Do you know your portion sizes?

I imagine you're looking at this photo and thinking, god she is restricting herself.

What about this one?

Looks like a good plateful of food, doesn't it?

Well, there is exactly the same amount on that plate as the first one. The point I am trying to get to is that a lot of people often can't understand why they aren't losing or have put weight on.

Did you know that since the 1960s plate sizes have increased by 36%. An average plate used to be between 7-9 inches and now they are up to 12inches. I guess that doesn't sound like much but if that means the size is now over 30% bigger than what it was, chances are you're eating a third more food than necessary.

Food is very visual. The average person would look at the first plate and think, I am still going to be hungry after this. But the second one might leave you feeling over faced. Ever heard the expression your eyes are bigger than your belly? It has some merit.

It takes about 20 minutes for you to start feeling full. So, if you had a big plate like the first one and filled it, you could keep on eating not realising you have eaten enough until it's too late. We have all had that feeling where it hits us suddenly and we are uncomfortably full but we don't know why because we didn't think we ate that much. You might have eaten more than you realised if the plate was big.

However, if you eat from the small plate, you may think you're still hungry when you've finished. Just wait for half an hour and see how you feel then.

By all means, if you are still hungry, listen to your body and eat some more. Go for seconds but try to make it a celebration of veggies, salad or fruit as the main body of the plate. The fibre should fill you right up then, with fewer calories.

I'm not saying you should bin your lovely expensive plates, but just be more aware the next time you dish up that it doesn't need to be full to the rim.

A good rule of thumb is that the protein should be about the size of your fist and the carbohydrate should match. Then the veggies should be twice that amount. See what that looks like on your plate and it might surprise you.

Just have a little more awareness about portion sizes and you should see a reduction in dress sizes.

Walkies for Weight loss

I have received a few compliments about my weight of late. However, my gym time has significantly
reduced as a lot has changed in the last couple of months.

The big changes being we have a dog! We have also moved house which is, as everyone knows, quite stressful.

Kendal, the six-month-old black labrador joined us two months ago and now our lives revolve around her. We walk for half an hour in the morning and for 45 minutes to an hour on an evening.

This is the only thing I can attribute to any type of weight loss as I am doing nothing different other than reducing my hours in the gym.

The point to this is, if you are struggling with your weight and you find it tiresome spending time in the gym, perhaps you should start putting the miles in? Is that something you had ever considered?

I'm not suggesting everyone goes and gets a dog, they are exhausting but find yourself a walking buddy, or you can even sign up to walk someone else's dog if you think that would motivate you more.

It is such a sociable activity and there is nothing like a bit of fresh air to perk you up. As mentioned before, I am an avid Fitbit user and mine sings me praises every day now, I tend to reach all my goals which even on gym days was something I didn't always meet.

So if you are struggling, and you don't want to spend days on end in the gym, give walking a go and see if you notice a difference.

Kendal loves to play, it's such a joy being in the fresh air watching her play

Full Body Blast!

For those of you who don't know me, we recently got a puppy!

Now getting a puppy isn't all fluff and rainbows, it is exhausting. Our darling Kendal, sleeps through the night but other than that, she takes all of our energy.

She wants to play constantly and she needs lots of walkies as she is a labrador. Where the walking is a fantastic way for us to keep active and enjoy being outside (unless its snowing and 7am!) we are finding that it is more difficult than ever to get to the gym.

As we both work full time, evenings are her time with us and we would be guilt ridden if we left her for another hour to go and work out, especially as we can do it at home. That's for another blog at a later date. But the rare opportunity came yesterday and I was able to enjoy a strong hour and therefore, I wanted to share with you my workout.

This is for anyone who struggles to find time to go to the gym. This full body work out is a great one for hitting all the tough spots and to continue the burn throughout the next day. It is broken down into three parts.

Do this a couple of times a week and you're golden.

15 minute cardio Hiit
I did it on the cross trainer by following this format but you can do it using the treadmill / bike / rower, or whatever cardio machine you want really. Just get sweaty, get your heart rate up and feel the heat.

