Let's talk Meal Prep!

(image source: google.com)

When I took control of my health and fitness, I knew that there were a lot of things about my day to day routine I would need to change. I would need to change the way I thought, the way I ate and the way I exercised.

One of the things that has helped me is Food prep.

Prepping my food ahead of time has been the #1 strategy I use to make certain I eat healthy meals and snacks throughout the week. I have said many times it is much easier to eat nutritious foods and control portions when you take the time to prepare food in advance. In fact, food prep is the #1 tip I give people when asked for advice on changing eating habits.

What is food/meal prep you may ask?


Meal Preparation/Food Preparation or ‘Meal prep’ means– preparing food for eating, generally requires selection, measurement and combination of ingredients in an ordered procedure so as to achieve desired results. Food preparation includes but is not limited to cooking.
Basically, this means cooking items in bulk and eating leftovers!

Recently someone left a comment on my IG post @myfitnessrebirth sharing with me that a fellow fitness and health enthusiast lost weight without meal prep. I think that's great! Not everyone can do that and that's where YOU have to decide what works for your body and lifestyle.

However if meal prep is something you think would help you here are my tips to making meal prep easier and the best way for it to work for you:

Before beginning any meal prep, I advise you to have a plethora of tupperware containers on hand, you are going to need them


Beginner's Guide to Meal Prep

The Two P's - Plan and Prep

Please remember, I am not a nutritionist, dietician, or personal trainer, this is just what works best for me and my body. Everyone's idea of "healthy" varies, and that is okay!

HOW TO:

- Pick one day a week as your "plan and prep" day
- Grocery shop on this day as well!
-Sunday is the day I use

PLAN
1. Plan your meals for the week out using the following guideline:
- Protein + Starch + Vegetable (and be making sure to get your healthy fats in!)
- Protein options that I recommend: I have put a * next to my favorites!
- Chicken Breasts* Boneless, Skinless
- Chicken thighs are okay for specific recipes
- Ground Beef – 85% lean or higher
- Ground Turkey* – 93% lean or higher*
- Fish – Salmon,* Tilapia, Shrimp*
- Eggs (hard boil a bunch for the week!)
- Steak, Pork, or Sausage are all options too, but I don't eat those meats enough to offer advice on how to best prepare them for meal prep!


- Starch options: opt for whole grain, complex carbohydrates as your fuel!
I have put a * next to my favorites!
- Quinoa*— you can add whatever flavors/spices of dish to quinoa to boost flavor
- Sweet potato*
- Brown rice*
- Pasta
-Bulgur
- Plantain

(there are other options as well but I just gave a 'basic' list)
- Vegetable options: leafy greens are your best bet here! I have put a * next to my favorites!
- Spinach*
- Green Beans*
- Mushrooms*
- Asparagus*
- Broccoli
- Cucumber*
- Red, Yellow, Orange Peppers*
- Zucchini*
- Kale
- Carrots*
- Tomatoes*
- Sugar Snap Peas

2. Check to make sure you have all the ingredients for all recipes before hand!
3. Add necessary items to the shopping list

PREP

1. Grocery shop for the week
2. Peel, chop, cut all raw veggies for the week to put in lunch or to have as a snack
(Healthy choices are easier to make when they're ready to be eaten!)
3. Repeat the process for any fruit that requires cutting to be eaten
4. Prep your protein/meals
- Make specific meals to eat as alternating left overs
- Make items to store in the freezer and eat at a later time
- Make your meat "basic" to be used in a variety of ways throughout the week

Now, you can take prepping as far as you want to.
You can:
1. Cook enough protein, veggies, starches to eat for the week
(keeping these items basic will make them more versatile to use during the week)
OR
2.Cook two meals to generate enough meals to alternate for the week (five days of dinners)
(the weekend is always a free for all for me because I am unsure if I will be at my apartment or not)

- Everyone meal preps at different intensities or "levels" I will call them. The level of meal prep depends on their schedule, health goals and time willing to dedicate to prepping. For example, I consider myself a beginner to intermediate meal prepper, since I prep for usually four to five days worth of dinner, a few days of breakfast, and all my healthy snacks. An advanced prepper would be an individual who has all seven dinners, possibly even lunch and breakfast prepped and may even dabble in freezer meal prep (something I have not tried yet but involves cooking and freezing meals to defrost and enjoy at a later date).

