To Nepal and Back Again

Hi Lifters!!

Sorry for my absence – those of you on Facebook would have seen that I went volunteering in Nepal for a month! I went over to do a medical elective and received the whole cultural experience by staying with a local Nepali host family. It was a wonderful experience and very humbling.

I had a bit of a rant on Facebook, and for those that didn’t see it here it is again:

“Hi lifters! I’m back from my overseas adventure and would like to thank you all for being so patient. I ended up taking an extra week to get myself organised and recover from the trip.
What. An. Experience. Going to a third world country and witnessing the life that many people have to endure is a true eye opener and has made me question many of my priorities. I have always been concerned about my appearance – it is natural for us to feel this way in our society – but in comparison to many of the issues that I saw in Nepal it has really made me revise whether it is really that important. Sure, I still truly enjoy sweating it out in the gym. But the obsession with the shape of my body and the importance placed on eating 100% clean is really blown way out of proportion. Unfortunately the Western society has encouraged us all to believe that if we are thin, we are successful and happy. It is a huge money making industry.
I have come back from Nepal with a fresh attitude towards a healthy lifestyle. It is necessary to look after your body by eating well and regularly exercising. But putting it ahead of other aspects of life, such as being with friends or going out for a romantic dinner with a loved one or appreciating the birth of a newborn child, is completely unnecessary and, in fact, unhealthy.
I’m not discounting everything posted on Learn Love Lift, I just want you to reconsider what is important in life, and remember how lucky you are :).” 

I’ve decided to take on a personal project to attempt to improve infection control within hospitals as it is currently terrible – and it has nothing to do with lack of money.

It’s great to be back and eating the usual diet again. After a month of rice, lentils and curry I was so excited to come back and eat grilled chicken and veggies. I kept my metabolism going whilst overseas by ensuring I still ate every 3 hours, even if I wasn’t very hungry, and I think that has made it a lot easier to get back on track.

Before I left, you may have seen photos of my crepes on Facebook. They are SO delicious!! You can top them with anything you want, but my personal favourite is slice banana and 70% dark chocolate 🙂

Ricotta Crepes

½ cup ricotta

¼ cup almond meal/flour

4 eggs OR ¾ cup egg whites

3 Tbsp milk

Pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

 

Method

1. Beat ricotta with eggs

2. Beat in flour, salt, milk, baking powder

3. Allow to sit for 15 mins

4. Heat saucepan over medium-low heat

5. Pour in batter – enough to thinly coat the pan

6. Don’t attempt to flip it!! Wait until the top of the crepe is dry to the touch, then slide straight onto a plate

7. Go crazy with toppings!!

 

I’d love to know if you come up with any great combinations that you recommend

Learn constantly, Love your body, Lift yourself higher x

MFT28

I’m so sorry that my blogs are becoming less frequent!! I’ve been flat out with assignments and trying to keep on top of study (a never-ending struggle) so unfortunately I haven’t had the time to dedicate an hour or so to writing blog posts!!

Motivation: Amanda Adams

I felt like I was in a bit of a rut with my training so I did a bit of searching and found this training program – Greg Plitt’s MFT28 (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mft28-greg-plitts-4-week-military-fitness-trainer-by-met-rx.html). It is INTENSE!!! He is really enthusiastic and motivating though, and I find it really helpful to watch the videos. My boyfriend is doing it with me via long distance, which is nice :).

I have HEAPS of recipes to share with you!! I think it’ll be easiest if I break them up into a few per post though (don’t want to overwhelm you!!)

 

High Fibre Cinnamon Protein Pancakes (chocolatechillimango.com) – these are really yummy and really filling

Serves 1-2

100g egg whites

40g pea protein

10 grams psyllium husk

250mL unsweetened almond milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla whey protein powder

Stevia, to taste

Whisk together the ingredients

If necessary, add a little more milk or water if the batter is too thick

Cook the pancakes in a non-stick pan

Serve topped with whatever you like (I used flaxseed oil because I’m ADDICTED!)

Nutritional info: per serve (without toppings)

Calories: 146.7

Total fat: 2.2g (0.5g sat)

Total carbs: 5.5g (4.9g fibre!)

Sugar: 0.4g

Protein: 25.4g

 

Blueberry Almond Protein Muffins (chocolatechillimango.com) – I absolutely LOVE these!! Super fluffy, super tasty, super healthy!!! Awesome muffins 🙂

Serves 12

250g almond meal

20 serves Stevia (a lot, I know…)

3 tsp baking powder

150g blueberries (I used frozen)

200mL unsweetened almond milk

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla essence

1/2 scoop vanilla whey powder

1/2 scoop vanilla casein powder

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

Mix together dry ingredients

Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl

Add wet to dry, then mix lightly (do not overbeat)

Toss in the blueberries

Pour the batter into lined muffin tins

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and toothpick comes out clean

Cool on a wire rack before turning out

Nutritional info: per 1 muffin

Calories: 151

Total fat: 11.4 (1.1g sat)

Total carbs: 7.9g

Sugar: 2.2g

Protein: 7.4g

 

Chicken with Cauliflower and Olives (www.elanaspantry.com) – pretty self explanatory haha and yum!

