After posting what I eat for a week I thought it'd be worth summarising my thoughts and what I've learnt. Here are the top 10:
-1 The number one for me has to be the quotation 'don't let perfect be the enemy of good' that stems from Voltaire. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and very all or nothing. So often I've eaten one thing not on my plan and it's spiralled into a night or even a weekend of naughty treats. This weeks food is by no means perfect, but I'm not an athlete looking for a competition body. I'm just an office based professional who wants to be reasonably fit and healthy. This approach is achievable for me and that is what is important. I am sure I could get better results by taking it further but at the moment I don't think I'd be able to stick to it. Plus I quite like the idea of having some contingency so if I stopped exercising as much or my metabolism took a nose dive as I got older there is further I could go.
-2 The second key thing that for me helps massively is planning:
- planning my meals a week in advance (every Friday night)
- planning and buying my shopping in advance
- planning and preparing as much food as possible at the weekend and on a daily basis the night before
- once I have my plan and make my mind up I can ignore others who try and tempt me with sweets and treats
-3 The next thing that helps me is accountability. It really makes me think twice about giving in to cravings so posting every day has been good for me
-4 That my planning needs to be flexible. Even on a particularly stressful week at work I am pleased with the way I pretty much stuck to my food plan and that I managed to fit in 4 sets of exercise and some walking. Again making sure that 'perfect isn't the enemy of good' is important. I need to make sure I make the best choices possible when when circumstances mean I can't stick to the plan.
-5 A treat meal a week helps me stick to eating cleanly the rest of the week. I like having something I really want to look forward to. Preemptive treat meals and if necessary cheats help prevent me from over eating or making bad choices eg having a latte so I don't get pudding envy when eating out with others
-6 When I eat well I like the light feeling I get and the way my body reacts. I have in the past confused this like feeling for hunger. I guess as I was so used to feeling bloated or stuffed.
-7 I find it really hard to eat well when I'm stressed and have to focus even more on the above at these times.
-8 I must 'make time' rather than 'find time' for exercise and relaxation. Apparently the Obama's get up super early everyday to make time to exercise together. If they can manage that when running a country as big as America I don't see that I have any excuse! Even if I can't make time for a long gym session then I can do circuits or sprints at home or in the park and find a way to work in plenty of walking.
-9 Relaxation is another critical factor in leading a healthy lifestyle and I don't make enough time for it. I need to find a way to make time for more meditation and relaxation.
-10 Overall, this is a style of eating and living that I have been broadly sticking to for about 6 months now. I can see it as something that is sustainable for me as a lifestyle moving forwards and a way to life a healthier lifestyle without feeling deprived or constantly on a diet.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
One Week in Sarah's Diary: Sunday
I started the day with 20 mins of circuits before breakfast and also went for a nice, but bracing, walk. I was visiting my parents and they wanted roast lamb for dinner so I volunteered to cook it so I could make it as clean as possible.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. I then had a variation on this Baker Boys recipe. I didn't have any bread so I layered up 2 rashers of lean dry cure bacon with a luscious tomato mixture (made from tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, balsamic vinegar black pepper, oatmeal and a tiny piece of beef stick cube), topped with a poached egg. Here is my version. It really was delicious. .
Lunch: I was out again but managed to eat relatively well. I had a ham ploughmans with no bread and extra salad and a few olives
Afternoon snack: a latte made with skimmed milk
Dinner: as mentioned my parents wanted a roast dinner. I'm glad I decided to cook so that the meal was cleaner than a full on traditional roast. We had a leg of lamb which they had bought from a local farm. The lambs graze on the salt marshes, eating samphire, which makes the lamb very tasty. They would normally want roast potatoes so I substituted these for roasted veg (onions, carrots and celeriac) and also cooked some shredded cabbage.
For pudding I made a pseudo fruit crumble based on my granola. The base was blackberry and apple with a fruit prunes chopped very finely and stirred through for sweetness topped with a mixture of oats, egg, flaked almond and cinnamon. We had it with 0% Greek Total yoghurt rather than custard or ice cream. You could also serve it with plain frozen yoghurt. Considering there was no added sugar it was very tasty.
Water: 1.5 litres
Other drinks: 5 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk, 1 latte
Organised for tomorrow: nothing for tomorrow but I have booked a massage later in the week to help with relaxation
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 45 mins
Exercise: 20 mins circuits (ten each of elevated rear leg lungs, jump squats, push ups and burpees repeated for 20 mins)
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: spending time with family, going for a walk, early night
Meditation: 10 mins
Bed time: 9.30pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. I then had a variation on this Baker Boys recipe. I didn't have any bread so I layered up 2 rashers of lean dry cure bacon with a luscious tomato mixture (made from tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, balsamic vinegar black pepper, oatmeal and a tiny piece of beef stick cube), topped with a poached egg. Here is my version. It really was delicious. .
