Where there is a will...

Hello Friends...

Check me out, searching  out an Internet cafe to blog for you! haha!

I have 3 simple meals for you.  I put it together as you would have them on a day. Hope you enjoy this.

Breakfast: 
50g of steel cut oats. You can either have this cooked or raw.
2 table spoons of Greek yogurt
Some berries and a chopped nectarine!
So appetising!






Lunch : 

Oven grilled vegetables with a fresh salad and smoked chicken.
Here you can see the carbs with lunch. You don't want to have carbs after 18h in the evening. The simple reason is that your body will not use the energy.

Dinner

Chicken strips with Greek yogurt sauce and baby spinach. 

Stir fry chicken strips. Season to taste. When they are cooked, add your spinach along with 2 spoons of Greek yogurt. Let it simmer until spinach is slightly wilted. 

Bon ap!! 

Holiday weight management

Hello Friends -

Hope you are all very well still? I am enjoying the South African sun.  Not all holiday for me. Since my studies are almost done, I am working on the last submission before I will be a qualified personal trainer.  I also completed Level 2 First Aid.  Yeah! I can save lives now!


So I got this question.  How do you go on holiday, and not turn into a complete blow fish?

You have to be realistic.  I even tell myself this.  Holidays are there for a reason.  To blow off steam, after a long year of working hard.  Sometimes the steam that blows off - blows up in our thighs and muffin tops... lol... So, to prevent that, I put together some tips.  You will not like them all. Ha ha!

Firstly, exercise is a MUST:  I am not saying run a half marathon every day, but you should really try your best to stick to some sort of easy reachable holiday cardio.  Think about this.  You have been hitting the gym all year, and suddenly you stop. What will your body do?

Fitted clothes... aaaahah! you ask me HOW will this work??? well... it makes you stop eating when you had enough, before you burst out your clothes. ! he he he

Do not leave the house hungry. Or the tent, or wherever you are staying. It makes over eating later so much easier!

Carry fruit, dried fruit and nuts around in your holiday bag. It is a light snack that will fill the whole, and keep you from over eating later.

Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate!!!!!!

Now the last and most important.  EAT REAL FOOD. People.... this is not as difficult as others make it out to be. Eat fruit, vegetables, meat.  Avoid take aways.  Try to consume less carbs in this time, and eat more fruit, nuts, veggies, lean meat.

Girls , If you are serious about this, you will find a way to make it work.  Personally I never leave the house without food, or planning at least when and where my next real food meal will come from.
We all want to look like stallions and fillies on the beach. Make it happen.  It is in your hand.

Lots of Christmas love to all!!!  :)

Coconut flour Paleo cake

  
Hello Friends -

This cake must be one of the best Paleo discoveries I've made so far.  Simply delicious.  You would not know the difference!   Sure, it is a bit of effort, but all good things take some amount of effort.  Right? 








Ingredients: 

1 cup coconut flour
2 tsp cinnamon
half cup coconut flakes
4 grated carrots
6 eggs
2 teaspoons liquid stevia
1 ripe banana. mashed
1 tin crushed pineapple
half cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup coconut milk

Optional: chopped pecans or walnuts 

Mix all this ingredients very well.  Pour mixture in a well sprayed cake pan. Bake for 50 -60 minutes at 190degrees.  a Toothpick should come out clean. 

Now, for the toppings.  This depends on yourself, and your level of lactose or gluten intolerance.  You can whip up some cream with a spoon of honey, and top your cake with that.  Or, I used in the pictures, the remainder of my coconut milk.  I whipped it up with honey and a drop of vanilla. I find its best to pour it over the cake just before you serve it! 

The cake has a very moist consistency.  Really delicious!!

Paleo Coconut flour cake with coconut frosting

Paleo Almond flour muffins

I'm just going to give it to you quick and straight.

Ingredients:

2 cups of almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
half cup coconut oil,melted


3 Tablespoons honey
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

This is your basic recipe. You can either make it savoury with adding lean bacon and fat free cheese, or sweet. As you choose.

I added:

Chopped Pecans
Chopped apples
Cinnamon

Mix everything well.  Spoon into muffin trays.  Bake at 190degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.  A toothpick should come out clean.

This little jewels taste so good!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Grilled chicken breast with green salad. 

Greek yogurt, oats, almonds and pineapple.

