A lady that lunches

I have posted before about prepping meals for the week. I cannot recommend it enough.
This Saturday I spent the whole afternoon in the kitchen, I know for some people that sounds like hell, but I love cooking and experimenting so I was in my element.
I got a full chicken and had a go at jointing it. I have to say it wasn't the prettiest crown when it was finished but not a bad job for a first attempt.

Ready for roasting

I roasted the crown so I had lovely roast chicken for salads and scrambled egg etc.. all week. I then used the bones, thighs, legs, wings and whatever was left and made chicken stock. It was the first time I had ever made it and it was pretty easy. It tasted great too. I then tore the meat from the legs and thighs to put with the roast breast. Once all the chicken I could get was torn up I had about five 100g portions. Yum.

Lots of chicken ready to go for whatever I want.

So that was my quick protein source sorted but as we all know, I also love a good soup. So I used some of the chicken and all of the chicken stock to make a chicken and barley soup. Next to that I made an Indian spiced vegetable soup.

Spiced veg on the left and chicken on the right

I left some chunks in the spiced veg soup but blended most of it for a lovely curry consistency. The chicken one, made with the homemade stock is so rich and gloopy. I had never made any soup that was not just a vegetable based soup so I was pretty pleased with it. They freeze brilliantly too. All I have to do is get which ever I fancy out in the morning and heat up at lunch. Each soup made six servings so I have enough to last two weeks now, as I will have a few salads and egg based dishes to mix my lunches up a bit.

Some ready for freezing, others ready for lunch this week

If you're not a big cook don't worry. You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to get these results, soup can be made in no time at all and as for a chicken, roasting a crown, just put it in an 190degree oven and forget about it for 50 minutes. It really is that easy. This way you save the pennies, jam pack your lunches with nutrients and vitamins from veg and have protein on standby. I can't recommend taking an hour out of your weekend to do something like this enough. Home made soups taste 100 times better than tinned stuff, are more filling and provide much more nutritional benefits to the body. So get out your crock pot and give it  go.

High fat low carb

In a previous post I mentioned metabolic testing. I went and had loads of tests done on me to measure my body fat percentage and to find out which fuel I burn the most - carbs, fat or protein.
When it comes to healthy eating I have always had a higher carb diet and a reasonably low fat diet. Most of the carbs came from fruit. I always knew that fruit had sugar in it but never considered that combining the amount of fruit I ate, especially high in the glycemic index such as bananas, pomegranate and grapes, with my nagging sweet tooth would be making much difference.
But, I had hit a plateau with my weight loss. I understand a lot of the pounds are now muscle rather than fat, and I am in no way over weight but I still wanted to lose a couple more pounds.
I also know that snacking like I do doesn't help but on the most part it has never been a problem when I wanted to drop those hefty extra pounds.
So learning that my body burnt next to no fat and way too much sugar it all became clear. I need to cut back on the sugar so my body will look to my fat stores for energy.
So this week I have written a diet plan. I am in day two and so far I have stuck to it really well but I have to admit I am struggling. Usually when I am peckish and eating well I reach for some fruit, while I am still eating fruit I have to cut back considerably. So this has been difficult. But I have succeeded.

Today's results

As you can see, I keep a food diary using the My Fitness Pal app, which I think is fantastic and would recommend. It calculates everything from the amount of sugars consumed through carbs and which fats you have consumed. (I am pleased to say the high fat count comes from virtually all healthy fats and saturated fat intake is still low as always.)

But to burn more fat I need to provide my body with fat. Anyone with the slightest interest in nutrition knows that you can't have both a high fat and high carb diet as sugar makes fat stick. And there is a lot of arguments out there over which is the best, I personally think it is individual. Hopefully after a few weeks of working really hard, eating loads of fat and protein, no unnatural sugars and limiting my carb intake I will be able to make my own mind up.

Coming from someone with a sweet tooth who eats a lot of fruit to combat it, I am finding it tough. High fat and protein means I am even more limited in satisfying my need for a sweet treat but hopefully cutting back on it will help. Luckily I love yoghurt and milk which have been saviors when I have just needed a sneaky swig of something extra. One thing is for certain I MISS CEREAL sooo much. The cheerios will just have to wait for a rainy day and if my body fat percentage lowers, hopefully it will motivate me to cut back on the naughty snacks for good. 

Bootea detox

I have just spent the last two weeks using Bootea detox tea.
It has been an interesting two weeks. The tea is a blend of natural herbs and spices designed to detoxify your system.
It comes with a recommended eating plan which I must admit, I didn't pay much attention to. I pretty much eat what it recommended anyway. The one thing I did stick to was cutting out meat. It says meat has toxins that make it difficult for the tea to work it's magic. That was fine as I don't eat too much meat anyway.

It comes in packets that can be resealed for freshness. 

