Summer Pomegranate and Pea Quinoa Salad with Marinated Lamb

 

This recipe has been adapted from Meghan Telpner's Qristmas Quinoa recipe.

Ingredients  

Serves 2 people 

Lamb & Marinade - Made by my fiance

400g of lamb fillet (200g per person)

Handful of Parsley and Mint.

Couple of sprigs of Rosemary

2 Garlic Cloves

2-3tbsp of Olive Oil

1 tsp of Chilli Flakes

Salt 

Quinoa Salad

1 cup Quinoa (soaked for 15mins and rinsed)

1 Pomegranate

1 cup of fresh or frozen Peas

Salt to taste 

Tomato & Cumber Salad

1 Tomato & 1 Cucumber diced 

Dressing
Another handful of Parsley and Mint
1 Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Half a lemon juiced
1 tsp Pomegranate Molasses

Method
About 1-2 hours before you prepare the salad place all the herbs, garlic, olive oil, salt and chilli into a blender and combine well to make the marinade. Place the meat in a zip-lock plastic bag or container and add the marinade and massage into the meat. Put this in the fridge until about 20 mins prior to cooking so that the meat can be closer to room temperature before cooking.

For the Quinoa salad, cook the grains by covering with 2 cups of water and bring to the boil then reduce down to a medium heat and cook for 20-30mins until the grains are soft and the water is absorbed. Leave this to cool before adding pomegranate seeds and lightly cooked peas.

While cooking the quinoa you can cook the lamb. Heat up a fry pan or skillet and place the meat in the pan (it should have a good sizzle when you do this otherwise its probably not hot enough), leave for about 4-5mins before turning over and giving it a further 4-5mins. The lamb should be nice a springy to the touch when you remove from the pan. Leave to rest for about 5 mins and then finely slice.

For the Dressing place everything in a blender or hand mixer and combine well. Use 1/3 of this to dress the Quinoa Salad and another 1/3 to dress the tomato and cucumbers in a separate bowl.

I served it up by placing a nice sparkly pile of Quinoa Salad on the bottom followed by slices of lamb and sprinkled the tomato and cumber over the top. You can used the last of the dressing to drizzle over the top if you wish. Deeeeeelicious!

Easy Peasy Thai Summer Salad

Wow, I can't believe it has been a whole month since my last post... this last part of the year has flown by so quickly. I sort of fell off the wagon a little bit in the last month. Giving way to the Christmas parties and all the booze and food that follows.

I've started to see a new Naturopath and I'm slowly getting back on track with my healthy eating and living goals. I will go into more detail with this in a post tomorrow. But for today I just wanted to share a delicious new recipe that I hope will help me get back on the healthy train!

For Christmas my fiance, Simon, bought me a beautiful book, Stephane Reynaud's "365 Good Reasons to Sit Down to Eat." And this recipe has been taken from this book with a couple of twists of my own.

Easy Thai Salad

Ingredients
200g Breast fillet (I bought some pre-marinated Thai Chicken from Harris Farm)
2 Carrots
2 Scallions
1/2 Bunch of Coriander
100g Shelled Cooked Prawns
1/2 Packet of Rice Vermicelli Noodles
1/3 Cup Activate Nuts in Tamari and Chili (I will post a recipe for this soon).


Dressing:
2 Garlic cloves
1 Red Chili
1 tbsp Agave Nectar
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
3 tbsp Olive or Grapeseed Oil
1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Method
Heat up a non-stick frypan and sear the chicken, then wrap in foil and put in the oven (pre-heated to 180℃). Remove from the oven in about 20 minutes and chop up into pieces to serve.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrot into ribbons and place these in a bowl. Finely chop the scallions and coriander (you could also add cucumber, celery, etc to bulk up the veggie content here), place these into the bowl with the carrots.

Cook the Vermicelli according to the packet. Usually you just need to place the noodles into some cold or warm water for 2-4 minutes.

Put the agave, fish sauce, oil, lemon juice, garlic and chili in a bottle or container and give it a good shake to combine.

Serve up all together. Chop up the nuts and sprinkle over the top for some extra crunch! I had a couple of cherry tomatoes just picked from our plant in the backyard, so I added them in as well.

Its so beautiful, fresh and flavourful! A great Summer dish.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Salmon, Pea Puree and Brocolli with Arame Salad

Thought I'd just share this delicious meal recipe with you. Had made up a rather large batch of pea puree during Meghan's Low Glycemic Challenge week (I feel like I mention her in every blog I do, but she's really a huge source of inspiration at the moment), which I had frozen.

And I also just bought 'Ripe from Around Here' by Jae Steele which had tonnes of fantastic vegan recipes, not that I am vegan, but I find it is a fantastic way to bump up my consumption of veggies.

So this recipe is a bit of a concoction of a few things but it was so damn tasty! (If I do say so myself!)

Sesame, Broccoli and Arame Salad
Ingredients
1 head of Broccoli
1/4 cup of Arame (a seaweed and rich source of iron, calcium, zinc and iodine)
2 tbsp of Tamari
2 tbsp of Sesame Oil (this might be a little rich - I think I might drop it back to 1 tbsp next time)
1/4 tsp of Dulse Flakes
1 clove of Garlic
Pepper

Method:

• Put the arame in a bowl and cover with room temperature water until the seaweed is rehydrated.
• Steam the broccoli for 2-4minutes in a steamer.
• Strain the arame - save the water and either use it for stock or put it in the garden!
• Mix together the tamari, sesame oil, dulse flakes and garlic.
• I made this a cold salad but you could just as well have it hot - simply toss the broccoli and arame in the dressing and sprinkle sesame seeds to serve.
• NB. This recipe makes enough for four people - I had the left overs today for lunch with some brown rice.

