Simple and summery, like a trip to an asian coastline. Easily made into a meal with the addition of baked tofu, salmon or poached chicken.
Between the fragrant coriander, saline seaweed and nutty sesame seeds you are so covered for mouthwatering micronutrients.
These light, easily digestible greens will have you loving the season’s warm stirs.
Ingredients:
1 avocado
2 Lebanese cucumbers
handful of spinach
1/2 red onion
bunch of coriander (a couple leaves saved for garnish)
sprinkling of sesame seeds
the dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1tbsp fish sauce (omit if plant based)
1/2 thumb grated ginger
1tsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Peel and thinly slice the avocado. Finely slice the red onion and cucumber (leave the cucumber skins, food waste sucks and their skin is packed wth nutrients!) Tear the seaweed into strips and add to a bowl with spinach and coriander.
Shake dressing ingredients together in a small jar and pour over, let the seaweed wilt a bit and then top with your sesame seeds and a few extra coriander leaves.
Macros:
The above makes 4 serves, (double up if you have the whole tribe over for a bbq or half it if you just need to look after yourself and next day’s lunch) the macros described are per serve:
Each: 127cal 3.5gP 9gF 8gC
We served our salad along baked salmon fillet and cauliflower for a light and nutritious dinner. (You can’t see carbs because we had ours after dinner in the form of chocolate oat dessert cups, which are as good as they sound.)
For nutrition plans and advice that:
respects and celebrates your individual needs
understands the need to balance family, social life and work commitments
is realistic and sustainable
without loosing the joy and delight to be taken in meals and food
Then reach out! I would love to hear from you and get you feeling your best!
Your initial time investment is a short and sweet 5 minutes of mixing the marinade together and coating the chicken to be marinaded for 24 hours.
From here, you can achieve the wafts of eastern scents pervading your kitchen from a perfectly roasted meal in just 20 minutes.
A stunning balance of high quality protein, fats and carbs. What else would you want for the mid week?
Paleo, gluten free, dairy free and extremely nutritious and satiating.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 bunch broccolini
1/3 cup coconut yogurt (for marinading)
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp garem masala
1 tsp paprika
pinch of salt and pinch of pepper
1 tsp chili flakes
1tsp ginger powder
1tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander seed
sumac to garnish and enhance
The Sauce to go atop can be prepared the night before and will keep 4 days in the fridge (so long as your coconut yoghurt is within that use by time frame)
It’s stunning on curries, fish and stir fries so feel free to do a bigger batch if you wish.
1/2 cup coconut yoghurt
juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp cardomen
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
pinch of salt
Simply mix together with a fork or whisk until smooth
Method:
First pre heat your oven to 200 degrees celsius and get a a litre of water onto boil in your kettle or stove top. In the meantime, finely slice your sweet potato.
Line a tray with baking paper or a smidge of coconut oil and arrange your chicken and sweet potato slices. Spoon remnants of your yogurt marinade onto the sweet potato and pop into the oven for 16 minutes.
Place broccolini into a pot and blanch with your boiled water for about ten minutes so t retains a lovely crunch and sweetness.
Once the chicken and sweet potato have roasted, remove tray for the oven safely and use tongs to arrange the chicken and sweet potato onto a plate. Shake excess water off the broccolini to go onto the plate.
Drizzle with a your yogurt sauce, sprinkle with sumac and you are good to go.
The above makes 2 serves. The following macros are per serve:
Love getting out and about on your bike? When the sun is just right with a cool whisper of atmosphere you’re ready to get the wheels spinning. You don’t want to feel knee pain, you don’t want tight hips and you would love your back to feel absolutely fine the days and weeks after.
Either you are keen to prevent pain, you are feeling a few niggles or these niggles have started to get worse. Read on to find out more about your body and how to keep it strong.
The short of it: Your hip flexors are a prominent mover that contribute to cycling motion; they work to drive your legs up and along side your quads to flex your knee before you drive your feet down to push on the pedals. This repeated motion leads to tight hips leading to back, knee and hip pain. This often manifests as conditions such as sciatica, ITB syndrome etc. This is not meant to sound scary, these issues are totally preventable and there is every reason to keep enjoying your regular spin classes and bikes rides. Keeping the right muscles active and doing regular stretch and release work on other muscles will go a long way to keeping you pain free. The key is simple things done consistently, there is no need to overthink or over complicate.
