My Healthy Kitchen Blog

Can you have healthy Pizza? (veggie friendly)

 

 

OK we all love a pizza on a Friday or Saturday night. But sometimes the guilt trip is just to much! And doing extra exercise the following day isn't an option because you would literally need to workout the WHOLE following day to work off those calories!  So is there a healthy pizza option??? Yep!

 

The unhealthiest part of a pizza is the stodgy heavy base. So lets illuminate that and replace it with a cauliflower base. Cauliflower bases seems to be the in thing right now. In fact not just for a replacement pizza base but also as a replacement for rice. Sounds strange right. Yeah I thought that, but really it's pretty good! You can find so many recipes with cauliflower now splashed across social media. But the best bit is it cuts your calorie in take down by over HALF! Worth a try right???

 

So here is a simple recipe to get you started. 

 

Serves 2-4    

Prep time 15 mins

Cooking time 35 mins

 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 head cauliflower (about 2 cups riced)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 400° F.
2. Prep a pizza stone by with oil.
3. Remove the stems and leaves from your cauliflower and chop the florets into chunks. Add to a food processor and pulse just until the texture is similar to rice. If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the cauliflower with a cheese grater or chop it.
4. Sauté cauliflower "rice" in a non-stick pan over medium heat and cook until translucent, approximately 6-8 minutes. (You can use the microwave for this as well. Just place cauliflower in an uncovered microwave-safe bowl and cook for 8 minutes.)
5. In a bowl combine the cooked cauliflower with all remaining ingredients.
6. Spread the mixture 'dough' out evenly over foil (or stone) - about ¼ to ⅓ of an inch thick. The pizza should be about 9-10 inches in diameter.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden, crispy on the edges and cooked through the middle.
8. Remove the crust from the oven.
9. Top with pizza a tomatoes sauce (homemade or shop bought) and toppings of your choice. Be careful not to add too many heavy toppings as you don't want to weigh down the crust as the crust is very light.
10. Grill the pizza for 5 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese (if you have cheese as a topping) is melted. Allow the pizza to cool for 2-3 minutes then cut and serve immediately.

 

 

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Did you know, the average person gains 11 pounds within 5 months of finishing a ‘diet’??

So…. what are the key things you need to do to get beach body ready and keep it off? you can make small adjustments to your lifestyle to get you there. It doesn’t have to be a chore at all. With these few simple changes, it will get you bikini ready in no time.

Buy a smaller plate: I know it sounds silly, but it really works! Buying yourself smaller plates and having a full plate of food using your new plate, instantly reduces the amount of calories you are consuming. easy!

 

Drink hot water with lemon: OK at first the taste isn’t that great but after a while you do get used to it. If you really don’t like it, just add a little honey. The best time to have this is first thing in the morning. The benefits are massive… you really won’t regret it.  It is a natural daily detox. It flushes your body and most importantly, your digestive system. Often your body retains toxins from processed food and alcohol which can actually cause you to retain body fat. So drinking this daily will rid you of those toxins and help you lose body fat easier. It’s also a great source of vitamin c and therefore can help your immune system. plus, it gets you started on your daily water in-take.

 

Drink water: You need to aim for 2-3 litres of water a day. This also helps flush your body and it stops you feeling hungry mid meals and reaching for those cheeky unhealthy snacks.

 

 

Keep it fresh: Stick to fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit. Try to avoid anything processed. Remember what I said about processed food and toxins? Processed food can also have added sugar. Literally aim for ‘meat and two veg’ on your new smaller plate.

 

Cheat days: Be careful how you reward yourself like I have said before. It is not about undoing all the hard work you have done for the whole week prior. Think of it as a day you have a cheat meal or cheat snack. Just remember you don’t want to start going backwards. Keep it up and just have a little cheat.

 

 

  Sound simple? OK go for it! :)

 

 

 

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Run, Run, Run! Here's how to get through your run today!

