Skinny recipe #15 Dairy-free iced coffee!

Hello!

 

 

The UK has finally seen some warm boiling weather this weekend and for us coffee addicts, it means we have to think of slightly cooler ways to get our caffeine fix.

 

As I have recently given up milk, I thought I'd try making an iced soya latte.

It wasn't as creamy as a regular iced latte but it still tasted the same and I knew it wouldn't make me feel horrible afterwards.

 

It's so so simple but I wanted to share it all with you :]

 

Serves 1

(large glass)

 

You will need:

• 2 tsp instant coffee
• 1/2 cup of just boiled water
• 1 cup of ice (1/2 cup spare just in case)
• 1/2 glass of soya milk (measure it in the glass you wish to drink from)
• Optional: Any chocolate dusting or syrup you like.

 

Method:

• Add the ice to a blender, reserving a couple for your finished drink
• Mix the instant coffee with your just boiled water, stir to dissolve and then add to the blender with the ice
• Blend under all the ice has been crushed
• Check to see whether the coffee is now cool. If not, you may need to add a little more ice from your 1/2 cup spare
• Once the coffee is cool enough, add in the 1/2 glass of soya milk and blend again
• Once blended, pour into your glass and add the remaining ice!

 

See, simple!

 

I hope you all give it a try and enjoy the summer weather we're having :]

x



My weekly shopping list #1

Hello!

 

 

A few people have been asking for nutrition plans but I'm not qualified to give each of you a specific meal plan... yet!!

 

Until I am, I thought I would share with you the sort of meals I have. I'm not saying these are the healthiest options and I'm not suggesting they contain everything you'll need but it's a start and I'm still learning about all this myself :]

 

I will write the ingredients for what I have for each meal and if you like the sound of it, you can jot it down and away you go.

If you would like to see recipes for any of these, then please let me know and I will do them as this is what I eat all of the time.

 

Breakfast

 

For breakfast, I usually have porridge or yogurt with fruit because it's all I can face first thing in the morning. I occasionally have protein pancakes if I've pushed it at the gym that morning.

 

Porridge - Flahavan's jumbo oats, low-fat Greek yogurt, honey or sweet freedom, banana & cinnamon

Yogurt & fruit - Low-fat Greek/natural yogurt, banana, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi and pineapple with a sprinkle of dessicated coconut.

Protein pancakes - whey powder, flour, low-fat Greek yogurt, egg white, baking powder, sweet freedom, pineapple and cinnamon.

 

Any of these three combinations are usually washed down with a regular instant coffee either black or with light soya milk.

 

Lunch

Lunch is usually the same thing for me as it's quick and easy to put together plus it's super filling. The only thing that changes is the meat.

 

Serious salad - Little gem lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, yellow/red pepper, low-fat feta cheese, cucumber, avacardo, cashews (toasted), steak/chicken/tuna/mackerel, soy sauce and extra virgin olive oil.

 

I usually have a small amount of everything, as it helps towards my 5 a day and also gives me all the nutrients I think I need.

 

Dinner

 

This is going to be a little trickier, so I'm going to plan 7 meals that I would usually have.

 

Asain Salmon/trout - Salmon/trout, red chilli, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lemon peel and juice, brown rice, egg, green beans and mangetout.

Chorizo/chicken in lentil sauce - Chorizo/chicken breast, red split lentils, onion, olive/coconut oil, garlic puree, tomato puree, tin of chopped tomatoes, dried herbs and mushrooms. Optional: garlic bread.

Chicken thai curry - thai curry paste, low-fat coconut milk/low-fat nutural yogurt/soya milk, chicken breast, mushrooms, green beans, aubergine, spinach. Optional: naan  bread/brown rice.

Oriental prawn broth - fish stock, rice wine, soy sauce, ginger, mushrooms, green beans, raw king prawns, frozen asain vegetables, fine wholewheat/gluten-free noodles. Optional: water chesnuts or bamboo shoots.

Oaty prawn gratin - raw king prawns, raw squid, Flahavan's jumbo oats (gluten-free optional), low-fat/lacto cheese, dried mixed herbs, tin of chopped tomatoes, spinach and green vegetables.

