Christmas Season Tips!

Hi everyone, this will be my last post for 2011, I'm off on holiday tomorrow and probably won't be back blogging until mid January. It's been one fantastic year and I'm surprised all the time how many readers I have and I do hope you stick around for next year.

I have a couple of recent pics of my food and one of me with my braces, yep looking like a teenager! So since I can't chew big consumptions of meat because of these braces I've been trying other things apart from soup. The other night I had 2 pieces of fresh Snapper and a dozen scallops all fried in butter and topped with homemade hollandaise, it was pure heaven as I hadn't eaten something I could sink my teeth into for 2 weeks! Then I ventured into mince and cooked myself some Nachos without the chips, just so damn good and surprisingly almost as good as without the corn chips! I'm told that after a month you can chew much easier again and boy am I hanging out for that :)

This next month the indulgent Christmas and New Years season is upon us and it's inevitable I'm going to cave, however I'm going to do my very best to not pick up an ice cream habit while I'm away and continue to stay as primal as possible, the indulging I do always comes with a price of weight gain and it takes some serious discipline to get those added kilos off again, so I thought I would give you guys a few tips to help you all keep the indulgences to a minimum over this season:

Don’t beat yourself up!

Chances are you are not going to be a primal purist, not many of us are and all of the strict primal eaters I know of do fail once in a while, it’s completely normal and nothing to feel guilty of, we live in a world full of indulgence non primal food and there are always going to be situations where you want to have something that’s not on your primal to do list. If you end up caving and having it don’t feel bad about it, the negative reaction will be worse for you than the added calories you’ve just ingested, move on and try again, we can’t all be perfect.

Plan ahead!

Try and plan your meals, it’s a sure fire way to stay on track, allow yourself a few treats and stick with it. Winging it isn’t for everyone and you will feel better for knowing at the end of the day you stuck with it. Rotate your tried and true recipes and always make some primal treats to have for when you are feeling vunerable, especially when you are going to a potluck dinner, take along something that everyone will enjoy, there are tons of primal recipes out there so get googling!

Just because it’s free!

I’m terrible with this one and especially if you are having financial struggles this one is for you, we all go to Christmas events or a friend’s house and they have the spread of a lifetime and once more it’s free delicious food right?! We somehow justify it to ourselves that these are free calories and that stuffing our face full of crap won’t really matter, but it will make it that much harder to get back on track! Enjoy the small portions of the delicious treats and carry on with your primal eats, you’ll thank yourself in the long run.

Be happy and merry!

Enjoy your life now, yes losing weight does increase your happiness somewhat but waiting to live life until you’ve just dropped that little bit of extra weight isn’t going to help you with that goal. Be happy, be grateful for all the wonderful things in your life, we all have imperfections and that’s what makes us so loveable. We are meant to fail, enjoy junkfood and make mistakes, we are all human remember!

Thank you to all my faithful readers and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Years, may 2012 be a grokin year!!

If you have any tips you'd like to add or just want to wish me a merry christmas please feel free to comment!

Soup Recipes

Hey Guys!! So sorry for the lack of posts, I've been pretty occupied with a ton of work, it's my busiest time of year which I'm sure is the same for most of you.  Also I have recently had braces put on my teeth so the kind of food I've been eating isn't all that inspiring.  My two favourite things that I've been eating is Cream of Mushroom soup and Creamy Bacon, onion and cheese soup. 

I need to get used to soup which genearally I'm not a big fan of because it never keeps me full but these ones sure do and of course they need to be homemae.  I'm going to be wearing my braces for 12-14 months, so for the next year or so I can see that I'm going to be making a lot of soup.  I can't really bite down on much which is very frustrating and I'm missing steak like crazy!

Other than that I'm doing really well, my weight is hovering in the 68's at the moment so I'm happy with that.  So for anyone that is interested in my soup recipes here they are below, I know that Flour and Milk aren't primal but to make soup I feel you really need that base to thicken them.