Serves 4

500g chicken breast

1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs

1/2 head cauliflower – cut into florets

1 spring onion – finely chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup kalamata olives – pitted

3 cloves garlic – minced

Spread thyme sprigs evenly in the bottom of a 7×11 baking dish

Place chicken over thyme and scatter cauliflower around chicken

In a small bowl, combine spring onion, oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, olives and garlic

Pour this mixture over the chicken and cauliflower

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Bake for 45-55 minutes, until chicken is cooked through

Nutritional info: per serve

Calories: 246.8

Total fat: 8.1g (2.0g sat)

Total carbs: 6.0g

Sugar: 1.5g

Protein: 37.5g

 

Dense Aduki Chocolate Cake (www.proteinpow.com) – this is super super dense!! I think next time I’ll add more sweetener because it was a bit too bitter for me

Serves 8

1 can aduki (or black) unsalted beans – cooked

1/2 cup liquid egg whites

1/2 cup chocolate whey protein powder

300g low-fat cottage cheese

12 cup cocoa powder

10 serves Stevia

3 tbsp coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 170 degrees

Blend everything together and pour into a greased cake pan

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (don’t overbake!!)

Sprinkle some cocoa on top to serve!

Nutritional info: per serve

Calories: 149.7

Total fat: 3.2g (2.2g sat)

Total carbs: 11.0g

Sugar: 2.1g

Protein: 16.8g

 

Vanilla Cupcakes (www.dessertswithbenefits.com) – these are pretty scrumptious (though have nothing on the blueberry almond muffins above…)

Serves 11

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

3 tbsp coconut oil

3/4 cooking Stevia

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp almond essence (I left this out)

1/4 cup arrowroot starch

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour

1/3 cup almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (I left this out)

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a cupcake tin with 11 paper liners

Whisk together almond milk, applesauce, oil, sweetener, vanilla and almond essence

Whisk on medium speed for about 1 minute

In a small bowl, whisk together the starch and flax

Slowly add this starch/flax mixture to the almond milk/applesauce mixture

Whisk on low for about 1 minute

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, quinoa flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt

Slowly add to the almond milk/applesauce/flax mixture on low speed

When it is all incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and whip for about 20 seconds

Scoop batter into cupcake liners

Bake for ~30minutes or until surface springs back when tapped

Remove cupcakes from tin and let cool on a wire rack

I decided to add my own person touch by pressing a raspberry into the centre of each muffin before I cooked them… don’t ask me why!! But it tasted awesome 🙂

Nutritional info: per serve (without raspberries)

Calories: 132.8

Total fat: 7.9g (4.8g sat)

Total carbs: 12.7g

Sugar: 0.8g

Protein: 2.3g

 

Oh and guess what? I’m now a Sweat Pink Ambassador 🙂 check us out at www.fitapproach.com

 

I haven’t been sticking to my eating and exercise plan super well lately (as those on my facebook page may know..) but the thing to keep in mind is to not give up – to keep on keeping on!! Tomorrow’s another day 🙂 x

Introduction to General Practice

Last Monday I met the General Practice Clinic that I’ll be spend half of this year – and it’s great! The consultants are really enthusiastic and eager for me to become a part of the team. They’re really motivating and willing to help me :). I’m so excited for this year – I think it will be an amazing experience!! But unfortunately we’re going to be bombarded with assessments… so that’s something I won’t be looking forward to! Oh and I was concerned about finding a gym in the small town where I’m placed but turns out I have access to the hospital gym – $3 a week and it has plenty of weight and cardio equipment. Yay!! I can’t wait to get into the swing of things.

Motivation: Jessica King

 

I’ve got a bunch of awesome recipes to share with you 🙂

 

Lemon Protein Slice from www.proteinpow.com – YUM!! Love these!

 

Serves 6

For the crust:

1 tbsp coconut flour

6 tbsp oat flour

1/4 cup vanilla whey protein

1 tbsp pea protein (or vanilla casein)

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

4 brazil nuts (could sub with almonds)

1 tbsp grated fresh lemon zest

1/2 a big lemon’s worth of lemon juice (20mL)

1 serve Stevia

For the filling:

2 tbsp fresh lemon zest

1 big lemon’s worth of lemon juice (40mL)

1/2 cup vanilla whey protein

3 tbsp coconut flour (or almond meal)

15 macadamia nuts (could sub with cashews)

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Blend the crust ingredients together and press the doughy matter onto a cake pan

Bake at 190 degrees Celcius for about 10 minutes

Meanwhile, blend the filling ingredients together

When blended and crust is cooked, press the filling batter onto the crust and put back in the oven for no more than 20 minutes

I then sprinkled coconut powder on top but this is entirely optional 🙂

Nutritional info: per serve

Calories: 200.8

Total fat: 8.4g (2.2g sat)

Total carbs: 13.6g

Sugar: 2.0g

Protein: 17.7g

 

Bittersweet Chocolate Quinoa Cupcakes from dessertswithbenefits.com – these have an amazing texture; so soft! It took me a little while to love the taste because they weren’t as sweet as I’d hoped, but they’re still really yummy! Next time I think I’ll add more sweetener.

