Clean and mean

That title describes my diet rather than any activity I might (or might not) be doing at the moment.

I am following the nutrition plan to the letter. Now I have no issue with the food, after all who can complain about meals comprising Bircher muesli, scrambled eggs with baked beans, roast pumpkin & feta salad, beef stroganoff and tonight’s meal of sweet potato & roast capsicum pizza.

I think it’s the stop to the snacking ie picking at food throughout the day. You know, when I’m bored, tired, stressed, sad, happy, angry…well name the emotion and it was a reason to snack. Now I have 2 planned snacks during the day and if I have the calories, a hot chocolate at night. You wouldn’t believe how ridiculously and deliriously happy I can be if I can have that hot choc! Last night I couldn’t .

Of course it doesn’t help when Mr CJ sits down with a plate of just-made hot buttered toast, mid-afternoon. Omg, I didn’t realise how good hot toast smells! Then he polished off the remainder of a packet snack mix from the pantry. He even offered me some. Yes, that’s the sharing and caring person he can be, not!

However I have stuck to my plan. I’m waiting for the day that my stomach has shrunk and doesn’t emit that ominous, very audible rumble between meals. Health experts say that many of us have forgotten what it’s like to experience true hunger given our constant and easily accessible supply of food. Trust me, I am we’ll acquainted with the feeling!

One more day and I will have completed week one of 12WBT. The exercise component hasn’t quite gone to plan this week but the food has been spot on.

Sweet potato & roasted capsicum pizza

The promise of coffee for the caffeinista sistas!

7.49am: Gindy parkrun
Distance: 6km (inc 1km warm up)
Time: 31.49min
Pace: 5.15min/km
Cals: 350

Parkrun results:
49th across the line, 1st in age group
Time: 25.39min (this included stopping to tie up shoe laces)

Weather: 6*c, wind – calm; a chilly start but a gorgeous sunny morning

It seemed really strange driving to the start of parkrun this morning as I usually run down and then run home afterwards. But not today. Why? Well there is the Mothers Day Classic 10km tomorrow so I’m saving myself(!), and Gary was shouting the caffeinista sistas aka CJ and Ruth, a coffee for doing the marathon last month. Just quietly – that was the real reason I showed up for parkrun today!Thank you Gary!

It was a chilly start this morning but we soon warmed up on the 5km run – those tricky little hills just pop up when you least expect them! That first one up to the bridge can be particularly nasty – very short and sharp. Deek’s female Indigenous squad were marshalling today as they are running tomorrow. They are training to run New York marathon later this year, as we are!

Then it was off to Birrigai Cafe for a coffee that Gary promised us for running the Canberra marathon. Trust me it was a well earned coffee! And as a special treat, Ruth also had a choccie biscuit and I had a Jaffa slice – very delicious and totally negated any calories I may have earned today from the run! Oh well, the countdown is on – only 2 more sleeps and the challenge is on (deep breath CJ).

This afternoon I baked my first ever sponge so wasn’t sure how this would turn out. I used a recipe from the Cooks Companion – my Stephanie Alexander cooking bible. I remember my nana used to make a sponge using a recipe that didn’t have the usual plain or SR flour but instead used cornflour. This is what this recipe had – cornflour, custard powder, cream of tartar, carb soda, caster sugar and eggs. It baked perfectly and, apart from a tricky situation where it stuck to the wire rack while cooling, there were no dramas. It has now been sliced horizontally and sandwiched with strawberry jam and cream.

Tomorrow its Mothers Day. So why am I getting up early to run 10km? I’m still wondering that myself!

Last long run :)

7.17am: long run inc parkrun
Distance: 17km (inc 5km parkrun)
Time: 1hr 33.36min (5km – 24.09min)
Pace: 5.30min/km
Location: Lake Ginninderra
Weather: (7.30am) 6.6*c, wind – calm; (9am) 11.3*c, wind – ESE, 7kph

Today was my last long run before the marathon. Of course, come Sunday week I’ll be running 42.2km.

It was another chilly start this morning and for a while there I thought I’d be heading off to the lake in the dark but the sun did eventually rise around 7am. Thank goodness daylight savings finishes tonight. It was great while it lasted but its so dark in the mornings now.

