rice paper rolls

Um... why didn't anyone tell me that making your own rice paper rolls is WAY better than buying them?

Ok, some of you probably did tell me that and thanks to an impromptu Asian supermarket trip with my sister, I finally made them!

Delicious and light, rice paper rolls will be a regular feature during lunch from now on. Oh and the best thing about making your own, is that YOU choose the ingredients. I know... it's amazing!

- Dani

mini veg frittatas

I recently rediscovered my food processor, and I have to admit, I'm in love.

It can slice, grate, chop... tuck me in bed at night. Ha! Ok, not quite. But it does a lot and what is there not to love about that.

So what to do about my new found love? Get slicing and grating, of course!

Mini veg frittatas
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1/2 brown onion, grated
3 eggs
25g cheese (parmesan, cheddar, ricotta... whatever suits you)
Optional - I added chilli, but you can add herbs instead, just something for a touch more flavour

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a 6 hole muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Cook grated carrot, zucchini and onion (and optional chilli/herbs) in a fry pan for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables soften. (Note - you might want to add some water to assist this process)
3. Lightly whisk three eggs in a bowl and add cooked vegetables.
4. Divide egg and veg mixture evenly between paper cases and sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 10-15 minutes.

You can serve immediately, keep as a great snack or even a quick breakfast. And you don't need to stick to the recipe, you can use any mix of veggies! (Although I personally love the texture of the shredded carrot and zucchini.)

I used cheddar and chilli in this batch, so each mini frittatas was approx 70 calories.

- Dani

sisterhood

Hello peeps! I hope you all had a fantastic Easter long weekend. I spent the whole weekend with two of my sisters. We cavorted our way around Melbourne and, thankfully, didn't indulge in too much chocolate (yay!), although I probably did indulge a little too much in everything else (comedy, popcorn, Lebanese food, etc).

But let's be honest, you can never have enough comedy, and clearly we couldn't get enough of Hannah Gadsby - we saw both her shows. Yep she has two different shows as part of the Melbourne International Comedy festival and we saw both... in the same weekend.

Pic from comedyfestival.com.au

And do you know what? She was hilarious! So no regrets here. If I was going to recommend one show over the other though, I would recommend seeing 'Happiness is a bedside table'. Her 'Nakedy Nudes' show at the National Gallery of Victoria is intriguing, but not as laugh-until-your-cheeks-hurt funny.

Basically the rest of the weekend was filled with shopping and SingStar, dancing and drinks, family, friends and lots of food. Four full days of rest and frivolity.

Brunch at Le Miel

Driving around

Proof that there was some sunshine

SingStar

Uncle Alan's 50th

My gorgeous sisters

Family lunch

Morning walk to Princes Pier

Easter goodies bag

Sisters

Cheers to the sisterhood!

- Dani

it's easy to smile when you're winning

The post holiday blues might be setting in now. It has taken over two weeks, which seems a bit long to me, but it was bound to happen as some point.

Between my fragile emotional state, my weary body (seriously when did everything start aching?) and an abundance of work, this round of 12wbt is most definitely not going to end with a bang. (In fact I think I've started gaining weight again.)

It was easy to be positive and full of energy when I was seeing great results, but as soon as the tables turn, it becomes much harder to stick with the strategy. So, I will admit it... I've been very slack the past two weeks. With each weigh-in and every time I look at my body in the mirror, my will seems to diminish. I'm thinking... no moping, rather than doing.

Without the forced gym junkie and health guru regiment, I still make healthier choices more than I did pre-12wbt. I am even choosing to go for a run not because the plan says so, but because I (kinda) enjoy it.

But is this good enough? No.

Am I unhappy with my body and my level of fitness? Hell yeah!

Of course I would love to be happy in my own body, blah blah blah. But the reason this disappointment is so significant is that it means that I care. I care about my body, about my health. Hell yes, I care!

So now I have confirmation - I am completely controlled by my emotions/mood... and it has to stop. A shitty day at work does not give me the right to stuff my face with calorie-laden food. In fact the whole logic is backwards. My body and brain have clearly already suffered enough after a tough day, I should be rewarding myself by looking after them.

It is easy to dispense these words, now I need to put this theory into action. So I'm creating a little project for myself, I'm calling it Project 'Mood Buster'. When I'm exhausted or feeling emotional, even cranky, I'm going to try to reward/improve myself with non-food actions/activities.