Activate and Build Glutes
Your glutes (along with your hamstrings) are hip extensors (as apposed to hip flexors) so regular activation and exercise of these will prevent a lot of pain and ensure optimal lower body function. The below exercises are perfect for beginners and can be done from home to be integrated into your weekly exercise routine. Scroll to the bottom for options to find more advanced exercises.
Clams – progress by using a resistance band
Start by lying sideline with a neutral back and your head supported. Flex both knees and think about glutes as you use them to send your leg straight up, hold a second’s pause at the top, lower and repeat. Start with 2 sets of ten raises on each side.
Hip bridge– Progress by placing a weight safely over your hips
Start by lying on the floor with your legs bent in front of you. Your feet should be just outside shoulder width apart with your 2nd toe pointing forward.
Drive your pelvis up, keeping your core braced and turn your heels in slightly as you squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement, lower back down with control and repeat. Beginners can start with 2 sets of 10-15 reps.
As for your core…
Bird dogs
From a quadruped position (on all fours) reach your right leg and left arm long. Be careful not to kick your leg up to high to excessively arch your lower back.
2. Squeeze your core to bring your knee and elbow in to meet each other. Repeat 8 times on each side for two sets and progress with more reps from there.
Dead Bugs
Lying on your back, draw your ribs in and down and brace (imagine a ball is flying at your stomach and you need to squeeze your core.)
Lift your legs and bend at 90 degrees, reach your arms straight overhead. With your core braced, send your right arm long behind you with your left leg long in front of you simultaneously. Alternate sides going for 12 reps to start for 2 sets.
These done a few times a week and progressed can help you build a strong core to prevent the take over of other muscles that get tight and lead to pain. A strong core is also a phenomenal force for good against back pain and injury. We love abs and, importantly, we love living pain free.
Stretch and release hip flexors (specifically your TFL)
TFL (one of your hip flexors, the tensor fasciae latae )stretch
let your left leg out long and relaxed on the mat and plant your right foot just over the left knee, rotate in towards you right bent knee and hooking your arm in if you can to gentle pull the knee in to the middle of your body till you feel a mild stretch in your upper outer thigh. Hold for 30-120 seconds, breathing evenly through your nose and trying to relax as much as you can.
Repeat on the other side.
Low lunge hip flexor stretch
Arrange yourself in a low lunge position and rather than thinking about driving your pelvis forward, find a neutral pelvis position and then ‘tuck tail under’ that is, you want to feel as though you are tilting your hips up to encourage a lengthening of the hip flexors and to feel a stretch from the top of your hip down your thigh. Hold for 30-120 seconds, breathing evenly through your nose.
Repeat on the other side.
These are a great way to end your evening and prepare for sleep. Stretching either side of exercise is great but right before bed is fantastic as it is during sleep when our muscles are primed to make changes.
The above exercises and stretches will go a super long way if done consistently to helping you stay functional, active and pain free. If you found this article helpful and you would like a bit more direction and support with your training I can work with you to get you pain free and in prime condition.
For customised programs
Personal Training
Guided & assisted stretch sessions
Reach out so we can get started and unlock your body’s potential!
Featuring adaptogens to support your energy, hormones and gut
How do these adaptogens help and heal?
Maca powder: famed for improving sexual desire and function, Maca is also incredibly nourishing for the adrenals too which in turn assists in the regulation and balance of many hormones, most notably; cortisol (adrenalin), testosterone and oestrogen. Maca also aids liver detoxification. MCT oil: Medium-Chain-Triglycerides aid digestion due to their easy absorption and assisting the body absorb fat soluble vitamins . They also love up our gut environment via anti-viral, anti-bacterial properties. They contribute to the long term adrenal dysfunction healing process via a “soothing affect” on the nervous system and direct nourishment of the glands themselves. Hemp seeds: High in the all important, anti-inflammatory omega-3s therefore benefiting the nervous, cardiovascular and digestive system. They also pack a good amount of fibre. Lions mane: Reduces inflammation with its anti-microbial properties as well as acting as a neuro-protective by boosting the production of neuritis (compounds needed for brain function.) Lions mane also relieves the kinds of oxidative stress caused by poor nutrition and toxic chemicals. (Think conventional cleaning products & make ups.)
