Full-Fat and Real Sugar!

Hola!

 

So far the whole, “relaxed” approach to eating is actually going really well. I naturally lean towards healthy foods, but if I fancy a little bit of sugar or some cheese or other previously “unauthorised” food, I am able to eat it without guilt and without feeling like I’ve “blown it” (a mindset which typically leads to binge-eating). I naturally get hungry about 6 times a day, but I’ve found that my inclination is to eat three larger meals a day, with my snacks being much smaller than usual. I enjoy my main meals a lot more this way, as I’m hungrier by the time I sit down to eat them. It also gives me a little more freedom with regards to the foods that comprise my main meals. Since my snacks are smaller, the calories I save there can be made up for in the other meals, meaning I can use a bit of oil for frying, eat some full-fat products or leave the skin on my chicken without worrying! I’ve also had small amounts of dark chocolate here and there, and been perfectly satisfied with just a few pieces. Usually, one bite leads to me devouring the whole (100g!) bar, and then some! Seems like (for me, at least) the non-restrictive way of eating actually begets a higher level of self-control!

 

N.B. I am NOT counting calories, just winging it. Calorie-counting is not the kind of lifestyle I desire – perhaps if I was a figure competitor I would need to do so in order to reach my goals, but as it stands, I’m just an average girl trying to be healthy and happy.

 

One food I’ve reintroduced is Greek Yogurt. In South Africa, “Fat-Free Greek Yogurt” is non-existent – the only kind available is the full-fat kind, made with double cream! I look at it this way: the relatively recent introduction of low-fat alternatives has done nothing to prevent or remedy obesity in developed countries. I’m not saying that low-fat products make you fat (obviously), but rather that full-fat dairy (or other full-fat products) do not magically make a person overweight. Years of over-eating, inactivity, hormonal problems and/or psychological issues are the factors that lead to obesity. People have been eating full-fat dairy produce for centuries, yet obesity has become more of a problem in recent years. Thus, my breakfast this morning included some of that delicious, full-fat Greek Yogurt:

 

Extra-Thick Overnight Oats

Main Ingredients:

• ¼ cup oats
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ cup Greek yogurt

Night Before Add-Ins:

• Dried Fruit

Morning Add-Ins:

• Fresh fruit
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Peanut butter
• Sweetener
• Protein powder

 

1. Cook the oats and water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.
2. Stir in the milk and then the yogurt. Add your chosen night-before add-ins (some dried fruits are nicer if cooked with the oats). Place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove from the fridge and stir in your chosen morning add-ins!

 

 

I cooked some dried peaches in with the oats, and added a tbsp peanut butter, a tbsp golden flaxseeds and some sweetener in the morning. It was absolutely delicious – I could even have enjoyed it without any kind of sweetener.

 

Speaking of sweetener, this is something I am considering phasing out of my diet. It is extremely expensive, and I honestly don’t think that moderate amounts of sugar make you fat (actually, I know this to be true, as I have lost a lot of weight before whilst consuming quite a lot of sugar). Now, I don’t think that sugar is HEALTHY, and such, it’s not something I intend to abuse (and an excess of sugar can definitely cause weight gain). But I know plenty of people who enjoy moderate amounts of sugar and are fit, healthy and strong, with great bodies. So is it really necessary to spend all this extra money on sweetener? It can be great for baking, or in things that ordinarily use a lot of sugar, but my sweetener habit has gotten a bit out of hand – I use it in almost everything! In my breakfast, in coffee and tea (just because I can – I don’t even usually take sugar in my tea!), in baked goods (much to the disappointment of my husband, who dislikes the taste of sweetener). Before I started using sweetener, I was satisfied with far more savoury flavours. But because sweetener is something of a “free food”, I have used it to excess and thus developed more of a taste for sweetness than when I ate real sugar! It’s a habit I want to break – I’d rather eat small amounts of real sugar (or naturally sweet things like fruit), and get my taste-buds re-accustomed to the more subtle, natural sweetness that is present in all starchy foods.

 

Life is trial and error, and I am still learning!

 

Love and peace,

Mali.xxx

Letting Go of Obsessive Behaviour

Hey Guys and Gals,

 

Long time no speak! I apologise for my lack of posting – I have not been near an internet connection in a while! Such is the life of a third-world-country-dwelling musician!

 

I have been doing some serious thinking regarding my eating habits over the past week. Those of you who know me well will know that the last 8 years of my life have been rife with eating disorders and food obsessions (I’m not ashamed to publicly declare this – disordered eating thrives on secrecy). In the past two years I have tried to develop new, healthy habits – seeking muscl-gain over weight-loss, and changing my motivation from “being thin” to “being healthy”. For the most part, I have been successful. I no longer desire to be the skinniest woman on earth, but instead desire to be lean, strong and muscular. I have learned that achieving 0% body fat is not an admirable goal, and that there is more to life than having a great body. However, I have decided to make some changes to the way I eat. Planning my diet in any way (even so far as determining to eat a certain amount of protein or calories) is an unhealthy exercise for me. For many people, it is a great way to achieve their goals. I am not one of those people. The more I plan, the more obsessive I become. This obsession either results in me becoming over-restrictive or binge-eating. Both outcomes are unhealthy and leave me feeling somewhat miserable. As such I have decided to spend less time thinking about my diet. I enjoy good food and generally have a natural inclination towards healthier options, but I no longer want to write diet plans, ban certain foods or insist on eating X-amount of meals per day even if it’s seriously inconvenient. Doing so has brought me no success thus far, and has not made my life any more enjoyable.

