Healthy Home Made - Roasted Capsicum Dip

This is such an easy recipe and takes little to no time to make. You can buy most of the ingredients preprepared which cuts down on the time.

If you want to start from scratch, then keep reading, if not, skip to the bottom. But be warned, you're going to miss out on the good bits...

You'll need:

3 fresh medium sized red capsicums
2 cloves of fresh garlic (not peeled)
oil spray
salt & pepper
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 cups pine nuts
1 red chilli

Start off by preheating the oven to 180°c for 10 mins. Then grab your capsicums, core & deseed them, then cut into halves or thirds. Lightly oil the pieces, put them and the garlic on an oven tray, and bake for 30 minutes.

While they're baking, we need to lightly dry toast the pine nuts. In a non-stick pan, with no oil, throw in the pine nuts, and toast over a medium flame. You'll see them change to a light golden colour. Make sure not to burn them though. Set aside to cool.

Grate the parmesan, and put in a bowl, ready to go.

When the capsicums and garlic are done, squeeze the garlic out and carefully chop them and set aside to cool. Make sure everything is cool to touch before putting them in the food processor. 

Then, put everything in the bowl of the food processor, and blitz until you reach the consistency you like. 

Now, you may find that you use all the pine nuts, or not a lot, work the recipe to your tastes.

 

You can serve it straight away, or chill it till firm.

Let me know how yours turns out!

Love,

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Roasted Beetroot Dip

Recently I wrote a post for my HHM - Raw Beetroot Dip, and now I'm sharing my roasted beetroot dip recipe. All you need is a little time and patience... oh and a food processor. I originally sourced the recipe from here, but adapted it slightly for my tastes.

850g Fresh beetroot, peeled and cut into chunks
spray oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic
Splash of lemon juice

1) Lightly oil the beetroot, and bake at 180°c for 30 minutes, allow to cool. The beets should be soft, but firm. When you feel it, you'll know what I mean.
2) Blitz the now cooled beetroot, as well as the garlic and seasoning, until you reach the desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky.
3) Transfer the mix to a bowl, and fold in the yoghurt.

That's it. Roasting the beetroot brings out a slightly sweeter, deeper rich flavour, which I've found many people prefer. 

I made this yesterday to take to a Melbourne Cup BBQ, and it was a hit! I also took some home made falafel and roasted capsicum dip (which I'll post about soon). 

Beetroot is such a versatile vegie, and I still have a couple left, so look out for more beetroot recipes!

Love

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Raw Beetroot Dip

Beets, beets, the magical food, the more you eat, the quicker your liver can process toxins, the quicker your liver processes toxins, the better you feel, so eat your beets with every meal!

But seriously, the beetroot is an amazing vegetable, and is both delicious and good for you. 

Did you know that the beta cyanin, the pigment that gives beetroot its amazing colour, is actually an antioxidant? It helps speed up detox of your liver, so if you've gone out for a night on the town and are feeling a little worse for wear, try a glass or two of beetroot juice, it might just help beat that hang over.

Beetroot also contains betaine, a substance which relaxes the mind, and is used in other forms, to treat depression. It also contains trytophan, which is found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being.  

I myself love beetroot in burgers, the true Aussie way! But you can have it in various forms, such as dip, chips, grated in salad or even in soup. It's great raw or cooked. 

I recently bought a couple of bunches from Bushy Park and would normally turn them into chips, but I thought, with the weather warming up, why not try our hand at a beetroot dip. 

Clearly it's a messy venture, so make sure you have lots of room, and cleaning products on hand. Food handling gloves are also your best friend, have a few pairs on hand (pun intended) and swap them out if you get any holes, otherwise you risk having pinky purple skin for a few days.

You'll need:

850gm of fresh beetroots, peeled - cut into medium sized chunks. The smaller the bits, the quicker and easier they blitz. You can also cut the beets into small cubes for a chunky version.

2 cloves of garlic

about a cup of natural Greek yoghurt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground coriander

salt and pepper to taste

Feel free to add any other spices or herbs depending on your tastes. Everyone is different, and you may not like Cumin, but love turmeric etc etc. 

Chuck the beets and garlic in the food processor (or not), and blitz until smooth.

Now throw in the spices and seasoning's and blitz until combined.

Transfer to a bowl and fold in the yoghurt, spoonful at a time, until it suits your tastes. You might find you want more yoghurt, and that's cool, just add more!

Now, some people among us may not like the fact this is raw, and may comment that they don't like the 'raw' taste. That's perfectly fine, we always have a way of working around these things

If you don't want Raw dip, then:

Cut the beets into chunks, and lightly coat in oil and spices. Roast at 180°c for about an hour. Take them out of the oven and allow to cool, then blitz and add yoghurt.

