Time to get back on the wagon!

After being on holiday and not having a day to day routine I have found it so hard to stay on top of eating healthily and doing exercise. My meal prep has gone to pot as I am away a lot at the weekends and find it hard to come back late and meal prep. This has meant that instead of eating my prepared snacks I will skip them, wait for lunch and then eat the world because I am hungry and have nothing ready! Once I get into a bad routine I find it so difficult to get back into a good one and swear I get really addicted to anything containing sugar and crave it forever! Other people are satisfied with just 1 or 2 bites of chocolate.... with me, if a packet is open, it WILL be finished all in one go and then I will crave more for the rest of the day, so it is actually easier not to have it at all! (I think I have a problem.)

Back from my mini holiday holiday of eating anything and everything: 3 course meals, mountains of bread, hot chocolates galore, crispy kreme' s, Rocky roads and basically anything that is even slightly chocolatey, I have decided enough is enough! I feel a lot more wobbly especially in the thigh arena which is not the look I'm going for and my skin is terrible and feels like all the sugar is exploding out of my face. So I am going on a sugar detox and not eating any processed food, so chocolate and a lot of other food is out! As I have an actual chocolate addiction this is going to be very hard! I've done it once before and managed to not eat ANY chocolate for over a month and after the initial cravings for the first week or so it was surprisingly easy and the more I didn't have it, the less I wanted it!

This is where the boyfriend comes in handy where I force him to shout at me and make me feel guilty if he sees me with any sugar related items! However, this will ultimately end in an argument with me saying things like 'leave me alone', 'stop interferring', 'why do you think I'm fat?' and 'I just need a little bit today, goddd, why don't you understand me!' It's going to be fun for him...

So as of today, its back  to the gym and running and the aim is to get back in the jeans as they are a tad on the tight side! Once I get into a routine I start to feel good again and it gets a lot easier. These things will help me get back on track:

1) Don't skip breakfast
2) Meal prep
3) Gym
4) Cut out the artificial sugar
5) Don't forget to drink water and green tea
6) Have a goal

So these are out.....













and these are in.....










Although I have massively fallen off the wagon, I don't necessarily think it is completely a bad thing as it makes me more motivated when I get back on it and it is also nice to relax a little and enjoy all the naughty foods you know you are not supposed to have. Also, as my life basically revolves around going out to eat and food related activities, I and my friends would find me extremely boring if I refused to do these things or only ate a plate of salad every time we went out. I would like to have a six pack and no wobble on my legs but my social life is also very important and I am not willing to sacrifice the fun to get these things, so I'll settle with eating well when I'm at home and exercising, but also enjoying myself and not worrying about things when I'm out with my friends. If this means I will never get a 6 pack, then so be it, I'll settle with feeling healthy the majority of the time and not being obese!

CW

Our Top 10 Favourite Yummy-And-Good-For-You Snacks!

We both have loads of yummy snacks we love, so we thought we would compile them into a list!

Our top 10 tried and tested, which we have usually between breakfast and lunch and then lunch and dinner.


1. Fruity Protein Bars. 
The absolute fave. Try not to eat them all at once. 
1/2 cup almond butter, 1/2 cup of honey, 2 scoops protein powder (I use choc). 1 1/4 ish cups of oats, half cup of dried apricots, cranberries and sliced almonds. Mix altogether, sprinkle a few mixed seeds in and put in a baking tray and squish down with a fork, put in fridge until a bit set. Wrap them up individually in foil and keep in fridge. Usually makes about 12.

2. Apple Slices with Almond Butter. 
Easy to prepare and tastes sooo good: 
Yum yum.

3. Protein Powder Peanut Butter Balls. 
Very Moreish!
Makes about 12. 2 cups almond butter, 2 scoops of protein powder (again I use choc,) 2 ripe bananas mashed, 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds. Makes walnut sized balls, place in container, put in fridge, wrap individually once a bit set.

4. Graze Box
This is a bit cheating but you don't have to prepare them and they are delicious. Order a graze box,  it's relatively cheap and you have 4 snacks prepared for you straight away! Our favourites are flapjack, chocolate pudding, and chocolate brownie.

5. Turkey Muffins

Don’t forget, like I did, that they are meat based and not just muffins and leave them out of the fridge for days.... Go to eat one and find it’s extremely sweaty and nearly makes you sick... Results in a lot of wasted muffins. Woopps.

