I wanted to talk about goal setting because January really is still a holiday, even if you are back at work…… Kids are home from school, BBQ’s and after work beach swims are part of the daily routine… Most likely we want to keep the holiday vibe going for as long as possible! So, let’s say February 1 is the new NYR start date. Hopefully during January you have at least thought about what you would like to achieve this year, and I hope you wrote it down somewhere in-between your beach and social engagements, or talked about it out loud. That is the beginning of bringing your dreams to fruition. If you follow these ideas below you are sure to succeed right to the very sweet end.
- Specific – Be exact in what you want.
- Measurable – Measure it. Eg by weight, distance etc.
- Action – Take action straight away to make it happen. Join a gym, find a personal trainer, organise your schedule to fit it in.
- Reasonable – It MUST be possible!
- Timed – Choose a finish date and set small dates and goals along the way.
Most importantly, along with these five tips, you really must have a deep desire to achieve your goals. You will fall short of achieving your goals if there is not a deep desire that is meaningful to you. This should be your dream and not someone else’s. For example, anaylyze your motives for achieveing your goals. What does it mean to you? and if say, you were trying to lose weight just to impress someone, are you really doing it for you or them? Can you really see yourself sacrificing that ice-cream or pushing yourself to go to the Pump class after work when you really just want to veg out? Is impressing someone really worth it? Probably not. So, try impressing and focusing on yourself. You are worth it. Look after your body and do your best. THERE IS MORE PAIN IN REGRET THAN THERE EVER IS IN THE SACRIFICES YOU HAVE TO MAKE TO REACH YOUR GOALS.
Have you been trying to achieve this goal for some years now?
How does that feel, knowing that you could have done it two years ago, and now would be happier and healthier?
Now scroll down for a healthy treat. This also makes perfect toddler snacks!
Coconut Cacao Almond Cookies; Gluten free, dairy free & optional sugar free!
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal, sifted
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/4 cup raw sugar, honey, brown rice syrup or xylitol (omit for a healthier option)
- 1/4 shredded coconut
- 1/2 tsp bicarb soda and splash of vinegar to activate
- 3 tbs coconut oil
- 1heaped tsp cacao powder
- 1/4 cup cacoa nibs
- You may need a bit of water if mix is too dry after adding cacao & coconut. I like to use rice milk. Also for a vegan recipe, replace the egg with 3/4 cup rice milk or almond milk.
Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Roll into balls slightly larger than a 50 cent piece and pat down on a baking tray. Bake for 7-10 minutes in the oven on 170 degrees celcius. The cookies should be the consistency of that between a biscuit and sponge cake.
My 18month old loves them but I make hers without the cacao nibs (choking hazard!).
If you have any comments or questions, contact me or leave them below!
Ali xx
Hello everyone! Since summer is here and its nearly 2013 I think we should end the year with a big bang! Shock your body and get results by doing my 30 Squats a day challenge! Feel free to put a photo up of yourself doing your squats on my facebook page. They are the most rewarding body weight exercises you can do and the easiest. Anywhere and anytime. Try doing them in the shower, hanging the washing, in your lunch break whatever! by the end of this month your legs, thighs and bums will be stronger, more toned and happier! So come on lets start right away! You can do 10 squats, three x a day if you want to ease into it or perhaps 2 sets of 15 would suit you better!
xx
- In: fitness | health Food | MOTIVATION | Nutrition | Personal Trainer | Recipes | Uncategorized | weight loss
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Ingredients
- 300 g ripe banana
- 1 Ripe Pear
- 3 free range / organic eggs
- 60 g honey or organic maple syrup
- 1 vanilla bean or Vanilla bean paste
- 60 g cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil
- half teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda ( bicarb soda) + 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 200 g ( 1 1/2 cups ) almond meal
- 25 g (1/4 cup) buckwheat flower
- 1/2 cup gluten free flour
- Walnuts, extra slided banana or pear
Method:
- Combine banana, honey, oil, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, bicarb and lemon. ( the lemon activates the bicarb) in a blender or food processor & blend up all these ingredients like a smoothie, then pour into a mixing bowl.
- Add the almond meal and mix well.
- Add the buckwheat flour and gluten free flour and mix well.
- Lightly oil one loaf tin or round cake dish and also if you coat it with extra almond meal this will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
- Spoon batter into the tin and place on top the chopped walnuts and sliced fruit. Bake for 45 minutes to 50mins.
