Saturday 27 August 2011

Week 3+....

I've lost track of days - well, let me count. Mmm....today is day 24. 
That's not a bad thing, you know. 

Good habits take time and gradually I am changing things for the better. Some positive improvements I have made in these last 3+ weeks are:

* Portions are smaller.
* When I put food in my mouth I ask myself if I am genuinely hungry. If not, I put what's left on my plate in the bin or on the garden.
* I walk! Every day, and almost everywhere - even to the supermarket. 
* The 16 steps from the back decking down to the yard (and the car, and the laundry, and the clothesline) are fast becoming my fitness ally because I walk briskly up and down them around 20 times a day.
* We had takeaway tonight and I chose a 6 inch Sub from Subway and loaded it with salad. 
* My husband and 17yo have been sick and have decided they'd like to eat healthier! \o/\o/ (I almost cried with relief and joy)
* My weight  didn't change from last week, but my cargo pants have room in the waist so I think there is a lot of muscle forming from those steps every day! 
* I'm more conscious of what groceries, fruit and veg I buy, and how to use them better.
* Basic meals are my husband's favourite, nothing fancy. How's that for simplifying life?

To be food conscious means a lot of things to me - what is in season? What has the least packaging? What is local? What can I preserve for later? What can we afford?
Strawberries are so cheap and plentiful up here in the tropics at the moment that they feature daily in my menu and the extras I make. 
Strawberry & Almond Milk Smoothies are a favourite 11am and 3pm snack...
They make up part of a lunch time fruit plate...(the passionfruits are also pentiful right now)
Instead of buying jam I am making my own every week. It's much nicer and not as sweet as the bought jars. Last week's Strawberry & Vanilla Jam was used to bake two oat-laden Matrimonial Slices today. My family still enjoy a sweet treat so I choose to make them as wholesome as possible...
With no more jam left after making the slices it was time to cook up another couple of jars - this time Strawberry & Apple, and as is usual these days, I took some over to eldest daughter Kezzie's along with one of the Matrimonial Slices, and a container full of my yummy dhal...
 Kezzie and Blossom love my dhal because it's very spicy and perfect with a dry curry - although Blossom likes it just poured over rice. 
Bread is another thing I like to bake, and this Carrot and Sultana Loaf is made for Blossom. She cuts thick slices and melts cheese over the top.
 
The original recipe asked for cinnamon to be added to the dough but I grate in the zest of an orange instead. Yum!
 The recipe for the bread can be found HERE.
~~~~~
I recently read that people who make and drink raw vegetable/fruit juices more than 3 times per week have a 76% lower risk of developing Alzheimers Disease. Apparently you need to have things like carrot, beetroot, apples, red grapes, and celery in the juices for maxiumum benefit. The juice I make has everythng except the grapes, so once they come into season again I'll add them in.
Do you have any interesting and helpful health tips to share?
Healthy Hugs
Jenny



3 comments:

Ann Marie said...

Since strawberry's are really cheap right now, do you buy lots and freeze any for out of season? If so any tips?

Allie said...

That is a lot of steps, no wonder your clothes are looser! I've been sick all week and I notice mine are too, lol. Tell Blossom that cheese is one of the worst things she can eat. She may want to consider going off all dairy for a few weeks, and seeing if it helps with her headaches. Also, watch out for sulfates in your foods - so many people have trouble with those, including me. I just found out that there are only two ketchups without them.

africanaussie said...

You haven't posted for a while, hang in there :) I am going the same path with you! Hope things are going well.