9 months since I last posted...hmmm

Well, I can honestly say, 2013 was one of the craziest years of my life!!! Sick bubba, busy family life, often sick or burnt out myself, and the wee business that I looked at starting up, making tutus and other crafty stuff, kind of got a lot busier than I ever expected it to!!!

My Dexter Bear is now 4!!! Can't believe he starts school in September!

2014 is all about changing my attitude towards my health, time management, but also being a better mummy and wife. I have been working on my "happy face" and trying to be more positive for my family's sake. It's a work in progress, but I'm trying.

Nutrition wise, we are having a lot less takeaways. Hubby really felt like Butter Chicken and Naans today, so we had them, but neither of us enjoyed it at all, nor did we clean our plates off. Serving sizes have come down, I have discovered that an actual serving size of a low sugar cereal for breakfast is actually NOT the end of the world, and does keep me full longer than expected. The emotional eating is coming back under control, and I am working on my willpower to say no to foods that I REALLY don't need.

Now to up the exercise. This is the hard part. As I have written about in the past, I get many many aches and pains, these have all gotten worse over the years since having Glandular Fever at 17, and then worse after having my son, and MUCH worse still after having my daughter 2 years ago. Being 30kg heavier than my "ideal" weight does not help in any way, but it also means that most days, even just getting out for a decent walk (we have some big hills either way from our place) is too much even. So I am starting back into exercise REALLY sloooowwlllyyyy. Very gentle, in the hopes that not overdoing it for once will help me increase my strength and fitness, then lose weight and be able to build it up without coming crashing down again, as I did last year, and ended up sick for over a month.

Wee Ambi has just turned 2!!! This is her at her 2nd Birthday Party

So yeah. I'm hoping resurrecting this blog will help keep me accountable, and also the Facebook page that this is connected to as well, with a few followers there, if they are still around.

Does anyone still read blogs? If you are out there and you are reading this, drop me a comment and say hi :)

Nikki

Some changes for the better

It's been a long time, I know.

To be honest, I have been hating on myself for a long time. Too ashamed to even post about the slightest thing. So called "bad" eating, no exercise, due to some incredible exhaustion and a knee injury, sick kids, late nights working on orders and all around stress. I also just haven't had time.

Just one of the things I have been busy on - hosting my first Showcase!

But I wanted to just stop in this morning to say this: I have recently had a bit of a shift in my thinking when it comes to nutrition. And it is helping more than I can say when it comes to my attitudes about what I eat. To be fair it has only been a couple of weeks, but  I am already down 1.5kg, still not eating perfectly (though that is the point), and still not exercising, so the only way is up. (or, down in this case)

I will be back to elaborate, but for now, I have a sick-ish 3.5 year old and a sick 15 month old that need my attention, and they always come first.

Nice to see you again :)
Nikki

My lovey, huggy kiddies

Wow... it's been a few months!

Oops. I've been so caught up with the busyness of life that I have completely forgotten to post on here since January!!! I'm sorry.

I've been so busy on a wee project I like to call AmbiDexi. You can see AmbiDexi on my Facebook Page or on my other blog AmbiDexi.

Or, just take a look below and get in touch if you would like to arrange anything. There is jewellery, fairy wings and other accessories to come, and I am also working on some grown ups' jewellery as well.

My little star, Amber. Loves to dress up, which is helpful!!

So that has been me for the last couple of months, it is going pretty well, starting to get quite a few orders now. Hoping to build it up slowly to be something that I can do around the kids. Currently that means I have about 2 hours a night from when they go to bed, until my bed time that I can work on them, but as time goes on I will get more and more time!!

My baby girl is one now!!

Ok, so she turned 1 last Friday, her party was a week ago today. I'm just a little behind. Am determined to get back into blogging this year, but have so much on right now, it hasn't quite happened!!!

Anyway, Amber's Birthday Party (Teddy Bears Picnic) in pictures:

My new piggy bank toy!!

My first attempt at a Rainbow Cake, about to go into the oven

Lil miss cake face!!

One very tired baby at the end of her party. Managed to find a blue pebble on the ground and this is what happened...

A very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Little Miss Ray of Happiness is one year old this Friday!!

Hello, hello, it's me. Yes, I know, it's been awhile.

Oh yeah, I met Batman

There has been so much going on in our house lately that blogging got put to the side for a bit. But I am back now and will hopefully be a bit more regular with my posting again.

Christmas was great here, the kids got overly spoiled as always, Christmas lunch was at our place. So much easier than traipsing around seeing everyone seperately.

