So whats this Paleo thing again?!

I found this fabulous little run down about what the Paleo diet is about on http://www.themogulmom.com.

A few of my friends sort of understand a little of what i have been trying to do to my diet (not strictly following but 80% of my weekly intake of food is now paleo).

I must hold my hands up and admit i haven’t totally cut out the dairy yet (although i have cut down!) , and once a fortnight i have something with lentils or beans in it, but i don’t feel this is the biggest dietary sin in the world!

So for those still out there who are a little confused or are just beginning their journey to find the right diet for their body have a quick nosey!
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Tasty tempting treats

As christmas is approaching i may start thinking of stocking my snack cupboard with a few treats i wont feel so guilty diving into.

So many people find that christmas plays havoc on their waist line and if you are new to the whole “DIET” lark it is dreadful to be surrounded by all your favourite foods, watching everyone scoff their face while you sit down to your plate full of salad!

I have decided to delve into the wonderful world of google to give me some inspiration for some tasty snacks so i don’t feel so left out this holiday season!

Here are a few of the best i have found over the last few days which i am going to try out!

Why don’t you have a go yourself?!

This recipe i found on http://atastylovestory.com (paleo, vegan, low-carb and raw food recipes!)

Energy bars for everyone
Makes 16 bars

Almond & coconut layer
200 g almonds
200 g desiccated coconut flour
2 very ripe bananas
1 tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp organic virgin coconut, melted

Chocolate layer
100 g dark chocolate (70 %)
1 small or 1/2 big avocado
2 Tbsp Sukrin, coconut sugar, stevia or sweetener of your choice (I used sukrin gold)
1 tsp organic extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 tsp ground vanilla

Raw & vegan chocolate layer (alternative chocolate layer)
4 Tbsp organic virgin coconut oil, melted
4 Tbsp high quality cocoa powder
8 big soft pitted dates
1/2 tsp ground vanilla

Directions
For this recipe you need to use a food processor or very good blender. Blend the coconut flour until it becomes almost ground. Then add the almond and blend until you have a mix almond and coconut flour. Add the coconut oil, vanilla, salt, banana and blend until you have a firm and mixed dough.
Find a square baking pan, box or whatever you have on hands. Line it with a piece of parchment paper. Now use your hand to even out the dough, it should be plain and have a thickness around 2 cm (0,75 inch). Place it in the fridge.

Original chocolate layer: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler. Blend the avocado, sugar and vanilla until it has a very smooth texture. Add the chocolate and pulse until just combined. Remove the dough from the fridge and add the chocolate in a plain layer and place it back in the fridge to set for at least 30 min.

Raw and vegan chocolate layer: Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend until you have a smooth chocolate paste. Add more cocoa if you want a deeper flavour and darker colour. Remove the dough from the fridge and add the chocolate in a plain layer and place it back in the fridge to set for at least

Cut the ‘cake’ into 16 bars. Keep them in an airtight box in the fridge for up to a week. Wrap some of them in paper and bring them to your workout, as a afternoon snack or on long walks. You’ll get a tasty and healthy energy load without any blood sugar rush.

Heres another fab recipe this time from http://www.paleogrubs.com

Gluten free energy bars

Ingredients
1 cup almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pitted dates
1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times to break everything up. Then blend continuously until the ingredients have broken down and start to clump together into a ball.
Using a spatula to scrape down the sides, turn out the mixture onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Press into an even square and chill, wrapped, for at least an hour. Cut into desired size of bars, wrapping each bar in plastic wrap to store in the fridge.
Notes
Servings: 8 bars
Difficulty: Easy

and another here from http://livinghealthywithchocolate.com

Cookie Dough Bites (Paleo, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Low Carb)

Ingredients
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1½ tablespoons coconut milk
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon + ½ teaspoon raw honey
¾ cup almond flour
3 tablespoons chocolate chips, plus more for drizzling
Instructions
whisk together the coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla and honey
using a rubber spatula, gently mix in the almond flour until ingredients are combined. Be careful not to over mix or the batter will become oily.
fold in the chocolate chips and refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes
roll chilled dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
melt chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water
drizzle chocolate over each cookie dough bite
Recipe make 10 cookie dough bites. Store in the refrigerator.

