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Saying goodbye to the old me!
92 days
I am pleased to say that I have reached another great milestone. And no, it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with weight. Well, not exactly anyway. While I am 1.5 kilograms away from losing the big 2-0 – the onset of a sinus infection and flu has certainly proven challenging to shift the pounds at the moment. But, I’ve done something else big! I went through my closet and have removed what I am calling my “fat” clothes. I removed each item from the cupboard – and proceeded to try it on. I couldn’t believe how many things, especially pants and skirts – that had become completely unwearable!
Just to give you an indication – this is me, wearing my belt on the notch I was on when I started losing weight.
Pretty cool, hey? And, this is the massive pile of clothes I have now sold on eBay.
I’m still hoping to lose another 15 to 20 kilos – so buying a whole new wardrobe is out of the question. But, buying a few bits and pieces to get me through is critical – a girl needs to wear clothes!! So, I went out and did a bit of shopping. I ended up at a shop I had been to during summer. I tried the below pants on in a size 18 – and they were quite firm. I decided not to buy them, because I was pumped to lose weight. So, trying them on again, six months later – you’ll never guess what size I am. I fitted snugly into a size 14!! I nearly fell over when I looked at the tag. Yes, they are stretch jeans, yes, they probably are a generous size – but I don’t care!! I also tried a jacket on the other day – also a size 14. It also fitted! My broad shoulders and large arms always left me wearing a size 20 to 22 in a jacket, but to be in a 14 is amazing! So, here is me, in my size 14 jeans. They are meant to be 3/4 pants – but not amount of weight loss will make me taller! But they have some bling on them and I LOVE them!
All I have to do now is get over the winter cold so I can get back to the gym and the pool! Thankfully I haven’t put on any weight – go me!
Now that I have cleaned out my clothes – I really am beginning to own the new person I have become, embrace it and continue on. This is beginning to feel less like a short-term journey and more like a way of life. How do I know this? Well, I have been sick, a number of things have gotten in my way over the past few weeks – and there is no guilt for that. I don’t feel like I’m on a bandwagon I can fall off of. I’m just living my life, the ups and the downs – and getting on with it. It’s not perfect – but that’s ok 
In the pursuit of balance – in the next few days I will have a recipe for you – for the most amazing homemade ice-cream – no fancy machines required! Stay tuned
And … we’re back … with crispy pork belly!
412 days
Yes, that’s right, I’m back after a bit of a blogging break. It wasn’t necessarily intentional – but my mind was telling me I needed to stop talking and just knuckle down and get on with life.
Over the past two weeks many things have happened. I have eaten lots of yummy food, had a lot of fun, exercised a lot, and spent quite a bit of time planning for our wedding. As of today, it’s six months and four days away – to be precise.
Last weekend, I finally got measured for my wedding dress! It’s been ordered and will probably be here in early September. I have to say, despite enjoying the process of venue shopping, entertainment selection, buying the most amazing shoes and chatting to my fiancée about everything from table decorations to wedding music selection, the ceremony and … of course … our excitement about getting to select and taste our menu for the day – hearing that my dress was on the way made me think – “yup, I’m excited”!
Losing 18 kilos and being able to stand on a little box in a wedding dress shop and look at the reflection looking back – and not feel repulsed (no, it’s not too stronger word – that’s how I used to feel) – was a great feeling. Not only that – I felt beautiful. I felt happy and like I had really achieved something. It was a pretty cool feeling, to say the least! I have been waiting to feel that sence of achievement and happiness. It was worth the wait Sadly, I can’t share a photo with you as my future husband does sometimes read this blog. I’ll have a ball sharing my dress photos - from first trying it on in September of 2010 at 112 kilos – through to now after losing 18 kilos … who knows here I’ll be when our wedding day arrives! One thing I do know is that I will be 100 per cent focused on marrying Matt – and not on being paranoid about how I look. That will be a first!