For example, "It's been a tough week, I deserve a few Friday drinks" will become "It's been a tough week, I deserve a massage" or "It's been a tough week, I deserve a bubble bath".

Or when a mood strikes, "All I want to do is curl in a ball and cry" will become "I'm feeling really crappy, maybe a walk/comedy gig/bike ride with a friend will cheer me up".

Sometimes, when the pressure is on at work, the first thing I do is head for the lolly jar. This is probably going to be the hardest behaviour to crack. My current thinking is that if time permits, I'll try to step outside for a moment instead or make sure I always have healthier snack alternatives at my desk (though this doesn't tend to have the same psychological effect).

This is definitely more an art than a science, but it might provide some real benefits long-term.

And if anyone has already found some great mood busting tricks, please feel free to share.

- Dani

quick update

Olla! Oh what a slack little bunny I've been. I haven't had much time for blog-lovin lately. (Sorry.) So here is a quick update.

The nutrition plan I created for myself was a success and I promise to share more info (including recipes) with you soon.

Despite being the silly season my alcohol consumption has been low and the platters, etc. have been kept to a minimum. Although I do plan to indulge a little during my work Christmas party this week.

While I have been happy with my nutrition of late, the exercise front has faced some serious issues. After a week with the flu, getting back into my usual exercise routine has not been easy. Given that I'm about the leave the country for 3 weeks, I'm going to have to come up with some creative ways to stay motivated. Luckily I'll have more free time.

Yes, I am going to overseas this Saturday! Boy do I feel like I need a holiday. First stop is Singapore, for some much needed family time. Then it is on to Japan for an eye-opening extravaganza.

Fun times ahead!

- Dani

bad start

Hello everyone. How was your weekend?

I had a lovely weekend visiting relatives and resting. That nasty bug is out of my system and I'm feeling tip-top again.

I also used the downtime to put together a pretty decent nutrition plan for this week. (Yay me!)

There was a mess of cookbooks, notes and tabs covering the coffee table as I did my 'research'. Finally, each meal was allocated and I had the shopping list to boot. I even did the shopping - although why I continue to go supermarket shopping on a Sunday, I don't know. I really must get back into my routine of hitting a fresh food market instead.

And what happened next? I just stopped. I had the plan. I had the food. But did I prepare anything last night? No.

How could I start the week so badly?!

Instead of munching on a delightful smoked salmon omelette this morning, I'm currently eating an emergency breakfast bar I keep at work. And lunch will be... something bought. Oh the horror.

So my 'post-12wbt trial week' isn't off to a great start. (I also didn't exercise this morning, although that isn't particularly unusual for me on a Monday.)

Guess the only thing to do from here is to buy a great lunch and up the ante on the preparation front tonight.

- Dani

trial run

I'm still sick and the weekend couldn't come any sooner. The plan is to rest, rehydrate and repeat.

It feels weird not exercising or at least not fretting about exercise. But my nutrition has been reasonable and I plan to get very active as soon as possible - body allowing.

In trying to do all I can to ensure I have a stellar week next week, planning is my key focus. And although I am trying to be the queen of positive at the moment, I have to say... I'm not a fan of the 12wbt nutrition plan for Week 4.

As per usual, I printed the weekly nutrition plan with the aim to identify and replace the unsuitable meals (because of intolerance, etc). But this week I wanted to replace 90% of the meals.

Rather than feel disheartened I decided that this was a great opportunity to test my ability to create a wonderfully healthy and nutritious menu on my own.

The 12wbt team can't create my nutrition plans forever, at some point I am going to need to learn to do it all by myself - week 4 is going to be my trial run.

I haven't quite figured it all out yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Have a great weekend!

- Dani

green smoothie

Being lactose intolerant and having a less-than-positive attitude toward bananas, I often struggle with breakfast smoothies. For anyone partaking in the 12wbt at the moment, you would know that Banana Smoothies are part of the nutrition plan next week. So I've been searching for an alternative.

Today I decided to test out a green smoothie, which is based on Angela's (from Oh She Glows) Green Monster recipe.

Serves 2-3 (approx 45-65 calories per serve)

1 cup baby spinach

1 gala apple (or any sweet apple) 

1 continental cucumber

Juice from 1 lemon 

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Maple syrup, to taste (I used approx 1 tablespoon)

Handful ice cubes

1. Peel cucumber. Roughly chop cucumber and apple.

2. Put spinach, apple, cucumber, lemon juice and ginger in a food processor or good quality blender. Blend on high until smooth.

