Update

Sorry I haven’t posted in a little while, I’ve been really busy setting up my new clothing alteration company called Dollface Designs. I’ve still checked in with other bloggers but haven’t written anything on my own blog. I’m doing really well with the weight loss, still fairly consistent, I’m down to 82.8kg so pretty happy with that, I’m soo close to fitting one of my fav pairs of jeans and hoping I’ll be in them for my birthday on the 12th May, we are going away for the weekend so that’ll be some great time away.

Macadamia Chocolate

I love Macadamia Chocolate but the only one I can find that I love is one called MacBar which is only 70% choc and costs $3.50NZD for only 30gms!! Also I prefer 85% and it’s lower in sugar. So I went to the organic shop the other day and bought a handful of shelled macadamias and sat outside on the concrete with a hammer and uncovered the delicious macadamias, if you’ve only ever had packet roasted or salted ones and you’re not sure about them then you need to try raw ones. I personally only like the raw ones, they are divine and expensive to buy unshelled in a foil packet something like $7-8 for 100gms!!

So I managed to get 50gms of unshelled macadamias for about $1.00! all it meant was I needed to hammer the crap out of the shells but it was therapeutic and soo much better than paying more. This also means that the chocolate I buy doesn’t feel so exuberant when you save on the macadamias… I buy Rapunzel chocolate for 80gms is $6.90 which is fairly expensive but compared to the MacBar it’s a lot cheaper, you also don’t need a lot because it’s so rich. The 85% Lindt bars which are cheaper are also good but no way near as nice or smooth as Rapunzel, I think Rapunzel has more fat in it which is why it’s smoother plus it’s organic fair trade which is great.

Here’s the fun I had in the kitchen:
De-shelled the macadamias and chopped them coarsely then prepare the chocolate broken into pieces.



Bring to the boil a double boiler or a pot with a stainless steel bowl as seen here, melt the chocolate down then add the chopped macadamias. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and pour in the chocolate mix. I had to set mine in the fridge and take it out just before it sets so I can cut it, but I also found it didn’t set too solid so could be cut after anyway.



So I think the texture is actually better after it’s been melted it’s more melt in your mouth for some reason. The finished product is OMG!! I cannot tell you just how good this tastes and is a real treat and a sensible vice :)


Another idea I’ve had is to try it with Lindt 85% because it’s a bit cheaper and add a little coconut oil to the process which might make it smoother and I guess a little lower in carbs also, that will be my next try if I’m trying to be careful with cash. Otherwise the Rapunzel is the ultimate!

Berry Cheesecake

So yesterday was my wedding anniversary and instead of going out for dinner (my fav place was closed) I made a beautiful meal of eye fillet with creamy peppered balsamic sauce with zucchini, red peppers and carrots cooked with butter and smoked paprika it was soo good. Then for desert I made a Low Carb cheesecake, I was soo good even my dh loved it.

Base:
Ground up 3/4 cup Pine Nuts and Pecans
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp vanilla pod
2 tsp honey
butter
combined and pressed into little ramekins and refridgerated.

Filling:
125gms Creme Fraiche
125gms Marscarpone
1/2 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup Raspberries
1 tsp vanilla pod
3 tsps gelatin dissolved in tiny bit of hot water.

Topping:
Grated 85% chocolate

This cheesecake is not really sweet but sweet enough and fairly rich so you don't need much, it was heavenly and something I would only eat on a special occassion otherwise I would want to eat it everyday!

Updated Photo...50lbs Lost!

Well today was a pretty great day, it's good friday and I stepped on the scale and was so stoked to see I'm 84.8kgs, so I've lost quite well this week! I think I may have my momentum back as the weight loss is really starting to happen again after my wee stall. I'm half way there, 50 more pounds to lose but I'm so pleased with my progress, I can't believe I'm not obese anymore, as I had almost lost hope when I was 107kgs.

My Dinner!

Last night I had such a yummy dinner I just had to share it. I was at a bit of a loss as to what I was going to make, all dh wanted was a steak and avacado sandwich which meant I could make something he might not usually eat.... though he is getting better.

Filet Mignon - which is eye fillet wrapped in bacon YUMMY

Eggplant slices fried in butter topped with mozerella and italian seasoning, tomato and mushroom. It was very tasty so I had to take a photo.

I was soo full from this that I'm fasting breakfast this morning. I do think that fasting is getting a little easier but I'm not doing it a lot just when I feel like it.

What do I weigh now and what do I eat?

I've been doing soo well with only weighing myself once a week, I've decided it feels better doing it once a week, the whole once a day thing was driving me crazy! I have broken my stall and lost 3kgs in the last two weeks. I am now weighing 86.5kgs and I was originally 107.1kgs so all up I've lost 20.6kgs/45.5lbs!! I like to think of 45lbs of butter when I visulize how much I've lost, it's not exact I know but it keeps me motivated.



I'm so stoked and people are really noticing now, I finally feel like an overweight slimmer person as opposed to a truly obese person. I'm half way there which feels so fantastic I cannot tell you :) My goal is 60-65kgs so I have about 20kgs to go. Nothing tastes as good as slim feels and I'm not even slim yet.

I still don't feel like I'm dieting at all, I never feel like I miss out, the only time I have found it hard is smelling garlic bread sometimes but other than that I am so very satisfied with the foods I do get to eat. So what do I eat......here's a sample of what I eat in a day.

Breakfast - 3 free range poached eggs, 5 hazelnuts and a small pc 85% chocolate (I add the nuts and choc to just add a bit more fat) or I will have a Protein Shake with 1 scoop of unflavoured whey, 2 tsps cocoa powder, coconut milk, almond milk, dash cream. In the weekend it's 3 free range poached eggs and a few slices of free range streaky bacon YUM!! and on sundays it's scrambled eggs with cream added, dh makes the best scrambled egg.

Lunch - If I've had eggs for breakfast and I'm in a hurry I'll have the above protein shake or I will make a chicken salad with mayo or now I'm having my beloved 'low carb' sushi is becoming more frequent and I love it.

Snack - if needed which I don't usually, I last 5-6hours between my meals, If I don't add enough fat at my previous meal I only last 4 hours. If I'm having a late dinner or something a snack will be some pistachio nuts, cashews, hazelnuts or pecans or almond butter and maybe a bit of camembert.

Dinner - Pork chops or roast chicken, roast pumpkin (small amount), broccoli and zucchini with gravy - I use about 1/2 tsp guar gum to thicken the gravy and add some cream to make it richer. Or we will have a chicken wrap with bacon, camembert, relish, aioli and iceberg to hold it together - this is usually a friday night dinner. Or a nice piece of eye fillet steak with pepper sauce with a large salad with lots of everything and loads of avacado and homemade mayo.

Desert - only sometimes when I feel like it - Raspberries/blueberries with shredded coconut, slivered almonds, 85% chocolate and cream. Or a passionfruit, or just a couple of pcs of 85% chocolate.

Drinks - soda water, water and raspberry tea, I don't drink anything else, I hate artificial sweetners for hot drinks and coffee make's me more anxious.

So there you have it, doesn't really look like a diet to me. As you can see I don't eat a lot of fruit, I'm not a big fruit person anyway and it does slow my weight loss.

It does feel great to be down to my wedding weight which was two years ago now, the same weight I am in my profile pic :)