I did not prepare my space very well... whoops!

This recipe makes quite a lot of dip, so unless you eat beetroot dip twice a day, every day, you can either halve the recipe, or make the normal amount, and give it away as presents. 

Unfortunately, I've found it doesn't really freeze very well, but will store in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Just charming isn't he.

Anyhoo, let me know if you have any other delicious uses for beetroots! I have a chutney recipe I've been dying to try, so when I do, you lovely readers will be the first to hear about it!

Love,

J xx

Healthy Home Made - Basil Pesto

I never really liked pesto, it always tasted far too basil-y for my liking. That is until I tried it with chicken, in a foccacia. My taste buds were hooked! It was so creamy and delicious, I had to try and make my own!

It couldn't be hard right? Just chuck a few things in the food processor and away we go!

Actually, it really was just that simple. I doubled the batch because I didn't think it would make much, and I wanted to share it with my mum.

*Side note, my mum has just figured out how to use the internet on her new smart phone, and happened across my little bloggy-wog. I'm so excited! Hi mum!

I had bought a couple of bunches of fresh basil from Bushy Park as well as a small bag of pine nuts, so all I needed was some parmesan and I was good to go! 

Now, I had garlic and olive oil at home, so if you don't have these, make sure you grab them as well.

1 1/2 cups fresh basil  - I tore up the leaves and guestimated
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
enough oil to emulsify

So, all you really need to do is throw everything in the food processor, and blitz till smooth-ish.

It's hella tasty, and half the jar has already gone. Thankfully I have more of everything, so I'll be making another batch next weekend.

Now, you know I wouldn't leave you without a little food porn...


This is pesto chicken, baby roma tomatoes, baby spinach on light rye bread.


Enjoy!

Love,

J xx

Breakfast Of Champions

Weekend breakfast, one of my favourite meals. I mean, you actually have time to cook, you don't have to rush to eat, so you can sit down and enjoy your meal.

One of the recipes on my 28DBT was Scrambled eggs in pita. It looked okay, but I decided to beef it up a little, and add a couple of extra vegies, Still very healthy, but slightly more calories than I was allocated on the 28DBT, oh well.

So, here is my masterpiece!



Looks delicious, right? Well, it actually is. Here is a rough guide on what I put in my version. It always ends up being a little different, just because I don't measure everything.

Serves 1

Scrambled egg mix - 2 eggs & Splash of low fat milk
Hand full of baby spinach
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
Avocado (to spread)
Low fat feta cheese (block the size of a match box)
Small handful of red onion, finely diced
10 or so small mushrooms, sliced or quartered
1 pita pocket, cut in half (you eat both halves)

Keep in mind, you can add anything else you like, or take anything out. A small amount of grated tasty cheese is also really nice, but feel free to add some meat based protein like chicken, turkey, or even bacon if you're feeling a little naughty. Make it a little Mediterranean by adding some capsicum and olives perhaps?

So, start off by lightly frying your onion. I use a little bit of oil spray, but it's up to you. Then you need to scramble your eggs mix, and depending on how you like them, when they're half way done, throw everything else in and cook until the spinach has wilted.

If you're not keen on cooking everything, feel free to make your scrambled eggs, and put them in the pita pocket, with everything staying fresh. Entirely up to you.

Shove everything (gently) into the pita pocket, and enjoy! I recommend eating this over a plate, as it can get a little messy.

If you have any other great breakfast ideas, comment below and let me know!

Day 14 - Food Coaching

Had my very first Food Coaching session last night. Wasn't too sure what to expect when I booked it, but I'm glad I went.

Maxine weighed me again, down 2 kilo's! I'd been having trouble staying motivated, because i had been left to my own devices at the gym, but I'm so glad I am actually getting healthier.

Maxine and I had a chat about the types of foods I like, and what I should be avoiding. We spoke about my goals, and why I come to the gym. She commended me on giving the 28DayBrekaThru a try, because it's only 1200 cal a day, and that is a big change for me. I explained how I make myself a nice smoothie in the morning, instead of having 2 or 3 cups of coffee.

We didn't really have enough time to talk about much else, but afterwards she let me join in on the Summer Beach Bods group, as they had a smoothie class. Yup, that's right, smoothie class.

One of the other staff members Kerry also showed us ways we can still use coffee, without actually drinking it (is she crazy?!?!). She made us some great little coffee body scrubs, and sent us home with out own little recipe booklet.

 

I'm so glad I can talk to the wonderful ladies at the gym, even if they don't have an answer straight away, they'll always work hard to find out for me!

Talk soon, 

J xx

Day 7 - A Little Bit Of Glee

Guys, I had my first compliment today!

Well, Justin said I looked brighter and happier on Friday, but he's biased.

