Tuesday's Change Week 13 - Read the ingredients!

This week's change is one that I instigated into my life a few years ago and it has really stuck with me. It's simple in in it's concept and may revolutionise the way you eat.

All you have to do is read the ingredients on back of every packet of food you eat. Read them right to end and if you don't know what the ingredient is then maybe you should think twice about whether you should be eating it!

Of course the ideal is to only eat foods that don't come in packets with an ingredient list. As in real, whole foods. Meats, eggs, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice, oats, nuts, seeds, spices etc. But for the time being just start looking at what you are eating and the list of ingredients and ask yourself are you really happy putting that into your body? What effect is it having on your insides, you hair, skin and nails? Is it making you gain weight by disrupting your hormones? Is it something you would feed your children? If it sounds like something that came from a laboratory...it probably did and it is not real food!

That really is it. So simple.

I'd love to hear your feed back on what you discover while reading the ingredients so be sure to let me know.

Red Cabbage and Apple Salad

Red Cabbage and Apple Salad

This salad is so tasty and cheap to make. It looks wonderful and is full of goodness. It can be made in minutes, no cooking involved and is even nicer on the 2^nd or 3^rd day after making. Check out the Dietary Information section below for all the amazing health benefits.

In the ingredients I've listed ½ a head of red cabbage. The other half will keep for weeks in the fridge in a sealed container so don’t throw it out! Alternatively you can just make double!

Ingredients:

Makes 4-6 servings

½ head of Organic Red Cabbage

1 Organic apple

1 heaped tablespoon of Wholegrain Mustard

1 heaped tablespoon of English mustard

4 tablespoons of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.

Salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil if desired

Additions: Chopped Walnuts are delicious in this salad. As are Raisins.

Method

After removing the stem and first outer leaves of the head of cabbage half, slice thinly with a well sharpened knife. Break up the pieces into a large salad bowl cutting in half if desired.

Chop the apple into quarters, remove the core and seeds and chop each quarter into chunks or slices. Adding these to the bowl.

Add both the types or mustard (if you only have one type double the quantities), Apple Cider Vinegar and drizzle of Olive Oil and mix all together.

Serve.

Prep Time

5 minutes

Equipment needed

Sharp knife, large bowl

Dietary Information

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Paleo

Vegetarian and Vegan

Sugar Free

Contains good fats

Two of your 5 a day

Apple Cider Vinegar is antimicrobial, lowers blood sugar (take note diabetics!), aids fat loss and is good for the heart.

Red Cabbage is packed with flavonoids which are cancer fighting, Vitamin C and K and has lots of fibre and minerals.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! 

Mustard is high in magnesium and selenium which help fight asthma and chest congestion, slows ageing, are anti-inflammatory (can even be rubbed onto joints!), stimulates hair growth and relieves constipation.  

Storage Instructions:

Keeps for over a week in a sealed container in the fridge. If you want to make it in advance you can leave out the apples (they can go brown) and add them in just before serving. I find the cabbage softens out after at least 12 hours and allows the vinegar to soak in. This makes it even nicer served on the second day.

Serving suggestions

I love to eat this salad with some freshly baked, honey glazed Ham. The mustard and honey go so well together.

It goes with lots of other meats too. It’s great for BBQs (roll on the summer!) and is a fantastic side dish to bring to a party.

Can be used to replace coleslaw as a lower fat, healthier option

Cathy's Broccoli Salad

So I hate Broccoli!

But I love Cathy!

Cathy designed my blog, logo and got me up to speed on how best to run this show! You can find her Social Media Consultant business here and her amazing blog and Vintage Shop here. So just for her I said I would do this salad!

If, like me, you hate broccoli but know you should eat more of it (you really should, it's so good for you, it can be grown locally and it's cheap!) then this salad is a tasty way to get it into you without sitting and eating a big bowl of steamed green!

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli (I got mine for 39c in Dunnes as it was on a weekly deal. It wasn't Organic but it was Irish grown)
1 tub of sundried tomatoes
1 packet of small mozzarella balls (Mozzarella is one of the lowest fat cheeses)
2 handfuls of chopped walnuts (walnuts have the best Omega 3/6 ratio and are one of the healthiest nuts full of good fats and protein)
2 teaspoons of Olive Oil

Method:

Steam or boil the Broccoli florets until just tender.
Leave to cool.
Add cheese and tomatoes.
Chop walnuts and sprinkle on top
Drizzle with olive oil.

