Mood Eating ........

My biggest problem is that my eating habits are controlled by my current mood.  When I am on an "up" I am very careful with what I eat and even monitor what I drink - Like these beautiful fresh smoothies.

I find it quiet easy to stick to my goals when I am feeling okay.



BUT when I am feeling a little down or just time poor I tend to snack and eat "sweet" things which make me feel even worse because I feel so guilty for eating so much sugar - Sort of like a downward spiral.

I am a real sweet tooth so the trick for me is to try to have some "sweet" easy fixes always available for those down times when I just have to have it - All of the books have lots of sweet recipes like these jam drops - Which are really delicious.



In the past few weeks I have also made this strawberry meringue slice

And this delicious banana loaf.  What do you do when you need a sugar fix?  Are there certain times when you have those cravings? 

Do you have any tips for beating them?

I would love to hear about them.

My first weigh in is only a week away so I am hoping that I have lost a couple of kilograms - I do feel much better for having made healthy choices - Well all except for the chocolate bar that I devoured this afternoon.

Until next time,

FEE X



Choices - and why I need to be careful right now.

One of things that I have battled with in needing to lose weight has been my desire to only use whole-foods, the most natural of products - organic butter, olive oil, avocados, whole organic eggs, dark sugar etc. None of these are in the 'diet' plan for the Symply Too Good To Be True books. 

I also discovered that artificial sweeteners trigger my migraines so have quit them as fast as I began them. 

So what to do?

Well, the facts of my being overweight have not changed, and before I can 'maintain' a healthy weight and body I will need to lose the excess weight that causes my knees to throb, my ankles to hurt and twist - you see, there are 20 steps up and down from the back door, and 8 steps up and down from the front. I need to use these stairs to get to the car, to get under the house to do the washing, to go outside for a walk - I'm sure you get the point. The more weight on those joints, the worse the pain and limitation on what I can do. I actually limp home from our evening walk. 

Today, I am 17kgs overweight, so I hate to think what my knees and ankle would be like if I don't do something to stop this steadily climbing number on the scales.

So, it's no butter, no olive oil, and minimal recipes that use sugar, limit eggs - but also, NO artificial sweeteners.

I'll see how I go.

Over the last few days this is what I've made.

A simple pizza using Mission Bread bases, but I have chosen not to eat any cheese, so I was generous with the red onion, chicken breast and fresh basil instead...

 

 

Really, you don't need cheese on a healthy pizza, but if you want it you can try low-fat fetta squares - it's quite yummy and my family will eat it that way. :-)

Desserts have been limited to fresh fruit...

...but I did make some banana and apricot muffins for breakfast on Monday. If you use the base recipe from Book 2 you can pretty much make any flavour you like. I added a pecan to the top because we all need the extra vitamins and trace elements from nuts - just not too many. :-)

 My husband loves steak, but he also needs to watch his weight, so here is a very simple and low fat way to make a melt-in-your mouth steak. I got this idea from Jamie Oliver many years ago and it has been a favourite ever since!

Pound some pieces of rump steak that have had the fat removed, with the flat side of your mallet.

Make a mix of 1 teaspoon olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, a clove of garlic, and a teaspoon dried romemary...

Marinate the steak for 30-60 minutes...

...before spraying a non-stick pan with oil and cooking the steaks for 2 minutes each side. Sprays are wonderful because you barely need any!

Serve with LOTS of salad. Delish!

Healthy hugs

Jenny

xx

Pizza, Chicken Burgers + A Recipe for Peppered Potatoes

I hope after reading the post title that you didn't think that I had been out eating take away food?  We have had a few snack meals this week due to the heat (We are not used to it). 

These pizza's were a so easy to make - We simply put tomato paste on tortilla's and then our favourite toppings (went easy on the cheese) and then baked in the oven - They were a fantastic hit and a much healthier alternative to take away.  I have been asked when we are having them again !!  And for all of you Aussie girls Packs of Tortilla's are 1/2 Price at Coles this week in the Mexican Food section.

NB.  No picture available of cooked pizza's as I was not quick enough to grab the camera before they were all gobbled up.

Another quick meal that we had this week was Chicken Burgers - These were delicious.  The recipe for them is in Book 3 - I doubled the recipe so that I could freeze some for another quick meal in the coming weeks.

They were much better than any take away Chicken Burger.  We made 13 good sized burgers from just 1 kilogram of Breast Mince ($9.99) so great value too.

Now for a variation on another dish that I make regularly in our house - These ones are Peppered Potatoes.

You will just need some nice washed potatoes - diced, Peppered Season All and Olive Oil Spray.

Place some baking paper on a tray - Spray with olive oil and then scatter the diced cubes over the top.  Spray the tops of the potato with olive oil spray and sprinkle the peppered seasoning over the top.



Bake at 180 degrees for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Here it is served with Satay Chicken (Another recipe from the books altered a little) and some steamed vegies.

And just a reminder to the overseas girls that arfe having trouble getting the books - You can purchase them here just go into the international part of the web page.

We are now into our second week of healthy living - How are you going?  I am pleased to say that I have gone for 3 brisk walks this week - AMAZING !!

Love and Hugs - FEE XXXX

Shepherd's Pie, and Sticky Pineapple Pudding...

Today, for the first time, I used my Christmas present from the kids...

It's difficult for me to hold a hand beater these days as I have a lot of issues with my hands and wrists, so my teens pooled their resources and bought me this kitchen wonder machine - the bowl locks in place and I go away while it beats my egg whites lovely and thick! Love it! I'll be using this all the time now that I'm baking our sweets again. 

Tonight I made this very tasty Shepherd's Pie (book 2)...

...and Sticky Pineapple Pudding (book 6).