I left out chipotle pepper spice (I had no clue what it was)

Celery (I didn’t have any and don’t like it)

Added 1 tsp of mustard for extra flavour.

Also will get you boyfriend points (if you don’t give them gone off ones...)

6. Tone It Up Protein Bars
So yummy and a good way to use protein powder other than having a shake.
(see post on top 5 ways to use protein powder)

7. Greek Yoghurt Pancakes

Make lots, eat cold.

Add honey/almond butter/fruit/nutella for extra yuminess.

8. Greek Yoghurt with Honey and Fruit
(I like strawberries best) - so simple but very delicious.

9. Frozen Nutty Banana Nibblers
These are AMAZING. Such a good snack and one serving allows 7 which is actually really generous and you feel very satisfied afterwards. However I didn't put the 2 halves on top of each other, I kept them separate and topped them all with the mixture.

10. Cottage Cheese with Pepper and Cucumber or Reduced Fat Hummus with Cucumber and Grapes. 
I've tried a couple of different cottage cheeses and found that the plain one is definitely the best, but there are a few to try out there if you don't like one, don't be put off!

If all else fails and you don’t like any of those, then these really-not-good-for-you-but-so-good-and-ok-for-a-treat cookies are THE best cookies in the world. Loads of people have said so. Got the recipe from Tanya Burr (beauty you tuber/blogger/lots of other things. Check her out). She got it from Anna's cookie blog post and Anna got the recipe from here (I def can’t get sued.)  Just don’t eat them all at once.... you may be sick and will definitely get fat. Makes 12...

• 200g unsalted butter.

• 300g caster sugar

• 1 large egg (protein... they must be quite good for you then.....!)

• 275g self raising flour

• 75g cocoa powder

• 2 big bars of chocolate (one milk, one white, or whatever you like best)

• Splash of milk if mixture too dry.

Put the butter in a bowl and mix to make soft. Mix in the sugar until creamy.Crack the egg and mix that in. Throw in the dry ingredients. If dry add few drops of milk. Line 2 baking trays. Scoop mix into 12ish balls (about a handful). Place far apart on tray 200 degrees centigrade in the oven for only 10 mins.... they will look super sloppy but after half an hour will be at the perfect consistency to eat! I suggest inviting some friends round as soon as you get them out of the oven, or there is a massive chance you may devour them all in one go.

CW. CP. x

Meal prep and delicious food

After preparing my meals last night for today, I was so excited to get out of bed so the fun could begin! Knowing that it is all goodness I would be putting in my body makes me even more excited!!!

Meal1: 2 hard boiled eggs with soya and Lin seed toast. M2: low fat Greek yoghurt with flax seed and mixed nuts. M3: Cous Cous, broccoli and cottage cheese (not yet on it!) M4: apple and almond butter. I am then planning on going for a run and not sure what tea is as going to the boyfriends parents! But if it is carb heavy ill just have a small portion and won't feel bad as I know I've done my exercise today.

So not only was I prepared, I was excited about getting out of bed this morning due to the yuminess and that hardly ever happens so a double whammy! Fail to prepare and you're preparing to fail! (I think that's how it goes...)

Cw x 

Hangover hell or as fresh as.... fennel (?!)

So... the ‘minimise hangover’ techniques have been tried and tested at a fancy dress party last night... I did almost all of the things I said, however I didn't have toast when I got back in, as I had had a massive hog roast not long before and wasn't hungry/didn't want to add more calories to the already millions I had consumed through liquid and pig.

This morning, I had to wake up at 8 to let the dog out and feed the hens (house sitting for the parentals) and didn't go to sleep until 3, therefore only had 5 hours sleep.  I think the main factor that contributes to a hangover is lack of sleep and because I have not had a lot I still feel realllly tired/a bit hungover. But I do think all the things I tried helped me not to feel as bad this morning and I can still function which is always a plus, as it means I can now go and enjoy a delicious beanie burger at Nandos. Yum. I also had a delicious breakfast of eggs on toast and PB and banana smoothie which def soaked up some excess alcohol.

In conclusion: The tips and tricks did help to lessen the hangover, but unless you get a really good night’s sleep you are always going to feel a bit rubbish the next day. So make sure you get those extra zzzzz’s.