Cream of Mushroom Soup

• 3 cups of chopped up Portabello Mushrooms
• 1 stalk spring onion
• 1 Tbsp fresh Thyme
• 2 Tbsps Butter
• 1 Tbsp All purpose Flour (or use Potato starch)
• 3/4 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1/4 Cup Cream
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

1. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter and S&P in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix in the flour until smooth and cook until golden, this doesn't take long, the flour needs to be cooked or else you will taste it.  Gradually stir in the milk and cook until thick and bubbly. Add chicken stock until the thickness that you would like.
2. Cook the Mushrooms, spring onion, thyme and 1 Tbsp butter in a covered microwave proof dish, that way the mushrooms create plenty of juice.  Add cooked ingredients to your creamy sauce.  Either blend to create a smooth soup or leave chunky, add the cream at the end.

Serves 2


Creamy Bacon, Onion and Cheese Soup

4 pieces of Bacon
1/2 onion
3 oz Cheese
3/4 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour (or use Potato starch)
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp Worchestchire Sauce
Capful of White wine
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Pepper (no salt, already enough)

Directions

1. Saute the chopped up Bacon and onion in a little butter until cooked then put aside.                   
2. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Mix in the flour until smooth and cook until golden, this doesn't take long, the flour needs to be cooked or else you will taste it. Add all sesonings and then gradually stir in the milk and cook until thick and bubbly. Add chicken stock until the thickness that you would like.
3. Add the bacon and onion mixture, either blend it all up in a blender or leave chunky.
4. Add the cheese once the soup has come off the heat and stir until melted.

Serves 1

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Thai Green Chicken Curry is my husbands favourite dish and since it was his birthday last week I made it for him as a treat, it's fairly primal, not so much a weight loss dish unless you have a small portion and we all know I'm not about small portions ;)

Serves 3

2 good sized chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic grated/chopped or crushed
3-4cm square piece of fresh ginger grated
1/2 onion
bunch of fresh corriander
1/2 fresh lemon or lime
2 Tbsps Fish Sauce
Thai Green curry paste (1/2 - 1tsp depending on how hot you want it)
2 Tbsp's Trident Sweet chilli sauce - more or less depending on sweetness (I have found that the Trident brand has no high fructose corn syrup it has sugar)
250mls Kara Coconut Cream (I prefer Kara Coconut Cream as it tastes wonderful and has less processed ingredients in it)
3 kafir lime leaves if you can get them same goes for lemongrass but still great without these ingredients

Dice chicken and fry until nearly cooked and put aside.
Cook onion in butter, once done add ginger and garlic and cook for just a little then add fish sauce, lemon juice and green curry paste and let cook out for a minute or so, add coconut cream and combine well.  Drop in your cooked chicken and half the coriander and simmer for about 10minutes so that the chicken is cooked and the sauce has reduced.  Add the remining coriander and the sweet chilli sauce.

Serve on rice or cauliflower rice, if you were being weight loss consious reduce the sweet chillis sauce and serve on cauliflower rice or vegetables.

It's delish!!

Recent Food Journal

Here's my food journal for the last week and a half, hopefully those of you that find it helpful will enjoy it.  This illustrates my 80/20 weight maintenance quite well.  Although I had ideas of weight loss it just didn't happen this week!

Sunday 30/10/2011

8am: 4 poached eggs and 5 strips of streaky bacon

11am: Decaf vanilla latte with cream

4pm: Real fruit strawberry icecream

7pm: Eye fillet with creamy pepper sauce, brocolli and cauliflower with butter and roasted kumara chips in bacon fat

Monday 31/10/2011

9am: Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream

1pm: 3 poached eggs and 5 strips of streaky bacon, 2 walnut crackers with camembert.

6pm: Pork burger patty with melted cheese, bacon and side salad with greens, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and mayo

Tuesday 1/11/2011

7am: Omelet with 2 eggs and cream filled with cheese cream cheese and 2 strips bacon

6pm: Roast chicken with reduction gravy, cauliflower and fresh green beans, 1 piece Lindt Sea Salt

Wednesday 2/11/2011

7am: Omelet with 2 eggs and cream filled with cheese cream cheese and 2 strips bacon, Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream

2pm: 2 Walnut crackers with camembert

7pm: Chicken carbonara with pumpkin, mushrooms, bacon, pine nuts, cream and parmesan.  4 pieces old gold and 1 piece Lindt Blueberry Intense

Thursday 3/11/2011

9am: 4 poached eggs and 5 strips of streaky bacon

2pm: 3 walnut crackers with camembert, Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream

6pm: KFC Thighs x 2, a few chips and gravy, 2 pieces Lindt Sea salt, 2 pieces Lindt Blueberry Intense and 6 pieces Old gold

Friday 4/11/2011

7am: Scrambled eggs with cheese, 4 strips of streaky bacon,  Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream

2pm: 2 Walnut crackers with camembert, 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

6pm: Chicken Feta Salad with greens, cucumber, feta dressing (feta, tuscan seasoning, lemon juice and greek yoghurt), sundried tomato, shredded chicken, topped with bacon and toasted pine nuts.  1 piece old gold, 1 piece Lindt Blueberry Intense, 2 pieces Lindt Sea Salt

Saturday 5/11/2011

7am: Scrambled eggs with cheese, 4 strips of streaky bacon

11am: Decaf flat white with 1 tsp sugar and cream

4pm: Butterscotch Colossal Trumpet

6pm: Tesoro - Chicken Taco salad with the shell, extra cheese and extra guacomole

Sunday 6/11/2011

8am: 3 Poached eggs, 4 pieces Streaky bacon

12pm: Decaf Vanilla Latte with cream

7pm: Salad with greens, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, avocado, spring onion, camembert, KFC Zinger fillets x 2 and Mayo.  2 pieces Lindt Blueberry and 2 pieces Lindt Sea Salt

 

Monday 7/11/2011

7am: Scrambled eggs with cheese, 4 strips of streaky bacon 

2pm: Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream, 2 Walnut crackers with camembert

8pm: Pataks Chicken Tikka with cream and 2 Pappadams, 3 pieces Lindt Blueberry and 2 pieces Lindt Sea Salt

Tuesday 8/11/2011

8am: 2 Poached eggs, 4 pieces Streaky bacon, Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream

2pm: Raspberrie Sorbet (blended 1/2 cup frozen raspberries with 4 Tbsps Coconut Cream and 1Tbsp Unflavoured Whey Protein Powder.

7pm: Pork Meatza topped with BBQ Sauce, cooked onions, tomatoes and bacon, cream cheese and mozarella.  1 piece Lindt Sea Salt, 6 pieces Old Gold

Wednesday 8/11/2011

7am: Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream

9am: Leftover Meatza

3pm: Hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 4 Tbsps Coconut cream

6pm: 2 roasted pork strips, roasted parsnip, cauliflower, green beans with cheese sauce

5 pieces old gold

Roast Chicken with Reduction Gravy

Hi guys! I've been asked a few times about reduction gravy, the other night when I was making it I thought I would take some pics.

First roast your chicken, this is a size 24 and does us for 3 nights, first night roast meal, second night I use it for chicken carbonara and the 3rd night I make a chicken feta salad. Who ever said you can't do primal on a budget?...

I put tuscan seasoning and a bit of worchestire sauce on top and then roasted in a covered glass dish for 2 1/2 hours.  All the steam creates lots of moisture and an extremely tender chicken. 

Drain the stock into a saucepan as above.  If you can, remove the fat as then you don't get the split happening but otherwise it will still work fine.

Add a little cream, maybe 1/4 cup, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp curry powder, a few shakes of paprika and s&p

Boil slowly until it ressembles the 3rd picture.

Then take it off the heat and mix in a little more cream, pour over your roast, easy peasy and deliciously rich!!

Updated Pic and Food Diary

I've decided it's time to start blogging my food again, it's not only great accountability for me but I think most of you want some food inspiration.  The most visited pages are the food journal entries!  So far I've only got these pics of two days dinners but I will start blogging a bit more with the food journals each week :)

Also an updated picture for you, 69.6kgs yesterday so I've lost just over a kilo since I posted my weight last.

Friday, October 28 2011 

7.30am: 5 strips of streaky bacon, 4 poached eggs, hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 3 Tbsps Coconut Cream

12.30pm: 2 x Walnut crackers with camembert, hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 3 Tbsps Coconut Cream

5.30pm: Leftover piece of Meatza with Salad Greens, spring onion, cucumber and guacamole.  4 pieces Old Gold

Saturday, October 29  2011

7.30am: 2 egg omelet with 2 Tbsps Cream, filled with 2 strips of streaky bacon, grated colby and cream cheese.  hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 3 Tbsps Coconut Cream

12.30pm: 2 walnut crackers with camembert, hot cocoa with 1 tsp sugar and 3 Tbsps Coconut Cream

5.30pm: Chicken cabonara with zucchini, mushroom, bacon and reduced cream and parmesan sauce. 4 pieces old gold

Walnut Crackers

I have been looking for these for a while now, a semi primal cracker that I don't have to make and I found them at Woolworths, I remember having these several years ago and had forgotten about them until I saw them staring back at me while I was choosing some cheese!  These crackers are awesome, they are full of flavour, buttery and crunchy at the same time and they are Made in New Zealand!