I was a good girl, using my kitchen scales to accurately measure my ingredients. This is a *very* important kitchen tool for me as I am pretty generous with measurements when I cook, but using the scales teaches me correct portions and I am often amazed at how much less is actually needed. 

Here are my finished dishes. The Sheperd's Pie was sooo good....

...and I even have a bit left for tomorrow's lunch. 

The Sticky Pineapple Pudding is yet to be eaten. 

Mr E and I are off for our nightly walk before the rain returns, but this dessert looks and smells amazing, so we'll enjoy it with a cuppa a bit later. I intend serving it with some fat-free vanilla yoghurt. 

If you have a problem with accurately serving yourself single portion sizes have a look at this website - it's interactive and you can see exactly what one healthy serving of a particular food looks like on your plate.

Also, if a recipe states that it serves 6, make sure you divide it by 6. One of my biggest problems has always been over-filling the plate. 

How are you going? Have you been using any of the recipes from Annette's books? Which ones? 

Healthy hugs

Jenny

Sweet Beef Curry & Macoroni Beef

The beauty of cooking the wonderful recipes from the Symply Too Good To Be True recipe books is all of the wonderful fresh produce you are encouraged to use.  Now I will let you in on a little secret.......  I don't usually eat vegetables.......  There I have said it.......  BUT since I have been cooking recipes from these books which usually always contain vegetables I have been eating them - I actually like them now - I actually look forward to them - Maybe I have finally grown up?  Anyway I am sure that my body is pleased about the change in diet.

All of the vegetables on the cutting board were for this lovely dish "Mild Sweet Curry" which is in Book 1 - I was hoping for some leftovers to take to work today but unfortunately I missed out.  It was really delicious.



And here is the Macaroni Beef ( I used spiral pasta instead of macaroni)  It too has lots of vegies.  You will find the recipe for this in Book 2.

How are you going with your journey to a healthier lifestyle?  Our body is the biggest investment that we will ever make in life so it is really important that we look after it - I am guilty of abusing my body but for each day you chose the healthier path that is 1 less day of the unhealthy choices - 1/2 glass full type stuff.  I hope you are finding our dishes inspiring and that you are enjoying the ride so far.

Tonight we are having "Pizza Supreme" from Book 1 so I had best go and get it ready.

Love and Hugs,

FEE XX

Chicken Pizziola and what to do with berries...

I sat today with my 6 'Symply Too Good To Be True' books and marked off every recipe I think my family will eat. My lot have lists and lists of 'won't eat that' foods, so I had to prepare myself for this task so as not to succumb to despair. 

Fortunately I found quite a few that they might just like - I found many more that I would love! If only they liked veggies...ah well, work with what I have and enjoy the process. 

Tonight I made Chicken Pizziola from Book 1.

I am just too creative a cook to stick to a recipe so I scanned it and worked out in my head how to prepare it with an Elefantz family tick of approval.  (Do you do that?)

Did you know that the easiest way to flatten chicken breasts is to lay a sheet of Glad Wrap (Saran Wrap) over your cutting board, then place the chicken across it, before laying another sheet of wrap over the top? I used 1/2 chicken breasts...

The recipe used tomato paste, but I used a bottled pasta sauce, and proceeded to add fat-free bacon, sundried tomatoes, red onions, split gree olives, fresh basil, capsicum, and a very small scattering of low fat mozzarella cheese. 

Just 15 minutes in the oven while I made a simple tossed salad ...

The verdict?

Next time I'll use the tomato paste though. I think it will add a better intensity of tomato flavour. :-)

For dessert I took some mixed berries from the freezer, and added 1/2 cup of orange juice...

I used the stick blender and voila! I have this beautiful iced berry granita...

But hubby likes something creamy, so I layered some of the berry mix with low fat vanilla yoghurt and added a few pistachios...

Yum!

There was still some berry granita left, so I layered it with muesli and yoghurt for tomorrow's breakfast. Left to soak overnight this will be soft and creamy, and sooooooo nice to wake up to!!

 

How did you go today?

Healthy hugs

Jenny

xx

Menu Planning + Quiche Lorraine & Roasted Veg

Wow - What a fabulous response we have had from like minded soul sisters - Jenny and I both feel very humbled by your kind comments and words of encouragement.

We cannot express to you just how wonderful these cook books are for having a normal healthy diet that can be cooked and enjoyed by the entire family.  They are particularly good for Lowering Cholesterol and Blood Sugars.  In fact each book has a write up about each recipe from a leading diabetes dietican.

For those of you in other countries you can go to Annette's web site and purchase her books she has an international one too.  Here is the link :- http://www.symplytoogood.com.au/

On New Years Day when I decided to change my eating habits (which were terrible I might add - Quick on the run high fat stuff) I sat down with the books and chose a menu plan for the coming week.  I wrote up a list of ingredients required for all of the meals and then went to the pantry and crossed off what I already had.  That left me with a small list of products to purchase.  The first thing that I have cooked this time around is this Quiche Lorraine.  The recipe calls for Shallots but I forgot them at the supermarket so I added dried onion flakes and some zucchini for colour.



 Let me tell you that this looked and tasted delicious !!

I teamed it up with some roasted Sweet Potato and Potato and it was a hit with the entire family and there was even a very small piece left for me to take to work for lunch.





As I am a sweets freak the one thing which always concerns me is the snacks and desserts I cannot have and they are usually my down fall.  Annette's books are full of lovely recipes including slices, cakes, sweets and even an award winning chocolate cake recipe. 

I cooked these raspberry muffins and popped them into an air tight container and have one of an afternoon with my cuppa.  Would you believe that they contain no butter or margarine and no egg yolks?  And what's more they taste fantastic !!

Tonight I am cooking Macaroni Beef so I'll be back with pictures to tantalise your taste buds.

Hugs - Fee X