Baked apple and coconut milk

Good  morning,

Hope everyone is doing great and ready for the new year?  I sure am!  This is going to be a good one.  I have so many plans and dreams and ambitions and not shy to act on them !

I returned yesterday from a lovely visit at my parents on the farm.  They live in a little house between the mountains.  It is absolutely medicine to the soul to wake up there in the  morning.  There you realize that there is something so much bigger than you in this universe.  Anyway.....

I put a little twist on my normal apple compote.  Cut your apples into quarters, sprinkle with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  Bake in the oven until soft.  Bathe in coconut milk when cooked.

Normally I would eat my compote with almonds, so I only swapped the nuts for the milk.  This is like dessert.  I highly recommend!

Also this is a paleo as you can get.  I am getting good at complying to Paleo now. (Said after doing one decent meal ....lol)

Friday burn!

Hello my friends...

Fitness sure takes a lot more motivation in the festive season, BUT I am doing what needs to be done! Already cleaned up the diet.  I am working hard for next season and planning the bring the best shape to date! The earlier you start... the better prepared!

The fact that I have heat activated eczema this summer does not make my case easy... since there is no Gym in the town I am on holiday.  This means I am squatting in the kitchen, next to where my Dad is frying bacon and onions. .....lol .... its okay, you can laugh at me now.

Here is my workout from this morning:

Super set:
Bicep curls
Overhead triceps extent ions
Push ups
15 reps 4 Sets each

Super set:
Bent over rear delt raises
Lateral raises
Front raises
15 reps 4 Sets each

Squat with kettle bell alternating between front grip and overhead grip.
20 reps 4 sets

Calf raises
25 reps 4 sets

Abs:
Reverse crunches
Leg raises
Bicycles
20 reps 3 sets

This workout took me 50 minutes to complete with a good sweat and calorie burn!

Enjoy!

Festive damage control!

This is a nightmare in any healthy eater's life.  I have a very sweet tooth and staying clear of sugary treats is by far my biggest challenge.  If you know how sugar react in the brain, you will understand more of this.  Sugar registers in the same part of the brain as highly addictive drugs. So there you have it.  When you feel weak around sugar, its not simply a thing of will power, there are actually hormones involved.  People differ, and while for some this is not a problem at all, for others it is a massive challenge.  I fall into the challenged category! lol

So, how do we do damage control? 

1.  Stay active!  By maintaining your regular workout routine, you can put this excess of calories to a positive use.  Calorie excess means MUSCLE BUILDING! :) 

2.  Keep your meals super clean around Christmas day and allow one day  or meal to enjoy to the full with your family.  This will not derail your positive efforts too much.  This is what I tried this Christmas.  I feel so terrible after the indulge yesterday.... I am not even hungry yet and it's already time for lunch. Uuurgh no fooooooood! 

3.  Do NOT go do shopping hungry. 

4.  STOP eating when you are full.  Do not keep on eating simply because the food is there. 

5.  After Christmas, up your workout time for a week or 3.  Try to increase by 15 minutes each day to burn off the excess calories. 

Day before Christmas pancakes

These festive pancakes was so easy to make and if you eat with your eyes, like me, I need not say that they were delicious.

You will need:
1 Scoop QNT Delicious Protein
150g egg whites
Touch of caramel essence
Hint of cinnamon

Mix everything well and bake in a heated lightly oiled pan.

Top with homemade apple compote , nuts , berries and a drop of raw honey.

Bon Ap!

Home workout!

Bitches be like... No make-up...  lol 

 Hello my friends!

It is SO good to be home for Christmas!  My father lives in the mountains, so you wake up to the most amazing view.

Anyways, still need to keep the tush tight... even on holiday.  I have 4 Expo's coming up and want to look my best.  The show must go on.

As many of you know, small towns does not have gyms. lol. .... Next best option is to drive a home workout gym around in your car's boot.  :)

I did this workout this morning.  Burned a good 500 calories in 50 minutes! That is REALLY good.

The routine:
Warm up with 5 minutes jogging:



Perform this sequence 2 times.  45sec action with 15 seconds rest.
1.  kettle bell swings
2. Push ups
3. Elastic band pull over body.
4. Other side -
5. Squat set with bent over rear delt raises
6. Dynamic lunge set with dumbbell curls
7. Stationary lunge set with triceps extension (elastic)
8. Other side
9. One arm squat press
10. Other side

I finished off with 10 minutes of abs exercises

All the equipment you need for a great session at home. 

