February 4, 2014

Paleo Banana Bread Cookies…Four Ways

The weather at the moment is so unpredictable.  One minute it’s pouring down with rain and the next minute it’s sunny, then you blink and its overcast again.  Aaahhh summer in North Queensland.

I love summer! For so many reasons.  I love the sun, the beach, the beautiful summer fruits and air conditioning (sometimes the humidity is just way too much).  This brings me to…bananas.

We have so many bananas! They are so cheap at the moment and the kids aren’t eating them as quick as they usually do so I’ve been freezing some and baking with some.  Remember the banana bread? Well yesterday I wanted to cook something for the kids after school but I didn’t have an hour to spare….hmmmm the dilemma.  Ah-huh I know, banana bread cookies!  Genius, I know :-)

I made them again today, just to road test the recipe to make sure it wasn’t just a fluke the first time…nope it wasn’t…they are GOOD! I made them 3 different ways…ready?? Ginger Banana Bread Cookies…Chocolate Banana Bread Cookies….and Banana Bread Cookies.  Go try them…you’ll love them. The recipe makes 35 cookies.

 Banana Bread Cookies (2)

Paleo Banana Bread Cookies

  • ½ cup macadamia nuts
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup of almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Banana Bread Cookie and Macadamia Butter

Paleo Ginger Banana Bread Cookies

  • ½ cup macadamia nuts
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup of almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger

 

Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread Cookies

  • ½ cup macadamia nuts
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup of almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 Tablespoon Cacao
  1. Preheat the oven to a moderately heat, 180 degrees Celsius.
  2. Place the macadamia nuts in the food processor and turn it on.  Let it process the nuts until it turns into butter, about 2-3 minutes is all it takes.
  3. Add the bananas and egg and let it process again until it makes a nice smooth batter.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and well mixed.
  5. Line a cookie tray with baking paper. Take heaped tablespoon amounts of the mixture and place them on the cookie tray, and place it in the oven.
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
  7. Let them cool on the tray before removing them.

 Banana Bread Cookies (1)

You can eat them as they are, or sandwich them together with some nut butter.

 

Yours in health

Jess xx

 

 

 

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February 2, 2014

The Week That Was…

This week was a bit mixed up and not my usual week, we had a ‘cyclone’ Friday and that made some things a bit tricky (see the thing about cyclones is you just don’t know when to take them super seriously or when to be a bit slack about it…I err on the side of caution and also make sure we are prepared).

I had a gym buddy this week too, how awesome is it to train with a friend?! Makes the time just fly by.

Monday: Legs day and I had planned a run with my girlfriends, which fell through with last minute babysitting falling through for one of the girls.  I added PBs to my leg weights this week J

Tuesday: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps and 20 minute HIIT on the Rowing Machine (1 minute sprint and 1 minute steady).

Wednesday: Back/Biceps/Abs and 20 minute HIIT on the Elliptical Trainer (30 seconds fast as I could and 1 minute recovery).

Thursday: Unscheduled rest day.

Friday: Modified my training so I could complete my workout at home, couldn’t get to the gym.  Legs in the morning and Shoulders in the afternoon.  No cardio because I did the 2 sets of training.

Saturday: Walk in the morning before breakfast (with my girlfriends) and then Back session.

Sunday: Hill run/walk with my girlfriends and my running stroller (with my toddler inside…because running with an empty stroller would be totally weird).

My goals are not primarily to lose weight. I want to lose body fat and lean out while building muscle and this type of training and eating will get me the results I am after.

A body that is earned

I did 7 weeks of Jamie Eason’s LiveFit program and wasn’t seeing results (sometimes a one size fits all program just doesn’t work).  So I sort the help of a trainer, she wrote a meal plan for me (specific to me and my goals) and a training program.  I have just finished my second week with her, I feel fantastic and I am SEEING results!!

My food was spot on apart from some banana bread on Thursday.  I post my food everyday on IG, so if you’re interested in that then head over to InstaGram and check it out.  High carb day tomorrow…that makes a sweet potato loving gal really happy!

How was your week? What kind of training do you do?

Yours in health

Jess xx

 

 

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January 31, 2014

Paleo Banana Bread

I’ve been baking things for the kids lately, and this banana bread was a hit.  I made three until I had the recipe just right, and all three were demolished by the teens.  The first one I made was a bit dry, the second one was too moist but the third one was spot on J

I made them yesterday before the cyclone came, just in case we lost power (we have been without power for a week during a cyclone a few years ago).  I didn’t stock up on tinned food like all of the other people in town, it didn’t make sense to me because we don’t eat tinned food.  I made sure I had boiled eggs, cooked sausages and meatballs, cans of tuna, banana bread, bottled water, ice and a supply of fruit and vegetables.