I have also taken up swimming over the last few weeks, and I’m going great guns! While I’m still uncomfortable parading around in a swimsuit (which is getting loser and loser) it’s worth it. At the end of my swim I jump in the sauna and steam room, both which help relax my muscles, and I have found my recovery from my two personal training sessions each week has improved incredibly! I’ve also started walking, and my fasciitis has improved as well. Go me!
However, one thing that has suffered a little is my food intake. No, I haven’t fallen off the rails and started drinking coke and binging on evil things – but I have become more relaxed. I ate brie cheese at my friend’s house, and some chips too. I go to Matt’s parent place and enjoy a glass or two of bubbly, sometimes I drink too much coffee and I feel like my portion sizes have been increasing since the weather has turned bitterly cold. My committment to exercise almost everyday has helped combat any dramatic weight gains – but in saying that, I haven’t lost anything dramatic either. But hey – it’s ok. This isn’t a race to starve and deprive myself. So, I have been a bit more relaxed … I don’t feel guilty about that.
But, I do feel like it’s time to look at my food again and just tighten up. I need to get to that 20 kilo goal and keep moving! The 90′s, like the 100′s before them, are getting old. It’s time to get into the 80s!
But, before we go tightening our belts – here’s the recipe for crispy pork belly, inspired by Jamie Oliver, which I cooked for my mum for Mother’s Day dinner. It went down a treat with roasted beetroot and braised cabbage. YUM!!
Crispy Pork Belly
- 1.5kg pork belly
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 red onions, halved
- 2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
- 2 sticks of celery, chopped in half
- 1 bulb of garlic, skin on, broken into cloves
- a small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 600ml water or stock
- 1 tbs of flour
Method:
Preheat your oven to 220 degrees. Place your pork on your chopping board and make scores about a centimetre apart through the skin into the fat, but not so deep that you cut into the meat. Chances are you will buy it from the butcher or supermarket already scored … and if so, you can skip this step!
Rub a generous amount of salt into the scores on the skin and then brush off any excess. Season the underside with salt and pepper and pop the belly in a baking tray, skin side-up and place in the oven.
Roast for about half an hour – you will hear it sizzling away in the oven and after half an hour, you will see it start to puff and crackle. Turn the heat down to 180 and roast for another hour. I found half way through that the bottom of the pork was getting a bit dark – so I popped some of the onions I had cut up under it to just lift it off the hot pan.
After the hour, take the pork out of the oven, remove it from the pan and pop it onto a plate. Add all the veg, garlic and thyme to the tray and then place the pork on top of everything and put it all back in the oven.
Cook for another 45 minutes to an hour, keeping an eye on it to ensure that the crackling doesn’t burn. Carefully move the meat onto some foil. Wrap the bottom, but leave the crackling visit. You don’t want to steam from the foil to soften it, but you want the meat to keep warm and rest.
To make the gravy – spoon away any fat in the tray, put the tray on the stove top over a medium heat and add the stock. Sprinkle with the flours and stir, using a whisk until all lumps are gone and bring the sauce to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those lovely sticky tasty bits on the bottom of the tray.
When you’ve got a nice, dark gravy, pour it through a sieve into a saucepan and continue to reduce until you are happy with the consistency. Take this opportunity to skim any impurities from the top as well.
Taste it as this point and check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, as required.
Serve the pork with the crackling, gravy and a bit of Dijon mustard on the side.
I also served this with braised cabbage and roasted beetroot with a balsamic vinaigrette. I’ll post these recipes soon, but until then, enjoy this special little treat. Your portion sizes need not be huge – pork belly is very filling!
This is me, my mum and my brother enjoying our evening together for Mother Day:
I might only be a mummy to three furbabies - but my wonderful fiancée still did the dishes for me. I’m just luckier than most women – Matt almost always does the dishes, it doesn’t need to be a special occasion. Spoilt!
Hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful day!
Enjoy~
Lisa
Food Diary Day 3: New beginnings
037 days
As much as I love food and cooking – sometimes food just isn’t a focus and it becomes merely an essential thing to fuel you throughout the day.