 Hello Friends,

I am happy to say that I am finally starting to feel better after this terrible operation. Jeepers wisdom teeth is no joke.  4 at once anyways....

I am leaving for SA on the weekend.  I will be gone 6 weeks.  Don't know how much opportunity I will have to blog, but I will try a update every now and then.

This is my off time. 

My off time still includes training and healthy balanced meals, because this is what makes me feel good.

When you feel you need a break, don't beat yourself up. Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone deserves a break every now and then.

 When what you are doing is not fun anymore, you must stop and ask yourself the question - Why am I doing this?

Therefore --- WORK HARD/ PLAY HARD! I am going to enjoy my time :)

Omelet with ham, blue cheese and Cherie tomatoes. YUM

Pork stir fry with quinoa

Oats cookies

Hello Friends -

I know I talk a lot... lol.. too  much. :)  Hope you missed my absence? Most of you following me would know I have been in hospital for my wisdom teeth. All 4 off them, and it was hellish. No jokes.  I am heavily sedated as I am typing this post. Hurts like hell.

So..  I have been in bed 3 days and soooooo bored!!! I want to share this cookie recipe I made just before my show. And YES, I ate all of them last week. he he he... I knew this teeth operation will sort any unwanted water retention. And so it did... dropped 3kgs already. Eating nothing but Apple compot and ice-cream. Not at all as gorgeous as it sounds... grrrr

Focus:  RECIPE:

3/4 cup of butter
1/2 cup of wholegrain flour
2 and 1/2 cups of oats
1/2 cups brown cane sugar
pinch cinnamon
pinch salt
Tsp baking soda
1 egg

Additional:
1 TBSP Peanut butter
1/2 cup almond flakes
1 TBSP Honey

Mix it all up. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 200 deg.

Voila!!!
Enjoy this cookies girls - gotta let your hair down every once in a while :)

Quinoa breakfast

Hello friends, 

Since I like to follow paleo lifestyle in my off season, I tried this two breakfast options.  I must say both is delicious! 

Let met tell you a little bit about quinoa first! 
Quinoa is a protein rich seed, used as a grain.  Its high in amino acids, with a  nutty taste. 
Quinoa is known as a complete protein, because it contains all the amino acids, therefor, it is a good food source in a vegetarian diet. 

Quinoa breakfast with berries

You can find some vit B in quinoa, as well as antioxidants. 

There are 374 calories in 100 grams of quinoa

Calorie breakdown: FAT - 48 cal ;  Carbs  280 cal ;  Prot 45 cal

As you can see, this is really a nutritious calorie dense food.  So I keep this in my off season! 

The first recipe:  Quinoa with roasted pecans, honey, banana and Greek yogurt. 
Chop and roast the pecans in a pan until you can smell the roasted nutty flavour.  
Add the cooked quinoa in, along with some honey to taste.  

Quinoa breakfast with banana

When it is well heated, serve with chopped banana and a blob of Greek yogurt. 

The second recipe:  Quinoa with maple syrup, cinnamon, lactose free milk and blueberries.  

This is just what it is, heat the cooked quinoa and add your ingredients. 





Bonn Ap! 

Why you should NOT skip breakfast!

One of my favourite breakfast option. 

I Always tell everyone to not skip breakfast! so then, they want to know why - because according to them, if they do have breakfast, they feel hungry again fast. ITS NORMAL. It should be like this because it shows that your metabolims is working and burnig FAT. 

If you did not get hungry, it means that your energie is not being used and you are not burning FAT. 

I eat avocado almost daily - not just for it's great taste but also healthy fats. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially for dieters. Carbohydrates fuel the brain and body, while protein helps reduce hunger and builds muscle. A breakfast high in complex carbohydrates may be the most familiar way for dieters to jump-start the day, but some researchers say a high-protein breakfast, or better yet, a mix of carbs and protein, may help you feel full longer.

Eat complex carbs in the form of grains or fruit.  options are oats, whole grain toast and dried or fresh fruit. 

Fruit make a great side to my egg white omelette! 

In terms of protein: Yogurt, beans or eggs make a great option. 

Slow cooked coconut-curry chicken

Hello Friends,

This was too good not to share! This is a paleo approved meal.  The coconut milk makes it quite high in fat (165 calories per 100ml) , so I would advise to eat this when you are doing a cheat meal.