 Paleo Banana Bread

Paleo Banana Bread

  • 1 ¼ cup macadamia nuts
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 2 Tablespoons cacao (if you want to make it chocolate)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  1. Preheat the oven to a moderately-low heat, 160 degrees Celsius.
  2. Place the macadamia nuts in the food processor and turn it on.  Let it process the nuts until it turns into butter, about 2-3 minutes is all it takes.
  3. Add the bananas and egg and let it process again until it makes a nice smooth batter.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and well mixed.
  5. Pour the batter into a large loaf pan (line the pan with baking paper) and place it in the oven.
  6. Bake for an hour, then press the top of the loaf to see if it feels cooked.  It should feel spongy and not too soft (inserting a toothpick into the loaf doesn’t give you a good indicator if this is cooked as it will still come out clean, you need to go by feel).

 

Yours in health

Jess xx

 

 

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January 25, 2014

Thai Fish Cakes

I miss the smells of the street food in Thailand, I can’t wait to head back there in September again.  I adore Thai food, I adore Thai people and plain and simply I just LOVE seafood.  From dusk till dark the gorgeous Thai foodies are out cooking the simplest of food, most chicken, fish or egg dishes.  And the smell! It’s like food heaven! These people know a thing or two about combining spices.  I stood for a long time just watching them flick food around in their pans and toss spices in, all while smiling and chatting to people around them.  You can see why I love it, right??

Today I bring you Thai Fish Cakes, absolutely to die for!!

 Thai Fish Cakes

Thai Fish Cakes

  • 500g firm white fish fillets, patted dry
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, centre vein removed and then shredded finely
  • 1 Tablespoon coriander, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (more or less depending on your taste)
  • ½ stalk of lemongrass
  • Coconut oil for shallow frying

Dipping Sauce

  • 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar (or honey)
  • 1 teaspoon minced chilli (more or less depending on your taste)
  1. Grind the garlic, kaffir lime leaves, coriander, chilli flakes and lemongrass with a mortar and pestle to make a red curry paste (or you can save time and use a Thai Red Curry Paste…please check the labels to make sure it’s a good quality paste without hidden nasties).
  2. Place the fish in the food processor and pulse until you have minced fish.
  3. Add the red curry paste to the minced fish and pulse until well combined.
  4. Make the sauce time…Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat.  Simmer until the sugar is dissolved.  Turn the heat off and set the pan aside.
  5. Now I cooked my fish cakes two different ways.  I shallow fried half in coconut oil and the other half I put in a moderate heat oven, I preferred the ones in the oven but the boys liked the ones in the coconut oil.
  6. Heat a large pan with some coconut oil, not too deep, you want to shallow fry them not deep fry them.
  7. Take the minced fish mixture and begin rolling them into balls, a heaped tablespoon size, then press them down flat, the cook quicker and more even if they are flat.  If you want to make them into balls just make them smaller (a teaspoon size).
  8. Reduce the heat of the pan to medium and shallow fry the fish cakes, turning them as needed.
  9. If you want to cook them in the oven, heat the oven to a moderate heat and cook for 15 minutes.  Depending on the size of the cakes/balls will determine the cooking time so just press them to see if they are cooked.  A cooked cake/ball will be firm and not soft when pressed in the centre.

 

Traditionally this is served with rice, diced cucumber and tomato (everything is served with rice, cucumber and tomato).  I just swapped the rice for cauliflower rice.

Not a fan of fish? You could substitute the fish for chicken, or even green prawns :-)

Yours in health

Jess xx

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January 23, 2014

Granola Bites

The kids start back at school in 5 more days (notice I said the KIDS and not me), and yes, I am counting.  Holidays have been awesome but after 7 weeks it’s really time to get back into routine.

That routine also means more cooking for me.  I have enjoyed taking a break from cooking sweets, mostly because I have been so focused on my fitness goals that I knew I needed no sweets in the house until I was at a comfortable place with them, and I am now there….so lucky kids get sweets again.

I am trying to avoid using honey, mainly because I can give them ‘sweet’ using other naturally sweet things that have more nutrients in them, and yes it’s still high in sugar so moderation is the key here.  W has already started asking for honey on almost everything so that’s another reason to start using other sweeteners, like fruit.

I made Granola Bites yesterday, as a trial run for the kids’ lunch boxes and to see if I could get them to stick together like a biscuit instead of crumbling.  Success! I took a bite of one, yes just one bite.  I made them for the kids so they had to be the ones to like and approve of them, and they did! I have three out of twelve left.