Remember, do what works best for you though, if cooking everything at once on Sunday is too much because that's your day of rest, pick two days to meal prep then, this is what I do sometimes!

5 Tips to Stay Fit While Traveling

(image credit: Google)

One of the excuses I used to make about not exercising and not making the time to prepare or cook healthy meals was; "Work is hectic, I've no time". Or "my job is demanding and I travel a lot". Well, work is still hectic and I still travel quite a bit.

This week I'm in another country, one that I've been to before but nevertheless it's different from my usual environment. Different in the sense that I don't know the best healthy places to eat, the best gyms and I don't have my gym crew to motivate me.

Does this sound familiar to you? Well then let me give you a few tips and tricks that I've picked up.

1. Research! Aunty Google is your friend. Find out where you are staying and what local restaurants or gym spots are close to where you are staying. If you are staying in a hotel, find out if they have a gym.

2. Carry portable gym equipment. I carry my jump rope and resistance band. Don't forget your food journal (if you have one). This is great because if there is no gym or you have a late work session and can't go to one, then you can work out in your room.

3. Eat right. I ensure I make the best healthy options in the hotel, especially with the breakfast buffet. It can be hard but most times the chef is willing to make eggs with less oil and a lot of veggies so that's what I mostly eat for breakfast. I also take an apple or a banana from breakfast so I can snack on during my meetings so I can avoid pastries.
4. Drink right. Take along your water bottle and fill it up with water throughout the day. Or always ask for bottled water and try avoid sweet energy drinks or soft drinks. If you have afterwork drinks, select ones such as Gin and tonic, cranberry and vodka etc. They have less calories. Limit your drinks to 1-2 and drink water in between drinks.

5. Sleep. Get enough rest. When travelling for work, you often feel the pressure to work towards deadlines by working around the clock at the expense of sleep. Try your best to get enough sleep (6-8hrs).



What are your tips and tricks for keeping fit and living healthy while travelling?

The All new bowl of goodness from So Fresh Market- The Chia Tropical Bowl + Giveaway

I love smoothies because they are healthy, convenient and portable. They are ideal fuel and perfect on-the-go all in one breakfast, a tasty afternoon snack or healthy dessert. I also love experimenting and trying different mixes for my smoothies. I was delighted when the team at So Fresh Neighbourhood market in Ikoyi sent me a bowl of a new addition to their menu: Chia Tropical Bowl

It is a smoothie made from Blueberries, Mango, Frozen Banana, Sweet pear, Low fat unsweetened yogurt, Chia seeds and topped with Banana and kiwi slices

I love mangoes and so anything that has mango has my vote already. The added chia seeds helps you stay fuller for longer so it definitely can be a meal replacement. I am not a big fan of banana slices on smoothies so personally I will replace the toppings to maybe Mango? Yes I know I love my mangoes.

Portion wise, it is a rather large bowl. I couldn’t finish it and so I froze half of it and had it the next morning at work for breakfast. It tasted like ice cream and my colleagues and I couldn’t get enough of it.

A good improvement would be to know what the estimated amount of calories per portion. This helps those of us that like to estimate our daily calorie intake. Other than that, this product is very healthy and a good frozen treat or dessert for sweet lovers. Other flavours are available and I love that there is a variety.

One lucky reader based in Lagos stands a chance to win this delicious bowl of goodness!

All you have to do is follow @fitnessrebirth on Twitter and tweet me or @myfitnessrebirth on Instagram and leave a comment telling me your favourite home made smoothie recipe. I shall randomly select the lucky winner on 9th March, 2014.

