It's All About That Prep - Weight Loss Journey Week 56 - Day 2

Week: 56
Day 2 - Thursday
19/02/2015

It's All About That Prep

Zucchini "Fritters" *fail*...shhhh don't tell anyone! ;)

Breakfast: Zucchini Fritters with Salsa & Avocado Crema

I think you get to the point with Paleo where you get sick of having eggs for breakfast! It's good in a way because it keeps me thinking of creative ways to have a healthy breakfast without dairy, grains and processed foods.

I tried this recipe here because the almond flour was optional.  I prefer not to use flours and sweeteners where I can.  It flopped.  They didn't stay together for me.  Perhaps I didn't remove enough of the excess water. It was still tasty, but I also think that 1 tsp of salt was way too much, they tasted too salty to me.  First time making this though, so I will play around with it a bit.

I topped it with diced tomato mixed with a little tomato paste and garlic.  I also made an Avocado Crema recipe here.  Maybe I got the ratios wrong, but it tasted a bit heavy on the coconut milk to me, I was wanting more avocado to come through. 

It was still delicious, I will just have to play around with things a little. 

I Can Haz Brownies? - Weight Loss Journey Week 51 - Day 1-4

Week 51
Day 1 - Wednesday
7/01/2015
I Can Haz Brownies?

Hashbrowns on Paleo = Winning :)

Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash browns, Eggs and Avocado

I decided to try out some sweet potato hash browns this morning and they actually worked! They were pretty yummy too!  I peeled and then grated a medium sweet potato, added some salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  I then rolled them into balls (hee hee) and flattened them in a heated fry-pan.  The fry-pan was on a medium heat with some olive oil, and I flipped them after 2 minutes.  They are lovely and sweet. 

Coffee with Almond Milk

I try not to have more than one coffee a day and when I do, I have it with almond milk and no sweetener.  I'm not sure if I want to be having it everyday though.  I haven't noticed a link between it and my symptoms yet.

This isn't dinner?

Lunch: Honey Mustard Chicken, Carrot & Broccoli

(Recipe from The Piglet & The Cheesecake here)

If you read my blog for Tuesday (here) I cooked up two lots of chicken, one honey mustard and one spice rubbed.  This means that I don't have to make something from scratch every meal.  Today was really easy, I just steamed some veggies, heated the chicken and done!

The Paleo Place - Sweet Potato Brownie - $5.00

Afternoon Snack: The Paleo Place - Sweet Potato Brownie 

Yesterday I visited The Paleo Place (post here) and while I was there I made sure I took one of these Brownies home with me! I was going to have it for desert last night but I was way too full!  

The Paleo Place - Sweet Potato Brownie - $5.00

It was delicious!  The texture was so soft!  It wasn't too sweet either, just lovely.  I definitely recommend them and I'd love to try making them myself!

Mmm Rubbed Chicken ;) 

Dinner: Spice Rubbed Chicken (Recipe here) with Stir-Fry Veggies & Honey Balsamic Sauce

Dinner was definitely a last minute throw together!  I just sliced up some onion, carrot, capsicum, broccoli and fried it up in a pan.  Sliced up some of the left over spice rubbed chicken, heated that through and added some honey and balsamic vinegar.  

Glasses of water: 8

Polar - FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

Exercise: Dancing

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get outdoors today as it was raining.  So I decided to make the most of my energy today.  You know when you've been sick, then you feel "normal" again, you feel like you have enough energy to conquer the world? That was me today, I felt like Superwoman on crack! 

Oooo shiny!

I decided to reward my efforts (and I was really sweaty and stinky!) with relaxing bath. Bubble bath + candles + chilled out tunes = relaxed Mel :)
If only Paleo allowed red wine ;)

I'm thinking I should make this a weekly thing (not the wine!) and maybe every Sunday I should have a pamper evening.  I think it's important to relax and take some time out for yourself.

Week 51
Day 2 - Thursday
8/01/2015

Mmm Cacao and Mint

Breakfast: Cacao Mint Smoothie

Taking inspiration from the Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie I had Tuesday, I decided to whip this up today (I couldn't be bothered looking up a recipe).  It was frozen berries, banana, almond milk, almond butter, cacao and fresh mint.  It was okay but I think I'll have to play around with it a bit more. 