It probably should be argued that this is the attitude we should take to food more – that it’s about fuel more than feast and pleasure – but this is still a concept I struggle with. It’s important to me to enjoy my meals – but when days are busy and full of distractions – basic and easy food is usually the way to go. And no, it’s not an excuse to get takeaway food or eat processed rubbish – but a good reason to eat simply.
The morning started with a little yogurt quickly eaten at my desk.
This breakfast was filling and lovely, but unfortunately eaten a little later than I should have, so I didn’t feel much like a snack.
Lunch consisted of a gym work out – 25 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and cross trainer and then a decent weights session, mostly working my core muscles, back and arms. By this stage I was definitely hungry. Today, it was a repeat of this combo – Burgen bread, avocado, tomatoes and lemon juice – yum!
In the afternoon, it was a portion of my nutty snacks. I really enjoyed this combination.
The excitement of the day came when we got to pick up our new cat – Penelope. We rescued her from the pound and she is such a sweetheart. It really took my focus away from the constant banter in my head of “what should I eat for … should I go to the gym, or the pool?” etc. A welcome distraction and my chance to play mummy to the new kitty.
Isn’t she so cute! She had to have an operation before she could come home – so she’s been quiet. But we love her already and she’s starting to settle in to our little furbaby family.
While she was resting – I made an old favourite of mine – a dish I feel like I have been making my whole life – tuna mornay. Not totally the best nutritional choice – but hopefully the use of skim milk helped somewhat.
As for our other babies – well we are taking our time to introduce everyone. Penelope has stitches and so she doesn’t need to get too excited. But, she has her own bedroom, a comfy basket and lots of food – so she will hopefully be happy to rest up in there for a while before we introduce her to her brothers Angel, who is 10 this year.
It would seem Angel is trying on his (yes, Angel is a boy) veil for his upcoming wedding LOL. I love this photo:-)
And little Gus – I hope he likes his new sister and that they won’t argue terribly.
Despite a hectic and exciting day, I was pretty happy with my food choices and thrilled that I got to the gym. I guess sometimes you just have to go with the flow and things somehow work out for the best. Welcome home Penelope xoxo
Food Diary Day 2 – Many lessons learned
038 days
Over the past five months there is a valuable lesson I have learnt – not to let myself starve!
I would frequently sit at my desk at 11am in the morning, with no breakfast in my stomach, no water in my system and the only thing being processed by my body was a latte and the nicotine from two cigarettes.
That’s right – until September last year – I smoked.
I had quit on and off throughout my life – one time for about two years- but I went back to it when my life spun into turmoil and I hadn’t been able to give them away – until I got sick in September last year.
I haven’t had a cigarette since – and rather than packing on the weight, like most people understandably do – I have lost 16 kilos since.
I have also successfully trained myself to eat breakfast – which I never did, not even as a teen – and to exercise as well. Not bad in six months, really
However, I haven’t really taken to snacking. I’m always famished just before lunch and dinner … My goodness am I hungry! So, what do you do when you eat and you’re starving? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m much more likely to eat more than what I really need because all I can think about is food and how much I want it in my tummy. It wreaks havoc on portion control – and for the guilt factor too.
I’d tried bringing fruit to work – that worked a bit – and then I’d buy these huge bags of nuts from the shops – but that’s dangerous because if you don’t break them up into portion sizes, if you’re like me, you’ll sit there and mindlessly munch and crunch and before you know it, a healthy snack has turned into a feast you should never have partaken in.
A colleague of mine recommended a cool thing you can get delivered to your work to ensure you have some healthy snacks on hand – it’s called HarvestBox. It’s a box that gets delivered one a week, on whatever day you like – and it’s filled with portion-controlled morsels of nuts and dried fruit. I was super excited when it arrived -
- and so far, it’s very scrumptious at about 3pm.
This portion of goodness had dried cherries, almonds and also tiny buttons of bittersweet chocolate. OMG - YUM! Just enough chocolate to give you the taste, but not enough to make you feel like you did something naughty. Perfect!
As for the rest of my meals – the second day of the week is Tom Yum Soup Tuesday – and so that’s what I had for lunch.
After enjoying my morning snack and a big lunch – I didn’t feel like anything in the afternoon.
