Food from the Week

Morning!  First of all, thank you all for your wonderful feedback last week regarding my food from the week posts; it's sooo lovely to hear people like staring at them as much as I like putting them together.  I love seeing what other people eat as well, so maybe some of you could start doing a similar post so I can sticky nose?  I think so!

It's a beautiful and sunny winter's morning here in Melbourne.  M & I are off for a night away in the country and I can't wait.  Tomorrow I am starting the 50 Days No Sugar challenge!  


Anyway, here is my food from the week....

Din of grilled eggplant and zucchini, topped with a chunky tomato based pasta sauce and parmesan cheese.  M got actual pasta.

Recipe in the making - a no sugar friendly slice.
Ignore the chocolate drizzles which were added for M.

Some Sunday mornings just need bacon & eggs.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.

Lazy Lunch.  

Lucky my local sushi place is good.

Soba noodles with broccoli, cabbage, carrot and an egg for lunch.

Super filling.

Shopping.
This is the first week I've started eating Chia.. it makes everything more filling.

Prawns on roast veg with beans and lots of garlic, chilli and parsley for dinner.

A traditional soup from my childhood.
Usually involves lamb, but I replaced with sweet potato.

First time in ages I've eaten this - I missed it!

Felafel, cabbage, egg, cheese and mountain bread lunch.  Perfect!

Light breakfast.

I'm on and off with the gluten free thing.  I found myself hungry all the time, but I still feel really heavy if I have too much gluten at once.  That being said I have been tested before and I am not intolerant.

What's on for everyone's weekend?

Did you eat any good food this past week?

Stay well,

Nat x

Spotted this Morning

What is on for everyone's Wednesday?  I can't stand that people call it hump day.  I like to think the working week is not some horrible obstacle to be conquered - even if you're in a job you don't like, or you've got a cold and are struggling through, try to embrace it.  If you're unhappy I find it's a lot easier to deal with your situation if you know you are actively trying to change it.


Anyway!  Two things I spotted this morning and wanted to share with you...

Health Hamper

Lola Berry posted this on her Instagram this morning - what a brilliant idea!  Who doesn't love a hamper?  And wouldn't it be great to open it up and discover all sorts of healthy, tasty treats instead of the usual choccy biscuits and quince paste?  Everyone loves strolling through health food stores wondering what it all tastes like!  I can't believe I've never seen this done or thought of this before. Dahhh!

The Power of Chia Seeds 

a comparison to other foods

(posted on this Facebook - though a friend of mine shared & that's how I got it)

Pretty impressive.  I'll admit Chia seeds are not a part of my daily diet, but I think I'll have to buy a bag and see how I go!

Today I am going to meet my new boss!  I am a little nervous and very excited - we spoke on the phone and he sounds great, so I'm hoping we get on as well face to face!

I'm also working on a slice recipe  - super healthy, high in protein, packed with goodness and 50 Days No Sugar friendly!  Hopefully I'll have a recipe for you by this time next week.  Still refining..

Have a beautiful Wednesday.

Stay well,
Nat x

PS.  Somebody semi-attacked me for advocating the Nat Carter's no sugar challenge yesterday on my personal Facebook.  Can I just say that I respect all of my readers and personal friends and, as a result, I know that they make decisions about what they do with their bodies and lives based on their own research and opinion, not based on what I or anybody else says.  I know you're not sheep!  x

Why I Love Yoga

Yoga is something I consistently practiced as I started to and was recovering from CFS/ME. First with the assistance of the Wii Fit M bought me at the time and then, after trying a few DVDs and youtube videos to get the hang of doing the poses I liked properly, I did it solo.  I've only recently introduced yoga back into my life and today decided to make it a daily thing again.  I truly believe it played a part in helping my body heal and prepare for healthy life and it got me moving again in a way that wasn't as strenuous as something like walking or pilates (which came a few months after starting yoga).  It was my first foray into exercise after 5+ years without any and I still feel better after a session which always consists of almost identical sets of poses that I did all those years ago, today.  

Me.... doing yoga....
img cred

So why do I love yoga?

These may not all be scientifically proven reasons, but this is how it affects me and why I love it...

- It helps me digest

- It gives me greater flexibility

- I feel it helps strengthen my core 

- It is so, so relaxing

- It brings attention to my breathing and feels quite meditative

- It requires no special equipment and costs nothing

- It's challenging without completely physically exhausting like.. running sprints

If you want to give Yoga a go and have never done it before, I recommend taking a class, or at least watching some reputable youtube videos or DVDs; don't just get a chart and try and copy the moves without any verbal instruction or physical demonstration as you might hurt yourself.