There was a large turnout for the Gindy parkrun this morning and the usual suspects were there – Ruth, Marg, and Gary, and Mr B even showed up. I was 6secs off my PB today though it did feel like I was running faster, obviously it was just harder! Then a casual cool down run home again afterwards – a pleasant way to end the run.

The rest of the day was spent familiarising myself with domestic duties once again because for some strange reason I decided to save some money by not getting a cleaner anymore. What was I on at the time to even consider this absurd notion?! As compensation for hard labour I had prepared Moroccan lamb shanks with pumpkin & mint for dinner tonight, with poached vanilla pears with chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream & toasted coconut flakes for dessert. Recipes courtesy of Michelle Bridges and Weight Watchers Verdict? Delicious.

“I may not be the strongest, I may not be the fastest, but one thing’s for sure, I’ll be trying my hardest.”

Seedy & nutty

Some would say that half of today’s title would describe me to a T, and I’m not disputing that! (and I hope you’re thinking the second half of the title, and not the former!)

However I do have to admit I am feeling seedy today, i.e., under the weather, and no alcohol has been involved. The seediness gradually crept up on me last night and has stuck around today, just to ensure that I have a very mediocre day. To think, I left half of my perfectly good cappuccino behind this morning at Kingston & Co. What more proof do you need that I’m not well?! So I am having a proper rest day – no swimming today.

However today’s title describes a loaf of bread I made last night after discovering a recipe on My New Roots site, referred to as “The life- changing loaf of bread.” This, of course, stoked my curiosity and I had to give it a go. It’s basically a mixture of seeds (sunflower, chia, flax, psyllium), nuts (almonds), oats (or quinoa flakes), coconut oil and water, mixed together in a silicon loaf pan and left for several hours (or even overnight) before putting in a 180 degree oven for 30min, then removing from the loaf pan and sitting the upside-down loaf directly on the oven rack for another 40min, until it sounds hollow when tapped.

Now if you’re after a fresh, fluffy, light loaf of bread, this is not for you. It’s obviously very seedy and nutty and dense, but I like it. It’s got flavour and texture and smells delicious when toasted. And it looks great.

“Where there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Walnut, cinnamon & brown sugar palmiers

Bet that got your attention!

One of the downsides of being sick, staying home and lying dying on the couch is that you watch…horror of horrors…day time television *shock, horror, gasp*!

Ok so I don’t need to watch day time television and usually I don’t but I was sick and I needed something to distract me from all the side effects of said illness. I was using television to distract me.

And so it was that I was watching Huey’s Kitchen on Ten Capital and he was making walnut, cinnamon and brown sugar palmiers. And here’s the thing – it looked so easy, so simple that any halfwit could make them. Jamie’s 15 minute meals? Hah, these could be whipped up in the half the time, barely raising a sweat. Mr N (aka The Fisherman) made the comment along the lines of ‘gee, they look delicious.’ So I rashly informed The Fisherman that I would make them on the weekend.

Today I’m feeling much better. So much so, that I went for a short run this morning just to test the waters. It wasn’t fast by any stretch of the imagination but I didn’t throw up, want to dash behind the nearest tree or feel dizzy and need to sit down. Progress!

This evening we had homemade pizzas for dinner. While they were cooking I portioned out the ingredients for the palmiers – brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and eggs. The first three ingredients were mixed together, after chopping the walnuts into smaller pieces. One whole egg and one yolk were beaten together for the egg wash. The pastry sheets had already been removed from the freezer and were thawing on the bench. The oven was set on 200 degrees and a baking sheet was lined with baking paper.

One sheet of pastry was laid on the bench, the edges brushed with egg wash, and half of the brown sugar/cinnamon/walnut mix sprinkled over the top, leaving a margin all the way round. The edges of the next pastry sheet were brushed with egg wash and then this was laid, egg side down, on top of the first layer, and pressed firmly all the way around to make sure it was sticking. What I didn’t do, and would next time, is also press the pastry firmly down all over, not just the edges. And so the steps were repeated with the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon/walnut mix and the third  and last pastry sheet, and then the entire surface was brushed with egg wash.

So far, so good.