Mix well and serve!

Alternative Ingredients:

Add chicken or sausage or alternative meat to make it a whole meal as opposed to side salad
Feta cheese works well instead of Mozzarella
Pine nuts can replace walnuts
Add Sweet potato wedges for some extra carbohydrates to make it a more substantial meal.
Replace sundried tomatoes with quartered cherry tomatoes for a lower fat option.


Happy green eating!

Breakfast for the car!

Preparation is key when you are trying to be healthy and eat well. But let's be realistic we all have our disorganised days or days when we get delayed. We are all human don't beat yourself up about it. 

I was late this morning and so didn't have time to eat brekkie before I left the house. So I reverted to this breakfast smoothie that takes 2 minutes to make and can be eaten with one hand, while driving! Please be careful on the road I don't want any accidents that are smoothie related!

It is nutrition packed and such a great way to start the day. It's not going to win any flavour awards but the benefits will outshine the taste.

It's also an excellent post 'morning work out' fuel if you chose to do fasted cardio/training before you eat in the morning.

Enjoy and #eatclean

Ingredients (discussed in detail below)

2-3 heaped table spoons of yogurt

2 heaped table spoons of Udo's Beyond Greens

1 handful of blueberries 

Protein Powder of choice if desired

Method: (2-3 minutes)

Blend all in a nutri-bullet/blender/mash and stir by hand. Add some water if the yogurt is particularly thick and shake. Add to a portable/reusable bottle and drink in the car/on the bus/train/while cycling/at your desk. 

Yoghurt: Plain, organic and Irish where possible. Greek Style Yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt so depending on your needs select accordingly. Full Fat if 'fuel for performance' is your goal. The probiotics in yogurt are so good for your gut health, something we tend to ignore and has an effect on everything we do.

DO NOT use: 

- fat free yogurt (this is full of chemicals and artificially sweetened which makes you crave carbs), 

- flavoured yogurt, it must be natural flavour i.e. plain (even if it says 'real fruit pieces it will have sugar and other ingredients added to prevent the 'fruit' from discolouring)

Udo's Beyond Greens or alternative. This is a super product containing many 'green' products that are packed with health benefits, as well as good fats that heal, fibre, antioxidants and active digestive enzymes that help your gut in ways you can't even imagine. More information on this here. I would need a whole other blog post to break down all the benefits of this product. It is pricey but so worth it if you live a busy lifestyle and need instant boost of nutrition! Available in most good health stores, usually found in the fridge. 

Bluberries. Organic and fresh (not frozen if possible) and Irish if they are in season. Packed full of antioxidants, fibre and vitamins and minerals these truly are a superfood.

Protein Powder if desired. 

Alternative flavourings that can be added:

Cinnamon (great at boosting your metabolism)

Drop of honey for sweetness

Other berries like strawberries, raspberries, gojiberries

Milled Flax seeds

Fly away with me...

I do a lot of travelling. I fly at least once a month, if not more. So it's a good thing then that I love airports. I find them fascinating for people watching as well as the fact that they are packed full of the excitement and anticipation of all its travelers off on their many adventures. I love wondering where each person is going or guessing their nationality. You can learn a lot by just sitting and observing people. I guess it's a good thing I enjoy it so much as I sit here on my 5 hour wait for my connecting flight! I'm just back from Oktoberfest in Germany with my Husband.

When you travel a lot you begin to realise how nearly every airport is the same. Selling overpriced, cardboard food and packed full of cheap, sugary convenience snacks and drinks. Not to mention the lack of readily available drinking water.

So here are my top tips for travelling and trying to keep healthy.

1) First rule of the scouts is 'be prepared'. Bring food with you! Rice cakes and hard boiled eggs are perfect. They are light and don't take up too much room. They can be eaten with your hands and they keep well for long periods of time at room temperature. I always throw in some full fat real butter in a little tub too. An excellent source of good fat providing it's Irish and from grass fed cows. Here you have a quick and easy meal that has your clean carbohydrates, lean protein and good fats. It takes 5 minutes to prepare and you can bring them anywhere. Not just for airports!

2) Did you know reusable water bottles can go through security? Even if they are over 100mls! I always have a quiet, smug giggle to myself watching all the girls going through security who completely forgot the 100 ml liquid rule (which btw is completely redundant now. Who do I talk to about getting this removed?! Obama?) I always feel bad seeing them squeal with horror as the security guard tries to wrestle their oversized bottle of Clinque eye make up remover from their hands as they clutch it to their chest like it's their first born child! 

