tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80417426544952179072024-02-07T06:00:52.685-08:00Libby's Real FoodLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-69723496091607908792016-02-01T22:54:00.003-08:002016-02-01T22:54:55.600-08:00Starting a new chapterYou may have noticed over the past few months that while I have still been active on social media, I haven't been posting anything new in a long time. There have been several reasons for this. Firstly, by the end of 2015 I was starting to feel pretty worn out. 2015 marked quite a big year for me, I moved to Auckland, started my first proper job, started to plan a wedding and in the end also started preparing to build a house. As a result, blogging seemed to be the thing that fell off my to-do list more often than not. <div>
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During this busy time, while I wasn't strictly unhealthy, I don't think I was taking as good care of myself as I could have. I wasn't eating as many fresh, whole foods, wasn't quite getting enough sleep, not exercising all that often, and living off more caffeine than I usually like to. As people often say, new year, new me, and starting when we got back to Auckland in January (after one final last hurrah cheat day), my fiance Jake and I made the decision to get healthy together. This means being active every day, even if it is just getting out for a walk, ditching the refined sugar and processed foods that had been starting to creep back in, and giving ourselves one treat a week, just for sanity purposes. As part of my new year, new me, I want a blog that is focused on a bit more than food and reflects my lifestyle a little better. I also wanted to inject more of myself into the blog, as at times it felt a little impersonal.</div>
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The second part that niggled about this blog is its uniqueness. Unfortunately for me, the name Libby, and health food blogging seem to go hand in hand in New Zealand. Off the top of my head I can think of Dr Libby, who often has"real food" in the name of her cook books, and Libby from the blogging duo Julia and Libby. These are both people who I admire and follow, but it does get frustrating that when you search for "Libby's Real Food" along with the name of one of my recipes on google, you are unlikely to find it, as to be honest, both Dr Libby and Julia & Libby are much better at blogging than I am.</div>
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It is for these reasons that I have decided that I will no longer be creating content for this blog. No, I am not stopping blogging altogether, but with my new direction I wanted a fresh new start. I am not completely leaving my roots behind, as over the next few months I will be going back through the recipes on here and perfecting them for my new blog, <a href="http://www.sweettoothdilemmas.com/">The Sweet Tooth Dilemmas</a>.</div>
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So from this blog I would like to say, thank you everyone for your support, and I hope that you choose to continue to follow me over on <a href="http://www.sweettoothdilemmas.com/">my new blog</a>.</div>
Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-42135775120668060752015-09-19T21:07:00.000-07:002015-09-19T21:07:32.037-07:00Spiced EggsIt has been a busy couple of weeks! Three weeks ago, Hungry Male and I flew down to Dunedin for my Nephew's first birthday. It was really nice being able to go back home and see everyone, since they were all together for the birthday party. We had a Hairy Maclary theme, and my sister made an amazing Hairy Maclary cake!<br />
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We had a weekend to ourselves and then for the following week we had house guests, as Hungry Male and some friends were taking part in the 90 Mile Classic IRB race. For those of you uneducated in Surf Life Saving language, this was an event where they raced one of the orange surf boats 88km down 90 mile beach, with a couple of transition stages in between. I was the support driver and had to follow them down the beach and make sure their petrol was ready at the transition stages. It was really nice getting to head further north for a weekend, even if it was quite a busy one, as I have never been up that way before and we even had enough time to go to Cape Reinga.<br />
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Because I was trying to catch up from a hectic weekend, necessity was the mother of invention when it came to lunches, as it was mostly a case of trying to figure something out from what I had in the cupboard and fridge. These eggs were one of my creations. </div>
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I was actually a little obsessed with eggs this week and I had these on crackers, in salads and on toast. They were really a bit of a life saver. I boiled up a bunch of eggs on Monday night and that did me for almost the rest of the week.</div>
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Now I haven't quite perfected the easy-to-peel boiled egg yet, so if anyone has any tips please tell me! This batch I added a little baking soda to the water and peeled them under cold water, however, the shell still took a bit of the egg white off with it.</div>
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So if you are stuck for lunch or snack inspiration, give these a go!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYHDB4rjQufqapx6l17BBi7fzLU1fy2g7sExdIsSk4jWACNON8dX43zp-aR4r6zNG8fT54OH1zWoxoc7Mr-Egb7yiKObEwiRp7F_6fPVfNWEZVYrtAYpWeZVDMfiLegOqZWsNQaqOL94/s1600/IMG_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYHDB4rjQufqapx6l17BBi7fzLU1fy2g7sExdIsSk4jWACNON8dX43zp-aR4r6zNG8fT54OH1zWoxoc7Mr-Egb7yiKObEwiRp7F_6fPVfNWEZVYrtAYpWeZVDMfiLegOqZWsNQaqOL94/s640/IMG_0026.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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4 eggs, at room temperature</div>
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1 tsp smoked paprika</div>
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2 tsp sesame seeds</div>
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1 tsp cumin seeds</div>
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Place the eggs in a saucepan with a pinch of baking soda and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil and boil the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat then put the eggs immediately into cold water. Once the eggs are cool to touch, gently peel them while holding under running water.</div>
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On a small plate, place the paprika, sesame seeds and cumin seeds. Roll the eggs in the spice mix until well coated. Serve on toast, on crackers or in salads.</div>
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Enjoy xx</div>
<br />Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-40241869789527055082015-08-04T01:08:00.000-07:002015-08-04T01:16:13.538-07:00Tank-Style Raw Energy Salad<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2StTxFXni-QbT0KqCNVfEY8n7VlWvYr6BQ1YjvqbsrYMntMsJWKtx8MlTpl6UixLwINW5VFjOE9MYLf1jusi9zaSjoPUcqKakp3QcPx4ims43Pzx6z0dlLlryUukAmA2AifEps0fSOc/s640/blogger-image-1815568032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2StTxFXni-QbT0KqCNVfEY8n7VlWvYr6BQ1YjvqbsrYMntMsJWKtx8MlTpl6UixLwINW5VFjOE9MYLf1jusi9zaSjoPUcqKakp3QcPx4ims43Pzx6z0dlLlryUukAmA2AifEps0fSOc/s640/blogger-image-1815568032.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Aargh! It's been so long since I last did a proper blog post! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram then you won't be feeling quite so abandoned, but in terms of blog posts I've had a bit of an inspiration block for the last month or so. It's not that I haven't been making and eating any good food, but none of it seemed very blog-worthy.<br>
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However, I have been doing some inspiration gathering (looking at food blogs seems to help the creative food-juices flow) and I have a list of recipes that I want to work on over the next few months. This recipe is the start.<br>
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I really enjoy tank food. I know that the dressings are probably full of sugar, but in general they are at least a healthier grab and go option than most other fast food places. In particular, I really like their Raw Energy Salad/ Wraps. This salad is jam-packed full of wholesome ingredients including leafy salad greens, beetroot and quinoa.<br>
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While I am a foodie, I am also very budget conscious, so while Tank is great, paying $10 or so for a salad just isn't my thing. So i did what I love doing and got in the kitchen to recreate it. Now I haven't had these salads side by side to compare, but I do think that I have got something pretty close and just as delicious.<br>
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I also really enjoyed making this salad as I got to play with my relatively new food processor and its shredding attachment. This attachment is definitely my new best salad-making friend as it can julienne all of the vegetables I need for several salads in about 30 seconds! I shredded mt carrots and beetroot up on the Sunday and put them in separate glad containers, and then during the week all I had to do was throw together the salad ingredients. A food processor can be quite a costly investment, but I definitely think that you could use a normal grater and still enjoy this salad.<br>
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Easy, healthy and delicious.<br>
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Enjoy xx<br>
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1 cup quinoa<br>
3 large beetroot<br>
3 carrots<br>
4 cups leafy salad greens<br>
1/2 cups almonds<br>
1/2 cup shredded coconut<br>
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4 Tbsp olive oil<br>
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar<br>
2 tsp runny honey<br>
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Place quinoa in a saucepan and cover with water until it sits about 2cm above the quinoa. Bring to the boil, then simmer for around 10-15 minutes or until water has evaporated and quinoa is cooked.<br>
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Peel the carrots and beetroot. Using a food processor with a shredder attachment, or if you don't have one a grater, shred the carrots and beetroot. Roughly chop the almonds, or place in a bag and hit with a rolling pin until the almonds are roughly broken up.<br>
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In a large bowl, toss together the salad greens, almonds, coconut, quinoa, beetroot and carrot. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Drizzle over the salad and toss.<br>
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Then sit down and enjoy!Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-7618194735238127472015-06-23T01:13:00.001-07:002015-06-27T14:52:32.990-07:0015 Minute Meal- Salsa Chicken<div>
