Post Wedding Wagon Mounting!

So I have been away for a while doing Wedding related tasks - aka getting married - and then going on my honeymoon to New York and Canada! Which, as you can imagine was amazing!

 

There was a LOT of food being consumed and none of it was in any way healthy. In the 4 weeks after the wedding, 2 of those being honeymoon, I managed to put on ONE WHOLE STONE. I am disgraced at this, but also secretly impressed that this was even possible. I love eating and if there was any time and place to go mental, then a honeymoon was it.

These are a few (!) of the amazing foods that were consumed.... 

However, I have now been back a while and the sugar intake level has not really seemed to have decreased. I can see myself getting back into old habits and although I thought that when I was married I would think: 'I can eat whatever I like cos I have captured my husband and he should love me no matter what'- turns out not to be the case and I do care a lot, still want to look good and feel good and eating crap for the rest of my life is not going to accomplish that! 

So, it begins again, another attempt to get back on the Wagon and stay on it! I am getting some help from a great book called 'Sweet Nothing' by Nicole Mowbray, who gave up sugar 2 years ago and it has changed her life. Whilst I am going to decrease my processed sugar levels as much as possible, I am not going to cut it out completely as I just love chocolate too much. Also, she gave up fruit which seems a bit silly to me, a piece now and again won't hurt and I am too obsessed with watermelon for that to happen. I may go cold turkey for a few days to try and get out of the sugar binge cycle and go from there. Watch this space.... 

A couple of Wedding pictures below: ideally the realistic size I want to return to once the 'honeymoon stone' has been shed. 

XxX

 

Healthy Banana Choc Chip Muffins

It's been a while, but we are back on it ready for summer! I found these delicious muffins on Running on real food and tried them out. They are sooooo good. I ate about 4 at once and didn't even feel bad because they have pure goodness in them, although eating 4 probably defeats the object. Butttt it's better than 4 Mars bars so I'm still winning..... Just.

They took hardly any time and don't need any special mixtures/processors which I've found a lot of recipes do, and I don't have the space or money for good ones. I also put them in fairy cake cases instead of muffins so I get more (clever). Left a couple of things out/used substitutes:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used wholemeal)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 
• 1 mashed banana
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbs flax seeds mixed with 2 tbs water
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• Almond/peanut butter

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix dry ingredients, mash banana, mix wet, add them to dry, mix altogether. Put dollop on cases, put dollop of almond/peanut butter on top, put another dollop on to cover it. Shove in oven for 15 mins, eat as soon as they come out cos you're greedy and can't wait and burn mouth.