Breaking the bad habits

So I'm sitting here after eating a packet of Mini Eggs, a Lion bar, half a bag of Haribo and a can of coke, I feel so sick and have such a bad headache, probably caused by the amount of sugar I've just eaten. I also feel guilty and downhearted that I've 'undone' all my hard work at the gym this week. The reason i'm writing this is to remind myself how horrible I feel right now, but also to remind myself that slip ups are not that bad. 

Last year my partner and I were discussing food and how we would like to live a lifestyle where we eat organic, unprocessed food. I'm even contemplating the idea of growing some of our own fruit, veg and salad (any tips on this would be much appreciated!). This is very hard at times, especially when hungry and looking for a quick energy boost. Today has made me realise that I really need to plan my shopping and meals. I had pretty much cut sugar out of my diet, which is why I'm feeling so bad, but also shows me how sugar can affect the body so much. 

Tonight the notepad is coming out and some serious planning will be happening of meals and snacks for the next few days. I don't even enjoy eating chocolate and sweets as much as I used to, so this should help! From the course I am currently undertaking and the more I am learning about food, my recipes are progressing hopefully to the stage where I can enjoy a completely clean eating lifestyle. 

Slip ups are ok, they are even good as they remind you why you are making the changes in the first place. As long as they  don't happen too often! 

*images courtesy of google. 

Chilli, Ginger and Soy Turkey Stir-Fry

Hi everyone,

Today is another recipe post! I love Chinese food, but unfortunately ordering from the takeaway every weekend is not the healthiest of options, especially when it has all the tempting deep fried side orders! I have formed a healthier alternative to cook at home, which still has all the flavour of a takeaway but more goodness.

This uses soy sauce, ginger and chilli for the flavour. If you are not a fan of a bit of heat to your food you can replace the chilli with garlic, or turn up the heat and add an extra chilli pepper! I use turkey instead if chicken as it is a leaner meat, but you can use either.

 

 

 

 

 Ingredients (to feed 2-3 people)

 

Turkey Pieces (around 400g)

Half a broccoli

A thumb size piece of ginger

1 onion

1 carrot

I green chilli pepper

1 red pepper

Noodles

Dark Soy Sauce

 

 

 

 Method

 

1. Heat some oil in a frying pan or wok (we use coconut oil) and fry the onion and ginger (chopped) until it starts to brown.

 

2. Add the turkey pieces and cook until they are browned all over.

 

3. Add the carrot, pepper, broccoli and chilli pepper to the pan and fry unitl the peppers start to turn soft (around 5 minutes).

 

4. In the meantime, cook your noodles, most need to be placed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes before adding them to the pan.

 

5. Once the veg is starting to soften add your noodles to the pan, followed by the soy sauce. I use a lot of soy sauce usually around 6-8 tablespoons but use as much as you like depending on the taste you would like to have.

6. Let the sauce simmer in the pan for 5-10 minutes whilst occasionally mixing the veg and turkey to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom.

7. Your stir-fry is ready! You can add rice to this if you like but we have this as a main meal and eat from bowls with chopsticks.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe, let me know if you try it out as a take away alternative!

KB xx

New Beginnings at the Gym

Hi everyone!

So from my introduction post you will know that I have not worked out in a loooooooong time. Part of this was due to not having child care, and part was my motivation levels. Now my son is in kindergarten there are no more excuses! 

                                                                          Gym selfie!

I have started training at Holmes Place, which is the company my partner works for. Some people are put off by gyms as they find them scary or too expensive. I prefer working out in the gym as I put more effort into what I'm doing! Gym membership is cheap enough these days for anyone to join, in the UK and Europe you can join a gym for as little as £10/€10 a month.  I know very little about which machines to use and how they work but there are always instructors on hand to help you out  

I will be getting a little help from some of the Personal Trainers with exercise programmes as I am unsure on the best exercises to do but for now I am keeping it quite basic and doing a cardio warm up and abs workout when I visit the gym. 

