I Have the Need, the Need for ... Cake

I spend most of my life thinking about food or how much my legs are hurting. Previous methods to think less about food and hurting legs went something like this.

Don't think about cake, don't think about cake, don't think about ... ahhhh $hit I can't stop thinking about cake OR God my legs hurt, god my legs hurt, holy hell my legs hurt ... why wont my legs stop hurting.

Who would have thought these highly evolved methods would prove unsuccessful?

We can talk about the hurting legs later but for now, lets talk about cravings. I am certainly no psychologist, so I won't offer you any advice about the psychology of it, but I can tell you, as a nutritionist, that cravings are so rarely about the food. Cravings are about emotions and smells and sounds and beliefs and so rarely about the actual cake. But this does not stop us using our totally useless method to stop craving food, which is to tell yourself not to crave it.

Lets define here what I mean by craving. A craving is different from hunger. Hunger is normal and natural and it enables us to, well, stay un-dead. Hunger lets us know when our body requires more fuel. A craving occurs when you are not actually hungry or thirsty, but rather you just feel like you want a food, well, because you want it. Because you need it. Because you must have it.

If you are a healthy weight, fit, happy with good skin and good pooping and you don't spend half your life burping or telling people how tired you are and you have cravings all the time and just go with eating whatever you want then apart from being a metabolically gifted human being, you needn't read on. If, on the other hand, cravings are standing in the way of your health and fitness goals then there is a really simple exercise you can try to lessen them.

Cravings Buster
At the first sign of a craving I assess if I have eaten enough in the last few hours. If not, then I eat some real food - try nuts and seeds, fruit, raw vegetables, you know...real food. If i'm not hungry, only craving then I...
1. Decide on a time in the next few hours that I am going to eat and what I will eat. For example, if its 4pm and I have already had my afternoon snack and I am not hungry but I would really just like some chocolate, then I decide on what time I will eat dinner and what exactly I will eat.
2. I then take 5 deep breaths and with each breath out I relax my arms, neck, shoulders.
3. The last thing I do is change the activity that I am doing. If I am watching TV and eating because I am bored then I get up and find something to do. I take myself out of the area that triggered my senses to think it wanted a family block of cadburys chocolate.

Its simple, costs nothing and I find it works most of the time really, but I make sure I do each of the steps - just doing 1 or 2 isn't as successful.

Give it a go and tell me what you think. If nothing else your house will end up really clean from all the extra chores you will be doing.

Train hard, love life. Over and out.

Coffee Vs Juice Day 2 to 4 + Epic Fail

There is an old English saying that goes something like this - "Thou can only be consistent with so many things at one time. Too much consistency is harmful to ones health." That is a lie. I just made that up to make myself feel better about the fact that I managed two consecutive days of blogging before I fell of the wagon. And only 4 days of juicing before I caved to the powers of coffee.

What did me in? Well to be honest it wasn't fatigue or cravings or anything serious at all. It was Mums offer of meeting up on a sunny Saturday morning to walk the dog and drink a latte. How could I say no when... well, I didn't want to?!

Due to the great success of my 7 day Juice challenge (insert scoff here), I am considering a 30 day Paleo challenge that is happening in blogland lately. You can read about paleo eating in a previous post. For the most part I already eat Paleo, but we can always do to reduce the processed food in our diets and it will be a great way to bring new ideas to you guys. Plus I know lots of you aim for paleo eating anyway.

So I am planning to spend my lazy Sunday revising my paleo book, followed by a non paleo lunch with the bestie and then bookended by reading rest of said book. Then, and only then I will make the educated decision (possibly in a mild wine haze - I found most decisions are best made in this state) about whether I will try the challenge.

In other news (I use the term loosely), I am taking the new bike out for her first ride. I don't count riding it around and around the carpark under my building for the last few days actually riding. So here we go. I only expect to go 15km/hr faster with no extra effort so I am sure I won't be disappointed.

Train hard and eat well guys. As always!

Juice Buzz Report Day 1

All I can think this morning is why? Why would I pick our second freezing wintery day of the season to give up warm, comforting coffee? When I think about drinking my juice today instead of coffee all that comes to my head is expletives about what, exactly, I think of the idea and where, exactly, you can stick the juice.

