Kedgeree

This is a dish my other half made me on Friday. It was a dish his mother cooked regularly when he was growing up.

Kedgeree is originally a traditional British breakfast from colonial India with a nice balance of spicy and smoky flavours. It makes a tasty breakfast, lunch or dinner. I loved it (although he still reckons his mothers recipe is still tastier). It is always nice to try something different rather than the usual chicken and salmon each evening. 

Ingredients:

200g brown rice
400g Smoked Haddock
4 Free Range Eggs
8 Spring Onions
1 clove garlic
Red Chilli Pepper
2 teaspoons of ginger
2 teaspoons of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
100g peas
2 tablespoon of parsley or coriander
Black pepper

Method:

• Cook the brown rice in a saucepan for 30-35 minutes until tender.At the same time, put haddock in a large frying pan and cover with water. Simmer for 5-6 minutes. Drain, discard skin and any bones and flake the fish into large chunks.

• Boil the eggs for 8 minutes. Cool in cold water and shell them.
• Heat a large frying pan and add the spring onions, garlic, chilli and ginger for 4-5 minutes.

• Drain rice and add to the frying pan and add turmeric  cumin and peas. Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes , then stir in the haddock and parsley. Season.

• Serve with quartered eggs.

Yummy Banana Cupcakes

On Friday I made these tasty cupcakes from http://makeandbakefromscratch.com.  They didn't last too long but I will be definitely making them again. Perfect with a cup of green tea.

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup ground almond

pinch of pink rock salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp cinnamon powder

5 free range eggs

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 bananas

2 tablespoon of cocoa nibs

1 tbsp chia seeds

5 dates

1/4 cup agave

Method:

• Mix coconut flour, almond meal, salt,vanilla essence, baking soda, cinnamon cocoa nibs and chia seeds.

• In a blender add eggs, coconut oil, bananas and agave syrup.

• Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine.

• Fill cupcake cases half way and pop into pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes.

• Once baked, all to cool.

• Add various toppings such as peanut butter and cocoa nibs; almond butter and cocoa nibs or smother in dark chocolate. I am not a massive peanut butter fan but it was definitely my favourite topping. They are even delicious with no topping.

ENJOY!

IIFYM- Can you eat what you want and still lose weight?

Over the past couple of months I have been using IIFYM- If It Fits Your Macros. This is a form of flexible dieting which I love. I love it because if I want to have bar of chocolate or go out with my friends for a meal I can do so without having to worry about gaining weight and ruining my hard work. But there is a few things you need to know first:-


So what is IIFYM?

It is simply eating to meet your macronutrient needs. Your macronutrients consist of your carbohydrates, protein and fats. These three macronutritents all play essential roles in the human body.  With IIFYM you don't have to eat at certain times, eat a set amount of meals etc, you just have to try hit your macros consistently each day to reap the benefits. You can eat whatever foods you like to hit these macro targets each day.

Does this mean that I can eat what I want and still lose weight?

Good luck if you think you can hit you targets by just eating chips, chocolate etc (I have tried). You still need you staples in order to hit your macros e.g. meat, green vegetables, eggs etc. If you have room for the odd junk food snack go for it but you won't hit your targets by eating all the junk foods you want everyday. Fibre is another issue -you need to be eating good quality foods. If you are hitting your macros by eating foods like chips, crisps etc I promise you, you won't feel great.

So what are the benefits?

It is flexible eating. You don't have to eat a set amount of meals a day, you don't have to eat every two hours, you don't have to eat within a certain time pre or post workout. You can skip breakfast if you want. If you are having a meal out with friends in the evening you can fit it into your diet by just sticking to protein and veggies throughout the day so that you don't go over your carb and fat intake and then have the meal you want when out with friends. If you are craving something you can have it but make sure that for your other meals you don't go over your carbs/fat intake. It just means your meals are that bit more exciting, you can work around your social life and still keep on track. 

How do I calculate my Macros?

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

Copy this link for a free IIFYM calculator and calculate what your macro targets should be and try to consistently meet those. It is not as easy as you think but after a few days you start to see what macros you lack in or eat too much of. 