This is my last result from Wednesday. I ran 1.17km on the treadmill, which is nothing to a lot of people, but is the first time I have ran that far at a steady speed without stopping. I  am a complete beginner at the gym and my fitness level is quite poor so I am trying to build this up per 0.1 km every visit until I reach 10km. Setting little goals really helps me and gives me something to push further for,

I devised my own abs workout based on exercises from classes I have done in the past. I do a total of 6 different movements, all crunch (sit-up) based and do 15 reps (repetitions) of each. These involve my legs in different positions to try and get all my abs muscles working. 

This is a very little workout which takes me around 20 minutes in total (cardio and abs), but I am already starting to see a difference, I feel healthier and am pleased with the start I am making. Don't be put off if you can't do much the first time you start training. You will see a difference quickly in your fitness levels from regular training and a small amount of exercise is better than none! Plus it's  always a nice treat to finish with a sauna or steam!

Next week I am going to be starting training different areas with a little help from some of the Holmes Place team. I will keep you updated with that. In the meantime keep a look out for my food posts. 

KB x

Egg Free, Gluten Free, Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes!

Phew what a long title!

For a while I have been looking for breakfast alternatives to cereal. I am a life long cereal lover, but found it wasn't filling me up for long, and when I looked at the ingredients, even on the so called 'healthy' options, they didn't have much nutritional value. Most of them are packed full of sugar, which gives us an instant boost on the morning, but soon wears off leaving us hungry and tired. After a little research I found that one of the best things you can have to start your day is a source of protein, with some carbs thrown in. This will keep you feeling fuller for longer and stop you from craving a quick fix around 10am, and what could be better than starting the day with chocolate pancakes?!

The thought of protein pancakes may put some people off, but I promise you these are so tasty. A lot of protein pancake recipes I found contain egg, as my partner and son have an egg allergy I had to find one without eggs, and preferably without gluten. So I played around with a few recipes and came up with this combination. It uses protein powder as the source of protein, I use chocolate but you can use any flavour. I use normal whey protein, which is available in most supermarkets these days. I like to have a tub in the house as can some in handy for a quick, filling milkshake when pushed for time. I also use rice flour as it is gluten free, but you could use plain flour for this, or replace with other gluten free versions, such as coconut flour.

 

Ingredients (for 6-8 pancakes):

 

32g chocolate whey protein

1 large banana

2 tbsp rice flour

21g gluten free porridge oats

120ml soya milk, banana flavour (can be replaced with other milk, such as almond)

 

 

 

Method:

 

This is so, so simple, I literally measure all the ingredients and put in the blender. If you don't have a blender you can mix it in a bowl until smooth.

 

 

 

In the meantime I heat up a teaspoon of coconut oil (you can use normal oil) in a frying pan. I prefer using coconut oil in cooking as find it really light compared to other oils. You can pick it up in most supermarkets/health food shops and is quite cheap.

 

Once the pan is sizzling I pour in two batches of pancakes per pan, (keep them smaller rather than making one big one), and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

 

 

The voila! Your pancakes are ready. You can add some fruit to this to get your carbohydrate intake, raspberries or blueberries are especially yummy. Or be a bit naughty and add some maple syrup!

 

We love these as a weekend treat! Let me know if you attempt to make these, or if you come up with any other flavour combinations!

 

KB x

 



Introduction

Hi everyone!

You may know me from my other lifestyle blog Kate Bobbi. Over the past few months I have become more and more interested in the food we eat, fitness, and overall health, including mental health. Because of this I have started this blog to progress mý journey from starting back in the gym after 3 years off from having a baby. I will be sharing fitness tips and progress, my views on healthy living and recipes, and as I am on a journey to get the whole family eating well, recipes for children too.

To give a little background to myself, I had my son 3 years ago, and since then have gone through healthy eating and exercising in short bursts (like before going on holiday). I come from a fitness background and my partner manages a health and fitness centre, so from this I have the basics firmly set about what I need to do. I am now finally committed to put them to use and make the changes I need to stop myself from feeling tired and to start feeling healthy and energetic!

In my family my partner and son both have egg and nut allergies, my partner is also wheat intolerant so I will be providing recipes which are mainly egg, nut and gluten free! I do not believe in counting calories or reducing the food you eat, my philopsophy is if you are eating the right foods then the rest will follow.

I hope you'll enjoy the content, and if there is anything you'd like to see please let me know.

Now, I better go pack my gym bag!

KB xx