A Healthy take on 'Burgers and chips' :)

REALLY simple, really tasty.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast

2 large portebello mushrooms

1 Carrot

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

1/2 courgette

1 green pepper

1 large sweet potato

Slow cook the mushrooms on a low heat pan with some coconut oil, allowing the juice to fill the rim of the mushrooms.

Pan fry the chicken breast, along with your veg. (season to taste).

Stack the mushrooms with the chicken breast in-between resembling a burger bun.

Serve on a bed of vegetables.

Sprinkle sesame seeds and flaked almonds on top.

To make your sweet potato chips simply cut the chips and line out on a baking tray, drizzle some honey or rice syrup over them and bake at 180 degress for 30 minutes. 

Dinner Ideas: Gluten and Dairy free Crispy Sweet Chilli Chicken

This dish is really tasty and is a gluten and dairy free version of my favorite take out dish from Camille Thai.

First piece of prep to be done is on the chicken.

Cut your chicken into strips and soak in a cup of almond milk.

Measure out a cup of gluten free flour and drizzle in some almond milk to create some texture in the flour.

Lightly coat the chicken in the flour and fry off in some coconut oil, roughly 2 and half minutes either side.

To make your veg filling;

 Fry off onion, garlic, peppers, fresh chilli, carrot and courgette.

Add half cup of soy sauce and 3 tbls of fish sauce.

Add salt and Pepper and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar.

Serve with gluten free spaghetti or brown rice.

Sprinkle some nuts on top.

.

Gluten Free Carrot Soup

This is a very simple recipe for wholesome carrot soup.

Ingredients:

8 carrots

6 cloves of garlic

1 large brown onion

Coconut oil

2 Pints chicken or vegetable stock (you can use a gluten free stock cube if you have no fresh stock)

Method:

Sweat off all the ingredients in the coconut oil for 5-10 mins.

Add the stock and simmer for 30 mins.

Season with some salt and pepper.

Blend using handheld blender until at the consistency you are happy with. If you need to add more stock at this point, return to the heat and simmer for a further five minutes.

Lightly saute pumkin seeds and flaked almonds in some coconut oil until you hear the pumkin seeds pop. Remove from the heat as soon as this happens.

Tissue off excess oil.

Sprinkle over the soup to serve with some parsley.

Motivation!!!

It is really important to have something to motivate you when you are starting a new exercise routine. This time of year is a great time to start as summer is fast approaching and lets face it, we all want a sexy bikini body to flaunt on our holidays. 

It is easy to get disheartened if you are slow to see results but you have to remember; eating clean and exercising is a long term commitment, not a quick fix. 

STICK WITH IT. 

This morning was my 6.30 am yoga class which meant my usual 5.30 am Tuesday morning alarm :( 

I woke to my alarm thinking there was no way it was time to get up, the wind was howling outside and I still felt so tired. 

Unfortunately, it was true.

It was pitch black outside and the car was blowing across the m50 the whole way over to Dun Laoghaire.

but

it was worth the early start.

This morning I worked my way into lot's of new position; head stands and deeper back bends. It is really satisfying to see my progress after such a short period.

We also get to see the sunrise from the studio so it really is an amazing way to start your day.

Try give yourself something to work towards, plan a treat for yourself when you reach your milestone and then set a further challenge.

I workout at home and I have lots of motivational pictures and quotes that I see everyday and I think they really help keep me on track. 

Don't be too hard on yourself if you have a bad day, definitely do not quit as a result. Use the bad day as an example of what you will never do again. 

NEVER skip a meal instead of working out!

Take pictures of your progress because when you see how much you have progressed you will be much more motivated to keep going!

'If it is important to you, you will find a way. 

If not, you will find an excuse'.

Homemade gluten free pizzas

Another healthy lunch or dinner option.

These are AMAZING, even if I do say so myself.

You can use a number of different bases for this.

There are gluten free pizza bases available in the supermarkets but I am not a big fan of pre-packaged gluten free foods.

You can use gluten free pitta bread or wraps or you can make your own gluten free base using the basics from our pastry recipe. 

http://loveprotectreflecttheskinyourein.blogspot.ie/2014/02/gluten-free-pastry.html

Just replace your self raising flour with wholemeal.

I made my tomato paste using a tin of chopped tomatoes, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.

You can then add whatever topping you want.

I chose Feta, chorizo, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sun-dried tomato, rocket and spinach.

Pop in the oven for 15 minutes.

180 degrees.

I put the feta and salad leaves on when I took the pizza out of the oven and was ready to serve.

'Junk food satisfies you for a minute, being fit satisfies you forever.' 

Monday; rest day and prep day!

Today was my rest day from exercise. 

I went to the local pool for a quick swim to loosen up as I am very sore today after my tough yoga class yesterday.

I love swimming but find it hard to find time in my schedule to get to the pool very often.

I was researching different methods of massage therapy and relaxation techniques and decided yoga was the one for me, two months later, I am hooked. During my research I came across a technique called

'Watsu'

Watsu (Water Shiatsu) is the process of floating in a pool of warm water (supported by floats), while the practitioner applies stretches and principles of Zen Shiatsu. 

Stretching opens energy channels and strengthens muscles to improve flexibility and the warm water nurtures and relaxes the body while providing support to take weight off the spine.

This method claims to be great for flexibility, relaxation, relieving a rigid spine and releasing pinched nerves.

I couldn't find anywhere near me in Dublin that offered this kind of therapy so I decided to try the next best thing, floating in a pool supported by weights minus the person massaging my muscles! 

The benefits are immediately noticeable.

After 45 minutes in the pool I walk out a different person.