For those who would like to try out So Fresh Market's smoothies, you can order online from SoFresh at sofreshmarketng.com or visit them at 92, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

My first CrossFit Class- A beginner's experience

CrossFit classes seem to be all the rave right now and I put it on my fitness bucket list. So imagine my excitement when I got into UK this morning and found a class just 3 minutes walk from my apartment. Well before I go further, what exactly is CrossFit?

Here’s the definition of CrossFit from the official site:

CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.

Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.

CrossFit contends that a person is as fit as they are proficient in each of ten general physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy


I emailed the Crossfit gym and asked if I could come in as a beginner and I was offered a free session. Excited, I arrived 10mins early for the 6:30pm class. I had the opportunity to watch the 5:30pm group finishing up and I got nervous and scared. They all looked so fit and the workouts seemed intense. I almost chickened out. lol.


The class started and I introduced myself to the instructor who was super nice. We started with a brisk run outside (it was so cold outside but I survived) and went back in to get the brief on the WOD (workout of the Day). Split into teams of 2, I paired with my friend I dragged in with me. Warm up was practicing the 3 moves of the circuit. Squats, Handstands on the wall, and Knee Toe Touches.
I got the hang of the moves and I was showed the modified version for the headstands (I can't do a handstand....well not yet)

The real workout began and started with weighted front squats (we did 15kg), modified wall climbs and knee/toe touches. 10 of each move, 3 times.

It was a bit intense but I didn't give up as everyone cheered each other on. Felt like a family workout.

I loved my first class and I will definitely give it a try again.

7 Day African Paleo Challenge- Meal Plan!

For the next 7 days starting on Sunday 19th October, 2014, we will be going Paleo
As promised, see below for my meal plan. Please feel free to modify, but remember whatever you modify with should still be in the What To Eat list I discussed here

Also remember just because we are eating low carb and healthy doesn't mean portion control has to go out the window.
Stay within your calorie limit and journal your meals. See more on this here

Share your meals and recipes with me and don't forget to tag me on instagram @myfitnessrebirth or on Twitter @fitnessrebirth

Gym Membership Deal: LAGOS!

When you’re eager to try a new restaurant, you might ask your friends for recommendations, read a good review, or check out the menu before you spend your money and time there. If you enjoy your first meal, you’ll return again and again, but if your experience is less than great, that first visit will also be your last.

I liken that experience to joining a gym. As a fitness enthusiast, I have had a fair share of gym memberships and classes and I really like trying new things and looking for the latest in town. I am an addict and I am not ashamed.

Since I like discovering things, I have decided to also use this blog to share experiences, recommendations, deals and offers I come across that are fitness related in Lagos.

To kick this off, one of the gyms I belong to, Club Shrinkers which is amazing by the way, has a great deal going on for 5 days.

Highlights

Two options available (customers can purchase more than one option):
N7990 (N35000 original value) – valid for one month gym membership and one year registration
N14990 (N70000 original value) – valid for two month gym membership and one year registration

Full gym class with state of the art equipment which include:
Gym machines
Treadmill
Dumbbells
Stair climber
Gym provides workout equipment and training session
Burn out fat
Build muscles and enhance body shape
Experienced gym instructors

Head over to dealdey and get this deal. It really is a great one considering an average gym membership on the Island in Lagos is about N30k per month excluding registration.

Pure African Paleo Living- 7 Days Challenge

Beyond the commercialism of Paleo Diet, there really is something good there and I once did a whole month of Paleo in May and it was really good but you know I love my grains so I can't be forever 100% Paleo. Stop eating Jollof rice (made with brown rice of course)??? No thanks!

However once in a while, I clean up my diet and go 100% Paleo and that's exactly what I want to do for 7 days starting this Sunday 19th - Saturday 25th.

Robb Wolf has a comprehensive article on what Paleo really entails here


Hint: Did you know Plantain is paleo-approved?