 

Don’t misunderstand me – I still advocate healthy eating, I still enjoy trying and creating healthy versions of my favourite recipes, and I will still endeavour to eat good, wholesome food. But I have no desire to make a religion out of it, or to spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about what to eat when I could rather be thinking about things of far greater importance – God, my faith, my family, my career, etc.

 

On the exercise front, I am still going to continue with the weight-training, as well as activity-based cardio (walks on the beach, jogging in the sunshine, swimming in the sea, etc.).

 

Being of sound-mind is far more important to me than being “ripped”, and since this is not possible for me when being over-concerned with my diet, I am choosing to let go of that concern! This doesn’t mean I’m going to gorge on KFC every day (I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do that!) – simply that I’m going to stop planning, banning and placing restrictions on food.

 

I will still be posting healthy recipes, but maybe I’ll also include a few that aren’t strictly “clean” (for lack of a better word – I actually really hate the terms “clean” and “unclean” when used to describe food).

 

The Bible says that Christ set us free for freedom’s sake – for as long as I am obsessing about food, I am not walking in that freedom. Time for that to change! Hope the coming week is a great one for you all!

 

Much love,

Mali

Cardio, cake and calories!

G’day folks!

 

So far this BFL experience is better than the last one! I don’t feel crazy hungry during the day, I’m doing better in my workouts and I have loads of energy.

 

Yesterday was a cardio day. I decided that I would just walk/jog/run a few laps round the block at my own pace for 20 minutes, and not get too concerned about the whole HIIT thing. I still got my heart rate up, and it felt great to be out in the sunshine! The circuit I took naturally varies in intensity, as it is level, then uphill, then downhill. I just alternated between walking and jogging/running as best I could. At one point my hip started hurting a lot, which I think is due to my fallen arches. Because my feet go flat whenever I put weight on them, it causes my knees to turn inward and thus everything from the hips down is out of alignment! I believe this puts extra strain on my hip joints when walking or running. When this started happening, I slowed the pace a bit, as I didn’t want to cause injury that would prevent me from doing going as heavy as possible in today’s Lower Body Workout. After all, weight training is more important to me than cardio.

I know that some people recommend skipping cardio altogether if you want to build as much muscle as possible, but to be honest I am a much happier and more pleasant person to be around when I’m doing regular 20 minute sessions. That being the case, I’ll take the cardio, if not for my sake then for the sake of those who have to interact with me on a regular basis!

The BFL program recommends doing your cardio first thing, on an empty stomach. This supposedly causes your body to burn fat for fuel rather than the carbs from your last meal, but I have a sneaking suspicion that doing so may inhibit muscle growth. When I wake up, I’ve already been fasting for hours, so I tend to want to eat as soon as possible to start giving my muscles the nutrients they need. Thus, I’d rather air on the side of caution and eat breakfast first, since muscle-building is more of a priority to me than fat-burning.

I am hoping to lose reduce my body fat percentage slightly over the next 12 weeks (I’d like to get down to about 15%), but here’s my logic… I weigh about 125lbs (at 5’6”). Say I pick up 5lbs of muscle, but don’t lose any fat – I then weigh 130lbs, but my body fat mass will make up a smaller percentage of my overall weight. In an ideal world, I’d love to just trade in 10lbs of fat for 10lbs of muscle, but this is hard to do (especially for a girl) and I’d rather just focus on the muscle building first. Some people have had success with simultaneously gaining muscle and losing fat over the 12 weeks of the BFL program, but who knows if they followed the program exactly? It’s possible they did additional research and cycled carbs and calories in order to have certain days where muscle growth was taking place, and others where fat-loss was happening (to simplify).

 

BFL advises against counting calories. This is hard for me, as I’ve been counting calories since I was about 14 and as such can tell you the caloric value of pretty much any quantity of any food. But for 12 weeks I’m choosing to trust the BFL method and focus more on portion control and making sure I get the right amount of nutrients rather than worry about calories. I have a feeling that my tendency to overcomplicate things can actually be my downfall, so I’m trying my best to forget everything I’ve learned about the calorie! I am however, making sure I eat slightly more (especially carbs) on Lower Body days (like today), as such workouts burn the most calories, and I WANT MUSCULAR LEGS. I’m also not as strict about making sure I eat starchy carbs on cardio days, since there is less physiological requirement for them (and often I really would rather just have a double/triple serving of vegetables than a half cup of plain ol’ brown rice).