The ingredients are: Oats (38%), Walnuts (23%), Butter (20%), Tapioca (15%), Salt, Sugar, Raising Agent (450, 500)

So pretty great, still not 100% primal but the grains are fairly minimal, much better than grabbing for a traditional grain based cracker.

Per cracker is 25cals, 1.9carbs, 0.4protein and 1.8fat so a fairly good nutritional profile too :)

Mexican Salad Primal Style

I have a favourite Mexican salad but unfortunately it has a Taco Shell so I've tried to improve on a homemade one I made a while back and this one is truly aweome!  Follow the steps below:

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts (2-3 servings)

Taco Seasoning

Mayo or Sour Cream or Both

Salsa

Yellow Capsicum

Cherry Tomatoes

Spring Onions

Salad Greens or Cos Lettuce

Avocado, lemon juice, s&p

Cheese (Colby, Egmont, Tasty)

Slice chicken and toss taco seasoning through and coat with a little olive oil, fry chicken until nicely seared and cooked through then top the chicken while hot with grated cheese.  Chop up all vegies (see above) and a great tip for making guacomole is to mash it on a breadboard, works a treat and no sliding around in a bowl.  To make dressing mix equal parts of Salsa, Mayo and SourCream then viola arrange your salad greens and top everything as below!

So simple and delicious, 10-15minute meal, I may even do video on this one in the near future, it will be much better than my sushi one, I promise ;)

Found an old Pic!

I was having a little clean up of my photos and searching for the food pics I had taken of the recipes I posted up yesterday which I still can't find.  However I did find an old photo taken before I started this journey when I was delusional that I was as big as I was, it was taken just after New Years of 2008 and I thought it would be cool to see the comparison in my face, the shot beside it was taken the day before I chopped my hair earlier this year.  Still can't believe it's been exactly 3 years since i started this journey!

Sweet and Salty Chocolate, Almond Crackers and Chicken Wings!

So I have some recipes that I've been meaning to post for quite sometime and one of my loyal readers has kindly asked me to post so here they are:
Marinated chicken wings/nibbles, almond crackers and sweet and salty chocolate!

The almond crackers are from Elana's Pantry, the marinated chicken is just a basic marinade that I found on a recipe site and just tweaked and the sweet and salty chocolate is another tweaked recipe from Nigella!

Hope you all enjoy and just have to say with the Final Rugby World Cup game tonight GO THE ALLBLACKS!!!!

Sweet and Salty Chocolate (primal version)

3 x 100gm blocks of 85% Green and Blacks
125gms Butter
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup / Honey or Golden Syrup
200gms of Cashews or any other nut

I use a rectangle tin or square tin, Nigella suggests disposable foil tins as an option too.

Get the butter and the syrup melting on a low heat in a heavy based pan and break up the chocolates and add that to the golden sludge.

Chop the nuts or leave them whole and add into a medium mixing bowl.

When the chocolate mixture has just melted, pour it over the nuts and stir together.

Pour into prepared tin, and spread out and flatten as much as you can, using a silicon spatula.

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before cutting into chunks or wedges - depending on your tin of choice.

Makes about 20 pieces

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/sweet-and-salty-crunchy-nut-bars-recipe/index.html


Almond Rosemary Crackers

1 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary finely chopped or Tuscan Seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and rosemary

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and egg

Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined

Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness

Remove top piece of parchment paper

Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet

Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter

Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden

Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve Yield 24 cracker cookies

http://www.elanaspantry.com/rosemary-crackers/


Grilled Chicken Wings

1-1.5kgs chicken wings or nibbles
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use Tamari)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
(my tweak is approx 1/4 -1/2 cup of cream)

Mix ingredients into a bowl.