The first week I was so good and strict, I stuck to eating healthy, natural foods and saw a difference straight away. I could feel my body becoming almost purer.
Unfortunately, I had a couple of days where I didn't eat too terribly but not as well as I should. I also had one night drinking which it recommends avoiding.
However, even after a small mushroom pizza and quite a bit of vodka I still felt the benefits.
My skin feels better and I feel like it looks brighter. Even with the added extra bowls of cereal that have snuck in this week my stomach feels smaller.
I will be doing the teetox again. I think i'll make sure I do it when I don't have plans to drink on the weekend and see if it works even better.
It is a bit costly at £20 for two weeks worth of tea. That included breakfast tea that you drink every morning and teatime tea that you drink once every two days. The flavour of the teas are delicious and subtle and I will actually miss drinking them. I would recommend trying it for anyone who wants clear out their system and see and ever so slightly flatter stomach. Next time I will try to remember to do a before and after stomach picture.

Metabolic testing

Last week I went to a health clinic for some metabolic testing and nutrition advice. 
It was very interesting and something I hope to follow up.
Unfortunately I found myself on Thursday night mindlessly binging on cereal and cereal bars (sugar central!) So I don't think I gave myself a chance at a fair reading. Nevertheless it really helped me understand my body more. 
I also want to lose an extra seven pounds so this can only help with that. Worth a try.
So I rocked up and got started. Using a special machine that Clinical Edge Health Care have the rights to, I breathed into the apparatus to get my reading.

Breathing into this mouth piece sent readings into a machine to measure my fat.

It measured my carbon dioxide output and from that worked out what type of fuel my body burns the most.

Now, I could have guessed that sugar would be high, my low blood sugar and constant sweet tooth made that blindingly obvious but what I didn't expect was the shocking numbers.

My body burns 88% sugar (as I said before this was probably a little inaccurate due to my binge, but I doubt it is far off) and only 12% of fat. Ideally it should burn between 48-83% fat and 17-52% sugar. 

I was given lots of advice and I learnt quite a bit too. At this clinic they recommend a higher fat and protein diet and lower carbohydrates. They completely made me re-evaluate the type of food I eat and at what times of the day. So starting on Monday (when I have finished my current detox (will blog about that at the end of the week)) I will be changing my lifestyle and seeing if it works. Instead of carby oats for breakfast I will eat more protein like eggs and yoghurt. I already eat a huge amount of fruit and vegetables but I will be trying to cut back on sugary fruits and eating more berries and plowing even more veg onto my plate.

I am not sure how I will react to this because I love cereals and oats for breakfast but I will keep updating the blog on my progress.

The running bug

Today I can proudly say I ran five miles.
I know to you running pro's out there five miles is nothing but to me it was a landmark moment.
You see I have arthritis and was always under the impression I would not be able to run. But since taking up a more active lifestyle last year I decided a little bit of running couldn't hurt anyone.
And I tell you what, I caught the running bug good and proper.
I probably did my first real run about eight months ago and only managed about a mile but it was a mile non the less. It took me a few months to start taking it seriously but as my fitness was increasing so was my desire to keep up with it.
So when I went back to Yorkshire for the weekend and didn't have my gym to hide in I would slip on my Nikes and go for a run.

These bad boys deserve some recognition for
the miles they put in.

Back home there is an old, paved rail track that goes for miles surrounded by countryside and woodlands. I love running there, it is stunning and so therapeutic. So that is how I kept my fitness up when visiting my home county.
Now when I run that track I feel so accomplished thinking about how much further I can go in comparison to when I first started.
Six months ago if you told me I could run five miles I probably would have laughed. It was never my aim to run a certain number of miles, just to run and keep fit.
But the further I could go the further I wanted to push myself.
Then I stumbled across some similar tracks in Congleton (where I now live in Cheshire) and I love the run.
Previously I just ran when I went home but now if the weather is beautiful you cannot stop me.
I'm one of those who loves all the seasons and finds the positive in all weathers. Never the less, spring ignites something in me. It is so fresh and beautiful. The temperature at the minute is spectacular, bright, mild, clear and fresh. So instead of sitting in a stuffy gym today I decided to run.
The longest run I had done until now was four and quarter miles. I never felt exhausted by it but for some reason couldn't break through. I decided to push myself a little bit more today, unaware of how far that was and when I checked my app at the end of the run I could of squealed with delight.
I ran a whole mile further than I have before. It feels fantastic to be able to say I can run five miles.
It is fair to say running bug, I have 100% caught you!
I just get caught up in my surroundings, all my problems seem to disappear and I adore the sounds of the birds rustling in the bushes next to you and wolf whistling as you run past. It really is a form of therapy for me and I will never look back.

Healthy home cooking

Comforting home food is sometimes just what you need. But if you're worried a big plate of pasta might ruin your diet why not try making it fresh. 

I made butternut squash ravioli and topped it with fresh tomato sauce (made with onion, garlic, basil and tinned tomatoes) and fresh cod. 

Butternut squash ravioli topped with cod, tomato sauce and the left over squash puree. 