HERE IS THE FIRST THING YOU SHOULD DO: Make sure you understand the food list below, and then go stock up on items on the WHAT TO EAT & WHAT TO DRINK lists. And keep this list handy. You’ll need it over the next 7 days!

WHAT TO EAT!

• All Meats (beef, chicken, pork, and also things like
sausages without additives, deli meats, organ meats,
jerky, etc.)
• All Seafood (including shellfish and fish)
• Eggs
• All Vegetables (including sweet potatoes, plantain and
white potatoes, but corn and rice are NOT veggies)
• All Fruits (but not dried fruits or fruit juices)
• Nuts (peanuts/groundnuts are not nuts!)
• Good Oils (coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, tallow,
lard - not hydrogenated, bacon grease, avocado oil,
macadamia oil)
• Almost Any Seasoning (salt, pepper, all
herbs, and any spices without any added sugar or
additives)

WHAT NOT TO EAT

• Wheat (including “whole grains” and anything made from flour,
including bread, pasta, cookies, & cakes)
• Other Grains (including rice, CORN, rye, barley, and oats, as well
as cous-cous and quinoa)
• Legumes (no beans of any sort except for green beans and peas)
• Soy (including tofu, soy milk, & soy sauce)
• All Processed Sugar (including corn syrup, high fructose corn
syrup, brown sugar, cane sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, honey, &
maple syrup)
• Dairy (including milk, butter, cheese, cream, yogurt, & kefir)
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Bad Oils (including canola oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, or any other
oils not listed under Good Oils)
• EVERYTHING ELSE (including MSG (often called “natural
flavoring” or “monosodium glutamate”), artificial food colorings,
mayonnaise, and anything not listed in “What to Eat”)
• Alcohol of Any Type
• Sodas (even diet)
• Fruit Juice
• Milk
• Sport/Energy Drinks
• Any Sweetener

So who's in? I will be posting my meals, tips, and other relevant information specifically for Nigerians, and other Africans who feel our meals can't be paleo-approved.

Feel free to email me on africanpaleo@gmail.com

Follow me on Instagram!

Quote

A healthy body is a palace. An unhealthy body is a prison. Eating right shouldn't be a task. It shouldn't be a chore. Remember that the groundwork for happiness is good health.

It's a lifestyle change!

Day 2! How is it going? I am so proud of myself because I worked out twice yesterday and burned a combined 875calories plus I ate 100% clean meals.

Breakfast- Plain Yogurt + Granola
Snack 1- 100cals of Pistachio nuts
Lunch- Brown rice + healthy vegetable soup made with Kale and without oil
Snack 2- 1 slice of honey dew melon
Dinner- Left over vegetable soup from lunch

Today's morning workout was also intense. I am in so much pain. Pleasurable pain I tell ya! My evening workout will be a 30 minutes brisk walk because tomorrow is weights training at bootcamp and I need my muscles relaxed tonight. Shout out to my workout partner Chiomz!

One thing I have learnt on my fitness journey is the fact that it is a lifestyle change. I lost 12kg between August and December last year and I hit a plateau. I think I must have gained 1 kg because although I worked out, I didn't really watch my meals. I saw myself going back to the unhealthy lifestyle and I recently came to the realization that I need to adapt to this new healthy lifestyle change. Yes I will have cravings, but they can be managed. I can indulge once in a while but in moderation.

This 6 weeks plan is for me to reset and kick up my weight loss a notch. I have 10kg to go and I am hoping I can achieve a significant loss by the end of 6 weeks. It is exciting to me. I have so many new yummy recipes to try and the adrenaline from working out keeps me going.

Remember, it is not a quick fix. It is a process with great progress. So Relax and have fun!

I am off to eat my lunch of wholewheat pasta in tomato sauce+shrimps.