Loving my first Christmas!!

Recently I took on a challenge (with myself) of going to a Market Day and selling my tutus. This involves having to make a whole lot beforehand, as there is not a lot of point going to a market with nothing to sell!! I also have some jewellery to sell as well. Market is on 2 February so I am a busy girl!! Good thing I like to be busy.

We went on a holiday to Coromandel over New Years. Nowhere even close to relaxing really. Was great to get away and do something other than the normal daily grind of housework housework, groceries, more housework, but with a busy 3 year old and an almost walking almost 1 year old, it was a busy few days!!!

I have set up a group on Facebook for ladies looking to lose weight and wanting a support network to help keep them going. We are almost up to 40 members already, I have set it to secret, so no one can see who is a member or what we are talking about. If you would like to join, pop a comment below this post and I will add you. It's a great bunch of ladies, and we are only a week into our journey, so feel free to join us!

That's enough of an update for now, hope you all had a great Festive Season!!

Tonight, I ran (though my boobs and butt ran further)

All I can say is thank goodness for good sports bras!!

It wasn't very far, and it definitely wasn't fast. But I ran, for the first time in almost 2 years. 

We got the kids in bed at 8pm (working on a 7.30 bedtime for them) and was feeling a bit fidgety, so told hubby I was going for a wee walk. I couldn't be too long as it would be dark soon and there are some shady types around us.

It was very short,  but it involved going up the 2 steep hills around our place, and running for about 5 minutes continuously, mostly downhill, and then flat, but hey, I'm still proud I did it! I've done the same short walk many times, but I never attempted running. Made me feel like I will be able to keep going and run further. 

Yay for feeling positive!!

My big walk up The Mount today

It's been about 4 years or more since I last walked up Mount Maunganui, and a friend mentioned some time back that it had been 15 years since she last walked up. We decided that we needed to fix that, so set a date to head on up.

After a few false starts, what with very little walking being done lately, tummy bugs in both families and a neck injury on my part, we finally got to do our walk today!

It was with great dread that we drove to The Mount, both joking about dying, leaving our funeral instructions with someone etc. We were also very excited about the Copenhagen Cone's we were going to treat ourselves to when we got back to the bottom.

It went so much better than either of us expected, neither of us died and we even felt energetic enough to skip/jump occasionally on the way back down.

Here is our journey in pictures:

Clean Eating - Chocolate Peanut Butter Icecream

Recipe and picture from The Gracious Pantry

Clean Eating Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream
(Makes 2 servings)

Ingredients
2 cups frozen bananas, thawed on the countertop for about 10 minutes
2 tbsp. peanut butter (more if you want)
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (more if you want)

Directions

Step 1 – Allow the bananas to sit out on the counter for about 10 minutes so they just begin to thaw (just barely).

Step 2 – Put the bananas through the Yonana’s machine (or in a processor with a small splash of milk and blend till smooth).

Step 3 – Stir in the peanut butter and cocoa powder. Mix well and serve.

Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1/2 the recipe

Calories: 230
Total Fat: 9 gm
Saturated Fats: 2 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 78 mg
Carbohydrates: 39 gm
Dietary fiber: 5 gm
Sugars: 19 gm
Protein: 5 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 13

Nutritional Information estimated at Nutritiondata.com. Data may not be accurate.

Clean Eating - Chicken with Ancient Grains and Macadamias

I spotted this recipe on the Countdown website this morning. Although it has Chicken Stock, and I'm not sure that comes under clean eating, the rest of it is fine, and this looks delicious, one to definitely try!

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 ½ cups Campbell’s Chicken Stock
• 600g chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
• 50g rocket
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley
• ½ cup mint leaves, sliced
• ½ cup coriander leaves, sliced
• ½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 15 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• ¾ cup macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• Sesame seeds to sprinkle over the top
• Lemon juice & wedge for garnish

Method

Rinse the quinoa in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain and place in a saucepan with the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until the grain is softened to your liking and set aside (I like to keep a little bite to add another texture to the dish).

Heat the 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large fry pan, add the chicken and cook until nice and golden on both sides and cooked through. Set aside to rest.

Place the quinoa, rocket, parsley, coriander, mint, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and macadamias into a bowl and gently combine.

Combine the lemon juice and 3 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to the salad and mix thoroughly until everything is evenly coated.

Take chicken and slice across the grain.

Serve the salad in a large pile in the centre of the plate, top with the chicken slices and garnish with sesame seeds and lemon wedges.