3. Put mixture into a blender (if you haven't already) with ice and maple syrup.

4. Pour and serve!

The verdict: I was pleasantly surprised. I really like the idea of this recipe, but think it could do with some tweaking (e.g., I would definitely consider adding a second apple next time). 

Also, I personally found that my blender wasn't able create a smooth mixture on its own, so I had to use the food processor and then the blender. But just do what works best with the appliances you have.

Have a great weekend!

- Dani

it's all about the lifestyle

I said I'd plan, I said I'd follow through, but... I'm still working on it. My weekend involved unplanned meals, a bit of alcohol and lots of activity. I definitely have a long way to go, but in general, I am leading a more active lifestyle and it is fantastic!

Firstly, I went to a yoga class during lunchtime on Friday. It was tough and I was sweaty. I normally avoid midday classes because it feels inappropriate returning to work looking like a sweaty beetroot. But do you know what? I'm really glad I did it. It wasn't easy - I'm not very good at yoga - but it was a great way to break up my day. 

So I have a new goal - get better at yoga.

I did all of these poses, well I tried to

Saturday morning was stinking hot and I pushed through the Super Saturday Session down by the beach. It was up to 27.5 degrees by the time I left. (Whoa!)

I completed all 4 rounds fairly quickly (and I certainly didn't burn 1000 calories), but I got slower and weaker each time. So I know I have a lot of improving to do.

But my Saturday activities didn't end there...

My girlfriends and I hit up the driving range! And I cannot express enough just how much fun we had. It is amazing how much it works your forearm muscles and you are constantly engaging your core to maintain posture. Of course, constantly laughing at our lack of talent helped too.

A late lunch and few wines later, I found myself at a house party. Dangerous territory. But I took one bottle of cider and when it was finished, that was it. I stopped drinking alcohol for the night. Hallelujah!

Sunday was a little less successful. I planned a fantastic BBQ with lots of great, mostly healthy, salads, etc. But I had a few drinks and probably nibbled a little too much. When there is food around all the time it becomes much harder to monitor intake and know when to stop. Given that it is the season for BBQs though, I guess this is something that I'm just going to have to work on.

Overall it was a great weekend and though I have a few things to work on, things definitely seem to be getting better.

How was your weekend? Any stories to share?

- Dani

week 12

It is here! The 12th and final week of the Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation (Round 3 2012).

I have lost a few kilos, a fair few centimetres and gained a slightly healthier outlook. It is progress, but not at the intensity I wanted. Having signed up at the gym and joined the 12wbt, I thought I'd take significant steps in reaching my goals. But no.

So I thought it was time for a 12wbt reflection.

Nutrition
The food has been 50/50 for me. The nutrition plans don't really suit my lifestyle, as many recipes require far too much prep and cooking time. I often feel that all I do (Mon to Fri) is work, cook/eat, exercise and sleep.

In some ways, the nutrition plan is almost too ambitious as well. I would normally never buy so many different ingredients for one week and at times, following the plan to the letter can seem expensive.

Furthermore, my friends and I love to eat out. So rather than encouraging everyone to eat at home all the time, there could be a little more focus on how to make the best choices when eating out.

There have been massive highlights though. I now eat breakfast more regularly - almost every day. And a few of the recipes will be favourites in my household for some time to come.

Exercise
I have really enjoyed the planned workout sessions, though I'm not sure that I will ever stick to the full plan. I just don't seem to be able to workout 6 days in a row. Normally by Thursday my body is so sore from the previous three sessions that I can't do the full workout. (Hopefully this won't be such a problem as I get fitter and stronger.)

I have, however, changed my lifestyle to incorporate more physical activities (e.g., discovering new places on my bike) - which I am loving.

Mindset
I must admit, I haven't watched every weekly mindset video, so I perhaps haven't focused enough on this area. However, I kinda feel that the 12wbt is a good tool but that it won't 'fix the problem' so to speak.

I have been overweight for about 4-5 years now, but I have had problems with food since I was a teenager. I would drink coke everyday, eat doughnuts before school, stash confectionery in my bedroom.

