Week 15 - 10 kilos lighter and lovin' it!

YES, I can definately say that 10 kgs is gone as I've just slipped past it now. I was rather stagnant there for nearly 2 wks - going back and forwards, but finally it's passed me by and I'm relieved. I was expecting a bit of a lull but I am hoping that being back into my gym routine with my PT really pushing me, that I will keep up the loss. A friend also recommended I try incorporating a good solid 45 mins of steady walking as well now to help up my ante - and this again reiterates my desire to get the school walk back into the timetable. So my goal this weekend is get my pram situation sorted out so that next week I can really get started. The weather is just glorious so I know I will really enjoy it.

I honestly can't believe what I've achieved (through the grace of God) and although I have still had my ups and downs, I'm really ecstatic that I am enjoying this way of life and seeing it pay off. I have NEVER stayed on any sort of diet this long. I have tried a million diets over the years and have a file full of all the latest "fads" from years gone past - but none have ever kept me on the straight and narrow like this "life change" has. Prob the only other diet I tried that helped me lose weight before my sister's wedding was the Tony Ferguson diet - with the shakes and soups. I enjoyed this because once again it takes all the guess work out of it for you and you always knew where you were up to, and what was for breaky the next day! I think it helps you to break the sugar addiction as well as it encourages you to get rid of it out of your diet and it is not incorporated into the mixes. However, I never excercised much back then and I now believe this is of absolute importance for not just physical health but emotional health as well.


Also, I really believe God has provided all the right nutrients in whole organic foods to give us a balanced and super-fuelled diet, and this is why I prefer now to gain benefit out of real food that He specifically created for us right from the beginning of the world. He knew what He was doing when He created the veges and the fruits and knew exactly how they would help us, so I will honour Him in using them to benefit my body. I am often reminded of the verse in the bible that tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit - so why dishonour Him by polluting it with so much trash, rather than pure and perfect foods. Only the best for my Lord!


I have struggled with a shocker of a headache this week - it started on Wed arvo and died off Thurs arvo but reappeared at the gym Friday morning and absolutely floored me! Even tho I kept with a lower impact workout, I got home and collapsed - awful pain. And the reason - I believe it was the choc chip cookies I made for the kids. Yes, they had a little wheat flour in them, and some non-refined sugar but I actually think it was mainly the choc chips because they were just the cooking ones. If I'd had some better quality dk choc I would have just chopped that up but that is no guarantee it wouldn't have still affected me, esp as I scoffed down about 4 - that was just OVERLOAD. Anyway, it was a good reminder that if I want to be debilitated by these headaches - sure, eat as many as you like and then be out of service for 2.5 days! But what sort of life is that? It was another wake up call that yes, I can still have a taste of stuff but that is it - if I go back to my guzzling gertie life, I will be the one who loses out.

Ok, now would like to share a couple of recipes that I have used lately out of a cookbook my sis lent me - "Healing Foods - Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohn's & IBS" by Sandra Ramacher. Basically these are gluten and sugar free recipes - so a real plus for me. I made the next cake twice - the 2nd time was practically perfect and I got sooooo many compliments.

Citrus Cake
* 1 med navel orange, 1 lemon, 1 mandarin - place whole fruits in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 mins till the fruit is soft. Take out and cool, slice open & remove seeds, and then puree in blender.
* Beat 3/4 cup of honey and 6 eggs until light and fluffy. Fold thru fruit puree.
* Mix 2 1/2 cups of almond flour or meal with 1 tsp of baking soda, and then fold thru the egg and fruit mixture.
* Pour into a prepared round baking tin (lined with baking paper) and bake in a mod oven for up to an hour - checking with a skewer after 30 mins. Remove from oven and while hot, drizzle a little honey over the top to add a syruppy finish. Alternatively, completely cool before removing from tin and then make an orange caramel sauce to serve over top.

Orange Caramel Sauce
1 cup honey
200 g butter
grated rind from 1 orange
2 tbs fresh OJ

Mix all ingreds in a saucepan and simmer for 10 mins - sooooooo yummy!

I haven't had a Soup of the Week for awhile - but this one certainly hits the spot and was absolutely amazing.

Pumpkin and Macadamia Nut Soup
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
2 tsp fresh ginger grated
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup peeled cored & diced apple
1 kg p'kin peeled and diced
1 cup chook stock

Heat oil in a lge pot. Add onion, nuts, ginger & garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Add the turmeric and stir. Add the apple and pumpkin and stir for 2 - 3 mins and add chook stock. Cover and cook for 20 mins or until p'kin is soft. Process or blend until smooth and creamy.

*I also added some coconut cream to make it go a little further - just superb.

Anyway, will post this now while I remember and then will hopefully post some more soon. All very busy here in preparation for Bailey's 4th birthday party next Saturday so have been doing a lot of early cooking. Till next time!