Friday, October 26, 2012

Raw, Vegan Energy Bars

These are SERIOUSLY amazing. My husband even loved them!

* Key to this is that you soak and sprout your buckwheat first (takes two days or so.....super easy. Soak for 8 hrs, drain. Then rinse and drain twice a day for two days or until you have a "tail" on the sprout.) If you have not sprouted before just google it there are heaps of instructions on it and it's super easy....plus it tripples the nutritional value of the buckwheat.... Once the sprouts are as long as you prefer (your preference), you can dehydrate them in the oven on the lowest setting with the door cracked open (or a dehydrator if you are super special and have one!!)

Recipe:
2 Cups soaked, sprouted, and dehydrated buckwheat
1/2 Cup raisins, chopped (or you can add dried cranberries)
1/2 Cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 Cup raw pumpkin seeds
6 Tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)
3 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp coconut oil

Mix all ingredients together and press down in a baking pan (I used baking paper under it, but I don't think you have to). Cover and refridgerate for a few hours until set. You can cut these to whatever size you like and keep them in the fridge or freezer.

Kilojoules for medium square = 869kj (packed full of healthy energy!!)

*Now, I did not have any coconut oil on hand so I used melted butter. This worked fine, but the bars did not stick well together (they were a bit too easy to break a part). Because of this, I used them on top of vanilla yogurt and it was a treat to die for!! SERIOUSLY amazing......Next time I will try with the coconut oil and see if it sticks together better.

Progress

I thought I would update as I am now three weeks into my challenge. So far, so good. I have been so faithful to my running training programme (although it's coming a long a bit slowly at times), and maintaining my daily yoga practice.

I highly recommend getting involved in local yoga classes. I began attending a hot yoga class once a week and have loved each time I have been. It's a "reward" for me, and amazing to practice with a great group energy.

My eating habits have drastically changed over these past three weeks. The first two weeks I kept a food diary to see how I was getting on and to get a feel for how much I should be eating and what types of foods carried what types of kilojoules. I hate being so obsesive with food, so it was only to get an idea and not something I plan to do all the time (also because I find it VERY time consuming trying to count kilojoules for homemade food/recipes.....)

Some of the biggest lessons learned is how many kilojoules are in small foods like a small muffin or a handful of raisins!! (When I was working at the hospital I was having a big muffin several times a week as a "treat" - oops.....learning really quickly that this was NOT the right move to make! haha)

I have also been 3 weeks now without a glass of wine, and only had chocolate in a very small portion once a week. (Hoping to cut this down further). One of my biggest challenges is potlucks. For some reason people insist on bringing desserts to potlucks. If you are reading this PLEASE do everyone a big favour and next time you are invited to a potluck take a HEALTHY snack, or better yet, a healthy main dish!!! Those who are trying to eat right as a lifestyle will be so grateful! This week I have another potluck and I am planning to make a nice vegetarian main so that I can have a nice meal too! haha....I think potlucks used to be a special occasion thing, but these days it feels like there is one every week! (Healthy lifestyles NIGHTMARE!!)

While I am not that pleased with the weight loss progress over the past three weeks (only 1kg) I do acknowledge that my clothes are already fitting better and I feel heaps better too. As with any new start to really strong exercise routines you do tend to gain a bit of weight at first because of the added muscle being built. I'm not too concerned, but it's just going to make my goal of 8kg a bit harder to achieve.

I have been trying some amazing new recipes that I will start to share on here soon. I am enjoying trying new things and spicing up my vegetarian diet a bit.

Mantra: Be proud of where you are at today - Today is the day that counts. ~ Namaste

Monday, October 8, 2012

12 Week Challenge

Now that my clinical placements are finished, it's time to start crackin' again and get back in shape! While I am very proud of having kept some really great healthy lifestyle changes over the course of my studies, it's time to really focus now.

I decided to really look long and hard at my health and to make some adjustments that will better help me meet my physical goals. I really want to get back into good running shape where running is FUN again!! I want to enjoy it, instead of struggle.....So, I have set myself a 12 week course towards getting back to a place where running feels enjoyable. I am hoping that at the end of this, I will be fit enough to start a 10K training programme.

Also, as part of that goal, I really want to take a closer look at my healthy diet. I decided that somewhere along the way there must be something "unhealthy" that I am doing since my waist-line has expanded over the past two years. I know that stress and age are definitely factors, but there must be more to the story.....So, I started a food diary.

SHOCKING what you find out about yourself when you keep a food diary. I kept thinking how little I ate, and how all I eat is so healthy......yeah, not so much.....turns out that some of those "healthy" snacks are worth more kilojoules than my main meals!!!! (For example, almonds and raisins are very high in kilojoules, fat, and sugar....hum...might need to re-think how often I "munch" on those!!!) Also, I was surprised at how fast the kilojoules add up.

So, with these new adjustments I am hoping to meet my goals within the next 12 weeks and to start 2013, healthy and strong!!!

Why wait for a New Year's Resolution?....Why not achieve those goals in the next 12 weeks leading up to 2013!!

"Change starts today - in this present moment. Embrace the change that belongs to you" ~ Namaste