Healthy Breakfast Idea!

Hey everyone

Porridge is one of my favourite breakfast for cold mornings.
It fills me up, keeps me warm and gives me long lasting energy throughout the day.

This is an amazing cinnamon and almond porridge that you must try!
 

• 
  
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 cup low-fat milk
  2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  
  Place the oats, cinnamon, mixed spice, milk and water in a pot.
  Heat on a medium to high heat.
  You want to bring it to the boil but stirring occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom.
  Once it boils, simmer for about 3-4 minutes or until it thickens.
  
  Serve with Slivered almond and drizzled honey.
  I also served mine with peaches
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Brit :)

Sugar free update week 2

Hey everyone!

Welcome to week 2 of "sugar free"

I put sugar free in quotations because this isn't a completely sugar free diet as I have been eating some fruits.

This week has been an interesting one.
I have been feeling like I have been replacing my sugars with fats which I am not really comfortable with.
I've never been a big fan of fatty foods mainly sweet ones so more fat is not making me feel great.

I'm trying to eat more fresh food this week, like my spinach wraps have been a hit at lunch time with some lean venison or lamb.

Just like last week, I have been super thirsty all the time!
So I have been drinking a lot more water which fills me up, so no room for sugary treats!

My breakfasts have generally been the same with my homemade muesli, poached eggs or toast with Vegemite.
On Saturday morning my boyfriend took me out for breakfast and I had the corn fritters which came with a poached egg and fresh avocado! It was so yummy and I wish I took a photo! (sorry guys!)

My dinners this week has been a "cous-cous" week haha, well I mean I have been having cous-cous most nights! Its becoming one of my favourites!

My Snacks have been consisting of fruit, cucumber, rice crackers with cheese and mixed raw nuts.

To finish off, here is some pictures of the sun set from my bedroom window tonight :)

Hope everyone had a great week!

Brit :)

Meat Lesson #2

Hey Everyone!

For my 2nd meat lesson we made:

-Roast Shoulder of lamb
-Navarin of Lamb - (made from leftover shoulder meat)
-Chicken Ballotine

This is the chicken Ballotine. We had to take out the chicken leg bone ourselves which was a great thing to be taught! This will be a handy skill for the future

Roast Lamb - This is from the lamb shoulder.

To make this roast we took apart the shoulder from scratch. This was completely new to me so I had no idea what I was doing! Lucky I had people to help and show me how to do it! I can't wait to do this again since I am more confident at it now. We stuffed it with a herbed breadcrumb stuffing - yummy.

Bones out

 Ready to roll

All tied up to roast.

Let me know if you have any questions about this lesson.
Hope everyone has had a great week!
Brit :)

Meat Lesson #1

My first Meat lesson for the year!! woo hoo!

okay so maybe not really "woo hoo" since meat isn't my first choice of favourite food. But... I did learn A LOT in this lesson which was great!

The dishes we made in the lesson were,

-Lamb cutlets with polenta roulade
-Shank of Lamb with Rice risotto
-Rack of Lamb
-Saute chicken chasseur with a mushroom sauce

For the lamb cutlets and rack we had to french our own rack which was a new experience for me since the racks I usually have at home are french racks.

We also had to take apart a chicken and its individual pieces for the saute chicken. (another new experience)

Shank of Lamb with rice risotto

This was the first time I had ever cooked lamb shanks and it was easier than I thought :)

Lamb Cutlets with polenta roulade
I'm not a big fan of polenta but this was a cool way of serving it :)

This is the Rack of lamb with a mustard and herb crumb and fried potatoes.

(sorry about the parmesean cheese in the background... :O )



If you would like any of these recipes feel free to leave a comment :)

Brit :)

P.S I though I'd leave you a picture of my 2nd cat Minnie

Everyone should watch this video! It could save lives.

Hey guys!

I watched this video recently and other videos very similar on youtube and it has been bugging me all week!

I'm no scientist but I think this guy has a good point to put across.

according to this video, cancer feeds off sugar - so basically it grows when given sugar!

here is the youtube link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c9xWNz8pP4

It would be great to get a good discussion about this topic

What do you think?

Why I'm going sugar free

As a lot of you may have read on the internet, seen on videos and through media, sugar is commonly getting called names like 'poison', the 'killer food' or 'toxic' because of modern day research that has taken place.

Being interested in nutrition I have been watching video after video and reading numerous articles on different opinions about sugar.

Personally I believe that sugar is a huge contributor to modern day diseases and deaths.
I also do believe that other factors such as saturated fat, exercise and people not eating in moderation is contributing to this world wide health epidemic.

  So where to now? Do we cut out fat AND sugar from our diets?

What do you think?

