Unashamed product advertising...and a Christmas gift for you!

Warning: this post contains advertising material!

So I wouldn’t normally do this, but I’m making an exception, because I actually use this stuff and I think it’s awesome!

I’ve always enjoyed my post workout smoothie – it’s tasty (it’s the only time I get to have fruit!), it’s quick and easy, and it gives me what I need after a good workout. I used to make it with banana, blueberries, avocado (I try to avoid dairy, so avocado works well to give it the same creaminess, and also add in some good fat), some kind of protein powder and water. I was aware that, while not as unkind to my system as straight dairy, the dairy-based protein powders were probably not ideal either, but I didn’t have an alternative that was just as quick and easy. And it tasted pretty good. I was happy with it.

Then I discovered Vital Greens…and my PWO smoothie became awesome! Seriously, a couple of teaspoons of this transformed the taste from good to something amazing! The best thing is that in addition to tasting great, it is an amazing "blend of nutritionally potent and nutrient-dense greens, vegetables and fruits, plus additional herbs, natural minerals, powerful antioxidants, probiotics for intestinal health, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids (omegas 3, 6 and 9), digestive enzymes, cell pigments, plant sterols and fibres". I know the jury is still out on the benefits of multi-vitamins, but I personally find that the addition of nutritional support makes a huge difference to my energy levels and immune function. Believe me, when I was a student I tried desperately to go without (it was hard to make the budget stretch that far), but I really do find that the benefits outweigh the costs.

Not only that, but they also do a product called Vital Protein, which is a 100% vegetable protein - high protein content, dairy-free, and easily digested.

Introducing the PWO smoothie extraordinaire! BOOM!!

Anyway, if you’re keen to try any of their products, you can order direct from www.vitalhealthnz.com. Use the code PP2060C to get a 15% discount on all orders.

Tell your friends & help bring better health into their lives too!

And speaking of better health, I know I made a promise to post less treats and more everyday food, but it's Christmas & I figure you guys deserve a gift. IMHO, this banana bread is seriously one of the best primal dishes I've cooked. I actually ate half of it in the space of an afternoon! So if you're going to try it, maybe make sure there are other people around to help you out with eating it...

Paleo Banana Bread

4 eggs, separated
2 ripe bananas
15 dates
¼ C coconut oil
1 C coconut flour
1/3 C ground linseed
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
A handful of cocoa nibs (optional)

Using a stick blender, mush together bananas, dates, coconut oil and egg yolks. Add all dry ingredients (except cocoa nibs) and cider vinegar and mix well. Stir in cocoa nibs.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Gently fold banana mixture into the egg whites, ensuring they are mixed completely without over-mixing.

Spoon mixture into a greased & lined loaf tin and bake at 150 degrees celcius for 45 minutes (or until loaf is golden on top & bounces back when pressed lightly).

Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn onto a wire rack.

Enjoy warm, spread with a bit of coconut oil (or butter, if you eat dairy).

It’s not you, it’s me

Last week, I wrote about the fatigue I’ve been struggling with recently (which has, by the way, definitely improved since I took action & made a change). The extreme tiredness impacted my work, my mood, and my social life, but nowhere did I feel it more than in my training. Metcons, in particular, were a battle. I had to fight to make myself go in the first place, and then I had to fight for every rep and every breath. Many, many times, I wanted to stop – to throw the towel in and tap out; many, many times, I fought tears as I struggled to keep going. I wasn’t keeping up with the people I used to keep up with, and it was hard to watch them improving while I felt like my fitness was going backwards. Each metcon like this made it that much harder to go to the next one.

Then, last week, a friend posted this photo on Facebook:

(on sale here)

It was a timely reminder that in the midst of a WoD, it’s about me, not the others working out alongside me. I have had (and will have) my times of improvement, and they will have theirs. The important thing is to be there, consistently putting in the work. Sometimes I might feel like I’m not winning...but how can I be losing when it’s just me against myself? At the end of the day, I’m still there; I’m still pushing through… I’m still choosing not to be defeated.

