It’s not always going to be convenient …

,

Soz, but if you thought “changing” was going to be convenient, umm, it’s probably not. Well at least not at the start.

Change – as in your body, weight, strength, tone, whatever, if you want something different you have to do something different right?

And sometimes that means training at a time that might not be perfect for you.

I remember having a conversation with an old friend. She desperately wanted to loose weight but wasn’t really making any headway. When I asked about attending an early morning class, she said “that’s too early”. When I suggested a night class when her husband gets home, she said “I can’t exercise at night”. When I suggested the 9:15am class, she said that didn’t suit either because she has a daughter (even though the classes are baby friendly).

The outcome, she didn’t end up committing to anything.

Change is the hardest thing you will ever do, but when you really want something bad enough, you know you have to change something.

Have you ever noticed how when you have heaps of time you are less productive than those busy days? It’s funny isn’t it?!

Most of my workouts happen at random times, after lunch, mid afternoon with the kids sometimes when I am lucky I get a 10am session. Because, well I am working at my perfect timeslot – 6am. So my workout times are never convenient but the alternative? Well for me, there isn’t one. I love how I feel when I workout so I make it work.

So if you are looking at an 8 week program or starting a new routine, the first thing you notice might be “those times don’t suit me”. And they really might not. But sometimes you can make it work and achieve that goal you have been working towards for a long time, and that will def be worth it.

 

Our next challenge is here:

 

 

Flavio’s Italian Cake

,

So the real name of this cake is “Castagnaccio” but we all know it as the cake Flavio’s mum made, and the cake Flavio ate every day she was here! ha ha If you were lucky enough to try it, well it was amazing. (Thanks for sharing Flav!)

 

250g chestnut flour

700ml water

100g mix of raisins & cranberries

70g pinenuts or sliced almonds

 

 

Add half of the water to the flour and mix using a whip, let it rest for 2 hours.

 

Then add the other half of water mixing with the whip.

 

Add the other ingredients now and back at 180 degrees for 45 min

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Classic Salmon with leek topping

,

My mum brought up this recipe when she came to stay recently, and I have to say, I am always a little scared when she brings recipes. We are from the country and she is happy with old school cooking … all of the time! So I am always  a little nervous about how healthy or not so healthy her recipes are. But, I was willing to give it a try and, well, thanks Mum!

I am all for butter. There are so many benefits to butter. The good stuff is full of vitamins, especially vitamin A (great for your skin!), loaded with Vitamin D which helps you to absorb calcium and heaps more. So if you can tolerate dairy, this is for you. Otherwise, you could use Ghee.

Ingredients

Serves 3

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/5 cup white wine vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

80g butter, cut into small cubes

2 baby leeks, trimmed, washed and finely sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 salmon fillets

 

Method

Bring the wine, vinegar and shallots to a boil in a medium saucepan, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 15-20 mins.

Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the butter until the sauce is smooth. Stir in the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat oil in pan and cook the salmon to your liking.

Transfer to a plate once cooked, and lather in the sauce.

Serve with fresh greens.

 

Enjoy x

 

Orange and Turmeric Cake

,

Another stella recipe from Sofie Van Kempen. This chick knows how to make some seriously yummy and low sugar food!

I am in love with this cake. It leaves you feeling light and satisfied. I have orange trees at home so I was over the moon to be able to use my own, fresh oranges for this one.

So easy to make and it doesn’t need any icing, it’s good on it’s own. Of course I had a piece fresh out of the oven, and it’s just too good warm!

And in Winter, we need more turmeric to help ward off the colds and flues. So this cake is an all round winner 🙂

 

Servings: 16-20  // prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 whole oranges
  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup honey (depending how sweet you want it)
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp turmeric (fresh or ground)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence or powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 170’C and line a cake/slice tin with baking paper, set aside.
  2. Boil whole oranges in a pot on the stove for 1 hour, drain and allow to cool.
  3. Blend oranges in a food processor, then add eggs, honey, vanilla, turmeric and blend again.
  4. Mix through almond meal and baking powder until combined.
  5. Pour batter into tray it will be quite wet and place in the oven.
  6. Bake for 35-45 minutes in the oven until golden brown. Check with a skewer.
  7. Allow to cool in the tin and store in the fridge for up to a week.

NOTE: this is a moist cake (don’t you love that word) so expect it to come out a little wetter then usual cakes. Also you could try flax eggs as a replacement for ‘egg’ in this recipe.

 

Enjoy 🙂