I got through the morning by downing a few cups of Roasted Dandelion tea, which is bitter and dark like coffee and I found it a surprisingly good replacement. Crisis averted, now to wait for the afternoon.

I decided to go with a cold juice that will give me a little bit of warmth on the inside - A Carrot Ginger Juice and a few raw almonds to attempt to get rid of what I assume is a coffee withdrawal headache and  a very sluggish feeling.

Carrot Ginger Juice

Serves 1

3 Medium Carrots
3 Stalks of Celery
1.5cm piece of Ginger
1/4 Lemon
1/4 Orange

Juice to your hearts content.

The result ... the juice was really quite sweet. I think I needed more lemon and more ginger. I like my juice to make my face involuntarily screw up and then get a warm fuzz all the way down to my stomach. Normal people would probably find the juice I made quite pleasant.
Energy wise I felt fine after the juice. It did give me a bit of a pick-me-up and I didn't have a coffee craving anymore.
Sleep wise I slept as per usual - straight to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and then spent the wee hours of the morning half asleep half awake thinking I hadn't emailed a client back. I'm really hoping my juice buzz will help to improve this.

Day 1 ... done. How did you go?

The Juice Buzz Challenge

Coffee. Who doesn't love coffee? Most days I have people ask me 'is coffee bad for me?' or 'should I keep drinking coffee'. The answer to both questions is...yes and no.

Coffee has been associated with all sorts of positive health effects, such as an increase in mental clarity and focus, decreased liklihood of Alzheimers and possible links to warding off some types of skin cancer, diabetes type 2 and decreasing the risk of Parkinsons. Its important to acknowledge that most of these studies are epidemiological in nature, which means that they have taken a large population, asked them how  much coffee they have averaged daily for a certain amount of years and then compared the groups who didn't drink coffee to those who did for the said disease. As far as the scientific method goes this is one of the loosest ways to draw conclusions and is usually only an indication of what areas we need to more thoroughly delve in to.

On the flip side too much coffee can be associated with dependence, chronic adrenal insufficiency, cardiovascular problems, difficulty losing weight, high blood pressure etc.

My general coffee rule is 1 a day. For people who like to get  their coffee from stores like Starbucks and Gloria Jeans, 1 coffee does not mean the "Trenta" which apparently holds 916mls of coffee. That is not a joke. On the other hand if you want to quickly find out if you have an underlying heart condition, Trenta away. One coffee is one shot.

Lately 4.30am starts have me reaching for a Soy Latte and raw brownie at about 3pm and whilst I could be reaching for a 'V' and a mars bar, I'm not keen on encouraging my body in its energy-hit-junkie tendencies. So I am going to do a lil experiment on myself that I am going to call ... The Juice Buzz Challenge.

For the next 7 days I am forgoing coffee to have a fresh vegie juice instead and I am going to see if the nutrients, enzymes and natural sugars can in fact give me the boost that coffee does and if I notice any other health benefits as well. Some juices I will purchase from juice stations or the local health food store and some I will make at home. Get ready for some pretty wacky juice combinations - I ain't no orange and apple girl.

So your challenge - shall you choose to accept it is 7 days of fresh (not bottled) vegetable juice instead of coffee. What have you got to lose?

My New Family Addition

What a week. Work is booming, my mum turned 50 ... then got engaged, we had a big party, I got an awesome new training regime to get me stronger and more balanced than ever before and last but not least ... there has been a new addition to our household. This little bundle of joy arrived on Monday evening, right on time, to my joyous shrieks  and Colins modest head nod. Let me introduce you to ... My new bike. I haven't named her yet. I'm going to see what kind of personality she has first.

So back to the training regime, which, so ironically, doesn't feature too much of my new baby. I have had, for years, trouble with little niggles all the time. I am never injured, but I always have something that is a bit 'unhappy' which causes me to have to avoid an aspect of my training or training all together. For example, I had an 'unhappy' ankle for about 3 months where it felt like I had injured it and would  be restricted in movement. I got treatment which included physio and dry needling into the muscle that runs next to your shin bone. That was a wonderful experience that I recommend you must do before you die (that is a blatant lie). Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't and rest would help sometimes but sometimes not. Now repeat the above sentence and replace ankle with hip, calf, knee and you can see how frustrated I get.