Lunch: I was out again but managed to eat relatively well. I had a ham ploughmans with no bread and extra salad and a few olives
Afternoon snack: a latte made with skimmed milk
Dinner: as mentioned my parents wanted a roast dinner. I'm glad I decided to cook so that the meal was cleaner than a full on traditional roast. We had a leg of lamb which they had bought from a local farm. The lambs graze on the salt marshes, eating samphire, which makes the lamb very tasty. They would normally want roast potatoes so I substituted these for roasted veg (onions, carrots and celeriac) and also cooked some shredded cabbage.
For pudding I made a pseudo fruit crumble based on my granola. The base was blackberry and apple with a fruit prunes chopped very finely and stirred through for sweetness topped with a mixture of oats, egg, flaked almond and cinnamon. We had it with 0% Greek Total yoghurt rather than custard or ice cream. You could also serve it with plain frozen yoghurt. Considering there was no added sugar it was very tasty.
Water: 1.5 litres
Other drinks: 5 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk, 1 latte
Organised for tomorrow: nothing for tomorrow but I have booked a massage later in the week to help with relaxation
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 45 mins
Exercise: 20 mins circuits (ten each of elevated rear leg lungs, jump squats, push ups and burpees repeated for 20 mins)
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: spending time with family, going for a walk, early night
Meditation: 10 mins
Bed time: 9.30pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Saturday
It was so lovely to wake up from a good nights sleep after a long week. I started the morning with some yoghurt and nuts before going to the gym as I was doing a weights class and struggle if I don't have anything to eat beforehand.
As I've mentioned I try and eat cleanly all week with the exception of 1 treat meal a week. Some people call this a cheat meal, but psychologically I prefer the idea of treating myself for eating well rather than seeing it as cheating. I also plan this meal as part of my weekly food planning and chose something I really want so I have something to look forwards to. I tend to have this at the weekend and typically cook something. I try and still keep it as natural and unprocessed as possible but don't worry about sugar, refined carbs or fat. This week I'd decided to have it on Saturday lunch time as I had my friend and her girls coming to visit and she wanted to go to a nice bakery for lunch.
I find this meal important for three main reasons:
1. I love cooking and baking so the idea of never being able to eat some things and try some recipes is not one I'm willing to consider.
2. By having a treat meal I have something help me resist temptation during the week. If I fancy a bar of chocolate I ask myself if I'd rather have that or the treat meal I've planned and am looking forwards to.
3. From what I've read this shakes up your body and helps prevent your metabolism from becoming too sluggish.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. I then had a small amount of 0% Total Greek yoghurt with a few lightly roasted nuts
Morning snack: this was more breakfast than a snack as I had it when. Got back from the gym but I went for scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach and added some thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms for flavour before adding 1 egg and 2 egg whites.
Lunch: at the bakery I had a croissant filled with gruyere cheese and ham with grainy mustard and a side salad followed by a raspberry tart with a pot of tea and a small bar of dark chocolate with pink peppercorns (very unusual but quite tasty!).
Afternoon snack: as I had a big, late lunch I didn't have any snack.
Dinner: As I was home I wanted to cook something tasty but clean. I had some Tenderstem broccoli which needed using up so I decided to make a Thai green curry served with Tenderstem broccoli and asparagus dressed in a soy, chilli and lime dressing. The Thai curry was a recipe I picked up when I was on holiday in Kao Tao, Thailand. They used a bought curry paste so I did the same but do sometimes made my own and freeze it in small portions. You can find good recipes on google.
For pudding I had a foil baked orange
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk, 1 black decaf coffee, 1 regular tea
Organised for tomorrow: I am visiting my parents so packed my gym kit
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 30 mins
Exercise: 1 hr weights class - Body Pump
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: I then listened to some music whilst cooking and watched a TV programme I'd missed in the week and then went to bed early
Meditation: none
Bed time: 9.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 8 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
As I've mentioned I try and eat cleanly all week with the exception of 1 treat meal a week. Some people call this a cheat meal, but psychologically I prefer the idea of treating myself for eating well rather than seeing it as cheating. I also plan this meal as part of my weekly food planning and chose something I really want so I have something to look forwards to. I tend to have this at the weekend and typically cook something. I try and still keep it as natural and unprocessed as possible but don't worry about sugar, refined carbs or fat. This week I'd decided to have it on Saturday lunch time as I had my friend and her girls coming to visit and she wanted to go to a nice bakery for lunch.
I find this meal important for three main reasons:
1. I love cooking and baking so the idea of never being able to eat some things and try some recipes is not one I'm willing to consider.
2. By having a treat meal I have something help me resist temptation during the week. If I fancy a bar of chocolate I ask myself if I'd rather have that or the treat meal I've planned and am looking forwards to.
3. From what I've read this shakes up your body and helps prevent your metabolism from becoming too sluggish.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. I then had a small amount of 0% Total Greek yoghurt with a few lightly roasted nuts
Morning snack: this was more breakfast than a snack as I had it when. Got back from the gym but I went for scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach and added some thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms for flavour before adding 1 egg and 2 egg whites.