Coffee with Almond Milk

OMG deliciousness!

Lunch: Paleo Zucchini Slice (Recipe from Paleo Lifestyle here)
Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

This recipe was really simple, easy and I wasn't expecting it to be so tasty!  It didn't taste like an altered version, it was just delicious.  I'll be making this one again! Yum!

Afternoon Snack: Banana with Almond Butter

Salsa Chicken Spicy!

Dinner: Salsa Chicken with Avocado

I really wasn't sure what to make for dinner tonight at all.  I knew that I had some honey mustard chicken left over from yesterday but I wasn't sure what to have with it. It's challenging so many meals are based around bread, pasta, rice etc.  I decided just to fry up some onions, tomato, add the left over chicken and add a Leggos garlic tomato pizza sauce, salt, pepper and cayenne.  It was so yummy and quick! Definitely going to make this again!  Great for leftover chicken. 

Glasses of water: 6

Week 51
Day 3 - Friday
9/01/2015

Good morniong easy breakfast!

Breakfast: Paleo Zucchini Slice (Recipe from Paleo Lifestyle here) 
with Avocado

It's great to have your breakfast ready for you, especially on mornings you need to get out the door quick! 

Coffee with full cream milk - I wasn't going without coffee ;)

Supermarket lunch

Lunch: BBQ Roast Chicken Salad

I was out today with no lunch prepared.  It's hard to find something for a quick Paleo lunch in a supermarket!  I decided to get a BBQ Roast Chicken and have it with a garden salad, avocado and red onion.  I'm sure that chicken isn't the healthiest but I'm sure I could have done much worse, trust me!

Zucchini Ninja Slice ;)

Dinner: Paleo Zucchini Slice (Recipe from Paleo Lifestyle here) sneakily trying to be disguised by being stuffed with salad and pumpkin mash... did I get away with it? ;)

I know, I had it for breakfast this morning but I was out and about for most of the day.  I also got really unwell in the afternoon and I almost didn't make dinner at all.  But I knew that if I didn't I would feel even worse.  So I decided just to steam up some pumpkin and have it with salad like a sandwich.  It was tasty :)
  

Glasses of water: 8

Week 51
Day 4 - Saturday
10/01/2014

Drink me!

Breakfast: Banana Kale Smoothie

I had some kale that I needed to use up so I decided on this smoothie for breakfast.  It was one banana, 2 cups of kale and a 1/2 cup coconut milk.  I was expecting it to be pretty gross because of the amount of kale but it was actually pretty sweet due to the banana and coconut milk.

Lunch: Nothing

I share my daily eats on this blog to keep me on track and hopefully help you out too.  But I DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT recommend that ANYONE eats the way I did today.  I want to make it clear that I was really unwell today.  Pretty much like I did last Monday. I'm not skipping meals intentionally or to lose weight quickly, I'm trying to do this the healthiest way I can.  Some days I'm am so sick and nauseous that I can't stomach food.  If I force myself to eat on these days it..er...doesn't end well.

Unfortunately, I was sick all day!  It wasn't until about 6pm that I actually felt a little hungry and like I could stomach food.  Anti-nausea tablets don't seem to work for me either :(

Thank goodness for leftovers!

Dinner: Savoury Mince (Recipe here) & Eggs

This is not really my first choice for dinner after a day of not eating, but it was the only prepared meal that I had.  I had some of the left over savoury mince in the freezer and lucky I did because I really didn't feel well enough to prepare a full dinner.  I decided to cook two eggs up with it just to make it a bit more interesting and add some extra protein.

Glasses of water: 8

Savoury Mince 3 Ways - Weight Loss Journey Week 50 - Day 4 - 6

Week 50
Day 4 - Saturday
3/01/2015

What about a bacon and egg shake? 

Breakfast: Bacon & Eggs

I feel like every morning I've been having a shake for breakfast because they are just so quick and tasty.  That can't be too exciting for you to read about though!  I decided not to be lazy this morning and have some eggs and bakey.