Salmon and Pea Puree: 
Ingredients
2 x 200g salmon fillets
1 x Leek
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Bag of Frozen Peas
1 bunch of fresh mint
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Method

• Sautee the leek in the olive oil in a pan until they soften
• Add the bag of frozen peas and cover with boiling water
• Let this simmer away until the peas are nice and easily mushed
• Depending on your blender you might need to let this cool
• Put the peas, leeks and mint into a blender and whir away until silky smooth
• Add Salt and Pepper to taste
• With the Salmon I drizzle some olive oil on the skin and rub this in, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper
• Get a fry pan nice and hot (no need to add any more oil)
• Place the salmon skin side down and let it sizzle away for a good 3-5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your salmon.
• Here you can either turn the heat down and turn the salmon over until it cooks most of the way through, or transfer it to a low oven to cook gently - I find using the oven insures a more even heat and helps avoid a really raw middle.

Put everything on a plate and enjoy!!

Making Time for What is Important

Image courtesy of Blissful Image

Okay! Let's go through the list I set for myself and see how well I've gone on Day 01:

• Get up 5.30am prepare a nutritious breakfast and go to the gym for pilates or yoga.

Check! I made my fiance and me a banana, cinnamon and almond smoothie and finished off some beautiful gluten-free sun-dried tomato and baby spinach tarts (thanks to the Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam). Didn't go to the gym - I figured getting a good breakfast and lunches ready for the week was more important!

• Get out of the office at lunch time for a 10 minute walk.

Check! The other designers and I wandered down around Millers Point to and back before having lunch.

• Spend at least half an hour a day reading.

Check! I read on the bus.

• Catch the bus half way home and walk the rest of the way (try 'walking meditation')

Check! I walked home from Glebe to Stanmore (for the record, that's about 3kms and I did it in 25 mins) and even ran a few blocks! Hooray!

• 2-3 hours study Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Oops! Make that Monday and Wednesday nights - and after I jump in the shower I will be getting stuck into some study!

• To prepare delicious, nutritious meals each day.

Check! My lunch was the envy of all at work today - gluten free tart, some rocket, cherry tomatoes, a little organic sheeps milk fetta and a drizzle of flaxseed and umeboshi vinegar!

• To blog and journal my experiences at least every second day.

Check! 

• Spend some time each day to focus, visualise and feel myself achieving my goals and dreams - probably whilst walking.

Check! 

• To pamper myself with a bath, foot treatment before bed, home facial as often as possible!

I'm just about to hop in the shower.

• Get to bed early.

Will do! I'm pooped! But in a good way.

Feeling good - happy that I've made the time today to get everything done that I wanted to and I've just prove to myself that it is possible to everything I want to do (and that I can motivate myself to do it). I did think that I was going to miss walking home because I was at work until 6.15 or so, but I was still home by 7.30!

I'm hoping that in a couple of weeks I'll be able to walk or jog the whole way! That's 7kms.

They say the second day is always the hardest. But I think I'm ready!

xK 

Spooky Turn of Events

Photography by Gabriela Camerotti

Wow! Sunday again, the weeks are flying by and soon it will be Christmas! I can't believe it.

Had kind of an up and down day today. Was woken at 4am by our blender starting up on its own!! Freaky! I thought the fridge or something in the kitchen was about to explode!!

So I slept pretty badly after that and quite weirdly, the shock of the noise conjured up all these strange anxieties, like I need to earn more money - how are we going to save for this wedding? I'm not loosing weight fast enough. I didn't go to the gym once this week - I am a total failure. Was the new hand blender I bought that day missing a part? How was I going to deal with them to get the part! Oh! the stress! I think my heart was racing for about 4 hours.

Really need to work on finding the lighter side of life, learn how to calm myself and take control of my anxieties. Tough gig. So thank you, Blender, for frightening me so. It has helped me create this week's new challenge.

Taking control of things and doing it with a smile.

This goes hand in hand with the book I'm reading at the moment, "Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting" by Lynn Grabhorn. It sounds like your typical, awful self-help book (and it kind of is a self-help book...) but its so light hearted and warm, even my deeply cynical side is loving it to bits. And even if I can implement just one or two things from this book I'll be a much happier person for it.

One thing I always find myself doing is holding on to the past (and not positive happy things) but all the things I didn't do. And these anxieties constantly spring out of thin air, brought on by some catalyst (like the Possessed Blender Demon) and it ruins me for hours, sometimes days.

This week I want to focus on taking responsibility for the little things I can do each day that will help alleviate the 'regrets of the future', the factors that I do have control over, right now, and letting go of those I don't or that live in the past. I love this quote from the book:

The real reality is we have come here to thrive, and prosper, and live this grand human experience in lighthearted joy, not struggle and pain. We have come here to have fun while we learn, to grow without suffering, and to harvest our desires in the absolute knowledge that we can have it all once we learn how to handle our energies... meaning... our emotions.