Wear comfortable clothing - nothing constrictive.  I do my yoga at home and just between you, me and the internet, I like to wear no pants.

I do a series of 13 poses and it only takes 25-30 minutes, depending on how many breaths I hold each one for, but even if you spend 5 minutes doing 3 poses each day I truly believe you'll see benefit in a few weeks.

I do want to add, though, that I do not see yoga as a replacement for cardio or weight training, just as a beautiful addition.  

Do you practice yoga?

Stay well,

Nat x

Everybody is a Genius.

(I'm not sure where it originally came from, but the Gay Rights Australia Facebook page is where I saw it)

What a lovely thought for a Sunday morning.

Go forth & use your genius!

Stay well,

Nat x

Food from the Week

Before I hop into this one; Who likes my weekly 'Food from the Week' feature?
Is it a highlight or a low light?
Inspiring?
Boring?
Let me know what you think...

 I don't often eat toast but when I do, maannn do I enjoy it.
The fridge asked me to eat Ricotta and Avocado, so I did.

This would look like a healthy lunch to most, but this scrap of lettuce, pile of 'wholemeal' crackers and canned pumpkin soup was revolting.  I was seriously running out of food this week.

This photo does not do justice to the amazing-ness of vegetable broth with soba noodles.

Lazy lunch that involved no where near enough fresh crunch.
That is ricotta, olive tapenade and tahini.

The yumminess that is a 'Natty Dinner'

Grilled veg on a pile of sweet potato mash with mushrooms and chickpeas cooked in garlic, french mustard and a little rice milk for creaminess.
M did not approve.

This was amazing.  Balsamic and avocado are meant to be together.

Light din after a big day of eating.  I am having a love affair with cauliflower.

If you can master a good, basic Italian tomato sauce, you can do sooo much.

Here is is with some tuna, peas and capers thrown in.

YUM.

Look what arrived!
Yet to confirm when I'll be starting but it will be done in the next two weeks before I return to work.

Ordering Pizza?  Try it the Natalie way..

"Vegetarian with extra veg, add anchovies and only a sprinkle of cheese, please"

What food has inspired you this week?

Don't forget to leave me a little comment letting me know what you think of my weekly snaps of food...

Stay well,

Nat x

Review; The Muesli

OK so, half the world, and 99% of the No Sugar advocates, are super in love with The Muesli's .. muesli.  I've always made my own muesli, though I rarely eat it these days as I find the fruit too sweet but keep including it as M likes it, so I was a little funny about paying for someone else to put it together.  Nevertheless, with all the rave reviews, I thought I'd give The Muesli a go by ordering their sample pack - 2x 50g single serving packs for $5, with free postage.  Figured I can't go too wrong.

When I opened the package (which arrived a business day after ordering - good work!), I thought, "My goodness, they are tiny... one serving is not going to be enough!".  Considering I usually eat 1/3 of a cup of oats mixed in with a cup of berries, 1/2-3/4 of a cup of puffed brown rice or whole flakes, 1/2 a cup of natural or Greek yoghurt, a tablespoon of coconut crunch and maybe some LSA, you can see why I was concerned!

But I decided to put a little faith in The Muesli and stick to their serving size.  I put a cup of frozen berries in the bottom of a bowl, a couple of tablespoons of Greek yoghurt and then topped it with a single serve of The Muesli.  

My camera was behaving badly that morning.

I'm happy to report I was pleasantly surprised.  This stuff is filling - way more nuts & seeds than I usually make my muesli with.  Some of the nuts are whole, which gives it more body and, in a way, makes it more satisfying. The shaved coconut being all chunky and generous and deliciously sweet really leaves no room for missing dry fruit.

The only thing I didn't like was the cashews, but I don't like cashews and it wasn't exactly flooded with them.  The seeds were also constantly stuck in my teeth, but that's not a make or break - I just wasn't used to it.

You can see from the panel that this stuff is good.  At 1145kj per serving (around 270 calories), when added to natural yoghurt and fruit it makes a great little brekky.  It might seem like a lot of calories for the little pouch but remember - it's filled with yummy nuts and seeds which, yes, are high in calories but are satisfying and good for you.  Definitely worth the energy intake, but try to stick to the serving size... I really believe you'll be surprised how filling it is.