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Who doesn't love a quick and easy meal? Being able to throw together some ingredients and 15 minutes get to sit down and eat it. A lot of packets spurt their benefits that they can help you make a quick meal, which is often tempting to me. But when I turn them over and find that there are more ingredients in the list than the minutes it takes to make them.... I don't love it so much.<div>
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Moving to Auckland and starting a 9-5job this year has only made the idea of a 15 minute meal more relevant to me. As much as I love cooking, I also love being able to relax by 7pm. Between getting home and doing dishes, that doesn't leave a heap of time to make a meal. </div>
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I do love Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals book (although in all fairness, a lot take closer to 25-30 for me), but one issue that I have is that some contain quite a lot of ingredients in them and I am a tad limited on cupboard space. That's why I am always looking for inspiration for simple, delicious meals that are super easy and quick to cook, but which I also know are nourishing and great for me to be eating.</div>
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You may notice that this recipe uses jarred salsa. Yes, yes, I know that that somewhat breaks my target of no processed foods, however, if you know me you know that I am all about balance, and a little bit of jarred salsa is better than a fraken-food microwave meal or picking up over-processed takeaways. When shopping for salsa, as with all food, I look for the one with the least amount of long-named ingredients. Ideally I would use homemade salsa, which is on my cooking wish list since I've never made it before, so if you have a great recipe let me know! In the mean time I feel comfortable using a little bit of processed ingredient in what is otherwise a fresh and wholesome meal.</div>
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Serves 4</div>
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2 large or 4 small chicken breasts</div>
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Salt & Pepper</div>
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2 Tsp dried oregano</div>
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1 cup Salsa</div>
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1 cup grated cheese</div>
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Turn your grill on to high.</div>
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If you are using 2 large chicken breasts, cut them in 2 horizontally (so you essentially make 4 chicken breasts).</div>
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Cut two sheets of greaseproof paper, large enough to fit all of the chicken. Place one sheet on a flat surface and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and oregano. Place the chicken on the greaseproof paper, cover with the second sheet, and bash with a rolling pin or similar until chicken is around 1 cm thick.</div>
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Place a little oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for around 4 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.</div>
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Remove chicken from pan into an oven-safe dish. Top each piece of chicken with 1/4 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup cheese.</div>
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Place under the grill for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.</div>
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This is great served of rice with a big side of steamed or stir-fried vegetables (as pictured), put into wraps, or used as protein for a salad.</div>
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Enjoy xx</div>
Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-48197136230673821052015-06-08T12:01:00.001-07:002015-06-08T12:01:47.228-07:00Winter Wellness Bowl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Excuse me if this post is a little jumbled, but I have been up since 3am and am starting to feel a little weary. Yes, 3am sounds crazy to me too, but for the next year of my life this will be my regular for a Monday. As part of my graduate programme, I spend one day a week out in the field. This involves being in a supermarket at 4am making sure all of our shelves are well stocked and tidy and that our displays are all set up.... Hence the 3am wake up.<br />
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With my Monday's spent in a state of sleep deprivation and spending quite a lot of it driving in a car, I need to figure out some great nutritious meals and snacks that are easy to eat in my breaks between stores. Today I did ok, eating a bit of fruit and some sugar-free oat mufifn things, but I definitely think that I could do better.</div>
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This winter wellness bowl that I made the other week would actually be a great choice. This bowl is packed full of nutrition and uses some great seasonal vegetables. In this I included brussel sprouts and kumara, but it would also be great with pumpkin or butternut squash. The same goes for the chickpeas that I used. I love chickpeas as they really help to fill me up and are a great source of protein, but you could use lentils, kidney beans or some leftover chicken.</div>
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1 medium kumara </div>
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1 cup finely sliced brussel sprouts</div>
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1/2 cup water</div>
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1 cup cooked quinoa/amaranth/rice or other grain</div>
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1 cup chickpeas</div>
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1 tsp smoked paprika</div>
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1 tsp cumin seeds</div>
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Squeeze lime juice</div>
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If you have time, wash the kumara and roast in the oven until soft. If you are short on time, prick the kumara all over with a fork and cook in the microwave for around 6 minutes, turning half way through. </div>
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Heat a fry pan over a medium heat, add a little coconut oil and then add the brussel sprouts. Stirfry for 3-4 minutes, then add the water and stock. Simmer for a few minutes until the water has evaportaed and the sprouts are soft.</div>
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In the same pan, heat a little more coconut oil. Add the cumin seeds and paprika and fry over a medium-high heat until the cumin seeds start to 'pop'. Add the chickpeas and saute until they are well coated in the spices. Squeeze over a little lime juice</div>
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Chop the cooked kumara, then assemble all of the ingredients together as nicely or as un-nicely as you like.</div>
Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-89375075182145763582015-05-27T02:13:00.000-07:002015-05-27T02:13:17.613-07:00Wholegrain Almond and Pumpkin Seed Crackers<br />
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How horrible has this weather been! Although Auckland hasn't been nearly as cold as down in Dunedin with all of the snowy, freezing weather, it still hasn't been amazing at all!! We've had a lot of rain and some very stormy weather.<br />
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Hungry Male has been away for the past week, so I have been spending a lot of the cold, wintery nights rugged up in bed with Basil (my cat), catching up on my reading. On Saturday I braved the wet weather and headed into Newmarket to catch up with a friend. We went to Little and Friday which I have been wanting to go to since I got here. I forgot to take a photo, but I had a lemon cake which was delicious! I then went and did a little bit of widow shopping and found a pattern for my wedding dress! That was very exciting. As I was wandering I spied a massage place called The Rub, so I popped in and treated myself to a neck and shoulder massage. I didn't realise just how tight I was until the masseuse got started. It was definitely a nice treat.<br />
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In the evening, I somehow survived driving in torrential rain with surface flooding on the motorway (aargh!) to go have a Girls night with some friends. We got some chunky chips and pate and breads to start and then shared a margarita pizza, to go with a couple of delicious wines of course. Our favourite was definitely the Kumeu River Pinot Noir (you can buy your own bottle <a href="http://www.kumeuriver.co.nz/#Our-Wine">here</a>). Because of the horrible weather, instead of bar-hopping we grabbed a bottle of wine, headed back to the girl's flat and got in our pyjamas to chat. All-in-all it was a fantastic night!<br />
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On Sunday I used the day to myself to do lots of baking. These crackers were one of the things I made. I love crackers as a snack, but I know that crackers can be a bit of a trap for salt and artificial flavours and additives, so I decided that they were something that I should try and make myself. As usual, I compared a few recipes..... and then came up with my own take.<br />
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Along with wholemeal flour for fibre, I added almond and pumpkin seeds to up the nutrients in the crackers. I made my a bit thicker, so they are kind of a stodgier cracker rather that a light crispier one. I like this as it means they hold toppings really well, but you could easily make light, crispy ones by just rolling the dough thinner. You can also easily play around with the fillings that you choose to put in your cracker.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour<br />
1/3 cup plain almonds<br />
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds<br />
Pinch salt<br />
5 Tbsp olive oil<br />
1/4 cup water<br />
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2 Tbsp Olive or Coconut oil<br />
Sea salt and herbs for sprinkling<br />
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Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease a baking tray and line with baking paper.<br />
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In a food processor, whiz your almonds and pumpkin seeds to break them up a bit. Add the flour and salt and whiz together some more. Gradually pour in the olive oil while still whizzing.<br />
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Little by little add in your water (you may not need it all). Your dough is ready when it has begun to clump together, but isn't sticky.<br />
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Dust a board with some flour, then roll out your dough until it is about 3mm thick, or if you want nice crispy ones, roll it thinner. Cut into squares or rectangles and place on the baking tray. Take any dough offcuts, roll in a ball and then repeat.<br />
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Brush your crackers with a little olive or coconut oil and sprinkle with seas salt and herbs.<br />