Lamb moussaka

Meat sauce

Olive oil
1kg lamb mince
1 onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed/chopped finely
1 tin tomatoes
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Salt & pepper

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil, then fry garlic and onion until soft. Add lamb mince & cook, stirring often to separate, until browned. Stir in all remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Vegetable layers

2 eggplants
4 courgettes
Olive oil

Remove tops and ends from eggplants and courgettes, then slice thinly, lengthwise. Heat olive oil in a frypan and cook vegetable slices until browned on each side. You will need to do a few at a time to ensure they are flat against the base of the frypan. The eggplant soaks up a lot of oil, so add more as needed.

Faux white sauce
1 cauliflower
1/4 tsp paprika
Dash of olive oil
Salt & pepper

Steam cauliflower. Transfer cooked cauliflower to a bowl then use stick blender to ‘mash’ it. Add paprika, olive oil, & salt and pepper, and whip with a fork.

Putting it all together

Line the bottom of a lasagne or other large baking dish with the eggplant slices, then create another layer of eggplant slices in the other direction (so they criss cross).

Spoon half the meat sauce over eggplant. Layer courgette slices over meat sauce. Spoon over the other half of the meat sauce, then top with the cauliflower mash.

Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes, or until top is slightly browned and sauce is bubbling.

Note: this is super tasty, but not very pretty – it goes a bit sloppy when you serve it – so maybe don’t cook this if you’re being judged on presentation!

Duped?

Does anyone else ever feel a little bit duped sometimes? A bit short-changed with this whole health and fitness gig?

I know I’m probably not meant to admit it, but I do. And I’ve been feeling a lot like that lately.

I mean, I eat really well (not even 80:20…probably more like 95:5), I train hard (but I’m careful not to overtrain), I don’t do drugs or drink much alcohol, I usually get about 8 hours sleep a night…and yet for the last couple of months, I’ve been feeling rubbish! It got to the point that I actually went to the doctor for blood tests last week because I was just so darn exhausted.

I thought I was meant to feel amazing from all this good behaviour?!

Instead, I’ve been constantly tired, I feel like my training’s been going backwards (particularly the metcon components), I’ve been moody, and even cooking hasn’t been helping! It’s been getting pretty hard going. I’ll even admit to the odd moment of thinking that, if all this clean eating and hard training isn’t paying off, perhaps I should just go and have a few wines or eat a couple of slices of cake…it’s not like it’ll make any difference, right?!

Well actually, that’s probably wrong…and I didn’t succumb to those thoughts. Instead, I took a step back and took a good look at myself and my life. Yes, my diet’s in order; yes, my training’s in order; yes, my sleep’s in order; yes, my stress…oh…hold on…my stress levels. Um yeah, about that. Probably not so in order.

So you know what I did? I made a change! It’s a little too early to tell if it’ll pay off, but I’m already feeling lighter, and I’m hoping that before long, I’ll notice the changes in my energy levels, my emotions, and my training too. I’ll let you know how I go!

So basically what I’m saying is, if you think you’re doing all the right things and you’re still feeling awful, take a really objective look at your life. Are all aspects of your life (and I mean all of them) as optimum as you can make them at this moment in time? If you think they are, then I suggest talking to your coaches/trainers/friends/family – they might have a different perspective to offer, or at least some suggestions as to how you can feel a bit better. If they’re not, then make some changes. Even small changes can make a big difference.

And if you’re doing all the right things and still feeling awful…just think how much worse you’d be feeling if you were doing all the wrong things!!

Satay Beef Casserole

Sesame oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed & chopped finely
1 heaped tbsp red curry paste
1kg casserole beef, cubed (if you talk nicely to your local butcher, they might do this for you!)
2 capsicums, sliced thinly (I used a red & a yellow, mostly for the colour)
5 tbsp almond butter (I used homemade, but store-bought would be fine)
1 400ml can coconut milk
2 tsp curry powder
Salt (to taste)
2 kaffir lime leaves

In a jug or bowl, combine coconut milk and almond butter and set aside.

Heat sesame oil in a large casserole dish, on the stovetop. Add onion, garlic and red curry paste, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant & onion is soft. Add beef and cook until browned. Stir in capsicums and cook for a couple more minutes.

Pour over coconut milk and almond butter, then add curry powder and salt. Stir. Add kaffir lime leaves and stir gently. Bring to the boil.

Stir again, then place the lid on the casserole dish and transfer to the oven. Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 30 minutes.

Serve with cauliflower rice and garnish with fresh coriander.