Mental Health Awareness Week

Be kind to people, you don't know what battles they are facing.

Can't Cook. Will Cook.

Cooking isn't my strong point, but when you make the decision to change your lifestyle for the better, you also make the decision to learn.

For most people the word "healthy" usually conjures up thoughts of tasteless ingredients and minimal portion sizes, but this could not be further from the truth. Healthy food does not have to be boring, and over the past week I have been in the kitchen, experimenting and testing my cooking skills.

Here are some of my guilt-free, healthy, nutritious and easy to make dinner recipes.

Tofu Stir Fry

Ingredients: Tofu, broccoli (part cooked), red pepper, cherry tomatoes, coconut oil, light soy sauce, ginger.

Falafel Wraps

Ingredients: whole meal wraps, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, soya yogurt, fresh lime juice.

Courgette Noodles (Using a mandoline peeler)

Ingredients: 2 x courgettes, chick peas, king prawns, cherry tomatoes, green pesto. 

Egg Muffins x 4 

Ingredients: 2 x eggs, spinach (chopped), mushrooms, almond milk.

Baked Sweet Potato with Parsnip and Carrot Chips

Ingredients: sweet potato, 1 x parsnip, half a carrot, asparagus, red onion, kale, coconut oil, black pepper. 

Living the Good Life

 

Back in January I wrote a post about how I was planning on living a healthier 2014. Well, it's now 2 months on and I can happily say it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I reached my goal of losing 23lbs and dropping 2 dress sizes in February, and once my diet had ended I was able to maintain my new healthy lifestyle. I cook every meal I eat, I've been learning to bake and I'm excited about my increasing strength and fitness levels in the gym. 

I now want to share what I have learnt. Here's my advice to anyone considering a healthy lifestyle change.

1. Drink 2litres of water a day.

2. Never mistake hunger for thirst, if you're not drinking enough water you will think you're hungry. 

3. Do not cut everything out straight away, do it gradually. If you are looking to lose weight you can start by cutting down your portion sizes and stopping when you are full.

4. Don't drink your calories. I heard about one lady drinking almost 2500 calories in one Saturday night of binge drinking! That's the equivalent of a grown mans daily food intake.

5. Do your research and be aware that during the first week of any new diet you are more than likely to experience headaches and insomnia. (I had both of these) 

6. Drinking water infused with lemon will help protect your immune system, detoxify your body and burn fat. You can also add things like, lime, mint, cucumber and various fruits/frozen fruits. 

7. It won't happen overnight. 

8. You can't out exercise a bad diet. 

9. Do not weigh yourself everyday. And remember, muscle weighs more than fat. 

10. It is a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix. If you're serious about what you want to achieve you will have to change your habits long term.  

11. Do not attempt to exercise without the correct footwear. You may think it's ok to begin with but running in the wrong trainers could cause you a whole bunch of long term knee and back problems. Trust me, I've seen it happen. 

12. If you hate exercise don't panic, it only takes 21 days to become addicted. (Proven fact)

13. Make sure you are eating at least 3 meals a day (I eat 6!) Do not on any circumstances attempt to starve yourself or deprive yourself of food.

14. Always eat breakfast! 

15. Exercise will make you happy and more energetic. (yet again, another proven fact)

16. Know that there is an end in sight, and usually one containing a brighter, fitter, healthier and stronger version of yourself who is in need of an entire new wardrobe. 

A Healthy 2014

During my final year of uni I gained a lot of weight, and although I wasn't necessarily big for my height (I'm 5'10) I was very unhealthy, and the majority of the time living on processed foods, leaving me, tired, weak and bloated.

Over the past few weeks I have been frequently questioned about how I achieved my 20lb weight loss as if I took some sort of wonder drug - I wish. The truth is there is no easy solution and, extreme fad diets never work. You simply have to eat right, exercise and drink a lot of water.

I lost weight by shire determination and a complete overhauled diet. I won't lie to you, at times it has been physically and mentally draining but if you want it enough it is 100% possible.

Below are some healthy, unscary, diet friendly meal options.  

Fig & banana breakfast bowl

Green Burgers

Sweet Potato Wedges

Mushroom soup

To find out more about these recipes and more healthy food options check out my Pinterest here.