My Fitness Pal App

I insert my macro targets into My Fitness Pal app so I can keep on track each day and know if certain foods have too high fat/carb intake.

Healthy Irish Brown Bread

A great way to stay motivated to eat healthy is to set up a whats app groups with your friends to encourage and motivate each other. My friends and I are always sending each other pictures of our meals, its great for recipe ideas or if you have no idea what to cook for dinner. But I think its greatest for motivation- if you are about to tuck into a bag of crisps and your friend sends you a picture of a healthy meal you get the "guilts" and will choose to make a healthier option. Here are some pictures of the meals so far. I will be sharing more of their recipes with you.

My friend Michelle sent me this healthy brown bread recipe and pictures which I thought you might love to try. It is so easy to make and tastes really good!

Ingredients:

1 large tub of natural yoghurt-500ml
2 Tubs of fine Porridge oats
1 Tablespoon of Bread soda
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp of wheat bran (optional)

Method:

1. Put Bread Soda, salt and yoghurt in bowl and stir well.

2. Fill the empty yoghurt pot up with Oats and add two tubs to the mixture and stir.

2. Grease loaf tin and put in mixture. Sprinkle wheat bran (Optional)

3. Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes. Remove from tin and put on rack and cook for 10 minutes on the rack.

Foods to eat to help you get a flat stomach and so called "healthy" foods to avoid

I cannot stress how much abs are down to diet. If I have a good week of tough workouts but my diet is not spot on then my abs are non existent and I feel like crap. Although exercise does help diet is really the key. I am the same as everyone I have good days and bad days. On my bad days (which have been a lot recently) I get what I call the "guilts" which I suppose is better than not having them. The main thing is to get your diet back on track asap when you have a bad day or weekend. Don't say "oh I will start again on Monday" start straight away. You will feel so much better for it. What I find is that people don't understand what is good for them and what is bad for them.The following are "fatty" foods that can actually help you try to get lean and start seeing some abs:-

1. Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cocoa content)

 If you are like me and have a sweet tooth and crave a dessert after dinner then try 1 or 2 small squares of chocolate to satisfy your cravings for only 30 or 40 calories rather than 400 calories for a bar or a piece of cake. Check the brand of dark chocolate you choose has a high fibre and low sugar content. Look for more fat than total carbs. Dark chocolate does not spike your blood sugar levels like other desserts. It is also a powerful antioxidant. The fat content in dark chocolate should come solely from natural healthy fats from cocoa butter and not from other added fats. The higher the content of cocoa the lower the % of sugar.

2. Coconut milk, coconut flour and coconut oil

Coconut milk and oil are great sources of a super healthy type of saturated fat. Coconut flour is a healthier flour option for baking and adds flavour. Coconut flour is extremely high in fibre and very high in protein compared to other flours and is gluten free.

3. Grass fed butter (Kerrygold) or real butter

Real butter has got a lot of bad press and has been talked about as  being unhealthy. Real butter (grass fed) can actually be a healthy part of your diet. Grass fed butter has an ideal balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. It helps satisfy your appetite and control blood sugar levels which help you keep lean.

4. Whole eggs including yolks

Eggs are one of the highest sources of protein. What people don't know is that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg. That is where almost all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are found. Egg yolks contain more than 90% of calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate and B12 as well as vitamins A, D, E and K of the egg. Make sure the eggs are free range organic eggs. The balance between healthy omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids is controlled by the diet of the hens.

5. Grass fed beef

Beef found in a grocery store is raised on grains such as corn. This is not the natural diet of cattle and changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in beef. Grain fed beef is usually too high in omega 6 fats and way too low in omega 3 fats. On the other hand grass-fed cattle were raised on natural foods and have much higher levels of healthy omega 3 fats and lower levels of inflammatory omega 6 fats.

6. Avocados

Avocados are full of healthy fats. It is super high in monounsaturated fats and full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that help with fat loss and muscle building.

7. Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil nuts etc

Nuts are a good source of fibre and protein which helps control blood sugar levels and can aid in fat loss. Nuts also maintain good levels of fat burning hormones as well as helping to control appetite and cravings. Try eat a handful of nuts 20 minutes before your dinner so you will not overeat for your meal.