Workout at home!

Short Circuit

Perform the following exercises as a circuit, doing one set of each with minimal rest between exercises.
If you’re unable to reach the prescribed number of reps in a given set, rest-pause until you reach the rep count. (Rest-pause is where, when reaching failure during a given set, you rest anywhere from 10-30 seconds and continue repping out.)
After each circuit, rest 2 minutes. Repeat the circuit 3-4 times, or however many times you can in 20 minutes.

Muscle Group	Exercise	Reps
Legs	Bodyweight Squat	20
Chest/Delts	Incline Push-Up*	20
Abs	Hip Thrust	20
Legs	Walking Lunge	20 total (10 per leg)
Chest/Delts	Standard Push-Up	20
Abs	Crunch	25

Coconut flour cookies - and my view on sugar addiction

Staying on point with a eating plan this time of the year can be a challenge right?  I am consumed with sugar cravings at the moment. 

After being on cortisone injections for a few weeks (many of my friends know I have been going through something with my skin - which is 'sort of' under control now) , my appetite has been out of control (not under control ...lol ) . 

It is so hard to get your mind focused again after derailing a little bit. For people who think they have weak will power, it is not as simple as that.  Don't beat yourself up too much.  You teach yourself to get stronger at begin good with your diet, over time. 

A pattern of avoiding and binging -- not sugar itself -- may lead to addict-like effects. Sugar even affects the same "feel-good" brain hormones as street drugs. Nobody would say sugar is the same as heroin, but it can still mess with your brain and body.

You may have an eating disorder or a plain bad habit. Anyone can use sugary foods in ways that aren't healthy. Some signs: You may lose control and eat more than you planned. You may feel bad when you skip your daily cookie "fix." These low blood sugar symptoms include feeling a little nervous and shaky.

Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. When you overload on sugary foods, it may alter the parts of the brain that control how much you eat. 

 Alot of hormones is involved when it comes to eating.  There is never just a simple answer.  

I simply cannot have one bite of something sweet though, it sends my body into overdrive, every fibre urging me to have more sugar.   So... I did a bit of searching and testing for a cookie recipe.  These are not sweet, so it will not activate any triggers! Still easing the mind that I am having cookies.  

Retrain your tastebuds.  Gradually reduce high sugar foods in your diet.  Excange it for fruit or honey. Your tastebuds will adapt to this over time and cravings for simple sugars will reduce. 

Cook recipe:

1/3 cup of coconut oil 

6 eggs 

2 tablespoons honey 

3/4 cup of coconut flour 

1 teaspoon of baking powder 

Pinch of salt 

Pinch of xantham gum 

Mix all ingredients and bake 20-25 minutes 

Time for important things

"If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If not...you'll find an excuse."

- Coach Whitney

>>>> It really is as simple as that.  People like to come up with excuses all the time for not doing things and then blame other factors - Most of the time ' I did not have time' .  It all comes down to what your priorities are.  Do what you feel is most important to you.  It is hard living up to other peoples expectations all the time.  

Here is a small recipe I would like to share with you. 

I made a big whole chicken and took all the meat of the bones.  I like to keep it in the fridge during the week.  It ensures that there is something cooked and healthy to eat all the time. 

Grill mushrooms, snap peas and marrows in a tablespoon of coconut oil until soft but still crunchy.   Add oven roasted chicken pieces.  Add 3 tablespoons yogurt ( I used lactose free) and let everything cook through.  I added my new favourite spice from Woolies, salt and pepper. 

Enjoy! :) 

Pan grilled dinner

This fits perfectly into the mealplans I do for my clients. 

Pan grill asparagus and baby marrows in coconut oil. Add 100g sliced smoked chicken breast, and 30 feta. 

Add fresh cherry tomatoes 

Bon ap! :) 

Hake and spinach quiche

This is a super easy and fast idea for lunch or dinner.  

Set oven at 200deg. 

Bag of spinach

250ml eggwhites 

200g cooked hake

100g pitted olives 

1 small chopped onion 

60g crumbed feta cheese 

Mix everything well and bake in a breadpan until cooked. 

Stuffed giant mushrooms

Morning,

I hope you had a great weekend? I sure did. Busy busy busy!

I want to share a very delicious recipe with you.  I made these stuffed giant mushrooms last night. What a treat!

Pre-heat the oven to 200deg.