So, in conclusion, this is a great product and definitely worth a try.  The rave reviews are warranted and for $5, you can't go too wrong.  If nothing else, it'll give you a bit of inspiration for your own mix.  I'm likely to order the little pouches again for travel - I loooove little packets like this for travel (even if I know I could package it myself..).

You can order online or check stockists at The Muesli Website.


Stay well,
Nat x

Tips for Health (Things I Do)

I'm losing some weight after gaining a bit over the past few months and only noticing last night just how much when my work pants and pencil skirts were all a little more than snug.  As soon as I tell anyone face to face that I am losing weight, they ask how.  I don't have some plan I follow or set amount of exercise I do daily or weekly.  Instead, I follow a few rules that I just have in my head all the time for general well-being, so I thought I'd write them down for anyone that's interested... 

(original img cred)

- Make friends with herbal tea.  Drink it when you get a sweet craving after a meal.  Drink it when you're not sure if you're hungry or thirsty.  Drink it when you are bored.  Drink it when you're obsessing over the lollies in your work desk drawer. Drink it before bed.  My favourites are Madura's low caffeine green tea, Lipton Peppermint, T2's 'Just Rose' and Henry Langdon's Chai.  

- Do something every day.  This is my motto for exercise; just do something.  If you put on your work out gear and just end up walking for 20 minutes, that's fine.  Maybe you feel like the gym and you end up doing a 2 hour work out - also fine.  Perhaps it's raining and cold outside and all you want to do is dance around your house; go for it!  Once you have the 'do something' down pat, then you can move onto more details.  As detailed as I get is 'do something, and do something with weights or that is weight-bearing for around 50% of the time you're doing something'.  If I feel under the weather and like doing no significant movement at all, I do something by cleaning the house, or doing gardening.  Of course chat to your Doctor before doing anything while unwell.

- Cut the crap.  Things in a packet, or stuffed with sugar or trans fats etc are not good for you, period.  I don't care how many calories they have - calories aren't everything.  I'd much rather a serving of full fat Greek or natural yoghurt than a tub of some sugary, artificial 'lite' pathetic-excuse for yoghurt- and it's much, much healthier.

- Stop eating white.  The sugar, the breads, the pasta, the rice - it's not going to make you feel good or help you to lose any weight.  Try brown rice cakes, oats, wholemeal pastas, rye bread or quinoa instead.

- Limit carbs at night.  If you are eating a balanced diet and are a healthy weight, ignore this, but if you're trying to lose weight it does work.  

- Pack yourself with nutrients.  Always look for opportunities to get more vitamins and minerals into your meals.  Pasta sauce can have at least 5 different vegetables added to it.  Avocado makes an amazing sandwich spread alongside the salads and cheese.  Breakfast is 100 times better with berries.  It's really not hard to get your 5-7 veg servings and 2 fruit, you just have to be creative.  Always look for opportunities to get more nutrients in.

- Watch your portion sizes. You know the drill.

- Drink water.  Don't wait until you're thirsty, make it a regular thing.  I personally feel good on 2 or so litres per day alongside my herbal teas, but I don't count my water any more as I know I drink enough.  Everyone will feel good on different amounts, but aim for 6-8 glasses - it certainly won't hurt you!

- Don't over-complicate it.  This is the most important tip I could ever give anyone - stop complicating healthy living!  It's not going to be some super drastic life change that's going to see you sitting in a corner doing nothing because you 'can't eat anything'.  Stopping using butter, using less oil, cooking less pasta and adding more vegetables, choosing soup over casserole, learning how to make your favourite recipes healthier - none of this is going to cause your life to spontaneously downward spiral rendering it not worth living.  If you don't want to quit sugar or quit white bread, OK, just reduce it.  Also, yes, research has shown that exercising first thing in the morning is the optimal time to exercise... but that doesn't mean that if you don't get up to do it then you don't exercise at all!  Exercising for 30 minutes at night is about 5,600 times better (according to me) than not exercising at all.  If you don't feel like doing weights then that's fine, just go for a run.  If you don't feel like running or weights then just go for a walk.... don't take an 'all or nothing' approach to working out or living healthily.

Now of course remember that I am in no way qualified to give you health information, this is just what I do.  If you want help losing weight contact a health professional or your Doctor.

I think I've blabbed on long enough.

Do you have any other tips?