Lots of weighted exercises (I do between 12 and 15 reps depending on the weight. If I want to move up a weight I reduce it to 8-10 so I get comfortable and keep good form and slowly work up to 15 reps over the course of the next few weeks)

Rest for about 30 seconds between each action

15 clean and jerk x 3 (beginners use a very light weight for this, it's brutal) I used 15kg

15 deadlift x 3

15 chest press x 3

12 shoulder press x 3

15 seated row x 3

15 squats x 3

20 bicep curl x 3

15 tricep dip x 3

Abs!
25 crunches straight into 25 leg raises
rest
repeat.

Feel the burn!

High Intensity Low Impact Workout

Sore knees? Or just low on time?

Let me tell you about the new grueling routine Matt and I have been going through a couple of times a week.


20 Minute Cross Trainer Intervals

Disclosure....
1. I hate the cross trainer
2. Anyone who thinks 30 seconds isn't a long time, has never done a Hiit session
3. You will feel great afterwards, so persevere


We both tend to go through phases when we get sore knees for some reason or another. So this cross trainer work out is easier our joints (I know we sound like pensioners, not twenty somethings).

If you do it for 20 minutes, each round should be between 2-2 1/2 minutes. Train at a medium intensity for 2 minutes and then push your feet forward as fast as possible for the next 30 seconds. Then repeat the whole process.

If you really feel like burning some cals, make the regime 1 1/2 mins medium and 30 seconds intense.

It is worth noticing your RPM when you are pushing yourself to see what you can get up to and then aim to keep it at that each time you go at full throttle.

You will definitely appreciate the next 2 minutes as a  slower pace and you will get off nice and sweaty.

I find doing intervals makes the tedious job of using cardio machines go much faster.

Of course you can apply this to any of the machines, I love doing it on the treadmill but I don't have as much recovery time.


Here is a rough guide (based on my abilities so adapt to suit eg, Matt's RPM is much higher than mine, some people's may be lower)

0 - 2 mins 70 RPM
2 - 2.30 mins 103 RPM
2.30 - 4.30 mins 70 RPM
4.30 - 5 mins 103 RPM
5 - 7 mins 70 RPM
7 - 7.30 mins 103 RPM
7.30 - 9.30 mins 70 RPM
9.30 - 10 mins 103 RPM
10 - 12 mins 70 RPM
12 - 12.30 mins 103 RPM
12.30 - 14.30 mins 70 RPM
14.30 - 15 mins 103 RPM
15 - 17 mins 70 RPM
17 - 17.30 103 RPM
17.30 - 19.30 mins 70 RPM
19.30 - 20 mins 103 RPM

Cool down... or keep going to 30 if you're brave enough.


Let me know if you try it and how you get on.

K x

Top tips for sticking to a healthy diet

Well it is the New Year and I know many of you, myself included will be more focused on your eating habits after enjoying a lovely Christmas feast, (for 4 weeks, ooops).

The key to success is habit and repetition.

If you do something every day for 21 one days, it should stick and become a new habit. There are ways of implementing this new scheme into your daily life and I have some tips and tricks to help.

You could possibly try eating at the same time each day.

In terms of repetition, if you do one thing the same every day, be it eating an apple at 3pm or having one of your three meals at exactly the same every day it will make life easier because you won't over think what to eat and when.

Perfect at least one healthy tea, that way you can eat it once a week safe in the knowledge that you can do it, fast and easily and it will be good for you.

We have a couple of go to's in our house, including omelettes, chicken and rice, stir fry and fish with sweet potato wedges and veg. 

As you can see, all quick, easy and healthy options. Monday is egg night, so we know, every Monday we will be having omelette or some kind of egg variation, like my Mexican eggs  which can also be found on my recipes page.

Keep fruit and nuts in sight or within reach. That way if you feel snacky you can just grab a handful. If you don’t want them, then you know you’re not really hungry you just want to snack. If the snack is there you are more likely to eat it.

Pre prepared yoghurt and blueberry pot

Chorizo and cous cous salad - meal prep

This tip will also stop you buying extra goodies in the shop as know you already have something at your desk so you don’t need to.

And finally, meal prep. We have all heard it all before but it really does make a difference.