Mmm steak

Lunch: Steak Salad

Finally did some grocery shopping...can you tell? This salad consisted of baby spinach, tomato, avocado (seasoned with salt & pepper), cooked onion, capsicum and sliced seasoned steak.  It was really delicious and I don't even think it needed salad dressing.  This salad made me realise just how much I like avocado now.  Yes, you read that right.  I've only just now starting to really enjoy avocado, I hated it for years.  Having said that though, I still think it's better with a bit of salt and pepper, otherwise I find it too bland. 

I had some grapes with lunch today as I didn't have my usual serve of fruit for breakfast today.

Afternoon Snack: Banana

Stuffed Capsicum, Sweet Potato Chips & Guacamole

Dinner: Savoury Mince (Recipe here) Stuffed Capsicum (Recipe here)
Sweet Potato Chips & Guacamole (Recipe here)

I'm the only one on Paleo, so I'm cooking for one.  I will try to cook up a big batch of meat and use that in other meals for the next few days.  It's mostly because I'm just lazy! :)  I cooked up a big batch of savoury mince (recipe link above) packed with loads of veggies.  I feel like I eat too much meat sometimes, so I rounded it out with veggies.  

I decided to try some sweet potato chips tonight, they were delicious but I should have cooked them a little longer.  I was too hungry and impatient! :(  I coated thin slices of sweet potato in olive oil and seasoned them with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  They had a really lovely flavour. 

Glasses of water: 6

Week 50
Day 5 - Sunday
4/01/2015

Choc Banana Pancakes

Breakfast: Choc Banana Pancakes (Recipe here) with Pan-fried Pear, Honey, Walnuts and Coconut

Sunday mornings are for pancakes.  I decided to add a tablespoon of cacao to the mixture for something different.  I think I prefer the regular banana pancakes as they are sweeter. I topped it with some pear slices that I coated in cinnamon and then pan-fried.

You will not win friends with this...

Lunch: Salad

Just a basic salad today: baby spinach, tomato, cucumber, carrot, red onion, egg and a mustard/honey dressing.  I usually prefer to have some meat or something else to bulk it up.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Dinner: Shepherd's Pie

Having left over savoury mince from last night, I decided to make Shepherd's Pie tonight with sweet potato (recipe here).  This one is really easy to make and it's very filling.  I really needed a hearty meal after having such a light salad for lunch.

Glasses of water: 6

Week 50
Day 6 - Monday
5/01/2015

Berry Banana Smoothie

Breakfast: Berry Banana Smoothie

This is my go to smoothie when I can't think what to have for breakfast.  It's one frozen banana, a cup of frozen mixed berries, a cup of almond milk and I usually throw in some kale (stalk removed) or baby spinach. 

Failure never tasted so good! :)

Lunch: Savoury Mince (Recipe here) with Avocado Pancakes & Pan-fried Tomato

Lunch was a little bit of a failure today but still totally delicious.  I was planning on making two larger avocado pancakes and making this into a burger but the mixture fell apart on me, so I ended up making mini ones.  The avocado pancakes consist of an avocado, two eggs and seasoning but I think I will have to play around with this recipe a bit.  They pair really well with the savoury mince.

  

Dinner: Nothing! :(

 In the late afternoon I started to feel really unwell.  I got really exhausted and it felt like my body just shut down on me.  It felt like lead and it hurt to move.  All I could do was lie down and wait for it to pass, unfortunately it continued pretty much all night.  These symptoms were very similar to when I ended up in hospital a few months ago, so I'm hoping they don't continue.  It's so confusing as it comes out of the blue, on and off and no one can tell me for definite what is happening to me.  I'm determined to get to the bottom of it, however long it takes.

Glasses of water: 6

For The Sunset - Weight Loss Journey Week 43 - Day 2

Week 43
Day 2 - Thursday
13/11/2014

For The Sunset

Okay, so maybe I like a little Parsley...