Stay well,

Nat x

Healthy Ideas from the Week

I didn't take many photos of my food this past week, not sure why, but all the photos I did take involve some kind of healthy idea.  I thought I'd share these with you and maybe you could try some over the coming week.... it's so hard to stay super healthy in Winter when all you want is a giant bowl of something stew like, a giant glass of red wine and a fluffy hot chocolate.   Hopefully these ideas help!

Zucchini Pasta

Use your vegetable peeler to get ribbons of zucchini, then slice into fettucine like strips.  

It's fast if you put many on top of each other..

Add to a lentil bolognaise, or something containing some protein and a little fat, or you're going to be super hungry very soon after eating it.

It was super yummy.

Pumpkin soup usually contains a bunch of potatoes to thicken it up.  Nothing wrong with this!  But if you do want to avoid them..
Try pumpkin and sweet potato, just drain most of the water off before stick blending.
Add a little curry paste for a different flavour, serving with greek yoghurt & chilli oil.

Cornelius is our Pop Corn Maid.

100 calories in 3 cups - how can you go wrong?

Seeing as you asked, Millel is the best supermarket parmesan cheese.
Although parmesan is high in fat, it's very sharp so you only need a little to satisfy, and it's full of calcium.

Can you tell there's only 50 grams of (gluten free) pasta in this?

There's also a whole head of brocolli, a whole red capsicum, a whole zucchini, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 anchovies and some chilli - and that's in this one bowl.
Great way to get vegies.

Home made pizza.  The photo does not do the tastiness justice.

I made the base with half normal flour and half rice flour.  Even M couldn't tell.

The best way to get more veg.  So so yummy.

When you're making your eggs (or your partner's eggs, as I do), chuck some spinach in the pan just after you take them out and sautee for 30 seconds - a minute.  Added Vitamin A, K and folate, manganese and iron to your brekky for minimal effort.

I've finally accomplished really good, balanced eating this past week and feel great for it.  Can't wait to officially get into the no sugar challenge and try out this juice detoxing business.

I've been told I have like a post-viral thing, now.  My body was so hit by the sinusitis, it's just taking a while to clear the effects.  It's funny, you know, I am used to feeling sick and being totally immobile - but I feel great!  Apart from the head symptoms, I have heaps of energy and can't wait to get back into life.

I also have an exciting appointment this week!

What's on for your week?

Stay well,

Nat x

Review; Breakfast Cereal

Most people that know anything about nutrition will tell you breakfast cereal is just glorified dessert.  I am one of those people and, in fact, corn flakes sit in my pantry for times when I feel like a little something sweet after dinner.  Cereal is usually packed with sugar, lacks protein or any real nutrients that aren't processed and added in and is generally unsatisfying leaving you hungry after an hour - not my idea of a balanced breakfast!  Especially when it's just soaked in cow's milk and then, much to my surprise because they're all so sweet already, covered in more sugar.

As a result a question I get asked a lot is, 'So what is a cereal I can eat?  I like cereal....'.  I always come back with oats, or muesli that is home made or something like The Muesli (which I will review soon), or perhaps puffed brown rice which you can find in your supermarket health aisle (and I love love love). But not everyone is keen on these options, and a lot of people tell me anything oats based is too heavy for them as they are used to toast with Vegemite or similar.

But alas!  In Coles yesterday I roamed the health aisle and found a product I have never seen before (maybe because I am blind, I don't know).

Wholeflakes Agave Spelt Flakes

by artisse

I don't really think I need to write a review - these photos will do.

Got it?

OK, so all I will do is warn you that if you are used to corn flakes, or bran flakes, or even sweeter coco puffs or fruity loops you are likely to find these not sweet at all.

I suggest, to ease in, buying yourself a bottle of agave syrup or pure maple syrup (not maple flavoured syrup) and topping it with a little of that, some fruit and perhaps some yoghurt (greek or natural, or ease yourself in with some Jalna flavoured which is much sweeter).  The taste of the flakes is very wholegrain-y, which I personally love, but because I don't eat very many sweets, especially at breakfast, I can taste the sweetness in anything.  You might not.

Oats are naturally quite sweet so adding a few of them to the mix might help, too.  Or grated apple and cinnamon - yummm!  Better than that, apparently it comes in a cinnamon flavour!  So excited to see real food in a supermarket.

So when you're doing your grocery shop this weekend, pick up a box and tell me what you think.

You can check out where to buy more Artisse products here.  Much to my delight, apparently it's everywhere and I have been blind!  I look forward to reviewing more of their products.