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 ½ cups Campbell’s Chicken Stock
• 600g chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
• 50g rocket
• ½ cup flat leaf parsley
• ½ cup mint leaves, sliced
• ½ cup coriander leaves, sliced
• ½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 15 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• ¾ cup macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• Sesame seeds to sprinkle over the top
• Lemon jucie & wedge for garniMethod:Rinse the quinoa in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain and place in a saucepan with the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until the grain is softened to your liking and set aside (I like to keep a little bite to add another 

Clean Eating - Raspberry Lime Yosicles

Recipe and Photo from The Gracious Pantry

Ingredients
1 (12 oz.) bag unsweetened, frozen raspberries
2 cups plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup honey (tart) OR 1/2 cup (very sweet)

Directions

Step 1 – Blend all ingredients together in a blender and pour into popsicle molds. Freeze overnight.

Clean Eating Recipe - Coconut Almond Cranberry Chicken

Recipe and Photo from The Gracious Pantry

Ingredients
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can light coconut milk
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I used fruit juice sweetened cranberries from Whole Foods)
4 cups raw spinach leaves, tightly packed when measuring
4 chicken breasts (about 7 ounces each), chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger (grate on a microplane for best results)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

Step 1 – Combine all ingredients in a large pan and cook until the chicken is fully cooked through. Serve by itself or over brown rice or whole grain pasta.

Clean Eating - Vegetable Quinoa Stirfry

Recipe and photo from The Gracious Pantry

Clean Eating Vegetable Quinoa Stir Fry
(Makes 3 servings)

Ingredients
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped, raw broccoli
1 cup sliced, brown mushrooms
1 tsp. garlic powder OR 1 tbsp. chopped, fresh garlic
1 tsp. onion powder OR 1/2 a chopped, red onion
1 tbsp. virgin coconut oil
3 cups cooked quinoa
Low sodium, organic Tamari or Soy sauce for topping

Directions

Step 1 – In the coconut oil, sauté all of the vegetables until cooked to your liking. Al dente is typically best for retaining nutrients.

Step 2 – Serve over the cooked quinoa and top with a little tamari or soy sauce.

Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1/3 of the recipe

NOTE: Data does not include the tamari or soy sauce and is based on using garlic and onion powders.

Calories: 306
Total Fat: 8 gm
Saturated Fats: 4 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 32 mg
Carbohydrates: 48 gm
Dietary fiber: 8 gm
Sugars: 4 gm
Protein: 11 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 22

Nutritional Information estimated at Nutritiondata.com. Data may not be accurate.

Clean Eating - Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

Recipe and photo from The Gracious Pantry

Clean Eating BBQ Rosemary Sweet Potatoes
(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, washed and sliced (peel if preferred)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh, chopped rosemary
1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions

Step 1 – Peel (if desired) and slice your sweet potatoes very thin. About 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick at the most. The thinner they are, the better they cook.

Step 2 – Place all ingredients in a large, food-safe bag and shake to coat the potatoes in the oil and spices.

Step 3 – Using a grill pan or aluminum foil, cook the potatoes on the grill. They may take a while to cook, so allow for that. They will take a bit longer to cook than most pieces of meat. So time your meal accordingly. They are done with they begin to fall apart when stirred.

Post 6 Week Challenge - Learning to Live a Cleaner Lifestyle

The biggest change in the last 6 weeks has been my diet. By far, my diet.

There have still been plenty of times that I have made choices that I shouldn't have made, more exercise could have been done and so on. But to look at my/our families diet prior to this, there have been some big changes. 
So with that in mind, a big part of the Challenge was eating cleaner, more fruits, vegies, lean meats etc. Makes sense, and is pretty obvious. But what I was wanting to know more about what WHAT can I eat? There's only so much boiled kumara/pumpkin and salads one can eat before it gets a little monotonous. I need a little adventure in my diet sometimes. Hence how packet pasta snuck into our otherwise healthy dinner tonight.

Where I have stuck with the cleaner, healthier eating, my stomach really has thanked me for it. So tonight while Adam is playing Xbox and the kids are asleep, I am sitting here researching a whole lot of recipes. I do that anyway, it's just normally gorge-worthy baking, so this will be a welcome change!!

I have discovered Spinach Salads. LOVE!

So I will set up a tab especially for these recipes. Feel free to use them, comment/email me with your own for me to try and tell the world about them!!  

Happy Friday
Nikki