Breakfast

I've been slack with my postings of late. Again I am hitting the ground running. Since I got back from Bali it has been full steam ahead. In order to stay in optimum shape and gain as much energy as I can I've been really good at clean eating. Low sugar is going really well. I don't even think about chocolate now. I'm still trying hard with the Paleo diet, especially in the mornings. Evening meals are another story where I am wolfing down pasta and rice as it's quick & easy or it has been already made for me on my late return home.

I've always laughed at those people (Angelina Jolie) who say they are too busy to eat or 'don't feel hungry.' How!! What!! Why!! Are you mad?!! I am a permanently hungry person, I love food. I used to be kinda of obsessed with it to the point I'd be eating breakfast & planning what I was going to eat for lunch or morning tea. I took this as me, normal. However, since I've stopped pumping my body with estrogen & progestin, three months on I actually have a handle on my appetite. I know what full is again (yes I used to eat to the point of physical sickness as I had no idea what full was, gluteny at its best?) 

Overall I feel much better my body is back to it's normal state without any artificial influences. It's been well over 12 years since this last happened. When I feel hungry I eat. If I don't, then I don't. Some days a few pieces of grilled haloumi & a handful of cashews keeps me full for hours. Crazy I know. On hectic Saturdays when I'm running about, teaching or practicing I can go for hours now on just a protein fix breakfast. My gawd I have turned into one of those Angie types, too busy to notice I haven't eaten - mainly because I am not hungry. If I was I would eat!

After practicing the 5:45am the other morning I prepared this breakfast at work. Smoked salmon, a slightly over ripe avo, slightly over grilled haloumi & 8 cashews that weren't pictured. Seems like an odd combo but it worked really well. Total fullness for hours! 

Breakfast!

 

Quitting Sugar

Finally I have started the program to quit sugar. I know I've banged on about this all year and finally four months after I purchased Sarah Wilson's book I have begun. Totally by random. 

When ever I put a date on things like this it just doesn't work out. The whole "diet starts on Monday" is crap, I have major difficulty doing battle with my mind and will power when it comes to such major lifestyle changes.

So how did I start? It just happened. April was a pretty good month for my yoga practice. I got my butt whooped a few times. I knew deep down I could do so much better in the hot room if I clean up my act outside the room. i.e SUGAR. It reeks havoc on your muscles and digestive system, let alone makes your mind go doolally! Easter I binged like an out of control food-a-holic. Then suddenly I didn't feel like eating my usual daily chocolate fix. I was actually sick of it. So just like that I stopped eating it. 

Once I was over week one of no cakes, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream and sweets it was plain sailing. I didn't even want or crave any of the above. Don't get me wrong I didn't go totally cold turkey as sugar is lurking in everything. I still have the occasional small orange juice, especially on my 4am start mornings to give me a quick fix.

Kat Eden wrote this great piece on breaking addiction which I took note of. By not having a sweet treat at your usual time, mine is either after lunch or after my evening meal, you get out of the habit. I didn't want chocolate at 10am so I didn't have it & I wasn't allowing myself any after 12pm.

I have no idea what clicked in my head, it just happened. I no longer wanted sweet stuff. A belated birthday present from the UK landed a few weeks ago. A big bar of Galaxy chocolate, om nom nom. My favourite. I tucked it away in the fridge and decided to treat myself to a row to celebrate two weeks without it. It tasted funny. It did nothing for me. Totally shocked. I thought after abstaining it would taste like heaven, especially creamy UK stuff. No. My stomach started swelling, my digestive system gurgled, I had a high then a crash. Very weird. These gut feelings used to be normal for me, I thought it was the usual reaction to food in general. However I always followed a meal with chocolate or something sweet. Ah ha, breakthrough moment.