So I am trying something new. As they say, insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I have been seeing a brilliant exercise scientist at work who has given me a program based on the various testing and analysis he did on my posture and movement patterns. It is the bizness. Its really specific and helps me to forget the fact that he has allowed only 2 days of cardio. Yes, that is right, for the next 3 weeks and 2 days I am going to do only 2 shorter but higher intensity ride/run/swim sessions. Baby cheeses give me strength.

In the mean time, i'm just going to sit on my new bike in the kitchen and possibly shuffle on it around my 1 bedroom apartment. Because I can.

What to do When you Have Partied Like it's 1999

What does one do when they have consumed more champagne than food on a Saturday? Why, they eat some awesomely healthy food on a Sunday, that's what.

After Saturdays festivities I was feeling a little dehydrated and well ... hungover. Now I know that usually first thing people do when they are hung over is to go to a local shop that fries stuff and order up big, but i'm here to tell you, there is a better way!

Hear me out. When we drink we deplete our bodies of water, B vitamins, Magnesium, Sodium, the list goes on and on really, and although fish and chips might replenish the sodium...that is about all it does. Eating greasy, processed, unhealthy food with a hangover is a surefire way to get it to last all day long. And who wants to waste a Sunday feeling like rubbish right?!

Lost of water and fresh salads with a lean protein will help your liver and digestive system to get back on track faster. Team it with an extra little morning rest and you will be feeling substantially better by the afternoon than if you ate the deep fried Mars Bar, I guarantee.

We had Asian Chicken Salad for lunch and it was absolutely delicious. The sesame oil made it nutty but the crisp vegies made it taste so fresh. This recipe is filled with liver loving amino acids, cruciferous vegetables and protein as well as vitamin A, Vitamin U, digestive enzyme love from the apple cider vinegar and just a touch of healthy fats. Hangover or no hangover, you gotta try this one!

Asian Chicken Salad

Serves 1

Salad
1 Carrot grated
1/4c Cabbage finely chopped
1/4c Edamame
1 Spring onion finely chopped
1/8 Capsicum finely sliced
1 Broccoli stork finely sliced
1 Small chicken breast poached and shredded

Dressing
1t Udo's oil or Flax oil
1t Sweet Chilli Sauce
1t Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4t Sesame oil

Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside. Toss together salad ingredients and add dressing. Serve immediately. You can have the chicken warm or at room temperature depending on your preference.

So fresh, so simple.

And so darn tasty!

When in Doubt, Bodyrock.

So workouts lately have been mish to the mash. No structure, not much of a plan and results to match. Don't you hate that? So in an effort to remedy this I took my own advice and planned my weeks training on Sunday. Monday 6km run time trial...check. Monday 1km swim....well, I got 100m out before I got so seasick and disoriented I had to get out of the water and hold the railings all the way back inside. People asked me if I was injured because I looked like such a moron. Little did they know it was only my ego that was injured. None the less I consider the swim a check also. Any time you get into the water is a victory in my book.

Then we get to Tuesday. 40km ride planned. And it would have happened, if not for The Voice. You see I am shockingly and embarrassingly hooked on it and missed it last night so watched the rest of it this morning and before I knew it I didn't have enough time to get my ride done. So what does one do when one misses a nice long planned workout. Well, you BODYROCK  of course. I love this stuff. Its hardcore, only takes 20 minutes max, plus its the only time its ever acceptable to listen to 50 cent, Eminem and the honorable Dr Dre. It kicked my ass and I loved it.

So lesson for today is that even though sometimes it doesn't go to plan, whether that be your own fault or circumstances beyond your control, just make something happen. Get. It. Done. You won't ever regret it.



On a completely un-related note I managed to make uh-mazing muffins on the weekend. This is the kind of magic that happens when you wake up at 5am on a Sunday raring to go when its supposed to be a rest day and the gym doesn't even open for 2hrs. I wanted these muffins to taste 'normal'. That meant fighting all my natural urges to add protein powder and only use fruit to sweeten them. The plan was to feed them to the normal folk in my family who aren't quite as keen to forgo texture in the knowledge that their blood sugars would thank them for it. Go figure.