Ingredients
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cashew butter
1/4 cup raw cacao
2tbsp MCT oil (or equivalent melted coconut oil)
1 tbsp lions mane mushroom powder
1 tbsp maca powder
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp pure organic vanilla essence
Top with a sprinkling of hemp seeds and cacao nibs
Method: Start by mixing your wetter ingredients, the honey, vanilla essence, coconut oil and cashew butter and from there combine with the other ingredients. Once a paste has formed, wet your fingers and roll into small balls. Top with (or roll in) cacao nibs and hemp seeds.
Macros:
The above makes 6 balls, the macros described are per serve:
Barramundi fillet poached in a red sea of tomato, onion and eastern spices, topped with a two minute tahini dip and fresh coriander leaves.
Find yourself a local loaf of something chewy and crusty to be served alongside and mop up that sauce.
Ingredients:
two 200g fillets of cleaned and de-boned white fish.
1 head of broccoli
1 tin of tomatoes
1 onion sliced
small dollop of butter
1 garlic clove minced
1tsp sesame seeds
a stock cube
1tsp smoked paprika
1/2tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
for the tahini dip (for 5 serves, think about that next day lunchbox)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
sprinkle of salt
Method:
Find yourself a non-toxic pan and get your dollop of butter melting away at a merry med-low heat. Your sliced onion can be sautéed in this with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add your minced garlic and allow to cook down and caramelise, remembering to pop your extractor fan on. In the meantime, combine tahini, lemon juice and salt in a mug with a fork, it will start off gloopy before coming together as a smooth paste after a minutes of whisking.
Once the onion and garlic has cooked down a touch (should take 5 minutes), add your tin of tomatoes, stock cube and spices, take the heat up to med-high and cook for a further two minutes, stirring well to ensure all flavours combine. Pop the kettle onto boil and slice your broccoli into florets.
3. Once the tomato sauce is bubbling, add your barramundi fillets to the pot and cover with the tomato sauce. Pop the lid on and let cook 10-12 minutes in the saucey mixture, picking up all manner of rich, tomatoey goodness and becoming infused with the flavours of the east.
4. Blanch broccoli florets in hot water for 2-3 minutes before draining and setting onto plates. Slice bread (if having bread) and arrange on a plate with your dip.
5. Once the fish has had its 10-12 minutes bath, start to bring it together on plates to be served, sprinkling the broccoli with sesame seeds and garnishing with leaves of coriander.
Hot tip:
The tomato sauce is a good one to have stashed away in the fridge or freezer to save yourself time later so a good one to double up up in the pot and then retrieving half before the fish goes in.
A low carb option would be to leave the bread out and if you are gluten intolerant this one is beautiful with rice or mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce.
Macros: The above makes two serves, the below are per serve and assumed one slice of sourdough bread.
Salads are a celebration of contrasts! Creamy and crunchy Leafiness with a slight bitter edge on the same forkful as a tangy, salted tomato With a lovely spoonful of hummus to bring it altogether.
This is the bowl you want to nourish, satisfy and seeing you through to getting the most out of your day.
As a lighter option you will still feel focused and energised unlike a lot of heavy or grainy brunch options. This salad also boasts a heartfelt offering of protein, healthy fats and clean carbohydrates.
Fill your kettle with fresh water and get boiling. Whilst it is doing so you can potter about your brunch bowl, picking leaves off your herbs, slicing tomato, avocado and perhaps even setting yourself up with tomorrow’s lunch box.
Once the water is boiled, transfer to a pot and set to high heat. Once bubbling, turn down the heat a wee bit and boil eggs for 4-8 minutes depending how gooey or hard you prefer them. I like to boil eggs in advance to save time later so add a few more in as suits you.
While your eggs are reaching desired gooey or hardness, you can use the time to whip up hummus or clean the cutting board and other utensils. When eggs are done, drain hot water away and run under a cool tap before peeling the shells away.
Cut eggs in half and add to bowl with hummus and all other ingredients. Enjoy!
The above will serve one and the below macros describe one serve
305cal 18.5gP 21.5gF 10.5gC
Hot tip:
Meal prepping can really set you up for success, especially if time is not always on your side and you are leading a rich and full life with a balance of goals. For more on meal prepping, follow the link below:
If your nutrition is something you want to give focus to and if you need someone who understands time constraints and the importance of sustainability then get in touch!
I help busy people get the most out the time they have to focus on their fitness and nutrition for an enjoyable journey and results that last.
Think smooth and seasoned pumpkin with all manner of spring vegetables sautéed and crisped to perfection in the pan, lovingly thrown atop. A tangy hit of tomato chutney and generous sprinkle of spice took us home.