For thick crackers bake for around 18-20 minutes. Crackers should feel hard and be golden on top.<br />
For thin crackers, they will only need around 10-12 minutes. These will be golden and feel crsipy.<br />
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Leave to cool, then enjoy.<br />
<br />Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-2696810429154434682015-05-21T02:24:00.002-07:002015-05-21T02:24:51.558-07:00Turning Your Real Food Shop Into Nutritious MealsIt is easy going to the supermarket and buying healthy ingredients. You walk in and you grab all of the items that are whole foods. You stock up on lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (preferably ones in season). You go to the chillers and buy your milk, butter, cheese etc. Wander past the bakery and then head into the aisles.<br />
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As long as you follow a few simple rules then shopping isn't hard;Buy foods in as whole a state as possible<br />
<ul>
<li>When buying pre-packaged, buy those with as few ingredients as possible</li>
<li>Avoid refined sugars</li>
<li>Opt for whole grains</li>
</ul>
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However, eating real, nutritious food on a day-to-day basis is not so easy. I often find myself getting all enthusiastic at the supermarket, coming home with lots of great, nutritious food and then......... blank.</div>
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I have no idea how to use alot of it.</div>
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One of my friends has requested that I make up a meal plan with a shopping list that would essentially eliminate this problem. While I don't yet have one of those ready, I thought instead that I could try to inspire you a little with how I turn my weekly shop into real food.</div>
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Here was my shop:</div>
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First up are the essential fruits and vegetable. In this shop I had celery, beetroot, bananas, avocado, lemon, apples, lettuce, zuchinni, tomatoes and carrots. Here are some of the ways I use them:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Celery: I love celery as a snack. Dip it in some hummus or fill it with cottage cheese and raisins or peanut butter (my personal favourite is obviously peanut butter).</li>
<li>Beetroot: You may or may not know, but beetroot is really delicious raw as well as cooked. I love to grate raw beetroot, mix it with balsamic vinegar and salt and serves it with other salad ingredients. You can also roast your beetroot up with other vegetables for roast vege salads or a side dish.</li>
<li>Avocado: I absolutely love avocado!Mash it up for guacamole, throw it in a smoothie, eat it on its own coated in Dukkah or drizzled with lemon juice. You have no reason to throw out avocado!</li>
<li>Apples: I eat apples every day. Often as is, but I also chop it up with yoghurt for breakfast, dip them in peanut butter for a snack, or cook in the microwave with some cinnamon as a healthy treat.</li>
<li>Lettuce: Nothing out of the ordinary here. I use this in salad and sandwiches</li>
<li>Zuchinni: Or courgette, whatever you want to call it. I quite often use a wide vegetable peeler to make zuchinni pasta, topped with a lentil bolognaise, or I toss it in some balsamic and roast it</li>
<li>Tomatoes: Like the lettuce, nothing really out of the ordinary. Salads and sandwiches.....</li>
<li>Carrots: Another favourite of mine. I use carrots in stir fries and casseroles, throw them into salads, grate them and stir them into mince meals, or simply eat them raw as a snack.</li>
</ul>
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Next up we have meat and dairy. I used to be the sort of person who only ate low-fat dairy, but I gave up on that over a year ago, and to be honest, I don't think it's made one scrap of difference weight wise. I also get lots of benefits from it like making me feel fuller. In this shop I had chicken, mince, steak, ham, milk, sour cream, greek yoghurt, yoghurt pots, and feta.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Chicken: This is a weekly staple for me. Sometimes I pre-stuff it in the weekend, so I have an easy throw in the oven weeknight meal. I also love it in stir fries, in pasta, marinated and grilled. It is a really great base for your "real" meals.</li>
<li>Mince: I tend to go for a premium mince as I just don't really like the taste and texture of the fattier mince. With mince I make slow-cooker meatballs, mexican style mince to top baked potatoes or in wholegrain tortillas, or cook it up traditional bolognaise-style.</li>
<li>Steak: I'm pretty uninventive. I tend to rub it down with a little oil, pepper, salt and smoked paprika and then grill it.</li>
<li>Ham: I don't eat a lot of processed meats, but sometimes ham comes in handy for on pizzas or for in sandwiches.</li>
<li>Milk: I don't drink heaps of cows milk as I prefer almond milk for my smoothies. For me, milk is most often used in my cups of tea or for in baking. I still tend to go for full-fat as I just think its better (and it makes a much better bechamel sauce!)</li>
<li>Sour Cream: Mexican-style food needs sour cream! Again, I don't use it heaps, but it's the sort of thing that is handy to have in the fridge.</li>
<li>Greek yoghurt: Plain, full-fat greek yoghurt is a staple for me!! I often have it for breakfast with fruit and oats, I stir it into my porridge, I eat it with nuts and fruit as a snack, or I use it in baking. I just really love my greek yoghurt.</li>
<li>Collective Yoghurt Pots: If you follow me on social media, you will know that I really love The Collective products. They tend to be low in refined sugars and these ones also had grains in them. These were used for my mid-afternoon snacks.</li>
<li>Feta: Feta is great to add a bit of flavour to things and a little goes a long way. I crumble it over salads, over vegetables, smush some into a sandwich, or make a delicious spanakopita (Spinach and feta filo roll). </li>
</ul>
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And finally we have all of my other cupboard staples. This included tinned tomatoes, beans, peanut butter, spices, tomato paste, muesli bars, pasta and a quinoa-rice blend.</div>
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<ul>
<li>Tinned vegetables: I always keep some beans or chickpeas in my cupboard so that I can add them to my lunch salads for protein, or use them in casseroles or soups. I also use tinned tomatoes lots for pasta sauces or other tomato-based sauces. </li>
<li>Peanut Butter: I could probably go on for pages about my love for peanut butter. I use it on toast, melt it with coconut oil and honey for a sauce, spread it on crackers, have it on toast with bananas......</li>
<li>Muesli bars: These are processed so I don't eat them alot. These particular ones were for hungry male who tends to be a bit fussy, but when I buy ones for myself, I buy ones with as few ingredients as possible and with a small amount of refined sugar.</li>
<li>Quinoa-rice blend: I cooked this up as a nutrient-packed alternative to plain rice for stir-fries, curries or as a base for lunch salads</li>
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So that is the most of it. I'm not going to pretend like I am perfect and never touch processed foods, but I find that if I do some pre-planning before I shop then it is much easier to stick to eating and using up my real-food shop (because I really hate wasting food!).</div>
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Hope this inspires you to get into the kitchen and make some great real-food meals.</div>
Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-14569135814559710622015-05-13T01:13:00.000-07:002015-05-13T01:45:35.741-07:00Super Green Smoothie<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnly48VBaULahNCVEAwz4jzVcpRFjTgu9o6FYT5BcXeYtgV1jJ2-WRG2Fxx3VZAYjag-OFQ8fx7AF-0d2PyPTkbnjYugj550Z6fSiVm3MLGDLoAmoWpvEt_HqltRAlyHNXRtew0tcDL8/s640/blogger-image--1769469213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnly48VBaULahNCVEAwz4jzVcpRFjTgu9o6FYT5BcXeYtgV1jJ2-WRG2Fxx3VZAYjag-OFQ8fx7AF-0d2PyPTkbnjYugj550Z6fSiVm3MLGDLoAmoWpvEt_HqltRAlyHNXRtew0tcDL8/s640/blogger-image--1769469213.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div>It's been so long since I last posted!! If you follow me on Facebook and Instagram then hoefully you won't feel forgotten, but if you only follow this blog I apologise for neglecting you! A lot has been happening in the last few weeks, including one of my best friends coming up to see Singing in The Rain together. The cast did an amazing job and the water curtain was so impressive! It somehow made me want to go and dance in puddles and I tend to hate rain!<br>
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I have been having some pretty delicious food in the past few weeks! We went to some awesome little Japanese place before Singing in The Rain (no idea what it was called but it was across from the Civic Theatre in Auckland). I always love a good Donburi. On Monday this week, I had a work Dinner at Depot. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures, but we got a bunch of share plates of delicious things like Turbot sliders, lamb ribs and Fig and Goat's cheese toasties. Pretty much everything was amazing and I would definitely recommend it (if you can get a seat).<br>
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Not all of my meals have been out of course. When my friend was up we attempted to cook our way through the bags and bags of Feijoas that i had from the trees in my back garden. We made Feijoa jam and stewed Feijoas, both of which are delicious. Another great thing I made is this smoothie.<br>
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After a pretty jam-packed week last week, including a night of only 3 hours sleep (it was conference alright!), I was feeling in need of a bit of a nutrient boost. This is when I think smoothies really come into their own, as you can jam so much into them, and they are so tasty and easy.<br>
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My rule of thumb with smoothies is to include a fruit, some healthy fats, protein and if possible some form of vegetable. This one checked all of the boxes. I had frozen banana, as I love how cold and thick they make the smoothie, coconut oil for some healthy fat, almond milk and protein powder* to keep me full, and baby spinach as the vegetable. To top it off, I added some Vital Greens powder to up my vegetable-based nutrient content.<br>
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It's pretty much a power smoothie.<br>
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*NB: With Protein powder, aim for one with no refined sugars. I use a Whey Protein Powder that is sweetened with a little bit of Stevia, but plain Whey or plant-based protein powder will also work.<br>
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Makes 1 Smoothie<br>
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<u>Ingredients</u><br>
1 banana, chopped and frozen<br>
1 cup almond milk<br>
1 tsp coconut oil<br>
1 scoop protein powder<br>
Handful baby spinach<br>