This idea ties back in with something I read on Wellness Warrior a little while ago about integrating daily habits that make you feel good so here goes my list of daily habits and promises to myself that I want to tick off each and every day this week:

• Weekdays - get up 5.30am prepare a nutritious breakfast and go to the gym for pilates or yoga.
• Get out of the office at lunch time for a 10 minute walk - get some vitamin D and to remind myself that there is a world outside and that I am a part of it!
• Spend at least half an hour a day reading (aside from my study) to broaden my general knowledge.
• Catch the bus half way home and walk the rest of the way (try 'walking meditation')
• 2-3 hours study Tuesday and Thursday nights
• To prepare delicious, nutritious meals each day and to make up a healthy dessert as a treat at least twice a week.
• To blog and journal my experiences at least every second day.
• Spend some time each day to focus, visualise and feel myself achieving my goals and dreams - probably whilst walking.
• To pamper myself with a bath, foot treatment before bed, home facial as often as possible! Maybe even try to do one little indulgence everyday? 
• Get to bed early.

Ambitious. Yes. But I think these are all good things - not chores - and therefore should be achievable and every day I achieve all those little things that are important to me the less I think I will have to regret or to brood about in the future. Its just about learning to take the time and care I guess?

Okay, I'm off to enjoy the last bit of sun for the day with my fiance and housemates!

Breakfast Recipes Catch-up: Nut & Seed Cereal and a Chocolatey Shake to kick off a Friday

Phew! Busy end to the week, here are the last two gluten-free breakfasts from Thursday and Friday!

Breakfast : Day 04
Almond, Hazelnut and Seeds Cereal
This is a recipe that I learned during Meghan Telpner's Low GI Challenge and it is fast becoming one of my favourites! It is fantastically filling and keeps my whole day rolling smoothly!

Ingredients (1 Serve)

2 tbsp raw almonds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp hazlenuts (or other nuts if you prefer
1/2 cup chopped seasonal fruit
1/2 cup yoghurt or almond milk

Method
Soak the nuts and seeds over night.
Strain them in the morning, mix with yoghurt (or milk) and fruit.

I also sprinkle a tablespoon of flaxseed over the top (might be a bit excessive...)

Breakfast : Day 05
Bananaberry Smoothie with Maca and Cacao.
I have been intrigued by cacao for a little while now and I just ordered some from Power Super Foods and the also sent a bunch of samples which I am excited to play with! One of the samples was for a Maca Smoothie Blend which also has a little raw cacao powder mixed in - PERFECT for this week's breakfast challenge!

Maca is a root vegetable found in South America, it is rich in amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and other trace elements. From the little bit of research I have done so far, it is great for improving energy and vitality but you only need small amounts and not too regularly as with any stimulant it can be detrimental.

Cacao is the raw sister of the more traditional cocoa. Here's what Power Super Foods has said about it:

Most cocoa powder is processed via the "Dutch method" meaning heat extracted (up to 150°C!), sometimes with solvents, thus destroying most of the nutrients and antioxidants and potentially contaminating the end product. Cacao Power products have an antioxidant (ORAC) score of 95,500. To put that into perspective, that's 14 times more antioxidant flavonoids than red wine, 21 times more than green tea, and 7 times more than even dark chocolate ! 

So cacao makes a wonderful alternative to chocolate, I am going to try out some recipes hopefully this week. Will talk more about the wonderful cacao then!

Anyway here is the recipe:

Ingredients (Serves 2):
1 Banana (I broke it up into little bits and put it in the freezer the night before. YUM!)
1/2-1 cup of mixed frozen berries
1 cup of milk (normal, almond, soy, etc)
1/4 cup of crushed walnuts
1 sachet of Maca Smoothie Blend

Method:Pop everything into the blender and buzzzzzzzz away!
You get this wonderful purple, chocolatey smoothie!

Enjoy!

Breakfast Cocktail!

 Sorry for the iStock images - the kitchen is a bit messy and I was also being lazy...

I've made our breakfast for tomorrow tonight so I can get to yoga in the morning. I did a gluten-free, fruit extravaganza tonight! Hope you enjoy!

Breakfast : Day 03
Summer Berries, Apple, Mango and Mint Smoothie
(Serves 2 people)

Ingredients
2 Green Apples (peeled and chopped)
1 Pink Lady Apple (peeled and chopped)
1 Mango
1 cup of Frozen Mixed Berries (or fresh)
1 handful of Mint
1/4 cup of Kefir or normal yoghurt
2 tbsp Ground Flaxseed

Method
Let the fruit, mint and yoghurt all tango together in the blender.
I'm going to stir through the flaxseed tomorrow, because otherwise it swells up and will be more like a jelly than a smoothie! I was toying with the idea of adding some of my liquid chlorophyll tomorrow too.. I'll let you know how that goes!!

Enjoy!

Smooth Start to the Day

Breakfast : Day 02
Banana, Mango and Passionfruit Smoothie
(Serves 2 people) 

Ingredients
1 Banana
1 Mango
2 Passionfruits
1 cup of milk (normal, soy, almond, cashew, etc)
1/2 cup of Kefir or normal yoghurt
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed

Method
Throw everything into a blender and mix well! Taa daa!
To make it extra cold you chop up all the banana and mango and put it in the freezer the night before. YUM!

Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast : Day 01
Quinoa Porridge, Activated Nuts and Seeds and Summer Berries

Ingredients
1/4 cup quinoa grains
1/2 cup of milk (normal, soy, almond, etc)
1 tbsp maple syrup, honey or agave
8-12 almonds
5-6 hazelnuts
1 tbsp mix of sunflower and pepita seeds
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp Kefir yoghurt (or plain yoghurt)
2 tbsp fresh or frozen berries

Method

1. Soak the nuts and seeds in a bowl of water over night.
2. Soak the quinoa grains for about 15mins prior to cooking.
3. Put the quinoa and milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then quickly turn down to a simmer and leave for 5 minutes until the grains start to expand fully.
4. Add the sweetener of your choice - the maple syrup was lovely this morning but I think agave or honey would work just as well.
5. Once the quinoa is cooked take off the heat and leave it to cool - you could have this as either a hot or a cold dish. I chose to have it cold today because it has been soooooo hot!
6. Pour over the yoghurt.
7. Then sprinkle the flax seeds and nuts over the top.
8. Add your berries (or other fruit! Apple and cinnamon would be a lovely combo for a colder climate)

I took mine to work in a little container and, as you can see, it travelled extremely well.
I felt really yummy and satisfied all morning and my mood was also very stable.

Enjoy!

Weekly Wrap-up & Next Week's Challenge - Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas

I spent this week doing Meghan Telpner's Low GI diet plan. Feeling pretty good - except that I had a friend's hens night last night so I've probably undone everything with all the drinking. When I weighed myself of Friday I was 0.5kg lighter and I had lost just over 1% body fat! Which was great.

My body fat percentage 3 weeks ago was close to 40%!! So my main concern is getting that number significantly lower. I highly recommend Meghan's Low Glycemic Eating Challenge. There is a lot of prep work but if you're happy to spend a Sunday afternoon pottering in the kitchen you will be sorted for the rest of the week.

The only thing I found quite difficult was doing morning and afternoon snacks. a) Because I always felt full (which is great) and b) because I find it difficult to co-ordinate those snacks at work. But the food was fantastic!

My absolute favourites where the almond and sunflower cereal, sweet potato and broccoli soup and the non-bread bread.

Doing this challenge has got me to thinking about the importance of a really good breakfast. I was feeling amazingly stable at 3pm, when I can normally be struggling to keep my eyes open!! And I credit this to a really good breakfast and lunch with well prepared proteins and leafy greens, rather than being laden with heavy, hypnotic carbs.

And on Thursday I had toast for breakfast (because I forgot to bring my brekkie in) and fell into a thyroidy low - I have been reading that people with thyroid conditions should treat their diets as if they were gluten intolerant because the gluten intolerance may actually be part of the process that triggers an underlying autoimmune disease.

So my challenge this week is to:

Have 7 days of gluten free, delicious breakfasts.

And to see if this gets my day off to a good start and whether avoiding my usual Vegemite on toast every day can help me loose a little bit more weight!

My first idea that I would like to try is a bit of a hybrid between Meghan's Almond & Sunflower Cereal and a Quinoa Porridge - I'll document that tomorrow morning and get the recipe up online once I've tested it!  I have also bought ingredients for some yummy smoothies just to change things up a bit from day to day.

Hashimoto's Rollercoaster

One of my favourite artists Art&Ghosts

Its weird, I was reading Sarah Wilson's blog the other day and she had written a post about 'thyroidy/crappy days'. It caught my eye because of my own onset of Hashimoto's, but I couldn't identify the 'low' days for me - well I couldn't link them with my thyroid condition anyway.

And then today it struck me - I should have been alerted last night when I just threw in the towel on preparing breakfast and went to bed early - I had been to the gym and was jogging down to work when I was overcome with fatigue. At first I assumed it was my laziness kicking in, but all at once I began to feel so tired I was almost in tears.

I struggled on through the morning, trying to be chipper and happy but really all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch in the recreation area and have a nap. After lunch I started getting cravings for something sweet! And I really don't have a sweet tooth, but every now and again the craving for sugar it really strong.

Upon leaving work, my fiance rang to say that he wasn't going to home for dinner - my desire to cook for just myself was not there. So what did I do? I went out and bought a ready-made Indian dinner from Woolworths supermarket! And then a bottle of wine!

Now I know - this is my thryoid-low. For the last two weeks I have been over-the-moon happy, loving my healthy meals and my alcohol free nights and then all of a sudden I get run over by the Thyroid Truck.

So as a bit of a round up for myself in the future, here is what I have identified as my 'symptoms':

• Sudden loss of energy - "I can't be bothered..."
• Emotional/irrational tiredness
• Feeling fed up with it all - I had this uncontrollable feeling of "I always work out, eat well, cut out alcohol.... etc etc.... and I'm STILL FAT and UGLY! IT'S NOT FAIR!"
• Cravings for sweet/junk food and desire to snack
• Cravings for alcohol
• I was also really judgmental, cranky and hurling abuse (in my head of course!) on the bus on the way home...