Lunch: at the bakery I had a croissant filled with gruyere cheese and ham with grainy mustard and a side salad followed by a raspberry tart with a pot of tea and a small bar of dark chocolate with pink peppercorns (very unusual but quite tasty!).
Afternoon snack: as I had a big, late lunch I didn't have any snack.
Dinner: As I was home I wanted to cook something tasty but clean. I had some Tenderstem broccoli which needed using up so I decided to make a Thai green curry served with Tenderstem broccoli and asparagus dressed in a soy, chilli and lime dressing. The Thai curry was a recipe I picked up when I was on holiday in Kao Tao, Thailand. They used a bought curry paste so I did the same but do sometimes made my own and freeze it in small portions. You can find good recipes on google.
For pudding I had a foil baked orange
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk, 1 black decaf coffee, 1 regular tea
Organised for tomorrow: I am visiting my parents so packed my gym kit
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 30 mins
Exercise: 1 hr weights class - Body Pump
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: I then listened to some music whilst cooking and watched a TV programme I'd missed in the week and then went to bed early
Meditation: none
Bed time: 9.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 8 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Friday, 22 February 2013
One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Friday
Last day in the office of the week. I always forget how long these exercises are! As I travel most weeks for work it was lovely to sleep in my own bed every night for a week but 12-14 hours in the office each day in a high stress situation has taken it's toll. I'm very glad it's the weekend!
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. Followed a little later by Protein Pancakes. However unlike the recipe I had them plain with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.
Morning snack: a healthy Eton Mess. Made my mixing 0% Total Greek Yoghurt with raspberries, blueberries, chopped dates, grated apple and vanilla. I normally top with a few flaked almonds or mixed seeds but I forgot. Yum!
Lunch: tomato and lentil soup
Afternoon snack: roasted nuts and a pear
Dinner: As I was home at a reasonable time I wanted to cook something but as I was feeling pretty tired it needed to be quick I went with this recipe. It is basically a tomato sauce with eggs cracked on top and allowed to cook. I added onion and plenty of spinach to the tomato sauce to increase the vegetables and served it with a green salad.
For pudding I followed this with a healthy version of chocolate mousse and I don't mean those awful low fat and low calorie pots you buy which I full of sweeteners and very little nutritional value.
Water: 1.5 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: my gym kit
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 15 mins
Exercise: Rest day - I had wanted to do a weights session but after a long week I was too tired.
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: turned off my phone all evening for Quiet Night Friday. I try and do this every Friday to have a break from everything. I then listened to some music whilst cooking and chose a nice classical album. I then had a bath soaking in Epsom salts. I then read a chapter of my book in bed. Both still listening to music.
Meditation: 10 mins
Bed time: 9pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 8.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. Followed a little later by Protein Pancakes. However unlike the recipe I had them plain with a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.
Morning snack: a healthy Eton Mess. Made my mixing 0% Total Greek Yoghurt with raspberries, blueberries, chopped dates, grated apple and vanilla. I normally top with a few flaked almonds or mixed seeds but I forgot. Yum!
Lunch: tomato and lentil soup
Afternoon snack: roasted nuts and a pear
Dinner: As I was home at a reasonable time I wanted to cook something but as I was feeling pretty tired it needed to be quick I went with this recipe. It is basically a tomato sauce with eggs cracked on top and allowed to cook. I added onion and plenty of spinach to the tomato sauce to increase the vegetables and served it with a green salad.
For pudding I followed this with a healthy version of chocolate mousse and I don't mean those awful low fat and low calorie pots you buy which I full of sweeteners and very little nutritional value.
Water: 1.5 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: my gym kit
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 15 mins
Exercise: Rest day - I had wanted to do a weights session but after a long week I was too tired.
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: turned off my phone all evening for Quiet Night Friday. I try and do this every Friday to have a break from everything. I then listened to some music whilst cooking and chose a nice classical album. I then had a bath soaking in Epsom salts. I then read a chapter of my book in bed. Both still listening to music.
Meditation: 10 mins
Bed time: 9pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 8.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Thursday
It was a real struggle to get up and motivated to exercise. I had originally planned to do a weights class at 6.45am but the gym is a 30 min walk away and as I got to bed later than planned I changed my plans so that I could get up at 7am rather than 5.45am. Instead I went to the local park and did some fasted sprints. I also went out for dinner in the evening and after a long stressful week it was very difficult not to sucumb to temptation. I'd eaten well throughtout the day though so I didn't arrive hungry and made sensible choices.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. After exercise I had an almond protein shake for my breakfast
Morning snack: Minted tuna and lettuce wraps. To make these I mixed some tuna with 1/2 teaspoon of mint, added a sqeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and then used iceberg lettuce leaves instead of wraps to wrap them up.
