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.

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

Crave Graze!

I love a good graze box!

Who wouldn't want 4 different yummy snacks, pop excitingly through your door for a much better price than you could get at a shop and not feel bad about eating them?!

The website is exciting and you can set your account so you get weekly boxes/fortnightly/whenever you want them boxes! It allows you to tick the snacks that you liked, loved, want to bin and want to try and there are a whole range of food types to choose from, including choosing dietary requirements for the more sensitive among us!

It also comes with a little booklet that tells you the nutritional values of all of your snacks and gives advice on the website for the healthiest snacks to choose! ---->

Even better, when you receive a box, you usually get 4 'feed your friends free graze box' to give to your friends (surprisingly) and you get £1 off your box, and considering the box was only £3.89 (including delivery) in the first place, it is not bad at all! You can also send these boxes to your friend (who wouldn't like food for a present?) Or set it up so you can buy someone 10, or however many boxes you want, pre paid, so they just choose what they want and when they want it, for free! Perfect for your health concious friends!

Best of all, all the snacks are relatively healthy and extremely yummy and because they are quite small you can eat it all but feel satisfied you have had your sweet/chocolate/whatever you crave fix that day!

Basically, go and check out their website (or be sneaky and try and get a free voucher from your friend!) Whichever way, it's delicious and definitely worth the money! Go go go! (I definitely just ate a punnet... or two, whilst typing this.)

In my box - sticky chocolate pudding (just devoured), marvellous macaroon, copacabana and brilliant black forest.

You can even use this code to receive your first box free plus you can cancel this yummy subscription at any time!

http://www.graze.com/uk/p/K311ZRQ

Twitter!

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