Spot the difference….

I realized the last progress report i did was in May, and although my goals have changed now to maintaining a healthier weight and a healthier lifestyle, i do think its worth sharing how fa i have come by doing these changes!

 

 

Here i am before i even considered my lifestyle was doing me the most favors in the world

Here is the photo i shared with you in May this yea after a few months into my new diet

and here i am now….excuse all the muddle around me i was going for a dress fitting, and i do love this photo!

I have lost over 15kg since the start of the journey, and although my aim is now not to lose any more, i do want to maintain my figure and enjoy feeling better in myself and having more body confidence!

Yum yum yum…

Just a quicky tonight to share with you one of my newly discovered favorite recipes!

I posted this ‘recipe’ on my personal Facebook page and was met with lots of ‘are you pregnant’ style remarks….

Well 1. No I’m not and 2. Don’t knock something until you’ve tried it….. (Unless its something fennel based then whatever it is I knock it way out of the park….urg)

So here it is…..( please excuse my lame presentation, I never said I was a chef or a photographer!)

Mango and avocado with bacon…. ( and a little side salad.)

I don’t need to give you any more directions than that…. it’s simply what it says on the tin.

No need for dressing on the salad as the sweet mango mixed with the scrummy bacon adds enough flavor…

So what are you waiting for, go make some up, I guarantee it will become a firm favorite! 🙂

Smoothie Talker

Todays blog is dedicated to my best chum, Charlotte.

The other morning we were discussing ‘healthy eating’ options, something a year ago you would never have seen me doing!

My buddy was feeling a little bothered by the fact she had lost her way on her diet, by diet i don’t mean general weight loss, i mean healthier lifestyle choices relating to food and how it can impact her general being! – lets get this straight, DIETS should be an eating choice, you can be on a diet of chocolate and state you are on a diet…. to me, a diet means your eating habits not just always just a way to lose weight!

But anyways, my dear chum had felt she had let her diet slip, and had noticed she was putting on weight and feeling she wanted to get back to the healthier her……

What had changed in her life to cause this slip you ask? LOVE!

Now, don’t get me wrong, love is a great thing, its great to be in a new relationship, but its lethal if your into your fitness and body image!

Going on dates ( which usually involve eating) , meeting new people ( usually involving the consumption of alcohol) and then the ‘cosy nights in’ ( usually spent in bed or on the sofa watching copious amounts of films….well, maybe a little bit of exercise thrown in now and again too if things are going well)….. All these lovely experiences are bound to impact what you eat, how active you are and how you feel.

So me being the health guru i am ( said with a huge amount of sarcasm) , i decided to have a general chat about her eating habits.

Now my lovely friend is one to occasionally skip a meal if she isn’t feeling hungry and snacks on bags and bags of nuts. Now nuts are great for you, nothing wrong with eating nuts, but probably not a family pack a day and definitely not after 7pm. As for skipping meals, i don’t think this is a particularly great thing for your body, if you eat healthy, balanced meals then you should have no need to skip meals and your body will know where it is, when its meals are coming, better control of your body sugar levels and have a steady metabolism!

One thing she has added to her diet is to have a smoothie for breakfast.

“Good for her” i hear you all shouting…. But…

Fruit smoothies for breakfast just starts your day with a massive sugar hit, by the time you’ve got rid of the peel and mashed the fibre then you have already lost many of the potential health benefits. What you are left with is just a sugary drink.

There is a lot of information out there encouraging people to juice, saying its a healthy option, but recent studies have concluded that starting your day with a cup of coffee has more benefits to your health than a smoothie, caffeine and all! The sugar, the calories ( not that i am a calorie counter!) and the acid within your ‘healthy drink’ do not have the health benefits you are probably seeking! Did you know that by regularly eating fruits reduces the risk of diabetes by 2% but drinking it raises it by 8%?

So should you stop downing the smoothies?