And here's what I plan to do when I notice these 'symptoms' (and this is very much thanks to Sarah Wilson's blog article!):

• Get some dandelion tea to have at work in the morning instead of black tea or coffee (of which I had about 4 cups of day, by the way! Yet another tell-tale sign I think) - I might even buy a nice teapot to keep on my desk!
• Incorporate fresh turmeric into my diet - I keep reading and hearing how FANTASTIC turmeric is, even in my cooking class in Bali the teacher pleaded that we eat more fresh turmeric (dried doesn't have the natural antiseptic and anti-bacterial qualities that are SO important).
• Stay away from sugar, alcohol and caffeine - even though these are really the only day I ever crave these things, STAY AWAY! And have either the dandelion, bancha or green tea.
• Stay away from stodgy foods and look for something green and colourful instead.
• Avoid stressful and energy draining situations - if I have to skip the gym that day or avoid going out, so be it.
• Book a massage, I really don't treat myself to these things often enough and maybe doing something like lymphatic drainage massage might help move some of the fluid (I know I'm a little bit overweight, but some days I really feel like I'm wearing a fat suit and I'm assuming that on these days I might be a little swollen on top of my normal disposition?)

Most importantly I need to hold on to the fact that with my thyroid condition (and possibly insulin issues) loosing weight isn't going to be as simple as it should be. And no, it's probably not 'fair'. But this is teaching me to look after and love the body that I have and this is a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix. Over time it will become easier. This is probably just the most difficult part.

I'm going to put my little 'symptoms' and 'cures' list us on my cubicle wall at work and in my wallet. So I can learn to recognise it as it comes on, not when I'm a glass of wine and a dirty dinner down.

xK

Weekly Wrap-up

So last week was incredibly successful! After 6.5 days (yup, I caved on Saturday because we had 3 events to attend... blah blah blah... anyway excuses aside) I felt fantastic and really proud of myself because I can't remember the last time I had 2-3 days alcohol free, let alone 6!

By the end of the week I had noticed the following things:

• Better sleep and waking up hungry which doesn't normally happen to me, so I'm assuming that was my metabolism picking up or just my body more effectively digesting my evening meal!
• My eyes were whiter - weird I know, but after about 3 days my eyes were definitely whiter and brighter.
• Much more stable mood - less swinging between extremely happy and then incredibly moody.
• More confidence, funnily enough, I was really worried about becoming anti-social whilst avoiding drinking but it was the total opposite! I felt more confident, probably because my self-esteem/self-worth was boosted by not drinking and accomplishing my goals?
• More motivation - every night I would be cooking dinner, making posts, doing homework and not feeling lethargic and moping on the couch.
• I lost a 1kg and 1% of body fat - in ONE WEEK! 

So what I have learnt from this that avoiding alcohol during the week is incredibly beneficial for my body, mind and soul! Now I make this pact with myself to not drink from Sunday or Monday through to Thursday and to also be more mindful when I do drink to do so in moderation.

On Saturday when I did have a couple of drinks, I probably had a couple more than I should have (but not anywhere near as much as I previously would have) and very quickly realised this and curbed my drinking over the night.

All in all a pretty successful experiment and it has definitely opened my eyes to what I had been ignoring for a long time.

This Fish is Done with Flip-Flopping

I have always been a very indecisive person, typical Pisces. Always flip-flopping backwards and forwards, easily persuaded by external influences, until BAM! I make a sudden and rash move usually based on emotion and almost always regret it.

When I made the decision to make a career change it was different. I am almost doing it on the sly, telling only my closest friends and family until I can explore the waters completely.

(Even though there are people I'm dying to tell, it's become quite complicated because I currently work with some friends.)

It feels amazing and it feels 100% right. Going hand in hand with my Non-Alcohol week, I have been SUPER productive making healthy dinners, blogging and studying each night. I feel like I can accomplish anything I want.

I'm sitting on the bus writing this (my first blog-on-the-go!) and I just keep thinking about all this plus the fact that my new goal in life is have my own little practice and to never have to catch the bus again! Hehe!

xK

Cheers! to new and healthier habits!

I have gone for 5 days with out alcohol now and I'm feeling fantastic. Rather than it being a 'count down' to when I can drink again, I feel like it has become more of a little competition with myself.

How long can you go without alcohol now?

 

Also, going with out alcohol has given me room to come up with a new evening ritual. Brewing a pot of herbal tea. I actually get great joy sitting with my pretty glass tea pot and a mug - watching the tea swirl around and brew.

Over the weekend I want to try creating a pot of ice tea to leave in the fridge and drink during the week - from what I have Googled you should only leave iced tea in the fridge for up to 2 days..

Two things I have to be mindful of would be caffeine so close to bed time and also Michaela Ballmann from Nutritionally Speaking did a podcast about Green Tea in which she talks about the benefits of the tea but also the adverse effects when you drink too much, including liver failure, arthritis and stomach pain. Especially if you drink it on an empty stomach. So no more than 5 cups a day!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to going to T2 to pick up some yummy new combinations!

So for my first iced tea experiment I am going to try this recipe over the weekend - I found this recipe on West of Persia and I think it sounds just divine!

Persian Iced Tea

Made with rose water ice cubes, cardamom-spiked simple syrup or agave nectar, and quick brew black tea, this Persian inspired iced tea has an exotic flare and refreshing taste:

Ingredients:

• 180mL rose water
• Black tea 
• 6 cups of filtered water, plus more for ice cubes
• 2 Tablespoons agave nectar (or simple syrup–linkage to directions below)
• 2 teaspoons powdered cardamom (or 4-6 pods of green cardamom)
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Make the rose water ice cubes. Pour 180mL of rosewater into an ice tray and top off with more filtered water to make perfect cubes. Pop into freezer overnight, or until frozen solid.