 

"Healthy" Foods to Avoid

These are sometimes seen as healthy but are in reality fat storing traps:-

• whole grain breads
• whole grain crackers
• soymilk
• tofu
• veggie burgers
• orange juice
• apple juice
• skim milk
• pre-packaged diet dinners
• diet ice cream and diet desserts
• pasta
• rice cakes
• protein bars
• sports drinks
• low fat foods

 

Chicken and Broccoli Quiche with Healthy Crust

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups of ground almonds
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 egg

Quiche Filing:

1 broccoli stalk
2 chicken breasts
1 onion
Cherry tomatoes
6 eggs
1/4 cup of almond milk


Method:

• In a bowl mix the almond meal, coconut oil and the egg until it clumps.

• Line a baking dish with baking paper. Press the mix into the base of the dish.

• Bake for about 8-10 minutes at 180'C.

• On a pan cook the onion and chicken.

• Steam broccoli. Don't overcook.

• Add them to the top of the crust.

• Mix eggs and almond milk together with a hand whisk and pour in on top of the dish.

• Top with cherry tomatoes.

• Bake in over for 35 minutes.

Enjoy this protein packed meal!

 

Chocolate Bark-Clean Eating Dessert

Spice up you dark chocolate with this recipe. This is a very easy and quick recipe and tastes amazing.

Ingredients:

- 70 or 80% dark chocolate
-Handful of almonds
-Handful of goji berries
-Handful of sunflower or pumpkin seeds
-pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Method:

1. Melt chocolate on a low heat. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
2. Line a baking tray with cling film or tin foil.
3. Spread chocolate mixture into the tray.
4. Top with almonds, goji berries and seeds
5. Put in freezer for 30 minutes
6. Remove and break into small bark pieces.

Healthy Quinoa Granola

This is a healthy breakfast alternative to granola. It is packed full of protein, fibre and iron and is gluten and dairy free.

This is so easy to make and very quick.

Ingredients:

Quinoa Flakes
Flaxseed
Agave or maple syrup or honey
2 tbsp of virgin olive oil
Coconut oil
1 tbsp of vanilla essence
Cinnamon

Optional:
Greek yoghurt- protein
Blueberries/Raspberries and Blackberries-full of antioxidants.
Goji Berries- more vitamin C than oranges, more beta-carotene than carrots and more iron than steak.

Method:

• In a bowl add the agave, olive oil and vanilla essence. Put in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

• Take out add cinnamon or what ever spices you choose.

• Add in a cup of quinoa flakes and some flaxseed and mix until all the quinoa and flaxseed are covered in the agave/oil mix.

• Line a baking tray with tin foil and grease with coconut oil.

• Pour the mix into the tray and bake for 10 minutes.

• Store in lunch box to have for the week.

 

Healthy Chicken Kiev

Healthy Chicken Kiev

 

 

Ingredients:

• Breast of chicken
• Kerrygold butter
• Garlic clove
• Hazelnuts
• 1 egg

Method:

1. In a bowl mix a tsp of Kerrygold real butter and a garlic clove.
2. Cut a slice in the chicken and add the garlic and butter mix. Close the slit with some wooden cocktail sticks.
3. Break an egg into a bowl and stir with a fork.
4. Blend a handful of hazelnuts and place in a bowl.
5. Dip the chicken in the egg and then in the blended hazelnut.
6. Place on a baking tray and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Food Diary May 2014

Here are some healthy meal ideas:

Quinoa Dessert Bites

Add dates, almond butter (or peanut butter), rice syrup (or agave or honey) and quinoa to a blender to mix.

 Layer into a container and put in fridge to set for an hour.

Melt dark chocolate (85%) and pour over the quinoa mix in the container and put in fridge to set for 20 minutes. Cut up into small pieces and enjoy with some greek yoghurt and cocoa nibs.

 

 

Banoffi Pie

 

Base: Add half cup of ground almond meal, half cup of desiccated coconut, 1 tbsp. of rice syrup or honey, 4 table spoon of coconut oil, 1 tsp of vanilla essence or powder, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to a blender and mix. Add to the bottom of jar or container and put in fridge to set for 40 minutes.

