The Perils of Cold Weather

I think July is absolutely the hardest month to stay on track and today is so cold that I want to race downstairs and whip up a steamed pudding for dinner! But instead I’ll shut myself in my office and write my newsletter!

Are you a picker?

Does that ring a bell with you? Are you someone who, when they are bored, heads to the fridge or pantry and has a bite of this and a pick of that? Do you finish off the kids meals? Are you on autopilot after meals and like to have something sweet to finish off your meal? Do you think that those little picks don’t really add up to much so there is no harm in having them?

You know what? They do add up and it can mean the difference between dropping fat and not dropping fat. If you find that your fat loss has slowed down then you need to be 100% aware of what is going in your mouth. Old habits die hard and picking between meals and snacks is something to keep a close eye on.

Sometimes it happens because we are bored or we have some time on our hands. No one ever thinks oh I’ve got a few minutes to spare so I’ll get down on the floor and do a few press ups, or I’ll run up and down the stairs a few times. No, instead we tend to think what’s to eat and head off to the pantry!

To have an awareness of what you are doing, you really have to go back to keeping an accurate food diary. Accurate means recording EVERYTHING, not just the things that you should have eaten. It’s the items that get left off food diaries which can make all the difference. Awareness and accountability = food diary!

Shouts at work can often be a challenge and it seems like birthday shouts are very much alive and well in workplaces. Remember though, no one makes you put the cake in your mouth. No one makes you have the wine after work. You always have the option of saying no.

We are surrounded by so much choice these days. The supermarkets are loaded with ever expanding lines of groceries, there are gourmet speciality food stores popping up and TV food shows promote delicious high calorie recipes. The thing to keep in mind is that these special foods are just that, special food for special occasions. They are not everyday foods. Similarly with alcohol; these days it is just so easy to pop a bottle of wine in the grocery trolley, but wine and other alcohol should not be treated as an everyday item if you are watching your weight.

Sugar free doesn’t necessarily mean calorie free

While they can be useful to keep your mouth occupied, don’t forget that sugar free gum and sweets contain energy. A box of the new Wrigley’s gum sticks contains around 60 calories and a tin of Eclipse sugar free mints contains around 113 calories. A packet of sugar free Go Gummies lollies contains 280 calories. Generally, diet fizzy drinks are calorie free, but consume them in moderation only.

Increase in whey powder prices

Unfortunately the cost of the Devine whey powder has had to go up as my supplier has increased the price. The new price for the 750g container is $56.90, the 1.5kg is $99.90 and the 2.5kg is $149.90.

I am now stocking an alternative brand, as well as the Devine, and it comes in 900g and 2.2kg sizes, in a wide variety of flavours. I currently have vanilla and strawberry in stock in the 900g size. The cost of the 900g is $62.50 and the 2.2kg size is $120.50. If you would like the larger size please let me know.

Lemons

Lemons are in season now and a great idea to start your day is to squeeze the juice of a lemon into a glass of warm/hot water before breakfast. Lemon juice helps make your body more alkaline (very desirable) and is also a liver cleanser, so get squeezing now! One glass of water before breakfast also means one glass towards your daily total.

Have you checked your waist measurement lately?

Women, your waist should be no more than 80cm and men, no more than 94cm. As we age we tend to store more fat around our organs (visceral fat) and this fat is more dangerous than that stored around hips and thighs. You cannot spot reduce; the only way to lose that belly fat is to reduce the amount of calories you take in and to get active! Belly fat releases inflammatory chemicals which lead to many health issues.

Calories in smoked salmon

Beware if you are having smoked salmon as a fish choice for lunch or dinner. Salmon is very high in calories and a 50g portion of smoked salmon contains the same energy as approximately 110g of cooked chicken or steak.

Multivitamins and drinking tea or coffee

I think it is a very good idea to take a good multivitamin and mineral every day, but don’t drink tea or coffee for an hour either side of taking your multi as the tannins may prevent the absorption of some of the minerals.

Networking Group

If you or someone you know, who is a small business owner, would like to join a small, friendly group of women to increase networking opportunities please let me know. We meet each second Wednesday from 9.30am to 10.30am in cafes in the Mairangi Bay/Albany area. There is no financial commitment, just your coffee.

Off the shelves

This month I’ve found a few interesting new things that I think will be of interest. Sample boxes are in my office for you to see.

Pam’s Stir-fry comes frozen in a 1 kilo bag, with beef, chicken or lamb + veggies. All you do is heat a wok or pan and empty the bag of meat and veggies into it. Stir and cook for 8 minutes, then add some sauce, warm through and serve. The bag says serves 5, but I’d say it serves 3 at 220 calories per serve, plus sauce. For bigger appetites, serve with cooked rice. The veggies stay nice and crisp and it is just so easy. At $7.99 for three serves it is good value too.