Have a happy weekend & stay well,

Nat x

Bread; is it the Enemy?

I promise I'm not affiliated with Urban Remedy or anything (apart from their juice review offer mentioned previously), but I had to share this great little piece they sent out in their newsletter this morning on bread.  

The rise and fall of bread   The history of bread can be dated back at least 30,000 years – that’s a long, long time before ovens or sandwiches. Before loaves of bread, there were flat breads, round breads, bread cakes and patties – all specific to the geographic region they stemmed from.   Bread quickly became a staple of our ancestors’ diets – hence expressions such as ‘earning your bread and butter’, ‘bread winner’, ‘bread of life’ etc. Bread was on every table, from rich to working class, and those who couldn’t afford it would risk everything for a meagre loaf.   So why then have we fallen so out of love with bread? Why is it the enemy of the health conscious? The guilty pleasure we reluctantly place in the same category as dessert?   Bread in its simple form is NOT bad for you. Fact. But add flour treatment agents, chemical oxidants, emulsifiers, genetically-modified enzymes, hardened fats, refined salt and sugar (the list goes on), and bread is nowhere to be seen. It got lost somewhere in the mass of chemicals, additives, and well… cr*p! On top of this, double up quantities of yeast for faster cooking and throw pre-baked dough into the mix and you have a recipe for absolute disaster.   Real baking requires minimal ingredients and maximum effort. Preparing good quality bread takes time – the ingredients often need to work their magic (read ‘ferment’) overnight, and a true baker could be awake and baking away anywhere from 3am onwards.   When it comes to healthy bread, you really only need 5 ingredients:      1.       Flour (pref wholegrain and stoneground)      2.       Water (filtered if poss)      3.       Yeast or sourdough culture* The last two are optional…      4.       Oil (good quality of course)      5.       Salt (make it rock) *We recommend sourdough if you suffer from bloating, candida or acne.   As with so many of the big food myths, the answer is pretty darn simple: anything can be bad for you if you don’t read the label, and don’t know what to look out for.Bread is NOT the enemy. You just need to choose the right one.   Is it time for the humble loaf to make a comeback?   Sources:  1. Felicity Lawrence, ‘Not on the label’, Penguin, London 2004 See?  They didn't even write it.  It's just the perfect snippet on bread, and really resonated with me after purchasing gorgeous spelt flour and wholemeal flour loaves yesterday.  I had to share it. And really, what is better than bread and butter?  Who needs cake!   I will say, though, that bread is high in calories and that is why I avoid it after 4pm when losing weight.  Nothing to do with the fact that I almost can't stop myself.  No, not that at all. Subscribe to the newsletter here, if you're impressed. Stay well, Nat x

50 Days of No Sugar & Detoxing

Just a quick post to let you know about two things.

Remember last November when I did 'NoSugarVember' which was all started by another fabulous Natalie?  Well that same lady is doing it again!  50 days without sugar starting July 1.  I started yesterday so I allow myself a few stumble days before sinking my teeth in (so far, so good).  Why again?  Because, as much as I love cake, I felt amazing after ditching  the sugar for a month.  As if I will not get on board to do it all again with the Twitter & Facey support.  

Us Natalie's sure are an attractive bunch.

Are you in?  Come on, try it, nothing to lose (except that 3.30-itis you hate anyway).  

Check it out on Facebook or Twitter tagging #50daysNoSugar

I'll share my tips and tricks starting July too, and we can do this crazy thing together.

In other news, I have been offered the opportunity to review the Urban Remedy Detox program this month, and I will be doing a 3 day, level 2 detox program in the next couple of weeks.

Why?  Well, again, I do not diss until I try, and I am yet to try this whole juice detox thing.  I am skeptical, still, but I was about no sugar as well and, well look at the top of this post...

I had coffee (... green tea) with a fellow nutrition-nut yesterday and she said that the way she thinks of detoxing is that if your body is not using energy to digest, it can expend that energy elsewhere - like repairing itself.

I like this thought, so I'm going to give it a shot.  Thankfully I am giving it a shot with what I know as the most reputable mainstream detox company.

Stay tuned & stay well,

Nat x

Taste the Rainbow

Not Skittles, silly...

img cred - replenish facebook page

How's that for inspiration?

If you're having trouble getting a good fresh food intake, try eating one item from each colour (red, orange, yellow, green and purple) every day and you'll be off to a good start.  See how many colours you can get into one meal....

Stay well,

Nat