After work I headed to the gym to do 40 minutes of cardio – bike, cross trainer, 100 floors on the step machine and then the treadmill. Sweat was flowing and the heart rate was definitely up!
Then it was home to make us a nice dinner. A Kashmiri curry – with a tomato and yogurt base, chicken, beans, carrots and green capsicum, and some yellow rice.
These are the bowls I use to dish up – the square one is Matt’s and the round one is mine – and significantly smaller.
Six months ago if I’d dished up my dinner in this bowl, I would have felt like I wasn’t having s propped dinner. At first, I did feel hungry – but now I’m very happy with this portion size.
Plus, the curry was delish!
I’m really proud of myself that I have been able to break some serious habits – smoking, not eating breakfast – and creating new habits like exercising, and now, snacking on healthy things to ensure I’m not starving and therefore giving me my best chance of making good food choices.
But, I’m not perfect – far from it. Obviously I have another habit to break – which I told you about yesterday (click here for my confession) - but I’ll never be perfect! All I can do is keep working to improve myself. I’m going to have slip ups and meltdowns and the like – but, that’s ok.
Food Diary Day 1: Bad habits exposed!
439 days
It’s day one of my food diary and already I have a terrible confession.
Monday started off quite well – I managed to eat fruit – drink two litres of water and snack on vegies.
But, there is no avoiding admitting the existence of my worst eating habit.
But, let’s focus on the good first!
Breakfast
Yogurt and strawberries – delish! – Previously I have normally eaten toast for brekky with a mug of coffee. But, I wanted something a bit different and I want to stop relying on bread quite so much.
Snack:
Carrot sticks and hommus - this hommus is store brought – but with no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. It’s sooo yummy! I probably ate a total of three tablespoons of the hommus with a whole carrot.
Lunch
Toast with lean ham and guacamole.
This is just fabulous! I have discovered Burgen bread. In my pursuit to eat cleanly – I want things to be processed as little as possible. This bread is great. I first discovered it when I was diagnosed with PCOS because it is low GI, and has no preservatives or artificial stuff. YAY!
For this I mixed together half an avocado with 1 roma tomato, the juice of half a lime and some salt and pepper. You could add coriander if you want to be fancy. I also had it with some ham for protein and yumminess.
Dinner
This has been one of the most popular dishes in our house of late – broccoli salad with chorizo and haloumi.
If you’d like the recipe for this – and I can highly recommend it – click here
I also enjoyed two cups of tea, with milk and one sugar in each to top of a lovely day of food.
Exercise
As planned – I went at lunch time and did a 40-minute work out including bike, treadmill and cross-traner. No weights today – but I did jog for a bit on the treadmill – and my goodness my foot hurt! It doesn’t happen when I run outside – so maybe there’s something going on with my running technique on the treadmill? Somethign to chat to my trainer about on Friday.
Now it’s time to confess…
Until recently, I never told anyone about this because I have felt so ashamed. So, here goes ….
I get up in the middle of the night … and I eat! 
I know – it’s so bad! This was something I had stopped all together for about two months. But, for some reason, the evil sabotager inside my head is waking at night and I’m eating.
When I say eating – I mean that I woke up last night and ate two coconut chocolate balls that Matt got as a gift for helping someone out – and a small glass of milk. So, I’m not getting up and making bacon and eggs or something like that – but it’s eating non the less.
I guess you’re trying to figure out what I’m thinking – and so am I! I don’t even really think about it all that much – I just do it.
But, it’s got to stop! Does anyone else eat at odd times – like 3am? My feeling is that it’s purely psychological – I’m certainly not waking up hungry. I think my brain it trying to sabotage me … and it’s very upsetting because I spend the whole next day thinking about it and feeling guilty.
So, I’ll make that another goal – no more bed time snacking! Just typing it is making me cringe – but I have to face it head on and beat it!
I think I’m addicted to my scales!
040 days
Spending three weeks hovering around the same weight can be pretty depressing when all you want it to do is move!
