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!

First Question/Answer Post!

Hey Michelle

Just wanted to say I have loved reading your blog. Have been eating mostly Paleo/Primal for the last few weeks and already seeing and feeling changes, mind and energy seems brighter which is something everyone seems to say happens. You are looking wonderful and should be very proud of your achievements. Coming from eating 5-6 times a day (3 meals, 2 snacks) I must admit am struggling a little - thinking and uswed to eating more often?? Fritatta in am, nuts and green tea for snack one, salad/veges and meat for lunch, protein shake (no-no) and meat/veges for dinner....also am loving fresh berries and cream for dessert....What are you up to in the way of gym at the moment?? Anyway just wanted to say hi and I have enjoyed watching your transformation...got a cruise in Dec 2011 - so thats motivation for me!! :)


Hi Bianca

Thanks so much for stopping by :)  Aren't the energy levels awesome and the mental clarity!  I remember it took me a little while before I felt ok going from eating 5-6 times a day to eating 2-3.  There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to weight loss as at the end of the day if you are consuming too many calories you won't lose weight, however the advantage of eating less meals I found is it allows your body to feel the true hunger we are supposed to get.  When you are constantly eating there's never a moment when your body can dip into it's fat stores and start burning fat for fuel.

Of course this only works successfully if you are low enough on your carbohydrates otherwise you will still be riding the insulin roller coaster which will make it difficult to go for 5 or 6 hours between a meal.   Your food choices sound great.  The one thing I found is that you need to be careful with protein shakes, too much protein, over and above what your body actually needs can be converted into glucose if necessary through a process called gluconeogenesis, therefore you won't be able to go long periods without food.  I found this when I first started I was having way too much protein and I was hungry all the time, as soon as I dropped the excess protein and increased the fat I was no longer hungry and feeling like I had to eat.  This might not necessarily be the case with you but a possible reason as to why you are feeling better eating more often, give it some time and you can always play around with it to see where you fall on the scale of more or less meals.

As for exercise to be honest I haven't been exercising like I know I should, I've never been great at sticking to exercise and considering it's winter here at the moment it never inspires me to work out.  I'm definately better at sticking to eating well than consistent exercise.  I've been doing one Yoga or Pilates workout a week which just isn't enough so I'm planning on stepping that up. 

I hope that anwers your questions and helps you to stay the course.  It is so worth it, I know how hard it can be.  Nothing like having a cruise for some serious motivation, lucky girl :)

Ask me a question!

So I thought I would do something new, I'm a bit bored of posting my food logs so instead I would love to hear any questions you guys might have.  I'll answer each week depending on the amount of questions I get, I'm not entirely sure if there will even be any questions but if any of you are stuck or just think I might be able to help then I will do my best.  Don't be shy I'd love to hear from you :)

Too many Double Downs!!

This week has improved from last week, I cannot say however that my food choices have improved all that much, some definate areas need tightening up.  Not a weight loss week at all which doesn't surprise me.  My consumption of KFC double downs and non primal chocolate has become a little too often for my normal allowance of 80/20 rules.  I think I need to try and make a consious effort to reduce those indugences....So I have posted my food journal after saying last week I couldn't be bothered which I still kind of can't but I thought it might help me to be a little more accountable again, seems I need a little focus to get my food patterns back in line.  Hope you enjoy the journal, sorry it's certainly not a good week of strict primal by all means. 

Friday 3rd June 2011

B: Decaf Flat White w 1 sugar, 1 piece 85% Lindt

L: Cajun Chicken with corriander greek yoghurt, 2 pieces 85% Lindt

D: Double Down (Michelle Style) with Pineapple, smoked cheese, BBQ sauce and Mayo wrapped in cos lettuce.  Decaf Flat White w 1 sugar, 70% Old Gold, Whittakers Fruit and Nut

Saturday 4th June 2011

B: Eggs Benedict at local Cafe, on top of rosemary potatoes with caramalized onion, decaf Flat White w 1 sugar

L: Whittakers Fruit and Nut, Macadamia White Chocolate (lost count)

