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! :)