Ending week three now. The results; less bloating or weird gastric rumblings,  uncomfortable tight stomach feelings gone. My yoga practice is so, so much stronger, bow I no longer get cramps in my calves or toes. My head is clearer, as is my skin. (A yoga colleague commented on this) My clothes are looser, I have lost just over 1kg without changing anything else in my diet/lifestyle. (Another yoga colleague commented on this also = noticeable weight loss) I wasn't aiming for weight loss, it is a bonus as most of the shorts I wore at TT I didn't feel comfortable in & I'd stopped teaching in cropped tops. I felt out of shape & the scales showed it. 


Onwards I go. I have given away a bunch of unopened biscuits and chocolates. There are three unopened Easter eggs in the fridge which will be finding new homes if The Man doesn't hurry up & eat them! Finally, I am no longer climbing the walls at 3pm wanting a sugar fix. Hoorah!!

Homemade Organic Cream Cheese

When a naturopath advised me to stop eating Philadelphia cream cheese I was quite sad. What was I going to slather on my bagels as a base for smoked salmon? I quit the overly processed 'cheese' for a while but got back on it again when the substitute of choice, avocado, got pricey.

About a month ago Sarah Wilson posted this recipe on her blog, 'how to make your own gut friendly cream cheese.' Genius! Off I went to Spotlight to purchase a few metres of cheese cloth. I did find an organic Greek yoghurt in Woolworths but I'm doubting it was the best one to use but hey ho. 

The result, really nice, fluffy, tasty cream cheese. It kept in the fridge well over two weeks. It didn't last any longer as I ate it all. At first it did still have the 'yoghurty' flavour which a few chopped chives or some garlic might balance out. Overall I was happy with the result. The process was really simple. Wrap it up, let it drip for a day and away you go. 

Dripping the curds (a) whey!

Tadah! Cream cheese.

 

Granola slices

By popular demand it has been requested I post the recipe for my nutty, fruity, granola slices. These are the one's I made for the Christmas Day Charity yoga class at BYJ. Very simple and can be made organic very easily. Feel free to add any type of fruit or nuts you prefer. Enjoy!!!
 

Healthy Granola Bar Recipes #2
Fruit, Nutty, Whole Grain Bars

This recipe makes delicious chewy, crunchy healthy granola bars full of oats, dried fruit, and whole grains, lightly sweetened with the natural goodness of maple syrup instead of sugar.

You'll need a food processor to make these quick and easy granola bars. Or Thermomix owners follow the instructions below, chop everything on speed 7 or 8, then mix on number four till all mixed well.

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/4 cup wholemeal  flour
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried raisons
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (decent Canadian kind available in Woolworths, don't use the pancake syrup junk)
• 2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 170C degrees.
2. Grease a lamington baking pan with cooking spray, I line with baking paper too.
3. Place oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, flour, fruit, almonds, dry milk, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until everything is chopped and well blended.
4. Add maple syrup and eggs and pulse until everything is well blended.
5. Spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Allow to cool and a wire rack on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Cut bars into desired size and shape.

Once they are completely cool, you can store these fruity, nutty, chewy, healthy  granola bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days

Weighty issues

It's been a hot topic of conversation on the FB page with the ladies. Weight. TT does crazy things to the body. Your eating on the run, you don't have a full kitchen or time to cook properly, let alone a decent sized fridge. For me I'll be in a strange country with food brands and supermarkets that are alien to me. It's not the third world, I'm sure I'll find the equivalent brands/foods I get here. I won't starve. 

Anyway, it's a fact most people put on weight at TT. However no one has actually said how many dress sizes they grew, unless I missed it. Our Spring TT graduate came back looking lean, toned and amazing. (I didn't know her before but still she looks good now) You can put on 10kg of lean muscle and drop a dress size. Lean muscle weighs more than fat and takes up less room. 

I am a typical girl I freak out if the scales go up. This past two months I've stayed away from the scales. I know I've not been eating great as I'm tired so have been craving sugar and carbs. I did get on the scales 'just to see' the other day. Oh crap, I have put ON 2kg. BUT my clothes still fit, my jeans even feel a little slack. My pants are well saggy on the bum. My buddha belly is there, I store cortisol (stress hormone) in my stomach area. Hopefully as I chill out this will go. I'm probably bloated too from all the water I'm drinking.