 Granola Bites (1)

Granola Bites

  • 3 cups of nuts, whatever nuts you wish to use.  I used 1 cup of almonds, 1 cup of coconut flakes, ½ cup of walnuts, ½ cup macadamia nuts.
  • ½ cup of dried fruit, 1 used a mix of dried blueberries and goji berries
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • 5 fresh dates, pitted (you could use 1/3 cup honey instead)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Pre-heat the oven to a moderate heat.
  2. Pulse the nuts and dried fruit in the food processor, until they have chopped into smaller bits and combined well.  Pour them out into a bowl and set them aside.
  3. In the food processor, combine coconut oil, dates, vanilla and cinnamon and blend until the dates have turned to mush (nice word that isn’t it?..mush).
  4. Pour the oil mixture over the nut/fruit mixture and combine well.
  5. Use a muffin tray, and muffin papers to cook the bites.  Place the muffin papers in the muffin try and place 1 tablespoon of the granola into the ‘cup’ and press down.  Make sure you press it down well, this will help them cook together and hold the shape.
  6. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the granola turns a deep golden brown.

Granola Bites (2)

 

Do you bake sweets for your kids? I need some more inspiration, what do you make for your kids?

 

 

 

 

 

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January 21, 2014

Sweet Potato Egg Boat

High carb day number 2! Yeah! Sweet potato with every meal, ok not crazy have as much as you like at every meal, half a cup or 70g at each meal. I have changed my program slightly, with the help of Krista (sf_lifts on IG) and she has given me a plan.  I have 2 high carb days and 5 low carb days a week.  I am excited!!

I wanted a bit of a change from grated sweet potato hash, not that I don’t LOVE that but because I had some baked sweet potato jackets in the fridge from last night’s Turkey Twice Baked Sweet Potato and I thought I’d use them.  Turns out, they were soooooo good!  So here you go, enjoy!

 Sweet Potato Egg Boat

Sweet Potato Egg Boats

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg whites
  • Diced capsicum
  • Shredded kale
  • Cut the sweet potato in half-length ways and place cut side down on a lined baking tray.  Place them in a moderated heat oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft (not too soft but just cooked). Take them out of the oven and scoop the insides out, place the scooped out sweet potato in a container and you can use it later (meal prep at its best!).
  • Heat the frying pan (one that has a lid on it, if you don’t have that then use the oven) to a low-medium heat.
  • Place your diced vegetables into the boat, and then crack your eggs in.
  • Cover the pan with the lid and cook until the egg is to your liking.

Love your carbs?

Yours in health

Jess xx

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January 20, 2014

Rescue

Destiny Rescue have a big target to reach this year, 800+ children saved from the grasp of sexual slavery and continue to work with families and villages to keep them safe from human traffickers.  And this target is completely doable, if we all get behind them and help.

Destiny have so many ways in which you can help them, you can sponsor a child that has already been rescued or is living in their prevention home (100% of sponsorship funds go directly to sponsorship, it is not taken up in admin fees etc), you can buy shirts from their Destiny Threads company where 100% of the profit goes directly towards an area in need of funding, or you can fund the rescue of a child.

It cost $1500 to rescue a child and house them in a safe place where they will receive intensive counselling and rehabilitation.  I am aiming to raise funds this year to help rescue as many children as we can.  If you can’t raise $1500 and want to help, then donate what you can and together we can rescue girls and boys and help them to live the life they once dreamed of.

If we all give a little, it adds up to a lot and changes the life of a precious child.  How far would go, or want someone to go, if it was your child?

I am an accredited advocate for Destiny Rescue and I have a bank account that has been set up for raising funds for Destiny Rescue.  Once we reach the target of $1500 then we can fund a rescue, then we start all over again, and again.

 Account detail

If you would like a tax receipt for your donation, I can organise for one to be sent to you.

Yours in health and social justice

Jess xx

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January 15, 2014

Breakfast Hash and Eggs

What an awesome day! Just plain awesome! It’s raining again, the grass is brilliant green, the temperature outside is perfect, the kids are still on holidays, my home smells beautifully of food (thanks to lunch/dinner in the slow cooker), and I decided to do leg day at home…just because I didn’t feel like leaving, AND I get to catch up with my super amazing girlfriends tonight…I am one blessed girl!

I woke up starving this morning, like seriously I could’ve eaten anything.  Thank goodness for meal prepping and planning, all I had to do was throw food into the fry pan, put the lid on and walk away.  See, another plus on this awesome day.  Wow, this meal was totally loved by people on IG too, so I thought I better post the recipe.