Steak & eggs - Lean steak (sirloin/fillet), eggs, white vinegar, corn on the cob and flat mushrooms. Optional: low-fat cheese.

Fajitas - chicken breast, paprika, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, pepper, olive/coconut oil, red/yellow pepper, mushrooms, onion, avacardo, weight watchers wraps (or alternative), low-fat natural/Greek yogurt, tomato salsa, low-fat feta/chedder cheese, jalepenos and lettuce.

 

Desserts

I do love dessert but again, each night it is usually the same.

 

Banana and pineapple with cinnamon - banana, pineapple, soya vanilla yogurt, cinnamon and pecans.

Yogurt & fruit - Low-far Greek/natural yogurt with either berries, banana, pineapple or kiwi.

Protein mug cake - see ingredients here!

 

Snacks

 

I don't really snack on a lot but if I decide to then I will buy...

Fruit - bananas, berries, kiwis, pineapple or melon.

Nuts - almonds, pecans, cashews or hazelnuts.

Cereal bars - tracker bars or anything else low calorie/low sugar/fat.

 

I'm not sure I like the layout of this so please let me know your feedback and I will take note of my meals and update you.

Note: I really don't want to write out plans day to day because life gets in the way and doesn't always allow you to cook what you're told.

 

Just use these ideas to create your own weekly food plan and shopping list.  

 

x



Skinny recipe #14 Chicken burgers with butternut squash chips

Hello!

 

 

I'm sorry... this isn't the best picture that was ever taken but I really wanted to post about this because it was so bloody tasty.

 

Sometimes I try a 'skinny recipe' from pinterest and fail miserably but butternut squash chips...

HELLO!

 

Here's how you make this skinny but tasty burger & chips combo.

 

Serves 1

 

You will need:

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 cup panko (will find in the Japenese aisle)
• 1 Warburtons square
• Few slices of low fat cheese
• 2 rashers of turkey bacon
• Mayo/lettuce/BBQ sauce - whatever you like in your burger
• 1/4 butternut squash
• Salt & pepper
• Any other seasoning, such as soul food seasoning that I used!
• Olive oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 190/200 whilst preparing your chicken
• Lay your chicken breast on a chopping board and cover with a sheet of foil or cling film. Bash with a rolling pin to flatten it out - this will make it cook evenly/quicker
• Crack an egg into a bowl and lightly beat and also pour 1 cup of panko onto a small plate.
• Coat your chicken breast in the beaten egg and then lay on the panko, coating evenly both sides.
• Repeat with the egg and panko to make sure its nicely covered and then place on a baking sheet. Pop to one side whilst you prepare your chips.
• Top and tail a butternut squash, then peel.
• Cut into chip size chunks and place on a baking sheet.
• Season with salt, pepper and any additional seasoning of your choice. Mine was soul food seasoning!
• Drizzle with olive oil and place on the top/middle shelf in the oven. These will take 30 minutes and will need turning over half way through cooking.
• Depending on the size of your chicken, time with the chips to make sure they are all cooked at the same time.
• Pop into the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breast. Perhaps check after 20 minutes by cutting into it to make sure there's no pink/juices are clear.
• Just before your chips are finished but your chicken is cooked, grill two rashers of turkey bacon (takes 2 minutes either side) and then add to your chicken burger with cheese if you desire!
• Serve the chips and assemble the bun by adding your mayo/BBQ sauce/tomato sauce etc.

The Warburton squares are much lighter than buns and a great alternative if you still want that bready fix.

 

 

It doesn't look amazingly healthy but I can confirm that it's ten times healthier for you than white potato chips and super burger buns!

 

Even if you don't fancy the burger, try out the chips.

They're so simple - you might even get your kids to love them :]

 

x

 
 

 

 



Weight loss - The naked truth...

Hello!

 

 

This is going to be an honest and slightly more sensible post where I update you all on my story so far and some of the cons I have experienced along the way.

 

Firstly, I am a year and a bit into my weight loss journey, let's say and I still believe I have a long way to go.