Week 1: Meal Plan for 3rd March - 9th March

Week 1 is here, My #6WeeksToGoal Journey and like I promised, here is my meal plan for the week

Note that this is what I think will work for me. I have a very busy schedule so I can only afford to cook once a day which will be the lunch I take to work. So my breakfast, snack and dinner have been modified to easy meals with little or no cooking involved.

Feel free to substitute appropriate meals but remember, HEALTHY EATING is the goal. Control your portions no matter how 'healthy' your meal seems.

Keeping track of your meals is also very important to success. Check out my post on it here

Lastly, drink A LOT of water. Minimum of 3 Litres a day. Good luck and share your stories in the comments.

Grocery list (excluding items I have at home already)
• Kale/Spinach
• Coconut oil
• Tomato paste
• Brown rice
• Mixed veggies and mixed pepper frozen
• Strawberries, Greek Yogurt
• Bananas
• Mangoes
• Pineapple
• Grapefruit
• Brown Beans
• Plantain
• Sweet Potato
• Shrimps
• Goat meat
• Salmon
• Fresh Catfish
• Pepper soup ingredients

6 weeks Fitness Bootcamp and Clean Eating: Join me

Hi guys,

I can't believe I have not blogged this year. That is changing now as I will be documenting my #6WeeksToGoal journey starting on Monday, 3rd March.

Target- Lose 8kg (17 lbs) in 6 weeks.

Plan-

1. Eat healthy and ensure I cook 90% of my meals. My weekly meal plan will be published here.

2. Workout 2 times a day, 6 times a week (make sure I get in at least 10 workouts a week)

3. After recording my start weight, do not weigh myself till the end of the 6 weeks challenge.

4. Ensure I post on this blog at least 2 times a week to stay accountable.


Who wants to join me?

So help me God!

Random + Workout Boost

Hey All,

It is a great Monday and I am so excited for many reasons. Well 2 reasons:

1. I spiced up my routine

2. I joined the Smartest loser competition at work which involves having a workout buddy and competing together to lose the most weight in November. Winners go home with a new Samsung s4 phone. I know I need that phone in my life. I hope we win.

Now back to reason 1. I get bored easily and I feel like my body resists certain workout routines after a few weeks so I always look for ways to switch things up. After losing almost 15kg with Cardio-focused workouts, I hit a plateau. My friend _Sirius_ advised me to mix things up with Strength training. I am a big fan of strength training so I jumped at her suggestion. I decided to infuse my usual workout routine with 3 days of strength-focused training by using Shaun T's T25 Beta Phase (Rip't circuit and Upper Body are weights-based) and also Les Mills Body Pump dvd. It has been 4 weeks and I see a lot of difference. I feel toned and sexier...haha. I am starting to see definitions plus I am losing inches, although the scale is not really moving. It doesn't matter, as long as my clothes are getting loose.

I am bored again so today I decided to dump Shaun T and Les Mills for Jillian Michaels' Shred it with weights DVD. I enjoyed it today. Let's see how the next 4 weeks go. This is in addition to my evening workout classes at The Shrinkers.

In other news, did you know that different body types have different workout types and plan? I am sure you do. If you didn't, then start researching the best workout plans for your body type.

What are your favourite workout DVDs? especially strength-focused ones or how do you spice up your workouts?

One year Hiatus- Mental Readiness and Confessions.

It has been exactly ONE year since I last blogged on this site and I feel so ashamed of myself. Interestingly, this centers around my post for today.

I have been on this weight loss journey for a while now and I remember when I got together with my other 2 friends who started this blog with me, I was extremely motivated to lose weight, and I did. I lost 9.8kg. Remember this post where I mentioned how much weight I lost? Good! I had just got off Cambridge diet (post for another day) and I was slowly working out hence the weight loss. Guess what? I put it all on back. It was not sustainable. After that, I kept yo-yo'ing between losing and gaining and sadly, I gained back 8kg.