 

This Sunday I am celebrating my 21^st Birthday! My party is on the Saturday. This caused a bit of an internal dilemma: which day to take as the “free day”? Well, thankfully we are doing a Mongolian Braai at the party, which basically allows you to choose your own meat and vegetables and then go and stir-fry it over the fire! Perfect, and BFL-friendly. I may, however, allow myself a small slice of my sister-in-law’s cheesecake (which she has said she will bring)! I’m going to make some healthy side dishes, such as salads, brown rice, beans, etc. I will then basically eat whatever I fancy on the Sunday (you only turn 21 once, right?). The good part is, I LOVE healthy food, so I will probably want to eat well for most of my meals anyway (though if a Birthday cake enters my midst, I am DEFINITELY not going to turn down a slice). Although BFL a 12-week program, healthy eating and exercise is a general lifestyle choice for me, so I’m not going to get anxious about how to make one weekend “work”. I plan on eating healthily and exercising regularly for the rest of my life, not just for 12 weeks!

 

Anyway, enough rambling. Some new recipes:

 

Pumpkin Spice Pudding:

• 1 scoop vanilla whey powder
• 2-3 tbsp pumpkin
• About 3 tbsp water
• Cinnamon to taste

Mix everything up into a liquid-like mixture in a bowl, then microwave for about 30-60 seconds. It should be pretty moist but thick and creamy. Delicious!

 

And…

 

Chocolate Protein Cake (inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie’s “Fudge You” Protein Cake)

• 25g chocolate protein powder
• 1 large tbsp cocoa powder (probably closer to 20ml)
• Tiny pinch of salt
• 45g pumpkin puree
  
• 1 egg white
• 40ml water
• 1/8 tsp baking powder

Mix everything up in a bowl until smooth, and microwave for 30-60 seconds. If you undercook it slightly, you will have a ready-made chocolate sauce topping!

 

I’m also really into mixing ½ cup fat-free cottage cheese (smooth or chunky) with ½ cup fat-free yogurt, a bit of sweetener and some flavouring, such as cinnamon and/or wheat germ. The wheat germ gives it a lovely, floury taste, which hints of yummy wheat-based baked goods whilst giving the snack a huge nutritional boost (wheat germ is full of fat-soluble vitamins like B and E). Adding some fruit makes it even more delicious, if you’re into that kinda thing (many prefer to limit fruit intake due to some of the negative effects of fructose – I get the majority of my vitamins from veggies rather than fruit, but I eat about one portion of fruit a day, usually post-workout).

 

In terms of “proper” meals, my new favourite source of savoury protein is chicken livers! High in iron, they’re a great muscle-building food, and are delicious fried in a splash of olive oil with some onions, garlic, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach. Tastes great made spicy or peri-peri and served with wholemeal pasta. The best part? They’re SUPER cheap – at the moment they’re on special at Pick ‘n’ Pay – R2.99 for 250g! (Divide by 11 for approximate pound equivalent, and 7 for dollar).

 

Well, that’s all from me tonight – hope you’re all well and happy!

 

Love,

Mali.xxx



Body for Life, take 2…

Hello world!

 

It’s been a while since I last posted, and I must confess that this is largely due to the fact that the past week has not been a very healthy one. I haven’t exercised (didn’t want to risk getting sick again before the album was finished) and have eaten too way much (not all healthy stuff either). But life is all about the ups and downs, and I am the first to admit that I am FAR from perfect! The plus side is that I feel pretty rubbish when I behave in this way (how is that a plus side? Well, it means I won’t allow myself to fall into an unhealthy lifestyle). As such, I am feeling very motivated to make some SERIOUS progress over the next 3 months. The album gets sent off for mastering on Monday, so Mr K and I are choosing this as the start date for our new regime. We did Body for Life at the beginning of the year (that’s how I first got into weight training) and completed the full 12 weeks. Since then, life has got in the way of us achieving our fitness goals (though I have continued to train on and off and generally eat well). My strength has increased, but not nearly as much as I had hoped it would. Why? Well, here are my theories:

• Not eating enough on training days
• Not sticking to the same training program for long enough to make sufficient progress
• Too many periods of interruption (due to sickness, etc.)

As of today, I am upping my game. I will take a new set of “before” photos (I haven’t done this since January!), train hard and stick to the same regime for at least 6 weeks before changing it up. I will be eating six times a day (following the basic BFL principles, but implementing any additional knowledge I have acquired), and enjoying a free meal once a week, if I fancy it. The free meal concept is totally based on individual preference – I am choosing not to go for an all out free day, as I have a history of abusing the privilege by gorging on sugar and reaping the physiological repercussions. Some people don’t even need a free meal, but I am going to allow myself the option, to avoid slipping into the “diet” mentality. If I ban myself from a food, I tend to develop an unhealthy phobia towards it, and I have no desire to be one of those people that nobody wants to invite over for dinner because she shuns the dessert you spent hours slaving over. Life’s too short. Allowing myself the occasional free meal will hopefully prevent such a “food phobia” from developing.