You need 230g lean ground beef
1 Small onion
1 Tablespoon Woolworths Slimmers choice Chutney
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
Spices to taste :  I used fresh rosemary, salt and pepper
2 Giant mushrooms

Chop your lill' onion.  Mix with ground beef and spices.  Devide equally and top the mushrooms.

Pop in the oven for about 30-40minutes.  It really depends on how cooked  you eat your beef.  I like it almost charcoal. lol... I want to be able to draw pictures with my meat, then it means its cooked enough :)



I served my stuffed mushrooms with a side salad of mixed greens and 90g of avocado.

This works well as a lunch or as a dinner.  There is no carbs in this meal.  My mealplan clients can use this in for their beef meals.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 223
Fat: 9g
Protein:  33g
Carbs; 0g

Grilled asparagus dish

Hello ladies and gentlemen ,

I am doing a lot of vegetarian dishes lately. I am not going 'veggo' or anything , just not craving too much meat at the moment. 

Here is a simple but delicious asparagus recipe. : 

Grill asparagus with tiny bit coconut oil in a pan. When cooked, slice into tiny pipes. ( or what you may call it) 

Add beansprouts, chopped avocado, celery ,cherry tomatoes and a few almonds. 

I gave it a turn or two of  salt and black

Pepper. 

Bon ap! :) 

Cabbage stirfry

This a an excellent example of your vegetable portion for my meal plan clients.  Try this one, you will not be sorry.  I simply love this recipe!

I will briefly explain how you make it. Super easy.

In a lightly oiled pan , fry a onion, a red bell pepper, 1 small chopped chilly and a teaspoon of fresh garlic.

Add your chopped cabbage and let it grill until you feel it is soft or hard enough.  I like mine still crunchy.

You could have this as a side with chicken breasts, fish or beef.

I had mine with avocado and little bit of mozzarella ( Not good for my lactose problem.. I know) .  This is vegetarian option and still delicious!

You can really prepare this in 5 minutes, so no excuses for not having time.  :)

Homemade applesauce with Pink Lady apples

See now... Making this is really as easy as taking candy from a child. (don't do that though... bad habit! :)  

To get one cup applesauce I peeled 6 Pink Lady apples.  Cut into blocks.  Cook until soft and mash.  Voila! You have applesauce!  I use this as a replacement when baking, instead of butter and sugar. 

Protein bread with QNT delicious protein

I want to share a great recipe with you.  This bread can be used in place of store bought normal bread for people with wheat or gluten intolerance's.

You will need:

2 Scoops QNT whey protein
1 Cup oat bran
3 whole eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup applesauce

Mix everything well and pour mixture into a lightly oiled oven tray.  Bake at 200 degrees for about 20minutes.  Test with a tooth pick to see if inside is cooked.

Let it cool before trying to remove the bread from the pan, otherwise it will break.

Should make 8 servings.

Food addiction - FACT

Good morning, 

I want to talk about a subject that comes up so much.  Food

I am convinced that food is the most addictive drug there is, much worse than ... uhem... okay, I don't know the names of drugs. lol...  In food, the culprit being sugar of course.  A new study has found that high-sugar snacks activate an area of the brain that is also stimulated by hard drugs.

I will quote the study from The Dailymail,  for you to read.  I found this quite interesting. 

''The study involved creating two milkshakes - one with a high, and one with a low glycaemic index. 

The milkshakes were otherwise identical, with similar calories and taste.

The drinks were then given to 12 healthy, overweight men on different days and in random order. 

Four hours after the high glycaemic index shake, participants were hungrier than those who had consumed the low glycaemic index shake.

Experts also carried out functional MRI imaging on all participants. 

The images revealed intense activation of the nucleus accumbens, a critical brain area in the dopaminergic, mesolimbic system that mediates pleasure eating, reward and craving.

Similar activation patterns have been found in people after consumption of addictive substances, such as heroin and cocaine.

Dr Lennerz said that their findings 'provide qualified support for the possibility of food addiction'.

She added: 'While food is necessary for life, we eat for reasons beyond our daily energy needs. When overeating becomes a pattern that is hard to break, we say someone is "addicted" to food.'

Finally Dr Lennerz concluded that while more research is needed to examine the concept of food addiction, 'the fact that a food may affect addiction centres in the brain, independent of calories or pleasure, provides the basis to rethink current dietary recommendations'.''

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2402746/Food-addiction-DOES-exist-Junk-food-activates-region-brain-hard-drugs.html#ixzz2kn6knhgT
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Self love - Vanity?

Self Love? Vanity? Where's the line, and how do you walk it? 