I think like everything, its always best to have things in moderation, maybe have a smoothie two or three times a week rather than religiously having one a day, and when you do go to grab one, maybe look for something with a little more substance if you are considering having it for breakfast!

Ways in which you can improve your smoothies nutritional value is to add in vegetables!

There are plenty of recipes online for Green Smoothies, and while i would still state that you should have things in moderation, there still is the opportunity to cut the sugar content! Why not swop that sugary banana for some avocado? Or get some iron into you with some spinach? And if your trying to cut the dairy, try it with some almond milk!

So are you a smoothie drinker? Whats your stance on having a smoothie instead of a regular meal?

And heres the fun bit……i don’t even like or eat the darn things! But its always good to know if i ever wanted to force myself to have one i would know what i was letting myself in for! 🙂

OMG I’m back……

Well, hello there!

I’m so sorry i have been away from you all for so long, i have had the joys of school holidays, jetting over to the USA for my first ever visit, over to England to visit family and friends, then back to Switzerland to settle back into the school routine…….and now its nearly Christmas, where have the months gone?!

So here is the big question…..have i been keeping up the diet and lifestyle change?

Why yes i have! For once in my life i’m managing to stick to something!

My weight has now hit 64.9kg so i am pretty happy with that, its not bad going losing 15-20kg since May!

I still do my hula hooping every other day, i haven’t mastered any tricks, but the main thing is i enjoy it!

In other news i have hit the stage where i have been treating myself once a week to something ‘naughty’, usually when my husband and i go out for our ‘date nights’ but the last three weeks i decided to see what would happen if i ate ‘normally’ again.

By normally i mean, bread, pasta, the very odd cake if i was out for a coffee with friends etc. i didn’t want to return to my old diet, i just wanted to see its impact, if any.

And the result?! Well, it was horrific as far as i was concerned. I lost all energy, felt really lathargic, grumpy, i was suffering horrid headaches, feeling forgetful, dizzy and just all over the place.

Who knew diet would have such an impact on how i was feeling and so rapidly?

Trying this diet was always an experiment after being told that i was a likely sufferer of Adult ADHD and there being other ‘medical conditions’ within my family, i thought i should do something to see if i could improve how i felt and how to look after a healthier, happier me.

I was so pleased that once i began the diet i noticed a significant change in my behaviour, energy levels and general being. I felt that maybe a lot of my issues (tiredness and foggyness) were just down to my weight issues but it looks like what i eat obviously effects me more than just controlling my weight.

So its back to avoiding the pasta and bread and other gluten filled goodies.

Will i miss it? – Most probably
Will i totally stick to the diet now? – well, i may just treat myself every other week to a cake with my cup of coffee as my ‘treat’ but i wont be regularly testing out my reaction to ‘normal’ foods again in a hurry!

Has anyone else changed their diet and then tried their old diet and noticed the negative effects it seemingly has on their mind and body?!

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A few of my favourite things…

Hello to all.

The sun is shining down upon us in ye olde Zurich today, summer is finally here!
Unfortunately its not just warm, its scorching hot, which is fine if you are on a beach or on holiday somewhere, its not really particularly nice for those bodding about getting on with their every day business.

I know, i know, one minute we all complain it is too cold and the next its too hot….well, i’m British and we like to talk about the weather!!!

But anyways, todays blog isn’t about ‘Weather’, i’ve decided to share a few more recipes with ya’ll out there!
Ok, they may not be my favourite recipes but they are nice recipes, paleo and low carbalishious!
AND….the first is one of my OWN concoctions, a bit of a throw it in as you go along dish, so excuse the lack of exact measurements!

Paleo Pork, Apple and Cider Casserole

4 pork chops cut into cubes
2 Apples, cubed
3 carrots, sliced
1 onion thinly sliced
1 small Celeriac cut into batons
2 Sweet Potatoes cut into batons
1 Tin of Tomatoes
100mls of chicken Stock
Mixed Herbs
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 bottle of Bulmers Apple Cider.

Now here is the tricky part……shove it all in the slow cooker for 6 hours or so and done.
( minimum fuss food!)