I have been able to say for that time that I have lost 15 kilos – but that number really is getting boring.
In fact – all numbers are starting to get a little old. So, despite the fact I have had another victory and shed another kilo – so I can now say I have lost 16 (woo hoo!) – I think a new goal, or two, is in order.
I’m figuring out that being so weight-focused is not really healthy. I weigh myself almost every morning, and sometimes at night (so silly – and distressing!!) - and, for the last three weeks, this has presented varying degrees of disappointment – until yesterday. I was throughly thrilled to get away from the numbers 96 and 97 and firmly hit 95.4. I was starting to think my scales were broken!
So, now that the plateau is past – I was thinking to myself – why not change the focus to exercise and eating, rather than just setting expectations around weight? I also want to get away from thinking that the scales are my only indicator of success. I mean, that makes better sense, right? You should aim to improve the behaviours around weight, not just the weight itself. I mean obviously I do think about my eating and have committed to exercise – but I want to improve further. I want to congratulate myself for being a better person – for not giving in and for caring about myself.
So – two new goals:
Goal 1. Exercise every day until May 5.
May 5 is the day I get measured for my wedding dress – so, I figured a short-term exercise goal would be awesome – and I’m allowed to reward myself for achieving it as the end. I mean, I might not always feel like doing an hour at the gym – but even a 30 minute walk – or a swim. In fact – I tried my hand at swimming yesterday – and it was awesome! I’m a little afraid of the deep pool (being very short, it’s all deep to me!), but I got used to it and swam for 30 minutes. I did stop at the ends to rest my arms quite frequently, and to get my breath back. I also went and enjoyed the sauna, and the spa. I think this is going to be great for my recovery – especially my fatiitus. But, I think the biggest benefit will be for my general soreness (sometimes I think every muscle in my body is crying). I just have to commit to doing something exercise related each day. On average I have been exercising three to four times a week at the gym - so this is an awesome goal. After May 5 – I hope this will continue on.
I think my exercise calendar will look something like this:
Monday: Gym – lunch time work out
Tuesday: Walk, probably after work along the waterfront
Wednesday: Gym – lunch time work out
Thursday: Swim, spa and sauna – after work. Thursday is Matt’s pizza night. So, I’m going to make it vego night where I will cook myself something entirely vegetarian. I have wanted to do this for ages! This week – vegie curry. YUM!
Friday: Gym – 7am personal training
Saturday: Swim, spa and sauna – in the morning and will be really good recovery from my hard Friday session
Sunday: Walk – any time of day will do!
Goal 2: Eat clean, reduce sugar, and keep a food diary
When I say “eat clean” – I mean trying to cut back as much as possible on processed foods. Now I have never been a “processed” foods kind of girl. If you can cook, there’s no need to rely on pre-made rubbish. But, Weight Watchers does call for a bit of that stuff – they want you to use their special spread stuff that is full of chemicals, they have these frozen meal things which I wouldn’t touch with a 40-foot pole and they like to promote “low-fat” stuff.
Well, I have done quite a bit of research and I think I am going to steer away from “low-fat”, as this quite often means “high sugar”. Many products may have less fat – but quite often more sugar is added to compensate for the loss of flavour. So, proper butter, full-fat cheese and yogurt it is – but, of course, portion control becomes even more important. I don’t want to eat or drink chemicals, and this post-diabetic body of mine doesn’t need added sugar – which will quickly turn to unwanted fat. You do need good fats to lose weight – and so I am going to get them through avocado, olive oil and the like.
I used to be firmly addicted to Coke – but I never replaced it with the diet variety. I do often have Equal in my coffee when I go to a cafe – but I am going to cut that out too. I’m not going to put any more chemicals in my body. I know some people will read this and say that “diet” food has worked for them. That’s fine and I respect that everyone has a theory about this (trust me, I’ve had that much advice, criticism, encouragement etc), but I like the idea of eating clean and I’m going to do it. So, rather than have two sugars – I’m cutting is back to one.