Lunch: Roasted Cauliflower and Cumin Soup followed by a plum and an apple
Afternoon snack: Two oat cakes with hazelnut butter
Dinner: as the week had been long and stressful and it was another late finish in the office I was taking my team out for dinner. I eat out regularly, so I have become used to making good choices when on the move. As a rule I don't have alcohol or too much starch unless it's treat night. This time I had aubergine topped with chopped tomatoes to start followed by chicken with mushrooms and asparagus served with veg and I swapped the sauté potatoes it was supposed to be served with for salad. I didn't had a pudding but to prevent 'pudding envy' whilst the others were eating theirs I had a decaf latte.
Water: 3 litres (this included the sparking water I had in the restaurant)
Other drinks: 1 black decaf coffee, 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk.
Organised for tomorrow: in very late so nothing
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 15 mins
Exercise: 20 mins sprints - sprinting for 20 secs followed by rest and repeat
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: none! Another seriously stressful day.
Meditation: none
Bed time: 11.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 6.5
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. After exercise I had an almond protein shake for my breakfast
Morning snack: Minted tuna and lettuce wraps. To make these I mixed some tuna with 1/2 teaspoon of mint, added a sqeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and then used iceberg lettuce leaves instead of wraps to wrap them up.
Lunch: Roasted Cauliflower and Cumin Soup followed by a plum and an apple
Afternoon snack: Two oat cakes with hazelnut butter
Dinner: as the week had been long and stressful and it was another late finish in the office I was taking my team out for dinner. I eat out regularly, so I have become used to making good choices when on the move. As a rule I don't have alcohol or too much starch unless it's treat night. This time I had aubergine topped with chopped tomatoes to start followed by chicken with mushrooms and asparagus served with veg and I swapped the sauté potatoes it was supposed to be served with for salad. I didn't had a pudding but to prevent 'pudding envy' whilst the others were eating theirs I had a decaf latte.
Water: 3 litres (this included the sparking water I had in the restaurant)
Other drinks: 1 black decaf coffee, 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk.
Organised for tomorrow: in very late so nothing
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 15 mins
Exercise: 20 mins sprints - sprinting for 20 secs followed by rest and repeat
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: none! Another seriously stressful day.
Meditation: none
Bed time: 11.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 6.5
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Thursday, 21 February 2013
One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Wednesday
Again it was an early start in the office. I had breakfast before I left home and took my gym kit with me as I had planned to do a spin class after work. As it turned out, I didn't leave the office until almost 10pm so that unfortunately didn't happen.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. Followed a little later by two poached eggs one one slice of rye with half an avacado
Morning snack: a green smoothie with a teaspoon of spiruluna powder added and sweetened with dates rather than agave syrup
Lunch: tomato and lentil soup followed by an orange cut up with a little lemon jucie squeezed on it
Afternoon snack: four protein ball 'truffles' made from dried fruit, nuts, cocoa powder and cinnamon.
As it was a late night in the office I also had a cocoa made with oat milk and a few nuts to keep me going
Dinner: As I finished in the ofice even later that Tuesday night I didn't even make it to the freezer for my dinner. Instead I had some left over Moroccan spiced houmous with some celery, carrot and cucumber sticks and some mange tout. Followed by mackerel in tomato sauce on wilted spinach topped with a little cheese.
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 4 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: only snacks, it was too late for anything else
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 20 mins
Exercise: Rest day - enforced by a very long day in the office
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: none
Meditation: none
Bed time: 10.40pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 6.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. Followed a little later by two poached eggs one one slice of rye with half an avacado
Morning snack: a green smoothie with a teaspoon of spiruluna powder added and sweetened with dates rather than agave syrup
Lunch: tomato and lentil soup followed by an orange cut up with a little lemon jucie squeezed on it
Afternoon snack: four protein ball 'truffles' made from dried fruit, nuts, cocoa powder and cinnamon.
As it was a late night in the office I also had a cocoa made with oat milk and a few nuts to keep me going
Dinner: As I finished in the ofice even later that Tuesday night I didn't even make it to the freezer for my dinner. Instead I had some left over Moroccan spiced houmous with some celery, carrot and cucumber sticks and some mange tout. Followed by mackerel in tomato sauce on wilted spinach topped with a little cheese.
