Over the weekend my best friend and I decided to do a 'clean' cook up. As some of you may know, I am on a bit of a health and fitness journey. Basically I have decided, as lots of people do, to make some valuable healthy changes in my life. Towards the end of last year I decided I want to feel comfortable, fit, healthy and happy in my own skin.
I have been overweight my whole life. That isn't an excuse or a reason as to why I still am, it simply means that I have never made the right changes to 'fix' it. Over the last 10 years I have 'tried' just about every diet under the sun. I use the word 'tried' loosely, as in all honesty I never tried very hard or for very long. Sure I lost 5kg here, 10kg there, but I have almost always put it back it on. Why? Because I stopped the 'diet' and went back to my previous ways. Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Michelle Bridges 12WBT, soup diets, blood type diets, Atkins, shake replacements - I've done them all. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying these programs don't work. In fact they ALL work - whilst you are doing them. Unfortunately, for me, none of them were sustainable to do for the rest of my life. And I clearly need a long term solution. Some programs are definitely better than others, and some are a fabulous way to kick start a healthier lifestyle. I have learnt some great things by trying these 'diets' but I know that none of them are the answer for me.
I have done a LOT of research on healthy eating and weight loss, more so in the last few months than ever before. During this time I have met some amazingly inspirational people that 'know their shit' and have been more than happy to pass on some very valuable information. I'm also very lucky to have some great friends that lead active healthy lifestyles who are very motivational. Although I have been researching my butt off (if only that burnt calories! lol) I'm certainly not an expert by any means! However, I do now feel like I am armed with enough knowledge to make better choices when it comes to nutrition without having to join a program or go on a 'diet'. I don't think the same thing works for everyone, particularly as everyone has different goals, tastes, lifestyles, and ideals. I certainly don't believe there is a quick miracle to losing weight or getting fit and if I could suggest one thing to anyone wanting to change their lifestyle without joining a weight loss program, it would be to research research research.
So, my research (and guidance) has basically lead me to clean eating. It is really VERY simple! The following definition of clean eating has been taken from the Clean Eating magazine website: The soul of clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to an improved life – one meal at a time. This basically means avoiding processed and refined foods and instead eating lots of fresh, whole foods. If something includes an ingredient you can't pronounce, that is a good indication that you should probably put it back on the shelf! Mix the clean eating philosophy with drinking lots of water, eating regularly throughout the day, reducing sugar (I have a terrible sweet tooth), reducing portion sizes, making sure protein is included in most meals and moving regularly. Sounds like a pretty decent foundation to me anyway! :)
Changing the way you eat most definitely means you need to change the way you cook, or at least change some of the ingredients you use to cook! Ingredients like quinoa, kale, almond meal and lentils have never been used in my house until recently - I had never even eaten some of them! But, as new recipes are discovered, it seems new tastes are also forming and it is a great feeling to know that I am finally starting to do the right thing by this amazingly made machine I cruise around in ;)
If you are interested in trying some of the recipes Deb and I cooked up yesterday take a look at my new 'Recipes' page. I've added my Not Fried-Rice, Zucchini Slice and Lemon and Coconut Yoghurt Muffins. We also made Turkey Meatballs and Tuna Patties. Despite a couple of fails along the way with some 'clean' recipes I have tried so far, we are happy to report that all of these recipes turned out well (yay!) and tasted delicious (double yay!). Here are a few of the ingredients we used to whip up our new creations!
If you are interested in trying some of the recipes Deb and I cooked up yesterday take a look at my new 'Recipes' page. I've added my Not Fried-Rice, Zucchini Slice and Lemon and Coconut Yoghurt Muffins. We also made Turkey Meatballs and Tuna Patties. Despite a couple of fails along the way with some 'clean' recipes I have tried so far, we are happy to report that all of these recipes turned out well (yay!) and tasted delicious (double yay!). Here are a few of the ingredients we used to whip up our new creations!
Ingredients:
5 cups cooked quinoa
1 egg + 3 egg whites
1/2 Red capsicum
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
6 shallots
100g sliced chicken/turkey/ham
2 tsp. fish sauce
4 tsp. soy
Method:
1. Prepare quinoa as per instructions (very similar to rice) and put to side.
2. Whisk eggs and pour into pan making sure it is nice and thinly spread out. Flip when almost cooked through so you have a large looking flat omelette. Remove from pan and chop into small squares.
3. Finely slice shallots and dice capsicum.
3. Cut sliced meat into small squares.
5. Add all ingredients including sauces to electric frypan (you may want to lightly spray base with olive oil spray) and toss through for approx 10 minutes.
Zucchini Slice
Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 zucchinis
2 tsp. chicken stock powder
1 carrot
1 onion
100g sliced chicken/turkey/ham
1 cup almond meal
3/4 cup cottage cheese
Small tin sweet corn
Sundried tomatoes (dry packed, no oil)
Method:
1. Grate zucchini and press between paper towel to remove moisture.
2. Grate carrot, finely dice onion, sundried tomatoes and sliced meat.
3. Whisk eggs in large bowl with cottage cheese.
4. Add all other ingredients and mix well with wooden spoon.
5. Pour into a shallow baking dish lined with baking paper and cook in 180 degree oven for approx 30min or until golden brown and skewer comes out clean when poked in centre.
Lemon & Coconut Yoghurt Muffins
Ingredients:
2 eggs
¼ cup honey
250g natural yoghurt
Juice from one whole lemon
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
3 cups almond meal
1/4 cup shredded coconut
Coconut oil (to grease tray)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease muffin tray with coconut oil (we used mini muffin trays)
2. Add all ingredients together in large bowl and mix well with wooden spoon.
3. Spoon into muffin tray. You can add blueberries, as pictured, or other fruit/nuts to top of mini muffins if you wish.
4. Bake until golden brown. This will depend on size of muffins.
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