Fast Forward to mid-July this year, I had an epiphany.I wanted to not only look good in my clothes, I WANTED TO BE HEALTHY. I realized I didn't always want to always hear my doctor complain about my cholesterol level or my blood pressure. I hated that I always wished I was at least one size smaller, or wished I could wear certain clothes. Above all, I really wanted to be a runner. See I have a soft spot for runners. I admire them and I often wished I could experience that 'runner's high'. On 26th July, there was a deal on dealdey that offered a one month membership to Club Shrinkers- A fitness club with all the perks. I was very skeptical because I am a veteran on weight-loss and I know what to do. I called a friend up and said yo! buy me this deal. Invest in making me healthier. I got the deal, (thank you my dear friend) and I joined the health club. It was the usual eat right and work out routine but ONE thing was different. I WAS READY! and that brings me to the point of this post.

You have to be ready to lose weight. I don't mean the usual, oh I need to lose weight banter. I am referring to your mental and emotional readiness. You have to understand that no matter what, you CAN NOT QUIT before you reach your goal weight. You must not give up. I realized that all these years, even though I wanted to lose weight, I was not emotionally and mentally ready. I wanted a quick fix and easy way out. I was not willing to put in the effort. I had excuses for everything. It was until I decided mentally that I had no choice but to lose weight, that I took the first step towards a sustainable health and fitness lifestyle. So far, I have lost 12kg which is about 25lbs and I have 15kg to go. The difference this time is that I did it the right way. Clean eating, working out, resting well and I know it is a sustainable process. No gimmicks. I am making a complete lifestyle change.

I am back to blogging and as we go along, I will be sharing what has worked for me, what is working for me, and what I hope will work for me. This is a personal journey and so what works for me, may not be applicable to you, but the foundation still remains the same- Eat right and Exercise well. I am back to Fitness Rebirth and I hope you all join me on this current journey.

Running for Beginners

After failing and getting back up many times, I decided to take my weightloss journey more serious. You know when you get to that point that you know you had to make changes.

September 9,2012 was my turning point, Thanks to 3 of my friends. 5 weeks later, I have lost approximately 21.6lbs (9.8kg) I am still far from my goal weight, (I have 15kg) to go. I know I can do it. It's not about how long it takes, but how well I can maintain it.

A friend of mine told me how Running helped her tone up and lose weight and I was so motivated with her pictures that I dusted my running shoes and hit the streets.

As a newbie to running, I found a plan that has been working so far, and hopefully in a few months, I will be Usain Bolt....lol

You can view the plan here

Does anyone run? Any pointers?

Rebirth

Breakfast Ideas

Healthy breakfast cereals and eggs can be tiring for breakfast and I always assumed there were no healthier options.
However I stumbled on A Blog and found a few healthy recipes to share with you.

Cream Cheese Pancakes

Recipe ingredients:

2 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1 packet stevia (or any) sweetener
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a blender or magic bullet. Blend until smooth. Let rest for 2 minutes so the bubbles can settle. Pour 1/4 of the batter into a hot pan greased with butter or pam spray. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, flip and cook 1 minute on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve with sugar free syrup (or any syrup of your choice) and fresh berries. A surprisingly satisfying substitute for the real thing. Tastes like skinny fried cheesecakes! Even if you aren't watching your carbs these are a delicious departure from the traditional doughy stack of pancakes. And you won't have the sleepy feeling that usually comes afterwards!

Approximate nutrition info per batch: 344 calories, 29g fat, 2.5g net carbs, 17g protein


Low Carb Breakfast Lasagna

Ingredients:

8 eggs, scrambled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
12 sausage links, fully cooked
12 cream cheese pancakes (unsweetened)

Cover the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan with 4 pancakes, it's ok if they overlap. Put down a layer of scrambled eggs, followed by a layer of cheese. Cover with another 4 pancakes. Add all of the sausage links. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Add last layer of pancakes, followed by scrambled eggs, and the remainder of the cheese. You can use more cheese if you like. Bake or microwave until the cheese is melted. 3 -4 minutes in the microwave or 8 - 10 in the oven at 350 degrees (F). Cut into squares and serve.