It saves you wondering into the shop on lunch time hungry and more likely to make bad decisions. This way the decision is taken away from you and you are likely to eat healthier.

Just dedicate an hour of your time on a Sunday to cook a big batch of soup, or chicken to throw onto a salad, or a quinoa pilaf. 

Chicken and Pearl Barley Soup 

Chicken and Quinoa salad

Cooked shredded chicken

I hope these tips help you get 2017 off to a good start and if you have any others, do let me know!

What'chia Eating? - To Supplement or not to supplement

I have always been a big believer in getting all the nutrients you need from food. And whilst I still stand by this, I am keen to see if certain supplements can help improve my digestion issues and bloating, as well as give me an extra boost of energy.

The supplements which I am trying are: Chlorella, Chia and Acai berries. I know they aren't really supplements and they are generally natural sources of nutrients but they are high up on the "superfood" list and can't be found in your everyday apple. So let's see if the new additions to my diet make a difference.

These are supposed to be the answer to all my digestive problems.

Side note: This is not a cheap experiment so I shopped around before taking the plunge. Holland and Barrett currently have the penny sale on and so I bought the Chlorella and Acai from there at a cost of £16 approx and bought 3 Chia shots for £1 from Tesco to get me started.

So here are the alleged benefit of each.

Chlorella - the one I am most looking forward to trying.

Chlorella balances gut flora by normalising the good bacteria in your gut. It is also a source of Iron,
Vitamins B6 and B12 which stimulates renewal of cells and digestive tissues.
It also helps to detoxify your body by removing alcohol, pesticides, heavy metals and toxins from your system.
I intend on having this daily either in a smoothie or mixed into my yoghurt. Any other suggestions are welcome!



Acia - (I have only recently learned to pronounce this properly and I have tried the berries before).

This berry contains antioxidants Vitamin E and Polyphenols which help your body to deal with free radicals from chemicals in food which may trigger bloating and discomfort.
It is also rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 Oleic acid which nourishes your body.
I intend on taking these in tablet form each evening.




Chia - I have had these a few times before and I am not particularly keen on chia puddings - the texture isn't my cuppa tea.

However, these little seeds are gentle on the digestive system and are high in omega 3, which provides the essential components that our cell membranes need. Omega 3 helps our body to make new cells which is especially important in the digestive tract where our tissues renew at a faster rate than anywhere else.
Chia seeds are also a great source of soluble fibre thanks to the jellified substance it makes in water. This helps to prolong hydration and ensures everything moves through the digestive system properly.

I will pop these into my morning yoghurt / oats / cereal or in my smoothie.

I will let you  know how I feel with the addition of these in my diet soon! X

Secret Sugars - How to avoid a sweet overload

It is everywhere, there is no hiding from sugar. Sometimes you might not want to, and that is fine, but when you are trying to cut down on the sweet stuff it might be harder than you think.

I can tell you 41 different terms for sugar right now, and in fact, I will list them for you at the end of this blog.

When it comes to eating better we can all be sucked in by labeling. Low fat - often means loaded with sugar to replace the flavour lost, healthy - sometimes means it has a few healthy ingredients like oats/nuts/seeds, no added sugar - can mean that a sweetener is used instead.

My advice would always be to go for the foods which have natural alternatives such as honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar. While the chemically modified versions may be lower calorie, they are foreign to your body so it is less likely react to or process them normally. Also, as your brain doesn't recognise these new ingredients it is rare that they actually satisfy your sweet craving leaving you still wanting more.

Some names are more obvious that others, some sound healthy because they have other known foods in their name, for example, Fruit Juice Concentrate. Others you might not recognise as a sugar because they sound so strange eg, Maltodextrin or Turbinado.

While it is true, that some sugars aren't so bad, (I am an advocate of honey) if you are trying to cut down your sugar intake, finding ingredients such as this in certain foods won't help you if you are trying to manage the amount you consume. Because as always, it is about moderation.

The best advice I can give you is to always choose natural, unflavoured products eg, yoghurt or oats and add the honey or sweet option of choice yourself. That way you know how much you're consuming and you can manage it.