 

Serves 12

For the cupcakes:

1 cup quinoa flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup + 1 tbsp fat free Greek yoghurt

1/2 tsp instant coffee 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 serve Stevia

1+1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

For the frosting:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1/3 cup light coconut milk

6 serves Stevia

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 scoops chocolate whey protein

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line/spray a cupcake tin

In a small bowl, whisk together the quinoa flour, brown rice flour, cocoa powder, flax, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Stevia

In a large bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, coffee, vanilla extract, then whisk in the milk

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet

Whisk batter for ~20 seconds, or until batter is fluffy and even

Scoop the batter into the cupcake tins and bake for ~20 minutes, or until surface springs back when tapped

Take the cupcakes out of the pan immediately after removing from the oven, let cool on a wire cooling rack

In a medium-szed bowl, add the coconut oil and coconut milk, and (if coconut oil is solid) microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until the coconut oil has melted

Stir in the Stevia, then the cocoa powder, then the protein powder

Frost the cooled cupcakes and serve!! I found that I needed to put the frosted cupcakes in the fridge before serving to help the frosting set

These aren’t very sweet, so feel free to up the Stevia in the cupcakes!

Nutritional info: per 1 muffin

Calories: 143.4

Total fat: 5.6g (3.2g sat)

Total carbs: 5.2g

Sugar: 1.6g

Protein: 7.4g (even without protein powder!)

 

Chicken Cashew from crunchymama.net – my boyfriend’s new favourite lunchtime bulk-cook recipe 🙂 super yummy!! Also, my boyfriend divides the recipe up into 4 serves instead of 6.

Serves 6

1 kg chicken – cut into chunks

1 cup roasted cashew nuts

1/2 red pepper – diced into same size as chicken

3 spring onions – cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tbsp ginger – grated

For the marinade:

1 egg white

2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce OR Bragg’s aminos

1 tbsp tapioca flour aka arrowroot

For the sauce:

4 tbsp reduced salt soy sauuce

2 tbsp cooking wine

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey

1 tsp tapioca flour/arrowroot

Combine marinade ingredients and mix chicken into marinade for at least 30 minutes

Combine sauce ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside

In a large non-stick pan, cook the chicken pieces for 2-4 minutes until just cooked

Drain chicken onto some paper towels

Saute the spring onion and ginger for a minute

Add capsicum and sauce. Cook until it is thick and bubbly

Add chicken back to the pan and stir until the chicken pieces are covered in suace

Throw in the cashews, stir, and serve

Nutritional info: per serve

Calories: 248.9

Total fat: 4.4g (1.0g sat)

Total carbs: 6.8g

Sugar: 2.7g

Protein: 42.0g

Sodium: 676.9mg (this would be reduced if you replace the soy sauce with Bragg’s aminos)

 

Casein Pancake

Serves 1

1/3 cup egg whites

1/2 scoop vanilla casein protein

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the ingredients together

Pour into a hot non-stick pan and cook

I served this with sugar-free maple syrup 🙂

Nutritional info: per serve

Calories: 97.9

Total fat: 0.5g (0.2g sat)

Total carbs: 1.8g

Sugar: 0g 

Protein: 20.0g

 

 

Stop wishing for something – go out and do it!! 🙂 x

Holiday’s Over :(

I have been so so busy! Last week we had orientation to introduce us to what we will be doing this year (general practice, paediatrics, women’s health, and psychiatry) and I had temporary accommodation with some of my fellow students. I didn’t want to wake people with my breakfast preparations every morning (sorry blueberry pancakes) so I made these and I think they’re really great!! Easy grab-and-go breakfast that is yummy, filling, and healthy :).

Motivation: Ellie Gonsalves

Protein and Fiber Breakfast Bars from www.proteinpow.com (altered slightly to suit me)

Serves 4 (1 serve = 2 bars)

1/4 cup psyllium husks

1/4 cup whey protein (I just used vanilla)

1/4 cup casein protein (again, I used vanilla)

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2og walnuts – chopped

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees

Mix the ingredients together, except for the walnuts

Fold in the walnuts, then pour the mixture into a small brownie pan

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Nutritional info: per 1 bar

Calories: 90.5

Total fat: 3.3g (0.9g sat)

Total carbs: 8.0g (4.5g dietary fiber)

Sugar: 1.7g

Protein: 7.9g

 

Feta-Filled Protein Crêpes, again from the amazing Anna at www.proteinpow.com

Serves 1

1 large egg white

1/8 cup pea protein powder (I used vanilla flavoured because that’s all I have)

1/8 cup lite coconut milk

25g low fat feta

Optional: feel free to add herbs and spices to the crêpe before cooking it

Mix the ingredients together (except the feta) and pour into a hot hot non-stick frying pan

Flip the crêpe

When cooked, fill with the cheese (or with whatever you want!)

Nutritional info: per serve, with low fat feta

Calories: 153.5

Total fat: 6.0g (4.5g sat)

Total carbs: 0.5g

Sugar: 1.3g

Protein: 23.3g

 

 

Hopefully I’ll get into the swing of things very soon and my posts (both on my blog and on my facebook page) will become more frequent and regular :). Don’t give up – if you’re sick of starting over, just give up giving up!! 🙂 x

Work Experience

I’ve just completed my work experience at a local gym, and it was great!! I had fun chatting with personal trainers and learning about different techniques that they incorporate for their clients. However, I do think it would be very difficult to complete rely on being a PT – so many clients would cancel or just not show up for appointments (which I think is very disrespectful). I got a good review from my supervisor which is great news!