 

I have constructed a detailed nutrition program, and plan to follow the BFL workout program for at least the first 6 weeks, the only difference being that I cannot perform any HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) due to a medical condition. I have not decided exactly how to combat this – skip cardio altogether, or to longer, slower-paced sessions? Any opinions will be warmly received!

 

I have completed today’s Upper Body Workout. I really struggled with it as I battled to sleep last night and was feeling tired and week this morning. But I pushed through and feel much better for having done so.

 

Food wise, this morning I devoured another oatmeal experiment:

 

High Protein Creamy Oatmeal

• 1/3 cup oats
• ¼ cup milk
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 whole egg
• 3 egg whites
• ½ scoop vanilla protein powder
• Lots of cinnamon

Cook the oats with the milk and water in the microwave.

Stir in the egg and egg whites, and microwave in short bursts, stirring every 20 seconds or so. Do this until you have a thick, creamy consistency.

Stir in the protein powder and add cinnamon to taste. Yummy!

 

During my workout I was seriously flagging, so I sipped on 1 scoop of my SSN Anabolic Shake (strawberry flavour) dissolved in water.

 

Then as a post-workout lunch I had a large mixed salad topped with some tinned pilchards in tomato sauce, with 1 slice wholemeal bread.

 

Mid-afternoon I had a protein shake made with 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, plus a small apple and ¼ cup low-fat milk (in my tea).

 

Dinner was yummy roasted chicken breast with some sweet potato and lots of veggies.

 

For dessert I ate a protein pudding consisting of 1 scoop chocolate protein powder and 1 tbsp tahini, mixed with a splash of cold water. I also had another cup of tea with ¼ cup low-fat milk.

 

FYI, the recipe section is now up and running, so please have a browse! Be sure to let me know if you try anything, and how it turns out 🙂

 

Well, that’s all for today. I’m knackered!

 

Sleep well,

Mali.xxx

The true source of self-worth

Hey folks,

 

Having browsed through a couple of my favourite food/fitness blogs today, I am amazed at some of the negative comments people leave. It seems common for healthy bloggers to be accused of being “obsessive” or as having eating disorders. People make hurtful comments under the guise of “concern”, when in truth their words seem devoid of compassion and tinged with jealousy and insecurity.

As my weight and eating habits fluctuated over the years, it seemed that people always had an opinion on them. Either I was too thin, too healthy (eating-wise), too obsessive, or too gluttonous, too over-indulgent. The irony was that a lot of these behaviours were an attempt to combat the comments made about the opposite behaviours. I couldn’t win!

Eventually I realised that you can never please everyone. People will view you through their own insecurities. Do not allow their opinions to damage your opinion of yourself. Rather find out what God thinks about you, and base your self-worth and identity on that.

 

Anyway, here are a couple of recipes for you!

 

Warm Cookie Dough

• 3 tbsp sweet potato puree (baby food is easy and convenient)
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• ¼  cup wheat bran

1. Place sweet potato and protein powder in a mug and mix well.
2. Microwave for 30 seconds.
3. Add cocoa powder and wheat bran. Mix well and eat whilst still warm.

 

Aromatic Chicken

Spice Mix:

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp dry mustard

1. Mix spices together and toast in a dry pan until the aromas are released (careful not to burn).

Chicken:

• ½ onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
• 2 tsp coconut oil/coconut butter
• 150g skinless chicken breast, diced or cut into strips
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp hot chilli sauce (optional – I used hot peri-peri)

1. Coat the chicken with the lemon juice, chilli sauce and some of your spice mixture. Add a bit of salt and pepper, if you fancy.
2. Meanwhile, sweat the onion and garlic in 1 tsp of the the coconut oil/butter on a low heat until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Add the second tsp coconut oil/butter, as well as the chicken and marinade juices. Stir-fry till chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve with vegetables, brown rice, quinoa, or atop your favourite salad!

 

Lots of love,

Mali.xxx

A belated post…

This post is a couple of days out of date – I was unable to post it from home, as we have no internet connection yet!

 

I am already sick of being sick. I’m totally bored of sitting around and want to do some exercise! However, one good thing has come of my being house-bound. Earlier today, in my boredom, I scratched around the kitchen and managed to create Homemade Coconut Butter! I am super excited, as living in South Africa means I don’t have access to a lot of the special delicacies that I read about in other blogs by people living in America.

The best part is that this Coconut Butter cost under R10 to make – that’s £1, or just over a dollar – which is even cheaper than a jar of peanut butter!

I am not fortunate enough to own a Vita-mix (they cost over R7000!), and did this in my own, bottom-of-the-range blender.