Now don't even think about blaming my parents. In fact, my mum is a bit of a health nut. There was never any junk food in the house, though we would occasionally get to eat Coco Pops during school holidays. We only drank water and rarely had take-away.

But I wanted what other people ate. So I would spend most of my pocket money and later my after-school income on 'crap' food - often from the school canteen and occasionally from the local milkbar.

I never gained weight until I stopped participating in organised sports (after I left college).

So yes the 12wbt is changing my habits, but I still want that other food, whether I enjoy it or not. I can't imagine ever not wanting processed, highly addictive, massively marketed junk food. My palate might be changing, but my thought patterns haven't.

Overall
It must be doing something and I must enjoy it because I've signed up for Round 4. There have been brilliant moments where I felt fit, healthy and strong. Moments when an email from Mish would fill me with rage. (Yes, at times I seemed to go through the five stages of grief.) Moments when I just didn't care.

Mostly though, the 12wbt has made me think more about what I do and who I want to be. I might not have made significant changes so far, but I'm getting there.

Despite not reaching my goals, I'm still going to give it my all at the Group Workout and Finale Cocktail Party. I don't particularly plan on celebrating my successes, but I'm sure it will give me plenty of inspiration to kick-start Round 4. See you there!

- Dani

red flag week

I've been feeling a little less social over the past few weeks. I am completely unable to rein myself in when eating and drinking out with friends, so it has been best to avoid those situation. But I can't go on like that forever.

This week I am out almost every night with birthday dinners, comedy nights, cocktail functions, the races, etc. It is a busy time of year and I know that I am failing to stick to the 12wbt plan. I didn't workout on Monday or Tuesday (but I did go for a lunchtime walk) and my diet has been far from ideal.

I know I'm supposed to suck it up, get up early and JFDI. But after a late night, it just doesn't happen. And to be honest, I'm not keen on depriving myself of sleep in order to exercise in the morning. Yes, I can try to get home earlier - but it's not happening this week.

While I am exercising when I can and watching what I eat as much as possible, in these situations I am completely weak - I know this. I ate birthday cake on Monday and I can't imagine not doing that. People have birthdays and people eat cake - I don't want to miss out on these things.

At home I seem able (most of the time) to be the mature adult that understands that I can't have everything I want. When I'm out though, it's all 'I want, I want, I want', and the mature adult doesn't even seem to be in the room.

If willpower really is a muscle, then I'd like to know how I can train it before I am in those situations. Because at the moment, I am feeling horrible, eating out, drinking and not exercising (even though it hasn't really affected my weight loss - which is even more annoying). Eating out is inevitable but I should be able to choose the healthiest option on the menu, say no say to that glass of wine with dinner and get up early the next morning to exercise. Shouldn't I? But I can't imagine ever not wanting the wine, not wanting the creamy risotto, not wanting to sleep in. And when I do say no to those things I tend to get a bit sulky and I don't enjoy the moment as much. (If you haven't guessed by now, I really hate being told I can't have something.)

There must be a balance between living a healthy, active life and engaging in 'normal' activities like eating out and having birthday cake. And I guess the answer is moderation. But as an overweight person, does moderation not apply to some things?

Basically I am feeling pretty weak and pathetic right now. My lack of willpower has been a huge barrier for me over the past few years, but I really thought that this time I was going to break through...

- Dani

weekend snippets

What a weekend! It wasn't jam packed, but it had some great moments.

Friday night 

A nice drop of red, lovely food and time spent with Dan. Ah bliss! But I didn't want to ruin my first group training session, so after my second glass of wine (yes, I had two and I don't regret it) I hit the hay.

Saturday

I joined some lovely Inner Melb 12wbters for an early group Super Saturday Session, which was supposed to be a skipping pyramid, but due to a couple of injuries was mostly a step-up pyramid. These ladies are definitely fitter than me, but it was good to be pushed (and not fall flat on my face).

We were out there for two hours and by the time I got home and organised breakfast I couldn't believe that the morning was nearly over. 

Post-SSS brekky

Having achieved so much in the morning I was in a pro-active mood. A few domestic chores later, I got started on a let's-jazz-up-the-apartment mini project.

I've been experimenting with herbs in the house lately, but we use herbs so often that the plants don't live long. So I decided I need herbs AND other plants, etc, to bring a little greenery inside, and what better plant to use than the also practical Aloe Vera.