Floating completely realigns the muscles and joints and 15 minutes in the steam room and sauna round off the experience. 

The rest of my day was spent food shopping and food prepping, planning out my meals for my next three long days in work.

I know if I don't have my meals prepared I will eat food I shouldn't.

Because I exercise a lot my body needs more nourishment and I find myself hungry every couple of hours.

Different foods affect our bodies in different ways so it is important we eat the correct foods at the correct times.

Listen to your body- if you ate recently and don't have a rumbling stomach, YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY. 

Drink a glass of water and give the craving time to pass.

'Moderation is Key, NOT Starvation'

Gluten and Dairy Free Sundried Tomato Bread

This is a recipe I more or less made up as I went along.

There are a few variations, all equally as nice.

I began by measuring out my ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of almond flour or gluten free flour

1/2 teaspoon himalayan pink salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)

1/2 cup sun-dried tomato

2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds

In a large bowl combine all your dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, sun flower seeds.

In a medium bowl whisk your eggs with a hand held whisk then add your agave and vinegar and sun-dried tomato.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.

Scoop the mixture into a lined bread tin.

I

Put in the oven at 180 for 45-50 mins.

Turn down the oven if it starts to brown too soon or cover with some foil.

Once removed from the oven, cover in a clean dry towel to retain the moisture in the bread.

Sunday treat ;)

This morning I attended my Hot Vinyasa Flow Yoga class at 11.30am. 

This class is intense! 

It's 75 minutes of core work but also focusing on a different specific area each week.

This morning was shoulders. 

Hot Vinyasa Yoga is performed in a heated room (85-90 degrees) because of the benefits it offers the body. 

Heat allows for muscles to ease through their full range of motion but is not an excuse to push muscles beyond their limits. 

Heat improves circulation and metabolism and strengthens the cardiovascular system. 

Sweating aids in detoxifying the body and rejuvenates the skin.

Poses are held for a specific number of breaths before moving on to the next pose. Vinyasa also refers to the movements or series of movements done between each pose in the series. 

Hot Vinyasa yoga is suited for all levels although familiarity with yoga postures and exposure to basic flow yoga sequences is recommended.

After my class I met my boyfriend for lunch.

We went to Mao.

Even though Thai Food isn't necessarily the most unhealthy, this was my cheat meal for the week and a real treat.

We shared a combo starter which consisted of prawns, chicken and vegetable spring rolls,

We had Mongolian beef for our main with a side of green vegetables.

After our food we went for a walk along the pier in Dun Loaghaire.

It was lovely to get some fresh air and really nice to stretch out my muscles after the intense workout this morning.

It can be really hard to be motivated enough to get up early on a Sunday morning when everyone else is resting or having a lie in.

 I love the satisfaction of completing a tough class and I can enjoy my little treat guilt free :)

Gluten Free Pastry

Gluten Free pastry can be difficult to get right.

It's quite difficult to keep together so is best left to rest in the fridge for about 30 mins before rolling it out.

I am not a big fan of non dairy butter alternatives for baking so I use goats butter for my pastry and I find it doesn't upset my system like cow's dairy does.

For this pastry I used:

370 grams of gluten free self raising flour

50 grams of goats butter

1 large egg

1/2 tblsp Xanthan gum

Few tbsp of water

 

Begin by sieving the flour and the xanthan gum together into a large bowl.

Next rub the goats butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Create a well in the center of the mixture and add your egg and some water.

Bind it all together and place in the fridge to set wrapped in cling film.

I don't own a rolling pin, (literally forget to pick one up every time I am in the shops) so I cover a wine bottle in some cling film, helps if the wine has been chilled in the fridge. 

Roll the pastry to the desired thickness.

I have some tasty recipes coming up so get perfecting your pastry :)

Restorative Yoga

I am just home from my Relax and Restore Yoga class.

I finish work early on a Friday and take this class at 6.30pm for 75 minutes.

This is one of my favourite types of yoga.

I am constantly putting my body into compromised positions in work when treating my clients and with all the HIIT and weight training I do, my body is quite stiff and tense. I am also quite an anxious person so I usually find my body holds itself in tension naturally. This class is great for people like me as it completely helps to soften the body and relieve tension from the muscles.

To 'rest', to 'relax' and to 'restore' is essential to everyone especially in today's stressful lifestyle. To 'rest' deeply is to experience absolute relaxation, where there is effortless in stillness and quietness. 

Restorative yoga is active relaxation practices, which is essential to a complete yoga practice. 

Restorative and relaxation may relieve chronic stress and reduce the effects of stress-related diseases, providing an environment for self-repair. The principle is to activate the Parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for balancing life support functions within the body and bringing their response system back to equilibrium.

 It works to deactivate the sympathetic nervous system, therefore quietening the brain and slows the heart rate.

This powerful practice provides conditions for the natural healing process to occur, and brings the body (physical, mental and emotional) to peace.

You experience 'conscious' relaxation where you choose to be in a state of stillness, which differs from sleep where one experiences 'reduced or absent consciousness'. 

Restorative Yoga may be practised by anyone and anytime and almost anywhere. Although restorative postures may look simple and peaceful, it can be challenging when you first start or at times when the mind or the physical body is stressed. I found it took time to adjust and adapt to doing 'nothing' and be in active rest, so that my mind could settle. 

The key is patience and willingness to let go... to relax and restore.

I have my own basic yoga kit which I use some evenings just to loosen up or to unwind after a busy day. There are some great yoga apps you can download and do from home. 

I use an app called Black & White Vinyasa which is free on the app store.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xApOJ3lDwdU

My yoga studio is a Hot Yoga center but you can still benefit from doing the postures at home.