I’ve also stopped tracking my food through Weight Watchers. It was so useful to learn portion control, and I still enjoy their recipes, tips and advice. I really do believe in their method. While I am still going to use their tools to determine what points food is – I want to go it alone a bit more. So, from tomorrow, I am going to post on here what I am eating for the week, each day. I think I will do this from time to time (maybe once a month) - because it’ll keep me honest and on track.
So, these are my goals set. YAY! Now, I’m off to the gym! See you tomorrow for the first day of my food diary
P.S I now have a page on the blog dedicated to my weight loss journey – which I am calling The Great Foodie Weight Loss Experiement. I hope you’ll click here and check it out. It has all the posts I have done so far, some before and after photos etc. Enjoy~
Split pea soup – filling, flavoursome and fabulous!
044 days
The weather is getting cooler and cooler and as that happens – you start craving comfort food.
I absolutely adore comfort food – but with my determination to be healthier and shed these excess kilos – I want to do it in a healthy way – the low GI way.
I found this recipe on one of my favourite food blogs -A Full Measure of Happiness. Not only are the recipes wonderful – but the photos are great too. Make sure you head over and check it out!
This recipe for split pea soup was for the slow cooker – but as I went to get it out of the cupboard – I realised I had lent it to a friend. So, I had a think and decided rather than going down the slow cooking route – I’d make this fast! So, out came the pressure cooker and, including preparation – this was on the table in no less than 40 minutes. Not bad for a soup that was going to take 4 to 6 hours.
This recipe also called for a ham bone – I spoke to my butcher and he had smoked ham hocks. I decided that was an even better option, and my goodness it added really awesome flavour to this dish.
This is great if you’re having people over for lunch on a cold Sunday afternoon. For me, it’s a complete meal. I’m not sure what the inclusion of the ham hock does to the calorie count on this – and it has potato too – but I think the fact the rest of it is vegies, that it all balanced out in the end. This will serve about eight people and freezes extremely well.
Split pea soup
- 2 small onions
- 1 large
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- few sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 2 cups of green dried split peas
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 3 cups of water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Start by dicing all the veggies.
Pop your ham hock in your pressure cooker or slow cooker.
Then add the vegies you have diced.
Add the split peas, stock, water herbs and garlic and give it a quick stir.
Pop the lid on. If using a pressure cooker – pop it over high heat until it comes under pressure, then reduce the heat and cook under pressure for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to reduce naturally before releasing the lid. If in the slow cooker, cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or until the peas are soft and delish.
At the end of the cooking process, remove the ham hock and take off the meat.
iiii
Once it’s in small chunks, add it back to the soup – stir and taste and adjust seasoning, as required.
While the split peas are wonderfully healthy, it’s still important to keep your wits about you when serving this up. A small bowl will leave you feeling wonderfully satisfied and warm, without the guilt of over-indulgence.
This is the first of many great soup recipes I hope to try over the ensuing cold months. Can’t wait to eat more lentils and things like that. I really love them.
The freezer is a good option for any leftovers and it makes a smashing lunch! Enjoy!
And the doctor said …. does weightloss really improve inner health?
047 days
by UforicFood
in Recipes
The view I got to enjoy from my run this morning - thought I'd share it with you a;;
Back in November I sat in my doctor’s office … Nervous about what he would say.
I’d blurted out that I was motivated and ready to start my weight loss journey.
But, when you make an announcement like that – while people generally greet you with enthusiasm and encouragement, it’s hard not to notice the flicker of doubt in their eyes. They hope you don’t fail, but they believe there is a good chance that you will.
For my doctor sitting across from me – he was really rapt. With a list of health issues from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) to Type 2 Diabetes – both of which I was diagnosed with at the young age of 23 – what doctor wouldn’t want to hear that from their patient? While my cholesterol was never in a danger zone – it could be improved.
But, like many people who embark on trying to lose weight – and while what I am about to say may seem really crazy – the health benefits weren’t necessarily front of mind.
But, regardless, my doctor came up with a great idea. He handed me a piece of paper with a list of blood tests to get done once I had shed some weight. His theory was that we could compare them with the current blood test results I had on file. He hoped the new results would show an improvement in my inner health and act as additional motivation to keep going.