 Breakfast Hash and Eggs

Breakfast Hash and Eggs

  • 2 eggs (or 1 egg and 3 egg whites)
  • ½ cup grated sweet potato
  • 100g diced canned tomatoes
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon Italian Herb Mix
  • ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
  • ½ tablespoon bacon fat
  1. Heat a small fry pan and melt the bacon fat.
  2. Place the sweet potato, tomatoes, and seasoning into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes (or until the sweet potato softens).
  3. Make a well in the centre of the hash, make sure it’s big enough to fit the eggs.
  4. Crack the eggs into the hash and cover the pan with a lid.
  5. Cook until the egg is to your liking.

 

Enjoy, it really was good! I’m absolutely having this again in a few days :-)

 

How was your day?

Yours in health

Jess xx

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January 14, 2014

Eggplant Pizza Bake

I like pizza, I do, but now pizza is just made differently in our house.  I make it with the cauliflower disks, until today.  Today I made an eggplant baked type of pizza…and it was goooooood!

You could literally put anything ‘pizza’ into these bakes (like pineapple, ham, bacon, any type of meats or veg), and you know what?! I don’t think I’ll have pizza any other way again, I really love these!  This bake is 1 serve.

 Eggplant Pizza Bake

Egg Plant Pizza Bake

  • 1/2 a large eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick lengthways
  • 3 Tablespoons Pizza Sauce (check your ingredients to find a great one or just use herbs and tomato paste)
  • 100g pork mince
  • 6 sliced olives
  • 1/2 diced onion
  • ¼ cup diced capsicum
  • 2 button mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 egg whites (or 1 egg)
  • 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast (for the cheesy taste)
  1. Lightly fry the eggplant slices in a pan, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  2. Cook the pork mince in the same pan and set aside.
  3. Spoon pizza sauce over each eggplant slice and then layer in a shallow baking tray that has been lined with baking paper, or in individual ramekins.
  4. Top the slices with your pizza ingredients (pork mince, olives, and onion in this case).
  5. In a large cup beat the eggs and nutritional yeast together, then pour over the ‘pizza’.
  6. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes, or until the egg is completely cooked.

 244 Calories    16g Carbs    5g Fat    37g Protein

 

 

 

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January 12, 2014

The Week That Was….

Today marks the end of week 6 on the Jamie Eason LiveFit program.  I have so much to check in with and I don’t know where to start, so maybe I’ll start at the top.

We came home from our Christmas/New Year trip and I was so happy, happy because we spent quality time together and made some great new memories.  And happy because I stuck to my eating plan and worked out every day while we were away.  I didn’t get the weights workouts completed, that was a bit tricky but I did workout.  I even finally got to wear a size medium shorts! I was able to put them on a few months ago but they were skin tight, and when I put them on 2 weeks ago they fit really well.

So all of this made me think,’I can’t wait to get on the scales and take some measurements! I’ve done so well!’

Imagine my disappointment when not one single thing had changed.  Not a single gram on the scales or a centimetre on the tape measure.  I could’ve fallen face first into a big bowl of chocolate ice-cream with choc-chips and chocolate topping! But I didn’t! I really really wanted too, I was so bummed, but I decided to just keep going, not to let it get the better of me. I had to keep remembering the shorts…and the fact that I could now do 10 push ups straight on my toes!

I am part of a LiveFit group on Facebook so I got on there and shared my disappointment and asked for some tips.  I got such a mixed response in what I could do, but one thing was ringing out from everyone “eat more calories”.  See I had been sticking to 1400-1500 calories, because I thought that was the right thing to do in order to lose fat.  I knew that 1200 was way too low, but I thought 1500 should’ve been spot on.  I was more than a little confused, so I reached out to a trainer a worked with a few years ago (I used her programs for almost 2 years).  I trust her, she knows her stuff, and I know that she would be totally honest with me.

We Skype called and she gave me some great advice, “Jess if nothing has changed in 5 weeks then why are you still doing it? You have gotten into great shape in the past with no trouble, why not stick to what you know works? And for goodness sake up your calorie intake and concentrate more on fuelling than just eating the right amount of calories.”

I spent this week re-working Jamie’s program and I will stick with her weight training sessions but I will be adding in more cardio and focusing more on nutrition and less on calories (for the record I wasn’t obsessive about the calories, I really didn’t care too much about counting them it was more a way of tracking what I was eating).

I’ll also start journaling each day.  If you’re interested in the tool I used to calculate calories and macro requirements then head over and check out If It Fits Your Macros.

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