CW. x

Amazing peanut butter protein powder bar!

As we are always on the hunt for new, yummy things, I have just discovered this absolutely amazing protein bar! It was from pinterest http://pinterest.com/pin/514325219915290144/ I think it has rivalled the tone it up protein bar!
It is so nice I'm not sure I can control myself and may end up eating the whole thing in one go, which would not be clever! I changed it slightly from the recipe I found and added in some protein powder:

mix together...

• 1/2 cup of  almond butter/peanut butter

  

  There was a bit more than that but I got excited and ate some!

• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1 1/4 cups of oats
• 2 scoops of protein powder (I used chocolate)
• Half a cup (ish) of chopped up dried apricots, dried cranberries and sliced almonds
• sprinkle until it looks enough - mixed seeds (I used sunflower, pumpkin and pine in a mixed packet I had lurking around.)

Line a tin with baking paper, it doesn't really matter what size tin as the mixture is stiff and won't run. Push it down with a fork or whatever, and put in fridge until you can't wait any longer! OHM. 

CW x

Breakfast Bonanza!

Sometimes it’s hard to begin the day eating well because you just can’t think of different things to have, so you end up having the same sugary cereals every day. CP and I have put together some breakfast options that we often have. We try to change what we have most days so we still get excited about getting out of bed (the only reason to get out of bed...food!)

Breakfast

• 2 boiled eggs on soya and linseed toast (or poached or scrambled, hard boiled is the best though). I also like to have marmite on my toast underneath the egg that I squish on... try it, it’s amaze.
• Overnight porridge (www.laurenconrad.com ) I like to add sliced almonds and dried cranberries on mine. Also sometimes if I’m feeling a bit crazy, almond butter mixed in too.
• Overnight chocolate porridge www.greatist.com (similar but with chocolate protein powder mixed in.)
• Granola, low fat greek yoghurt, fruit and flax seeds.
• Smoothie (see top 5 smoothies post...... http://healthandlurking.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/top-5-super-scrumptious-sexy-sometimes.html )
• Quinoa breakfast (I can’t remember where I got it from so sorry internet person that will be angry I stole their recipe):
• ½ a cup of cooked quinoa
• 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds
•  ¼ cup of raisins
• ½ banana mashed
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 cup almond  milk
•  1 table spoon maple syrup

• Almond butter on soya and linseed toast.
• Omelette, spinach, ham, mushroom, anything you can find.
• Yoghurt pancakes (from pinterest.) Makes 4 big/8small. Mix altogether, fry like pancake (surprisingly..)
• 6oz greek yoghurt (low fat)
• 1 egg
•   ½ cup of flour
•  1 tsp baking powder

• Chocolate peanut butter protein shake and hard boiled egg (separately...)  from www.muffintopless.com           
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 table spoon almond butter
• 1-2 stevia packets... (Think this is weird American uncalorifc sugar... That’s what I decided anyway so randomly added a bit of truvia (sounds the same so....)
•  4 ice cubes.

Also, my minimising hangover strategies did not take place this weekend for many reasons, so I’ll definitely do it this weekend on my next fancy dress outing... and hope it helps... watch this space.

Lunch and dinner options coming soon.....

CW. x

Websites and apps that will make you feel healthier before you even get off the sofa!

CW and I like to think of ourselves as professional browsers of the Internet. I would say we normally spend 2 hours a night during the week and most of our weekends perusing for anything healthy/funny/nice looking on various sites and apps. I find that even looking at healthy recipes and workouts make me feel better before I even try them out which is probably why I spend a little too much time on the Internet in my PJs! Here is a couple of the wonderful places that we have found:

Muffin Topless
This girl is truly inspiring and positive and has a wealth of info on workouts and recipes that CW and I base our meals plans on! Just look at her body for goodness sake!!!

Lauren Conrad
If you are a girl (or sneaky man) in her twenties, you have more than likely seen Laguna Beach/The Hills you will know who Lauren is/want her life/want to look like/be her. This website is great for lots of different topics including many a creative healthy recipe and workout.