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 4 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: only snacks, it was too late for anything else
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 20 mins
Exercise: Rest day - enforced by a very long day in the office
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: none
Meditation: none
Bed time: 10.40pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 6.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Tuesday
The second day started well with 30 mins of circuits followed by an early start in the office. Again I'd prepared most of my food the night before so pretty much stuck to plan.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. After exercise I had an almond protein shake for my breakfast
Morning snack: Thai Chicken and Lettuce Wraps. To make these I mixed some left over roast chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of green Thai curry paste, added a sqeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and then used iceberg lettuce leaves instead of wraps to wrap them up. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo
Lunch: Roasted Cauliflower and Cumin Soup followed by a plum and a pear
Afternoon snack: Low Fat Moroccan Spiced Hummus with cherry tomatoes and sticks of carrots, celery and cucumber
As it was a late night in the office I also had a cocoa made with oat milk about 6pm
Dinner: due to a very late finish in the office I raided the freezer for a 'ready' meal I'd frozen when I'd made extra dinner one time.I had a chicken and veg stew with some steamed broccoli, cabbage and spinach
Evening snack: an orange
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: gym kit, soup for lunch and snacks
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 50 mins
Exercise: 30 mins circuits - elevated rear leg lunges x 10 (on each side), squat jumps x 10, burpees x10, tricep dips x 10, pushups x 10, bicycle crunches x10 (on each side), plank (30 secs), side plank (30 secs each side) - all repeated 3 times
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: Reading a chapter of a book in bed before sleep
Meditation: ~10 mins
Bed time: 9.45pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water. After exercise I had an almond protein shake for my breakfast
Morning snack: Thai Chicken and Lettuce Wraps. To make these I mixed some left over roast chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of green Thai curry paste, added a sqeeze of lemon juice and a tablespoon of 0% Total Greek Yoghurt and then used iceberg lettuce leaves instead of wraps to wrap them up. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo
Lunch: Roasted Cauliflower and Cumin Soup followed by a plum and a pear
Afternoon snack: Low Fat Moroccan Spiced Hummus with cherry tomatoes and sticks of carrots, celery and cucumber
As it was a late night in the office I also had a cocoa made with oat milk about 6pm
Dinner: due to a very late finish in the office I raided the freezer for a 'ready' meal I'd frozen when I'd made extra dinner one time.I had a chicken and veg stew with some steamed broccoli, cabbage and spinach
Evening snack: an orange
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk
Organised for tomorrow: gym kit, soup for lunch and snacks
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 50 mins
Exercise: 30 mins circuits - elevated rear leg lunges x 10 (on each side), squat jumps x 10, burpees x10, tricep dips x 10, pushups x 10, bicycle crunches x10 (on each side), plank (30 secs), side plank (30 secs each side) - all repeated 3 times
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: Reading a chapter of a book in bed before sleep
Meditation: ~10 mins
Bed time: 9.45pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7.5 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Monday, 18 February 2013
One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Monday
So it's the first day of posting what I eat. After a busy weekend, today is rest day (exercise wise) so no gym for me and just some walking.
I was in work early but started the day as I had intended, largely due to the fact I had everything I could ready the night before.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water followed a little later by scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach (2 eggs, 2 eggs whites, large handful of spinach and plenty of mushrooms).
Morning snack: a green smoothie with a teaspoon of spirulina powder added
Lunch: tomato and lentil soup and an apple
Afternoon snack: lightly roasted nuts and kale crisps
Dinner: bolognese made with a mixture lean beef and turkey mince and bulked with mushrooms and onion with some steamed cauliflower, broccoli and spinach. The Bolognese was similar to the one I used for my savoury pancake stack
Evening snack: frozen grapes - these are a fab as taste a bit like sorbet. I sometimes even blend them so they form a sorbet.
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk and 2 mugs of herbal tea
Organised for tomorrow: gym kit, soup for lunch and snacks
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 30 mins
Exercise: None, rest day
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: 30 mins soaking in the bath
Meditation: none
Bed time: 10.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Overall I was quite pleased with the day. I would have preferred to have got to bed earlier and also made time for some meditation
I was in work early but started the day as I had intended, largely due to the fact I had everything I could ready the night before.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast: first thing I had lemon, ginger and hot water followed a little later by scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach (2 eggs, 2 eggs whites, large handful of spinach and plenty of mushrooms).
Morning snack: a green smoothie with a teaspoon of spirulina powder added
Lunch: tomato and lentil soup and an apple
Afternoon snack: lightly roasted nuts and kale crisps
Dinner: bolognese made with a mixture lean beef and turkey mince and bulked with mushrooms and onion with some steamed cauliflower, broccoli and spinach. The Bolognese was similar to the one I used for my savoury pancake stack
Evening snack: frozen grapes - these are a fab as taste a bit like sorbet. I sometimes even blend them so they form a sorbet.
Water: 2 litres
Other drinks: 2 mugs of decaf tea with skimmed milk and 2 mugs of herbal tea
Organised for tomorrow: gym kit, soup for lunch and snacks
Exercise and Walking
Walking: 30 mins
Exercise: None, rest day
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation: 30 mins soaking in the bath
Meditation: none
Bed time: 10.15pm
Estimated hours of sleep: 7 hours
Before bed I always eat a few walnuts and take a magnesium supplement. I also sleep with a black out blind and sleep mask and use a pulse aromatherapy oil made of relaxing oils.