Add wings and stir.

Cover and marinate for 45 minutes.

Place pieces on the grill and brush with remaining mixture.

Grill over medium-hot coals about 15-20 minutes, turning once.

http://www.food.com/recipe/grilled-chicken-wings-31266


I seem to have lost any pictures I had of these recipes so as soon as I get some more I will put them up but for now you can see what they should look like through the links :)

Introducing The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation

I’ve got a special announcement today. Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint, has a brand new book out called The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation. It’s a practical, action-oriented guide for how to eat, exercise and live Primally – a step-by-step, “cut to the chase” resource to make a smooth and quick transition into a Primal lifestyle. In it he tells you exactly what to do every day for 21 days to take control of your health for the rest of your life. Mark explains what this new book is all about, what’s in it and who it’s for here.
Mark is looking to score this book on the New York Times best-seller list to gain exposure for the Primal Blueprint message, so he’s put together a loaded special offer. Basically, you order 1 or more copies between October 18 and 24, email your receipt to a special email address and Mark kicks you back a bunch of freebies. It’s a win-win. You get a great book for less than 15 bucks, and a bunch of free gifts, and you and Mark both get to help take the Primal movement mainstream. Check out the details of Mark’s special offer below and pick up a copy of the book today.

What Do I Win for Helping Put This Book on the NYT Best-Seller List?

Order 1 Copy and You Get:

1. Access to the exclusive, password-protected ebook – “Primal Living in the REAL World”: In this 130-page eBook, hundreds of Primal enthusiasts share their challenges, solutions and practical tips for how they get – and stay – Primal. It’s like having the advice of 300 coaches. In it you’ll read hundreds of answers to these and numerous other questions: What is the first thing a person should do to kick start their Primal life? What do you think is the most important thing one should understand as they attempt to go Primal? What was the biggest hurdle you experienced when going Primal and how did you overcome it? And of course, the most important one, What do you usually eat for breakfast?

2. Access to the exclusive, password-protected audio interview – “21-Day Total Body Transformation”: Download a 60 minute, free-wheeling Q&A podcast in which Mark discusses the 8 Key Concepts that everyone needs to know to go Primal. Among many other topics covered, Mark discusses why your body prefers burning fat over carbohydrates and how you can use this knowledge to become a fat-burning beast instead of a sugar burner. Also, listen to Mark riff on why grains are totally unnecessary and why 80 percent of your body composition is determined by how you eat.

3. $10 Gift Certificate to PrimalBlueprint.com: Spend it like cash and order whatever you want, perhaps a cookbook to go with the 21-Day Transformation book? This means for a net 5 bucks you can grab a copy of Mark’s new book today. (The coupon code is good for any single product at PrimalBlueprint.com and expires on 11/30/11.)

Order 3 (Or More) Copies and You Get:

1. All the aforementioned benefits – the $10 Gift Certificate, the exclusive eBook and podcast, plus…

2. Audio recording of the original Primal Blueprint (released in 2009) - Listen to The Primal Blueprint on your phone or MP3 player with this abridged, digital (MP3) audio book voiced by Mark Sisson. The audio book is four hours long, and covers all 10 of the Primal Blueprint Laws and then some. This is the book that started it all and retails for $26.99. Grab 3 or more copies of the the 21-Day Total Body Transformation and you’ll get it for free.

3. Plus an additional $10 Gift Certificate to PrimalBlueprint.com, bringing the total to $20. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to try a PEK, Primal Fuel or Master Formula on for size!(The coupon code is good for any single product at PrimalBlueprint.com and expires on 11/30/11.)

Order 8 (Or More) Copies and Help Change The World!

Buy 8 or more books through mainstream channels and Mark will send you one book for every two books you buy! Buy eight and he’ll send you four more. Buy 80 and he’ll send you 40 for free – seriously…and he’ll autograph each one of these promo books! And, of course, you’ll get all the aforementioned freebies.
Do your holiday shopping early. One common frustration from Primal enthusiasts is how to get friends and loved ones on board. This book is the perfect calling card to introduce someone to the Primal Blueprint. Why not reduce the hassle of holiday shopping and give each of your deserving friends and loved ones the gift of life transformation?
100 copies – Personal Touch: A 30-minute private phone consultation wherein you and Mark discuss anything you want. (Well, almost anything.) Mark doesn’t one-on-one coaching anymore so this is a rare opportunity. Yes, you also get the 50 free signed books and all the aforementioned freebies!
1,000 copies – Executive Decision: Could you co-workers use some guidance and motivation to get in shape? Mark will fly out to your location, present his Primal Transformation seminar and spend the day helping get your co-workers/employees Primal!