 

Homemade Coconut Butter

• 1 ½ cups shredded/desiccated coconut
• 4 tsp oil (sunflower, olive, coconut – whatever works best for you, as long as it doesn’t conflict with the coconut flavour)

1. Place ½ cup coconut in blender. Blend till fine (you may need to stop every 30 seconds or so to push the coconut back down to the bottom.
2. Keep the blender going and add oil ½ tsp at a time, allowing each addition to be thoroughly combined before adding the next. Again, turn blender off and scrape the sides down frequently.
3. Once you have a paste-like consistency, keep blender going and add another ¼ cup coconut. Wait till thoroughly incorporated, then add another ¼ cup. Leave to blend for a few minutes until you have a liquid-like consistency (the heat from the blender will cause the oil to melt, creating the liquid-like consistency).
4. Add the final ½ cup and blend till you get back to the liquid consistency. Transfer to jar or tub and leave to cool.
5. Will set once it reaches room temperature. This takes longer than you’d think, so be patient!

 

Yes, I will accept orders from any South Africans wanting to taste this but too lazy to make it themselves (/don’t have a blender).

 

Another yummy creation was yet another variation on the protein pudding. It’s easy to eat healthy when something as delicious as this is allowed:

 

Warm Chocolate Protein Pudding

• 3 tbsp pureed carrots (I use baby food for convenience – sweet potato or pumpkin would also work)
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

1. Place pureed carrots and protein powder in a microwaveable mug and mix well. Microwave on high for 30 seconds (or 45 if your microwave is not super powerful like mine!).
2. Remove from microwave and stir in cocoa powder. Simple as that! Be prepared to want another serving directly after you’ve finished the first (or maybe that only happens to me…).

 

Of course, for my afternoon snack I had to make something using the coconut butter, so I made yet ANOTHER chocolate protein pudding, even yummier than the first!

 

Choconut Protein Pudding

• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 tbsp coconut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp water

1. Mix coconut butter and cocoa powder into a paste.
2. Add protein powder and vanilla, then 1 tbsp water – mix well.
3. Add the last tbsp water and mix till smooth.
4. Microwave for 30 seconds. Mix in a tbsp more water if you want a less-cakey consistency.

 

Yesterday’s photo shoot went well, despite the fact that I felt awful. I have another shoot today – this time for the actual COVER of the album! If any of you buy a copy when it comes out, have a look at the cover and tell me whether or not it’s obvious that I had the flu! I’m hoping that make-up and special lighting will do their bit in making me look fabulous despite how rough I feel! Wishful thinking? (It probably doesn’t help that I’m sitting here with wet hair – but I have to let my hair dry naturally otherwise it won’t look right for the shoot. My Grandma would give me an earful if she could see me now!) Warren told me to wear nothing white for the shoot – what about my pale legs? Hopefully they don’t count. Perhaps they’ll camouflage against the white backdrop and it’ll look like I have no legs? That wouldn’t be good…

 

Well, I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, if anyone wants to bring me chicken soup and/or Greek salad (I’m really craving Greek salad…), I will graciously accept.

 

A lorra love (remember Cilla Black?),

Mali.xxx

 

Remelemon (say it fast)

I woke up at about 4am feeling like I was being drowned. After getting up and going to the bathroom I realised that this was due to the fact that I had mucus running down the back of my throat and into my chest (lovely). That’s right, I have ANOTHER cold. It seems as though I have barely recovered from the last one, and now I am sitting in bed next to a mountain of tissues, struggling to breathe as I am slowly suffocated by my own bodily fluids. I do not handle colds well. They make my glands swell, my throat sore, and they inevitably work their way down to my chest, leaving me out of action for up to two weeks. I can only remember one occasion where I’ve had a “normal” cold – runny nose, sneezing, congestion, but nothing to keep me bed-bound.

It hardly seems fair that I should be struck down so soon after recovering from the previous bout – I have been taking my vitamins, eating very well, exercising, etc. The only area I have been slack with is sleep – late nights and early mornings have been the norm for the past couple of weeks as we strive to finish this album by our deadline. Perhaps my unhealthy sleeping patterns are to blame for my weakened immune system. Maybe I underestimated the importance of maintaining my sleep-routine during this busy period.

What’s more, I had a photo-shoot this evening for the CD booklet! Hopefully Warren (my photographer and designer) will be able to Photoshop my red nose away!

 

Anyway, rant over. Now for a new recipe:

 

High-Fibre Protein Cookie Dough

• 1 tbsp tahini or nut butter
• Cold water
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 2 tbsp – ¼ cup wheat bran (depends on how much you fancy)

1. Gradually add small amounts of cold water to the tahini/nut butter, mixing well between each addition until mixture is pale, thick and creamy.
2. Add the protein powder and gradually add more cold water, stirring continuously until you reach your desired consistency (some like it thicker than others). Depending on the brand of protein powder, you may want to add a pinch of xantham or guar gum to thicken.
3. Stir in the wheat bran and enjoy!

 

This morning’s oatmeal experiment produced the following DEELICIOUS bowl:

 

Fibre Frenzy Oatmeal

• 40g (1/3 cup) oat bran
• 20g wheat bran
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp golden flaxseeds
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tbsp wheat germ
• ½ serving (15g) protein powder
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (optional)

1. Place oat bran, wheat bran and flaxseeds in a pan with 1 cup of the water.
2. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Add another 1/3 cup water, let thicken, then add another 1/3 cup.
3. When the mixture is thick, add the egg whites and keep stirring. Add the remaining 1/3 cup and keep cooking until you reach your desired consistency.
4. Remove from heat and stir in wheat germ and protein powder.
5. Serve topped with peanut butter, if desired.

