cloves of garlic – minced

As much carrot, celery, mushroom, capsicum etc as you want

1 kg of chicken breast – left whole

1. In a slow cooker, pour 1/2 the sauce in along with the veggies

2. Put in chicken and cover with remaining suace

3. Cook for 3 hours on high or 8 hours on low

4. Serve with brown rice (my preference) or wholewheat pasta

 

Meal 4:

Chocolate Fudge Slice

These are so delicious!! Be very careful not to overcook them though!

Serves 12

1 cup oat flour

4 egg whites

2 scoops chocolate whey protein powder

1/2 cup Stevia

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa

115g unsweetened almond milk

3 tbsp non fat Greek yoghurt

Glaze-

1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein powder

1 tbsp Stevia

1 tbsp cinnamon

Water

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2. Mix dry ingredients separately from wet, then whisk together

3. Place in a prepared 8×8 pyrex dish and cook for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

4. To make the glaze: mix dry ingredients together and add water slowly until you reach desired consistency. Pour over protein bars as soon as they are out of the oven, then wait to cool before cutting (the glaze will become sticky but not runny)

Nutritional info: per 1/12 bars

Calories: 89

Total fat: 2.4g

Total carbs: 7.8g

Sugar: 2.4g

Protein: 7.3g

 

Meal 5/Dinner:

Eggplant and Zucchini Vegie Quiche

Serves 4

2 cups eggplant – chopped

1 cup zucchini – chopped

1 cup red pepper – chopped

1 cup onion – chopped

2 cloves of garlic – minced

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup egg whites

1 cup skim milk

¾ tsp ground pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried oregano

½ cup fresh basil – torn

¾ cup part skim shredded mozzarella

Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Saute eggplant, zucchini, pepper, onion and garlic in oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites, milk, pepper, basil and mozzarella to vegetable mixture. Stir until everything is evenly distributed.

3. Oil an 8 inch pan and pour in vegetable mixture. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional info: per 1/4 serves

Calories: 146

Total fat: 2.8g

Total carbs: 16.2g

Sugar: 6.2g

Protein: 15.8g

 

Zucchini Lasagne

Serves 4

For the noodles-

6 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch strips

For the meat sauce-

500g lean ground turkey meat

1 large onion – diced

2 cups broccoli

2 cups cauliflower

2 cups spinach – chopped

1 large jar of Chunky Vegetable Pasta sauce

1 clove of garlic – minced

Pinch of salt and pepper

2 tbsp dried Italian herbs

For the cheese layer –

310g light cottage cheese

60g light pizza plus cheese

1. For the noodle layer: preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Spray a baking tray with cooking spray, arrange zucchini slices and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 minutes on each side, then remove from the oven and set aside.

2. Lower oven temperature to 180 degrees.

3. For the meat sauce layer: in a large non-stick pan, cook meat until brown, then add vegies, seasonings, and the jar of sauce. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until veggies begin to soften, stirring occasionally.

4. For the cheese layer: mix cottage cheese and pizza cheese together.

5. Put it all together: spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Layer meat, then zucchini clices, then cottage cheese – repeat until the dish is full.

6. Sprinkle more pizza cheese evenly on top. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

7. Remove foil and bake/grill another 5-10 minutes until cheese is browned. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutritional info: per 1/4 serves

Calories: 181

Total fat: 5.0g

Total carbs: 9.8g

Sugar: 5.0g

Protein: 25.0g

 

Meal 6/Dessert:

Vanilla Icecream

Serves 1

70g light cottage cheese

5mL vanilla essence

30mL almond milk

1. Blend ingredients

2. Freeze for an hour or so

3. I sprinkled chocolate whey protein on top 🙂

 

Recipes this week came from all over the place!

www. dashingdish.com

http://www.cleaneatingonline.com

http://www.littlebshealthyhabits.com

http://www.fitfoodieshealthlife.com

Also, look what I found>

I’m going to try this with some left over turkey chili from last week as a bolongese and I’m excited to see how they taste!! 🙂

First Week

In order to ensure I stick to clean eating, as well as give me more time during the week, I’m going to try cooking in bulk at the start of the week, preferably Sundays. I tried this for the first time yesterday and so here’s my menu for the week:

 

Meal 1/Pre-workout:

Banana & Almond Cake

Serves 16

2 cups oat flour

3x 30g scoops vanilla whey protein powder

1/2 cup Stevia baking formula (or 12 scoops of concentrated Stevia)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 bananas – mashed

1& 1/2 tsp almond extract

1/3 cup egg whites

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk of choice)

Topping:

1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped

NOTE: if you use concentrated Stevia you may way to add 2 Tbsp of ground flax in order to thicken up the batter a bit, otherwise the blueberries may sink to the bottom.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Spray an 8×11″ rectangular pan with cooking spray. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and in a smaller bowl mash the banana well, add other wet ingredients, and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined. Pour batter into the pan, then sprinkle with the chopped almonds.

Bake for 25 minutes until it turns brown around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

Nutritional info: per 1/16 slices

Calories: 115

Total fat: 4.1g

Total carbs: 10.7g

Sugar: 4.4g

Protein: 9.9g

 

Meal 2/Breakfast:

Scrambled Egg Whites

Serves 1

1/2 cup egg whites

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

1/4 cup mushroom

Handful of spinach

Paprika

Pepper

Parsley

Rosemary

Mix all ingredients and cook! Sometimes I make this an omelette (add low-fat cheese) or just scramble it.