So I researched a basic muffin recipe and Emma-fied it. That meant using a healthy flour, nixing the cane sugar for a low GI raw alternative, adding fruit and nuts for extra nutrients and of course making it dairy free. As you get more confident with baking and have a bit of trial and error, you will see how easy this is.


The original recipe went something like this;

2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
90g butter, melted

My lovely little recipe went something (exactly) like this;

Blueberry, Banana and Seed Muffins

Serves 12

2 1/2c Wholemeal spelt flour
4t Baking powder
1/4c Agave
1c Rice milk
1 Egg
45g Coconut oil
2 Bananas mashed
1c Frozen blueberries
1t Organic vanilla essence
1/2c Pumpkin seeds

Mix the flour and baking powder until combined. In another bowl combine the agave, milk, egg, coconut oil, bananas and vanilla essence. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Gently add the blueberries and pumpkin seeds. Spoon mixture evenly between a 12 muffin tin and place in the oven at 180degrees for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool on race and store in airtight container.

So as you can see, they are really very easy and the banana, blueberries and pumpkin seeds could be swapped for anything. Try;
 - Tin peach, raspberries & pecans
 - Banana, chopped almonds & cacao nibs
 - Tin pear & walnuts

Happy training...and happy eating too. Here's to sticking to the plan tomorrow...

This One is for my Paleo Lovers...

Now doubt you have heard the phrase 'I'm eating Paleo' at some stage over the last few years. Some of you may know what this means. If you do, then skip ahead to the yummy recipe at the end. If, on the other hand you assumed that the above sentence meant that the person was admitting that they were only eating food that was centuries old, then you have come to the right place.

The term 'Paleo' refers to the name Paleolithic, which refers to the stone age era (think Fred and Wilma) and the diet that they ate in these times. The Paleolithic era was well before farming and modern type agriculture. So what does this mean? It means that they ate what they could hunt, forrage,dig for or pick whilst maintaining a nomadic lifestyle, which resulted in a diet that mainly contained lean meats (the animals were wild and were not sat in a field and fed huge amounts of food that made them gain weight quickly), nuts, seeds, berries, root vegetables etc. Funnily, their diets did not contain artificial sweetener, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fat...how on earth did they get by?! The thinking is that they were lean and healthy and that although modern food has changed exponentially in the last few hundred years, the human body has not. Our bodies have no idea what to do with the candy floss we feed it. Hence our spike in chronic lifestyle diseases like obesity, syndrome X, diabetes etc. Interesting concept.

As far as eating plans or 'diets' go, I don't mind this one. But, like everything, it will suit some and not others. There are no beans or legumes on this diet so vegetarian and vegan options don't exist really unless you want to be devoid of even an ounce of muscle. Although fruitarians do exist so, you know, the world is a fickle place.

What is fantastic about this way of eating is that it means no processed foods are eaten. No refined sugars, colourings, additives, fillers, ingredients you can't pronounce or rubbish.

There is, as always, some debate about exactly what can be eaten on this diet. I mean, if you were to take it very literally then you would only eat the produce that grew in your local area and other than some coriander and basil that my parents grow...its pretty sparse of edible plants in downtown Melbourne. It would be great for weightloss though...the grand 'coriander and basil diet. Lose 20kg in 4 days'. Don't laugh, you will probably see a similar claim on your TV some time next year. Back to point.

What is generally accepted to be eaten on the paleo diet is;
Fruits
Vegetables
Nuts & Seeds
Lean meats
Eggs
Honey

So that means...no grains, dairy, lentils and legumes, artificial or processed anything.

Without grains and processed food, bread is a thing of the past for dedicated paleo-ers, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to enjoy a 'sandwich'. Enter, these tuna salad lettuce wraps. They are crisp, light, filling and paleo safe. They are even easy enough to take to work. Simply mix the tuna salad and store in a container in the fridge with 5 or 6 cos lettuce leaves cut at the base and assemble them as you eat them.

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

Serves 1

1 Cos lettuce
1sml tin Tuna
1/2 Capsicum diced finely
1/4 Avocado mashed
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut 5 or 6 cos lettuce leaves from the lettuce and place to the side. In a bowl mix avocado, tuna & capsicum. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the tuna mix evenly into the lettuce leaves and serve.