I am using my favourite winter veggies! 

I will give you the ingredients as I used them with the quantity of food i made:

8 Chicken thighs (take skin off)
1 sweet potato
3 smallish potatoes
4 bell peppers
2 shallots
Mushrooms
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tin coconut milk
2 teaspoons of curry
pinch of ginger, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper.
tablespoon of honey
tablespoon of vinegar

So! to start off, brown the shallots, garlic and chicken. Peel and cut the veggies.  Place them on top of the chicken in a deep pot.

Now mix the spices, coconut milk, vinegar and honey well.  Pour this over the veggies and chicken. Place a lid on, and let it cook over a low heat for 3 hours.

You cannot imagine how wonderful this tastes!!!

Competition recap...

My evolution:  I did the first show in JULY 2009.  Train wreck. Haha! Took a year off to work on myself and come back stronger!!! My evolution took 3 years.  Now I can say ---- I LOVE MY BODY! Loving your body is not about begin perfect. There is no such thing! It is about being comfortable in your own skin ladies! 

Hello friends, 

Let's talk about the competition of the weekend. Wow.. WHAT A LINE UP! It was a total of 24 girls.  Some of the top french bikini girls.  Really a beautiful event. 



















I placed 6th.  At first I was disappointed, yes, as any normal person would be.  But this got me thinking why I started doing this in the first place.  I do it for ME. Of course podiums is AWESOME - Who would not love it? lol.. But in the end I train for me, I don't train for podiums.  

That being said, I am really happy that I was in the best shape of my life!  Therefor I have achieved my personal goal - which should come first girls... 

Now - whats next... hmmm. Taking a month or so to recover from on hectic couple months of show prep! Jeezzz it was TOUGH! You will be seeing more great recipes to try now, because I can go back to good healthy cooking. nom nom nom... :) 

“Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead.”

- Les Brown

Random blabber...

Hello my friends!

Hope everyone is doing great?  I have one week of contest prep left for the year. So I am quite feeling good about that.

Oats with red fruit

The thing about contest prep toward the end of it, in particular, is how I lose strength in the gym.  It just sucks! Looking forward to get back on the heavy lifting waggon with all those good carbs to power my guns!!

Grilled salmon and asparagus

I did a photo shoot yesterday.  Here is a sneak peak of what happened.  Really keen to see the rest! Should be good!

Grilled white fish and zucchini

Anyways , just a quick update. Here's what I am eating! So! Off to bed! I am very tired, and need to hit the last week HARD!!!

I will be attending Gym&Co.. promises to be a HUGE show! Its okay..... I LOVE TOUGH!

High protein - Sweet breakfast pancakes

 Hello Friends,

How are all of you?

I want to share this versatile pancake recipe with you!  I was amazed at how good it tasted. lol.... Weird when you are amazed if your food taste good?  Haha!



Ingredients:

1 banana
4 egg whites

The batter should look something like this! 

1 Scoop Whey Protein powder (vanilla would be a good choice)

Optional:

1 Teaspoon of Flax seed
a Pinch of cinnamon
drop op almond essence

These are optional, but they do give a great taste to your pancake!

Put everything in the blender and whizz it up! Make sure your flax seed is broken up, otherwise you don't really get benefit from them.  You should get 3 pancakes out of the mix.  I did mine in the non-stick pan.  They go fast! so low heat! Roundabout 1-2min on  a side.  Might be less, depending on your heat.

I Used my QNT SPORT Whey

Nutritional info per serving:
Protein : 50g
Carbs: 20g
Fat: Basically nothing.

Enjoy this treat! I did!!!

How do YOU start your day?

 I will not be bombarding you with lots of facts today.  I just want to leave you with a thought. (kill you with a single thought... hahaha DArt Vader http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5EhMsb4HYQ  )
Anyone know this clip? Hahahaha! I love it.

Okay FOCUS. I strongly believe on how you start your day will set the trend for the rest of the day.  If you start your day with lots of coffee, it will be amazing! haha! joke!


Honestly, I have noticed that when I feel less positive some days, and I receive a positive word from someone, it changes everything.  Try this!  When you know that someone is having a difficult day, or going through something at some stage, send them a warm positive message! You WILL change that persons day - if only for a short while- then it was worth it.

Make this a positive day my friends! Stuff will always come your way.