Topping: Add three bananas, 6 dates, vanilla essence, tbsp. of rice syrup or honey and half tsp of cinnamon. Mix until a toffee like consistency and add on top of your base layer. Set in fridge.

Serve with greek yoghurt and cocoa nibs.

Tuna Fish Cakes

• Cook and mash your sweet potato and place in a large mixing bowl.
• Add your almond flour (1/2 cup), chopped parsley, onion, lemon juice, salt cumin, paprika, black pepper and eggs (2 large).
• Add tin of salmon (in water) and crush into mixing bowl with your hands.
• Stir until well mixed then mould into fish cake patties and place on baking tray.
• Heat a large pan and add coconut oil. Allow the pan to get very hot before adding your fish cakes.
• Cook for 4 minutes each side and serve hot.

Stuffed Chicken and Quinoa

• Stuff chicken with feta, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Place on baking tray and bake for 20 minutes until fully cooked.
• Boil quinoa until cooked-20 minutes.
• Chop up cucumber, peppers, feta cheese and sun-dried tomato and mix into the quinoa and serve.

 

Salmon and Quinoa

Or have it with salmon with squeeze of lemon to flavour.

Healthy Greek Turkey Kebabs

• Cut up turkey breast and marinate  in a bowl with garlic, oregano, juice of a lemon, salt and pepper.
• Add the pieces of turkey to a kebab stick.
• Grill the kebabs for 10/15 mins
• Prepare greek salad-cucumber, tomato, olives, feta cheese and mint.
• Prepare your salad dressing- 3 tbsp. of olive oil, lemon, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Serve with some pitta bread.

 

So-Called "Health Foods" That Are Causing Your Body to Gain More Body Fat?

Below are foods that some people think are "healthy" but in reality are fat-storing traps in disguise. Avoid these food if you are looking to lose weight:-

whole grain bread

whole grain cereals

whole grain crackers

soymilk

tofu or "veggie burgers"

orange juice

apple juice

skim milk

margarine

pre-packaged 'diet' dinners

sports drinks

protein bars

rice cakes

pasta

diet ice cream or diet desserts

"energy" drinks

low fat anything-yoghurts, peanut butter etc

low carb foods

soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil

granola

dried fruit

pre-made salads

diet drinks

flavoured yoghurt

some types of sushi- tempura, cream cheese and other sauces

Soup mix

Tomato Ketchup

Processed Cheese

Soy Sauce

Peanuts

Smoothies

Packaged Turkey Slices

Extra Light Olive Oil

7 Day Carb Depletion

I have just come back from a week in Dubai where the food was too good to resist. Now I am suffering- I am bloated and feel like crap. When I got to Dubai I was lean, its amazing how a few days of eating badly can quickly ruin your hard work!

So this week I am going to get my metabolism back on track by doing a 7 day carb depletion diet by Wendy Chant. I did this before about 2 years ago. It was really really hard but I found it great. 

What is a 7 day carb depletion diet?

Many trendy low carb diets claim rapid weight loss but all people are losing is water. For every gram of "active" carbs you consume on a daily basis, your body will hold nearly 3 grams of water. So if you cut carbs, the scale might trick you into thinking that you are losing loads of weight. But this is water weight and not fat!

A 7 day carb depletion diet teaches your body where the fat is so you can burn it off. This is the only week where you leave out and forbid certain foods.

Why do it?

Glycogen is usually the secondary long-term energy storage with the primary energy stores being fats. But in modern society we have programmed our bodies to crave and be dependent on sugars instead of fat. This means that our muscles and liver are always full of stored energy (glycogen) which makes it nearly impossible to burn fat.

So if glycogen is in your body your body will use that as its primary source of energy and not fat!

The 7 day carb depletion cycle reduces glycogen levels so your body is re-directed to fat to burn energy. This usually takes about 72 hours to deplete the body of glycogen.

If done properly carb depletion sets up your metabolic foundation for balanced and healthy rapid fat loss to work for the long haul.

The Shift:

After a few days you will experience the 'shift'- this is when you energy shifts way down and you feel fatigued and dizzy, then all of a sudden you will experience an immediate shift back to high energy.


