I actually managed to get a little extra sleep last night, which is great. I've been starting to feel like I'm running out of gas. Not necessarily in terms of the exercise but just overall worn out. I haven't been sleeping well, even considering my own track record with poor sleep, so I will do my best to enjoy today.
My knees have been feeling a little creaky lately, so I've both been glad to have lost some weight to take the pressure off a bit, and a little concerned that maybe I'm working them too hard. I'm just going to keep an ear on things so to speak, but keep doing what I'm doing. I assume having more strength and muscle will also help with joint movement, and also that's what is helping with fat loss so that I can take even more pressure off. Hopefully nothing bad happens in the meantime!
My arms feel like wet noodles now but that was a good workout! I increased my reps on the top weight I use!
I did:
- 15 minutes of walking, and 45 minutes at F45 for a total of 60 active minutes. Today was the Two Fold workout which is weight training, and you choose if you want to focus on upper body or lower body. Since I do so much walking, I generally pick upper body. My legs do enough!
- drank 3 litres of water!
- did my dental care!
- 29 minutes of Spanish on Duolingo.
Today I kept leafing through those interesting recipes to find some to share with you!
Turmeric Almond Porridge:
40 grams of raw rolled oats
1/2 cup water
40 grams frozen raspberries or berry of choice, roughly chopped
7 grams raw almonds, diced or slivered
7 grams pumpkin seeds
7 grams buckwheat groats
15 grams plain protein powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp honey
Add water to a small pot over high heat until boiling- then reduce to medium and add oats, protein powder, buckwheat, cinnamon, turmeric, and honey and stir until cooked, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately stir through the almonds, pumpkin seeds, and raspberries. Serve immediately- maybe save a raspberry and a tiny bit of the honey for garnish!
I've never seen an oatmeal bowl have this kind of sweet and spicy, and I was intrigued. It's not usually my style to eat hot cereal for breakfast but this recipe does have plenty of protein thanks to the protein powder addition, and sometimes it's nice to have a high protein option that isn't some kind of egg and meat dish. This breakfast clocks in at 349 calories, 11g fat, 33g carbs and 24g protein.
I've been trying to squeeze that morning snack in so I thought if I chose one with picky bits I could eat slowly that I'd be able to work it. And since it fits with the breakfast theme, I went with this one today!
Turmeric Cashews & Edamame:
15 grams cashews
30 grams edamame, shelled and hulled
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch of himalayan salt, black pepper
Add everything to a small ziploc bag and shake until the seasonings are evenly distributed. Snack and enjoy! You can make a larger batch and then portion them out for easy snacking! 132 calories, 8g fat, 7.5g carbs, 6.5g protein.
It was at this point when I figured why not have Indian food all day? I used to post theme weeks in my blog way back when, where I'd feature recipes in different cuisines or ingredients, so why not an Indian themed day?
Lamb Curry & Brown Rice:
300g cubed lamb, raw (sub your favourite protein if you prefer)
1 tsp olive oil
45 grams yellow onion, diced
200g crushed tomatoes
80g dry brown rice
70g white potato, cubed
60g cauliflower florets
60g green beans ends chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 grams red chili, finely chopped (can sub dried red chili)
3 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch Himalayan salt
This is a great one to start in the morning if you have an instant pot- or else you can do the sauteeing in a pan then add to a slow cooker! If you prefer to make fresh, here is the recipe.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and sautee the onion and garlic until soft. Add the lamb, red chili, garam masala, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt, and cook for a further 4-5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and potatoes, and simmer for 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken and the lamb is fully cooked.
Prepare rice as directed, set aside when fully cooked. Steam the cauliflower and green beans until tender-crisp. Divide the rice onto two places, add vegetables, and top each portion with 1/2 the curry. Enjoy! This would also reheat very well for lunch the next day, or you could double it and have meals for the week! You can lower calories/carbs by removing the potato if you like- I found it odd to have both potato and rice but it does taste good! 443 calories, 11g fat, 42g carbs, 40g protein.
For afternoon snack, I pulled out rice cakes and they definitely didn't taste like styrofoam today! Quick and easy snack with lots of protein and fibre.
Curried Chickpeas on Rice Cakes:
100g canned chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp dried coriander
pinch of Himalayan salt & pepper
2 small rice cakes
Add chickpeas and olive oil to a bowl and mash with a potato masher until they are mashed but still chunky. Stir through the spices, and then spread on rice cakes and enjoy! Again, you can make this as a bigger batch and refrigerate for future snacks. Serves two portions.
116 calories, 4.5g fat, 11g carbs, 4.5g protein.
For dinner, if you aren't spiced out yet!
Chicken Korma:
300g raw boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
130g broccoli florets
50g yellow onion, diced
100g crushed tomatoes
45mL coconut cream
90g brown rice, uncooked
3/4 tsp olive oil
2g finely chopped lemongrass
1 tbsp dried coriander
1 pinch himalayan salt
22g mild curry paste
Prepare rice as directed and set aside when cooked. Heat olive oil in a medium pan and sautee the onion until it softens. Add the lemongrass and coriander and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. Add the chicken breast and cook until browned. Add the coconut cream and crushed tomatoes and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Steam the broccoli.
Divide the rice and broccoli on two plates and top with half the korma on each, and enjoy!
This one would be another good one for a big instapot meal by starting out using the sautee function and then moving to slow cook. Come home to a delicious smelling dinner! 445 calories, 12.5g fat, 37g carbs, and 42g protein.
And we'll even end the day with a little bit of spice- I was surprised how much I enjoyed the contrast here!
Turmeric Vanilla Fudge Balls:
40g vanilla protein powder
40g almond meal
125g cashew butter
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp vanilla extract
Combine protein powder, almond meal, and turmeric in a bowl. Add in cashew butter, vanilla extract, and coconut oil, and stir until a sticky dough is formed. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour so it's easier to roll into balls. Using the palm of your hand, roll the dough into ten equal balls. Serve one as a portion and either return the rest to the refrigerator or you can freeze them in an airtight bag- just take out to thaw about an hour before serving.
I really liked the sweet and spicy contrast here! One ball is 125 calories, 9g fat, 2g carbs, and 7g protein.
So while today's recipes involved a lot of cooking and prep, the recipes really leant themselves towards make ahead prep in bulk so you could eat them over multiple days. Take one day to meal prep and eat for a week!
That brings the day's total to 1610 calories, 56g fat, 132.5g carbs, 124g protein. Pretty good total for a workout day!