Anyway providing the bottle is empty and you show it to the security guards along with your zip locked bag or minis they have no problem letting it through. (I can regularly be spotted in Cork airport guzzeling the end of my water just as I approach the X-ray scanners!). Almost every airport has a water fountain airside, typically located outside the toilets, so once you are through security checks you can refill it and drink away to your heats content.

This will save you paying €3 for 500 ml of water (seriously Ryanair? Gold is cheaper!) and also make you drink more as you can go back and refill it as often as you want. It will also save the environment as you are producing less waste in disposable bottles. 

I've had my reusable bottle for nearly 4 years now and it has been to 4 continents with me! I have only bought a disposable bottle of water maybe twice a year since I got it. That's a massive saving on finances, the environment and as it's always glued to my side it reminds me to drink more.  Win win win. Check out my post here on the importance of hydration and how much you should drink each day.

3) Be selective with your food. Wander the airport, see what alternatives there are, is there a small shop or newsagents that might sell something healthier than the restaurants or on board menus. Ryainair have now marked all their menu items with the dietary requirements. There is still only 1-2 items that are gluten free (1 is their ketchup!) but at least you can make informed decisions when you do travel. They are still miles ahead of Aer Lingus who have 1 Gluten Free item on their menu! Which is friut! Good food will make you feel better when flying. Lots of water will help you feel less tired and groggy. You just need to put in the effort!

Happy travelling my little wanderers! Keep exploring and discovering new lands

Pink Salt anyone?

If you eat a clean diet and avoid processed foods, you may be taking in less salt than you need. It's a funny concept as we have been bombarded by marketing and health claims urging us to reduce our salt intake. But this is primarily because of the abundance of salt in convenience foods as well as the poor quality of this salt.  

This common table salt has typically be bleached white, processed and had lots of minerals and vitamins stripped from it. So in essence you are left with just the worst parts!

It is these minerals and vitamins that we need to function. They are responsible for the transfer of energy throughout the body as well as being key to the function of the nervous, lymphatic, muscular, digestive, excretory and many other systems in the body. 

You need salt to function but you need a good quality, healthy salt to function. I typically add Pink Himalayan Crystal Salt to my food (providing I haven't had any 'salt added' foods that day). I get it here in the health food shop in Paul Street shopping centre. But you can get it in most good health shops. It is €5 for a bag and I've had the same bag for over a year.

What makes this salt so special? Check out some articles I found here and here on the many benefits.

Basically it has been found to contain up to 84 vitamins and minerals found naturally in nature and needed for the function of the body. It can be ingested through food or even used in a bath to relieve tired and sore muscles. It is known as a 'full spectrum salt' and hasn't been bleached or stripped of any of its properties. It is in its raw state. The benefits are amazing and it also looks fancy at dinner parties!

Failing that try and get Organic, Irish Sea Salt as another alternative. Simplee do a fantastic range of naturally flavoured salts, they are Irish and care about nutrition. You can get them in most good supermarkets. They also have some fab recipes and suggestions on their page so check them out! Support Local people!

No time to cook? What about this quick and easy Omelette?

So I am absolutely exhilarated and exhausted! This morning I organised a big event at my gym CrossFit Cork which was a total success. It was a Morning Rave as a fundraiser called Rave and Shine Cork. The aim of the event was to facilitate some craziness, allow people let lose, dance and have fun in a sober, safe environment full of joy and positive energy. Everyone who attended floated off to work and hopefully spread the love to everyone they met today. More on this in a future post! Click here to see lots of info and pictures from the day.

So this evening I wanted something quick and easy to prepare that would be tasty and nutritious. This is an ideal meal when you are really pushed for time and want food NOW! 

I always keep eggs in the house. You just can't go wrong with them. They are by far the cheapest, most nutritious and versatile source of protein you can get. I go through about 24 eggs a week! I always buy free range, organic eggs (€1.99 for 6 in Dunnes Stores or source from your local farmer)

Chop garlic, courgette and spring onions and saute in a pan.

Preparation time:
2-3 minutes
Cooking time:
3-5 minutes

Ingredients:
(serves 2)
1     clove of garlic (great for cold and flu season, it has antibacterial and antiviral properties)
1/2  organic courgette
2     organic spring onions
2     handfuls of organic spinach
6     Free range and organic eggs
1     tsp paprika
1     tsp Turmeric
1     chunk of Pecorino Sheep's cheese
Ground black pepper, chilli flakes and pink Himalayan crystal salt to taste.

