Smoothie. In A Bowl?

I keep seeing the whole concept of a smoothie in a bowl everywhere on the internet.  I've never really been that bothered to giving it a go, as to be honest I thought it sounded a bit weird.  I mean who really wants to eat a smoothie with a spoon - I'm a straw kinda girl if you get what mean.

It was the weekend and I really fancied a smoothie, so I thought it would be the perfect time to experiment as on the weekends I have the time to play around. I would of loved to throw on granola to give it some added crunch, but I didn't have that to hand unfortunately. Note to self I need to make some soon 😀

Instead I picked out what I had to hand from the kitchen cupboards which was ...

// Kellogg's All Bran 40g
// Flaked Almonds 15g
// Chia Seeds 10g
// Linseed mix 10g

For the smoothie itself I used the Tesco tropical smoothie mix which has kiwi, pineapple, mango and coconut. I had some left over blueberries which I threw in too just to make use of them. I then added fresh mint from the garden, a small Yeo Valley low fat yogurt and a cup of water. If I had my time again I might of added a banana instead of the blueberries or perhaps less water as it made my smoothie quite a watery consistency. It would be perfect for straw drinking but for a bowl it needed to be thicker I think personally.

I popped on my toppings in no particular arty fashion and that was it. It tasted good and kept me full for quite a while as I had the added toppings. I think this is something I certainly want to try again and experiment with.

Have you ever tried a smoothie in a bowl? Got any receipes that you could recommend?

Thanks gangs!

Angela x

Eat Well Move Better Feel Awesome

I love the title of The Lean Machines first book. It makes you feel upbeat just reading the front cover.  I've been a John and Leon fan for years on YouTube where they are called The Lean Machines.  Both guys are trained personal trainers and are how shall I put it ... ennasy on the eye lol - and a joy to watch. They are not big headed obnoxious personal trainers, they are very down to earth and make the idea of getting fit fun. 

Yea getting fit can be fun!

When word started to spread that they would be releasing a book, I knew before I'd even flicked through it that I'd love it. The book itself is not just a cook book. There is a whole sections dedicated to working out with step by step illustrations and there is also an educational section talking about fats carbs and protein and much more in depth topics.  The Lean Machines want to get you fit, but they also aim to educate everyone on how the body works and the foods it does and doesn't need.  That's what a real personal trainer should be like. Healthy mind, healthy body is how I put it. 

When it comes to to the food recipes, there is a real good mixture.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dips and dessert and even cookies!  There are everyday meals which don't use weird and wacky ingredients that we cannot even pronounce. It's real food. They do use ingredients like coconut oil which could be easily swapped for fry light if you want to make it Slimming World friendly. Another great fact about the recipes is they all show calorie/fats/protein/carb information in case you want to know the nitty gritty details about the food your about to eat. So helpful. 

I hope you pick up your own copy as I think it's really worth the buy.  Click HERE
you where can pick up your own copy.

Angela

PS. The oat cookies are amaziiiing!!  Just saying.

Rut

There is a place that all people who are losing weight will fall into when they are on their journey.

It's called ... The rut. 

The hole that gobbles you up, has steep sides and it feels impossible to even think let alone get yourself out of it. But do not fear, the rut is not somewhere you'll be for ever.  Scouts honour!

Speaking from personal experience a few years back on slimming world I went through the joy of maintaining for at least three weeks on the trot (it may of been longer I cannot remember).  In my mind I was on plan doing everything right, yet I failed to see the results. 

Why I thought?

I began to feel deflated and started to think to myself 'is this for me anymore??'  I remained behind for the weekly meeting, which at the time I wish I hadn't.  Reason being my leader made an example of me in front of the WHOLE group and deep down I felt quite humiliated.  The conversation went something like this:

Leader: So Angela another maintain this week, why do you think that is?

Me: I'm not sure, I'm doing everything right. 

Leader: Are you sure? The plan hasn't changed perhaps you have? 

Me: *Face starts to burn and I turn the colour of beetroot!*

Leader: Perhaps reread the books again and restart or perhaps it isn't for you anymore?

Me: *Prays ground will swallow me up but it doesn't.*

Leader: OK, next!

I felt like sh*t after that. 

It didn't help that the lady sat next to me gained 5lbs, yet my leader brushed it off and simply said do better next week to her. Perhaps she was having a bad day I don't know but it really dented my confidence. 

The moral of the story is don't give up. Sometimes we don't like what we hear, but it's the kick up the arse we need in order to change and succeed. I then went on to lose a further 1/2 stone in that group. 

Ruts can seem like a mountain to trek across but if you put your mind to it. It WILL happen. If these journeys were easy everyone would be on it but they never are. That's life I suppose. 

Enjoy!

Angela