Healthified Pancakes

I have been a pancake fan forever and I will take them any which way you give them to me.

Over the last few years though it has been a mini-mission of mine to pimp my pancakes so they pack a nutritional punch, while still being light and delicious. There have been numerous incarnations of healthier pancakes in my kitchen. But with this one I think I’ve have hit the jackpot.

The only sweetner is banana so you can happily give them to little people, and they are easily made gluten free with the addition of gluten free posts. They come together quick smart and I can report that they were devoured by the G also (hence that half pancake on top).

Perfect Healthified Pancakes (makes 6 smallish pancakes)

Ingredients 
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 banana
2(ish) tbsp milk (I used almond)
1 tsp vanilla

Method
1. First up pop your dry ingredients (oats, buckwheat flour and baking powder) into your food processor and whiz them up so the oats break down a bit- they don’t have to be super fine.
2. Add everything else and whiz again.
3. Heat your pan, add a little coconut oil (or another greasing agent) and cook 2 pancakes at a time. I could have got more but it makes flipping tricky.
4. You know the drill, when bubbles start popping on the surface of your pancake flip that sucker.

Now you can enjoy these babies however you choose, but it would be remiss of me not to mention how I ate mine… As peanut butter and raspberry sandwiches. Get. On. Board. You absolutely won’t regret it!

The Run Diaries: 10k week 3

I felt pretty darn good about week 3.

Having never been much of a weekend exerciser before I am surprised at how much I enjoy my Saturday runs- I feel like it sets me up for a successful and productive day.

This week I added in some workouts from the Nike Training Club app too, I’ll definitely continue with them because you get an amazing workout and do not have to think at all. I love the fact that each move is timed and they tell you what to do. And my legs were seriously feeling the burn. So. Good.

An happy side effect I’ve noticed in the last week is that I feel a lot more grounded and in control when I’ve done a good workout that day. Its not something that necessarily surprises me, but certianly something I’ve needed after notching that I’ve been feeling a bit low and anxious recently.

When I started this program I did it with the idea that afterwards I might move on to Half Marathon training… And although I am so far really enjoying my runs, the thought of running for 2+ hours just isn’t that appealing. By the end of the 8 weeks I may change my mind, but at the moment I am thinking that 10k will be quite enough. I’ll have to find another new challenge instead.

Happy running!

I’m quitting sugar

… for lent.Which is why yesterday this donut happened and it was delicious.

It’s not the first time I’ve given sugar the flick. Back in 2012 I successfully stopped eating the sweet stuff after the whole acute hepatitis episode.

Since then I generally try and keep it to a minimum, and although I don’t think I eat that much- certianly less than your average Aussie- I have noticed myself allowing more of it to sneak in recently.

So when one of my cousins mentioned that she’d given up added sugar for Feb Fast, and reminded us that lent started this week I was inspired. Sugar be gone! The fact that I nearly made myself I’ll on the stuff this past weekend probably helped.

I won’t be following the IQS (or any other) program, instead just going with the flow and being mindful about what goes in my mouth.

There is a good chance the next 40 days will include a fair amount of peanut butter… Wish me luck!

The Run Diaries: 10k week 2

I can’t quite believe I’m already 2 weeks into my training. This week I missed one session on Friday due to some serious cake baking that was taking place (more on that another time).

2 runs this week and I felt pretty good during both of them. The first one was run-walk-run. The second run part was tough, not from a breathing point of view, I think I am getting better at controlling my breathing. But my legs felt so heavy when I started running after the walk section, they were seriously lead-like. I pushed through but I think my pace was slower than normal.

The second was run (2 min)- walk (1 min) intervals. I was sweaty and red faced by the end but felt pretty awesome. All of my run intervals were quick (for me), well under 6 minutes per km. It definitely felt like a natural, comfortable pace, however it’s not one I think I could maintain for a full 10k. So that’s something I’ll be working on.

This week too included my first “virtual run” with the Hogwarts Running Club. I’ve not done a virtual fun run before, but it was nice to think that people from all over the place were doing their own 5k too. I’ll definitely be signing up for another one. 

So week 2 is done and dusted. Looking forward to week 3!

A morning at the zoo

Last week we had a little visit to Melbourne Zoo. Thanks to being members we don’t need to make it a day trip, and can happily go for an hour or so, see a couple of things and then come home.

G loves all the animals and there is lots of pointing and “wows”.

The Run Diaries: 10k week 1

So week 1 of my 10k training consisted of only 1 real run. But that’s cool because I pretty much nailed it. It wasn’t a straight run- because this is a beginner program and I may have thrown up on my shoes if it was. Instead it was run-walk intervals. To be honest I’ve tried to stay away from the old run-walk interval because I find myself just counting down the seconds until I get to walk again. And yes, I did some of that during this run, but I also enjoyed the running bits, so that’s kinda cool.

