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Hello World

Over the last 9 years I have moved country, move house 3 more times, bought a house, taken a career break, worked at different levels of in the education field and studied for a Masters degree.

Now I feel ready to start  blogging again. I have a lot I would like to continue to accomplish and blogging has proven to be great tool to help me on my journeys of self-discovery and self-improvement. I am a "talker" and a "giver" these are to elements that i have come to realise I cannot side step. I need to use them efficiently and effectively.

I am back :)

Welcome International Flybabies!

Welcome International Flybabies!

Diabetic friendly Crunchies

Frozen Peanut-Banana Crunchies Recipes

2 cups peanut butter
48 graham cracker squares
2 cups mashed ripe bananas

In a large bowl, mash ripe bananas into a smooth paste. Mix in peanut butter using a large wooden spoon. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Drop 2 tablespoons banana mixture onto one square graham cracker, cover with second graham cracker square. Freeze until ready to use.

from: Kitchen Cooking Recipes

1 starch, 1 medium fat meat, 1 fat exchange

196 Calories, 12.2 Fat, 6.4 Protein, 18.0 Carb., 0 Chol., 188 Sodium

Food For Thought

Seven in 2011

by Leanne Ely, C.N.C

1. Portion Distortion - Keep in mind that most dinner plates made today are much bigger than the ones we ate off of 40 years ago, so if you can find smaller plates (like a salad plate) that's ideal. Now take that plate and divide it in half. One half of the plate is for your veggies. Now divide the other half of the plate in half again (so you have two quarters). One quarter is for starchy carbs with fiber, like sweet potatoes or brown rice. The last quarter is for lean meats like chicken, fish or lean beef.

2. Plan Like You Mean It - When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. By knowing what you're going to eat and when, you will have the right food on hand and you'll be prepared. Keeping a few healthy snacks handy for those moments when life throws you a curve ball is a must; I keep almonds and beef jerky in my purse right next to the tampons! True emergencies require preparedness.

3. Pump the Protein - White chicken meat, wild salmon, wild fish, pork and lean beef are your best choices.

4. Skip the Can - When it comes to veggies and fruits, go for seasonal and fresh as much as possible, frozen works too. Avoid the canned stuff though, too much salt and the nutrients are pretty much zapped out.

5. Stop the Soda - Drink water (yep, 8 glasses a day), then throw some green tea into the mix for a different flavor--green tea is great for weight loss and is a superfood. Just remember that tea has caffeine and can dehydrate so make up for it with a little more water.
6. Quality Over Quantity - One thing I hear all of the time is "I can't afford to eat healthy". But you know, there are always sales to be had and swaps to be made--change one thing out for another. Buying foods in their rawest state that requires cooking is going to afford you a whole lot more real food--you can buy a whole bag of potatoes for just a few bucks vs. a bag of frozen hash browns for the same price; the bag of potatoes will go a lot further than the already prepared hash browns.


7. 90/10 Rule - Use the 90/10 rule. Be a conscientious healthy eater 90% of the time and eat your favorite treats the other 10% of the time. This helps us keep balance in our diets and fun still in the equation.

These 7 steps will keep healthy eating in perspective and help you put body clutter in its place. By simply following through and doing all these things, you'll be quietly teaching your family good habits and be helping more than just yourself. :-)

Love,
Leanne

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Copyright (C) 2010 www.savingdinner.com Leanne Ely, CNC All rights reserved.

Starting of a New Year

I continue with my struggle of forming good habits, healthy eating and weightloss.
one step forward and 4 steps back is how it has gone this year.

I was listening to a radio program that said that people who kept a journal of their eating over the holidays were less likely to put on weight. The fact that I have been sporadic and at times non-existent - so its no surprise that I have made no progress. But I feel positive about the fact that I did not give into the temptation to delete this blog. It means I have not given up

Inpirational thoughts

Send this eCard !

White Bean-Pesto Bruschetta

Healthy Eating Planner:

31 Days of Healthy, Low-Calorie Snacks

167 calories
White Bean-Pesto Bruschetta

Mini Turkey-Avocado Wrap

Mini Turkey-Avocado Wrap

Day 3

660ml of water so far - plan to drink been a bit of a slow day.

Did 46min of Zumba Fitness DVD - really worked my abs.
Wore protection padding on my toes and corns that help my feet.

Eating did not go very well today and the night is not over and i feel soooooo tempted.