2 tsp Vital Greens powder<br>
1 tsp pure maple syrup (optional)<br>
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Place everything in a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend in two 30 second bursts, or until everything is completely blended together (no one wants chunks of spinach in their smoothie!).<br>
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Serve immediately.<br>
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Enjoy xx<br>
<br>Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-78411759847721510342015-04-29T00:49:00.001-07:002015-04-29T00:52:02.537-07:00Fantastic Feijoa Smoothie<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT06U2lp8PIs8hyHZdDNyRF7fpYgw_WGxH8ABqlE1-nqC4SFwkLTEcCJmQKlx1JKUewWMtgUTclh5BAMVAPi0k2RO22KaoBDWg2kUgnivlQP3oH_Lj9Q8RQPcRGseesnTL-PGXDuYtTiA/s640/blogger-image-824220207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT06U2lp8PIs8hyHZdDNyRF7fpYgw_WGxH8ABqlE1-nqC4SFwkLTEcCJmQKlx1JKUewWMtgUTclh5BAMVAPi0k2RO22KaoBDWg2kUgnivlQP3oH_Lj9Q8RQPcRGseesnTL-PGXDuYtTiA/s640/blogger-image-824220207.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Hi everyone. I am finally back with a recipe! After a great Easter break away I have been feeling a bit more inspired in the kitchen lately, so hopefully I'll get some great recipes up for you over the next few weeks.<div><br></div><div>I had a really nice Anzac weekend. On Saturday we went mountain biking at Woodhill mountain bike park. It's a really great nearby park full of great mountain biking tracks, however, it turns out that it is actually quite large so we ended up biking for around 3 hours! My legs were complete jelly at the end.</div><div><br></div><div>Sunday we went and got a couple of things in town as I wanted some things to put on the wall in our bedroom to make it feel more like 'ours'. Monday the weather wasn't very great, so we mooched around in the morning and then wandered around some more shops.</div><div><br></div><div>I came up with this recipe as a way to try and get through some of the dozens and dozens of feijoas that are covering a part of my lawn at the moment. There are four feijoa trees in our back yard and teamed with this year being a bumper season, I have quite the feijoa problem on my hands. I think this weekend I might have to try preserving some.</div><div><br></div><div>I love smoothies for breakfast as they are a great way to pack nutrients into a meal and they are nice and portable, so if i'm running late I can also take them along to work with me. I used a frozen banana in my smoothie, but if you don't like the taste of banana, a frozen apple would also be really nice! Haven't pre-prepared frozen fruit? You can always use fresh and add some ice cubes to the mix.</div><div><br></div><div><u>Ingredients</u></div><div>Frozen banana (or apple)</div><div>3 medium feijoas</div><div>1 cup almond milk</div><div>1/2 tsp vanilla essence</div><div>1-2 tsp honey</div><div>Scoop protein powder (optional)</div><div><br></div><div>Halve the feijoas and scoop out the flesh. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and whiz until completely smooth (I did around a minute all up). Enjoy nice and cold.</div><div><br></div><div>So here is one way to use up my feijoas, now to just find about 20 more. Let me know of you have any great ideas for how to use up my feijoas!</div>Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-72204628634674768712015-04-20T01:39:00.001-07:002015-04-20T01:39:32.155-07:0012 Week Challenge Final Week- Be Body Confident<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XmfPn-QMAg-tgR5O1eRhYeilirhbjsEMNh5Qkrden45D8YIqVL1Gfi8NWTNt5q64ULK_d5YF_tuDoxo_T2Zleu8B8Y-8vCoQXTBj4j1kFWNxu21WVHUmqSpfuWcVu0-T8HvQzHnoyJ8/s640/blogger-image-1927658436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XmfPn-QMAg-tgR5O1eRhYeilirhbjsEMNh5Qkrden45D8YIqVL1Gfi8NWTNt5q64ULK_d5YF_tuDoxo_T2Zleu8B8Y-8vCoQXTBj4j1kFWNxu21WVHUmqSpfuWcVu0-T8HvQzHnoyJ8/s640/blogger-image-1927658436.jpg"></a></div><br></div>This week is the final week of the 12 Week Challenge. This week is also possibly one of the most challenging weeks. It is easy to change what you have around you to help you eat better, but changing what your brain is telling you... well that is a different story.<div><br></div><div>Think of your morning routine; you shower, get dressed, do your hair, do your makeup and then go and check yourself in the mirror. What is it that you say to yourself? Do you compliment yourself, or do you find yourself pointing out all of your flaws?</div><div><br></div><div>I believe that part of being healthy holistically, is having a positive mindset. So here are my tips on being more body confident:</div><div><br></div><div>1. Focus on the positive: A few months ago we had a great speaker come into work who spoke about the influence having a positive mindset can have on your mental wellbeing. So when you look at yourself in the mirror, rather than immediately pointing out to yourself what it is that you don't like, instead find two or three things to compliment yourself on. Focusing on the positive aspects will become a habit and in time, you will find that you notice the positive more than the negative.</div><div><br></div><div>2. Don't be a slave to fashion: Not all styles of clothing will suit you, it as simple as that. As much as I love the look of loose, draped layers, between my chest and butt, they tend to look like unflattering sacks on me. While sometimes its frustrating, I just have to remind myself that there are lots of clothes that can look great on me. Rather than following the latest fashions to the letter, you are far better picking out the pieces that suit you and make you feel good and making your own style.</div><div><br></div><div>3. Find the little things that make you feel good: Sometimes something little is all it takes to perk up your day. I like to put on bright lipstick when I'm feeling a bit low as I feel like it helps brighten the rest of your day. I also feel better about myself if I've gone for a good run etc. Make time for these little things.</div><div><br></div><div>4. Dont try to change what you can't: Sometimes you just have to make peace with what you have. You cannot physically change the length of your limbs, or give yourself an entirely different body shape. So stop wishing you could!</div><div><br></div><div>I'm not saying that I am completely body confident, I sadly don't believe that many people are, but it is something that I think that I can constantly be trying to work on.</div><div><br></div><div>What are your body confidence tips? What do you do to make you feel brighter?</div>Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-66597436417181040262015-04-13T00:48:00.000-07:002015-04-13T00:52:14.564-07:0012 Week Challenge Week 11- Meat-free Monday (or any other day)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDAx1H7aRn86VcMtueFJntYd4GkUXzEGsApbqGHXC1caNCiwfcvVG1YEetO7nYQZ3hbkhZkLejOiP_HO4EgxsW8DL494ykmjG9u7zH30_BY_mLOvSz0J63bLY5XdGIUG9HLno1gojBaw/s640/blogger-image-2128346539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDAx1H7aRn86VcMtueFJntYd4GkUXzEGsApbqGHXC1caNCiwfcvVG1YEetO7nYQZ3hbkhZkLejOiP_HO4EgxsW8DL494ykmjG9u7zH30_BY_mLOvSz0J63bLY5XdGIUG9HLno1gojBaw/s640/blogger-image-2128346539.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div>Hey everyone. I hope that you had a fantastic easter! I'm sorry that I have been out of action for a few weeks. I ended up getting really busy with work and trying to get everything sorted up in Auckland before we went down to Dunedin for a week and a half. Then unfortunately, the day we got home I was hit by a cold and have been feeling less than fantastic this past week.<br>
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Anyway, I am back now and ready to get stuck into Week 11 of the 12 week challenge. This week, the challenge is to go veggie for a day. Why vegetarian? There are a few reasons actually.</div>
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<br></div>
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1. Saves you money. Meat tends to be the most expensive component of a meal, whereas vegetarian forms of protein are often dirt cheap. Ditching the meat for one day a week is a great way to reduce your food bill a little bit.</div>
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2. It forces you to be a bit more creative. Sure you could just go with a simple pasta, but once you start looking, there are actually some really great vegetarian options out there. Some of my favourites are falafel, bean burritos and lentil-based soups.</div>
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3. The key to health is variety (of real foods of course), so mixing in some vegetarian is definitely a way to mix things up.</div>
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If you are already vegetarian then this will be easy! Perhaps instead you could challenge yourself to try a new vegetarian dish. On the other side, if you are paleo, then you can probably ignore this unless you are able to find a well-balanced vegetarian dish.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMKme1-yn3iAbYV4x4lx6LZvCBLverkvlIw8fWDr_2pBk3CqXILYDPalK3orkKo0FpMAyK3oBuBd9Z8WymJj_hS7st0pY9cxfNXDD8xIQZkPNUCFN5DW3114eGhqkgt1P8q44aa8-pu8/s640/blogger-image-715492413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMKme1-yn3iAbYV4x4lx6LZvCBLverkvlIw8fWDr_2pBk3CqXILYDPalK3orkKo0FpMAyK3oBuBd9Z8WymJj_hS7st0pY9cxfNXDD8xIQZkPNUCFN5DW3114eGhqkgt1P8q44aa8-pu8/s640/blogger-image-715492413.jpg"></a></div><br></div>
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Here are some ideas from the blog to help you along:</div>
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Try a lentil-based vegetable soup: http://www.libbysfood.blogspot.co.nz/2013/06/pumpkin-and-red-lentil-soup-with.html</div>
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This roast beetroot sub makes an easy, quick lunch or dinner: http://libbysfood.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/roast-beetroot-sub.html</div>
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In the mood for pizza? Try this veggie based pizza: http://www.libbysfood.blogspot.co.nz/2014/01/veggie-rific-margherita-pizza.html</div>
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Stack these potato and parsnip fritters up with avocado and tomato for a delicious meal: http://libbysfood.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/potato-and-parsnip-fritters.html</div>
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Lots a recipe books have a vegetarian section now and you can always use google for more ideas.</div>
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Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-33569339885899203112015-03-09T00:19:00.002-07:002015-03-09T00:19:22.953-07:0012 Week Challenge Week 9- BreathHi All! Another week, another challenge.<br />
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Right now you may be thinking "What is she on about? I breath all the time!". However, if you stop and think about it, do you ever take the time to stop and take some deep, relaxing breaths?<br />
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I thought not.<br />
<br />