Except when it came to the rolling up stage, my efforts looked nothing like Huey’s! The idea was to roll up both sides until they met in the middle, like a scroll. What I neglected to do was to roll FIRMLY, and also because I hadn’t firmly pressed the pastry down all over when doing each layer, there was a lot of air sandwiched in the layers. So when it came to rolling each palmier flat, between layers of baking paper, and then laying on the baking tray, there was a bit of manipulating (aka squishing things together) so the filling didn’t fall out. Mine weren’t the prettiest palmiers going but they were on the tray, brushed with egg wash and were  into the oven. I just hoped that the cooking process would meld everything together.

And it did! They came out looking (sort of) like Huey’s, The Fisherman was impressed, and that’s the main thing. Now the only thing is, he’s got 12 of them to eat!

“Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.” - Wayne Dyer

 

Zumborons!

I don’t normally buy packet cake mixes, preferring to bake from scratch. But in Woolies on Friday night I saw a range of mixes by Adriano Zumbo, the macaron king among other things. He is the Willy Wonka of the pastry world who guest stars on Masterchef, each time bringing in a creation designed to send contestants into a baking frenzy resulting in amazing creations and tastes.  One day I will get to visit his shop in Sydney but in the meantime I can at least try his packet mixes.

I bought the salted caramel macaron mix – salted caramel being one of my favourite flavours  This afternoon I made the macarons according to his instructions. The packet includes the various mixes – macaron mixture, almond meal, and the caramel mix for the filling. All I had to supply was water and butter. Also included was a template for the macaron shape and 2 piping bags. I did have some concerns when it came to piping the mixture on the trays as piping bags and I aren’t friends! I have absolutely no talent when it comes to piping neat, regular shapes but today, following instructions, I didn’t do a bad job.

In between making the shells and the filling, I went for a 16km run. I had been waiting for the weather to cool down and eventually it did – the wind had picked up and there was some light drizzle on and off. I ran down to the lake via the cycle path through Melba and Mackellar and then came back via Florey – a 16km loop.

The macarons (aka Zumborons) were hailed a success by Mr N who promptly tucked into them. I have a feeling they are not going to last very long.

Tomorrow: the plan is to swim in the morning before work. Finally I might be able to make it to the pool! In the days leading up to Christmas, I think it will  be a case of doing what I can and not stressing about what I can’t do.

“One’s limits will not be found within the confines of one’s comfort.” – Unknown

Blueberry brownie bliss

3 Dec 2012_Blueberry brownies

Among the top 10 brain foods, that is, foods that improve memory, mood, concentration, and overall clarity, are blueberries and dark chocolate. So when I saw Frugalfeeding’s  recipe for Blueberry Brownies I knew I was on to a winner! Blueberries and dark chocolate – these brownies are positively brimming with antioxidants And I needed to bake something for tomorrow’s afternoon tea so this was my opportunity. It’s a really easy recipe and most of the ingredients can be found in the pantry and fridge. I only needed to buy some more blueberries and a block of dark chocolate. I know, as hard as it is to believe, I didn’t have any dark chocolate in the house! And even better, it’s a really quick and easy recipe that doesn’t require lots of time or bowls or utensils – so a perfect weekday recipe. The only part that did cause me some angst was the length of time for baking – the instructions explicitly stated that it was to be cooked in a 180 degrees celsius oven for no more than 25 minutes – there is nothing worse than overcooked brownies – dry and crumbly is the death of a good brownie. I prefer the fudgy type of brownie so for the last 5-10 minutes I was constantly checking to ensure it wasn’t becoming too firm.

The verdict – a deliciously moist, fudgy brownie chock full of blueberries. I can feel it doing me good already!

And for more great recipes, go check out Frugalfeeding’s blog – not only are they delicious but they’re also inexpensive.

Luckily I had also cycled early this morning so had got my exercise quota in for the day!

Tomorrow: the plan is a weights session in the morning and a bike intervals session after work, on the wind trainer. And some more chocolatey antioxidants for afternoon tea

“Be positive, ignore the critic, follow your heart, invest in your passions, believe in your dreams & get busy making them reality.” – Josh Cox

Training, massage, voting & chocolate tart

The morning seemed to come around really quickly and I was up again getting ready for my cycle/run session. It was a pleasant morning so I could ride minus my head band, cycle jacket, thermal socks and shoe booties. Made for a nice change. It was only an hour cycle this morning and then I was home getting ready to run 30 minutes (approx 6km). People were already up and about setting up polling booths, planting those candidate placards that have infested road verges for the past couple of weeks, and hanging about 100m from the polling booths with how to vote cards (by law they’re not allowed any closer).