Another tip which is something I try to live by, check the ingredients list. If it has more than one line of ingredients it is probably not good for you. Use your common sense though here as this in rare occasions doesn't apply. For example in Nakd bars, they are made using natural goodness but have a few different ingredients.

Generally, if you don't recognise or can't even pronounce the ingredients, back away. There will be lots of secret sugars, preservatives and chemicals which your body does not want or need.

As promised here is my list of 41 sneaky sugars:
Agave Nectar, Barley Malt, Beet Sugar, Black Strap Molasses, Brown Rice Syrup, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Caramel, Carob Syrup, Coconut Palm Sugar, Corn Sweetener, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Crystalline Fructose, Date Sugar, Dehydrated Cane Juice, Dextrin, Dextrose, Dried Oat Syrup, Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Glucose, Golden Syrup, Gum Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Inverted Sugar, Malt Syrup, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Maple Syrup, Muscavado, Palm Sugar, Refiners Syrup, Simple Syrup, Sorghum Syrup, Sucanat, Sucrose, Treacle, Turbinado.

Fridge Raiders - what's in my fridge?

I find that by having a few healthy staples in your fridge, that you can rely on being in there every week, makes all the difference in maintaining your healthy eating regime.

About 3/4 of our weekly shop looks the same every week. Berries, yoghurt, eggs, spinach, peppers, mushrooms and lemons are guaranteed.

So let's take a look at what the fridge tends to look like, and please notice, there isn't a supermarket prepared meal in sight.

We always have lots of garlic and lemons in, and often root ginger. We have a slice of lemon in our green tea every morning and we love garlic. Lemon and garlic can be added to most dishes to improve flavour.

We usually have four - five tubs of yoghurt in as this is one food we eat more than anything. We regularly get Fage O% fat Greek Yoghurt and flavour it ourselves but also find Skyr and Rachel's to be just as filling and the lowest sugar options of any other flavoured yoghurts. Rachel's Coconut is my favourite but they didn't have it this week and we also get Skyr unflavoured to be even healthier. The protein content in all three brands is great with a low sugar and fat count.

Cottage cheese has become a regular on our shelves as of late and it is used in salad dressings, flavoured with either lemon, or more often Harissa which is featured in the image below. Again, high protein, low fat therefore making it an excellent and filling edition to a lot of meals.

Having these jars in is a great tip for adding healthy flavour to a variety of meals. The Harissa as mentioned helps enhance dressings or is great rubbed on salmon. The capers add a salty flavour to stews, casseroles or on top of white fish. Sundried tomatoes improve EVERYTHING. I often have them chopped up and mixed in with grains such as pearl barley for extra flavour. Olives are a great source of healthy fats and taste beautiful mixed with tuna and feta (also a weekly staple but not photographed this week) for a delicious spin on a Greek salad. We also often have in pesto and Thai curry paste (both regularly homemade but not always). I don't always use these in the traditional sense eg, pasta and curry. I rub them on meats and fishes to add extra flavour when baking or stir the pesto through a grain salad for an additional light flavouring.

There is always some form of berry, often a rotation of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, in the fridge. We have them every morning with yoghurt which is then topped with no added sugar Alpen or Museli of choice. Generally, for smoothies we use frozen berries - it is more cost effective and makes the smoothie nice and cold. Carrot batons are great for when you feel snacky. We often find we eat through boredom so these keep our hands and mouths busy, stopping us reaching for biscuits.
We have mushrooms every week as they are our favourite in omelettes, stir fry and my Fajita bowl (recipe coming soon). We eat one or two of these for tea every week as they are fast and easy. Having a couple of staple dishes that you do every week is a great way to keep to a healthy diet - but more on that in a later blog. Beansprouts really bulk up a stir fry as well as other dishes and salads.
We ensure we have a couple of green veggies in each week that often go with a protein and sweet potato dish which is as straightforward as it sounds.

The stir fry packs supermarkets offer are excellent if you are tight on time which we were this evening. Otherwise, it is easy enough to throw together your own. We always have lots of proteins in and fish every week. Salmon is the most popular and chicken is used for teas and lunches.