 

Motivation:

 

 

Yoghurt-Coated Berries – an easy snack!

 

Punnet of strawberries

Natural greek yoghurt

Stevia (optional)

Make sure strawberries are dry, then dip into yoghurt

Place in the freezer for a couple of hours until yoghurt is set

 

Chicken Baryani – inspired by watching MKR the other night 😛

 

Serves 5

1 large onion – finely sliced

1 bay leaf

3 cardamom pods

1 small cinnamon stick

1 tsp turmeric

4 skinless chicken breasts – cut into large chunks

4 tbsp curry paste (I used Patak’s balti paste)

750mL reduced salt chicken stock

Chopped coriander and toasted flaked almonds to serve

Cook the onions with the bay leaf and other whole spices for 10 minutes

Sprinkle in the turmeric, then add chicken and curry paste, and cook until aromatic

Pour over the stock

Place the tight-fitting lid on the pan and bring to a hard boil, then lower the heat to a minimum, allow to simmer for 5 minutes

Turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes

Stir well, mixing through half the coriander

To serve, scatter over the rest of the coriander and the almonds

I chose to serve this with cauliflower rice but you can serve with brown rice if you want!

Nutritional info: per serve

Calories: 313.4

Total fat: 8.2g (1.2g sat)

Total carbs: 7.7g

Sugar: 3.9g

Protein: 48.8g

 

Cauliflower Rice

Serves 4-5

1 head of cauliflower

Oil (I used flaxseed)

Salt and pepper

Chop the cauliflower into florets, then put in a food processor and blend until it resembles rice

Heat a frying pan, coat with oil, then cook cauliflower rice with salt and pepper until it starts to turn golden

 

Blueberry Coconut Protein Pancakes

Serves 1

1/4 cup egg whites

1/4 cup protein powder (i used vanilla whey)

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/3 cup oat flour

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

2 tsp vanilla essence

3 serves Stevia

Combine all ingredients except blueberries

Gently fold in blueberries

Drop 1/4 cup of batter onto a frying pan coated with non-stick spray

Cook until edges begin to bubble, then flip and cook the other side

Repeat until batter is all cooked

Nutritional info: per serve

Calories: 323.4

Total fat: 6.3g (2.5g sat)

Total carbs: 33.7g

Sugar: 7.9g

Protein: 30.4

 

 

If you want to do something – do it!! So many people want something but don’t actually go out and get it because they are waiting for ‘later’…. just do it 🙂 x

School’s OUT!!

Finished exams yesterday… WOOOO!!!! So relieved to just sit back and NOT have to study for the first time all year :). I don’t think I would’ve survived this last week if my boyfriend hadn’t come stay with me and keep me sane… I don’t know how he puts up with me at this time of year, I get real crabby when I’m stressed haha.

 

My boyfriend wasn’t keen for me to practice my suturing and cannulation technique on him, so a banana had to cop it 🙂

 

Motivation: Aussie Sophie Guidolin

 

I tried new pancakes for something different.. Custard Pancakes from www.bodybuilding.com/. They’re oookayyyy… I still prefer my usual blueberry pancakes though.

Serves 1

1 small banana

1 small (120g) cooked sweet potato

1/2 cup liquid egg whites

1/2 cup vanilla whey powder

Blend all ingredients until smooth

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium

Pour mixture onto pan – when bubbles form, flip over

Nutritional info: 

Calories: 378.9

Total fat: 1.6g

Total carbs: 25.2g

Sugar: 13.5g

Protein: 55.1

 

Low Carb Protein Brownies – I got the recipe from www.proteinpow.com then substituted ingredients to suit me (okay so I stole the image from protein pow… mine weren’t very picturesque haha)

Serves 12

85g chocolate whey powder

92g dark chocolate (with highest percentage of cocoa as possible)

240g egg whites

12 serves Stevia

1 tbsp baking powder

60g silken tofu

120g lite chocolate topping

230g low fat cream cheese

Preheat oven to 176 degrees

Melt the chocolate (I did this in the microwave because it was faster and easier… just be careful not to burn it!!)

Blend everything together and pour into a brownie pan

Bake for ~20 minutes

Nutritional info: per 1/12 serves

Calories: 115.9

Total fat: 7.3g

Total carbs: 3.2g

Sugar: 2.2g

Protein: 10.3g

 

 

Yay for holidays!! Looking forward to focusing on my body, eating clean, and relaxing 🙂 x

When The Alternator Fails…

I had a shocking start to this week.. on my way driving back to my uni accommodation from my boyfriends house my car broke down. Twice. I got towed – twice – and ended up having to leave my car at an auto electrician an hour away from anywhere convenient for me. It took me an extra 5 hours to get home and I wasted my entire day. Eugh, not happy. No gym, no car, and a big hole in the wallet. Times like this I get very down in the dumps, but I managed to (only just!) keep my head up, and by Wednesday arvo I had my car back again. Turns out the alternator – which normally charges the car battery whilst driving – had stopped working, subsequently causing my battery to run flat. I have such a love/hate relationship with my car hah.

I had an assessment due on Friday, and lets just say that I’m sooo glad it’s the weekend!!