 

Blueberry Pancake

Serves 1

1/2 cup egg whites

1/2 cup oats (blended into a flour)

1 tsp vanilla essence

Cinnamon

1/3 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

1 tsp chia seed

Mix all ingredients (gently fold in blueberries) and slap into a frying pan. May want to add sweetener, or top with a blueberry sauce (blueberries blended with almond milk/greek yoghurt). To make it taste a bit less eggy, add 1/2 tsp of baking powder.

Nutritional info:

Calories: 275

Total fat: 5.1g

Total carbs: 35.4g

Sugar: 6.9g

Protein: 19.3g

 

Meal 3/Lunch:

Chicken Taco

Serves 4

500g chicken breast/ground chicken

4 large tortillas (I used wholegrain)

1/2 medium onion – chopped

1/2 capsicum – sliced

1 Tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp garlic powder (or minced garlic)

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1/2 cup water

2 cups+ shredded lettuce

1 tomato – chopped

8 Tbsp salsa

Brown chicken over medium heat. Add onion and capsicum and cook until soft. Add spices, and water. Serve with lettuce, tomato & salsa.

I took these to class and left out the lettuce, tomato and salsa because it wouldn’t have tasted fresh enough. Instead I sliced the tortilla into 4 and had mini-tacos.

Nutritional info: per 1/4 serves

Calories: 116

Total fat: 1.3g

Total carbs: 5.8g

Sugar: 2.6g

Protein: 20.6g

 

Jamie Eason’s Meatloaf Muffins

Serves 18

1kg minced turkey

1/3 cup egg whites

1 cup quick cooking oats (sometime I leave the oats out or put in 1/2 a cup)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dry yellow mustard

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried sage

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup mushroom

1/4 cup chopped onion

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and spray a muffin pan with oil. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into balls (1/4 cup each) and place in muffin tray. Bake for 40 minutes.

Nutritional info: per 1 serves (2/18 meatloaf muffins)

Calories: 173g

Total fat: 10.4g

Total carbs: 0g

Sugar: 0.6g

Protein: 19.9g

 

Meal 4:

Blueberry Muffin

Serves 12

1 & 1/2 cups oat flour

3x 30g scoops of vanilla whey protein powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup Stevia baking formula (or 12 packets of concentrated Stevia)

Pinch of sea salt

1/3 cup egg whites

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup blueberries (again I used frozen)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients (except the blueberries) and mix well. Lastly, fold in the blueberries. Spray a muffin pan with oil, and fill each 3/4 full with the batter. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until just firm on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Careful not to over-bake!

To make them taste fresh out of the oven again, microwave each muffin for 15-20 seconds.

 

Meal 5/Dinner:

Turkey Chili

Serves 4

500g ground turkey

1 onion – chopped

4 tsp minced garlic

4 tsp tomato paste

2-4 whole tomatoes – diced

1 cup of 3 bean mix (drained can)

Chili powder

Curry powder

Sea salt

Black pepper

Basil

Thyme

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Combine meat, garlic and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl, then brown the mixture in a frying pan at medium heat until the meat is almost fully cooked. Drain fat from the pan, then put in the tomato, tomato paste, and spices. Cook until is thoroughly cooked.

 

Psyllium Crepe

Serves 1

5g psyllium husk powder

55g liquid egg whites

NOTE: I like to add a little bit of flax seed, and possibly some herbs and spices, depending on what I’m eating it with.

Mix, cooking in a pan (like a pancake) then top with whatever! Recently I like it with chopped turkey meatloaf muffins and salsa/salad.

Nutritional info:

Calories: 87

Total fat: 0.3g

Total carbs: 1.5g

Sugar: 1.5g

Protein: 13.3g

 

Meal 6/Dessert:

Quick Chocolate Pudding

Serves 1

1/3 cup egg whites

3 tbsp sweetener

2 tbs cocoa

Combine well, then microwave for approximately 1 min 20 sec.

 

Chocolate Melting Cake

Serves 1

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

1/3 cup almond milk

1 heaped tbsp cocoa

1 serve of Stevia

Blend then microwave for 60-80 seconds, and eat immediately.

 

Sooo yeah that’s basically my plan for the week!! Plus a protein shake as my post-workout meal (I don’t include it in my 6 daily meals).

I’ve worked out all the macros for the recipes and everything is low carb, low sugar, high protein, and delicious!!

I got the blueberry muffins, banana and almond cake, and chicken tacos from www.busybuthealthy.com, and the turkey chili from www.fitfoodieshealthylife.com – I often modify these recipes according to what I have to cook with.

Hope this all lasts me through the week 🙂

Patient History and Management

Name: Brianna Hatswell

Age: 21 years (female)

Occupation: full time 3rd medical student, 1st year of clinical study

 

Present complaint: struggles to balance study, love, and a healthy lifestyle

 

SMART goal: design a blog with the aim being to keep track of eating plans, emotions, study tips and struggles within the hospital environment. A post should be entered at least once a week and should discuss concerns, ideas, recipes and plans. This gives permission to steer away from the intense brain stress of a medical student, for at least an hour a day (in order to conduct research on related blogs, recipes and healthy gossip) – maybe even more if on track 😉

 

Diagnosis: loved-up, health-obsessed, home-sick, brain-fried medical student