Day 11 Whole30

I'm finding my grove with this Whole30, plenty of variety in my diet and a ton of veggies! Day 11 wasn't super smooth, I had a few cravings and found myself wishing I could just have a piece of 85% Lindt and Nespresso with cream, however I didn't as I don't want to short change myself, I need to remind myself why I'm doing this Whole30. 

I wouldn't say it's hard but it's not easy either, when hubby is sitting there eating chocolate and I'm not then yeah at that moment it feels hard but it's all relative, it really isn't that hard, it's just changing habits and not being so emotional with food. I feel like things are changing for the better, still can't believe I've gone 11 days without chocolate or dairy, I'm over a third of the way there :)

8 hours sleep

7am: 3 egg omelet filled with sautéed kale, red peppers, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bacon and walnut pesto

12pm: Lamb and Pumpkin coconut curry with green beans & cashews

6pm: 1 tablespoon of Coconut Manna

8pm: Cajun steak with avocado/mayo onto of a large salad, mesclun, cucumber, yellow peppers, radishes, cherry tomatoes

Toasted coconut & almond chocolate

Ingredients:

200gms 85% Lindt

100gms 70% Old Gold

(you can use any brand, I just try and keep the percentages high so that it's richer and I eat less ;))

150gms Butter or Coconut Oil

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

100gms Sliced Almonds

100gms Coconut chips

Prep work: Preheat your oven to grill 200C, Line a dish with parchment paper.

Directions: 

Melt your butter or coconut oil, once melted then take off the heat and add in the chocolate, this will ensure you don't cook the chocolate and then you will have a melt in your mouth consistency. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Put your almonds onto a baking sheet and place under the grill to toast, watch it very carefully as they will burn, check constantly and turn to ensure most of the almonds get toasted.  Do not burn or it will ruin the chocolate.  Next do the coconut, you need to watch the coconut even more or you will burn it, coconut has a very high fat content and will toast much faster than the almonds.  This will get your house smelling amazing too I might add! This can also be done in a non stick frying pan but I find it is easier to mess it up plus you don't always get an even toasting.

Add your toasted almond & coconut to the chocolate mixture and then pour into your lined dish, pop in the fridge for several hours and then cut when it's nearly set, place back in the fridge and then break it up and put into a container and store in the fridge. 

Rum & Raisin Truffle Chocolate

This chocolate is ultra rich and very decadent, you could almost get drunk from it ;) it has a truffle like texture and I promise it will take care of any sweet cravings you have! If you don't like super rich dark chocolate then use all 70% and add some form of sweetener.

• 2 x 100gm blocks 85% Lindt
• 1 x 100gm block 70% espresso chocolate (or just use normal and add a shot of coffee if you like it, won't matter to leave it out)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
• 1/4 cup Appleton Estate Rum
• 1 cup Raisins

Melt the coconut oil, once melted take off heat and add chocolate and let it melt, if needed pop back on heat but not on high or the chocolate won't melt in your mouth once it's set!

Add the rum (less if you don't want it so rich), mix well and then add raisins.

Line a tray with baking paper, pour in mixture and refrigerate for several hours, remove and cut into pieces!

Tip: the way it tastes in the pot is the way it tastes once set so adjust ingredients while you can!

Cashew & Almond Butter Dark Chocolate

Cashew & Almond Butter Dark Chocolate

• 150gms Butter
• 200gms 70% Cadbury Old Gold
• 100gms 85% Green & Blacks
• 2-3 Tbsps Almond Butter
• 200gms Salted Cashews - chopped up
• (optional: coconut, dried apricots or other dried fruit)

Melt butter, add the broken up chocolate so it melts but no need to boil, you just want to melt the chocolate.  Add the almond butter so thoroughly combined, put in the cashews and pour into a lined dish, pop in the fridge and it should be ready in roughly 3-4 hours.

ENJOY!!

Sweet and salty chocolate!

Sweet and Salty chocolate

• 3 x 100gm blocks of 85% Green and Blacks 
• 125gms Butter 
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 200gms of Salted Cashews or any other nut 

Melt the butter and honey on a low heat in a heavy based pan and break up the chocolate and add, stirring until melted and all combined.

Chop the nuts or leave them whole and add into the melted chocolate mixture.

Pour into prepared rectangle tin, and spread out and flatten as much as you can.

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before cutting.

Makes about 20 pieces

**Please note this is a primal version of Nigella's Sweet and Salty chocolate.

Chocolate lava cake!