2.  Brew the tea in the 6 cups of water until is the perfect dark amber hue.

3.  Make the agave-cardamom syrup by warming agave over low heat. Or, if you don’t have agave, follow these directions for a classic simple syrup that we can then infuse with cardamom.

4. Add the cardamom powder or pods to the syrup, and stir well to allow its flavor to infuse. Remember, LOW heat here is your friend. It only takes a few seconds for the infusion to happen, so taste test the syrup, make sure you can taste the cardamom, and then remove it from the heat immediately.

5. Add the syrup, a little at a time,  to the brewed tea, and stir generously.  (Taste as you go here–everyone likes their tea sweetened a little differently, or not at all. For that matter, you could put the syrup on the side and let everyone use the amount they want in their individual tea glasses).

6. To serve, pour tea over rosewater ice cubes that you’ve placed into a tall glass. As the rose water cubes melt, their flavor will infuse into the tea. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.

The greatest victory on this Melbourne Cup day.....

is MINE!

I did not touch a drop today and nor did I feel sad about it or feel like I was missing out at all! Even though they were serving Chandon (my favourite sparkling under $30!). I drank half orange juice and half sparkling water in a champagne glass and felt quite refreshed in the afternoon, the same cannot be said for a few staggering fillies on George Street. Hehe!

I realise that I said tonight I would look into some alternative drinks for the evening, but I am so behind in my study after Bali so I had better focus on that tonight.

This evening I made myself a pot of tea (a blend of white tea and rose) and it has been wonderful. It got me thinking, maybe some sort of iced tea would be perfect now that we're moving into the balmy late Spring evenings. I think I will plan some sort of iced tea concoction using my rose tea?

Okay, better get on with my study so I can get an early night and get to yoga tomorrow.

Effects of Alcohol on the Body

This information is what I have gathered from various government and health websites - I'm not a professional and I am doing this exploration for my own education in the hopes to gain better control over my own drinking habits. If you have any concerns about your own health due to alcohol consumption you should consult your doctor.

I think one of the keys to bringing my alcohol consumption under control is to understand what alcohol is and how it is processed in my body and also what the long-term effects could be when I am drinking beyond the recommended 1-2 standard drinks (100ml for a glass of wine is 1 standard drink).

From what I have read, unlike carbohydrates, proteins and fats, alcohol cannot be stored in the body therefore in the body needs to metabolise this before anything else, interrupting other processes that may be also occurring in the digestive system.

Nutritional deficiencies can go hand in hand with mass alcohol consumption due to damage in the liver and because, as mentioned above, it takes precedence over other digestive processes. Even moderate alcohol consumption can effect Vitamin B12 which is needed to help make DNA and to maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. Am I'm guessing this is could also cause depression and anxiety during and after drinking?

Folate, Vitamin A and Calcium are also heavily effected by excessive drinking.

Alcohol has also been linked with a range of diseases such as:

• Cardiovascular system – raised blood pressure and triglycerides (especially after binge drinking), damage to the heart muscle and stroke.
• Nervous system – brain damage, tremors, dementia and nerve damage. Alcohol is a depressant drug and affects your coordination, self-control, judgement and reaction times. 
• Mental health - there is growing evidence that alcohol increases the risk of prevalent mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
• Gastrointestinal system – stomach inflammation (gastritis) and bleeding.
• Liver – cancer, hepatitis (inflammation), fatty changes, cirrhosis and liver failure.
• Endocrine system – problems controlling blood sugar, loss of libido and reduced fertility.
• Nutrition – malnutrition (alcohol displaces nutrients from your body) and obesity.
• Breast cancer and other gynaecological problems – women who drink alcohol are at a higher risk than non-drinking women.

Pretty scary, as I can see a number of these things that could already be effecting me at the rate at which I consume alcohol. Blood sugar, over-weight, depression and there is an existing strong history of breast cancer in my family too.

Its not all doom and gloom here, there are plenty of studies saying that low levels of alcohol consumption have some health benefits in certain age groups. The NHMRC Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol have said that controlled drinking reduces the risk of some cardio/cerebrovascular disorders (particularly in middle aged men) and ischaemic stroke (in women after menopause).

But please note: These potential benefits from alcohol can also definitely be gained by other means, such as regular exercise and a wholefoods diet!

The questions that I have to ask myself very honestly are:

Can I control my alcohol intake?
Can I stick to 2 x 100mL glasses per day?

At the moment, the answer from my heart is a very open and honest:

No.

It has now been 2 days without alcohol - it hasn't been too bad, although it definitely has been in the past. I have been meaning to do this for a long time, have had a few failed attempts and have come to realise in the last few weeks that I was no longer drinking for enjoyment or taste - but simply just for the effects of the alcohol.

I want to be able to enjoy alcohol as a little indulgence, not rely on it to get through my working week.

I feel quite empowered today and proud of myself for not being tempted by the Monday I-Need-A-Glass-Of-Wine Blues. Tomorrow will be interesting because it is Melbourne cup which is always accompanied by mass-drinking, but strangely enough I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything nor do I feel remotely like drinking! :)

I have been drinking a lot of mineral water with mint to compensate! And that's probably not create either because of the sodium, so tomorrow I will do a bit of research into some alternative, relaxing, nutritious evening drinks.

Thanks to anyone out there reading this, you're helping me do this.
If you have any comments or experiences that you would like to share please feel free!