At the time, I didn’t think much if it. I wanted to lose weight for many reasons – my inner health was one of them – but I suppose my priority was to drop a few dress sizes and to improve my outer image and therefore my self-confidence.
So, I popped the slip ordering the blood tests in my bag, and headed off on my journey – which also saw me attend Weight Watchers and to the gym to enlist a personal trainer.
Four months on, many things have changed. I have learnt about how to eat – and realized that despite the fact I have been consuming food for 28 years of my life – I wasn’t doing it very well. I have also learnt about exercise – the great benefits of it and how hard it can be. I have also learnt about injury and how bloody horrible it is and how challenging it can make things.
I think the biggest thing of all that I have learnt is that this is a journey of ups and downs and a battle of the mind. Injury, frustration, fledging motivation and temptation being the lows, and weight loss, great work out sessions, the great support of my friends, family and blogging community being the highs.
A few weeks ago when I had officially lost 12 kilos – I was having a handbag clean out and found the slip my doctor had given me ordering the tests on my inner health. Suddenly – I was very interested in knowing if I had done anything to improve my less than impressive health for a 28-year-old.
As I sat back in front of my doctor – I was suddenly quite nervous. At the end of the day, these test results now felt like a real indicator of success – more than the somewhat vain goal of reducing dress sizes and therefore looking better.
The results? While my cholesterol had not been really bad – it was now at 4.1 – a brilliant result. But, best of all, my blood sugar is now well within normal range. You could go as far as saying that I am no longer a diabetic! Just incredible! I was nothing short of thrilled. We also went through some other tests, all of which had improved on last time.
My doctor, with a big smile on his face – told me that I could live an extra 10 to 15 years thanks to my weight loss and the fabulous improvement in my inner health.
At the end of the day, I love my life and, more than anything, I want to be around to enjoy it for as long as I can. The results spur me on to continue my healthy lifestyle and to never give up!
This week I’m aiming to shake things up. So, I’m hitting the pool! They do say change is as good as holiday!
How much do you think about your inner health? Does it spur you to eat in a healthier way, or do you think more about how you look on the outside? Share your experiences and tell us what keeps you motivated in the comments section below.
The Deck Cafe and Bar – the best views, excellent coffee and delish food!
352 days
by UforicFood
in Recipes
If you’re looking for something to do over the Easter break, and even into the colder months approaching - I think it pays to jump in the car if you live in Victoria – and head for Anglesea.
There’s a hidden gem there that everyone should check out.
It has amazing views …
… but The Deck Cafe also has really delicious food.
We popped down to Anglesea on Sunday to see dad at his shop, Anglesea Fruitz.
He was pretty happy when we decided to come in the afternoon, because he’s been keen to take me here since the start of summer.
The cafe is run by American expat Chris – and he has done a wonderful job of creating a relaxed atmosphere.
The cafe is part of the Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club House and was an absolutely ideal place to hang out and have a bite to eat on a Sunday afternoon.
The menu ranges from burgers and fish and chips to risotto and pasta – and great specials are written up on a fabulous looking surfboard.
Matt and I had a delicious pumpkin risotto - perfectly cooked, beautifully seasoned and really flavourful.
Dad had a burger, which is said was fantastic as well.
While the cafe itself isn’t anything fancy - it’s the home of a life saving club – and not really its aim. But with sweeping views of Anglesea’s main beach, and an incredible deck to sit on – there’s no other place I’d rather eat in Anglesea.
I always have the utmost respect for people who run a place, whether it be a cafe, accommodation, or a shop of some kind – and are really passionate and genuinely care about what they do. That’s what you’ll find here.
So, if you can get down to the Great Ocean Road – stop by Anglesea and go and visit Chris at The Deck Cafe. And don’t let the colder months hold you back. While businesses in this part of the world thrive on tourism in the summer months when people are keen to head down and sun themselves on the magnificent beaches – they also need to get through the colder seasons when people aren’t so keen on seaside getaways.