Spinach, Goat Cheese & Chorizo Omelette

Ingredients:

4 ounces chorizo sausage
1/2 Tbl butter
4 eggs
1 Tbl water
2 ounces crumbled fresh goat cheese
2 cups baby spinach leaves
sliced avocado (optional)
1/4 cup salsa verde (optional)

Remove chorizo from the casing and fry in a medium saute pan until fully cooked. Meanwhile beat the eggs and water in a small bowl. As a side note, I add the water because as the egg cooks the water turns to steam which helps the egg puff up and get fluffy. Some people like to add milk or cream and you could do that too - totally a matter of personal preference. Take the chorizo out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Wipe the pan of the remaining grease with a clean paper towel. Melt the

butter in the same pan over low heat. Add the beaten eggs to the pan, then put the Chorizo, spinach, and crumbled goat cheese on half the egg mixture. Cook on low heat for 3 minutes until slightly firm, then fold the empty side over the side with the filling on it. Cover the pan with foil or a pot cover and leave on low heat for another few minutes until the eggs are cooked through. If your bottom is browning too quickly, turn the stove off and leave the pan covered for up to 10 minutes and the residual heat should "bake" it until the center is fully cooked. Serve with avocado slices and salsa verde. So good you won't even miss the toast or hash browns!


Sweet Potato & Sausage Hash

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, chopped
3 medium russet or red potatoes, chopped
2 Tbl olive oil
1 tsp ground sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1 lb turkey breakfast sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
1 Tbl fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a bowl and toss with olive oil, sage, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 35 minutes at 375 degrees (f). Turn occasionally with a spatula while roasting. Meanwhile, put the turkey sausage and onions in a large saute pan and cook on medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes, being careful not to scorch it. Remove from the heat and set aside. When your potatoes are done to your liking, remove them from the oven and add them to your saute pan. Turn the heat to medium high and cook the hash for several minutes - longer if you want it to get really brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and add the fresh thyme leaves. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Eat alone or serve with eggs, toast, pancakes or any of your other favorite breakfast foods! And coffee....LOTS of coffee!


(Recipes from I Breathe, I'm Hungry)

Let me know if you try any.

Love and Light....xx

Rebirth!

Insanity Week 2, Juicing and Juicers

Hooray! Week 2 of Insanity is upon me. Minimal body aches and I have been doing the stretches religiously. We don't want a repeat of the last time, do we?
Today was Cardio Power and Resistance and as usual, it kicked my ass. My glutes are still burning as we speak.

I hate fruits and vegetables. A standing joke among my asian friends is that I don't eat grass. This means I never get my 5 a day nutrients.
However, that is all about to change. On Friday, Blogger Miss Jia posted a before/after picture on twitter which, if I must say was AMAZING! She lost so much weight and her skin was glowing. Her secret? She is on a juice fast and that was her Day 13. After reading about Juice Fast, I realised it was not for me.

1. I like food
2. I am currently on Insanity and I need all the energy I have
3. I need to be up and about, work, life etc and I can't do all my activities on a juice-only diet
4. I really like food and cooking.

However, I still need the benefits of consuming fruits and vegetables. I have decided to replace breakfast and dinner with Juice. Vegetable and Fruit Juices only for breakfast and dinner, and eat solid foods for lunch.

Hopefully, this will help clean out my system while still maintaining my energy level.

Bought my juicer yesterday and a lot of fruits and veggies.

After my Insanity work out this morning, I made Carrots, Spinach, Oranges and Lemon juice for breakfast. It tasted so nice. Looking forward to making grapes, broccoli, apple, lemon and spinach juice tonight.

I weighed last night and I realised I am down 1.4kg from last week. Happy with the progress, but I need to lose more :)

Oh one last thing, cleaning the juicer is a nightmare (well time-wise) if you don't have a dish washer like me.