Goodness Superfoods Protein cereal. This wheat free (but not gluten free) crunchy cereal is extremely high in fibre and tastes great. A ½ cup serving (45g) contains 13.2g of fibre. It tastes great, has a very low GI of 36 and contains wholegrains. While it may seem expensive at $7.49 for a 500g box, there are 11 servings in the box which equates to 68 cents a serve.

The Good Taste Company Hummus + Crackers. The Original version, not Garlic Lovers. Four individual snack packs, containing hummus + crackers. It is perfect for morning tea at 120 calories. $3.99 per four pack.

Weight Watchers Beef Burgundy frozen meal. While I’m not a huge fan of W.W. frozen meals, this one is quite good, with nice crisp veggies. It makes an easy hot lunch. Add a couple of kiwifruit or an apple or pear for extra fibre.

Cotterill + Rouse Thai Coriander + Lime Dressing. While this is not new, it is a very nice dressing on a beef salad. Cook an extra piece of steak the night before, slice it thinly for your salad the next day, then pour a tablespoon of the dressing over for yummy Thai flavours.

Client Referral gift

For each new client you refer, who pays full price for an initial appointment, my thank you gift is either a free 15 minute appointment or $30 off your next half hour appointment. Now, I can also offer you the option of redeeming your gift in the form of a complimentary group training session with Sally of Fitness Fix. Sally holds fun training sessions at various times for small groups of women. Whatever your level of fitness, or fitness goal, Sally can help you.

From the kitchen

At this time of year it is very tempting to make pies, but as most pastries are very high in energy, pies are not waistline friendly. A better alternative is to use filo pastry. Filo is very versatile, but I use it most to make strudels. As long as the filling is cool, you can wrap most things in filo and it looks very special. Any leftovers have to be re-heated in the oven though to crisp up, the microwave does not work here.

The trick when using filo is to only remove as many sheets as you need from the packet then re-seal the packet to make it airtight and the filo will keep in the fridge for a few days. I use Timo’s filo pastry, available in the chilled section of the supermarket. I don’t find frozen filo very practical to work with.

The filo becomes your complex carbohydrates, i.e. don’t serve potato etc as well.

You can do something as simple as smearing a cooked chicken breast with a little pesto then wrapping it in two sheets of filo and baking it. Spray between the filo layers with cooking spray, wrap, then spray the outer layer and bake.

Vegetarian Strudel – serves 4

The veggies can be varied, just use whatever you have. Don’t be put off by the cottage cheese, you won’t even taste it and it adds good quality protein to the meal.

• Cooking spray
• 10 sheets filo pastry
• 4 tbs sweet fruit chutney (I used Bit on the Side sweet fruit chutney)
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 red capsicum, diced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup peeled, cubed and lightly cooked pumpkin
• 1 large red onion chopped
• 2 zucchini diced
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 3 teaspoons of tandoori paste
• Salt and pepper
• 5 tbs lite cottage cheese
• 30g finely grated parmesan

Spray a large non stick pan with cooking spray and heat. Add veggies, tandoori paste, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until tender. Cool. (if you don’t cool the veggies the filo will be more difficult to roll up and will probably split)

Stack the sheets of filo on a dry board or bench and spray between each layer with baking spray, apart from the top sheet. Spread the chutney on the top sheet. Place the vegetable mixture along the long side of the pastry, about 3cm in from the bottom edge. Blob the cottage cheese and parmesan on top of the veggies. Spray the outside edges of the filo and then carefully roll up, like a big sausage roll, turning the sides in as you go. Put in a large ovenproof dish (lined with baking paper for an easier clean up) with the seam on the underside. Spray generously with baking spray and place in a 200 degree oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes or so. Serve with a salad or extra fibrous veggies.

Leftover filo pastry needs to be used within about 5-7 days or it goes mouldy, as it contains very little fat. You could make a batch of savoury mince, chill it then make that into a strudel. Or you could put the mince or casserole mix into small ramekins, scrunch up two pieces of filo per ramekin and place on top. Spray well with cooking spray and cook until golden. If you are making strudels, make sure the filling mixture isn’t too runny, i.e. if you are using a curried mince or savoury mince filling you might need to thicken it with a small amount of cornflour.

Egg wrap

For a different kind of wrapper, break two eggs into a bowl, season and beat until the yolks and whites are combined. Pour into a sprayed, heated pan and cook until starting to dry. Carefully turn over and cook another minute or two. Cool, then spread with chutney or sauce and fill with salad. The eggs are your protein serving. You can add chopped parsley or dried herbs to the egg mixture if you like.

It looks like I’m almost out of room here, so I’ll sign off and get this newsletter away.

Keep warm, keep up your fluids and try to not boredom eat. Maybe even do a few press ups instead of raiding the pantry and fridge!!

Lynda