It made so much that I almost didn’t have a breakfast bowl big enough! Yet I didn’t feel at all stuffed afterwards – just perfectly satiated.

 

Mid-morning I made a batch of Protein Brownies, based on April’s Zucchini Brownies. I was feeling experimental, so I made lots of changes:

 

Dark Chocolate Brownies

• ¾ cup egg whites (or whites from 6 eggs)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (or pureed carrots, butternut – whatever you like. I actually used a mixture of carrot, butternut and sweet potato, as I didn’t have any pumpkin)
• ¾ cup wheat bran
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 3 scoops chocolate protein powder
• 3 tsp vanilla essence (yes, you read right. I like my vanilla)
• Sweetener to taste ( I didn’t add any as the protein powder added a mild sweetness)
• Pinch salt
• Pinch baking powder

1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
2. Pour into a lined and sprayed 8×8 square pan and bake at 180/350/Gas 4 for about 25 minutes (careful not to overcook, or they will come out dry).

 

They were tasty (though admittedly I prefer them with one less scoop of protein powder and I missed the added grated veg), but what took them to a whole new level was the “icing” I made to go with them. You MUST try this – it’s heavenly!

 

Mali’s Homemade Chocolate Nutter (pun intended)

• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 4 tsp water
• 1 sachet (or to taste) sweetener

1. Mix the first three ingredients together in a small cup and microwave for about 30 seconds, or till melted.
2. Add sweetener and mix until smooth.
3. Eat on its own or atop your muffins, brownies, oatmeal, cottage cheese, etc!

 

And since colds and flu are back in discussion, here’s a revised version of the homemade lemsip:

 

Hot, Spiced Remelemon*

• Large wedge of lemon
• Small pinch cayenne pepper (go easy – you can always add more, but once it’s in, it’s in!)
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• Dash mixed spice
• Sweetener to taste
• Boiling water

1. Boil the kettle (or as my husband would correct, “Boil the WATER, not the kettle.”).
2. Meanwhile, give the lemon wedge a squeeze, catching the juice in your favourite, most comforting mug (every detail counts when you’re ill).
3. Throw the partially-squeezed lemon wedge into the mug and pour over boiling water till mug is filled.
4. Add spices and sweetener and stir well, so that no sneaky lumps are swimming around (trust me; a lump of cayenne pepper is not something you want exploding in your mouth).
5. Sip slowly, allowing the warmth and spice to soothe your throat and clear your airways (be careful not to burn yourself in your eagerness). You may need to stir a few times throughout drinking to ensure even distribution of the spices.

(*my own word – copyrighted as I type. You witnessed it!)

 

When I was sick as a child (which was an unfortunately frequent occurance), my grandmother used to tell me to make onions a staple. She would make me homemade onion cough-syrup, and tell me to eat raw onions and even slice one in half and leave it next to my bed. As a youngster I was not so keen on the idea of giving onions the privilege of sharing my room, but now that I’m older and marginally wiser, I realise that sometimes Safta (Hebrew for Grandma) really does know best. As such, my lunch was about 90% onion:

 

Immune-Boosting Tuna and Onion Salad

• 1 whole onion, diced (red or white – I used white as it was all I had. I prefer red though.)
• 1 raw beetroot, peeled and diced
• Few sundried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 can tuna
• 1 clove raw garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil*
• Salt, pepper and mixed herbs to taste

1. Place onions on a plate a sprinkle lightly with salt. Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
2. Add the other ingredients to the onions, combine and serve straight away, or (if you find raw onion a little harsh) leave to sit for an hour or so before serving.

*I’m not worried about including lots of good fats in my diet, but if you’re concerned then you can reduce the amount of oil or replace it with something fat-free. I personally believe that healthy fats are vital for good brain function and fat-loss, as long as they are not abused.

 

Hope you’re all feeling healthier than I am!

Mali.xxx

The elusive push-up…

Happy Sunday, everyone!

 

Yesterday’s chest and shoulder workout was okay in the end, though I realise that these definitely seem to be the weakest parts of my body. I was using very low and still can’t manage a push-up yet (why do you elude me, push-ups? How is that I can beat my friend in an arm wrestle, yet she can do push-ups and I can’t? Am I just approaching it all wrong?). I try with all my might but my back just dips towards the floor and it’s all over. Perhaps it’s actually a matter of core strength rather than chest strength? Anyway, MARK MY WORDS, I will get to the point where I can do push-ups!

 

All this week’s compulsory workouts have been completed, and all day today was spent in the studio recording backing vocals, so no time for my optional cardio session. I tried to compensate by doing silly dances during vocal takes!