For those of you who are new here or aren't sure why I decided to lose weight, I was pushing the top end of 15 stone back in 2011 and at a size 20/22, decided enough was enough.

 

 

I didn't want to be 'fat' anymore, I wanted to be slim and healthy, so I changed my eating habits and joined a gym.

 

Thanks to a great plan from the gym as well as useful advice and recipes found online, I am now a year on and maintaining a healthy weight. I am now a size 10/12 clothes, which feels amazing as I never thought I'd see the day.

 

It hasn't been an easy ride. My weight has almost always continued to drop because of the exercise but there have been some weeks where the scales stayed the same, it just made me want to give up.

"Why am I working my butt off and nothing is happening!?"

It can be very frustrating. I just made sure I kept going and kept focusing on the milestones...

 

5lbs lost

Size 16

30lbs lost

Size 14

56lbs lost

Size 12

 

Although the weight loss has been amazing and on the whole, I am happy with my results, the loss has happened in a very short space of time and I have unfortunately ended up with excess skin.

 

I hate admitting this, especially to what seems like everyone I know but I need to be honest.

 

 

It has taken a lot of balls for me to post this picture and looking at it, it makes me so unhappy but also really motivated to change it.

 

As you can see from the above, I have a lot of excess skin on my tummy along with loads of stretch marks. This is purely because I lost the weight too quickly. Was this something that could have been prevented? Possibly... but given the opportunity to lose the weight again, I'd have done exactly the same thing.

 

Excess/loose skin is a serious con to weight loss and no one warns you about it. I have always had my concerns because I was so big and unfortunately, it happened.

I wouldn't let this put you off losing weight, because like a good friend said "loose skin is a common thing, it's better to have a bit of that than be overweight and in danger of ill health" and I couldn't have said it better myself.

There are days when it gets me down, as I have worked so hard to get where I am but I don't let it stop me, I still wear the clothes I want and still work out just as much, if not more than before because I'm now so focused on toning it up.

 

Just be aware that if you are on the larger side, you need to make sure you take the gym instructors advice and/or include weights as well as cardio in your weekly gym routine. This will help burn the fat as well as building the muscle, so you hopefully shouldn't end up with as much (if any) excess/loose skin. Obviously, I cannot promise anything because everyone is different and I'm not a qualified expert but just be aware before going crazy on the cross trainer or treadmill. Weights are your friend.

 

A great perk for larger ladies tends to be larger breasts. I recently had to say goodbye to mine and welcome in the 36Bs instead. 

This is another con... loss of boobs and possibly your bum!

My bum hasn't really disappeared too much as I always suffered from a seriously large but flat bum. Luckily, with the amount of squats that I do each week (especially recently), my bum is toning up quite nicely but I still have some work to do to get it looking 'peachy'.

 

My boobs on the other hand, that is a sad story.

I used to be a 38D but have somehow managed to lose a lot of weight from them, making them a 36B. This week is the first week I have been slightly happier with my smaller chest, as I am happy that I'm toning it up but it is one of the first things to go as there is a lot of fat stored there. Also, my boobs are similar to my tummy so I now have a little loose skin.

Not a good look BUT again, it is manageable and I am working to tone up.

Larger ladies, please be aware of this when looking to lose weight. It may not happen to you and you may keep your large breasts. Some women do! Just don't let it be a surprise like it was for me.

 

For those who are really worried about losing weight now, please don't be afraid.

Excess/loose skin, bum and boob loss are horrible, yes but the feeling you get from dropping dress sizes, toning other parts of your body and eventually going crazy and showing up the guys in the weights area is so worth it.

 

I love knowing I am healthy both inside and out. My skin is clearer than it has ever been and my body, although not perfect, is in the best condition it has ever been in.

 

 

 

I would happily go through this all again if I had to, so although there are cons... they do not outweigh the pros!

 

:]

 

x

 



Skinny recipe #13 Baked salmon with poached eggs and spring greens

Hello!

 

 

This is a really simple recipe.

REAAAALLLLY SIMPLE!

 

Let's get to it!