Ingredients:
300g pumpkin
1/2 head of cauliflower
100g cooked chick peas
1/4 head of broccoli
1 leak
1/4 cup tahini
2 garlic cloves
a stock cube
small dollop of butter
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
optional enhancers are tomato chutney and dukkuh (middle eastern spice mix)
Method:
Slice pumpkin thinly and cauliflower into small florets. Lay on roasting tray or arrange on air-fryer tray. Season with salt, pepper smoked paprika and thyme. If using a conventional oven, roast at 200 degrees for 25 minutes. Otherwise, set airfryer to 190 degrees for 20 minutes.
While those are roasting merrily away, begin to finely slice broccoli and leak, if using tinned chickpeas now is the time to drain and pat dry. Melt your small dollop of butter in a pot (this will save washing later) and sauté your sliced vegetables and chickpeas with salt, pepper and a bit more thyme. Depending on your stove heat and how diligently you stand by to stir them the veg about, you are looking at about 10-12 minutes till they are done.
3. Once your vegetables have has been roasted, pop them into a blender with the peeled garlic cloves, tahini, nutritional yeast, stock cube and 1 cup of cold water. Blitz until smooth.
4. Empty the pot that had once sautéed vegetables and leave to the side. Pour soup from blender straight into this pot and heat up. Have your bowls at the ready with any optional crusty sourdough you may have picked up to go with it.
5. Once soup is heated through, serve into bowls, top with sautéed veg, chutney and spice. I hope you love it!
Macros: The above makes two serves, the below are per serve
Or should you fast? We panic a bit at the thought of missing a meal or the potential to feel hungry. We are told eating frequent meals can “rev up” our metabolism. It doesn’t. We are told breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For primary school aged children; absolutely. A balanced plate of complex carbohydrates, protein and fats will sustain and nourish them through their school day. We are told fasting is good for us and then feel even more confused about all this contradictory information. Fasting is fantastic for the 99%.
The fast option: skipping breakfast in favour of a black coffee, herbal tea or water has gained in popularity due to its well researched and clearly demonstrated benefits on focus and productivity as well as weight loss. If you experience daily stress, are female and want to keep your hormones in good condition, then a coffee diet is not a good plan but we will come back to that. Fasting will lead to:
greater levels of alertness and concentration
higher performance in cognitive based tasks
a chance for cells, hormones and your digestive system to undergo natural and beneficial cycles
As a weight loss option?
Insulin the hormone that is released when you consume food (mostly in response to carbohydrates. Fats and proteins have a lesser affect) will inhibit the oxidation of fat. That is how fat is ‘burnt’ by the body, first it is mobilised as a fuel source when needed and then it is oxidised or ‘burnt’ in response to energy demands. So simply, eating will mean less of your fat stores can be burnt up and used.
Therefore, choosing a fasting window of say 12-16 hours a day can be beneficial for helping you to loose weight.
To enhance focus and productivity?
Fasting works two ways. One; it is less of a distraction, if you don’t have to worry about fitting your breakfast into your morning routine you can be in a better flow or exercising, getting cold exposure and then getting to task. This is especially true for people who start work early and so may have less time to fit it in.
The second is food’s effect on your ability to stay focused. Carbohydrate consumption will encourage your body to produce serotonin, a hormone that gives you feelings of contentment, relaxation and drowsiness. So, a perfect option for dinner, not so when you need to feel alert and motivated. Whilst being in a fasted state will encourage greater levels of coritisol (a hormone that puts the body into a state of alertness)
Who does not benefit from fasting? Who should have breakfast?
As mentioned above, children thrive eating a balanced breakfast. Woman who are trying to fall pregnant or are coming back from adrenal fatigue and other hormonal issues (more on this in the link at the bottom) should be eating a serve of carbohydrates a couple hours after waking. Athletes with high energy demands who train to the point were they deplete their muscle glycogen (energy stored in muscles) need to replenish after exercise to maintain their physic and keep performing well. If you fall into this category, read on for more information on the best breakfasts. If you are not sure what will serve you best. Reach out to book your nutrition consult.
How do I know what is best for me?
This will take time to work out because your body takes time to adjust. The first time you try fasting you may feel moody and irritable, the second day you may feel better, by the end of the week it will feel fine and from there it would feel ‘not right’ to go back to eating breakfast because you will be loving the clarity and energy.
Keeping a diary is the best way to keep track of what is and is not working for you. The things you want to look out for are: Sleep quality, energy levels, sex drive, mood and cognition (how well you can focus, learn and remember things).