Masked from the run, I also did a lot of walking and some swimming one morning (for cross training)- and I had totally forgotten how much of a workout swimming is! The only bummer is that I can’t wear my Fitbit while doing it so I don’t get to see what my heart rate does.

This is how my week looked

Overall I feel good about how week 1 has gone, and I am looking forward to seeing how things progress.

To do: February

I’ve decided that 2016 officially starts today, and January was just a bit of a trail run. That’s cool, right?

It’s flown by me and I feel like I wasn’t quite ready and now it’s over and I’m like… Wait, what just happened? February I am hoping will be different, and to help myself feel slightly more in control I’m giving myself a little to do list.

• complete all runs in my 10k training
• read 1 book
• pracice yoga (at least) once a week
• take G to the pool once a week
• practice gratitude daily

It may not be a long list, but it doesn’t need to be. Just a few things that I’d like to do over the next 29 days.

Ok February, let’s hang out.

The Run Diaries: 10k training

One of my goals for 2016 is to run 10k.

I worked up to 5k at the end of last year and planned to start 10k training come January 1. It’s now the end of Jan and I’ve not made much progress. I’ve missed planned runs. I’ve stopped mid-run. I just haven’t found a groove.

Rather than get discouraged and throw in the towel- which I would have done in the past- I have created a coach program on the Nike+ running app.

I’ve been using the app for ages but haven’t looked into any of the features beyond tracking my runs and walks. I’ve also discov

The program includes run days, cross-train days, walk days and rest days. You check off each day as you complete it so I am hoping that seeing the activities get checked off with help  my motivation.

Here goes nothing!

Lemon Pie Bites

You know you’ve found a corker of a recipe when you regret not making a double batch before you’re even finished. This is exactly how I felt while whipping up Lola Berry’s Lemon Pie Bites from her 20/20 Diet Cookbook. I was inspired to head back to this trove of deliciousness in readiness for exploring her new one- The Happy Cookbook.

This recipe is SUPER easy. You’ll probably have most of the ingredients in your cupboard (and substitutions are simple as… pie) and they come together in about 20 minutes. Then you just have to resist them while they set up in the freezer.

Lemon Pie Bites (adapted from Lola Berry)

Ingredients
75g (3/4 cup) whole raw almonds
75g (3/4 cup) raw walnuts
45g (1/2 cup) shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp rice malt syrup (you could use honey or maple syrup too)
Juice of 3 lemons (mine were on the small side
Zest of 3 lemons (again mine were smallish, so if you’ve got bigger lemons adjust your zest… but in my opinion, the zestier the better!)
1 vanilla pod scraped
1/2 cup coconut butter
extra coconut for rolling

Method
1. Zest and juice your lemons, set aside
2. Add your almonds, walnuts and shredded coconut to a food processor, whizz it until your nuts are at a meal-ish consistency. It doesn’t matter if they’re a bit chunky.
3. Now in with all your other ingredients and blitz it baby!
4. Roll the mixture into balls and toss through the extra coconut
5. Pop them in the freezer for about 20 minutes to set
6. Enjoy! I store mine in the freezer for an icy treat

And now to get my hands on a copy of The Happy Cookbook!

 

Just. Eat. Real. Food

A couple of weeks ago I started my second Whole 30.

My first attempt happened in 2013 when the BF and I arrived home from Europe with a couple of extra (gelato and french pastry fuelled) kilos hanging around.

The basic premise is 30 days (or more if you need them) of strict eating. No grains. No dairy. No sugar. No legumes. No booze. No treats. Nothing processed. Just meat, fruit, vegetables, eggs and nut, pretty much. It sounds super daunting at first, but it doesn’t take long to get into a rhythm with it.

This time around I made it two weeks before it was Valentine’s weekend, on which I had a Hen’s night and a baby free lunch with all of the women from my mother’s group. Both of which saw me indulge in pretty much everything on the NO list. And I regret nothing- well maybe that cocktail after three glasses of sparkling…

The delicious debauchery was a two night stand only… and as of this morning I am back on the wagon. But not quite the Whole 30 wagon.

While out walking this morning I got to thinking that maybe the Whole 30 wasn’t quite right for me. I enjoy it, absolutely, but if I ate good food all the time then wouldn’t I feel good all the time? Why limit it to a month here and there?

Why indeed!?!

I think I had a bit of an epiphany. It’s not so much a Whole 30 I need but an Intentional/Mindful Eating Challenge, because if I’m honest I have some bad habits when it comes to food, in no particular order…
– I can be a bit of a binger
– I eat when I am bored or upset or happy
– I zone out and eat without thinking
I’m sure there are more but these are the main ones. And I won’t kid myself into thinking that eating clean can solve it, because you can binge on “healthy” foods just as easily as unhealthy ones.

Nut butter straight from the jar anyone?

So here I am at the beginning of what I am hoping is my own little eating revolution. I will focus on whole, unprocessed foods that nourish and fuel my body the right way.

In short I will JUST EAT REAL FOOD.

Stay tuned for updates!