Unless you have been living in a bubble, you will have heard that stress is just downright not good for you. And you may notice that when you are stressed, you tend to take shallower breaths and tense up, and then you just end up feeling more found up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfmm5hyphenhyphenjwv3rt013EafMtrkNhlx86BMFUbfhZsuzc83xabOeQIL1TeEEJ7usC4qyq9Cmg2nJc4hEk6DrC7o8YDhqm5Fq5wksAdwtVVgW4R9vPihArHtadJCcijjcBftuya8cZSFcQP0g/s1600/3475199344_22c0327a80_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfmm5hyphenhyphenjwv3rt013EafMtrkNhlx86BMFUbfhZsuzc83xabOeQIL1TeEEJ7usC4qyq9Cmg2nJc4hEk6DrC7o8YDhqm5Fq5wksAdwtVVgW4R9vPihArHtadJCcijjcBftuya8cZSFcQP0g/s1600/3475199344_22c0327a80_z.jpg" height="390" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
That is why this week, I want you to take a minute or two to just stop and take some big, deep breaths. I get that meditation isn't everyone's thing, but if you are in the mood, it is a great way to pause and focus on breathing. For everyone else, pick a time where you have spare minutes. Perhaps you sit in a bit of traffic going to work, or you could do it when you are watching TV.<br />
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Just take in a deep breath, right down into your belly, and then let it out slowly and feel yourself start to relax.<br />
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That is all the advice that i am going to give you, because frankly, you don't need my instruction to know how to breath.<br />
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Good Luck and remember.....<br />
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BREATHLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-75868590954860232892015-03-07T23:29:00.004-08:002015-03-07T23:29:50.272-08:00Apricot Surprise Muffins (Refined sugar free)<br />
Hi All! I hope that you have enjoyed your weekend. I fit in a spot of shopping yesterday and got a couple of nice things. I managed to find a blouse for work and a striped dress from Valley Girl (gotta love cheap and cheerful). I don't expect these to last that long since they were really cheap, but they will be good for a season or so. I also got a nicer sweater for work from Farmers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hSJeIjw5N82pvl1eVPNdhgnHWimVWJaAr09WtL_XRb4HTCS_505WQqmma9vNIRMsdEUcIBcOscYs-SEcMjtUOeAlH27ihlilQXx8i-M5ixa2P6_B0z4IdqpGGeoypQ_ve29lPu9CEJI/s1600/IMG_1603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hSJeIjw5N82pvl1eVPNdhgnHWimVWJaAr09WtL_XRb4HTCS_505WQqmma9vNIRMsdEUcIBcOscYs-SEcMjtUOeAlH27ihlilQXx8i-M5ixa2P6_B0z4IdqpGGeoypQ_ve29lPu9CEJI/s1600/IMG_1603.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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It is very hard to even imagine winter when it is still pretty consistently in the mid 20s up here in Auckland, but I don't want the colder weather to creep up on me and have nothing to wear for work!<br />
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I also got out for a bit of Mountain Biking yesterday evening. I'm still very much a beginner at this, and as a result my technique isn't that great. Because of this, I did take a bit of a journey off my bike and onto the ground. Ouch! Luckily I only have a couple of scrapes and bruises to show for this.<br />
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I realise that I have been a little bit slack with the recipes lately. It's not that I haven't been creating anything, but I just haven't been taking the time to photograph and document it. I promise to try harder in the future :)<br />
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As this week's focus for the 12-week challenge is cutting refined sugar for one day I thought that I should post a recipe that allows you to still enjoy sweet food without all of the refined sugars. I definitely have a sweet tooth, so anything that allows me to indulge in a healthier way is a winner in my book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyf1UKUclVSNsFVTLua_I17nVxLqU6pd1ibM6Y5LjZqUZmmSh9QC2rBr2U8dySvQlRoRFMOTVLUQLEBS7zsvRn9VwDZtKFQeKO3zl21or2_488PI5-psGP9MZk-HskIRfsfP5xzSuHh8/s1600/IMG_1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyf1UKUclVSNsFVTLua_I17nVxLqU6pd1ibM6Y5LjZqUZmmSh9QC2rBr2U8dySvQlRoRFMOTVLUQLEBS7zsvRn9VwDZtKFQeKO3zl21or2_488PI5-psGP9MZk-HskIRfsfP5xzSuHh8/s1600/IMG_1602.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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These muffins have been sweetened using brown rice syrup, as it doesn't play havoc with blood sugar like refined sugars do and it is a relatively natural alternative. If you don't have access to brown rice syrup, I definitely think that these muffins would work with honey. If you do try let me know! These muffins also feel a bit more like a treat thanks to the creamy 'surprise' that they have in the middle.<br />
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Enjoy xx<br />
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(Makes 12 regular-sized muffins)<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
1 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1 cup wholemeal flour (you could use all wholemeal but they will be stodgier)<br />
2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots<br />
3/4 cup brown rice syrup<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
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1/4 cup cream cheese<br />
1 tsp brown rice syrup<br />
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Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. and line a muffin tin.<br />
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In a large bowl, sift the flours, baking powder and baking soda. Stir through the dried apricots.<br />
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In a separate bowl, beat together the brown rice syrup, eggs and milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and fold together until just mixed.<br />
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In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and brown rice syrup.<br />
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Fill each muffin hole about 1/4 full with mixture, then add 1 tsp of cream cheese mixture. Fill each muffin hole evenly with the rest of the mixture.<br />
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Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are golden and the top of the muffin springs back when gently pushed.<br />
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Eat within 1-2 days, or freeze for later.Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-29562047931905558632015-03-01T00:01:00.001-08:002015-03-01T00:07:48.599-08:0012 Week Challenge Week 9- Cut the Sugar<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWlwXLJSTmLmKMIC7bXufL_vOtmvKbWIJlaGFT-YdvCTp6NuEbbXizLW7H5iAdZeLh-JCbjlztGUtaZSLPf58aJ1_MQxHbRwfj00CSqISY0nrvXV85vHH4B6-IZcbLqZ36p57_UW0Ht8/s640/blogger-image--1982651388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIWlwXLJSTmLmKMIC7bXufL_vOtmvKbWIJlaGFT-YdvCTp6NuEbbXizLW7H5iAdZeLh-JCbjlztGUtaZSLPf58aJ1_MQxHbRwfj00CSqISY0nrvXV85vHH4B6-IZcbLqZ36p57_UW0Ht8/s640/blogger-image--1982651388.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Hi All. Another week, another challenge for you. Usually I am very much against cutting things out of your diet, as this kind of restriction is usually a sign of an unbalanced diet. This is why I why I won't tell you to completely cut refined sugars out of your diet. However, if there are two things that you should really try to eliinate as much as possible from your diet, it is overly processed foods and refined sugars (although both things tend to go hand in hand).<div><br></div><div>As noted before, cutting sugar completely from your diet just tends to lead to major sugar cravings and will probably get you nowhere in the end. There are programmes like the I Quit Sugar programme that do this, and if you can follow this and succeed, go for it! But I won't ask you to do this. Instead I prefer a more incremental approach.</div><div><br></div><div>Cut the sugar for one day per week.</div><div><br></div><div>Because sugar is addictive, the more you eat, the more you tend to crave. That is why occasionally I like to go a full day without refined sugars to help prevent this. However, doing this once a week would be even better, which is why I have included it in this challenge.</div><div><br></div><div>Here are some tips that I've come up with to help you out:</div><div><br></div><div>- Drink water. Linking back to the first week, make sure that you keep your water intake up. We tend to crave sugar around mid afternoon as we feel that energy slump, however, instead you may actually just be a bit dehydrated. Whenever you start to crave sugar, try drinking some water.</div><div><br></div><div>- Find some healthy alternatives. If you really must have a hit of sugar, find a natural alternative such as fruit. A find dates really great.</div><div><br></div><div>- Try to identify your sugar triggers. I know that I tend to want something sweet after lunch and dinner. I suppose that it is just a habit that I have developed. To help out I tend to grab a cup of tea. One good way to beat your sugar cravings is to know when they tend to happen and be prepared for them.</div><div><br></div><div>- Watch your condiments. Chutneys, sauces and spreads can all have a lot of hidden refined sugars in them, so watch out for these.</div><div><br></div><div>These are just some of the ways that help me successfully cut sugar for a day. I will share some other tips on Facebook and Instagram over the week and please share any tips you have with me.</div>Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-10191004357291656892015-02-25T22:58:00.001-08:002015-02-25T22:58:05.631-08:00Salad Jar Idea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMRG_4mD8VqtALLF_F-ug0NdhykXEHXH5wOjimPEB8kgsG-SsCtV3nukZpqYbQhgUIAh39jmucjstuCC0mNZDDIHaUTiKES72qgDWgDJsyT4Ud7DeUXyx8DqFX_slSvABCMKhq5cnp9o/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMRG_4mD8VqtALLF_F-ug0NdhykXEHXH5wOjimPEB8kgsG-SsCtV3nukZpqYbQhgUIAh39jmucjstuCC0mNZDDIHaUTiKES72qgDWgDJsyT4Ud7DeUXyx8DqFX_slSvABCMKhq5cnp9o/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hi everyone. How is your week going? I'm feeling a little bit tired and I am definitely happy that tomorrow is Friday.<br />
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Because I was tired and had a bit of a headache, we took it a little bit easier tonight for our exercise and just went for a walk for around an hour. The warmer weather up here definitely makes getting outside for some exercise in the evenings or mornings nice, but not being used to it, the middle of the day is definitely too hot for me a lot of days.<br />
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Along with outdoor exercise, the warmer weather is also a great opportunity to pack heaps of veggies into your diet in the form of salads. I know that a lot of people aren't into the idea of salads for a meal as they are 'diet' food and not very satisfying. My belief is that, if you have this mindset, you just haven't tried the right salad. I make sure to pack mine full of protein and healthy fats and this way they are just as filling as a sandwich.<br />