Paleo Chicken Curry

4 organic chicken breast
4 slices of bacon (nitrate free)
Medium pack of prawns
5 carrots (peeled and chopped)
1 head of cauliflower (chopped)
2 cups of cubed sweet potatoes.
1 med. sweet onion(sliced)
2-3 garlic gloves (minced)
2 tbsp of ginger (minced)
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp curry
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
Garnish with shredded unsweetened coconut.
Instructions
Fry bacon until crisp and dice.
In a separate frying pan, fry onions, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil untill onions are translucent, 5-8 mins on med-high. Add spices, stir, then add coconut milk and bring to a light boil for 2-5 m ins. Remove from heat and set aside.
Pre heat oven at 375
Cube chicken and place in an oven safe casserole dish, peel, add prawns to casserole dish. Add all vegetables and spread evenly. Pour sauce over everything, sprinkle bacon over everything and bake for 40-50 mins. Remove halfway to stir.


(adapted from the recipes on http://cavemanstrong.com/2011/02/paleo-curry-chicken/ as i had no shrimp and had more guests to feed so doubled the chicken!)

Paleo Chilli – Kiddy Approved!

1 zucchini
handful of carrots
1 acorn squash
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 mason jar homemade chicken stock or beef stock
2 lbs ground beef
salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, chili powder

Warm up the squash and carrots any which way you like. If you are not opposed to microwaving, it will take a fraction of the time you spend doing it otherwise. Scoop the squash out of the skin. Dice all vegetables into bite sized pieces and toss them into a hot pan with some bacon grease or butter or coconut oil.

Add the canned tomatoes, and cook everything for a few more minutes. Now add everything to a food processor or blender, and process everything until it’s a thick veggie sauce/soup.

Brown the ground beef thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Add all ingredients into a slow cooker, pour in the chicken or beef stock, and season as you like. Not all kids are into cumin, so you could leave that out. You’ll know your kids best. As I said before, none of the kids were aware of all the great stuff in this chili (although I did tell my own kids later and they thought that was awesome!).

You’ll want to cook your chili in the slow cooker on LOW for about 3 to 5 hours.

(With Thanks to http://fastpaleo.com/kid-friendly-and-approved-chili/ and the kids really did enjoy this!)

Let me know what you think of the recipes if you get to try them out yourself!

I’ve got the Shrinks

Well, sort off…..maybe not the same sort of Shrinks the Twits suffered from, but my weights still coming down!

I had the absolute joy this week of pulling out a bag of clothes i have not worn in 5-6 years and trying them on.
I have always had a love for Monsoon dresses and in my ‘skinnier’ days owned a few beautiful summer dresses.
Much to my husbands frustration at times i’m sure, i kept hold of them, i wasn’t prepared to throw my dresses out, always living in hope that one day i may got back into them, i couldn’t give up hope!

(6 years ago at a family friends wedding)

Well, not only did i ‘try’ on my dresses but for the first time in 6 years i could do them up!!!!
Lets just say i’m very glad i decided to keep them!

The journey is not yet over, i still have a lot of work to do and i have to admit that i really should start looking into some exercise.

Although i have dropped a dress size, ( two in the case of the dresses, sadly, a way off dropping another jean size though!!) i still have some toning up to do and a little extra weight needs to be dropped from the tummy and hips.

I’m really not one for exercise, even though it is part of the whole lifestyle change I’m after, i just struggle to find the time and motivation to do any.

The gym bores me to tears, a place full of sweaty people who never crack a smile and look pained as they concentrate on their own workouts. Maybe its also the fact i really have no clue what to do and how to do it and the whole idea just bores me a little?

When it comes to exercise at home, again i don’t feel particularly inspired, being an at home mum, you think i have plenty of time to throw in a bit of exercise here and there, and i do i guess…. But its nice to get out of the house and do something for me, not just be stuck inside!
I think i am more suited to social exercise, so i need to spend a little time researching what is available and where! I’ll get there in the end i’m sure, and even one day, maybe stop all the excuses!

I have to say this quotation i found says it all really, no excuses!

You can clean your teeth….