YOUR own attitude will determine how it is going to affect your life.

Role of Vitamins and minerals

Hello my Friends...

Remember a few weeks back I asked you to ask questions about vitamins and minerals.  Well, for those interested to know the anwers------- Here they are! 

Enjoy! 

1.       Role of Vitamins and minerals:

Vitamins and minerals are micro nutrients. They are need in the body in very small quantities, never the less, plays a very important role.  They are involved in growth and maintenance of life.

They are not synthesized by our bodies, therefor needs to be ingested through the food we eat.

There are two categories namely:

(i)                Water soluble.

(ii)              Fat soluble.

Minerals divide in major and minor.  Depending on their need in the body.

For all vitamins and minerals there is a RDA. (Recommended daily allowance).  This is to avoid deficiencies and over dosing. So make sure you stay in the RDA.

 

2.       Questions:

a)      What vitamins are water soluble and which fat soluble and what does this mean?

The water soluble vitamins are Beta-carotene, B-complex and Vitamin C.  They are not stored in the body and needs to be replenished every day. Excess will be excreted in urine.

The fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K can be stored in the body for several months. They can actually accumulate and have toxic effects in mega dosages.

b)       What kind of pills can be easiest absorbed?

There is no difference in the ability to absorb, between difference forms of vitamins, that is, whether you are taking pills, or liquid, of chewable.  What does influence absorbability is the combination of vitamins and minerals you take, and foods you eat with it, as these vitamins and minerals influence each other.

c)      Can vitamins initiate muscle building?

Vitamins as such – cannot build muscle, but they are involved in the muscle building process.  Vitamin C and Vitamin B-complex are those that promote muscle building.  Vitamin C is involved with collagen formation, the substance that holds tissue together.  Antioxidants also protect the muscle breakdown. B-complex is involved in many processes from fat metabolism to energy levels during a workout.

d)      If supplementing with vitamin A etc. every day will your body become used to it?

No, your body will not become ‘used to’ vitamins, as he needs them on a daily basis for normal body processes.  Referring to Vitamin A, it is a fat soluble vitamin, which means that the body stores it.  Ingesting too much of this vitamin can cause toxicity.  Fat soluble vitamins can be stored by the body up to months.

e)       Do we really need vitamins and minerals supplements or is proper diet is good enough? If so, how often do we have to take it? Also, for a woman like me, what vitamin is recommended to help me cope with my workout, and help me have lean muscles?

If you eat a healthy balanced diet, consisting of grains, protein, dairy, vegetables, fruit and seeds, then you probably do not need to supplement. However, if you are an athlete, your body uses these substances in greater quantities.  If you work out on an everyday basis, additional Vitamin C and B-complex, and sometimes iron would be advised.

f)       Can you take in too much vitamins, if so, what happens to the excess?

Yes, you can.  Like I explained, you have water soluble vitamins.  If you ingest too much of these, the excess will just be excreted.  Then you have fat-soluble vitamins.  If you ingest too much of these, the body will store it, and cause toxicities.  Fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K.  Only supplement these if advised by a health care practitioner. 

Nutrition in between Competitions

 Good evening my dearies! 

I hope everyone is great?  I sure am! Super excited for the next competition.  Just  a short 3  weeks to go.  It will be Grand Prix Gym&Co.  I love this show. Amazing atmosphere.  It was the first show I did in France last year! And my favourite to date I have ever done.  I hope this year will be just as good experience! 

I got a question -  It was about , how my nutrition (meals) look in between shows that is close together.  This is quite a challenge.  One would think, since you are already on a roll, you might as well carry on. Well... for me its not that easy! lol.  I stuff my face for a day, then I put on my big girl panties, suck it up, and carry on eating fish and green beans.  

I carry on cycling my carbs.  This is what I am doing right now.  I carb up on Mondays and Thursdays, rest is low carb days.  This have been my most effective weight loss tool yet.   EVER! I find it very manageable and easy to maintain!  

I have done the posts on carb cycling. You can them under Meal plans.  The only change is, that I eat much less fruit during show prep.  This high GI sugars will make weight loss just more difficult.  
I do however have a slice of pineapple every now and then. I make sure it is around workouts though. 

You need to try things and learn to get to know your body.  Know what bloats it, and how it responds to different veggies. 

Become the master!!!