These are so versatile. The tuna can be replaced with chicken, egg, whatever protein you like. You can add diced celery, purple onion, chopped snowpeas, seeds, whatever you can dream up within the realms of paleo.

So paleo or not, this is a light, fresh version of wraps that will have you going back for another serve.

Train like you stole it kids. Over and out.

Food Diaries that Really Work

An invaluable way to keep track of your food intake, whether it be to monitor that you are eating enough, not eating too much, eating a good variety etc, is by using a food diary. It is really very interesting to look at what you believe your diet contains and what your diet actually consists of. When I ask people to keep a food diary I encounter my fair share of resistance. And I get it, really I do. But there comes a time in our grown up lives where we need to make a choice. Do we want and believe that 'magic happens' when it comes to diet, exercise and performance, or do we accept that we make the magic ourselves. Whichever people choose is ok with me, but we need to get real about why the magic isn't happening. I digress.

A food diary can be written, but for those of you who love your gadgets, a food diary can be done in photo form. An iphone is a perfect camera for taking photos of everything you eat and helping you to gain some perspective. Below I'm going to share my photo food diary from yesterday and the information I got from it.

Half a wholemeal English muffin with tahini pre-exercise and an organic fruit puree during my long ride.




The other half of the English muffin and My Super Dooper Blueberry recovery smoothie minus the spinach after my ride.



...grapes



Tuna and avocado brown rice sushi and salmon avocado brown rice sushi with wasabi and strawberries.



Mini spicy chicken and vegetable meatloaf (will post the recipe soon) with roasted beetroot and steamed green bean salad.



Organic lamb honey and rosemary sausage from here with raw capsicum chunks and tomato, broad bean, spinach and asparagus salad with an Udo oil dressing.

What I also ate, but forgot to take a photo of was an avocado and goats cheese kamut bread sandwich and some more grapes. I know, I know, its an awful lot of food, but I rode 60km in the morning, plus I am hungry from the moment my eyes open to the moment they close, so really, to me, this was not really a lot of food. I am going to work out the calorie value estimate to see if I got enough total energy but in general this food diary helped me to realise;

1. Some more good fats would have helped to fill me up. Adding some almonds with the grapes would have helped to decrease hunger I think.

2. Only 1 fruit pack on a 60km ride is not enough - The last 20km I was getting 'the stares' and zoning out which isn't great for performance, but in mid morning traffic its just dangerous.

3. Adding more fats and protein to the first half of the day might help me to switch the balance so that most of my food is eaten by 1pm.

So, you see, these diaries can be invaluable. They keep you accountable and offer you the chance to make targeted changes that aren't based on broad nutritional guidelines but on what works for your body, your workouts, your schedule.

Try one today and see how you go.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby.

Dinner with some of my lovely ladies recently was a really timely reminder of an important concept for us overachieving A-type personalities.

We were having some general chit chat about my blog when one friend told me that they read about my training and thought I was 'so disciplined'. This came as a bit of a shock to me. I mean, I just do what I do. And I expect, 100%, this level of training from myself.
The comment took me back a few years to when I was overweight, unfit, smoking and thinking that a whole pack of Latina ravioli covered in cheese was a viable dinner. Back then I dreamed that if I could run 5km (I couldn't run more than 300m), 5 times a week, I would be at the pinnacle of fitness, I would have arrived. And I have been moving the goal posts ever since.

On our unending endeavor to reach for the stars, sometimes we forget to turn around and look at how wonderfully far we have already come.

It can be so easy to have goals or 'shoulds' that you set yourself. The problem is that when you chronically have your eyes set on the prize, you don't look around an awful lot, nor do you look back, which can result in the feeling that you are 'never quite there'. If you keep moving the goal posts, chances are that you will do spectacular things and reach spectacular heights, but, in turn, if you keep moving the goal posts you may not take time to stop, be proud, be thankful and be still.

So today on my long ride in the crisp Autumn air, sun shining on my face, I took time to think about how far I have come, rather than all the things I want to be able to achieve in the future. And it was grand. For a moment in time, I even thought that at this rate of progress, I'm fairly sure I will make the Australian cycling team by the time I'm 65 (assuming that all progress is linear of course).

Not a bad view on the morning ride.

This is, quite literally, my office. Thankful much?