I believe a little vanity leads to a healthy self-esteem. This being said, there is a line.  Sometimes we linger on that thin line, as fitness girls.  In a industry like this, you want to promote a healthy, fit body.  You have to be the advert for yourself, if you want to make a success.  If this need a little self-love, then so be it.  

In my humble opinion, if you still inspire people to be the best that they can be, and you are not just working for self gain, there is nothing wrong with it.  You are taking the lead and giving something positive back. The most important part is to remain HUMBLE.  In great success, it is an even greater achievement to keep your little feet grounded. 

Arrogance can be a deadly quality and can have an extremely negative effect on a sufferer's daily life, personal relationships and performance at work.

So how do you see the difference? This will vary from person to person as to what they perceive to be over confident and vain... as to someone who  feels competent and self-assured, a person willing to take responsibility, who at the same time cares about others. 

To conclude; believe in yourself. Trust in  your abilities and above all remember that humility is the most attractive characteristic you can find in someone.  

I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.

-Oprah Winfrey quotes

Some news

Hello Friendies...

How are all of you? I do not have alot of news for you yet.  Still trying to make sense out of the chaos. :)

I have interviews coming up.  My goal, as you know is to find a job as Personal Trainer.  Tomorrow will be first meeting/discussion for  an interview.  I will have to set up a Business plan .... grrrrrr I cant say I particularly love it. Just doing what needs to be done for the moment.  I still remain positive.  I will achieve my goals.

Other than that, I have some exciting stuff happening with QNT SPORT, who will remain to be my provider of supplements.  I am very happy about this, as they really are an exceptional brand.

It feels good to be back in SA.  France has been an enriching experience, but nothing can compete with your own country, language and culture.  I particularly enjoy the sunsets every night, wine with good friends and of course everyone understanding what I say.

Will let you know when I have more news.  Its time for apartment hunting ! :)

Departure for South Africa

Hello my friends, 

I am sitting here with alot of mixed emotions tonight. Excitement, sadness, fear, uncertainty .... list goes on.  Then I actually feel ashamed for asking God for help, and then not having the faith to trust in Him.  (We do that alot right?)

 Something I read earlier ' Because the Holy Spirit knows you better than you know yourself, he'll give you exactly what you need to make this change. He's infinitely patient, so he'll let you test this secret—trusting in the Lord—in little baby steps. He'll catch you if you stumble. He'll rejoice with you when you succeed.'

This, did give  me a sense of calm.  EVERYTHING will be okay! 

Most of you know that I will be joining the working force again very soon.  One season coming to an end, another beginning.  I am going back to SA to kick start my career as Personal Trainer.  Also intending more studies, as soon as I am settled.  

Lucky for me I am a very, very blessed little girl with a AMAZING support system of friends and family.  

As you can imagine, I have been getting alot of questions.  So... yes, this was a hard decision and yes I did think about it long enough.  Sometimes you have to make hard decisions in life to progress in other areas.  

I am excited about my new adventure and hope to make a big success in the fitness field. 

All my bags are pack, busy prepping meals for the flight.  I am actually testing a new recipe.  Will let you have it if it works out :) .. smelling really good! 

I have to get up at 4h00 tomorrow morning.. uuuuuh... too early! ...and I hate day flights also.  They tend to go by so slow? 

Next blog from SA! 

Here is a little something to read I found to be true ------ 

“Perfectly Imperfect

We have all heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Each snowflake takes the perfect form for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness for its journey. And while the universal force of gravity gives them a shared destination, the expansive space in the air gives each snowflake the opportunity to take their own path. They are on the same journey, but each takes a different path.
Along this gravity-driven journey, some snowflakes collide and damage each other, some collide and join together, some are influenced by wind... there are so many transitions and changes that take place along the journey of the snowflake. But, no matter what the transition, the snowflake always finds itself perfectly shaped for its journey. 
I find parallels in nature to be a beautiful reflection of grand orchestration. One of these parallels is of snowflakes and us. We, too, are all headed in the same direction. We are being driven by a universal force to the same destination. We are all individuals taking different journeys and along our journey, we sometimes bump into each other, we cross paths, we become altered... we take different physical forms. But at all times we too are 100% perfectly imperfect. At every given moment we are absolutely perfect for what is required for our journey. I’m not perfect for your journey and you’re not perfect for my journey, but I’m perfect for my journey and you’re perfect for your journey. We’re heading to the same place, we’re taking different routes, but we’re both exactly perfect the way we are. 
Think of what understanding this great orchestration could mean for relationships. Imagine interacting with others knowing that they too each share this parallel with the snowflake. Like you, they are headed to the same place and no matter what they may appear like to you, they have taken the perfect form for their journey. How strong our relationships would be if we could see and respect that we are all perfectly imperfect for our journey.” 
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Paleo bread - lactose free/grain free

Hello friends,

I have been reacting worse and worse to wheat - so been experimenting with more wheat free recipes.  This low carb bread is a winner! It's got a good texture with a nutty pallet. 