Motivation: Margret Gnarr

 

This weeks food plan:

 

Meal 1/Breakfast:

I tried a DIFFERENT PANCAKE RECIPE!! And it was really yummy!! 🙂 I modified the recipe a bit from this one: dashingdish.com/recipe/strawberry-protein-pancake-roll-ups-w-yogurt-filling/

Vanilla Protein Pancakes

Serves 1

1/4 cup no fat Greek yoghurt

1.4 cup vanilla protein powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 egg whites

1/2 cup ground oats

1/8 cup water

3-5 serves of Stevia

Blend all of the ingredients, then cook in frying pan – 1/3 scoop of mixture per pancakes makes 4 small pancakes

I really enjoyed these with a squeeze of lemon juice on them

Nutritional info: 

Calories: 369

Total fat: 5.3g

Total carbs:35.6g

Sugar: 7.0g

Protein: 42g

 

Meal 2:

These cookies are awesome!! Brazil Choc Cookies from www.tasty-health.se (beware, her page is in swedish)

Serves 8

1&1/2 cups ground oats

1 tbsp vanilla whey powder

1 pinch salt

1 pinch baking soda

1 tbsp coconut butter

4 serves of Stevia

2&1/2 tbsp almond milk (or any milk)

20g brazil nuts – chopped

20g unsweetened chocolate – chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Mix all of the dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients (may want to use your  hands to mix it)

Bring the mixture together into one big piece of dough (I needed a splash more of water to get it to all come together)

Roll into 8 separate cookie balls, and put on a baking tray lined with baking paper

Bake for 8-10 minutes – allow them to cool completely (they will become more solid as they cool)

Nutritional info: per 1/8 cookies

Calories: 122

Total fat: 6.3g

Total carbs: 10.6g

Sugar: 0.9g

Protein: 4.8g

 

Meal 3/Lunch:

Madras Kangaroo Curry, from www.macromeats.com

Serves 6

1kg kangaroo mince

1/3 jar Madras curry paste (in Woolworths it was labelled as Tikka paste)

1 large onion – diced

1&1/2 cup reduced salt chicken/beef stock

400g canned tomatoes (optional but I added)

2 cups frozen peas

Fresh red chilies – finely chopped – or chilli flakes

Fry onion in a little bit of oil until translucent.

Add curry paste and cook until aromatic

Add kangaroo mince, mix well and cook until browned (stir to break any lumps)

Add stock and tomatoes, and stir well (may also add chilies)

Bring to the boil whilst stirring, then reduce the heat to simmer

When liquid is reduced by half, stir in frozen peas and continue to simmer until desired consistency is achieved

Nutritional info: per 1/6 serves

Calories: 253

Total fat: 4.5g

Total carbs: 14.9g

Sugar: 3.9g

Protein: 38.5g

 

Meal 4:

Crustless Berry Mini Cheesecakes from www.proteinpow.com/

Serves 10

170g no fat Greek yoghurt

2 tbsp cottage cheese

1 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 cup dried berries (I used goji berries – superfood!!)

2 fresh organic eggs (I subbed in 1/3 cup egg whites)

1/4 cup vanilla whey powder

Stevia, to taste

1 cup berries (I used frozen blueberries)

Preheat oven to 170 degrees

Blend all ingredients except fresh/frozen berries

Add fresh/frozen berries – try not to squish them!

Pour into muffin tray and bake for about 20 minutes

Nutritional info: per 1/10 mini cheesecakes

Calories: 42 (!!)

Total fat: 0.4g

Total carbs: 4.0g

Sugar: 2.3g

Protein: 5.5g

 

Meal 5:

Can’t wait to eat this… I modified the Free Range Chicken Laksa from www.masterchef.com.au

Serves 4

600g chicken breast – thinly sliced

230g jar laksa paste

3 cups reduced salt chicken stock

400mL can lite coconut milk

1 bunch choy sum – stalks trimmed off and cut into 5cm lengths

1/2 cup each of fresh coriander, mint, and Thai basil leaves

125g fresh bean sprouts (to serve)

1 small red chili – seeded and thinly sliced (to serve)

2 tbsp chopped unsalted peanuts (I left these out)

Lime wedges (to serve)

SlimPasta Angel Hair noodles (no carb noodles)

Heat a wok over medium-high heat and spray with oil

Add chicken and stir fry until cooked

Add laksa paste and stir fry for 30s or until fragrant

Stir in stock, bring to the boil, then add coconut milk and choy sum

Simmer for 2 minutes

Stir in fresh herbs

When serving, put noodles and bean sprouts in the bottom of the bowl, then pour the laksa soup over.

Top with chilli, extra fresh herbs and peanuts. Serve with lime wedges

Nutritional info: per 1/4 serves

Calories: 272

Total fat: 6.9g

Total carbs: 21.2g

Sugar: 10.1g (usually I wouldn’t go above 5g of sugar per meal)

Protein: 36.8g

 

Meal 6:

WW chocolate mousse

 

Also, I though I’d share this easy salad that I absolutely love – Chicken and Avocado Salad

Serves 1

100g of chicken breast from a roast chicken (I just buy the pre-roasted chicken from Woolies) – shredded

5 walnuts – chopped

1/4 avocado – diced

Dash of flaxseed oil

As many mesclun leaves as you want

Mix it all together (but try not to smoosh the avocado too much)

Nutritional info:

Calories: 414

Total fat: 30.8g (but only 2.7g is saturated! This salad contains all really good fats; they trigger your brain to make you feel full)

Total carbs: 4.8g

Sugar: 0.8g

Protein: 28.2g

 

Stop waiting, start now 🙂 only you can change yourself!! xx

Winter Holidays

Sorry I haven’t posted for a while – I’ve been relaxing with as little brain work as possible and I really needed it! I think I was really run down and it’s only been the past couple of days that I’ve been bouncing out of bed and feeling more like my usual self 🙂 I start back at uni next week (boo…) so study is happening again, but I’ve been treating myself to some lovely healthy treats and trying a few different recipes that I couldn’t usually try whilst at uni (due to lack of utensils/time etc).