I will be sharing my favourite juice recipes as I discover them. One tip though, consume juice as soon as you make it so you don't miss out on essential nutrients.

Have a good week.....

Quick Dinner- Oven baked Salmon

Day 2 of Insanity was a bit tough, I took a few breaks but was still sweating like I got dunked in water. I had to send in my glasses for new lenses so right now, I am dealing with a bad migraine from the pits of hell. Can't wait to feel better so I can fully enjoy my workouts

So, in my new quest to eat right, I am back to home cooking. This means during the week, I have to find quick recipes that I can make easily after a long day at work, and that will also serve as my lunch the next day.

Mondays and Fridays are meatless days (a mini challenge Aquamarine and I got going on) so I had to either go vegetarian for dinner, or indulge in Fish.

Salmon won the coin toss

Recipe
(estimated calories per serving- 340 calories)

1 small lemon
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon
1 medium yellow pepper
1 medium red pepper
1 medium white potato
1 medium onion
1/2 garlic clove
1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp paprika (or any dried chilli mix)
Cooking spray

Cooking-

Preheat oven to medium/high heat
In a bowl, combine Salmon, seasoned salt, paprika and olive oil
Mix well and let marinate for 10 mins
Cut onions, garlic, potato, yellow and red peppers into strips
Coat oven tray with the cooking spray and place the cut onions, potatoes and garlic in it
Let cook in the oven for 10mins
Add the marinated salmon to the oven tray and leave to cook further for another 10 minutes
Add the yellow and red peppers
Continue to Cook till your desired degree of readiness

Dinner is served :)

Let's Try Again.....

Remember my last post? How I hurt myself by week 3 of Insanity?
Well Yea, I am fully recovered. I did the 30 days Jillian Michaels workout during my down time and I have to say, I missed Insanity.... *gasp* I really did. It was working for me and I noticed I looked better :)

Anyway, I have decided to give it a try again. So this morning was my Day 1.

The first day of Insanity is the Fit Test, which sets a baseline to track your progress as the weeks go on. The instructor, Shaun T, takes you through a warm-up, then a series of cardio moves that last 60 seconds each with a 60 second rest in between. The warm-up alone sent my heart rate through the roof, which got me excited. I must admit I felt woozy and tired mid way but still continued to the end.

Here are my stats for the main cardio moves


Move Fit Test Day 1- 30/07/2012

Switch Kicks 123
Power Jacks 30
Power Knees 74
Power Jumps 32
Globe Jumps 5
Suicide Jumps 8
Push up Jacks 13
Low Plank Obliques 41


All I need to improve on right now are my eating habits. Decided to eat better starting today (well I had 3 scoops of Ice cream yesterday....sigh) and so let's hope this works.

Have a good week guys.....

Consequences of Not Stretching

My last post was about starting Insanity workout. Yes I started and as hard as it is, I enjoyed it...for the 3 weeks I was on it. Why 3 weeks? Well, I was very stupid.

See, I work out in the mornings before work, and with Insanity, I need an average of 45minutes to complete a full workout including warm up and cool down. However I cut corners, I skipped the cool down/Stretching part because I always woke up late.
I underestimated the power of stretching.

Insanity is such a high intense workout and as such, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to warm up and stretch after. On the last day of the 3rd week, I went grocery shopping and had to reach for something on the floor, at that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my waist/Lower back and it became so bad I could not move. I had to be taken to the hospital and treated.

That ended the Insanity journey as I am just coming out of recovery.

The doctor warned me to slowly ease into exercising so I took a one week break from any form of exercise.
Seeing that I am on a set plan, I can't do without working out for so long. I have started the Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. It is less intensive than Insanity but it is also kicking ass. Also it is a challenge between Aquamarine and I. We hope to do it for 30days non-stop.

Today is Day 2.....

Lesson of the day: NEVER TAKE STRETCHING FOR GRANTED.