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups almond flour 

1/4 cups flaxseed flour

1/4 cups coconut flour

5 eggs

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoon coconut oil

Mix everything well and bake on 200deg for 40-50 minutes. Wait until it's cold before you cut it. 

Quite the challenge! My home workout from yesterday. ....

Morning peeps! 

Hope everyone is doing great?  After attemping to amputate my index finger on Thursday, I try to stay out of the gym a bit. ( Will spare you the images and visuals..lol)  There's dirrrrrty germs.  :)  So I put together a kettlebell homeworkout.  Must add, I burned a good 450 calories doing this.  Worked up quite the sweat!

Warm up with 30 seconds each of the following;

Arm swings / change direction
Torso circles
Toe touch kicks
Jumping jacks
high knees

Do 20 reps of the following:

1.  Kettlebell swing
2.  Kettlebell lunge with an arm swing
3.  Alternating single arm swing
4.  Kettlebell rack
5.  Bottom up rack and hold
6.  Squat and press
7.  Kettlebell Halo
8.  Lunge with rotation
9.  Single leg deadlift
10. Turkish get ups
11. Kettlebell pullovers
12. Hammer curl
13. Tricep extension
14. Kettlebell side crunch
15. Toe touch crunch


After completing my kettlebell routine, added some exercises for glute activation.

6 x 20 Bent over kick backs
6x  20 Swiss ball hamstring curls

Enjoy! :)

How others perceive you...

I chose a difficult topic today.  I have been thinking about this for some time now.

There is two sides to this.  How others see you.  This might turn into one of those post that result in incoherent blabber... be warned.  I do not think I have an answer to this.  I also think it depends greatly on the type of personality you have to do with and how the person takes critisism.

For some it might be a very big thing how others see them.  For others its all like water off a duck's back what people say or think about them.

I must admit, when I entered the fitness industry this was a HUGE thing for me.  I felt so injured at the smallest criticism.  Only later did I realize ( and I quote the lovely Miss Dita Von Teese )

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches.”

You NEED to know this. LEARN this and then LIVE by this.  People cannot all like each other.  People say rude, nasty, jealous and dearly uncalled for things to each other without thinking about it twice. Our chemistry's just do not all mix, you know?   Unfortunately not everyone was born with tact, and needless to say some people just needed some more smacking on the buttocks for better manners when they were little... wink wink :) 

My conclusion, and this just what I think about the topic.  You cannot take everything people say about you, or to you to heart.  You will end up a mess in a corner rocking front and back. ha ha! YOU know who you are, and as long as you are not intentionally hurting people around you, it cant be that bad.  

Lift your pretty little chin, shake back that hair.... cause you are FABULOUS! .... and don't let anyone tell you any different :) 

Home workout... or anywhere else!

I have been telling so many people I will do this blog.  Time to own up! lol...

Okay so you have no means of getting to a gym and you do not want to slack on the training program.  Relax, all your muscles will not melt away in a week or two, but I know you will feel better if you just do something, right?

Lets break this down into a full body workout.  Something you can repeat on a daily basis.  Something that will get your heart ate going and still add some resistance to your muscles.

Let's get going. You need:
Jump rope
Chair
Resistance bands

Warm up:

Jump rope 30 seconds with 15 seconds rest.  Repeat 5 times
Start with upper body ----
1. Bicep curls with resistance band.  4x15













2. Triceps extension with resistance band.  4x15

3. Triceps dips on chair. 4x20






4. Lateral raises with resistance band 4x15













Lower body ------
5. Body weight squats 6x 30

6. Body weight lunges 6x 20 each side

7. Chair step ups 6 x 20 each leg

8. Jump squats  6x20 jumps

9. Glutes bridge 6x 20

ABS -----
10.  Plank 4 x 30 seconds

With this easy and effective moves, you should hit the biggest muscle groups and not spend hours training on your well deserved holiday!