Well, now that I have finished scraping scrambled egg and mushed fruit off of my windows, bookcase and husband's blackberry (darling if you're reading this, just kidding), and have stopped taking a cocktail of drugs that Lindsay Lohan would envy, I have time to update all of you wonderful peeps on what has been happening around here.
First off, there is no real update on project downsize ass thanks to my back injury, but thankfully it is mending and I should be able to get back to the gym and running this week, although sadly not enough to burn five family size cadbury's dairy milks, so I shall have to cut back or risk further back damage. Will let you know which one I choose.
The Little Princess has started sleeping through the night (FINALLY) after three not too painful nights of sleep training. Good thing this worked as our plan B was too call her grandpa (an anesthetist) and see if he could slip anything into her mashed banana (before she smears it through her hair and up her nose) that would give us 12 hours of blessed peace and silence.
Right, must go watch the freakshow that is the X Factor and make notes for my audition next year. Since my other half has flatly refused to duet "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with me while wearing matching his and hers outfits, I'm open to suggestions....
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Today's healthy recipe - easy peasy and delicious lentil soup!
This is one of our faves, and even my 10 month old, whose preferred diet normally consists of mango and mango, likes it (I make it with baby friendly vegetable stock that is low sodium and gluten free)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chopped medium onions
2 cups red lentils
2 tbsp tomato puree (or less/more to taste)
1L vegetable stock (I've found 1.2L works better as this soup is disastrous if it gets too dry)
parsley, cream and croutons to garnish (optional - I don't bother with these)
Fry the onions in the olive oil until soft/clear, then add the stock, lentils and puree and simmer for approx 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft. Pour into blender and blend for a few seconds only. Serve immediately, adding the parsley, cream and croutons.
Yummmm! I'm always looking for good vegetarian soup recipes...anyone have any they'd like to share?
1 tbsp olive oil
2 chopped medium onions
2 cups red lentils
2 tbsp tomato puree (or less/more to taste)
1L vegetable stock (I've found 1.2L works better as this soup is disastrous if it gets too dry)
parsley, cream and croutons to garnish (optional - I don't bother with these)
Fry the onions in the olive oil until soft/clear, then add the stock, lentils and puree and simmer for approx 20-25 minutes until the lentils are soft. Pour into blender and blend for a few seconds only. Serve immediately, adding the parsley, cream and croutons.
Yummmm! I'm always looking for good vegetarian soup recipes...anyone have any they'd like to share?
Every Little (bit of exercise) Helps
I've had a revelation that I do not have to start off at marathon level running. I can take small, daily actions that over time will add up and help me to achieve my health and fitness goals. With a husband who works very long hours and travels a lot, there will be days when I simply can't get to the gym or out for a run and will have to take small steps and get creative. Things such as long walks with The Little Princess and stopping to do a few squats or lunges while she admires the ducks in the pond, keeping a skipping rope on our patio, and who can resist a few good old fashioned aerobics DVDs full of big hair, sparkly legwarmers, and shocking pink leotards a la 70s?
This morning I had booked a creche space at my gym, so once I had pried a diamond earring and a blue ball point pen out of The Little Princess's hand (mental note to look for the other earring...hmmm) and pretended I didn't notice the blue streaks all over her face, I dropped her grumpy (lack of sleep) self off and prayed she would last more than 10 minutes without full blown shrieking demanding mommy's return. Then I stopped worrying and realized that even 10 minutes exercise is better than nothing! Unfortunately I chose a treadmill with a broken TV that wouldn't change channels and rather than change treadmills, was forced to endure 20 minutes of P. Diddy's Starmaker (how he ever became famous is a rant I'll save for another post on another day) and vowed to remember my iPod next time.
Success - 35 minutes of cardio (a mix of walk/run and elliptical trainer) followed by some stretching and abs and creche booked for tomorrow morning as well.
Anyone else have any tips on how they fit a bit of exercise into a busy life?
This morning I had booked a creche space at my gym, so once I had pried a diamond earring and a blue ball point pen out of The Little Princess's hand (mental note to look for the other earring...hmmm) and pretended I didn't notice the blue streaks all over her face, I dropped her grumpy (lack of sleep) self off and prayed she would last more than 10 minutes without full blown shrieking demanding mommy's return. Then I stopped worrying and realized that even 10 minutes exercise is better than nothing! Unfortunately I chose a treadmill with a broken TV that wouldn't change channels and rather than change treadmills, was forced to endure 20 minutes of P. Diddy's Starmaker (how he ever became famous is a rant I'll save for another post on another day) and vowed to remember my iPod next time.
