Disguise the greens and gym sweat

What better way to end your day with a run, and this for dinner..

A secret bowl of green goodness. 1 avocado, 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 2 tbsp cocoa, 2 tsp honey, 2 handfuls of spinach, 5 ice cubes. All whizzed up and topped with some Quaker Oat Crisp and watery PB2 (I am coming to the end of my chocolate PB2 and this makes me sad)

Today I did something unthinkable that I regretted instantly. I quit the gym. As soon as I did it a wave of panic washed over me. WHAT HAVE I DONE?? Since the weather has gotten nicer, I have wanted to spend more time outside, and the thought of going to the gym has just annoyed me. The last two months, Pete and I have been about 5 times. FIVE TIMES. That means each time we went cost like £5. I am a tight arse and I hate wasting money. So I quit, quickly… without thinking.

In the mornings I’ve been going running instead of gyming, and it sets the day up so nicely for me, I run right through a country park where there are rabbits, pheasants and a lake. I’m a sunshine lover and I really begrudge the thought of being inside when it’s nice out. So farewell weights, farewell elliptical machine. Deadlifts and glute pain, I will miss you. But I will be back in September perhaps. I am going to save the money I would’ve spent on our gym membership and buy something.. maybe a new gym outfit to get myself set up for winter?

I am looking forward to a few months of running, hiking, cycling, kayaking, swimming in the sea and utilising the free outdoor gym we have about 2 minutes from our house.

Have you ever quit the gym? What are your favourite at home exercises to do? If you saved up all the money you spent on gym membership for a few months, what would you buy?

I must admit I am a little anxious at the thought of not having a gym membership, but I have free weights and a heavy dog I can lift..

Jumping on the WIAW bandwagon

Breakfast: home made banana bread, with peanut butter, coconut milk, and a boiled egg.

Mid morning snack: an apple and a coffee. Remembered to take the photo after I stuffed my chops!

Lunch: layered rainbow salad – cheese, red onion, cherry toms, beetroot and blueberry salsa, peppers and pesto chicken, all on top of some mixed salad leaves. This was a throw together late last night, but turned out to be the best salad I think I have ever devoured.

Afternoon snack: chocolate and philly protein muffin, and a babybel which was gobbled up before I photographed.

Dinner: boiled egg, cherry toms, (pink???) tuna, sweetcorn and roasted veggies with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

My meals are odd!

Lightened Up Cashew Cookie Cream

Every now and then I get a brainwave that keeps buzzing around my head until I give in to it. This was one of those brainwaves.
Now I love me some nut butter, it’s dangerous, I eat it from the jar with a massive spoon, I add it to my oats, my toast, my fruit, to anything. Yum. But I wanted to make my sad jar of cashew butter a little more delicious and a little less calories. So this happened.

Yum? Hmm, doesnt’t look it here does it.. But then add a spoon..

And some baked oatmeal…

And you get a massive yum! So yum, your boyfriend asks what you are mmmmmming at so early in the morning. Why darling, just my breakfast of course.

2 tbsp cashew butter
3 tbsp almond milk (may need more)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
sweeten to taste – i used 1 tsp splenda

Whisk all ingredients with a fork – you may need to add more almond milk, just add it gradually. It will take a little while for the cashew butter to incorporate nicely, but it will eventually. It will transform into a luxurious light, fluffy, whipped cashewy, cookie-ey, cinnamonny mouthful of deliousciousness. It’s so tasty I can only describe it with made up words.
It’s a great way of making your nut butter go further too.

Amazing served with the cinnamon and raisin baked oatmeal.

Yummy Chocolate Goddess Ice Cream Bowl

Well. Today I out yummed myself. I had a delicious breakfast – which I will post photos of, but I couldn’t wait to share what I knocked up for dinner. Sometimes when I get in from work the last thing I want to do is cook. I raided the fridge to see what leftovers there were, only to find the temperature of the fridge had gone up, and everything was frozen! My Pepe and I had planned to take Ralph for a walk so I wanted something quick. So the Yummy Chocolate Goddess Ice Cream Bowl was created. I call it the Goddess ice cream bowl, because I felt God-like and amazing when I inhaled it. Yes. Inhaled.

Ingredients

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tsp maca powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp xantham gum
ice cubes

Add all ingredients to blender, until well mixed and the xantham gum has thickened the mixture. Then top with chocolate PB2 made with extra water so it’s thinner, a handful of your favourite healthy cereal (I used Quakers Oat Crisp) and chia seeds. Amazeballs!

Low Carb Flax Pancakes

I love me some pancakes! Yesterday I made up a batch of these pancakes to freeze for quickie breakfasts. At the moment I am lowering my carb intake – not massively, just watching how many I eat as I am trying to shift my last bit of flab. I usually like a higher calorie breakfast, but this is surprisingly filling and satisfying!

Low Carb Flax Pancakes
1 serving

Ingredients
3 tbsp ground flax
2 egg whites
1 tsp milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl – making sure the egg whites are well combined. Spoon the mixture into a pan sprayed with nonstick oil. I use 2 tablespoons per pancake, and it usually makes 3 and a half. Wait until bubbles start forming and pop, and then flip your pancake.
Serve with 1/2 cup of greek yogurt, fruit and some honey.

Nutritional info – with greek yogurt, honey and blueberries
Calories – 253
Fat – 8g
Carbs – 23g
Net carbs – 17g
Protein – 24g

 

Single Serving Baked Oatmeal

I’ve wanted to start a blog for a long time. I’ve put it off because I was scared! Scared about communicating with other people, and I guess just scared of being judged. I’ve recently started a new full time job, so I no longer have as much time to blog, but I have the confidence and I am so motivated to do it now. I want to share meal plans, exercise plans and goals, I want to use my blog as a way of encouraging others and myself. And also getting to know other like minded people would be a bonus! So here we go!

Sundays in our house aren’t for lazing about. Well not for me anyway. I spend most of my Sundays in the kitchen in a sweat, baking, slicing and chopping to make the rest of the week as stress free as possible. I hate getting in a flap in the mornings, so I try and prepare my breakfasts for the week ahead. This is my go to stress busting breakfast that can be changed to suit anyone!

Single Serving Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1 egg white
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp applesauce
pinch of raw sugar

Set oven the often to 175c and mix all ingredients together (apart from the sugar) in a dish. Sprinkle with sugar and then bake for 30 mins. Easy peasy! Now the above is for a basic baked oatmeal, that will probably taste of nothing. If you want to up the yummers:

Forest Fruit & Almond1 tsp almond extract
handful of frozen forest fruits or cherries

Cinnamon & Raisin Cookie
half tsp of cinnamon
handful of raisins

Blueberry Muffinhalf tsp cinnamon
handful of blueberries

When they are cooled I remove them from the dish which I reuse, and then cut into quarters, put into ziploc bags and then I have a super easy breakfast ready for me! I usually take one out of the fridge before I go to bed, as I think they taste much nicer at warm temperature. They reheat really well too. Yummers!