(These ingredients can be modified to include whatever is left over in your fridge. I often add sweet potato chunks, left over meat, tomatoes, mozzarella etc.)

Add handfulls of spinach, tearing the leaves if they are large. Allow this to wilt slightly.

Method:
Chop garlic, courgette and spring onions and saute in a pan.
Add handfulls of spinach, tearing the leaves if they are large. Allow this to wilt slightly.
Beat eggs with spices and seasoning in a bowl and add to the pan at a low heat.
Cook until the egg is cooked at least 1/2 the way from the bottom.
Add small slices of the hard cheese to the top and finish cooking by placing the pan under the grill.


This recipe makes 2 servings. I usually eat one for dinner and keep one for breakfast the next morning. Simples! That's 2 meals made in under 10 minutes!


So let's check in on how this recipe holds up to my simple 3 item nutritional rule discussed here?

Mainly clean carbohydrates, ideally from vegetables? Check! (courgette, spring onion, spinach)
Palm size of ethically sourced protein? Check! (organic, free range eggs)
Thumb size of good fats? Small check! (cheese) Depending on your goals and allergies you could replace the cheese with coconut oil.

Add small slices of the hard cheese to the top 

Yes I did overcook half of it under the grill. I was checking Facebook (facepalm)

Simple, nutritious, versatile (eggs taste good with EVERYTHING so use up what's in the fridge), affordable and tasty meal. Chow down boys and girls! I'm off to bed. Zzzzz

Rustic Stone, Cocktails and Rice Cakes!

So myself and my sister just spent a girly weekend in Dublin. We are both clean eating aficionados and could be seen leaving the Cork border with the car stocked with easy, on the road, clean eating snacks. We had had rice cakes, eggs, cooked turkey, spinach omelettes and some hard sheep's cheese. Anyone who knows me knows I bring food everywhere I go. It's the only way to ensure you've a supply of healthy, fresh foods. My tupperware tower is ever growing! My sister has just lost over 3 stone through sheer hard work of eating clean and training dirty (I know, sorry, there is no magic pill, it actually does take hard work!)so it's handy we are on the same page.

Travelling while trying to eat clean can be difficult and preparation is key. On the flip side I'm a big advocate of not missing out on the fun just for the sake of trying to be strict with your diet. Just chose carefully when you want to break away and decide if you think you've worked hard enough before hand to really deserve it. We enjoyed many a wonderful cocktails in Opium Restaurant, Dublin with our friends on Saturday night celebrating (wait for it) 2 recent engagements, an upcoming wedding, a birthday, a new job, an upcoming move of country and an unsuccessful wedding dress shopping day! Phew. We had passionfruit and honey prosecco (drool!), a fresh ginger, orange and schnapps concoction and my personal favourite basil, cucumber and Hendrick's Gin swirl (they are all healthy right?!). We paid the price on Sunday but a treat once in a while is well deserved. (Watch out for an upcoming post on 'cheat meals and treats' and when you should have them.)

Anyway, back to my point! As we we trawled Dublin shopping and our legs got weary it was time to eat. We were both prepared to spend the next few minutes scanning menus and signs looking for somewhere even remotely healthy to eat. As we both only eat gluten free my first instinct is to look to the bottom of the menu to the legend as most restaurants these days mark what is gluten free along with vegetarian. Then I scan upwards to see what is suitable for me. We passed a few restaurants but noting seemed to appeal to us. 

The head chef and creator of Rustic Stone, Dylan Mc Grath

And then, there she was, like a shining beacon across the road we saw Rustic Stone. The name itself made me think at least they would have a nice, hearty salad or meat board we could tuck into. Imagine our delight as we scanned the menu when we realised every single dish is marked clearly with the nutritional details. I think we may have hugged and high fived each other we were so excited. This would mean we wouldn't have to be those 'difficult' customers who quizzed the server if foods contained certain elements.

On the menu they have marked everything with symbols if it is:

Gluten Free

Wheat Free

Lactose Free

Diary Free

Sugar Free

Nut Free

Super Food

Vegetarian

I'm not joking. We were besides ourselves. Tasty, nice restaurant food and we would be fully informed on what it contained. You'd think when you are paying money in a restaurant you'd know what you are paying for but often you are totally in the dark. This was heaven.