So go ahead guys, no matter where you are at, take time today and be thankful; that your legs work, that you are strong, that you have trained your brain enough to push through physical barriers, that the sky may be the limit, but that my oh my, you've come a long way, baby.

Super Dooper Blueberry Recovery Smoothie

Before you cry 'ugh another smoothie recipe", let me say something in my defense.

When I thought up this smoothie, I had one thing and one thing only on my mind. Recovery. I had done a 2hr brick session (ride then run) and weights and I was aiming to have fresh legs the next day. So I stood in my kitchen and pondered the best smoothie I could make to give my tired lil' body some love. This is what I came up with...

Super Dooper Blueberry Recovery Smoothie

Serves 1

300mls Almond milk
1 serve Raw protein powder
1heaped tsp Glutamine powder
1heaped tsp Maca powder
1/2c frozen Blueberries
1/3 Banana
1handful Spinach

Blend and serve.

The protein I used was a raw protein, meaning it is made from sprouted seeds and grains, making it alkaline, vegan and very easy to digest. I'm relatively confident that you could use your preferred protein for this. So why these ingredients...

Raw Protein - contains plant based enzymes which help with inflammation caused by exercise. It is also an alkaline way of getting protein to repair your muscles ie. it should help to decrease the amount of acid in my body after the lactic acid build up from the bike.

Spinach - Again, very alkalising and contains B vits which help to decrease buildup of some inflammatory markers

Blueberries - Super high in antioxidants which help to counteract the damage done on a cellular level. Keep in mind that you want this damage to occur, that's how we adapt and make changes in our bodies. The key is how well we repair this damage.

Banana - Good source of potassium lost through sweat and carbohydrates to replace what we have used for fuel.

Glutamine -  This is an amino acid, which are the building blocks of protein. Glutamine, particularly, can aid in muscle recovery but also gut recovery. When we do long, intense sessions we can start to stress our guts and the glutamine comes in to act as food for the tiny little cells in our digestive systems that make everything absorb properly. A healthy gut goes a long way to healthy recovery.

Maca - This is a nutrient rich powder that contains over 60 phyto-chemicals (plant chemicals) that act in varying ways to restore health. One of its traditional uses is as an adaptogen, which simply put, means that it helps our hormone and immune systems in times of stress to regulate and adapt. Endurance exercise has a big impact on our hormones and immune system so the Maca can play a part in helping with this.


I'm glad to report...my smoothie worked. Next day the legs were fresh as a daisy. So I tried it that day as well...and same effect on the following day. So that, to me, appears to have been scientifically proven by science. Give it a try and see what you think!


Until next time...train hard and love life.

New Bike & Re-Worked Sandwiches

Easter can be a dangerous time of year. Lets be honest. Ladies like to shop. There are some exceptions, but alas, I am not one of them. Whilst I do love to buck a trend I must confess that I am absolutely, sterotypically, mad about shopping. I am sensible for the most part, which means that if I already have a pair of tan leather boots, then I wont buy another pair until at least a season and a half later. Look at me being all thrifty and what not. What is dangerous, is combining a girl who likes to shop with a girl who loves a good long ride. At nearly $2K a pop for a starting price, new bikes can set one back a little further than a pair of tan boots. And there is so much more opportunity to rationalise needing said new bike. The first being that its really pretty.The second being that, well, I can ride it to work every now and then.And the third ... well, I just want it. Check out my little baby here (its the white and gold one).

I decided not to go with carbon. I am not fast enough, nor do I do enough k's a week to warrant it. When I start clocking over 200km a week on the bike I will reconsider it. I think the switch from a flat bar roadie that isn't fitted to me, to a roadie that is fitted exactly to my specs will make a huge difference alone.

Now don't talk to me about cleets. It is a heated discussion amongst members of my family that I have to wear them and quite frankly, I plan on resisting for as long as I can. So yes, I'm going to buy a brand new bike and get them to put caged pedals on it. So what.

Get ready for an album of 'me and my bike' the day after I get it. It will go something like this...'this is me and my bike at the zoo, and us at brunch, and us just hanging together at the beach'... I know, you can't wait right!