Anyway, I digress. Remember that horrid 'before' picture? Well, I'm wearing the same clothes today, and was complimented on 'already losing weight' and 'looking well'. Gee, thanks guys! 

I'm not going by weight (not unless I have to), but instead my my measurements and how I feel. I haven't checked my measurements, but it's only been a week. I am feeling fantastic!

I have so much energy, and I feel like I have a more positive outlook on life.

I promise I'll post a photo of how I'm going, come the month mark, but in the mean time, stay tuned for little updates every now and then, as well as my normal blog posts.

Love 

J xx

Oh Sugar, Sugar (Free)

Don't run away, I promise I'll try not to get all preachy! Hear me out though, we all know that sugar isn't really the best thing for us, so when we have the chance to remove it from our diet, why not try?

That was my thinking anyway, which is why I now have no sugar in my coffee. You heard me, no sugar. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the easiest thing to do, cause I love my sugar. But I've been slowly cutting down anyway. I mean I used to have 3 sugars with chocolate powder in my coffee, then it was just the 3 sugars, then it was 2, then 1, then artificial sweetener, until finally I just stopped adding anything sugary to it. Mind you, I still have a heck of a lot of milk, but that's more about temperature than anything.

It wasn't a conscious thing, I didn't set out to try and remove sugar from my mornings all together, it kind of just happened. But I'm getting used to coffee with no sweetness, and now I can finally taste the actual coffee. Delicious.

So, I guess that is one more thing off my 'healthy lifestyle' check list. Not that I have an actual list. Although, that would be a good idea...

Until next time!

Love

J xx

Day 1 - Positive Change

In light of my decision to make my lifestyle that of a healthy one, I thought I would put all of my base line measurements here, where I can't lie. 

So, here they are:

Leg: 70cm
Calf: 51cm
Bust: 123cm
Hip: 132cm
Waist: 110cm
Upper Arm: 43.5cm

I'll try and track my measurements once a week.

On another note, I woke up super early to go to the gym this morning. I was dreading waking up so early, but in the end it was so worth it. I was there just before six and did a short workout before having a quick shower and getting ready for work. 

On the plus side, I also arrived early at work and was able to get a lot of work done!

Tonight, went to my very first Body Attack class as well. It was great! So full on, but the teacher/instructor was really supportive and enthusiastic, and I managed to make it through the whole class. I nearly gave up, but stuck it out, and I'm really proud of myself.

Back to it tomorrow morning, let's hope I can keep this up!

Love,

J xx

I Can Smell A Change In The Air

Ah, the sun is out, the birds are chirping, Summer is on it's way! Which means it's time for me to hide indoors somewhere with air-conditioning. My body and heat, just aren't friends. I have nosebleeds every day, I chafe, I sweat, I hate it. Seriously. I hate Summer. I am not afraid to say it;

I HATE SUMMER!

Bring on Winter or Autumn or Spring. Any of them, as long as they aren't Summer.

Anyway, Summer has nothing to do with this post, just thought I would tell everyone of my dislike for Summer.

So, as many of you know, I have an amazing best friend Alex, who features here and on my YouTube channel. Well, Alex has become a bit of a gym junkie the past couple of months, and mentioned her want for a 'gym buddy' when we were cooking the other night. 

Hmmm, me, go to the gym? Well, stranger things have happened!

We had a bit of a chat, about the benefits of going to the gym, and how fun it would be, and how motivating we would be for each other. We were looking at all of the classes available,  and though it took me a minute, I've decided to take that positive step forward in my life, and get healthy!  

Here is my before shot (shudder)

I'm meeting with one of the trainers from the gym tonight, to discuss membership options, and what might be suitable for me. Then hopefully, I can sign up for 12 months, and kick my lazy butt into gear! I've never really been excited about being active, but right now, I am anxious to leave work and head straight to the gym. I mean, I even packed my brand new gym gear (thank you Kmart!) and my runners. 

I just feel like it's the right time to make a change. I'm feeling better about myself more now than ever before, I'm in a really good place in my relationship, I love my job, the only thing I'm not 100% in love with is my body. 

The state of my body is entirely my fault. I can't blame my mother for feeding me crap, or my friends for being bad influences, I make my own choices, I decide what to eat and when to exercise. Still, it's kinda difficult going from a sedentary lifestyle, to one of constant movement. But, it's much easier taking little steps.

I've already started to change some of my bad habits. This morning, I had stevia in my coffee, instead of sugar. It tasted exactly the same, but without the empty calories. Which is handy. 

I also went for a walk during my lunch break, then did sit ups and my planks. My abs hurt, but it is so worth it. I already feel more energetic and full of life!

So, stay tuned for me making a fool out of myself as the gym, and remember, if I can do it, you can do it!

Love,

J xx