Overall I was quite pleased with the day. I would have preferred to have got to bed earlier and also made time for some meditation
Friday, 15 February 2013
One Week in Sarah's Kitchen: Musings on Food and "Diets"
I've mentioned a few times on my blog that I like to eat clean and healthily, whilst enjoying an occasional treat. I also try and create healthier versions of my favourites to help avoid crumbling and succumbing to the oh so wonderful looking biscuit, cake, chocolate that in reality leaves me feeling not so great afterwards! In general, when I eat well, do some exercis, relax and have enough sleep I feel better. My physical and metal health are better, my skin, hair and nails respond positively and my body looks better. So I thought it'd be good for me to share this what I do each day for a week. I also think that the discipline of posting every day will be good for me as I can be a bit haphazard with keeping up to date and one of my resolutions was to blog more often. Also, after an extremely stressful week my body feels like it's been through the mill and some extra care and attention is needed.
Through research and my experience I don't sign up to the standard diet advice or 'calorie model' so many of the standard diets are so focused on calories and not enough on nutrition, and what that nutrition does to the hormones in your body. Put simply, I sign up to the belief and research which states a calorie is not just a calorie and that hormones have a bigger effect on your body shape than calories alone. I also don't aim for a massively low fat diet, especially good fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olive or rapeseed oil.
I also, have huge concerns with the amount of chemicals and unknowns that go into the food we eat and what this may do to our health now and in the future The recent findings of horse meat in beef doesn't concern me from the point of view of eating horse but from the point of view of what else is in our food that we don't know about? Most people don't realise that food manufacturers don't even have to put everything on the label! For example most processed bread is made using a enzyme which is potentially concerning, but they don't have to mention it as it's only used in the processing.
It actually makes me angry when I see products loaded with chemicals and unnatural ingredients marketed as 'healthy' as soon as I see "sugar free", "diet", "low fat" I immediately look at the label to see what they have replaced the sugar and fat with and try to avoid things like chemical sweeteners. Where is the legislation to protect people from these blatant lies?
I mentioned above that I try to make healthier versions also, I have often found when I crave something not necessarily exactly what I want. For example the other day I really wanted cheesy chips. I've not had them in years, probably since uni but for some reason I really really wanted them. I tried to work out if it was what I really wanted or if something else would do and realised that what I really wanted was melted cheese. It wouldn't have matter if it was on a chicken breast. It wasn't really the chips I wanted (incidentally, as it turns out by the time I got home I wasn't too worried about the idea at all and was able to make a healthier choice all together but it has made me stop and think what I really want).
I should probably make it clear I'm not a nutritionist or similar so this is by no means advice. It's simply a diary of my food and the associated recipes made primarily from food that, through research, I consider healthy and balanced.
As I believe that food, drink, exercise, relaxation and sleep are all elements in the equation that makes for a lean, healthy body and mind each day I will fill in the following template.
If you want to read more research on this sort of thing I would start with Metabolic Effect as they have lots of blog articles on research papers and so on.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast:
Morning snack:
Lunch:
Afternoon snack:
Dinner:
Evening snack:
Water:
Other drinks:
Organised for tomorrow
Exercise and Walking
Walking:
Exercise:
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation:
Meditation:
Bed time:
Estimated hours of sleep:
Please comment if you have any feelings on the subject or if there is anything else you would like to see.
Through research and my experience I don't sign up to the standard diet advice or 'calorie model' so many of the standard diets are so focused on calories and not enough on nutrition, and what that nutrition does to the hormones in your body. Put simply, I sign up to the belief and research which states a calorie is not just a calorie and that hormones have a bigger effect on your body shape than calories alone. I also don't aim for a massively low fat diet, especially good fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olive or rapeseed oil.
I also, have huge concerns with the amount of chemicals and unknowns that go into the food we eat and what this may do to our health now and in the future The recent findings of horse meat in beef doesn't concern me from the point of view of eating horse but from the point of view of what else is in our food that we don't know about? Most people don't realise that food manufacturers don't even have to put everything on the label! For example most processed bread is made using a enzyme which is potentially concerning, but they don't have to mention it as it's only used in the processing.
It actually makes me angry when I see products loaded with chemicals and unnatural ingredients marketed as 'healthy' as soon as I see "sugar free", "diet", "low fat" I immediately look at the label to see what they have replaced the sugar and fat with and try to avoid things like chemical sweeteners. Where is the legislation to protect people from these blatant lies?
I mentioned above that I try to make healthier versions also, I have often found when I crave something not necessarily exactly what I want. For example the other day I really wanted cheesy chips. I've not had them in years, probably since uni but for some reason I really really wanted them. I tried to work out if it was what I really wanted or if something else would do and realised that what I really wanted was melted cheese. It wouldn't have matter if it was on a chicken breast. It wasn't really the chips I wanted (incidentally, as it turns out by the time I got home I wasn't too worried about the idea at all and was able to make a healthier choice all together but it has made me stop and think what I really want).
I should probably make it clear I'm not a nutritionist or similar so this is by no means advice. It's simply a diary of my food and the associated recipes made primarily from food that, through research, I consider healthy and balanced.