Breakfast: Green Monster Smoothie
(Kale, Almond/Coconut Milk, Frozen Banana, Apple and Parsley)
Recipe on The Kitchy Kitchen.com HERE (The recipe is enough for two smoothies)

Going Green for breakfast today I decided to try the Green Monster Smoothie.  I was a little unsure about this recipe due to the Parsley in it but I thought I'd give it a go...Outcome? I enjoyed it :)  I didn't find it too fruity sweet or too "Green" tasting, it was a good balance of the two.  I didn't have Coconut Almond Milk that the recipe calls for, so I used Coconut Water instead.

Salad can be yummy, who knew?

Lunch: Sweet Potato and Bacon Salad with Guacamole
(Guacamole Recipe HERE)

I've said it before, I like to be prepared for dinner ahead of time because that is when I'm at my laziest.  Today I heated up some Garlic, Onion, Bacon, Sweet Potato (thin slices), Tomato and Capsicum in a pan.  I used half of it for the Salad and the other half for dinner.  

I know it's hot outside, but the thought of eating raw Salad every day just doesn't excite me.  So I find having a warm Salad or cooking up some of the ingredients makes it a little more enticing for me. With the forces Bacon, Egg, Onion and Guacamole combined, this Salad was delish!

Eating my greens

Afternoon Snack: Guacamole and Carrot Sticks

Not the most original snack in the world, I know, but I'm only just getting used to cutting out carbs.  It's really hard to think of snacks without having processed carbs like Breads or Crackers etc.  I don't want to have fruit for snacks either as I don't want to have too much fruit each day.  

You've got time for this!

Dinner: Lazy Frittata
Recipe HERE

I thought I'd have a Frittata tonight using the left over ingredients from lunch, but I didn't expect it to turn out this well or be so delicious (if I do say so myself).  It actually looked like a Pizza and smelled amazing too.  

I felt like I'd cheated the system a little because I didn't need to flip the Egg over in the pan or brown it in the oven (ain't nobody got time for that), that is where the "lazy" Frittata came from.  

Glasses of water: 7

Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

Exercise: Walking (Brisk)

49 Minutes, 523 Calories Burned

Those of you that have followed me for some time (thank you) know that I love Dancing.  I used to Dance at home as it's fun and no one had to see me do it!  I never understood the point of walking as exercise and if I was really honest with myself, it was because I didn't want people to see me exercising.  

Because of my weight I was very conscious of my appearance, how other people viewed me and the thought of people seeing me all red faced and sweaty was enough to scare me off public exercising completely.  

BUT then something changed it all.  I got really ill and couldn't do much else other than lie in bed.  I had chest pain, muscle weakness, vertigo and the smallest steps would leave me out of breath and feeling like I was going to black out.  

I was in and out of hospital and I longed to be out of those four walls and the four walls of my bedroom.  I missed the outside world so much and I swore to myself that when I was well again I wouldn't take it for granted.  So it was a blessing in disguise you could say.

Everyday I'm rewarded with this beautiful view!

 Everyday I try to keep that promise to myself.  I no longer care who sees me exercising and I actually really like it when I end up a red faced sweaty mess because, to me, it means that I've had a great workout.  I like to go in the late afternoon because it's not as hot, I wont get burnt and I get the chance to see the sunset.  

Everyday I take a moment to myself and appreciate the sunset, the view and the world around me, how beautiful it is and how lucky I am that I get to enjoy it.

2 Ingredient Banana Pancakes - Paleo Breakfast Recipe

So good!

2 Ingredient Banana Pancakes

(original recipe from blogilates.com)

Ingredients

2 Eggs

1 Banana

Method

Mash the Banana in a small bowl, add the eggs and stir until combined. Or, put the ingredients in the blender for a smooth batter.  Heat up some Olive Oil or Coconut Oil, whatever you like and cook that batter.  I prefer making smaller Pancakes as this mixture isn't very thick.  I usually make 3 or 4 per pan and this batter will make about 9 or so small Pancakes.  Once all your Pancakes are cooked, top with Honey, Nuts, Fruit etc and enjoy! :) 

These ingredients were happy to sacrifice themselves for Pancakes :)