 

Here’s what I did:

Bench Press – Set 1: 10 x 9kgs; Set 2: 10 x 10kgs; Set 3: 6 x 12.5kgs

Shoulder Press – Set 1: 10 x 4kgs each side; Set 2: 10 x 5kgs; Set 3: 10 x 5kgs

Lateral Raise – Set 1: 10 x 3kgs; Set 2: 10 x 5kgs; Set 3: 6 x 4kgs

Push-ups (girl-style and badly executed) – Set 1: 10 reps; Set 2: 6 reps; Set 3: 10 reps

Upright Rows – Set 1: 10 x 5kgs each side; Set 2: 10 x 7.5kgs; Set 3: 10 x 7.5kgs

 

I then enjoyed THE BEST protein shake I have made (or tasted) to date. And it was so voluminous that it took me about an hour to eat! I usually just throw everything in at the same time and blitz, but the method I used for this one made all the difference.

 

Banana Muffin Protein Shake

• ¼ cup soy milk
• 1 ¼ cups water
• ½ cup frozen sliced banana
• About 12 small ice cubes

Place above ingredients in a blender, and start the thing going. Let blend until the ice and banana has broken down considerably.

Keep the blender going, open the little window at the top and slowly pour in:

• ¼ tsp xantham gum
• ½ tsp guar gum
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder

Wait till all the protein powder has been combined (blender still going) and add:

• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• ½ tsp (or more, if you fancy) cinnamon
• Dash ground cloves
• Dash nutmeg

Keep blending till you can see the spices are evenly distributed throughout the shake, then turn the blender off (after all, it’s been working hard) and pour the (extremely thick) shake into a BIG glass (mine filled 1 big beer mug PLUS 1 standard 250ml glass – I left the smaller glass in the freezer while I ate the first one).

 

This is definitely a job for a long-handled teaspoon – sundae style! Who needs Ice Cream and Milkshakes when you can eat that every day?

 

My Sunday morning breakfast was as follows:

 

Better than Bran Flakes Breakfast Oatmeal

• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup wheat bran
• 1 tbsp flaxseeds
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp wheat germ
• 1 scoop protein powder

1. Cook it all up (except the wheat germ and protein powder) in a pan or microwave. Add more water if necessary.
2. Remove from heat and stir in protein powder and wheat germ, and more liquid if needed.
3. Feel free to add cocoa powder (I did), nuts, seeds or a nut butter of your choice. Whatever floats your (b)oat!

 

Food for Thought:

In the Bible, we read that Daniel ate nothing but legumes and water, but was more “built” than the people eating the King’s meat. This is not an argument for vegetarianism, but rather an example of the effects of “eating in faith”. In choosing not to eat the King’s meat, Daniel was making a huge sacrifice for the sake of the Lord. He no doubt would’ve much rather eaten the meat, but it went against his conscience, and thus he could not do so in faith (and anything done outside of faith is sin). God saw the sacrifice Daniel was making on His behalf and honoured that by giving Daniel better health and physical condition than those who ate the meat.

What am I getting at here? The Bible says to eat “with prayer and thanksgiving”. Health nuts like me can get very hung up on the content and quality of the food, forgetting to receive it prayerfully and thankfully. I truly believe that an unhealthy meal received thankfully is of greater benefit to the body than a healthy meal eaten without a thought for the One who provided it.

 

Challenge: For the following week, thank God before EVERY meal, asking that it may serve as nourishment to your body, providing you with strength and energy for the tasks ahead. Ask Him to bless the people who worked hard to farm and harvest the ingredients, as well as those who cooked and prepared the meal. Ask it in the name of Jesus!

 

Much love,

Mali.xxx

PB x 2

Hi guys,

Not a super-long post today as I’ve got lots to get on with. Here are some highlights:

My pre-workout oatmeal was super delicious today:

• ¼ cup oat bran
• ¼ cup wheat bran
• 1 tbsp golden flaxseeds
• ½ cup soy milk
• ½ cup water

Cook together in microwave till all the water has been absorbed and the mixture has thickened. Then stir in:

• 1 scoop protein powder (whatever flavour you like – I used chocolate)

And if you fancy, top with:

• 1 tbsp peanut butter

The wheat bran made it taste a bit like Weetabix (or Weetbix, if you’re South African. I maintain my British heritage by including the “a”).

Yesterday I made April’s High Protein Pumpkin Bread (that’s the first PB) (visit www.foodsofapril.com for the recipe), which came out great! The stats are quite literally unbelievable. I used soy flour in the place of Oat Fiber. I ate over a quarter of the batch straight from the oven topped with peanut butter (the second PB). This morning I mashed up another quarter with some water and an egg and microwaved it for a high protein bread pudding (again, topped with peanut butter). Then I ate ANOTHER quarter for my mid morning snack, sliced in half (horizontally) and toasted, with…you guessed it, more peanut butter! N.B. Peanut butter is a high-fat, high-calorie food but I work it into my nutritional requirements so I enjoy 2-4 tbsp a day without a problem.

My legs are sore from yesterday’s workout, though I feel nothing in my calves. Gotta find a good calf exercise to do – calf raises are so boring, and I end up with bruises when I sit down and rest the weight on my knees for the weighted calf press.