As I believe that food, drink, exercise, relaxation and sleep are all elements in the equation that makes for a lean, healthy body and mind each day I will fill in the following template.
If you want to read more research on this sort of thing I would start with Metabolic Effect as they have lots of blog articles on research papers and so on.
Food and Drinks:
Breakfast:
Morning snack:
Lunch:
Afternoon snack:
Dinner:
Evening snack:
Water:
Other drinks:
Organised for tomorrow
Exercise and Walking
Walking:
Exercise:
Relaxation and Sleep
Relaxation:
Meditation:
Bed time:
Estimated hours of sleep:
Please comment if you have any feelings on the subject or if there is anything else you would like to see.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Pancakes Galore - Shrove Tuesday
I love pancakes. I mean I REALLY love pancakes. Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, whatever you call it I love it! I truly have no idea why we don't have pancakes more often throughout the year. Every year I say I will and every year I don't have anything other than the occasionally American style pancake for breakfast and a crepe if I go to France. This year I should eat more British style pancakes!
Pancake Day holds great memories for me. My dad hardly ever went in the kitchen as we were growing up. To be honest I don't think I thought he could actually cook, but the one thing he always did was cook the pancakes. If he was working or wasn't around for any reason we would postpone Pancake Day. My mum would make the batter to Delia's recipe and then when my dad came home he would cook the pancakes. He'd always cook them in lard (I assume as his mother had and as it has a higher cooking temperature) and would always toss them, making us laugh as he pretended to drop them or get them stuck to the ceiling.
Today I started the day with American style pancakes but a healthy version high in protein and low in sugar. I topped them with grated apple, a squeeze of lemon juice, berries and a spoonful of 0% Total Greek yoghurt. A fab start to the day and a perfect post workout treat.
The recipe can be found here
I then had a light lunch to leave room for a blow out evening of pancakes.
I started with a relatively healthy Bolognese Pancake Stack. I made this by layering up spelt pancakes with Bolognese.
I used the Delia recipe above but replaced the white flour with spelt whole meal flour. It was effectively a lasagne but with pancake rather than pasta layers. For the Bolognese I used half beef mince and half turkey mince as it's a leaner cut and bulked it with plenty of onion and mushrooms to increase the vegetables. I also omitted the béchamel sauce and topped with tomato sauce and a small sprinkling of Parmesan rather than loads of cheese.
The photo's aren't great but give you the idea
For pudding I didn't even attempt to be healthy and went all out.
For these pancakes I used Delia's standard recipe above with white flour as she does and I cooked them in lard as my dad would have done.
The first one I decided to try something inspired by a wonderful breakfast I had in a little cafe opposite the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam. I made this by pouring batter into the pan as normal and pressing rounds of apple into the batter before the first flip.
The apple cooks into the pancake and tastes great. I served it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of agave nectar.
For the second one I kept things simple. It can't be Pancake Day without at least one lemon and sugar pancake. I squeezed a generous amount of lemon on the cooked pancake and sprinkled liberally with granulated sugar. Simple and delicious!
Next up was a Nutella pancake. I make this by cooking the pancake on one side and then flipping. As the second side cooks I put a generous spoonful of Nutella in one corner of the pancake so it could start to melt and then folder the pancake into quarters squashing in the Nutella with the back of my spatula.
Finally, was the Big Bang, based on a banana split sundae I went all out on this pancake. Totally OTT and fabulous!
I cooked the pancake on one side and flipped it. While the other side cooked I added slices of mars bar and allowed them to start to melt from the heat of the pan and added slices of banana.
I then put it on the plate and added whipped cream, chocolate ganache and lots of salted caramel sauce. Wow!
After all of that I now feel rather obscenely full and am kind of understanding why I don't do this more often!
Pancake Day holds great memories for me. My dad hardly ever went in the kitchen as we were growing up. To be honest I don't think I thought he could actually cook, but the one thing he always did was cook the pancakes. If he was working or wasn't around for any reason we would postpone Pancake Day. My mum would make the batter to Delia's recipe and then when my dad came home he would cook the pancakes. He'd always cook them in lard (I assume as his mother had and as it has a higher cooking temperature) and would always toss them, making us laugh as he pretended to drop them or get them stuck to the ceiling.
Today I started the day with American style pancakes but a healthy version high in protein and low in sugar. I topped them with grated apple, a squeeze of lemon juice, berries and a spoonful of 0% Total Greek yoghurt. A fab start to the day and a perfect post workout treat.
The recipe can be found here
I then had a light lunch to leave room for a blow out evening of pancakes.
I started with a relatively healthy Bolognese Pancake Stack. I made this by layering up spelt pancakes with Bolognese.
I used the Delia recipe above but replaced the white flour with spelt whole meal flour. It was effectively a lasagne but with pancake rather than pasta layers. For the Bolognese I used half beef mince and half turkey mince as it's a leaner cut and bulked it with plenty of onion and mushrooms to increase the vegetables. I also omitted the béchamel sauce and topped with tomato sauce and a small sprinkling of Parmesan rather than loads of cheese.