References that I looked at:

• medicinenet.com - Alcohol & Nutrition
• Australian Drug Information Network
• NHMRC - Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol
• Better Health Channel

One Week Challenge: Week 3 - Eliminating Alchohol Dependance

Just before I left for Bali I went to visit my family GP for a check up and possibly vaccinations. Whilst I was there we were chatting about my weight and thyroid condition - since starting to take Thyroxin a few years ago I haven't really found it any easier to loose weight.

And over the last month as I have been exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy (although with a few drop out days) I haven't lost any weight and my doctor suggested maybe it is an insulin problem. So I need to go and get a blood test and if I have a high blood glucose level then she has prescribed Diabex help maintain lower blood glucose levels.

I want to make my weight-loss part of a total lifestyle change, not just a "diet," so I'm worried that by simply taking a tablet will I continue to yo-yo for the rest of my life or will I be stuck taking another lot of tablets for the rest of my life.

Of course I will get the blood test because I am interested to see what my blood glucose levels are like regardless, but as far as lowering those levels I want to try and do that naturally first. And I have two ideas about how I can get this ball rolling.

Idea One: One Week Challenge - Eliminating Alcohol for One Week

I know that although I try to eat well and exercise, I can do these things a lot better but what really sets me back is the amount of alcohol I drink. I don't drink soft drink or have sugar in my tea or coffee, but I will easily consume a bottle of wine in an evening!!

After a long day of frustrating work all I can think about on the bus trip home is glass of wine, and it starts whilst I make dinner. The first glass goes down far too easily and soon I'm on to glass two before I even get dinner finished. And so it goes on and on and before I know it the bottle is gone.

I was just doing some reading and there are about 2340kj in a bottle of white wine.... That's almost like having a disgusting, fatty MacDonald's burger on top of my dinner every night!!! That's insane! No wonder I can't loose weight. Not to mention that drinking makes me lazy and I often get emotional or angry (and my poor fiance cops the brunt of that).

This week (starting today until next Sunday) I will abstain from drinking any alcohol. Difficult in the advertising world - but I am hoping with my new nutritional career focus to be less reliant on alcohol for dealing with my stress levels.

Idea Two: 5 Days of Low Glycemic Eating with Meghan Telpner

Thank you Universe! Meghan Telpner is running a 5 Day Low Glycemic Eating Challenge, SO completely appropriate for me right now! This starts on November 5 so I will undoubtedly I will end up doing 2 weeks alcohol free and learn a lot more about low glycemic eating.

Very excited about this, I have low G.I. cookbooks but I think this will be a fun and supportive way to try and make low G.I. part of my everyday life.

I will try to organise my blood test to be done early this week, and maybe I can even re do it in a week or two to see if these two challenges have helped me improve my overall blood glucose levels! If I can avoid having to take Diabex at the end of these two weeks of trial this would be ideal.

So focusing on this week's adventure, I hope to research and look at topics such as:

• Adverse effects of long term consumption of alcohol;
• Methods and tips that may break my drinking habit;
• Alternative recipes for a relaxing evening drinks;
• Effects of Alcohol on Insulin levels; and
• General review on how I have been feeling plus the usual update on weight and measurements.

Going to be a big week!

Cheers!

Tropical Getaway in Bali - Part Two

"So what can we do about the craziness of the world"
"Nothing." Ketut laughed, but with a dose of kindness. "This is nature of world. This is destiny. Worry about your craziness only - make you in peace."
- Eat Prey Love 

I mentioned in previous posts that I wanted my second Weekly Challenge to be Meditate every day for 1 hour. I realise now that this was a pretty ambitious task, not really having spent too much time doing meditation and also being on holidays with all the distractions.  

I did try a couple of times. One attempt was thwarted by sheer sleepiness. Not realising how much I needed to just give myself a break - my head kept nodding and rolling before I even noticed I had drifted off.

The second time was literally chased back inside by a teeny-tiny bat!! I had gotten myself all settled, looking rather like a tipi wrapped up in a blanket to hide from the mozzies, I closed my eyes and tried to settle into a mantra when I was suddenly aware of something zoooooooming back and forth over my head. I opened my eyes, but it had gone.. so I tried to regain focus, but then there is was again!

A little bit worried at this point so I sat in stillness with my eyes open - there it WAS!! A little bat. It would go out into the trees at the back of the yard and then zoom in right above my head and back out.

Not having had any of my vaccinations before coming to Bali, I freaked out and ran inside.

Of course I started beating myself up - can't even focus to meditate, only week 2 of my challenges and I had already failed. During the day I was reading Eat, Prey, Love and I came across the quote that I started this blog with today. It really struck a chord with me.

I had noticed how hard it can be to enjoy your holiday when surrounded by so many tourists of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs and everybody wanting to make their own vacation the best it can be, sometimes people can come across as rude or belligerent in trying to achieve this for themselves and their families, but I realised you can either get swept up in a flurry of negativity and let it ruin your holiday or can just let it go and focus on your own behaviour.

So, I decided that for this week I would instead focus on this one little idea all week. With the hopes of bringing this feeling back to Sydney. And even just practising it once or twice you realise how good it feels to not spend the next hour complaining because someone pushed in front of you at the exhibit, but instead to just let it go and to instead by mindful of other people around you.