I know I may sound biased, seeing as my family owns Anglesea Fruitz - but the quieter months really are a dilemma for all businesses in areas such as these.
Matt and I actually make a point of going to places at times of year opposite to when it’s popular – simply because we enjoy peace and quiet – and I personally love the idea of supporting areas who depend on tourism during their quieter times. You can always bet on the best deals, individualised service and the local business owners are always glad to have your business.
A few years ago we had a short getaway in Apollo Bay in June – it was just magic! We stayed in a gorgeous little B&B – ate at the local restaurants and cafes - including the roadhouse at Wye River. While you can’t swim in the ocean without a wet suit – the scenery was no less beautiful, as you can see in this photo from our trip.
There was sunshine and blue seas – rain, and then incredible rainbows – not to mention whale watching. Incredible!
Winter holidays and day trips to the beach – I think it could really catch on!
Do you have favourite places you love to visit during quieter times? Do you head to Mount Hotham in summer or to Darwin or Cairns in the wet season? Share your off-season hot spots in the comments section below and inspire everyone to think about supporting business that rely on tourism when times are a little quieter.
A lovely picnic and the come back of The Love Cake
354 days
This weekend marked a year since Matt got down on one knee out the back of his parents’ house, while I was looking fabulously glamorous in my ugliest PJs – and asked me to marry him.
I don’t know how many times I have asked him since if he is really sure – and every time, he says yes.
I mean, I’m a pretty challenging woman at times, and I feel it’s only fair to give him him an out. But no, he swears he wants to walk down the aisle with me, even if I have been a slight bridezilla since I started planning our November 18 wedding.
Well, not so much a bridezilla – I mean Matt picked the venue, decided that it would be wonderful to have a chocolate ripple cake for our wedding cake (I so agree!!) and we have decided everything together, from colours, to bridesmaid dresses, and he was pretty much the boss of the honeymoon. He also wanted a band with drums … Done!
But I suspect I enjoy talking about the wedding a little more than him. But hey, I’m a chick – surely that’s to be expected!
Ok, ok – ill stop talking about the wedding!
Anyways … To recognise that a year has gone by since the proposal, Matt suggested we head out for a picnic at the Geelong Botanic Gardens. Brilliant idea!
We walked around for a little while, and picked a lovely, shady spot.
The Geelong Botanic Gardens are really quite beautiful – and it was in this vicinity where Matty presented me with the ring – a few days after his initial proposal.
I had a real Jamie Oliver moment as I cut up kabana in the outdoors. All I needed was one of those lovely wooden chopping boards he always seems to have on hand. No such luck this time around.
We also enjoyed some lovely cured meats and some cheese – from France. It was just a little bit fancy – smelly, and completely yum!!
For desert, there were strawberries – probably more for my benefit then for Matt’s – I figured it was a healthy touch to an otherwise fairly unhealthy meal.
I’ve never really been one to “cook” picnic food. I think it’s a great time to have nibbly, antipasto type stuff that doesn’t require too much fussing.
What do you think? Do you go all out, or just pop into the local deli for some delicious delights?
What else did we do to celebrate – well, I made Matty some “love cake” – this cake has a gorgeous story behind it and, if you like, you can read about it here. But otherwise – here is the recipe. Apple, Date and Pecan Cake aka The Love Cake.
Give it a try – feed it to the man or woman you love – you never know what might happen!
APPLE, DATE AND PECAN CAKE
- ½ cup butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 vanilla bean, deseeded
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp of cinnamon
- 2 cups of sugar
- 4 tbs of hot water
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 tsp of baking soda
- 5 cups of diced Red Delicious or Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 a cup of pitted dates, diced
- 1 cup of chopped pecans
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. Mix the first 9 ingredients, add apples and nuts, mix thoroughly.
Grease a ceramic or glass baking dish with some butter. Pour in the batter and bake for 45 minutes.
Frosting:
- 1/2 a cup of butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 tbs of milk
- 2 ½ cups icing sugar
Bring the butter, brown sugar, salt and milk to the boil and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes and then add the icing sugar.
Smear on top of the cake and then serve.