I believe that sugar is becoming a modern day drug and people are abusing it which is causing them to get very sick. Also I believe it can be addicting. Constantly I am reading stories about people who eat countless amounts of chocolate blocks a day, and liters of soda drinks a week. To me THIS has to be an addiction.

For me I am taking action for myself and cutting sugar from my diet for 8 weeks.

I have been reading Sarah Wilsons book "I quit sugar" It is amazing! And very inspiring.

I will be posting my daily meals and blog on how I am feeling.

Sugar Free Week one Update

Sugar Free Week one!

Week one is just to gradually take out sugar free foods. I decided I would keep fruit but only 1-2 max a day.
some foods may still have minimal sugar eg: yoghurt but no added sugars.

Monday

Breakfast
Poached egg on vogels toast with cracked pepper

Lunch
onion flaky pastry tart
1x pear

Snack
Small handful mixed nuts
2x Rice cake crackers

Dinner
1x Flaky pastry tart
2 large pieces broccoli

Dessert
1cup greek Yogurt with cinnamon

Water=1L

Tuesday

Breakfast
Homemade muesli with unsweetened almond milk

Lunch
1 onion tart
4x rice crackers with cheese

Snack
1/3 peeled cucumber

dinner
Green string beans and corn on the cob

Water=750ml

Wednesday 

Breakfast

Plain oat porriage with cinnamon and unsweetened almond milk

Lunch
Spinach wrap with lamb and pesto

Snack
1 pear

Dinner
Homemade vegetable pie with cottage cheese

Water=1.5L



Thursday

Breakfast
2x poached eggs on vogels toast with cracked pepper

Lunch
1x Pita pocket with grilled cheese and lamb

Snack
Handful mixed nuts

Dinner
Chilli tomato soup

Water= 750ml

Friday

Breakfast
Homemade muesli with unsweetened almond milk

Lunch
Spinach Wrap with lamb, pesto, lettuce,carrot and cheese

Snack
Rice crackers with vegemite

Dinner
Chicken saute

Water = 1L



Saturday

Breakfast
Homemade Muesli with banana and fresh berries

Lunch
Turkish crusty bread with avacado

Snack
Mixed raw nuts
and greek unsweetened yoghurt

Dinner
Seafood risotto

Dessert
Lemon Green tea

water = 1L



Sunday

Breakfast
Homemade muesli with fresh berries

Lunch
Leftover Risotto

Snack
Homemade hot cross bun
(left over from easter in the freezer!)
1 berry green tea

Dinner
Homemade vegetable soup with cheese and vegetable scones

Dessert
Homemade Rice pudding  (no added sugar) with greek yogurt

Water =750ml


Overall feelings of this week:
Starting the week off I actually felt a lot better than I thought! No sugar cravings at all. Except coming into the weekend on Saturday and Sunday I experienced some sugar cravings. Maybe this was because I would usually give myself a treat in the weekend.
When I got these cravings I drank green tea which helped so much!

And I have been feeling a lot more thirstier than usual. I don't drink a lot of water usually (bad bad bad!!)
but I'm not sure if it was because of a lack of sugar or other reasons?
But next week I'm trying to aim to drink 2L water a day!!

Also today (Sunday) I had spent most of the day researching desserts for my upcoming competition!
That was not fun...

Anyway... I'm just taking each day one at a time.
I have a meal planner on the fridge, which I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to change their diet.
It lets you know what to have for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. Instead of spending ages dwelling on what to eat and wondering if you can eat it or not.
It also helps when I am going to be away for the day and I can pre-pack my lunches to take with me.

If anyone has any question or wants to know any of the recipes, please ask with a comment below :)

Lets see how next week goes!!

Brit :)

P.S
I had to take one of my cats ( I have 2) to the vet on Saturday because she has an eye infection :(

Now we have to put eye drops in her eye 4 times a day!

If anyone has any tips on doing this, please share :)
I'm finding it very difficult to do :/

Fish Lesson #2

En papillote - Blue cod cooked in a paper bag.

 Served on squid ink linguine

 Paupiettes of sole - Stuff with scallops on a white wine sauce

Grilled Salmon with a burree blanc sauce

Feel free to leave a comment :)
Let me know if you would like recipes!

Brit :)

Fish Lesson!

Fish!

Fish has to be one of my favourite meat product. It has great texture and flavour.

It is so good for you with Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which can help prevent heart disease, stokes, it may help prevent some cancers and is said to help minimize symptoms of arthritis!

Currently in my studies I am learning about fish. In our first lesson we made,

-Sole duglere (roll fish fillets)

-Sole meuniere (pan fried)

-battered fish...(not my favourite..)

-baked filo parcel (yummy and healthy!)