- Makes 1 loaf serves 6-8
- Serve warm with butter (my favourite) or at room temperature with a little ricotta and honey.
- keeps in the fridge covered for up to 1 week.
This is a perfect snack for my 1yr old baby, I try not to feed her sugar, dairy or gluten so this recipe is perfect for her. Its also a healthy dessert option, or quick breakfast for me. Maybe try it with some tahini for extra protein. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
And remember, eat only until you are 80% full and do not forget the 80 / 20 rule!
ali
Original recipe here
http://www.thehealthychef.com/2011/10/gluten-free-banana-bread/
I am a little obsessed with Goat’s cheese at the moment. I have put it down to being deprived of it for 9 months during pregnancy with the cutest baby girl ever….. It was totally worth it, but now I get to enjoy kilo’s of cheese while also playing with the baby! Awesome.
I am also obsessed with Brussel sprouts this winter. My husband & I tried eating vegetarian for two months and in doing so our eyes became more opened to being creative with vegetables. Most of our meal inspiration came via River Cottage’s Hugh Fearnley- Whittinghall’s “Veg Everyday” series and brussel sprouts happened to be in season and a regular dish at my favourite cafe in Sydney, Kitchen By Mike at Rosebery. They also happen to be extremely nutritious, so we started experimenting and so far these are our favourite ways of eating them.
Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts with Goats Cheese & Toasted Walnuts
Ingredients:
- Brussel Sprouts
- Goats Chevre
- Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter
- Toasted Walnuts
- Caramelised balsamic Vinegar
- Fresh Parsley
- French Shallots or red onion
- Sea Salt & Pepper
Method:
Wash & trim brussels and chop in half. Heat Pan with a little bit of oil and the butter. I like to use butter because it helps them get all crispy and caramelised and this is the best part! Fry the brussels only turning them every now and then so that you can get this caramelisation happening before they go soft in the middle. Toast the walnuts in an oven or a pan.
Once they are cooked the rest is simple! Just assemble the brussels in a bowl with the drained onions/shallots, sprinkle the sea salt, crumbled chevre, parsley, cracked pepper, roasted walnuts and drizzle the balsamic. Delicado! My husband also loves to cook them with anchovies, lemon zest & Worcestershire sauce! And incase you were wondering ….. here is the nutritional information of brussels – they really are a superfood!
Brussels sprouts are rich in nutrients. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K and they are a very good source folate, vitamin A, manganese, dietary fibre, potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin B1, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, phosphorus, protein, molybdenum, magnesium, vitamin B2, vitamin E, calcium, and niacin. In addition to these nutrients, Brussels sprouts contain numerous disease-fighting phytochemicals! So what are you waiting for?
Good quality Brussels sprouts are firm, compact, and bright green. They should be free of yellowed or wilted leaves and should not be puffy or soft in texture. Brussels sprouts are available year round, but their peak growing period is from autumn until early spring. In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator they can be kept for 10 days. If you want to freeze Brussels sprouts, you can blanch them first for between three to five minutes then they will keep in the freezer for up to one year.
More info on Brussels Nutrition here.
Stay Healthy, summer is on its way!
xx Ali
Recipe: Gluten Free Roast Vegetable Lasagne With Goats Cheese & Caramelised Balsamic
Posted on: July 3, 2012
- In: fitness | health Food | Nutrition | Personal Trainer | Recipes | Uncategorized | weight loss
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Hubby requested a vegetarian lasagne the other week and I posted it on Instagram (follow me @allismalli) and some of you lovelies requested the recipe so here it is.
Naturally you can change the gluten-free lasagne sheets to regular lasagne sheets, or wholemeal spelt lasagne sheets which I think are more delicious and are a healthier option than regular.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium-sized Pumpkin
- 2 Eggplants or 4 -6 Zucchini
- Bunch of Spinach or Rainbow Chard
- Jar of Tomato Passata or Pasta Sauce
- Gluten- free Lasagne Sheets
- Goats Feta or any chevre
- Caramelised Balsamic Vinegar for dressing
- Bunch of fresh Basil
- Spanish Onion
For the bechamel sauce
- Milk
- Butter
- Gluten Free Flour
- Bay Leaf
- Nutmeg
Method:
You will need to roast your veggies first, so grab a baking tray and after cutting your veggies rather chunky drizzle over some olive oil and salt, roast them in the oven at 180 -200 degrees until soft, a little crispy and caramelised. This should take 40 mins – 1 hr. While these are cooking, make your bechamel sauce.