D: 1 piece Snapper, crabstick and Chips

Sunday 5th June 2011
B: 3 poached eggs with 3 strips bacon and homemade hollandaise. 
L: Decaf Flat White w 1 sugar, 4 pieces 85% Lindt
D: Double Down (my version), 1/2 regular chips, 10 pieces 70% old gold

Monday 6th June 2011
B: Double Down (my version), 2 pieces 85% Lindt
L: Decaf Flat White w 1 sugar, 3 pieces 70% Old Gold
D: Sirloin Steak, Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce and roast pumpkin, Primal Brownie with greek yoghurt

Tuesday 7th June 2011
B: Omelet filled with cheese, cream cheese and bacon, 4 pieces 85% Lindt
D: 2 pieces Meatza, 4 pieces 85% Lindt

Wednesday 8th June 2011
B: 1 piece leftover Meatza with extra cheese, 2 pieces 85% Lindt
L: Yoghurt Berry Smoothie - small glass, 6 pieces 70% Old Gold
D: Cajun Chicken with pumpkin and cashews served on corriander cauliflower rice with corriander greek yoghurt
S: Primal nut slice

Thursday 9th June 2011 
B: 1 piece leftover Meatza with extra cheese, 2 pieces 85% Lindt
L: Yoghurt Berry Smoothie - small glass, Decaf Flat White w 1 sugar, Primal Nut Slice
D: Sirloin Steak with Pepper Sauce, zucchini and broccoli, mashed pumpkin with cream cheese.
S: 6 pieces Whitakkers Fruit and Nut chocolate 

Friday 10th June 2011 Weight 67.4kgs

It's been a crap week!

I've had a crap week, I'm premenstrual, have a sore throat and feel very fluey! I've been battling rampant sugar cravings all week, after indulging over the weekend in some hot chips with my dinner followed by some cookies and cream ice cream, caramel steamed pudding and hot chocolate sauce but it was soooo good.  Will I ever learn....probably not.  I know that the sugar cravings will always come after ingesting the non primal treats but I don't think that will ever stop me from indulging just a little.  I have come a long way, when I used to go nuts and eat soo much of it thinking I may as well do this properly, to now I can just have a meals worth and not drag it out for a couple of days like I once did.  I should be happy that I have learned some self control really but unfortunately I still feel quite vulnerable to the grip sugar and starches can have on my eating.  I am human after all and I shouldn't expect so much from myself.

So since I have eaten a bit of rubbish and the added water retention I always get at that time of the month my weight is 67.3 this week!  Ah well, I'll eventually get to my goal and I'm sure when I get there I will still find some kind of self improvement to work on, when I was 54kgs back when I was 23 after doing Atkins I remember thinking well I'm thin, now what... I do think that unless you have self love and true happiness that no number on the scale will ever give you the happiness you think it will.  In saying that I don't think there's anything wrong with having goals and reaching them, when I'm slim I do feel so much better about myself, I love to be able to fit all the clothes I adore so much and it sure makes exercise and life in general much more comfortable.  I love that I don't have to dodge photos like I used to and I feel pretty happy in my skin most of the time, we all have down days, I think that's just part of being a female, gotta love those hormones :)

I haven't recorded my food, think I'm over it for the moment.  Maybe I'll start back up when I feel the urge but for now sorry it's just not at the fore front of my mind.
I have however as always taken photos of a few of my meals, nothing all that exciting but a bit of eye candy for you all.  Enjoy your Queens Birthday weekend!!

Almond crusted Double down, pretty amazing!!

Pork Belly with mashed pumpkin w cream cheese, broccoli and cauli with cheese sauce

Zucchini and Pumpkin Carbonara with chicken, bacon, sundried tomatoes, feta and pinenuts, a whole lot yummier than how it looks and yes I ate the whole plate, I was hungry!! ;)

Pork Belly with Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Mustard Dressing (from Marks first cookbook)  Very very tasty!

I tried the crepes out of Mark Sissons new cookbook today and served it with blueberry yogurt, very yummy!