I’m now psyching myself up for my Chest and Shoulders. The chest is probably my least favourite muscle group to work. Since I don’t have a spotter, I get nervous lifting anything too heavy in case I can’t get it back up again (this has happened before, and I kind of had to wriggle out from under the bar as it crushed me). I could use dumbbells but I have weak wrists and find it very hard to keep the weights steady, which just irritates me.

With regards to the blog, I’m currently working on getting my “Recipes” section sorted, as well as links to other great blogs on the right-hand side. I’ll let you know when it’s all up and running.

Right, off to do my workout.

Lotsa love,

Mali.xxx

No pain, no gain.

I am sore all over today! Worked my Biceps and Triceps yesterday, and now it hurts to move my arms! And my abs, back and shoulders are still sore from the previous workouts, making laughter and sneezing painful activities. I am not a masochist, but I bear it because I know that in the long run I am training my body to be stronger and more resilient to all sorts of ailments. Some people think that training to the point that you’re sore is obsessive and unnatural, but if you understand the science behind muscle-building and the long term benefits then you start to realise that this is necessary for those aiming to be as healthy as they can possibly be.

My weight has fluctuated over the past few years. I have cycled between feeling fat and unhealthy to being hassled for being “too thin”. The irony is that my body fat was within the normal range, but I was underweight and had no muscle mass to speak of. I would go back to over-eating in an attempt to ward off criticisms regarding my skinny appearance, but then felt miserable and low in energy as a result.

My goal is to build lean muscle, so that I can be fit and strong without appearing emaciated. At the moment my body fat is not super low, which is fine with me. Muscle is what I’m after, so I’m not going to stress about body fat percentages for the time being (N.B. this doesn’t mean I think it’s okay to have too much body fat – I am well within the healthy range and since health is my priority it’s all good). Muscle is so metabolic (i.e. fat-burning) that people tend to find that when they focus on muscle-building their body fat naturally falls into a healthy range (provided they aren’t dining out at KFC every night).

Yesterday’s killer workout:

Bicep Curls (lying against a slightly inclined bench to ensure that momentum wasn’t doing the work for me) – Set 1: Right arm – 6 x 5kgs; Left arm – 5 x 6kgs (just couldn’t do that last rep) each arm; Set 2: 10 x3kgs each arm; Set 3: 10 x 4kgs

Overhead Triceps Extensions – Set 1: 10 x 3kgs each arm; Set 2: (switched to using 2 arms holding one dumbbell as the one-armed hurt my joints and was harder to control) 10 x 4kgs); Set 3: 10 x 5kgs

Hammer Curls – Set 1: 10 x 3kgs each arm; Set 2: 10 x 5kgs; Set 3: 10 x 5kgs

Triceps Kickbacks – Set 1: 10 x 4kgs; Set 2: 10 x 4kgs; Set 3: 10 x 4kgs

Triceps dips – Set 1: 10 reps; Set 2: 10 reps; Set 3: 10 reps

And today’s leg-training sesh:

Sumo Squats – Set 1: 10 x 7.5kgs; Set 2: 10 x 10kgs; Set 3: 10 x 12.5kgs

Stationary Dumbbell Lunges – Set 1: 10 x 5kgs each side; Set 2: 10 x 7.5kgs; Set 3: 10 x 7.5kgs

Quad Extensions – Set 1: 10 x 35kgs; Set 2: 8 x 35kgs; Set 3: 8 x 35kgs

Calf Raises – Set 1: 10 x 5kgs each side; Set 2: 12 x 7.5kgs; Set 3: 12 x 7.5kgs (all these sets were way too easy, so I’ll need to seriously increase my weight next week)

Hamstring Curls – Set 1: 10 x 10kgs; Set 2: 10 x 12.5kgs; Set 3: 8 x 12.5kgs

On the food front, some interesting creations:

Chocolate Protein Pudding

• 1 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla whey)
• ½ cup mashed sweet potato or pumpkin or a mixture of the two
• ½ cup fat-free yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
• ¼ cup soy milk
• ½ tsp each xantham and guar gum
• 3-4 small ice cubes

1. Chuck all the ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth.
2. Tastes great with 1 tbsp peanut butter mixed in!

Post workout:

Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal

• 1/3 cup oats
• Tbsp wheat bran
• 1/3 cup soy milk
• 1/3 cup water
• About ¼ cup pumpkin
• 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
• Big tbsp cocoa powder

1. Cook everything except the pumpkin, protein powder and cocoa, then stir them in once the oatmeal is cooked. Add more water if necessary.
   
2. I chucked it back in the MW for 30 seconds or so to reheat and make the cocoa powder melt (I know it’s better not to cook the protein powder but it tasted so much better).

Dinner:

A whole load of steamed mixed vegetables lightly mashed with 1 tsp olive oil and topped with 1 tin tuna cooked in ratatouille.

On a different note, we recorded strings on the album today! It’s so exciting to hear my songs with real strings and not synthesisers! I can’t wait to reveal the finished product!

Have a great evening and a healthful weekend!

Mali.xxx