Going for a run today? Personally I tend to lift weights and tone but, I seem to have a lot of runners on my books at the moment. And some just ask for some general tips and what can help you through your run. Want to know what I tell them?

 

Firstly, let me introduce you to what I call my 'Power drink'. I recommend this to all my sports nutrition clients. I swear it is the best thing ever.

Grab a blender, throw in some frozen red berries, like cherries, blueberries etc. You can buy a frozen berry mix from your supermarket. Add half a banana, and some freshly squeezed orange juice. And blend!

This baby will keep you going for a long long time. Or if you are feeling drained or just finished exercise this will get your feeling like you can get up and get on with your day that's for sure. And the best bit... it's lush! Sometimes I also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream too. OMG it's heavenly!

 

 

 

 

 

So what else can I tell you.... Here are some helpful tips to get you through!

Before:

If you’re running an easy-paced 3 to 4 miles (or less): To be honest for this distance you do not NEED a meal beforehand. There is enough glycogen (the body’s most readily accessible form of energy) in your muscles to power you through. But I would advise drinking 6-8 ounces of water and/or a low-calorie sports drink before you go. If you are new to running maybe add in a banana as well.

If you are running 4 miles plus: Also add in 50 to 60 grams of complex carbs, like porridge and a banana about 2 hours before you start your run. Not only will this fuel you for the entire run, it will keep you fuller for longer so you will not hear your tummy growling at you while you’re running.

Long Distance running: Have a high carb meal the night before. Complex carbs such as brown rice or pasta is an ideal meal with of course a portion of lean protein such as chicken or turkey along with your vegetables. Try to avoid having your evening meal too late in the evening. Eat a good 3 hours before you plan to go to bed to let your food digest. Then on the morning of your run, eat 60 grams of complex carbs and a banana like mentioned before.

During:

During your run, make sure you are taking on water. More so if it is hot or humid. However if you are running over 4 miles, you should be bringing along a sports drink with carbs and electrolytes to help you maintain pace and delay muscle fatigue.

After:

Your muscles will be fatigued. So now you need to load up on the complex carbs again to help you and your muscles recover. Aim for a meal with a 3-to-1 ratio of carbs to protein. A good suggestion would be a banana, oat and red-berry smoothie (similar to above but add in some oats too) with some peanut butter on brown bread. Or if your run was in the evening, maybe a red-berry smoothie. Although you might feel like it, don't stuff yourself with a huge meal straight away. I might upset your tummy. Give it an hour or so.

Watch this space for some nutritious recipes that will help you through your workouts. If at any time you would like to arrange a Nutrition consultation with me, contact me here: http://www.nutritrim.net/

 

Bye for now!

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Healthy Fast Food

So many people tell me the have put on weight because they just don't have time. Always rushing around and just don't have time to prepare a meal. So they end up just grabbing something quick and convenient.

You know what, I am busy too. I have a nutrition business I am building. I have two kids that not only am I their mother, I am also their dishwasher, clothes washer, teacher and taxi driver. Sometimes I literally have 5 minutes to grab something, eat it, and go!

So today I had no time to cook lunch, just finished typing up an article and had to rush out the door to go and collect my son. So I grabbed something quick and here it is:

A salad with chopped red cabbage, a tin of sardines in tomato sauce sprinkled with some chilli flakes. It took me literally 1 minute to throw it together. It fact the longest part was opening the salad bag as it was a little tough. And you know what.... it's lush!!

So what I'm trying to say, we're all busy doing something. The key is how you stock your cupboards and fridge. If you don't stock them up with crisps, chocolate etc, then you can't eat them. Simple. Stock them up with quick food like smoked fish like salmon which is ready to eat, salads, fruit, tins of fish etc. Things that you can literally just throw on a plate and eat for lunch or even snack on if you're craving a little afternoon snack.

So the key to a Healthy Kitchen is to stock it with healthy food. Shop sensible. Stop buying rubbish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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