Also Balinese temperament makes this easier to achieve, they come across as incredibly easy going not vengeful or aggressive. As one of our drivers, also called Ketut (this would be mind-blowingly coincidental if I didn't know that 'Ketut' just means 'Number 4 Child') spoke to us about the thing that makes Hinduism a wonderful religion to him is the fact that you are supposed to practise giving, rather than just taking or asking for something. Little offerings are put out the front of shops and taken to temples several times throughout the day.

Ketut incidentally also things this is what keeps Bali safe from natural disasters - of which Indonesia had earthquake, volcano eruption AND tsunami all in the one week whilst we were over there. Bali didn't get effected by any of it. Anyway, I digress...

It was a really nice feeling to practice especially when sometimes my family (myself very much included) can all get swept up in reactionary, emotional responses to (often unintentional) negetive energy. And this response can be just as bad, if not worse, than whatever it was that upset you in the first place.

So this one I will definitely be putting practice, now that I am back in Sydney. I think we would all be a lot happier working on our own "craziness" rather than focusing on what other people should or shouldn't be doing. And I haven't given up on the idea of making meditation a weekly challenge either, I think attending the local Satsang a few more times and a bit more self-education. Soon to come.

Balinese Cooking Course

Two blogs in one night! Goodness!! I just have so much to talk about from the last couple of weeks, I want to get it all noted down before I start to forget everything.

On Thursday I did a Balinese Cooking Class at the Anika Guest House in Kuta, Bali and I cannot recommend it enough. It was such a fun day full of new discoveries and the most delicious food I came across in my whole trip.

We started the day off at the local markets in Kuta. I must admit they were quite confronting. I've explored food markets in other countries, in India where we had to cover our faces with a wet cloth to get through the Spice Section with out choking on the chilli and find my way through Morocco's dense medina's with camel heads and stinky dye baths. But the Bali market was not pretty or clean, it was really dark and cluttered, with rotting vegetables, old offerings and rubbish littering the uneven floor.

I didn't take any photos of the meat and seafood section because it was quite horrible. But aside from the mess and grime the people, as always, were lovely and accommodating letting us look at produce and ask questions. Our guide pointed out things we may never have seen before and gave us medicinal purposes for everything.

We then jumped back into the vans and went to the cooking school. Everything was already prepped and chopped (which was very lovely) all we had to do was absorb information about the ingredient combinations. Even then a lovely booklet was supplied detailing information on all the ingredients and recipes.

The recipes included:

• Balinese Beef Satay
• Grilled Fish in Banana Leaves
• Chicken Curry
• Water Spinach in Tomato Chilli Sambal
• Gado-Gado
• Nasi Goreng
• Tempe Curry
• Pickled Carrot and Cucumber Salad
• Fresh sambal
• Green Pancakes with Coconut
• Black Rice Pudding

It was fresh and delicious and extremely well organised. The head tutor Komang was happy, laughy and very knowledgeable. And his right hand lady, Nyoman, was amazing calm, collected and talented chef. I'm sure I'll be using the cooking book that they gave us for years to come.

I think the only criticism I had of the day was that it semi-outdoors and extremely hot. (But it could possibly have been even hotter if it was in doors). Just be prepared and have a breakfast before you go and keep hydrated, because you're standing in hot, hot, heat and don't really eat until 10-11am after a 6am start!

I will be looking at adapting some of these recipes soon and when I do I'll post the photos and recipes - I was going to post one of my favourite recipes that we did during the course, but it just didn't feel right to post something that's not my own.

If you're going to Bali, definitely check this out.

Tropical Getaway in Bali - Part One

So for the last 9 days I have been over in Bali, and I thought I'd better do a bit of a round-up! Last week's challenge was to do something active everyday, I think I completed this challenge reasonably well considering I spent one full day in an 'Amazing Race' style day of traveling.

Here as the the activities I did every day:

Monday:  Resistance Training - set up for me by a personal trainer, including weights and machines for upper body and legs, ab work and 20 minutes of cardio.

Tuesday:  Pilates - 45 minute reformer pilates class.

Wednesday: 20 minutes fast paced walk 2.5km

Thursday:  We were running around airports and dealing with long flights, not really exercise but exhausting all the same, right? Right?

Friday: Spent 2 hours walking around Bali in 93% humidity - I could easily compare it to a Bikram yoga class!!!

Saturday:  45 minute Stretch class and swimming in the ocean off Lembongan Island

Sunday:  Swimming laps in the pool

When I measured myself on Monday morning I had lost 1cm off my bust, waist and hip measurements. It was definitely hard to keep the momentum of energy up whilst on holidays and I know I could have done more. I may have subconsciously sabotaged myself by forgetting my gym clothes, or maybe that was the universe just telling me to relax a little, who knows.

I have been feeling more and more like I'm ready to go without alcohol for a little while. I think that will be next week's challenge. It may also help in shifting some weight that I'm finding difficult to loose - despite eating well and exercising regularly, alcohol is one of my biggest vices.

But all in all it was a beautiful week in Bali and with the sun, water, exercise, fresh air and fruits I was feeling fantastic, and that's all that really matters in the end!

The people in Bali were absolutely beautiful, despite living in a country rife with corruption and bribes, poverty and unfortunate events like the bombings in 2002 - not to mention overrun with sunburn, drunken tourists all wearing the uniform of Bintang singlets and braided hair. They look at everything in such an optimistic and forgiving light.

They have space and time for everyone and everything.

The next week I was hoping to do meditation everyday but I'll go into that in another post tomorrow.