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If you follow me on instagram (@libbysfood), you will now that this summer I have been very fond of my salad jars. They are a great way of transporting a salad, keeping the ingredients nice and fresh, and at the end of the day, I can just pop the jar in the dishwasher for easy clean up.<br />
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The trick with a salad jar is all about the layering:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Top Layers</b>: Salad Leaves and Crispy bits. Basically all of the things that you don't want to go soggy, i.e. croutons.</li>
<li><b>Middle layers</b>: Cheeses, nuts, tomatoes etc. In the middle layer go all of the things that can afford to get a little dressing on them if the jar tips over, but that you don't want to be drenched in dressing.</li>
<li><b>Second to bottom layer</b>: Proteins and hard vegetables. These are the items that are going to absorb or be covered in dressing. Things like beans, chicken and carrots are great in this layer.</li>
<li><b>Bottom layer</b>: In the bottom layer you put your dressing. </li>
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When you go to eat it all you have to do is invert it into a bowl, or if you are short of a bowl, you can try to mix it up in the jar.</div>
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<b>A salad jar to get you started...</b></div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Top Layer</b>: Baby spinach and sprouts</li>
<li><b>Middle Layers: </b>Cherry tomatoes, almonds and blueberries.</li>
<li><b>Bottom Layers: </b>Avocado and feta (because I like it when it takes up some of the dressing), and of course in the very bottom was my dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, honey and a little sea salt.</li>
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I definitely suggest giving one of these a go!!</div>
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<br />Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-26304072935573170802015-02-22T21:26:00.001-08:002015-02-22T21:26:09.764-08:0012 Week Challenge Week 8- Consolidation Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMZFQf6oO7f3TsrBiakbFTl8ZYyBb1shq7NCn9Na4sqDkwtZwaJMgBxGX__ZeDO7No4MwQiGiIqTWigW21zCwehxhkDgOUxHeeAWjL1-94DwHloSu214nYRv1ZHuM8VrADZP2PgADDbs/s1600/Strawberry_splash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMZFQf6oO7f3TsrBiakbFTl8ZYyBb1shq7NCn9Na4sqDkwtZwaJMgBxGX__ZeDO7No4MwQiGiIqTWigW21zCwehxhkDgOUxHeeAWjL1-94DwHloSu214nYRv1ZHuM8VrADZP2PgADDbs/s1600/Strawberry_splash.jpg" height="320" width="279" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfd5Dm9iNcaPbqkrnub38AT5-KFnAIi8Lw1SeC8yucmcyKA0ep4HA8nUv7ouIvU1hn3RdZWp9qhixfL7jr-3lqIfGEGYIUN_VBRWo2XAb5iBZveh4T6TBIuVNI-d7S7ZLpnWlXGd24xw/s1600/vegetables-353926_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfd5Dm9iNcaPbqkrnub38AT5-KFnAIi8Lw1SeC8yucmcyKA0ep4HA8nUv7ouIvU1hn3RdZWp9qhixfL7jr-3lqIfGEGYIUN_VBRWo2XAb5iBZveh4T6TBIuVNI-d7S7ZLpnWlXGd24xw/s1600/vegetables-353926_640.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a>Hi Everyone! How is the 12 Week Challenge going for you? My water drinking did slip back a little last week, but I think this may be more to do with being a little bit lazy in recording it on Plant Nanny rather than not drinking my usual amount of water.<br />
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Since this week is week 8 of the challenge, it is time for some consolidation of the goals so far.<br />
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Here is what I plan to do to stay on track:<br />
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Week 1- Increase water intake: I got myself some Red Seal Tea Bags that brew in either Hot or Cold water. My plan this week is to add these tea bags to my water bottle to keep my water interesting and encourage me to drink it.<br />
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Week 2- Add produce in the morning: I haven't really been feeling like Smoothies much at the moment, but I might try to get in a couple of green smoothies this week to give myself a boost of nutrients in the morning.<br />
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Week 3- Get moving: This hasn't really been a problem as I have been doing heaps of exercise up here. I got a bike last week, so I will probably try to get out on this a couple of times this week.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8VT0V5H0Sc-SLKZSl3C_pcitxi40hnJJpjKmWLBzGcmYXye6dCFshPvScXb4RB6PXYPoP5_nsb4YZ-Q1bwZOUW-BWGC_MWyAm3YaS3YfDPyCQn9m7MqKKoe8BtM6ED9xFMWFHQbb4mg/s1600/Yoga_at_a_Gym.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8VT0V5H0Sc-SLKZSl3C_pcitxi40hnJJpjKmWLBzGcmYXye6dCFshPvScXb4RB6PXYPoP5_nsb4YZ-Q1bwZOUW-BWGC_MWyAm3YaS3YfDPyCQn9m7MqKKoe8BtM6ED9xFMWFHQbb4mg/s1600/Yoga_at_a_Gym.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a><br />
Week 5- Switch to Wholegrains: My freezer is stocked up with wholegrain bread, and I have some quinoa and whole wheat in the cupboard, so it is just a case of choosing these over more processed alternatives.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hzoo8Mhmrxghf4vxbSCSyzW23qhEeZb6pTSz491TfOkSH-l3G0dKNbJ6wgx8V_qhj4ULbwxrROh8Mx4udwh-FHKUqWbQGn4qLhCNVYlC-zU3ydJlUTZMbdXILkxhG1fqDHBwGmQvrzA/s1600/Bite_DrLibby_BrownRiceSushi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hzoo8Mhmrxghf4vxbSCSyzW23qhEeZb6pTSz491TfOkSH-l3G0dKNbJ6wgx8V_qhj4ULbwxrROh8Mx4udwh-FHKUqWbQGn4qLhCNVYlC-zU3ydJlUTZMbdXILkxhG1fqDHBwGmQvrzA/s1600/Bite_DrLibby_BrownRiceSushi.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>Week 6- Try something new with a vegetable. I'm a little stuck on this one at the moment, but since corn is in season, I think that I will try and make something interesting with that.<br />
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Week 7- Stretch it out: Finding time for stretching can be hard when you're so busy going about your day, so my strategy this week is to try and fit in 5 minutes of stretching before bed.<br />
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This week is a great opportunity to try and develop these great habits, so make the most of it and pick one or two goals that aren't so great at the moment and improve them.<br />
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Good Luck.Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-41825851971786134302015-02-15T23:42:00.002-08:002015-02-15T23:42:54.958-08:0012-Week Get Healthy Challenge Week 7- Stretch it Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi Everyone. Sorry that I have been a little bit absent on Facebook and Instagram this past week. Work has been pretty busy this week, but hopefullt this week I will be a little more on to it.<br />
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We have now reached Week 7 in the 12 Week Challenge! How quickly has that time gone. This week rather than food, I decided to focus on an aspect of physcial wellbeing. More specifically, the focus this week is on the importance of stretching.</div>
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Quite often when you decide to start being more physically active, you jump into it with lots of enthusiasm the first week, but by a week in, you are feeling tired and sore, and the thought of doing even more exercise is more than you can bear.</div>
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It may not even be physical activity that is making you sore. After 6 weeks of working in front of a computer for 80% of my day, I can definitely feel it in my neck and shoulders by the end of the week. </div>
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Both of these scenarios can be hugely improved with just a little bit of stretching. I definitely think that we brush it off too easily (myself included). You allow yourself thirty minutes for a run, but you are far too busy to fit in 3-5 minutes of stretching at the end. </div>
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That is why this week my aim is to fit in at least 2 minutes of stretching a day.....</div>
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..... that's achievable right?</div>
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My goal for this is that it is a must after exercising! I also want to make time for a neck, back, or shoulder stretch everyday to counteract the strain my job puts on these areas.</div>
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Below I have provided some links to give you some ideas of stretches for particular areas or activities:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/126.shtml">Cool Running</a> have some great stretches to do if you're a runner</li>
<li><a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/multimedia/stretching/sls-20076525">Mayo clinic</a> have some good stretches if, like me, you work at a desk</li>
<li>Here are some general leg stretches from <a href="http://www.abc-of-fitness.com/stretching-exercise/leg-stretch.asp">abc fitness</a></li>
<li>I always find yoga a fantastic way to stretch out. <a href="http://breakingmuscle.com/yoga/heal-your-lower-back-pain-with-these-5-yoga-poses">Here are some yoga pose</a>s to help stretch out your lower back.</li>
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So remember, just a few minutes of stretching every day and by the end of the week you should feel more comfortable and hopefully, without any tight muscles.</div>
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Good Luck</div>
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Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-85882190428692549252015-02-08T00:43:00.002-08:002015-02-08T00:43:57.179-08:0012-Week Get Healthy Challenge- Week 6Wow! We are half-way into the 12 week Get Healthy Challenge! How are you going? I now have heaps of plants in my Plant Nanny garden, which means that I have kept up with my water goals over the past 5 weeks. Last week's goal was to include more wholegrains into my diet, and I think that I could still improve on this a little bit more at times, but overall, I think that I am meeting all of my micro-goals.<br />
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This week's challenge is to try a new vegetable, or try using an existing vegetable in a new way. Eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables is a great way to provide your body with a wide range of vitamins and minerals, and having flexibility with vegetables is a great way to keep your diet more interesting.<br />
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So how do I plan on completing this week's challenge?<br />
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There are a couple of options.<br />
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My first tip is that if you are going to try to use a vegetable in a new way, use a vegetable that you already have at home. This will save you money and help prevent you from letting a vegetable go to waste. For example, I have some broccoli in my fridge, so I might try to find a new, interesting way of using this.<br />