Before I start all the credit goes to this awesome blog! http://healthfreakrevolution.com/?p=607

This is my second attempt at the best chocolate pudding ever....it's now lava cake!
This is revolutionary and I'm so happy I stumbled across the recipe, thanks to Joanne from Bellatrix Nutrition for sharing it! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=456968350997260&set=a.306377172723046.93130.149444195083012&type=1&ref=notif&notif_t=photo_reply&theater

It's definitely considered a 'treat indulgence' even though dark chocolate and eggs are super foods I don't recommended having this all the time..have it when you are really feeling like a treat or everyone else is having something non-primal then you could indulge in this.  A very high fat, high calorie treat, maybe half it if you are trying to lose weight!
I'm a real lover of super dark chocolate so if you aren't I suggest going for a 70% cocoa content, this version is very rich!

My little tweaks:

• 14 pieces of 85% Green and Blacks
• 2 pieces of 70% Old Gold
• 1 square of 85% Lindt
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil

Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a mug, microwave on a medium setting for about 2 minutes, the coconut oil will stop the chocolate from burning and makes the pudding taste unreal!
Let the melted chocolate cool enough to add in the egg without it scrambling.  Place the square of lindt in the centre and microwave the whole thing for 60 seconds.  
Tip out on a plate, it doesn't stick at all and then serve with whatever your heart desires.  I love pears with chocolate, it reminds me of an old favourite "Upside down pear pudding".

Nutritional stats for this chocolate lava cake are:
Calories: 616
Fat: 52gms
Carbs: 25
Net Carbs: 18
Protein: 11
 

The best chocolate pudding ever!

This chocolate pudding is unreal! I just had to share it with you guys...I found it here: https://www.facebook.com/BellatrixNutrition#!/photo.php?fbid=456968350997260&set=a.306377172723046.93130.149444195083012&type=1&theater

I just followed the instructions and it came out perfect except next time I'll cook it a little less and add some more unmelted chocolate into the centre to make it like Lava Cake!  I used 70gms of 70% old gold, I also let the melted chocolate cool a bit before adding the egg so it didn't scramble, I cooked mine for 1.30 minutes, next time I'll just do a minute.  I halved the pudding as above and then served it for husband and I with some pears and whipped cream, simply AMAZEBALLS!!!!

The original recipe post is here: http://healthfreakrevolution.com/?p=607

Nutritious Chocolate Cake: 2 ingredients, 5 minutes

"It is a healthy variation of the popular 5-minute mug cake. This recipe is very simple, and makes a lot of sense when you begin to understand how ingredients work together to create new ...textures. "

Serves one (decent sized dessert)

Ingredients:
40-80g of Dark chocolate* (as dark as you can enjoy)
one egg

Less chocolate will create a lighter ‘cakier’ texture, more will create a denser brownie-like texture. I recommend starting with 70g on your first time. If you want a massive cake, experiment with upping the ingredients, and feel free to put it in an oven (oven tray not coffee mug though).

[* if you're using Lindt chocolate, 1 square = 10g
so 7 squares = 70g]

Optional:
baking powder can help it rise a little more
nuts
honey
serve with fruit, banana is good
serve with cream

Method:
Melt chocolate in a mug using your microwave. If you cant do this without burning go learn.
Beat your egg into the melted chocolate.
Microwave again, 30 seconds at a time to check how fast your microwave works, won’t take more than 1:30 seconds.
Tip on a plate or eat it out of the mug after letting it cool a bit.

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!

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 :)

The Damn Scale!!!

Well I haven't posted in a while, feeling a little bummed that my weight hasn't shifted again yet. I'm stuck a little, at least I haven't gone up but it's a little frustrating when you stick to plan and still the scale doesn't move. So my plan this week is to eat less nuts, berries and 85% dark choc, maybe they are stalling me but these foods are so yummy!! so I'm a little frustrated to say the least.

This is my plan, 3 eggs for breakfast either scrambed, omelete (with added cream) this keeps me fuller for longer, I can go 5 hours when I add enough fat. If I have poached eggs I need to add some sort of fat and usually I will add a couple of pecans so I may have to stick to scrambed or omelete or if I feel creative I'll make hollandaise to go with my eggs YUM!!
Lunch will be chicken nibbles baked to be crispy with a creamy sauce or some cheese on the side.
Dinner will be some meat, vegies with butter, will go easy on pumpkin.
Well time for lunch now and i'm hungryyyyy!!!