Start by heating your milk in a saucepan with a bay leaf. Then start making the roux – melt two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and stir in two tablespoons of gluten-free flour until you have a smooth, thick paste, that starts to stick to the spoon or whisk. Stir constantly so it doesn’t get lumpy and doesn’t burn. Then slowly add in the warm milk all the while stirring constantly until it thickens into a rich creamy sauce. Keep this going (approx 9 mins) until you have the right consistency and keep adding the rest of the warm milk until you have the amount desired. Finally add in some grated nutmeg and season with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf.
Once the veggies have cooked, start the first layer of veggies in a deep rectangular roasting pan. The gluten-free lasagne sheets do not need to be soaked before hand in hot water, just make sure each sheet is surrounded completely by sauce on both top and bottom. I started my first layer of lasagne with eggplant, so that it formed a solid base. Then I added the pumpkin and zucchini followed by an even layer of pasta sauce and lasagne sheets and more sauce. Repeat the process so that there are two layers of lasagne GF recipe….! It tasted the same… and for those of you that know him… you know how astute his palate is and a little bit fussy….). Anyway smooth out the sauce evenly and crumble the feta or chevre over the top with the sliced red onion and place it back in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until its brown on top.
Finally sprinkle over the chopped fresh basil and drizzle over the caremelised balsamic. ENJOY.
PS this is Perfect for leftovers!
xx Ali
Raw Chocolate Mousse Tart Recipe
Posted on: May 8, 2012
- In: fitness | Happiness | health Food | MOTIVATION | Nutrition | Personal Trainer | Raw Food | Recipes | Uncategorized | weight loss
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Ok so, anyone that knows me, knows that I love chocolate. Well ok so I can’t live without it. Won’t live without it…. and over the years I have transformed from binge eating Cadbury’s “chocolate” blocks (yes more than one block at a time) to more healthier and satisfying options and gradually I came to realise that it is the cocoa that I crave and love most of all and not the sugar! This is very good news for all Choccy addicts out there…. giving up the sugar will transform your health but you can still indulge in the chocolate. YAY. Anyway, I have been following Hugh from River cottage on his ‘Veg Everyday’ series. OMG YUM. Recipes such as grilled aubergines with chilli and honey, cauliflower and sweetcorn pakora, mushroom ragout with soft polenta are all delicious and have been given the approval by my meat loving husband. He even bought me the cookbook today!
Anyway, as soon as I saw this dessert I knew I had to make it. I made it that very afternoon and posted it on instagram (follow me! user name @allismalli or http://instagrid.me/allismalli if you don’t have an iphone) and it was amazing and also approved by some serious sweet tooths. I did change a few things in the original recipe to suit my taste. (See original recipe link below)
I’m not a raw foodist because as much as I’d like to benefit from the superior nutritional benefits, it’s just too hard in this world (and I love the taste of cooked food… think of deliciously sticky caramelised salty roasted sweet potatoes!! I could never eat a sweet potato raw… Could you?). But I do advocate eating as much fruit and veggies as possible and having them at the base of your food pyramid.
Recipe Raw Chocolate Mousse Tart
For the base:
- 300g soaked natural almonds
- 1 tsp, Pink Himalayan Salt
- 200g,fresh medjool dates
For the filling:
- flesh of 4 medium, ripe avocados
- 150g Virgin coconut oil
- Beans of 2 whole vanilla pods or 1-2tsp vanilla bean paste
- 200g raw cacao powder or dutch process cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- Lots of honey/agave syrup or 200g xylitol
- zest of 1 organic orange
Method:
In a food processor, blend the almonds (Preferably, soak them for around 6 hours. The soaking releases the enzyme inhibitors and makes them easier to digest)
Then add the Pink Himalayan salt then add the fresh medjool dates. Blend until you have a ‘dough’, or until the mix forms a ball.
Press this mixture into the bottom of a cake or dish. Cover and leave to harden in the freezer till you are ready to pour on the filling.
Blend all the filling ingredients until smooth, and adjust to taste, adding extra cocoa if you like it richer, or honey for sweetness and then pour onto the base and smooth out.
Set in the freezer or fridge for 1 hour. Top with fresh berries, cocoa powder and serve! Such a lovely healthy treat. I ate about 3/4 of the whole thing in 3 days. Ooooooops. I probably shouldn’t have shared that…….
here is the link http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/laura-coxeters-raw-chocolate-ganache-tart/
Enjoy!
A x