The waiter also handed us a Raw menu where everything on it is raw (dudh!) and even this made us salivate. Some dishes are even marked with little helpful pieces of information on the food items contained in the dish. Did you know mustard contains lots of antioxidants and is good for your skin? It was like someone crawled inside my head and made a restaurant from my dreams. Maybe we were delirious with hunger but I really couldn't fault the place!

Yes I was 'that girl' that took a picture of the food before she ate it. I got a wonderful eye roll from the waiter!

After much discussion we both ordered the Mightly Mustard Salad with a side of Polenta chips and Potato and Pesto chips to share. Check out their menu here for all the amazing dishes we wished we had tried! 

Typically, we also checked the dessert menu before even ordering our main meal and it was all I could think about as we ate our food. We both got the Chocolate Mousse with Chocolate Soup and guess what...The whole dessert is sugar free! It sure tasted good. We rolled out of there on a superfood, satisfied, soupy high!

You have no idea the discipline this took to take a picture instead of lifting the bowl to my face to drink in the chocolatey goodness!

Not only was all this food amazingly tasty it was nutritious, well informed and the service was excellent. People often think healthy food is bland and this just proves it is absolutely not.

From what I gather the restaurant is known for it's hot stone style meats which you cook yourself at your table, they have an extensive wine and cocktail list and Monday nights have half price cocktails. Just another reason to visit!

I am aware I sound like a blubbering idiot who loves every restaurant I go to but actually I'm quite the opposite. Having worked in restaurants growing up I'm highly critical and service is often one of my gripes. Just ask my friends about the Green Tea incident at brunch ("there wasn't even a string on the tea bag!")But the Rustic Stone staff were a nice mix of attentive without fussing.

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone with an interest in healthy eating and also to anyone who likes delicious food. So basically everyone. Almost 90% of the menu was 'clean' which is so refreshing considering usually when I eat out there is 1 or maybe 2 choices available,often with me having to make modifications.

The chef is Dylan Mc Grath and as you can see here he has a passion for nutrition and has been awarded a Michelin Star. I wonder is he single...?

You can check them out on Twitter and Facebook here.

Nutrition for Dummies

There are various models for nutrition, various diets or lifestyles that people follow or live by. Some differ quite a lot in their make up, others are very similar. Some are fat loss orientated, some are performance related and some are health focused. There is no one diet that suits all people. We are all so different.

So where do you even begin to process all the information and chose a path for your own diet? We are bombarded with advice from the media and friends 'Oh try this it really worked for me' or 'Lose 10 pounds instantly with this new product'

Let me help break it down for you. 

Remember the food pyramid in school? I think everyone remembers learning that. Well forget it! And forget it quickly! The food pyramid was based on flawed studies which were heavily marketed by the food industry who absolutely do NOT have your health at interest. Unfortunately $$$ are their primary focus and so they can not be trusted. We are more unhealthy now as a nation than we ever were before. We have more disease and more weight issues than 60+ years ago when this idea was introduced.

                                                    Check out this book that was written about it.

So welcome to a new way of thinking. And it’s much easier than you think. All you have to remember is 3 things. Fat, Protein and Carbohydrates. That’s it. Nothing else. These are called Macronutrients and should make up the bulk of your diet.

When eating any meal (including breakfast, as this is where most people tend to slip up) just make sure that your plate has all 3 elements combined. Good fats, lean ethical protein and clean carbohydrates. I will be doing a follow up post with examples of what each element is and where best to source them so keep a look out for more information. Also keep your eyes peeled for tasty recipes I'll be uploading.

So we have our 3 building blocks now, so what about quantities? I try to stick to this rule. There is no weighing or measuring and you’ll always have this tool to hand… because…it is your actual hand! How handy is that? (I'll get my coat)

For each meal try and eat a hand size portion of clean carbohydrates, ideally a variety of vegetables (this should make up about half the plate). Eat a palm size portion of lean protein. And a thumb size portion of good fats. Simples.

 P.S this is not my hand! I would never hold a chicken breast like that (eugh can you say Salmonella?!), yellow wrist bands are so not my style and I don't eat peas.

Even if you don’t adopt this rule straight away start to look at what you are eating, do a little check to see how close to or far away you are from this simple rule. If you find your meals are unbalanced and not meeting this simple rule and if you are not happy with your physical appearance and performance then maybe it’s time to change things up! This nutrition lark can be scary and baffling but just taking 30 seconds before you eat anything to become more aware of what you are eating is the first step on the journey of optimal health.