Easter food has been amazing. Delicious fresh salads with a mix of summer and winter vegetables, as its been so unseasonably warm in Melbourne of late, we are all a bit confused as to what we should be eating. One day you are getting out the pumpkin and eggplant and roasting them with your lamb backstraps and the next its all about carrot and currant salads with flaked almonds and grilled fish. This week it warmed up again and I was craving a re-worked sandwich. I find sandwiches pretty boring, but this satay tofu and spinach pita pocket was just what the doctor ordered.

Satay Tofu & Baby Spinach Pita Pocket

Serves 1

2 Squares satay tofu (find it in the fridge section of your supermarket), cut into strips
Handful baby spinach
1/4 Avocado, sliced
1 Mini wholemeal pita bread

Cut the Pita in half and gently pry it open. Place spinach, then avocado, then tofu into pocket gently so that it does not rip. Serve and enjoy.

Packed with vegetarian protein, good fats, alkalising greens and complex carbohydrates, this is a great balanced meal. You could also make a whole pocket and just eat half for a snack and save the other half for later.

Happy training this week!

Belly-lovin Protein Bars

I don't know anyone who doesn't want rock hard abs, or at least a flat stomach. I get asked almost on a daily basis how you make it happen. The answer is really very simple. Eat well, exercise regularly, work your inner and outer abs a few times a week and voila!

Now if you're starting from scratch, it might take a little time for the fat to be lost, but persistence will pay off. And when it comes to your diet I do not mean depriving yourself of whole food groups for exactly 8 weeks then eating mashed potato, chocolate and pizza exclusively for the next 6, because it was all you could think of. Now that is just insane!

I mean including flat belly loving foods like;
Nuts and seeds
Lean meats
Eggs
Fish
Lentils & legumes
Vegetables
Fresh fruits, especially berries, apples & pears
Coconut oil, flax oil
Natural yoghurt

These foods, all in one way or another, encourage healthy body fat levels. They are filled with compounds that help energy levels. They help me to feel well.

The other piece of the puzzle...the abs workout. I do this at least 3 times a week. It only takes about 7 minutes. I do 3 rounds till I can't do no more. ALWAYS quality over quantity with abs.

I do Side planks, front planks and a regular pilates crunch, extending alternating legs each time I crunch up (impossible to find a picture of this, but you should get my drift). When I really want to be challenged I do this circuit every day for 7 days and begin to think that I may give the Bodyrock chick a run for her money. In the interest of full disclosure, there is a fair chance I may never give her a run for her money in the abs department. I may die trying.

And of course I would never leave you without a delicious little recipe...

This one rocked my world. It is a raw nut and seed bar that with coconut oil and agave to sweeten. That means that not only does this taste awesome, its full of good fats, enzymes, protein, b vitamins, zinc, you name it, its likely in there. And for those of you on an anti-candida diet, just go easier on the agave and you will have a rare glimmer of deliciousness in that nasty, nasty diet.

Why so good for your belly you ask? The coconut oil has a compound in it which acts similarly to some antibiotics given for getting rid of bugs in your belly. PLUS it helps to stop muscle loss. Does this get any better?

I have given you a recipe for a chocolate and a vanilla protein version. And because you will have so much time this long weekend, why not make both.

Raw Chocolate Nut & Seed Bars

Serves 12

1/2 c each of Almonds, Walnuts, Sunflower seeds & Pepitas
3 Medjool dates
2T Agave syrup or pure maple syrup
2T Cacao powder
4T Coconut oil

Place nut and seeds in food processor and blend until well chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixture and continue to blend until ingredients are well mixed.

Place cling wrap in a plastic container measuring approx 10cm x 18cm, so that it covers the bottom and sides. Pour nut and seed mix into container and pack down with the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge for 1hr.

After 1 hr, remove the slice from the container and cut into 12 pieces. Place gently back into the container and keep in the freezer. To serve, simply take a bar straight from the freezer and enjoy!

The same process can be followed for the following recipe. This one will have a little less sugar and pack more protein.

Vanilla Protein Nut & Seed Bars

Serves 12

1c Brazil nuts
1/3c each of Almonds, Pepitas & Sunflower seeds
2T Agave
4T Coconut oil
1/4c Vanilla Pea Protein Powder

Have a great Easter weekend guys, and remember ... Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right.