How Do I Win?

1. Order your book(s) online or at your local bookstore before midnight Monday, Oct 24. Here are some online ordering options:



2. Email your receipt to the appropriate email address:

• If you purchase 1-2 copies email your receipt to 1book@primalblueprint.com
• If you purchase 3-7 copies email your receipt to 3books@primalblueprint.com
• If you purchase 8 or more copies email the confirmation that your order has shipped to 8books@primalblueprint.com

To reiterate, for 8 or more books, please email Mark the confirmation that your order has shipped (not your initial email receipt) to the appropriate email address above. Also, please include your shipping address so Mark knows where to ship your free books. Please allow 30 days for processing and shipping of your free books. Mark’s going to have a lot of books to sign!
Low-techies can fax receipt copy to 310-317-4424.
3. You will receive your e-gift certificate, eBook download instructions, podcast download instructions, and all other freebies by reply email. (Please be patient. The Worker Bees will be reviewing receipts and sending you instructions on how to access all of your freebies within 24 hours.)
If you have any questions about ordering, or this promotion, please call 888-774-6259 (or 310-317-4414).
Fine Print:

• Unfortunately, Kindle and other digital books don’t count toward the NY Times best-seller list, nor this promotion.
• Books purchased in physical locations (e.g. a brick-and-mortar Barnes & Noble) count, too. Just scan and email your receipt to the appropriate email address above, or fax it to 310-317-4424.
• The 8 book offer only applies to book orders placed in the United States. While international orders won’t impact the New York Times best-seller list Mark will extend the 1-2 and 3-7 book offers to anyone around the world.

Order Your Copy of The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation Today!

100th Post!

So I'm back and it's my 100th Post!  First I'd like to appologise for my lack of posts lately, life has gotten in the way but I'm still here and will try my best to keep you updated a little more often... 
Looking back on the last couple of years is quite mind blowing so I thought I would reflect.  I started this journey on October 18th 2008 scared as hell, depressed as hell weighing exactly 107.1kgs, on the 3rd November 2009 I weighed in at 67kgs and my lowest I got to is 64.8 which was Christmas 09.  I have managed to maintain for the last 2 years in the realms of 65-73kgs which I think is pretty darn great! I know for sure I will never see that rather large body ever again!

So I will be honest with you all, I'm sitting at 70.9 kgs as of today, I think that my winter weight tends to hover in the high 60's and low 70's and then I tighten up my eating when the weather heats up to mid 60's.  I was reading back over some of my old blog posts and came across a post titled "Maintaining is a breeze" well it seems it's not really all that much of a breeze, life gets in the way sometimes and it's easy to leave yourself off of your to do list! 

So I had hit 66kgs for my 30th in May this year which was awesome and felt fantastic but the kgs have crept up on me in the last few months with a little too much winter comfort food.  I'm not stressed about it, we have had a full on year and my priority hasn't been weight loss.  My business is doing fantastic and life in general is so wonderful, my husband's back surgery was a success and we are on the up and up.

Anyway I'm ready to hit the weight loss track again since summer is just around the corner and although I don't feel terrible at 70kgs I feel my best when I'm around 65-67 so that's my ideal goal for now, bearing in mind 62 is just feeling so far away at this point.

I hope you all love the new layout at the top left there's a drop down box and you can choose the format you like, there's either Magazine, Mosaic, Classic, Flipcard, Sidebar, snapshot and timeslide! Plus I've got a bit of food porn for you all!!!

Question/Anwer Post

Hi Michele! Just discovered your blog and it's very inspiring. I'm considering doing Atkins style or Paleo but you like you've done a fusion of both, right? I don't want to totally give up dairy -- mostly a bit of cheese, cream cheese and cream in coffee. So, is that considered Paleo still with some dairy or what would that be? Thanks!