So, let’s talk the tastiest, healthiest breakfasts (or simply, the first meal you have in the day) that will see you through to your goals.
Protein is best synthesised before earlier in the day so breakfast is a great opportunity to try and get that in via eggs, salmon, tempeh or other high quality protein sources
The second important element (for athletes and woman) is carbohydrates. These will work to keep hormones in optimal condition as well as your maintain energy levels. Complex carbs like rice, potatoes, legumes and oats are better options than toast, cereals or things out of a packet.
Fats are needed in smaller amounts (or larger depending on your own energy needs) to ensure healthy cell production, the absorption of vitamins and minerals and for sustained energy.
Play around with your micronutrients. This is the fun part! What’s in season at the local grocers? What’s the veg patch doing? How many colours can you get in? This is why I love salads as you can get super creative! Dress a bowl of oats with berries, cinnamon and a tsp of seeds or nut butters!
If that was helpful…
Smart carb shopping lists
Breakfast/lunch options under 300
And more resources are available to help you reach your goals when you become a premium subscriber.
This was last-minute-Monday night dinner at it’s most flavoursome. We love vegetables that can happily roast away whilst do other kitchen activities or even read. We love quinoa that can be bulk cooked to find itself on this merry plate, in a salad, or in a lunch box.
A magnificent way to get your veg in or celebrate a meat-free Monday. I hope you enjoy the wonders of your local grocer as well as the heroics of miso and its ability to transform dishes with minimal fuss and washing.
Ingredients:
1/2 head cauliflower
1/2 cup quinoa (double if you are hoping to meal prep, its super handy to have in the fridge)
250g tofu (I bought a pre-marinaded one but to make your own marinade you can simply mix a tsp of peanut butter with a tbsp of soy sauce and voila!)
a cup of any seasonal leafy greens like spinach or bok choy
tomato
1 tbsp miso paste
mixed spice
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Slice cauliflower into florets and rub miso paste into them. Lay on roasting tray or arrange on air-fryer tray season. If using a conventional oven, roast at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Otherwise, set airfryer to 190 degrees for 18 minutes.
While you have that on the go, fill and pop on your kettle to get 1&1/2 cup of hot fresh boiled water. Pour into a pot with 1/2 cup quinoa, cook on medium heat 10-12 minutes.
Slice greens and sauté on medium heat in butter, salt, pepper and mixed spice. Give it a loving stir in between slicing tomatoes and your other various kitchen activities. This should be ready in about 6 minutes. When the cauliflower is 4 minutes off, carefully remove from oven and arrange tofu within to heat it up.
Once all has been roasted, sautéed, sliced and cooked arrange on a plate or in your lunch box to be enjoyed the next day. A tsp of left over marinade never goes a’mis on the greens, as pictured.
Macros: The above makes two serves, the below are per serve
Each: 318cal 16gP 6gF 50gC
For nutrition plans and advice that:
respects and celebrates your individual needs
understands the need to balance family, social life and work commitments
is realistic and sustainable
without loosing the joy and delight to be taken in meals and food
Salads are a fantastic option for delivering a load of nutrients whilst still being able to go about your day feeling light and focused.
Berries are ripening on their bushes and veg is bursting to life under the emboldened spring sun. Make the most of this gorgeous time of the year with a celebratory salad.
How do you achieve a satisfying balance of flavour and texture without ending up with a calorie bomb? Avoid dressings (which can add upwards of 250 calories) and choose your ingredients well. Think: – high protein – lots of non-starchy and fresh ingredients as the bulk of it – choosing a portion of a soft and creamy ingredient that will serve you and your goals (e.g. a 1/4 of an avocado= 80calories) These will mix well and come together into something all together mouth-watering and as a strategic advantage through the afternoon slump before your chance to relax into the afternoon with a few more carbs.
Ingredients:
120g Smoked trout
1/4 avocado
2tbsp goats cheese
1 tomato
1/4 cup blueberries
handful of spinach
300g pumpkin
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Slice pumpkin thinly and lay on roasting tray or arrange on air-fryer tray season with salt, pepper and cinnamon. If using a conventional oven, roast at 200 degrees for 25 minutes. Otherwise, set airfryer to 190 degrees for 20 minutes.
Once your pumpkin has been roasted, you need only arrange in a bowl, or pack in a lunch box to enjoy.
Macros: The above makes one serve, the below are per serve