-fish stock (this was mainly so we could make a white wine veloute sauce)

Sole meuniere - this was served with rice pilaf (which is an easy simple way of making rice that is almost fail proof!)
 If anyone would like the recipe I would be happy to share - just leave a comment :)

baked filo parcel - served with a white wine sauce, tomato concass and avocado oil
I loved making this dish, since I had never tried it let alone make it!
It is actually easier than it looks to make.
In case you were wondering what is in the filo..
Red pepper, blue cod fillets wrapped in spinach and yellow pepper

Listening to while writing this blog : Philip Philips - Home

Brit :)

Beauty Haul #1

Hey guys!

I Realized I had a bit of a beauty splurge so decided I would share it with you guys :)

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder (02 Rose Ivory)

I purchased powder as it was on special for (NZ)$12 and I needed a new powder.

I haven't properly used it yet but I did open it and it comes with a mirror and sponge applicator which I was pretty happy about. It is quite light and I think my current powder may be slightly darker but we will see how it goes tomorrow!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream (light)

I have been meaning to purchase this ever since I saw all the great reviews on the internet about this BB cream!
I have been using it this week and I think it is great! It feels so fresh when i put it on and blend in with my skin tone so well.
However I was a little disappointed because I thought it had UV protection but it doesn't say on the packaging that it does. ( I must have heard that one wrong somewhere :( ....)

Revlon colorburst Lipstick 020 Baby pink

I just absolutely loved the colour of this lipstick so I had to buy it. It cost me (NZ)$9.00 on sale.

I applied some tonight and it was smooth and looked great :)

Schwarzkopf extra care hair repair daily oil elixir (for all hair types)

I brought this after my Mum told me that my hair looked frizzy and dry... :(

I haven't tried this one yet but I'll see how it goes and let you guys know!

Katy Perry Purr Perfume

I have been wanting this perfume for ages and it was on sale for (NZ)$ 45

Smells so yummy :D

Pantene Pro-V night miracle cream

Again this was brought because of the comments from my Mum! haha

I only just got this so I think I'll be trying it out tonight!

Has anyone tried it before?

Geo skincare night repair cream

This is an organic skin cream that I received in my sample bar box for March.
(sample bar is a beauty sample box that you can purchase once a month that contains 5 sample products and one of them is a full sized product)
I have been applying this every night for about 2 weeks now and I absolutely love it!
I really do feel like it has made my skin feel more moisturized during the day.
However at night when I am putting it on, it does feel a little sticky or a wee bit of a tight feeling, but that does go away :)  

Dermalogica Precleanse 

Again this product was from my March Sample bar box.
I have been using this about 2-3 times a week when my face feels dirty and oily.
I really do feel like this precleanse along with the night cream has been improving my face so much! It doesn't feel as oiling or dirty during the day and it is a lot smoother.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula with vitamin E

I only have heard of people using this for stretch marks, but I use it on my scars on my stomach (from a surgery I had about a year ago.) and I also use it because it smells so yummy! :)
I'm not sure at this stage how much it has helped with my scars as I have only been using it for 2 weeks but I love the feeling it gives my skin :)

Bead Head Control freak shampoo and conditioner

This was on sale for (NZ)$14 (shampoo) and (NZ)$15 conditioner
It is a frizz control and straighter.
I have seen this brand before at salons and I remember my Mum using it once and I always loved the smell of it. If anyone has tried it let me know what you thought!! :)

Dove summer glow

I have always been a wee bit wary about getting fake tanners because I have had a lot of bad experiences in the past... :/
but since then I have learnt that sometimes its not the tanner, its actually the prep and way I apply it that is wrong!
This Dove self tanner is my favourite gradual self tanner. I picked the fair to normal skin as I am quite pail.
It takes about 2-3 days to notice a difference but it makes my skin feel nice and smooth and doesn't go orange. It has to be one of the best natural looking fake tanners I have used.

I hope you enjoyed this Beauty Haul!
Let me know what you think and if you have tried any of these products!

Brit :)

Fresh Homemade Pasta

Fresh Homemade chicken pasta

Pasta Dough - 2-3 servings

1 egg - whisked
10ml oil
1/4 t salt
100g flour

mix ingredents together in a bowl with your hand.

roll out onto a floured bench and knead.
Note that this mixture may be a little dry, if it is just add a drop of water :)
roll into a ball

Wrap in glad wrap and leave to rest for 30mins

Roll out with a rolling pin on floured bench until about 1/2 cm thick.

pass through pasta machine.
starting at the thickest setting then work your way to the thinnest setting

Cut in half so it is easier to put through the fettuccine machine

Hang up on a long wooden spoon

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water

The pasta should double in size once cooked

I cooked my pasta with 

garlic

onion

chicken

courgette

cracked pepper

Freshly picked organic cherry tomatos
and freshly picked basil
(these tomatos were picked at my grandparents yesterday :) so delicious and juicy!)

Brit :)