Some people worry making pasta would be difficult. It really isn't if you are willing to put a little bit of time in. 
I made lots of fresh pasta, separated it into dough balls and froze a couple. That way when I fancied fresh pasta I could take it out of the freezer, defrost it, roll it out and cook it. It takes minutes when it's fresh.
This meal was indulgent, the right amount of heavy and comforting as pasta should be, but packed with goodness.
Butternut squash is great for you, combined with the tomato sauce and cod this meal was packed with protein, vitamin A and C. 
I recommend it to anyone. For the method see my recipe page.

Start the week right

I am a big believer that there is no excuse for unhealthy eating.
All this, I don't have time to make a healthy lunch or a panini or meal deal is quick and easy, is rubbish.
Yes sometimes all you want is a pizza or a chicken curry, that is fine, sometimes... but on the whole you should and can eat well.
First of all, not only are there healthy choices out there if you look for them. But secondly, all you need to do is to put aside about one hour of your Sunday and you can be prepared for greatness.
I make one or two soups every weekend depending on how many I have stacked up in the freezer. 
This week I made chunky vegetable soup. I also cooked some brown rice so I had the carbs on hand for a quick dinner and roasted some butternut squash. It is a favourite vegetable of mine (they say orange veg is one of the best types) but it takes a while to cook. 

Vegetable soup, brown rice and squash, yum

The great thing about homemade soup, and I know i've probably said it before, is it is so versatile. Anything you want can be made into a soup. Most soups are veggie based so already you are getting a nutrient packed lunch and it is low calorie. Especially if you ignore the use of cream in a recipe. (It never really needs it in soup.) It is quick for lunch, heat it up in the microwave or on the hob and in three minutes you have a delicious, nutritious meal. It also freezes brilliantly, I always make a massive batch so I have some left over to freeze meaning some weeks I can mix and match.
By pre-cooking the brown rice and butternut squash it meant when I came home from a long day at work followed by a session at the gym I still ate well. So many people would see it as a reason for a take-away but it doesn't have to be. 
I mixed the rice with tinned tuna, the squash, lots of fresh veggies like spinach, broccoli, soy beans, spring onions and tomatoes. It meant I ate a hearty, healthy, filling dinner which was ready in the time it took to steam the broccoli. 
So try it yourself. A bit of preparation goes a long way. 

Terrific tofu

This week I tried something new. I made a tofu stir fry. 
I first tried the silken meat substitute at a sushi restaurant and loved it. I immediately went out and bought a box but I had been putting off cooking it.
Anyone I know who had cooked it before said it was a nightmare to work with. One even said it tasted awful.
So tonight I took the plunge, I marinated it and then fried it. 
Not going to lie, it was easy peasy. Yes there was a lot of chipped off chunks and it looked far from perfect. But the big chunks were great and the little bits were a nice addition to almost every bite. I just threw it in a stir fry. Yum. 

Tofu stir fry 

I took the advice I was given and only moved it once to turn it over. I recommend cooking with tofu if you like it. It is fast, easy and on hand whenever you need a quick dinner. We don't need meat in our diets every day. It kept me full all evening and is definitely something I will be eating more of. 

Lent

Ahh lent, the time of year everyone is hopeful and believes for a couple of days that they have will power.
Anyone who has read this blog before would know, I gave up chocolate for three weeks recently.
Since being able to eat it again I have binged, ridiculously.
The sad thing is I don't know why. I have not particularly enjoyed any that I have eaten. I think it was a matter of 'you can now so do!'
So I am giving up chocolate for lent.

My last chocolate treat before lent began

In my opinion it is all in the mind. The problem is I am weak willed. There is so much chocolate around and on offer if I get it in my head I want something, it just sort of happens. Luckily I proved to myself I can go without by doing 21 days no choc. I just hope I can stick to it for six weeks. For me, it isn't chocolate bars per say, but biscuits. Chocolate biscuits, cookies and things with chocolate in. Luckily there are alternatives so I hope they will help. But only when absolutely necessary because what is the point of giving up the dairy goodness to just replace it with something else? This should help my sugar cravings too if I play my cards  right.

So I hope whatever you have decided to give up for lent works out for you. Let's all keep thinking of the satisfactory feeling we will have when we do it! Because we will!

Just for good measure, check out my super healthy dinner from tonight. 

Salmon with cajun spice, cabbage and spinach. Superfood!

Pancake day the right way

So we all know it, today is pancake day. And who doesn't love a pancake.
I also saw it as an opportunity to have nutella and peanut butter. I just had them on one, I stuffed the other with almond butter.
I made pancakes for everyone in the office so I did the traditional ones but I also experimented and did a batch of protein pancakes.

Stack of protein goodness

All I needed was protein powder, eggs, koko milk and bicarbonate of soda. I have to say now, they taste nothing like pancakes but they work as a great base for everything you would love on a pancake.

They were a little bit dry, I think I went overboard on the bicarb but the next time I reckon they will be perfect.

So maybe I could have been healthier today, I had the pancakes for lunch with yummy fillings but at least they were protein packed. That on top of lots of exercise (swimming, rowing, weights and a short run on the treadmill) I think I can let myself off.

Just for good measure, these are the normal pancakes I made, my best batch yet.

Check the recipe page for the method.