My current home page for my iphone is this:

Make it yours! I hate when I have ‘blah’ days (which I’ve had a lot of recently) and by the end of the day I feel like I’ve totally wasted it. Just the smallest action or interaction can make any day amazing 🙂

Current motivation: Dianna Dahlgren

Ok so I’ve been very slack with my training and healthy eating over the past few weeks. I haven’t been feeling very well – extremely run down, easily hurting my muscles, just lacking motivation – so I took some time off. I don’t know if it’s just a mental thing, but I feel like I don’t look anywhere near as good and so I’m finally feeling well enough and I’m pumped up to start knuckling down again!! Sometimes a break is so needed, but it always feels great to get back into the swing of things. Not only physically rewarding, but also mentally.

I’ve taken some ‘before’ pictures and done some measurements, so now I’m going to get back in the mindset of pushing the weights and eating as clean as I can. I’m striving for a goal, and it feels great to be doing so!! Summer is just around the corner, so the thought of strutting around in a bikini is what is going to keep me going :).

 

I haven’t been bulk cooking because I’m back at home on the farm with my family over the holidays and it’s nice to eat fresh meals when I have the time. My mum also likes me to eat whatever she cooks, so she’s making an effort to cook low carb, clean meals (she’s usually pretty good anyway), which is lovely of her! However, here is a rough meal plan of what I’ve been eating – however my dinner has been different every night (thanks to Mum!).

 

Meal 1/Breakfast:

Blueberry pancakes!! 🙂 However, the other day I was at my boyfriend’s house and decided to cook an omelette and I threw in some leftover roast lamb, sweet potato, mushrooms, and low fat cheddar with my egg whites – YUM!

We’ve also grown some delicious grapefruit at home, and I’ve read that it’s great to eat half a grapefruit for breakfast, so I’ve been having that every couple of mornings as well. Grapefruit is extremely high in Vitamin C, which is especially important in the colder months when more people are prone to developing the common cold.

 

 

Meal 2:

Ok so I have a few recipes to throw at you here.

Salada with cottage cheese, avocado and tomato (and cracked pepper) is surprisingly nice.

Nutritional info: per 1 topped salada

Calories: 92

Total fat: 2.9g

Total carbs: 8.8g

Sugar: 1.9g

Protein: 7.6g

 

Blueberry protein muffins (from http://www.littlebshealthyhabits.com – I’ve done these before but it was my 2nd post so decided to rewrite it – they’re quite yummy!)

Serves 12

1&1/2 cups oat flour

3 scoops protein powder (I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Vanilla Icecream)

1 tsp baking soda

12 serves Stevia

2 egg whites

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup no fat Greek yoghurt

1/2 cup blueberries

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.

 

Vanilla and Cinnamon Protein Cake (from http://www.proteinpow.com). This was really tasty, but it didn’t quite cook right :S the top when extremely crispy, but the middle was a bit uncooked… I had to preheat my oven to 180 degrees (due to the settings on the microwave oven) so maybe that’s why? Not sure. The flavour and texture (of the properly cooked parts) is awesome though!

Serves 6 (I sliced it into 8 though)

1 cup oat flour

2 egg whites

2/3 cup oat milk (I subbed almond milk)

2&1/2 cups vanilla whey protein

1 tbsp ground almond

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp chiaseeds (this can be omitted)

2 tbsp Stevia

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a bowl – the batter is very wet (add a little more milk if still too thick).

Pour the batter into an oven-safe dish (or a muffin tin) and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in an oven at 175 degrees (less time for muffins).

 

Meal 3/Lunch: 

I’ve been cooking grilled chicken/salmon with salad for lunch, because I absolutely love it! My favourite salad to have is made up of:

Mixed lettuce leaves

Cherry tomatoes

Cucumber

Carrot

Avocado

Low fat fetta cheese

Toasted pine nuts

Lemon juice (as dressing)

 

Meal 4:

I just made these today and they are so yummy! From http://www.proteinpow.com/ again – A Dark Chocolate, Oat, and Almond Protein Bar.

Serves 6

1 cup ground oats

1/2 cup whey (again I used my vanilla whey protein, but I would have preferred to use my chocolate protein if I’d had it with me)

2 tbsp almond butter (NEW OBSESSION! So so yummy!)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds

1 tbsp 100% cocoa

1/2 tbsp pea protein or coconut flour – I didn’t have either of these and instead rolled the mixture in dessicated coconut in an attempt to dry the mixture up a bit

Mix everything and shape into 6 rectangular bars.

Melt 60g of dark chocolate (the darkest I could find was 85%) in a bain marie and coat the bars in the melted chocolate. Mine were too sloppy to ‘dunk’ them in the chocolate, so I had to settle with coating only one side of the bars.

