The Question: To Paleo or Not to Paleo

Read the latest post at the new home for the GTA Fitness Reviewer:
The Question: To Paleo or Not to Paleo

Diet - Easy And Tasty Recipe #5

Gee, its been awhile since I've shared a recipe on here. March 20th was the last time I posted a diet suggestion. Today I have a new one for you, and its part of the nutrition plan that I have been following for about a month now.

Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
lettuce, chopped
cucumber, diced
red pepper, diced
onion, diced
zero or low fat cheese (2 small slices, cubed)
one hard boiled egg, peeled and sliced
3oz chicken
zero or low fat balsamic dressing
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp crushed coriander seed
salt and pepper to taste

Gently saute the chicken in a pan with 1 tbsp of olive or canola oil. Add the curry, cumin, turmeric and coriander when the chicken has browned. Add 1 tbsp of water and cover and simmer.

Meanwhile; assemble your salad by layering the lettuce, cucumber, pepper and onion in a salad bowl. Garnish with the egg and cubed cheese.

Slice the chicken when finished cooking and add to the salad.

Top with 1 tbsp of balsamic dressing.

Enjoy!! 

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Belly Fat Challenge: Progress Report

I am happy to report that there has been progress!!! Yessssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!

Afterall, that is the whole point, isn't it??

My size 7 jeans now fit me again, like they did before I quit smoking. Actually, they fit me a bit better as they are not quite as snug around the belly. I believe the reason for this progress is the addition of my personal training sessions into my workout routines AND the nutrition plan.

I know, you're thinking; "but she's only been on the nutrition plan for a week".......true, but I already feel really good. Having 5 small meals approximately 3 hours at each interval (starting at around 7am or whenever I get my lazy butt out of bed!) seems to be helping to regulate my blood sugar and has pretty much eliminated that woozy feeling I was getting periodically since I've quit smoking.

I believe when I started this quest, I set my birthday June 7th as the target date. That date was for both losing my belly fat and quitting smoking. And since I have quit smoking now all I need to focus on is getting fit.  All??? 

Agreed, its not easy to stick to a nutrition plan either. (just like it wasn't easy to quit smoking) And its not easy to get to the gym on a regular basis; okay I'm lying about this one but that's because I'm a weirdo and I love to workout. So I suppose its not easy for the average person to get to the gym everyday. BUT, this one small indication of progress has spurred me to continue the challenge.  

A reader commented on my last post asking me to share the nutrition plan. As you know, I've taken on the self directed task of reviewing fitness solutions for you, the reader. Therefore; until I can be certain that this nutrition plan is indeed working well and will continue to work for two more weeks, I will not reveal the plan.

Please note; I am not a nutritionist, doctor, therapist or expert of any kind in fitness whatsoever. I'm just an average normal mid 40's woman who is reviewing various fitness solutions and posting my personal experiences and opinions here for you to read. Which means that just because this plan is working for me, does not necessarily mean that it works for you.

BUT! If indeed you decide to take on the challenge yourself, AND you do indeed find that it is working for you then FANTASTIC!!!! Please let me and your fellow readers know about your progress by posting your comments here on my blog.

Until then; don't sweat the small stuff!!

Diet - Easy and Tasty Recipe - #3

I seem to be on a roll with recipes. I'm not a chef or trained cook of any sort, but I am creative and I love a challenge. So when I'm faced with a limited list of ingredients in my fridge or cupboard I manage to make my best meals. What I hope to achieve with sharing these ideas with you, is that you will see that healthy eating doesn't require special skills or ingredients. Its all about how you prepare food and your portion sizes.

There's lots of information about food, healthy food, healthy diets etc etc all over the Internet, in magazines, on TV and even at restaurants. (many restaurants have invented their own rating system for "healthy selections") But if you really want to eat healthy, its all about common sense and balance. I don't believe that you need to deny yourself cake, or donuts, or pie or ice cream or whatever your indulgence might be. I do believe that when you do indulge, be sensible. Have a piece of cake, but make the portion reasonable. And have only one piece. And only have cake once every few weeks at most. Foods that are known for their high fat and sugar content should not be banned from your diet, but rather be a very small part of an overall very healthy diet.

Why do I think its okay to have cake occasionally?? Simple. If you deny yourself entirely of these types of foods, eventually you will break down one day and end up eating waaay too much of this stuff and feel incredibly guilty about it.

The trick to enjoying the "forbidden foods" is when you do decide to partake, treat yourself to something that either you bake yourself, or that you get from a local bakery. There are even bakeries that use organic ingredients and low fat alternatives in their goods. You'd be surprised at just how awesome their baked goods are. Make sure your once-in-awhile treat is special, that way you will be satisfied longer and will not be tempted to make these foods a regular part of your everyday diet.

Now on to recipe #3; the omelette. Omelette's are awesome! Its one of those things that anybody can make at any time. I used mushrooms in this one, because I almost always have them on hand and I love mushrooms. But you can use anything you want to fill your omelette.

Mushroom Omelette with Potato Pancake

serves 1 or 2

2 large eggs, beaten

1/3 cup mushrooms (or whatever other veggie you like)

2 tsp Balkan style plain yogurt (or whatever yogurt you have)

1 yellow (Klondike gold) potato (or whatever kind of potato you like)

sea salt and black pepper

1 tbsp canola or olive oil

Grate unpeeled potato with fine side of grater. Heat oil in medium saucepan on medium heat. Drop grated potato into the pan forming a pancake and gently flatten with spatula. When edges turn brown, gently lift the pancake and flip over. Cook until browned on both sides, about 5-7mins. Remove from pan and place on paper towel on a plate to drain off excess oil.

Add mushrooms to pan and saute until slightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add beaten eggs to pan and swirl slowly until bottom is covered with egg mixture.  When eggs are slightly set (still a bit gooey in the middle but dry on the bottom) lay mushrooms onto half of the egg. Add the Balkan style yogurt onto the mushrooms. With a spatula, gently lift the non-mushroom half of the egg and fold over the mushrooms. Cover and turn off the heat. Allow to stand for about 3 mins so that the egg will finish cooking.

Serve with the potato pancake, sliced vegetable or fruit and bread/toast or mini croissants (if desired)

Enjoy!!