BodyBuilding.com
If you need to know how to perform a move at the gym before getting there and looking like a bit of an idiot like some of us have done/continue to do, then this is the website to go to. They have a video for every move you could want to do at the gym with men AND women showing you how it's done! There is also a motivation/transformation section which I love and who doesn't love a good transformation picture?!

Fit Sugar
More recipe and workout ideas than you will know what to do with! I think this is where I got my very first circuit set from and I always see this website pop up on Pinterest which is where I originally discovered it.

Tone It Up
CW and I have used this website for smoothie, protein shake and protein pancake ideas. There is an option to pay for the full plan but if you are Scrooges with your money like us, you can sign up using just your email address and get the free bits! Winner!

The Gracious Pantry
If you are trying to eat clean then this website is great for recipe ideas! I LOVE her 4 bean chili which is quick to make and is sooo yum! She has a whole section on getting started with eating clean if you are a total newbie too!

The JEFIT app
Don't be scared by all the mention of body building (unless that is the look you are going for then yay!). There is a free version (hurrah!) of this which I am using at the moment to do my non-cardio workout stuff. It has preset plans you can download and use, it tells you when your rest time is up, stores stats on your progress and so much more!


With most of these websites, you can plug your email address in and then you will receive the latest posts straight to your inbox which is great for the lazy among us! 

I'm sure this list will continue to grow and I've probably forgotten a bunch of stuff but at least this is a start! Let us know if you have any other sites or apps that you enjoy using so we can share the love and give each other even more excuses to browse the web!

---

CP x

Top 5 ways to use up protein- powder- you –thought- you –liked- but -were -tricked -into -buying –and- actually -don’t- like -and –have- a- 1.8kg- tub - to -get-rid –of- somehow. / Other ways of using it than having a shake.

1. Protein powder peanut butter balls. (I used almond butter).

Omg these are the best things I’ve ever had which is why they have pushed their way to the no. 1 spot. I had to try so hard not to eat them all whilst I was making them and then whilst I was wrapping them up! They took about 10 mins to make, no cooking, then I just put them in the fridge to set a bit otherwise they r a bit sloppy. They don’t look very appetising (see picture..), but I promise you they are soooo moreish! Just try not to eat them all at once; otherwise I fear it defeats the object. I also made the balls smaller than what the recipe had said (and then you don’t feel bad if you accidently eat most of them, because as they are so small you tell yourself ‘it’s definately ok’)!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=866243

2. Tone it up protein bars.

These were number 1 until peanut butter balls came along. They are so delicious and full of sliced almonds and dried apricots. I always look forward to this snack! I make a batch and then wrap them up in foil and they last about 2 weeks.

www.toneitup.com

3. Overnight choco porridge

I usually have normal overnight porridge (www.laurenconrad.com ) but I fancied a bit of chocolate so found this recipe instead: www.greatist.com . It’s great for a morning chocolate fix and I added dried cranberries and sliced almonds, mainly because I felt like I was making it really healthy, but also because it added a bit more yuminess to it. You will have to experiment with the ratio of oats/milk depending on how sloppy you like it. I like anything that resembles baby food so use a little bit less milk.

4. Greek yoghurt and fruit

Add 1 or 2 scoops to greek yog, add your fruit and nuts (and granola if you like) and there you have it. Easy, quick and yummy and again feels like you are being a bit naughty by having chocolate yoghurt.

5. No bake peanut butter protein powder cookies.

These are another delicious recipe from livestrong. They don’t take long and are perfect for a quick snack and if you are feeling like you want something that feels a bit like junk food, but really they aren’t even bad for you. Yum. Try them.

http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/556857-20-delicious-protein-powder-recipes-that-are-not-shakes/#slide-12

CW.

Twitter!

Follow us on twitter for updates of our meals and tasty snacks to try! @healthandlurkin (it wouldn't fit the g on lurking....)

High protein snack!

Just tried these from livestrong! So yummy! If you make the balls even smaller, even more perfect for a small protein fix before exercise! (or just eat more and not feel bad because they are so small.)

Ingredients:

1 cup natural peanut butter (I used almond butter)

1 cup oats

1/2 cup raw honey

1 cup protein powder (I used chocolate)

Directions:

Combine peanut butter, honey, oats and protein powder in medium bowl. Mix well. Roll into small balls, put on grease proof paper. Put in fridge to set a bit and don't eat them all at once.

CW