Todays blog isn’t about brushing your teeth, its about why its better to eat sugar or natural products than replace them with chemical impostors, mainly Aspartame!

“You can clean your teeth, but you can’t clean your brain!”

I can’t remember where i got this quote from, i’ve been saying it since i was about 16!

I found out quite young that i was allergic to Aspartame and naturally, my family decided to read up a little more about it and i have done the same as i grew up!

What reactions did i have that were so bad? Mood changes, blisters in my mouth, memory loss, hyperactivity, feeling unable to breath. You get the gist, it is not the best thing for me to consume!

So am i a rare case? Do many people suffer from reactions to Aspartame? Do you actually know what it is? What it is in? What effect it may be having on you?

Well i can tell you, i am not a one off case, and yes, many people suffer from many different problems once they have consumed products with this in. Some have reactions straight away ( like myself) and others can have it build up in their bodies and be affected later.

Aspartame is one of the most popular sugar replacements found in food and drinks. You can find it in most “diet”, “tooth kind” or “low sugar” products on sale, Including products that are directly marketed at children. It is also known as Nutrasweet or Aminosweet so keep a close eye on those labels, the producers have obviously cottoned on to the fact consumers may be avoiding the word ‘aspartame’ on their food labels. I tend to look out for the warnings that can be found on all food/drink packaging stating what potential risks your product holds, for example….. ‘this product contains a source of Phenylalanine’ (this tends of mean Aspartame).

Aspartame is actually 200x sweeter than sugar, so only a little is needed to sweeten the 1000’s of products it is in, obviously helping provide a cheaper alternative to natural sugars!

Aspartame consists of Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid and Methanol!
When ingested Aspartame breaks down to potentially lethal components. One being Methanol,(wood alcohol) which then breaks down further to Formaldehyde (embalming agent) and formic acid (found in venom of bees). None of which sound particularly healthy and the sort of thing you wish to knowingly put into your bodies!

In 2005, a laboratory study found more lymphomas and leukemias in rats fed very high doses of aspartame!

So why is Aspartame still available in 90 countries world wide? Take a look a this article i found that covers Aspartames journey of being banned twice before it was finally legalised for use in the food industry!
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/01/19/the-shocking-story-of-how-aspartame-became-legal/

So please take note, understand that removing refined sugars from your diets doesn’t mean you replace them with chemical alternatives which only cause other issues in your body. Its better to have natural sugar products like raw brown sugar, honey, maple syrup and clean your teeth well than have products full of sweeteners which will ‘rot your brain’.

Aspartame is just one of the many artificial sweeteners on the market so do our research and when you look at your diet, look at what your putting into your bodies and take care of you!

A bella in Italia

Apologies folk but I decided to make a last minute decision with my hubby to go to Italy for a long weekend with our girls! Hence no blog for the last few days!

So how did it go?

Being new to this whole low-carb diet thing was surely going to present me with a few challenges, especially going to the Carb Capital of Europe?!
I’ve only been following this diet for around a month so I was worried this trip may cause a few glitches!

My favourite foods have always been pasta and bread (yes and chocolate but that’s different!).

So there I was with all my family staring down at a menu, wondering what on earth I would have to eat and something clicked. Something I was never sure i had inside me, something that I had seen in others but never really something that was my particular strong point.
WILL POWER!

As much a the delicious smell of fresh pasta seemed tempting, and knowing I would be sat with all my family whilst they scoffed down amazing pizzas….I managed to order salads.

Now, although some of you would scream ‘salads, how boring’ ( and I know you will, I was one of those people many months ago!) I was surprised how yummy they actually were. Having fresh fish with a large salad, or just tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and prosciutto covered in balsamic vinegar was amazing!

I will admit to sharing a little ice cream now and again but real Italian Gelato is divine and if I was going to chose one treat throughout my visit I would happily ( as I did) bypass all the other temptations to have a few mouthfuls of vanilla ice cream!

So all in all, I think I managed to survive my Italian adventure without veering off my diet!

Anyone else got any holidays or events they are concerned are going to throw them off their diets?!