Thanks for your question, definitely a valid point and one which I have a bit of experience in.  I have done all sorts of different mixes of atkins, protein power, paleo and primal, I personally find that Primal is best as it’s not quite as strict and something you can follow for life easily.  Depending on your goals of either weight loss or improved health it’s really just a sliding scale on the ratios you have.  Personally I do really well when I keep my fat high, moderate protein and low carb however I’m doing an experiment of high fat, moderate protein and carb just for a change and to see what results I get from it.  If you tolerate dairy well then there’s really no need to limit dairy.

Here’s a great explanation as to why some people do better with dropping their carbs right off and others need to increase them:

However, not everyone functions well in ketosis. They get brain fuzzed, lethargic and just generally feel awful. Even with weeks of being on a ketogenic diet, they never seem to adapt completely. That’s not a good recipe for long-term adherence to a diet or healthy functioning or training.

Tangentially, I’d note that this seems to be related to inherent levels of insulin sensitivity. Individuals with good insulin sensitivity, who typically run well on carbohydrates, tend to not do well on low-carbohydrate diets. In contrast, individuals with insulin resistance often do far better reducing carbohydrates and that often means going to ketogenic levels. Finally, some people seem to have the metabolic flexibility to do well with either diet. I address this issue in more detail in article Insulin Sensitivity and Fat Loss.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/how-many-carbohydrates-do-you-need.html

Personally I’ve never run very well on a high carbohydrate level, I feel lethargic, groggy and generally unwell not to mention constantly hungry.  I do excellent in a mild state of ketosis, I’m never hungry, I have more mental clarity, brighter skin, lower weight, better sleeps the list goes on. 

I hope that helps and gives you some food for thought and thanks again for your kind comment and interest in my blog.

Primal Sushi Revisted!

The stats on my blog show that Primal sushi is the most searched and my previous post on Primal sushi http://primaljourney.blogspot.com/2009/03/sushi-low-carb-style.html has the highest hits apart from my before and after shots, I take it that it's something that most people do miss when they embark on a Primal/Paleo or low carb lifestyle.

I know I miss sushi a lot and I do indulge every now and then in the real thing but if you are strict low carb/primal then you will love this.  Sorry i've kept it from you for so long! 

This recipe uses cauliflower rice and mayonaise and it's pretty damn good, don't let it sit in the fridge like you do with traditional sushi otherwise it will turn yuck, just make it, leave it 15mins then eat it all up!

Hope you enjoy ;)

New Recipes I've tried

So this week has been pretty good, back into the swing of eating well.  I have tried out two recipes of other bloggers this week and had great success.  The first was Pina Colada ice cream and it's wonderful http://www.urbancavegirl.com/2011/06/pina-colada-ice-cream.html?zx=a8b3b360e6684811 I used canned unsweetened pineapple not frozen.  I can see this being an awesome addition to my summer deserts, yes it is winter here in NZ but I still love ice cream in the winter. 

The other is Low Carb Bread Rolls, yes I know you have all probably tried to make low carb 'bread' but it's pretty good, very similar to the Grain-Free Basic Bread (Coconut Flour Flax Bread) Recipe but a little easier and yummier I thought.  http://www.healthyindulgences.net/2011/07/bread-made-healthy-tasty-grain-free-and.html

This is the Pina Colada Ice cream, I topped mine with melted green & blacks 85% chocolate and coconut oil so it sets like ice magic.

The low carb bread rolls! These are yummy, not exactly bread but a cross between bread and a muffin.  Super filling and a nice change to put a yummy topping on.  I have been waiting to have something like this to use the Rapunzel Chocolate Hazelnut spread I bought a couple of weeks back and it was heavenly.

This is my new favourite! Chicken Taco Salad from a local Mexican takeaway here in New Plymouth, our first Mexican takeaway we've ever had here so it's a bit of a novelty at the moment and it's well priced.  They use free range chicken which is marinated in Tequila and then I get them to hold the beans, rice and corn and top with with lettuce, chicken, salsa, extra cheese, extra avocado and chipotle sauce.  The Taco shell is homemade and OMG delicious, obviously not at all Primal, I generally only end up having a little bit otherwise I feel too stuffed.

This is my primal take on the above salad, homemade without the Taco shell.  Not quite the same, their salsa, chicken and chipotle sauce is way better but it was still pretty good!