Once coated, freeze the bars for an hour or so, until the chocolate has hardened.

 

Meal 5/Dinner:

As I mentioned before, dinner has been different every night as I’m eating with my family, but has varied from chow mien, to cauliflower soup (sounds gross, but is really YUM! I’m probably going to make some to take back for uni) to spaghetti bolognese (minus the spaghetti).

 

Meal 6:

I tried something a bit different – a low carb pancake. Essentially the same as my blueberry pancakes but I subbed ground almonds for the ground oats, and left out the blueberries. It’s pretty nice!

1/2 cup egg whites

1/3 cup ground almond

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix, cook, eat! I squeezed some lemon juice over them to add a bit extra and it was nice 🙂

I took a trip to the health food store (and supermarket) this morning and came back with some goodies –

Unfortunately the stores around here are no longer supplying unsweetened applesauce (go figure…) so my Mum suggested that I buy tinned apples and just mash them! I don’t have time to prepare applesauce from scratch but this process turned out pretty well! A bit chunkier but I prefer it to the sweetened applesauce. Also, I’m super excited to try out this brownie mixture – just add low fat ricotta cheese, lite sour cream, egg whites and vanilla extract!! I’ve never tried carob or hulled hemp seeds either, so I’m looking forward to experimenting with them a bit :).

Try not to let the comfort foods of winter put you off target – but at the same time, don’t be afraid to accept that your body needs a break; a week (or 2!) off gym is not going to lose you any of that hard-earned muscle.

Lift heavy, eat clean, and smile 🙂 xx

The Magic of Confidence

Started cardiology rotation last week and I absolutely love it!! I’ve started putting cannulas in and I did my first injection – I’m really getting my confidence up and it’s fantastic!! Unfortunately we only have 2 weeks of cardiology but I’m going to make the most of it this week 🙂

 

It’s incredible – as soon as I put my cannula in I felt my confidence just sky rocket – it was like a turning point for me. I took a deep breath and did something that I was so nervous about, and it turns out I had totally over-thought it and it wasn’t that bad 😀 it’s suprising how often that happens to me… I need to learn not to think to much about something! Just do it 🙂

 

Motivational pic for this week:

Oh and happy mothers day to all those mums out there!! 🙂

 

Meal 1/Breakfast:

As usual I’m having my blueberry pancakes, but over the w/e my boyfriend didn’t have all of the ingredients at this place so I changed the recipe a bit and it was delicious!! Here it is:

Sweet Nutty Protein Pancakes

1/3 cup oats – ground

1/2 cup egg whites

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Splash of sugar-free maple syrup

Splash of almond milk

Peanut butter

1. Blend ingredients (except peanut butter)

2. Cook on frying pan (making 2-3 depending on how big they are)

3. Once cooked smear a little peanut butter on top, roll/fold, and enjoy!!

I think I’m going to leave these as a treat for when I’m at my boyfriend house because I can’t actually keep peanut butter at mine – I can’t resist it!!

 

Meal 2:

Ok so i’ve been wanting to try baking with beetroot for a while… and these were a bit of a disappointment haha. Maybe it was because I put too much beetroot in? I’m not sure.. but anyway here’s the recipe that I tried – it might be better if I added sugar-free maple syrup to them… this is from proteinpow.com

Whey Protein Muffins – the Pink Version

Serves 7

250g cottage cheese

2 cooked beetroots

1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup instant buckwheat (I subbed this for oat flour)

1 tbsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp toffee flavdrops (I subbed this for an extra 1 tbsp vanilla essence but maybe next time I’ll put in maple syrup? I can’t find these toffee flavdrops anywhere!)

1 tsp baking powder

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth

2. Bake until 160 degrees for about 35 minutes

3. Apparently these are nice with butter on them whilst warm, but I don’t eat butter… I tried with peanut butter but I still didn’t really like them… I don’t know haha

 

Meal 4/Lunch:

Jamie Eason’s Meatloaf Muffins – I have posted this recipe before and have tried them with kangaroo mince, but I’ve decided I prefer the turkey version 🙂 I love these in a psyllium crepe (5g psyllium husks + 55g egg whites, cooked like a pancake) with salsa + spinache + Greek yoghurt – YUM!

 

Meal 5:

Chocolate and coconut protein bars – my boyfriend tried these the other day and he loves them too, so it shows that they’re actually nice 🙂 love them with a cup of sugar-free hot chocolate!

 

Meal 6/Dinner:

Tried a new recipe and it’s pretty yummy! I altered it slightly to make it lower in carbs and it’s delicious! Different… but yum! This is my version of the recipe that I found on busybuthealthy.com

Texan Ranch Chicken Casserole

Serves 4

1 onion

2-3 stalks of celery – chopped

1 red capsicum

1 green capsicum

2 garlic cloves – minced

600g chicken breast – diced and cooked

1 tbsp chilli powder

2 tbsp butter (I left this out and just sprayed the pan with a little canola oil)

6 tbsp oat flour

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

450g can diced tomatoes

Sprinkle of parmesan cheese

(I also added 1/3 eggplant and 1/3 zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2. Cook vegies in a frying pan until crisp

3. Add garlic and chilli powder and cook for 1 minute – remove veggies from pan

4. Cook flour for 1 minute, add chicken stock and almond and stir until thickened

5. Add in the cooked chicken, tomatoes and vegies

6. Pour mixture into a 9×13 pan and top with cheese

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and browned

 

Meal 6:

Chocolate Protein Mousse 🙂

 

New Snack!! Full of antioxidants and super yummy! These are fantastic but I’ll struggle to refrain from eating them all…

My Gym Buddy Returns!