The salad draw always has spinach, another lettuce variant (often rocket), cucumber, peppers, chillis, tomatoes and spring onions. These all generally make up the base of most salads. Peppers, onion and spinach are also heavily used on evenings for dinners such as omelette and Fajita bowls.

This week we had a bottle of white wine which was kindly gifted to us from a neighbour. We aren't heavy drinkers but do enjoy a glass here and there. Generally, we prefer red but this was a good white. It also flavoured a risotto I made and a paella. I drink dairy alternative milks, I love cows milk and drink that too but find I bloat if I consume too much so I use coconut, almond or more recently cashew milk for my museli so I can afford to have an occasional glass of milk to indulge. Matt however, drinks cows milk and doesn't like my alternatives.

We both suffer with a big sweet tooth (hint's in the blog name), so I often find ways to satisfy it without feeling too guilty. We eat a lot of dark chocolate and find chocolate milks - which are also great post workout recovery drinks - are delicious. As I am also a milkshake fan, this kills two birds, or cravings in this case, with one stone. This Alpro coconut chocolate one is lovely and sweet, my fav at the mo.

I hope this has given you a little insight into how to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Let me know what's in your fridge and we can compare!

French Fancies

I just spent an incredible weekend living the life of Riley in the French Alps.

We had the opportunity to go for a three day break to Morzine with fellow couple and close friends Emma and Dave. It was a once in a life time opportunity to go to this very prestigious and elite skiing town which had a thriving atmosphere as it was overrun by rally cars and mountain bikers during the Summer, to take in the views and eat lots of great food.

This is the part where I tell you, I am still a normal human being who eats naughty foods and sometimes too much of it, just like everyone else. But as expected, the food in France, Oh My God.... I actually had THE BEST CROISSANT of my life and I don't care how cliché it is to say. My only regret is gobbling it down too fast that I didn't get a photo of the big, golden, crispy pastry. 

Never the less, plenty of food snaps were taken in my usual, blasé style.

The bakery from where we purchased said croissant was frequented on more than one occasion and the following three photos, I am sure, will explain why. 

I had a Croque Monsieur, of course, but it wasn't hot which was the only minor criticism but it was still incredibly delicious and very suitable for a slight hangover which we may or may not have been suffering. I also had a raspberry éclair which was filled with creme patissiere and oh my god. I will leave it there. 

As great as the bakery was, there were many, many more good meals to be had. The next photograph may shock you. 

Yes, that is a huge hanging contraption filled with steak. This was, may I add shared between three men and I also indulged in a little alongside my deliciously creamy risotto. This was the best steak I have ever eaten it tasted like heaven. It was full of flavour and so well cooked. This was an unlimited option and the steak was replenished once this large amount was finished. It was a lot but it was good!

And last but not least, the one meal I have to speak about, which was admittedly, extortionate but another once in a life time experience that we will never forget, is the meal in the mountains.

Literally, so deep into the mountains that you can't drive up to it, the waiters drive down to a car park and collect you. The panoramic view of mountains all around was unbelievable. You can see through this photo of us at the table, what we looked out onto. 

This is where I had my own, fantastic steak experience. I ordered the sizzling hot plate steak. And what I got was a beautiful large hot plate, with a large portion of stunning and tender steak slices to cook at my own pace to my own liking. It was excellent. And the potatoes that came with it were so good, I could have bathed in them! They buttery, creamy flavour was something I would never be able to replicate and my mouth is watering thinking of them now. Oh dear!

Here is the steak, with THOSE potatoes and the most delicious garlic butter ever! Oh God take me back!

Got to have it rare!

This of course was followed by a Tarte Tatin. What else! And well, just look at it. 

If only I could explain how well cooked the apples were, how delicious and crumbly the pastry was and how creamy and vanillary the ice cream was! Great way to finish a meal.

And finally, it wouldn't be a jaunt to France without trying the wine. We had a lot of Gamay. It was peppery which is something I wouldn't have normally thought would be nice but it worked. Especially with red meat. So much so that we brought some back! 

But this wine... 

Was easily my favourite. We had it in the fancy mountain restaurant and it was so smooth and light it went down rather quickly. 