The run went well – it’s so much easier when I’ve only cycled for an hour opposed to three hours!

I really appreciated my massage this morning and surprisingly there were no stand out sore points. There were some areas of tightness but all things considered I seem to be in good shape. And fortunately yesterday’s incident when someone ran into the back of our car hasn’t caused any problems.

Originally the plan was to swim this afternoon but I decided to do my long run instead in the heat. Given that Port Macquarie is a lot warmer than here (and it got to 39 degrees there today) I thought a run in the heat was required to get myself used to how it feels (bloody awful I might add). So I ran 12km with the return trip into a head wind. I was glad to finish and must’ve drunk at least a litre of water once I got inside. After a shower, we wandered down to the local polling booth and voted.

Made a chocolate tart with a difference for dessert tonight. The crust consisted of almond meal, fresh dates and a tiny bit of coconut oil blended together and pressed into 2 small tart tins. This went into the freezer initially to set and then into the fridge later. The filling consisted of avocado, coconut oil, cacao powder, stevia, vanilla and some chocolate liqueur which was blended together until smooth and then spooned into the tart shells and refrigerated. Before the filling went into the shells I spread some strawberry jam on the bottom and then spooned the filling over the top. The verdict? Very rich so we shared one tart and will have the other one tomorrow night. Very smooth and delicious. And Mr N has no idea that he has consumed avocado!

Tomorrow: the plan is to sleep in! I have no plans of getting up early and doing any training. Later in the day I will do my wet suit swim. I also need to start to think about packing. And I want to buy a new bike helmet – not happy with mine.

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ― A.A. Milne

Tuesday training

It was back to the gym for a weights session this morning. It feels like its been ages since I’ve done a weights session so the plan wasn’t to go crazy with heavy weights. I really don’t need to spend the rest of my week struggling to move because of DOMS. Today was legs, chest and biceps day so the session started with the leg press (after a warm up on the xtrainer), followed by DB chest press, BB bicep curls, DB flyes, BB squats, DB sumo squats, reverse lunges, and mac push ups. I ended the session with an abs circuit. All up I was in and out of the gym in about 50 minutes. Not a bad way to start the day

After work it was on my bike, on the wind trainer, for an hour of intervals – lots of 1 min hard/1min easy intervals! It was a good session with no problems to report.

Made basil and walnut pesto spaghetti with roast tomatoes and pumpkin for dinner tonight. I had some left over eggplant so roasted that as well. This was a really delicious meal and the bonus is that the pesto is made without oil. And I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow – bonus!

Tomorrow: the plan is to swim before work and then do a 45 minute fartlek run session at lunchtime, to break up the work day. Hopefully the weather will hold out.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bonus rest day

Gotta love long weekends. The chance to get an extra sleep in. And a bonus rest day to boot. Well, I was kinda directed to have one and I’m doing as I’m told.

It is a drag, though, waking up just as tired, or even more tired, than when I went to bed but that’s been the theme of the past week. I’m hoping its just some virus going around that I’ve caught but to be sure I am making an appointment to see my GP and get some blood tests done.

Breakfast was scrambled egg with avocado toast, oven roasted cherry tomatoes and wilted baby spinach. Love my breakfast meals!

Then I met Ruth for coffee later in the morning at Kingston & Co – great coffee and I had a chilli choc macaron.

The afternoon was spent preparing meals for the week. Cooked up pumpkin & green bean red curry, Mexican style shepherd’s pie, honey banana muffins, and a granola to top my yoghurt and stewed fruit tomorrow for breakfast.

And I my training program arrived in my inbox – woohoo! The last 4 weeks. No surprises which is great but just building on what I’ve already been doing. Slow and steady is the way to go.

Tomorrow: the plan is to run before breakfast and do a bike intervals session after work.

“Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
Oh no, I’ve got to keep on moving
Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride
I’m running and I won’t touch ground
Oh no, I’ve got to keep on moving.” – Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride lyrics, sung by Matthew Wilder, 1983