Yes, my boyfriend is back, I gave him a big a surprise by turning up at the airport (I’d convinced him that I couldn’t make it…) and we spent a lovely w/e together just relaxing and catching up 🙂 I missed him so much!! 12 days away is 12 days too many!

 

My latest body motivation/girl crush – Jenna Renee! I want my body to look like hers!

After a w/e of treating myself (my boyfriend and I indulged in a few blocks of chocolate… naughty, but oh so delicious!) I’m ready for a week of eating clean and looking after myself.

 

Plan for this week:

 

Meal 1/Breakfast:

Pancakes 🙂 I found some sugar-free maple syrup, which tastes AMAZING so I let myself drizzle a bit on my pancakes sometimes. It’s not perfect because it contains sucralose (although any trials on the negative side effects of sucralose have only been done in ridiculously excessive amounts, so I figure a little bit here and there won’t do me too much damage!).

 

Meal 2:

Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Muffins

I’ve posted this recipe before, and I cannot emphasize enough how delicious these little baked delights are! In order to prevent myself from eating them all straight away I make sure to freeze them and defrost them one at a time 😛

 

Meal 3/Lunch:

Jamie Eason’s Meatloaf Muffins

In one of my very first posts I put up the recipe for these, and I think they’re so yummy! They’re also really convenient to grab on the go to munch on like an apple, or I like to chop up and mix with salsa/put in a psyllium crepe (recipe posted previously)/throw in a salad!

This time I altered them slightly by subbing in kangaroo mince (I’m determined to try it in everything now!) and, although they smell a bit different, I’m sure they’ll taste just as good! These are yummy but I think I prefer the turkey in this recipe… I might try a different meatball recipe with the kangaroo because I think it required different spices.

 

Meal 4:

Leftovers! Yay I love it when I find that I have enough leftovers to last me another week! This week I have plenty of Peanut Butter Layered Coconut and Vanilla Whey Protein Cakes and Chocolate and Coconut Protein Bars, so I can relax a bit :).

Also, just thought I’d chuck a photo in of my Vitamin-Rich Post-Workout Shake before it gets all blended up – you’ll see that I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein and I love it! My boyfriend and I did a heap of hunting around to find the best and so far this is it! I love vanilla icecream flavour, and also have the double chocolate, but the Dymatize flavour beats that in regards to flavour!

 

Meal 5/Dinner:

Low Carb Chicken Parmigiana

I love a good chicken parmigiana and found this awesome recipe at http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/27204/30+minute+chicken+parmigiana+bake. I altered it slightly to suit me a bit better, and this is what I came up with:

Serves 4

2 chicken breasts – halved (to make thinner)

1 medium brown onion – diced

2 tsp crushed garlic

340g jar fire-roasted pepper strips – drained

450g jar lite chicken parmigiana sauce

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Eggplant, diced

Italian herbs

Salt and pepper

Lite pizza cheese

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees

2. Spray frying pan lightly with oil and cook chicken breasts until browned and cooked through, then remove from pan and sit aside

3. In the same pan, cook onion, garlic, and egg plant until onion is cooked, then add jar of peppers. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add parmigiana sauce and herbs, bring to the boil, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Lay the chicken breasts out on an ovenproof dish and pour the sauce mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese (not too much!)

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until top is golden. YUM!! The addition of the fire-roasted peppers is awesome! I also would have added a few olives if I’d had any on hand.

I have been searching for this lite pizza cheese EVERYWHERE after finding it randomly a few months ago… and found it again! Just in woolworths, but for some reason it tends to come and go…

 

Meal 6:

Either my Chocolate Protein Mousse or Cottage Cheese Mixture (in the photo above I mixed cottage cheese+dark unsweetened cocoa+stevia+almond milk+unsweetened desiccated coconut), whichever I can be bothered making!

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before but I live in a communal building, with a bunch of other medical students, and so I have to share a communal kitchen. Cooking all this food at once tends to make such a mess and takes so much time but I like to do it all at once to get it out of the way, and I always choose times when the kitchen is as empty as possible. Here’s a photo of the workplace….

On the plus side, when it’s empty it means I can use ALL the ovens at once, if I need different temperatures, and I can borrow some people’s pots and pans (although I ALWAYS clean them and put them away after use, because I hate when people leave mine dirty!).

I absolutely love bulk cooking at the start of the week, it gives me so much more time when I’m busy during the week and it really eases some of the stress off my mind. I’m trying to get my boyfriend to start bulk cooking because he hates having to spend so much time cooking and washing dishes every night, so this w/e I’m compiling a bunch of easy freezable recipes for him and we’re going tupperware shopping 🙂

Hope everyone has a great week – if anyone has any questions about calorie/macro content of any of my recipes, or would like any advice about eating clean etc, feel free to comment on my wall or email me – blhat1@student.monash.edu 🙂

Train mean eat clean 🙂 xx