All of this food was great but of course, there is a risk of feeling heavy and bloated. However, in the Alps there is so much walking and scenery to take in, that we were averaging 20,000 steps per day, making us feel a little less guilty and a little more hungry. Perhaps we would have reigned in the indulging had we been sedentary the whole time, but I am glad we didn't. I mean, just look at it! 

I have thoroughly enjoyed reliving my French dinning experience here and I hope you have all seen that sometimes, it is okay to just go out and enjoy life. 

If you have had some excellent foodie experiences share them! Let's see some photos and reminisce about great food together! 

Eating pud and feeling good!

Sometimes, chicken and veg just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes, you need something to finish a meal off. And there really is nothing better than a nice warming, hearty, apple crumble.

Now this is my healthified version, but by no means should it be eaten every day. When it comes to desserts, making them healthy all comes down to the ingredients. If you are one of these who hates “new” ingredients and won’t step foot into a health food store look away now. (In this particular recipe there is only one ingredient that requires sourcing from somewhere other than a supermarket. Although, by now I bet the really big ones do stock coconut sugar.)

I chopped up two cooking apples into bite size chunks and put them in a pan with a splash of water, literally a splash, you don’t want over gooey apples. When they were softening slightly I sprinkled over a little bit of coconut sugar and a squeeze of honey. Then I let it all cook and caramelise and get yummy.

It is also worth mentioning at this point that I did extra so that I had this delicious apple mixture as an extra topping for my yoghurt in the morning  - so worth it!

Once this cooked I distributed it into to little ramekins. My top tip here is to serve it in individual ramekins for portion control. By serving it this way, you can’t make too much and then go back for a second serving. :( Yey for waistline nay for taste buds. 

 

While the apple mixture was cooling I combined some oats, with a small amount of butter – this is why it isn’t 100% “clean” – some coconut sugar and lots of cinnamon. I pressed it all together in my fingers until it was just about combined and then sprinkled it evenly over the apple mixture.

Then I just baked it in a 180 degree oven for 20 mins. We were so excited that I totally forgot to get a photo of the finished product but I guess that just gives me an excuse to make it again. :) 

For the full recipe visit my recipes page

Homemade fish tacos - Friday night feast

This is one of my favourite recipes! It is a "taco" so it feels naughty, however, it is anything but. It is also a feast and if you serve it the way I did, it feels more indulgent as you grab at ingredients to stuff your home made tortilla so it's bursting with flavour!

First thing's first, make the tortilla. This is sooo easy I don't know why more people don't do it.
You need 100g of flour - use whatever healthy flour you have, I used a mixture of brown and rye as that's what I had in.

Mix the flour with around 60ml of water. Add it slowly as all flour is different, sometimes it may need more, sometimes a little less. Use your judgement to get a nice firm dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes and make yourself busy.

Now roll the dough out, this makes four for me so split it into quarters. I'm not that good at getting a super thin dough but roll it out as thin as you can and then slap it on a dry non stick pan

Can you see the bubbles?

Caution! Do not leave unattended. These tortillas cook soooo quickly. As soon as it starts to puff up, flip it over. This will only take a minute or two. 

Now clean up the floury mess before the other half comes in a shouts at you for leaving footprints all over the floor *flashbacks*.

Chop up your chosen fish, I would recommend haddock, it is cheap, sustainable and is filled with seven essential vitamins and minerals. Chop up your peppers - by choosing different colours you are getting even more vitamins. I also grilled spring onions whole to give them a sweetness and a char that is delicious. 

Whilst chopping I also diced the chilli, lime and coriander for the dressing. The next step is to cook it all. Just whack it all in one pan to save on washing up! 

While this is all sizzling away, it's time to make the dressing. This time I wanted a nice fresh and light tasting sauce so I took my greek yoghurt and mixed it right in the pot, (this is what real home cooking looks like).

Grate the zest of one lime into the yoghurt, squeeze the juice from half the lime in, chop some chilli and throw it in, as much or as little as you like and then add coriander or other herb of choice. Coriander is my fav!

Once everything is cooked put it on plates for everyone to help themselves like so...

Squeeze over extra lime and voila! Enjoy x

For full recipe details go to my Recipes page