Rules

-You must count all carbs for your first week- MyFitnessPal is a good app to keep track of carbs
-20 grams or less of active carbs per day. Active Carbs= Carbs Minus Fibre
-Eat every 2 to 3 hours
-No starches, fruits or fruit juices
-No wheat or whole grains
-No alcohol
-Drink loads of water
-Eat a serving of broccoli every day
-Protein with every meal
-Increase healthy fats and green leafy veg to keep you full and to provide your body with required nutrients

Not recommended for people who restrict carbs regularly.

Proteins allowed:

• Eggs
• Cottage Cheese
• Lean beef
• Turkey breast
• Chicken breast
• Low carb protein powder
• Salmon, Tuna, Cod

Vegetables allowed:
(carb grams to each veggie for one cup of serving)

• Asparagus=2
• Broccoli=4
• Cucumber=0
• Lettuce=0
• Cabbage=1
• Cauliflour=3
• Spinach=1
• Celery=0
• Mushrooms=1
• Green beans=7
• Peppers=3
• Tomatoes=5

Fats allowed:

• Flaxseed oil
• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Mayo
• Grass fed butter
• Egg yolks

No seeds, nuts, nut butters or avocado.


 

 

5 Food Myths

I saw this on the paper (Metro) this week and thought it was quite interesting:

1. A calorie is a calorie, no matter what type of food it comes from

It is the type of food and not the number of calories that makes us gain weight. The amount of calories may be the same for different foods but the effect they have on our metabolic function can be quite different. A 2011 Harvard study that examined factors linked to weight gain found foods such as nuts, avocados, whole grains are associated with weight loss, while the same amount of calories from refined grains and fatty foods such as chips and crisps lead to weight gain.

2. Eating fat makes you fat

Fat does not make you fat. Sugar and excess carbs do. When you eat excess carbs or sugars, our glucose levels rise which sends a message to our pancreas to secrete insulin to break down the sugars. Insulin is a fat storage hormone- it lowers our blood glucose levels but it also tells our body to store fat. Dietary fats however do not mobilise insulin. The body requires these fats to keep its metabolism properly functioning.

3. Coconut oil is a dangerous saturated fat and should be avoided.

For years coconut oil were seen as unhealthy and contributed to heart disease due to high amounts of saturated fat. We now know that they type of saturated fat they contain is very different to the saturated fat in animal foods and that it does not cause heart disease. In fact coconut oil is now considered one of the healthiest oils.

4. Eating eggs raises cholesterol levels

While eggs contain a large amount of cholesterol, it has recently been proved that consuming them does not raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) in blood. Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet-high in a number of nutrients, along with antioxidants. Including eggs regularly in diet is proved to aid weight loss. That is good to know as I eat minimum 21 eggs a week.

5. Canola oil is healthy

The food industry promotes canola oil (an oil pressed from rape seeds) as a healthy salad and cooking oil. However, few realise canola oil is a hidden source of trans fats, which raise artery-clogging bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and have been implicated in obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The food industry touts canola oil as healthy as it contains omega-3 fats known to aid weight loss. However, these fats are very fragile and their molecular structure lends for a very easy conversion to trans fats when the oil is processed and deodorised with high heat and chemicals before being bottled and sold for cooking. If you want to avoid trans fats, read the ingredient lists on your food packages and look for the term "hydrogenated oil".

 

Homemade Snickers Bar

I found this recipe on instagram and it tastes way nicer than a normal snickers bar. If you serve it really cold it tastes like a snickers ice-cream. Yum. The best thing is that it is easy to make.

Ingredients:

100g Almonds

50g Oats

3 tbsp. Honey

100g Dates

A few cashews

100g Dark Chocolate

Base:

Place almonds, oats and honey into a processor and blend until sticky. Spread into a flat layer and freeze for 15/20 mins.

Caramel Layer:

Cut up dates into small pieces and blend in food processor add some cold water until it starts to form a caramel texture. Cut up cashew nuts and add to the caramel and mix. Spread onto the bottom layer and freeze until set.

Topping:

Melt enough dark 80% chocolate o cover the top layer. Freeze for about 40 minutes.

Cut up into small squares to have as a treat with a cup of green tea.

 

Enjoy!!!