Had a slice of toast and an egg for breakfast
Lunch 1 slice of toast with butter, cappuccino and cheesecake
Supper - Melkkos with cinnamon sugar#
Snack - handful of nuts mix.
Cup of coffee

Day 2

I got up with a sore body and sore a sore ankle.
Ate another 100 calorie snack and a banana before I slept. As ususal mind in so focused on food but I am not going to let that depress me and give up.

Did 30 min. of exercise today 10 min of Callanethics and then staight into a 20min 1 Mile Walk DVD by Leslie Sansone. My daughter says she is getting boring.
So i think tomorrow i will do some walking on my own in the morning and a different exercise DVD with my daughter.
We also have the option of walking to school which is just over a mile for her which takes us 30min.

Had the shake for breakfast and Supper
Snack 1 - 219 calories Oats so easy with Milk
2 cups of coffee
Lunch 2 naan breads with a can of Taco Beans - I estimate that was about 450 calories.
Also had a glass of fruit juice.

Concerned about my 5 fruit and veg. Got to have a big salad with my food tomorrow.

Walked 5 miles today

Hi

I am still around and I have not given up.

I have drunk 2l of water today and did Leslie Sanson 5 mile Fat Burn Walk.
Managed to do the Boost for 2 of 5 miles - YAY.

Had a slim fast cafe latte shake for breakfast
1granola bar (100 calories) for a snack
2 cups of coffee with sugar and milk like I normally do (when I plateau I will cut down the sugar or just cut out the sugar)
For lunch I had cheese omelette with two slices of toast - I esitmate that it was about 600 calories
for supper I am having another Slim Fast Shake

Hoping to keep this up for 5 days as a Jump Start of sorts.

Quote for the week

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

By Lao Tzu

Live Life Abundantly

How to Create an Exercise Music Playlist - wikiHow

How to Create an Exercise Music Playlist - wikiHow

Late Weigh-in

113.4 kg - that is a wonderful loss of 0.1kg (from 250.2 to 250 pounds).

A loss is loss that is to be celebrated.

How did i do on not pigging out - well someone gave me a bread pudding dessert and by the second day I could not stay away from it. I have successfully avoided the chocolate cake.

today I want to attempt some exercise. I am not experiencing any dizzy spells and the headaches have subsided as well. I am still napping a bit in the day otherwise I seem to be recovering well from the car accident.

Recovery

I was in an accident on Saturday. My daughter and i were in the car. We skidded on black ice and went off the road - we are both fine. I just bumped my head but no permanent damage - just a bit of swelling.

health wise my challenge will be not to stress or comfort eat.

Weigh In # 3

Maintained at 113. 5kg.

Not surprising. I have been sick. Been unable to to exercise.
Still recovering from the Head cold - not quite sure when it will be safe to start exercising again.
A friend of mine exercised while she had a cold and she she got sick afterwards, don't wan to make the same mistake.

My favourite thing to eat when I have a cold / flu is an omelete with chillies and orange juice.
Got that for today.

The Scales

Life is all about balance. My mom's favourite words to me were: Simone you need to find a happy medium. Her way of telling not to take things to their extreme.

When it comes to using the scale to weigh myself that is one thing I have great balance with. I only do it once a week. Now I like numbers I like working things out. Whenever I begin to make some healthy changes i start calculating the possibilities. Up until now in last ten years it has gotten me no where.
I see the scales as a little blankie for some odd reason they give a little comfort. I know I can use a measuring tape - waist measurement is a good way to measure weight loss and an important figure (88cm is apparently what we should aim to get down to). But as soon as I got a little extra money I bought a scale - LOL.

There are pros and cons.
if you can't resist getting on everyday , then I say follow the dietician's recommendation and get rid of your scale.
If you don't have money - don't bother - use a measuring tape instead.

I have a challenge. My husband is away for two weeks. I am on my own and need to stay motivated. I have a head cold and a daughter to look after. Easy to slip into doing things the easy way.
Yesterday I had to get our camera after dropping my husband at the airport but the shop was still closed. tesco was closed - only KFC and M was opened. so We went to Mac Donalds - I had the vegetarian meal with orange juice. Hows that for a balancing act - LOL

Weigh-In 2 and Confessions

I almost forgot that today was my weigh in day.

Happy to report that I down to 113,5 kg - YAY that is a lost of 1.5kg.

Confession - on Sunday I had KFC for dinner. The reason was circumstances we went for a walk in the mountains - up to the first contour. Then decided to visit an old lady and that took longer than we expected. With two hungry children and very little money we took the easy way out.
When we were driving to our walk I thought i was silly not take any snacks.provisions with us.
Next time I will be prepared!!