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The second strategy that I have is to do my research. There is no point in buying a vegetable that you have never cooked with before and then letting it go to waste in your fridge because you don't know what to do with it, or you don't have the right complimentary ingredients for it. Therefore, pick a recipe or two before you go out and get a new vegetable.<br />
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Let me know how you go with this challenge on facebook and share pictures of your great vegetable creations with me!<br />
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Good Luck xLibbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-34072526953516349012015-02-07T00:30:00.000-08:002015-02-07T00:30:51.298-08:00Chia & Oat Pudding<div>
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Hi everyone. How is your week of wholegrains going? I will admit that not every single grain-based food that I have eaten this week has been wholegrain, but I would estimate that around 80% has been, a balance that I am happy with. One of my wholegrain foods that I loved this week were some chickpea and quinoa patties from Donna Hay. Quinoa is a great source of protein, fibre and lots of other vitamins and minerals, so it really is a great wholegrain to try to include.<br />
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This weekend is Waitangi weekend, which means that we get an extra day of weekend. Yesterday we spent doing chores around the house, including sorting through the pantry (which is a great way to see what ingredients need using up in the next few weeks). Today we headed North up to the Matakana farmers market for breakfast. We found ourselves some Bacon, Egg, Chorizo and Veggie breakfast wraps which were delicious! After that we headed to a nearby Marine Reserve to go snorkelling for a few hours. It was amazing how many fish there were and how close you could get to some of them!<br />
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So on to today's recipe. I'm not the sort of person who can keep eating the same breakfast day after day. I like to mix things up a little, which means that I am constantly on the lookout for great new breakfast ideas (I actually judge a food blog primarily on its breakfast recipes).<br />
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I had seen lots of recipes around for chia puddings, but I thought that I would try and make a slightly more filling and interesting version. This recipe contains the wholegrain goodness of chia seeds and oats, and is the sort of recipe that you can customise with your own flavours and toppings. This breakfast was pretty easy to make, tasted great, and kept me full all morning.<br />
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Enjoy x<br />
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Serves 1, but easy to double or triple quantities.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
2 Tbsp chia seeds<br />
1/4 Tbsp rolled oats<br />
1/4 Cup Greek Yoghurt<br />
1 Cup Almond Milk<br />
1 Banana<br />
1 Tbsp Rice Malt Syrup, honey, or other liquid sweetener<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)<br />
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In a bowl place the chia seeds, rolled oats, yoghurt and almond milk. Stir to mix, cover and place in the fridge overnight.<br />
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In the morning, place the contents of the bowl in a blender or food processor, along with the banana and sweetener of choice.<br />
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Blend until smooth, thick and creamy.<br />
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Enjoy topped with your favourite fruit and nuts (mine had blueberries hidden in the middle).<br />
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Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-85513458913509712352015-01-31T19:20:00.003-08:002015-01-31T19:22:03.763-08:0012 Week Get Healthy Challenge- Week 5 : Switch to WholegrainsHi Everyone. How did you go with the consolidation week of the 12-week challenge? At this stage I am still managing to follow the 3 challenges set so far, so it is time to move on to another for Week 5.<br />
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This week is about adding in wholegrains to your diet.<br />
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Eating lots of highly processed grains doesn't add much to your diet except pretty empty carbohydrates. I don't mind the occasional bit of white bread, or pasta, but some weeks I definitely think my diet looks a little bit too much on the white side. Wholegrain products tend to have more fibre and nutrients in them than their processed counterparts. However, just be sure to have a quick check of their labels to make sure that loads of franken-ingredients haven't been added (I practice this with most foods anyway).<br />
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Luckily, I tend to love the flavour of wholegrain foods, but I know that this isn't the case for everyone. That is why this week, I won't ask you to replace everything you eat for a wholegrain version, but instead just try to change 1-2 items.<br />
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Here are some examples....<br />
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If you eat white rice, try to swap in brown rice. Brown rice has a nuttier flavour than brown rice, but in a saucy meal, I don't actually notice the difference. I also love brown rice sushi. Brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice, so if you think that this might be a problem for you, try the Quick Cook sachets or cups. To get some wholegrains into lunch, try making a brown rice salad.<br />
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Swap your white sandwich bread for a wholegrain loaf. I really love a loaf of Vogels or Burgen, but these are very dense wholegrain breads that are nothing like white bread. Look for an option that you think you can manage that has at least 5g of fibre per 100g.<br />
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Wholemeal pasta is much more readily available now and a great swap for standard white pasta. Wholemeal pasta is a little firmer than white and again it will take a little bit longer to cook.<br />
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And finally, if you like crackers, try to find a wholemeal option, or brown rice version of rice crackers.<br />
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If you can gradually swap the majority of processed foods for wholemeal alternatives, you will be doing something better for your body and hopefully notice that they help keep you feeling satisfied for longer.<br />
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Good Luck!Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-35810482073322238592015-01-28T00:24:00.001-08:002015-01-30T00:30:19.159-08:00Healthy Mango and Raspberry Iceblocks<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRC0NVg4LDPeDofvBXTwkJJCmCaGzxJqmWKDokuqLhLcmYdsqyiCNCE4MmPV9EQZdeldkflSMTelARBVkRV4OdNDofxmqiNRoJVQLTWGCpAjMKxySttrNqLv-Xa0JCa-M25xWuNJkhcE/s640/blogger-image-285452207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRC0NVg4LDPeDofvBXTwkJJCmCaGzxJqmWKDokuqLhLcmYdsqyiCNCE4MmPV9EQZdeldkflSMTelARBVkRV4OdNDofxmqiNRoJVQLTWGCpAjMKxySttrNqLv-Xa0JCa-M25xWuNJkhcE/s640/blogger-image-285452207.jpg"></a></div><br></div>How great has the weather been lately?! Although I am in an airconditioned office for most of the day, it is so nice to be able to go for some great evening walks and we have been making the most of the beautiful weekends by going swimming and just generally enjoying the sunshine.<br>
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On the other side of the world, my sister has been bunkering down for the New York snow storm, which seems hard to imagine when you come home to a 35 degree (celcius) house.<br>
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In some ways I find summer great for healthy eating, as I can eat heaps of stone fruit and berries, and salads are the perfect, light lunch food. One area that makes it hard though is when you are hot and need something to cool down. I'm all for the occasional ice cream or sweetened iced coffee as a treat, however, having these every day unfortunately is not the recipe for healthy living.<br>
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So I did what I always do when I encounter these problems.....<br>
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I made my own healthier version!<br>
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These Iceblocks provide a great treat on a hot summer's day or when you need that after-dinner sweet treat. However, the benefit of these is that there are no refined sugar in them and you can get in some fruit at the same time. They are also so simple (if not a little messy) to make.<br>
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If you have kids or just love iceblocks, I would definitely recommend investing in your own moulds. You can pick them up from homewares stores pretty cheaply (I saw some at Mitre 10 Mega for about $5), and you will be using them all summer long.<br>
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We are down to our last 2 iceblocks and I will definitely make some more this weekend!<br>
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Enjoy x<br>
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<u>Ingredients</u><br>
1 can coconut cream<br>
1 ripe mango<br>
1 cup raspberries (I used frozen)<br>
1/4 cup honey or rice malt syrup (use more or less to taste. The unfrozen mixture will need to taste sweeter than you would usually prefer)<br>
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Peel and dice the mango (there are some great YouTube videos to help with this).<br>
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Using a blender, food processor or whiz stick, blend together all of the ingredients.<br>
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Pour the mixture evenly into iceblock moulds, or if you don't have any you can also use plastic cups with popsicle sticks inserted into them.<br>
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Freeze overnight.<br>
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To remove from the moulds or cups, run under lukewarm water for a few seconds and they should just pull out.Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-23027786607218822392015-01-25T00:13:00.001-08:002015-01-25T00:13:37.566-08:0012 Week Get Healthy Challenge Week 4- Consolidation WeekHi Everyone! Hungry Male and I are currently enjoying Auckland Anniversary weekend, so technically our weekend will still continue tomorrow, but for everyone not in Auckland tomorrow marks the start of a new working week, and therefore, the start of a new week of the 12 Week Get Healthy Challenge.<br />
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I don't know about you, but I have found that writing this has been great motivation for keeping the healthy habits that I set each week. With this heat drinking my 2.4L of water per day definitely hasn't been hard and I am very much a stone-fruit person, so you will find apricots and peaches in most of my breakfasts.<br />