Success - 35 minutes of cardio (a mix of walk/run and elliptical trainer) followed by some stretching and abs and creche booked for tomorrow morning as well.
Anyone else have any tips on how they fit a bit of exercise into a busy life?
What the hell happened?
The first of hopefully many blogs! I say hopefully as I am a serial "starter" and serial "non finisher" (or commitment phobe as I like to call it). I am great at trying new things and coming up with sometimes crazy plans, but not the best at seeing them through to completion.
Life has done a complete 360 in the past year when I became mom to my fabulous, fun, beautiful and unfortunately virtually sleepless daughter, The Little Princess. Fitness and healthy eating somehow went out the window as large meals, sugary cups of tea and not-the-healthy-kind granola bars saw me through sleepless nights, feedings, the days where the crying and fussing seemed never ending, and the days when the baby cried too. My long ago adopted and much loved vegetarianism disappeared out the window along with any hope of wearing a bikini as I just grabbed whatever was quick, easy, and sadly, calorific.
As my fellow new moms gasped in surprise as they were fitting into their pre pregnancy size 10 skinny jeans within hours, days, or weeks after giving birth to enormous 11lb babies, I was gasping in surprise as my weight went up and my maternity clothes gave way to new clothes in a size much larger than I would have liked. Oh how I longed to visit said skinny friends with boxes of krispy kreme donuts and secretly pinch their sleeping-through-the-night-already little cherubs.
I had plenty of excuses at the ready..."they have their families nearby, mine is thousands of miles away so I get no break"..."I'll start exercising when she sleeps through the night and I'm not so exhausted" (um...I will likely be arthritic and collecting a pension when that happens)..."I'm breastfeeding, the weight should just drop off." (who knew that a newborn doesn't consume more calories than are in an entire pack of chocolate digestives?!) The simple truth is that there is no good excuse for not eating healthily and exercising moderately.
Fast forward ten months and my plan is simple. No quick, overnight fixes. No fad diets of eating only cayenne pepper on Wednesdays during a full moon. No surgery, botox, or cheek implants made from the semen of rare red squirrels (or whatever the current fad is).
1. Healthy, non packaged as much as possible food, in moderate portion sizes
2. Exercise and work towards my goal of completing a 10k race within a year
3. Return to vegetarianism and my love of vegetarian cooking
4. Scales are evil - the fit of my clothes will tell me just fine how I'm doing
5. Share my journey
Happy reading, and I would love your thoughts, feedback, experiences, criticisms....
Life has done a complete 360 in the past year when I became mom to my fabulous, fun, beautiful and unfortunately virtually sleepless daughter, The Little Princess. Fitness and healthy eating somehow went out the window as large meals, sugary cups of tea and not-the-healthy-kind granola bars saw me through sleepless nights, feedings, the days where the crying and fussing seemed never ending, and the days when the baby cried too. My long ago adopted and much loved vegetarianism disappeared out the window along with any hope of wearing a bikini as I just grabbed whatever was quick, easy, and sadly, calorific.
As my fellow new moms gasped in surprise as they were fitting into their pre pregnancy size 10 skinny jeans within hours, days, or weeks after giving birth to enormous 11lb babies, I was gasping in surprise as my weight went up and my maternity clothes gave way to new clothes in a size much larger than I would have liked. Oh how I longed to visit said skinny friends with boxes of krispy kreme donuts and secretly pinch their sleeping-through-the-night-already little cherubs.
I had plenty of excuses at the ready..."they have their families nearby, mine is thousands of miles away so I get no break"..."I'll start exercising when she sleeps through the night and I'm not so exhausted" (um...I will likely be arthritic and collecting a pension when that happens)..."I'm breastfeeding, the weight should just drop off." (who knew that a newborn doesn't consume more calories than are in an entire pack of chocolate digestives?!) The simple truth is that there is no good excuse for not eating healthily and exercising moderately.
Fast forward ten months and my plan is simple. No quick, overnight fixes. No fad diets of eating only cayenne pepper on Wednesdays during a full moon. No surgery, botox, or cheek implants made from the semen of rare red squirrels (or whatever the current fad is).
1. Healthy, non packaged as much as possible food, in moderate portion sizes
2. Exercise and work towards my goal of completing a 10k race within a year
3. Return to vegetarianism and my love of vegetarian cooking
4. Scales are evil - the fit of my clothes will tell me just fine how I'm doing
5. Share my journey
Happy reading, and I would love your thoughts, feedback, experiences, criticisms....
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