Going Out / The Prize

From The South – Leone

Well I am still enjoying my delicious gluten, soy and dairy free morning drinks now with half a banana and a few blueberries. Delicious! This week I had guests staying here at Luggate Creek B & B and they wanted to take us out to dinner. Now in the past if I was ‘dieting’ (which of course I am not, I am eating healthy for life) I would have done all I could to avoid going out, knowing that when I am out I love a chocolate dessert and a big plate of some delicious food with sauces and carbs galore.  Not so this time – I knew where we were going I knew the basic menu and I planned what I might have ahead of time.  I decided while still at home that dessert was most definitely off the menu for me.  Planning ahead was brilliant as once we were at the restaurant looking over the beautiful lake, I had no problem deciding to order the shrimp and prawn salad with avocado.  It was divine and there was no back chatting little monster sitting on my shoulder urging me to have something else or beating and cajoling me into having a dessert.  While all the others ordered chocolate fondant, sticky date pudding and cheese board I relaxed knowing I had already decided not to partake.  I did have one cracker with some cheese and that was enough. Yea it was so satisfying to follow through with my decision and I came away feeling like a million dollars instead of feeling guilty and remorseful.  Now I am not suggesting you all need to do what I did, all I suggest is that you plan in your head what you will do  – have dessert and no entree or whatever, have a light dessert or have none at all – but stick to the decision you have made.  It feels sooo good.

Walks

 I decided to go for  a longer walk once or twice a week and this week I went on a lovely walk along John’s Creek at Lake Hawea. Just me and the dog Buddy and a gorgeous Southern Lakes District day

Answers

• Always plan ahead in your mind and stick with the plan.  If you don’t plan you plan to fail.
• Up the exercise a bit at a time and make it something you enjoy.

From the North – Heather

This week was much of the same.  Enjoying my morning protein drink free of soy, dairy, egg and gluten, however my husband tasted it this week and has requested to join me for our new easy and nutritional breakfast his with blueberries and banana’s and mine with banana only.  This has been sustaining me well until lunch, when I have been having a healthy nutrition bar without soy or gluten and has peanuts, almonds chia and flaxseeds with raisins and cranberries, I have had that with a beautiful organic apple every day.  If I go out I would be ordering a salad, and have the nutrition bar on the way home or for afternoon tea.  Evening meals have been delicious and I am being really diligent making a special effort to prepare something I cannot only enjoy eating, but also enjoy the experience of preparing and making it.  My favourite meal this week was Soybean Patties served with a Beetroot & Cauliflower Salad with a Walnut Dressing 

I am keeping my eyes on the prize as I gather the answers and had a great reminder this week when someone sent me an article about a New Year Day event that I used to attend every year when I was young.  An event that had been started in 1921 and each year was joined by the community. It consisted of a boat race and then the community gathering at a local park where there were competitions held for the afternoon.  There were egg and spoon races, sack races, sprint races and so the list went on.  Such fun, but I recalled really vividly one year I decided that I was going to win all the races and scoop the cup at the end of the day.  I competed hard and can still recall the determination and the agony of pushing myself to meet the decision I had made in my mind.  Of course it was a successful outcome and that determination was turned into a result.  That’s how I feel about Weighting for Answers – its about putting your mind to it, like I did all those years ago when I was about 10 years old.

Soybean Patties

400g tin soybeans

1/2 cup coriander and 1/2 cup mint finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 slice gluten-free breadcrumbs through the blender

1 egg

Himalayan salt and ground pepper

Put soybeans in a bowl and mash, add the herbs, spices, and breadcrumbs and bind with the egg. Mix well and season with the salt and pepper, then divide into patties around 1/4 cup size.  Mould together and put on a greased try on the fridge for about 30 minutes. Fry the patties for around 4 minutes each side in coconut oil, or until well cooked and golden brown.

Beetroot and Cauliflower Salad with Walnut Dressing

2 large or 3 small beetroots

1/4 of a large or 1/2 small cauliflower

1/2 cup coriander chopped

Himalayan salt

Dressing

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

4 tablespoons flaxseed oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Cook the beetroot set aside and cool.   Beetroot can be prepared the day before.  Cut beetroot into pieces.  Boil the cauliflower in vegetable stock until only just cooked, remove from heat drain and cool, add to the beetroot.  Combine the dressing ingredients together and add to the beetroot and cauliflower salad.

You may like to add garlic, onion, spring onion to my recipes.   I have a sensitive disposition with my digestion so avoid that – be sure to add them if you wish.

Answers

• Keep your eyes on the prize
• Walk no matter what!