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This week I am not going to give you any new challenges. Instead this week is about consolidation. This challenge is all about developing and maintaining healthy habits, so instead of making life difficult by continually throwing things at you, every 4 weeks there will be a consolidation week, to just focus on developing the healthy habits from the last few weeks.<br />
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So let's Recap:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cJuGtCgp7zWUGkIWTf_6xdpXf0Ir2ZkQwXx078Nc00Rr2dEajDs1bIHZOVd3rsbDME9qe_qfi5oZK6L7ZxVCpE_gB3IkBrMLKaJ5YqTBMrJjU38f-M7CkDGlqFmVxgGRS3OWwcvN5Ns/s1600/IMG_0837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cJuGtCgp7zWUGkIWTf_6xdpXf0Ir2ZkQwXx078Nc00Rr2dEajDs1bIHZOVd3rsbDME9qe_qfi5oZK6L7ZxVCpE_gB3IkBrMLKaJ5YqTBMrJjU38f-M7CkDGlqFmVxgGRS3OWwcvN5Ns/s1600/IMG_0837.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://libbysfood.blogspot.co.nz/2014/12/get-healthy-challenge-week-1-get.html">Up Your Water Intake</a>: I am still using my Plant Nanny app and still really love using it. Some days you definitely do get a bit sick of plain water, so I like adding different fruits like berries to keep it interesting. I don't expect everyone to drink 2.4L like I am trying to do, but I definitely recommend setting yourself a goal and trying to reach it.<br />
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<a href="http://libbysfood.blogspot.co.nz/2015/01/get-healthy-challenge-week-2-add.html">Add Produce Into Breakfast</a>: Reaching 5+ fruit and veg can be difficult, so I like kickstarting my day with some form of produce. If you are still having trouble with that one set a goal for a certain number of days per week i.e. 4 days per week you will add a fruit of vegetable to your breakfast. Think banana or peach with cereal, or spinach or tomato with eggs.<br />
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<a href="http://libbysfood.blogspot.co.nz/2015/01/12-week-get-healthy-challenge-week-3.html">Get Moving by Adding A Walk</a>: Exercise is so important for health, especially if like me you spend a lot of your working day in front of a computer. I believe that walking is something that almost everyone can do, no matter how unfit. The goal is to walk at least once a week. Hungry Male and I actually got out for 2 walks along with a run this week, and I find it a really great way to unwind after work. If you have time on the weekend, places like the zoo are a great place to walk around and have fun, or choose and area of your city or town and have a walk around.<br />
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If you want to see more about each challenge, click the link in the titles.<br />
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Good Luck!Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-74076167827326845082015-01-18T00:14:00.005-08:002015-01-25T00:13:31.163-08:0012-Week Get Healthy Challenge Week 3- Get MovingHi Everyone! How did you go adding in produce to your breakfasts for week 2 of the challenge? I didn't find it too hard as having fruit with breakfast is just something that I tend to do anyway. If you feel like you have the water tracking and having produce with your breakfast pretty on track, then it it time to add another step into your path to healthy living.<br />
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Get moving.<br />
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It seems so obvious, but making time to get out and be active can be really hard. I know that coming home from work, especially with the heat at the moment, finding the motivation to do something active can be a bit of a struggle.<br />
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This 12-week challenge is all about making small, achievable changes, so I'm not going to tell you that this week you have to get out for a run 5 times. Instead I'm asking you to add a walk to your weekly routine.<br />
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<img src="webkit-fake-url://9d5a91ab-416e-4cce-ab22-31847229dbc3/image.tiff" /><br />
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Yes, just a walk.<br />
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If you are already doing something active 4-5 times per week then congratulations, just keep doing what you're doing. For everyone else (myself included) add in a walk to whatever else it is that you do in your week.<br />
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Why a walk? Well if you are pretty unfit and the thought of getting fit seems pretty daunting, walking is a great way to ease you into it. Heading out for a 15-20 minute walk is also something that everyone can fit into their week, no excuses!<br />
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So here are some tips to help you fit that walk in this week:<br />
1. Schedule time in. Making time for exercise is all about making time for yourself. When you are planning out what you have to do for the week, plan in a 20 minute slot to fit a walk in.<br />
2. Use your lunch time wisely. If you have a reasonable block for lunch (say an hour), use half of it for exercise and the other half for eating.<br />
3. Get yourself an exercise buddy. Planning to go out with someone makes it a lot harder to back out last minute, and I find walking really enjoyable when I have someone to chat with.<br />
4. Download an audio book. I haven't tried this myself, but I have heard that this is a great way to motivate you to walk further as you can get lost in your book.<br />
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So get out there and get moving! I will keep you posted on when I get out and let me know how you go!<br />
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This will be the view that I will enjoy when I head out for my walk.<br />
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Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-52074940195482394852015-01-17T00:07:00.002-08:002015-01-17T00:07:19.710-08:00Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Pots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone, hope your weekend is going well. Hungry Male and I have just come back from seeing the Mockingjay movie. Don't know if I liked it as much as the last movie, but it definitely felt like it was building up to something good for the last one.<br />
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Suppose that I will have to wait another 12 months to find out.<br />
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The weather up here in Auckland has been beautiful the last 2 weeks! It's pretty consistently been in the high 20s every day, but it I am still adjusting to the humidity. Today we went for a swim at Mairangi Bay, a beautiful, pretty calm beach up here. It's so nice swimming at the beaches up here because you can quite comfortably swim in just your togs, no wetsuit needed like down in Dunedin.<br />
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So at this stage we are settling into Auckland life quite well.<br />
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Today's recipe may not be quite so healthy as the recipes that I usually put up, but oh is it delicious!! I made this last week for Hungry Male's birthday and decided that I really needed to share it with you! Ideally I would have made it in those cute little preserving jars that you can buy, but since I haven't had the chance to go out and get some, I made do with some drinking glasses that I already had.<br />
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I will note that these really do need to be made with Reeses cups, which in New Zealand can be a little bit of a mission to find, but they are well worth the hunt! If they aren't stocked in your local supermarket, you can often find them at the Warehouse, Video stores or in specialty lolly shops.<br />
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Enjoy x<br />
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(Serves 4)<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u><br />
100g plain biscuits (I used wine biscuits)<br />
2 Tbsp butter, melted<br />
250g cream cheese<br />
2 Tbsp Coconut oil<br />
3 Tbsp Peanut Butter<br />
4 Tbsp Rice Malt Syrup (Could also use honey, agave or other liquid sweetener)<br />
4 Reeces Cups, roughly chopped + 2 for decorating<br />
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You will need 4 small drinking glasses, ramekins or small mason jars.<br />
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Place the biscuits in a bag and roughly bash with a rolling pin or other heavy object. Mix with the melted butter, distribute evenly among your glasses or jars and press down.<br />
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In a food processor, add the cream cheese, coconut oil, peanut butter, rice malt syrup and 4 of the Reeces cups. Process until well combined (you still want a few chunks of the peanut butter cups).<br />
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Spoon the mixture evenly between the jars and then place in the fridge for around an hour to set.<br />
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<br />Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8041742654495217907.post-17804487431591568142015-01-14T01:11:00.002-08:002015-01-14T01:11:10.461-08:00The Girl Behind the Blog- Personal updateI know that my blog is followed by a few of my family and friends, so I quite like to include some updates in my personal life.<br />
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Even if you don't know me personally, I still think it is quite nice to know the person behind the blog, so I will give you an update on what is going on at the moment.<br />
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<u>I moved to Auckland</u><br />
Yes, Hungry Male and I have made the long journey away from our hometown of Dunedin, up to the big smoke of Auckland. This move was made for a great job that I got up here (see below), and although it was sad leaving our family and friends back home, I really love that we have a little house all to our own and there are lots of adventures to be had up in Auckland.<br />
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<u>I started my professional career</u><br />
My 5 years at uni paid off and I got a great job, which marks the start of my professional marketing career. I am now a Key Account Executive for Reckitt Benckiser (which from now on will be known as RB on the blog). I am into my second week and my first week without the former Key Account Executive as a tutor. So far I am really enjoying this and learning heaps!!<br />
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<u>I got engaged!!</u><br />
Yes, he popped the question. Up on top of the Tasman Glacier of all places. Pretty freakin' romantic!<br />
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<u>Lots of adventures to come....</u><br />
So that's is pretty much all that I have to update at the moment but watch this space...Libbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04916897247565861127noreply@blogger.com1