Paleo Burger and Cookies! - Weight Loss Journey Week 56 - Day 3

Week: 56
Day 3 - Friday
20/02/2015

Have a little too much time for breakfast? Try this! ;)

Breakfast: Green Smoothie Bowl
(Spinach, Coconut Water, Banana & Pear
Topped with Almonds, Chia Seeds, Goji Berries and Coconut)

I woke feeling nauseous this morning so I didn't really feel like a big breakfast.  Keeping it light I decided to make a quick green smoothie and serve it in a bowl for something different.  It's prettier than your average smoothie. :) 

No burgers on Paleo? No way! 

Lunch: Sweet Potato Beef Burger

(Recipe HERE)

I thought I'd try something a little different for lunch and create a Paleo beef burger!  I have had sweet potato hash browns for breakfast (post here), but I thought I'd see if I could make them into a burger.  Success!  Okay, so you can't eat it with your hands as it's a little too soft and messy for that, but it's delicious! 

There is no flour in this or additives so it is pretty healthy too.  Because it's sweet potato it is lovely and filling.  I have tried it before with a chicken patty (recipe soon) and that was lovely too.

Burgers and Cookies in the one day!

Afternoon Snack: Banana Date & Walnut Microwave Cookies

(Recipe HERE)

I decided to reward myself for exercising today and create a quick treat.  I love creating new recipes and thinking of how to use ingredients in different ways.  I figure if I'm going to have something like this, it's best to have it about 30 minutes after exercise as a post workout treat.  I enjoyed these as they were a nice soft consistency, not dry like other microwave cookies I've made. 

You can't see my dinner for the trees!

Dinner: Savoury Mince layered with Pumpkin Mash
(Recipe HERE)

I had leftover savoury mince that I had left over from lunch, so I decided to use it for tonight's dinner.  It's not a very pretty or exciting dinner, but it was still tasty. 

Glasses of water: 8

Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

Exercise: Dancing

Due to the bad weather here I was pretty limited exercise wise.  I decided to just dance around at home.  This was the LAST thing I felt like doing today.  I had just recovered from a migraine and was wiped out, but I felt like crap anyway so #*$% it!  Why not?

  I can at least try it and see how I go and this was the result.  I didn't feel great after, but I felt better because I had done it for myself and surely it would be helping me.  It's really hard to exercise when you're not well the majority of the time, but I'm going to do my best.  I may not be able to climb mountains but at least I can climb off the couch! ;)

I hope you're all staying safe, love Mel xxoxx

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

Savoury Mince - Paleo Recipe

Served above with Avocado Pancakes and pan fried Tomato

Savoury Mince

The great thing about this is that you can use it in so many dinners and lunches! Go on, get creative ;)

I really like this recipe as it is packed full of veggies.

Ingredients

500g Beef mince

2 Garlic cloves, minced

1/2 Onion, diced

1/2 Capsicum, sliced & seeds removed

2 Carrots, grated

1 Zucchini, grated

2 Tomatoes, diced

Handful of baby spinach leaves, chopped

*Tinned Tomatoes 

1 x 140g *Leggos Garlic, Onion & Herbs Pizza Sauce 

2 tsp Paprika 

2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (I like it spicy)

Salt and pepper to taste

*In regards to the Tinned Tomatoes and Tomato Paste, I use those that don't have added ingredients, sugars, thickeners etc.

Method

Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan and make that garlic, onion and capsicum sweat.  Brown the mince, add the carrot, zucchini, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and stir through.  Add the remaining spices to your liking.  Because of all the veggies and tomatoes, this does have a lot of liquid.  Place on a higher heat, bring to a simmer and reduce.  

I use this mince as a standard mince for stuffed capsicums, shepherd's pie etc.

Savoury Beef Mince featuring in: Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

To make Shepherd's Pie, I used the left over savoury mince.  You can bake, roast enough sweet potato for one serve, mash and season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and add a splash of almond milk for a smoother consistency. Place your mince on the plate and spread over the mashed sweet potato, you could place it in the oven to brown on top.

Savoury Beef Mince featuring in: Stuffed Capsicums, with Sweet Potato Chips and Guacamole

Use this mince with the stuffed capsicum recipe here