So, 2 kg of lean muscle, I hope! If it was 2kg of pure lard surely I'd have grown out my clothes? The back fat that was oozing out my yoga tops seems to have shrunk. I even think one top is a touch looser. The girls are still there, I hate it when you lose weight and your boobs shrink. There is new day light between my thighs in two places. No longer do my thighs touch from crotch to knee, blooming horse riders thighs.

I will try my very best, as I've said before, not to eat crap at TT by using the excuse I need the fuel. I will need the fuel but healthy, good nutritious food, lots of that and less of the crap. I am going to contact, before I go, an excellent life/nutrition coach Kat Eden, whom I took a lecture with last year. We talked a lot about cravings and if you crave a certain type of food it does mean you are lacking in some vital nutrition. I need to get it clear that if I'm craving chocolates what do I actually need to have which is not chocolate. Kat did tell us pure, organic dark Cocoa will hit the spot here but I've forgotten (should have it written down somewhere) what the sugar craving can be hit with instead of sugar. I remember that if I'm craving chips I need salt, kinda obvious. 

Kat is a HUGE protein girl who doesn't believe that we need whole grains. Her before and after pictures are a testimonial to this. She apologizes for putting people on tuna salad and brown rice diets. She also advises against loads of cardio. A little is good for a strong heart but weight bearing exercise is the way to a leaner bod and strong bones. Us Bikramers get worked out all over, inside out, bones to skin, finger tips to toes so that's cool. (but we should do a weights work out too twice a week) 

She gave us some great advice to EAT before the 5:45am class. But only a tiny amount of pure protein. Half an egg, cold good quality, organic meat but only a mouthful or good quality organic nut butter. Eggs didn't work for me, even my home grown free range eggs. Meat and nut spread did. I had energy for the class without feeling sick. As long as I had it an hour before, easy with my 25 minute journey to the studio. I'll be taking this with me to TT as I'm planning on sleeping as long as possible before the 8:30am class. A few teaspoons of nut spread and possibly a protein shake will be the go.

It'll be a challenge to stay healthy in LA. I will try. I will not give in, despite how social, to eat crap. Weekends, well that will be a treat. 80% good, 20% dirty. Heck I've heard so much about chuffing red velvet cup cakes from Sprinkles I'm gonna have one. Mmmm and breakfasts at Mel's/Denny's diners I remember dearly from my last trip to California! Oww Hooters chicken wings. OMG stop me now!!

Food

I suddenly realised today something weird was going on. I couldn't decide what to get for lunch. I usually pack my lunch everyday to save money, time etc. Last night as I had my dinner cooked for me I thought I thought it polite to leave the leftovers for the chef. This is what I do when I cook, I get first dibs of the leftovers. 

Buying lunch is such a treat, such a variety of foods out there in the city for my consumption. I mostly end up eating Sumo Salad as they have a great variety and do a rewards scheme. Free salad when you've bought ten. Today I did not know what I wanted. I craved nothing. I fancied nothing. I wondered into and out of a few places. Sushi I love but it's not loving me at the moment. I was at a loss. 

It's weird I love food. It's been the one of the main topics of conversation between my future TT roomie and I for a while. It's fantastic I'm rooming with a fellow foodie not some finicky eater who can live off fresh air and water. I like to eat, cut the drama out of it. 

When on a challenge and what I've heard from past trainee's at training you should eat what you crave as it means your lacking in something that you need. I know some people might use this as an opportunity to stuff their face with crap. I am guilty in the past of doing this. "I'm on a challenge, let me eat crap, I am craving it" or maybe I just want it. There is a line I feel, which some pesky marshmallows jumped over this arvo. It's just strange this challenge has effected my appetite all of a sudden. I'm hungry for sure but don't know what I would like to eat.....