The photo's aren't great but give you the idea
For pudding I didn't even attempt to be healthy and went all out.
For these pancakes I used Delia's standard recipe above with white flour as she does and I cooked them in lard as my dad would have done.
The first one I decided to try something inspired by a wonderful breakfast I had in a little cafe opposite the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam. I made this by pouring batter into the pan as normal and pressing rounds of apple into the batter before the first flip.
The apple cooks into the pancake and tastes great. I served it with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of agave nectar.
For the second one I kept things simple. It can't be Pancake Day without at least one lemon and sugar pancake. I squeezed a generous amount of lemon on the cooked pancake and sprinkled liberally with granulated sugar. Simple and delicious!
Next up was a Nutella pancake. I make this by cooking the pancake on one side and then flipping. As the second side cooks I put a generous spoonful of Nutella in one corner of the pancake so it could start to melt and then folder the pancake into quarters squashing in the Nutella with the back of my spatula.
Finally, was the Big Bang, based on a banana split sundae I went all out on this pancake. Totally OTT and fabulous!
I cooked the pancake on one side and flipped it. While the other side cooked I added slices of mars bar and allowed them to start to melt from the heat of the pan and added slices of banana.
I then put it on the plate and added whipped cream, chocolate ganache and lots of salted caramel sauce. Wow!
After all of that I now feel rather obscenely full and am kind of understanding why I don't do this more often!
Friday, 8 February 2013
Paneer Cheese
I've been wondering if you could make paneer cheese at home. It's one of my favourites to chose when I have an Indian and as its basically cottage cheese I though it must be possible.
I have memories from when I was young of making cottage cheese with my grandad. I guess I must have only been 6 or 7 and this was in the days where we had milk delivered. On hot days, if the milkman was late, the glass bottles were sometimes left on the doorstep for too long, or we'd have lots left over and the milk would be start to turn sour. Now I don't remember if he heated the milk or added any acid. If he did I think it would have been vinegar, but I do remember him putting the milk in a container with a screw lid and shaking it and getting me to shake it as well. Looking back, this must have been to encourage the curds and whey to separate. I didn't really like the taste of the cheese it made but I did enjoy making something with my grandad. Next time I'm home I'll have to ask my mum if she remembers anymore than I do.
So this week when a bottle of milk was starting to turn I thought it was time to try and make paneer cheese.
I started by bringing 2 pints (around 1 litres) of milk to the boil. I used semi skimmed but I think while milk would work better. Keep stirring every so often so that the milk doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan and burn.
When it comes to the boil add your acid. I used the juice of 1/2 a lemon but you can use lime juice, white wine vinegar or yoghurt. Keep stirring the mixture and it should start to separate with the curds and whey separating. It should happen quickly but if it doesn't add a bit more of your chosen acid.
Remove from the heat and strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or muslin into a bowl. You might need to push some of the liquid though.
You will be left with the cottage cheese or paneer and the whey will have drained through. You can put the whey to one side and use instead of stock or in cakes/bread in place of water.
The cheese can be used as it is
Or wrapped in cling film and put under something heavy to form a ball which can then be sliced into cubes and marinated in Indian spices.
I think I needed to press mine for a little longer as it was still a bit too crumbly, but it tasted good.
I have memories from when I was young of making cottage cheese with my grandad. I guess I must have only been 6 or 7 and this was in the days where we had milk delivered. On hot days, if the milkman was late, the glass bottles were sometimes left on the doorstep for too long, or we'd have lots left over and the milk would be start to turn sour. Now I don't remember if he heated the milk or added any acid. If he did I think it would have been vinegar, but I do remember him putting the milk in a container with a screw lid and shaking it and getting me to shake it as well. Looking back, this must have been to encourage the curds and whey to separate. I didn't really like the taste of the cheese it made but I did enjoy making something with my grandad. Next time I'm home I'll have to ask my mum if she remembers anymore than I do.
So this week when a bottle of milk was starting to turn I thought it was time to try and make paneer cheese.
I started by bringing 2 pints (around 1 litres) of milk to the boil. I used semi skimmed but I think while milk would work better. Keep stirring every so often so that the milk doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan and burn.
When it comes to the boil add your acid. I used the juice of 1/2 a lemon but you can use lime juice, white wine vinegar or yoghurt. Keep stirring the mixture and it should start to separate with the curds and whey separating. It should happen quickly but if it doesn't add a bit more of your chosen acid.
Remove from the heat and strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or muslin into a bowl. You might need to push some of the liquid though.
You will be left with the cottage cheese or paneer and the whey will have drained through. You can put the whey to one side and use instead of stock or in cakes/bread in place of water.
The cheese can be used as it is
Or wrapped in cling film and put under something heavy to form a ball which can then be sliced into cubes and marinated in Indian spices.
I think I needed to press mine for a little longer as it was still a bit too crumbly, but it tasted good.