This little creation now lives in the bathroom and I'm looking forward to adding a few extra touches to the rest of the apartment. This spring vibe is making me wanting to add a splash of colour to everything!

By this stage I was famished so I snacked on soy crisps and peanut butter sandwiches... which I wholeheartedly regret. Not because they were unhealthy or that I ate too much (neither of which is true), but because after such an action packed morning I should have organised a proper meal. Being hungry and eating whatever is around in the house is a habit I really want to break.

Exhaustion was well and truly taking over, so after a cheeky nap, we ventured out for a movie night. 

Lawless - it was pretty good

Sunday

I dosed up on water, had a small breakfast and headed to the Red Cross Blood Bank donor centre. But my blood wasn't in the mood to play nice (my flow rate was ridiculously low), so I had a few lovely nurses constantly checking up on me. One practically had to hold my hand to get my flow rate up.

Post-donation milkshake

The sun was shining so we headed to Mornington for a late lunch. We basked in the sunshine eating divine food at DOC. Sigh. It almost felt like I was on holiday.

Alas, I'm not on holiday, but at least we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset as we drove back to the city.

- Dani

miso salmon

I have always loved food but I haven't always appreciated it. I do now! So I'm going to share one of my favourite recipes with you - miso salmon.

Firstly, in case you don't know, miso is a Japanese paste made from soybeans. You can find varieties of it in Asian supermarkets, but even your local Coles/Woolworths will have miso sachets (for miso soup).

Secondly, I'm not sure of the exact origin of this recipe. I'm pretty sure my mum took it from a cookbook, but I'm not sure which one. (FYI my mum is an amazing cook.)

And finally, my friends who do not like fish, or dislike salmon in particular, love this dish. Even kids eat it - it helps if you mix the salmon with small bowl of rice. So hopefully you'll like it too!

Though this recipe is very quick to make, you do need to prepare and marinate the fish at least 2 hours before you want to eat. I find it easiest to make the marinade the night before and marinate the fish for 24 hours.

Marinade ingredients

Marinade whisked and cooling

Salmon bathing in miso marinade

Salmon (after marinating for 24 hours) on a wire rack lined with foil

The end product - delicious!

Miso salmon and Asian greens

Serves 10 (approx 285 calories per serve)

Ingredients

1kg salmon fillet(s)

1/3 cup mirin

1 tbs reduced salt soy sauce

2 tsp caster sugar

1/3 cup miso paste/instant miso soup

3-4 bunches of your favourite Asian greens (or any greens really)

Optional calorie boost - brown rice or udon noodles

Method
1. Place soy, mirin and sugar in a small pan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Add miso and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat, transfer to a shallow bowl to cool completely.
2. When cool, add fish and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at 2 hours (or overnight).
3. Heat a grill to high and line a wire rack with foil. Place fish on the rack discarding the marinade and grill for 5 minutes or until golden and caramelised. Cooking fish like this on the rack brings it closer to the grill and allow heat to circulate.
Note - If you like your salmon cooked well throughout (which most non-fish eaters seem to prefer), you might need to leave it in for an additional minute or two depending on your grill.
4. Steam your greens while the fish is in the grill. (I happened to have an abundance of asparagus in the house but I would normally serve up gai lan and/or broccolini.) Plate up and serve!

This serves a lot of people (10!) and so is great for entertaining or large families, but if you are solo (or duo) you might want to reduce quantities. In my photos I had 200g salmon fillet (for two people) but I didn't reduce the marinade quantities (as I find it harder to get the right consistency - maybe I just need a smaller pan). Since the excess marinade is discarded, this shouldn't have much impact on the calorie count.

- Dani

avoid, avoid, avoid

I'm not normally a 'chocolate person', it is something I enjoy but it isn't a weakness of mine... until recently!

Being told a piece of dark chocolate here and there is ok led to me consuming dark chocolate (albeit small amounts) almost every day. Not cool.

Haigh's dark chocolate - so addictive!

So guess what happens now? ...no more chocolate! Once a week max, but preferably not at all. At least for the foreseeable future.

And my undoing every weekend is largely due to alcohol. While I rarely drink beyond the National guidelines, a glass or two certainly starts upping the calorie intake, which (at this stage of my journey) I just can't afford.

October is looking like a very dry, chocolate-less month. I'm sure it will be fantastic!

What have you had to cut out/avoid to reach your goals?

- Dani