 

Serves 1

 

You will need:

1 Salmon fillet



Mixture of cabbage, leek and greens (I cheated and used a 1/2 a bag)

Large handful of mangetout

2 eggs

1tbsp white vinegar

Salt & pepper

Olive oil (for drizzling)

 

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 200 whilst you prep the salmon
• On a baking sheet, add your salmon (skin side down) and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a little olive oil and once the oven is hot, pop in to bake for 20-25 minutes
• After 10-15 minutes, boil or steam your vegetables of choice. I popped mine in my steamer for 10 minutes
• Whislt your vegetables are steaming, bring a medium/large pan with a 1/3 of water to the boil, adding 1 tsbp of white vinegar.
• Once the water is boiling, turn down to a simmer and crack an egg into a seperate bowl then lower into the water. Repeat again for the second egg.
• Leave the eggs to poach for 3-4 minutes, perhaps a little longer if you don't like a runny yolk.
• Serve the vegetables once steamed/boiled with the salmon placed on top and then the eggs.
• Drizzle over a little more olive oil (if you wish) and eat!

 

 

I said it was simple :]

Simple doesn't mean bland though... this is one of the tasiest meals I've had all week and it's so healthy!

 

Salmon & eggs <3

 

x

 

 



Skinny recipe #12 Chocolate protein mug cake

Hello!

 

 

 

Ohhhhhhh boy. I wish I could have finished this because it was so tasty but there was just too much for little me. I think I had eyes bigger than belly syndrome.

 

Anyway :] this is a great dessert/treat to have, especially after a busy day of exercise!

 

Here's how you make it...

Serves one very hungry person or two snacky people

 

 

You will need:

3 tbsp whey protein powder (I used chocolate but vanilla would be nice as well)

1 tbsp flour (ideally oat but I only had plain)

1 tbsp cocoa powder - unsweetened

1 tsbp low fat greek yogurt

3 tsbp egg white (this equals approx. 2 eggs)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Optional: vanilla extract, coconut, chocolate chips, peanut butter etc.

 

Note: Although these cakes were very tasty, they were a little dry/dense. I'd recommend playing around with the amount of yogurt. Perhaps add a little more or add a dash of milk to thin the mixture.

 

Method:

 



 

Add all of the ingredients to a LARGE mug and mix well.

 

 

Pop the mixture into a microwave for 1-2 minutes.

 

 

Insert a knife or cocktail stick into the centre to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

Empty out onto a plate.

 

 

Slice (because it's way too hard to eat as it is) and cover in your topping of choice.

I decided on low fat greek yogurt, sweet freedom and a few pecans.

I AM SO FULL OF CAKE >.<

 

My husband decided to slice his up and spread on Nutella :]

 

 

It's a pretty tasty treat, just needs to be a little softer but it's still worth making. The toppings choices are endless as well, especially if you use a spread on them - a nut butter would work really well or berries!

 

Let me know what you decide to make

x



Skinny snack #3 Chocolate coated kiwi

Hello!

 

I'm still trying to find snacks that suit me and help sort out my chocolate cravings and this is the one.

 

I first saw this on Pinterest and then watched Carly Rowena's healthy naughty treats video where she made it look so simple, I decided to give it a go.

 

Here's how you make them :]

 

You will need:

• 1 packet of 70% dark chocolate - the darker, the better.. mine was 80% (I think?)
• 1 packet of kiwis
• Lollipop sticks/cocktail sticks

 

Method:

 

 

In a small pan, break up your chocolate into pieces and melt slowly. You can do this in a glasss bowl over a pan of boiling water or in the microwave if you prefer.

 

 

Peel and cut the kiwis into chunks. I wanted mine to be chunky so I sliced one kiwi in half and then popped a lollipop stick into them.

 

 

Dip the kiwis into the melted chocolate and place on greaseproof paper to set.

Once cooled, pop in the fridge and eat within a few days!

 

 

So simple but so tasty and that little bit of chocolate just hits the spot when it comes to cravings.

I'm not a fan of really dark chocolate but the sweetness from the fruit really balances it out.

 

I also dipped some leftover pineapple in the chocolate and that was really nice. It would work well with strawberries, banana or perhaps slices of apple.

 

Let me know what fruit you try!

x