Detox Day Five. And beyond.

Today was meant to be the last day of the detox, in the past few days I realised the importance of meal prepping, listening to your body, and keeping well hydrated but I didn't really feel that there was a physical change to my body. Only a new found appreciation for clean eating and it's principles. I'll be honest, the lack of "body transformation" was slightly disheartening and put me in a slightly defeatist attitude for the rest of the day. I still had my lemon juice but skipped breakie went straight for almonds and berries as a snack while on a walk with a friend. I didn't even prep meals for work! TUT TUT. It got worse when I got to work. A downward slippery custard slope of doom. I don't mean to drag you all down I just want to be honest about my struggles on the final day. Anyway I had taken a photo the day before I started this detox, and took one when I woke up this morning. But miraculously when I got home after my very indulgent shift at work and put them next to eachother I realised there was a change! I looked leaner, more streamlined. Yes it was a subtle difference, but one that's spurred me on to actually continue the detox. 

I know I've got a long way to go but I'm excited about it!
Also stuffing my face with custard, cakes and other silly things really made me realise how much my body doesn't appreciate it. I'd gone back to feeling bloated, overly full and slow within a matter of minutes. 10 minutes later I felt a slight sugar high which was then followed by an almighty LOW. To such an extent I felt the need to shovel more food in my mouth just to keep my eyes open. Altogether a horrible experience, but a great reminder of why I was doing this! 

So to sum up I really would suggest this detox, just make sure you make it as easy as possible for yourself by prepping your meals and following the guidelines. 

This morning I'm back feeling great! Sat on the tube writing this up as we speak with a smile on my face, water in hand, lunch boxes in bag. 

YOU CAN DO THIS! 

You're only regret will be that you didn't do it sooner. ;)

Expect lots of clean eating recipes from here on out. And for those of you that find the whole clean eating idea intimidating, start slow, make your own treats and enjoy :) 

Detox Day Four.

Evening team! How are you all getting on in this oddly muggy weather? I know, I know, us Brits are just never content with the weather... Atleast there's a little breeze today! 

Anyway it's already day four of the five day detox and I've actually decided to extend it a little. I've had a lot of digestion problems in the past and so I think it's taking my digestive system a little longer to sit up and take notice. So I'm thinking I may make it seven or possibly ten days. I'm quite lucky with the hours I work in regards to food prepping, I tend to start work at 3pm so that means I can mooch about packing little lunch boxes for the rest of the day. However when I mean (in about a week, I'm so effing excited) I'm gonna try to prep weekly. So ill let you know how that turns out. A messy kitchen I can imagine! 

Here's the food lowdown!

You guessed it, whole lemon juiced, mixed into a pint of water. Just has got soooo much easier to drink, I actually looked forward to it this morning! Never thought I'd see that day! 

Breakie was:

1 egg scrambled (I like mine still a tad runny)

Large handful of mushrooms, stir fried

2 heaped tbsp of pre-cooked Quinoa 

Quarter of an avocado. Super scrummo!

  
Once I'd eaten that I started prepping my lunch and dinner boxes for work. I say lunch but it was 2.30pm and I'd only just had my snack box before my lunch. This is why it's important to listen to your body, I knew I won't be having my "lunch" until about 5 and dinner at around 9. This may sound late in the day but its all about fuelling your body, everyone is different. Ill be at work 'till 11 so it's perfect for me :) 

For my snack box I made some spinach hummus. 

1 can of chickpeas (made sure to drain and rinse these bad boys, otherwise it messes up the consistency)

60g spinach

1 clove of garlic, grated. 

1tbsp tahini

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

Put it all in the blender and blend until mixed, feel free to add water until you get your preferred consistency. This should make about 4 servings to give you an idea of portion sizes. 

Lunch and dinner is gonna be a selection of raw veggies and pre-cooked quinoa with a dressing that ill whip up while at work. I'll be snacking on berries and almonds. And ofcourse glugging on water or green tea. 

I was very proud of myself for not falling off the bandwagon yesterday so lets keep that up huh? 

Off I go.....

I decided to update this post a little after work. I still stuck to the detox however I feel like there was a constant stream of berries going into my mouth. The last hour and a half of work were incredibly busy and I didn't stop running around. I felt a little unenergised and dehydrated, but no time to drink water. Once I'm home I'm going to have atleast a pint of water before bed. I need to be able to mix it up tomorrow a bit or extended this for a few days is going to be harder than I thought. 

Detox Day Three.

Today it was time to really test the willpower. If there's food in front of me, I'm gonna eat it. Simple as that. It's the reason I got the nickname of Dustbin from my dad. So needless to say now that I'm a chef I don't really ever stop snacking. And by snacking I mean, one for you, one for me ;) One pastry, one spoonful of vanilla mascarpone, one cheeky cookie.... I dread to think of the calories I must inhale during those 8 hours. I try to tell myself it's fiiiiine, I'm on my feet in a hot environment, but still, I should be fuelling my body with the good stuff, not crap. And today, fuel it I did! It's surprising how often you think you're hungry and when you actually take a second you realise, I'm just dehydrated or bored. I can't stress enough how important it is to listen to your body. 

I don't wanna bore you with the same food routine for five days straight so I'll keep it short. 

Alarm clock. 

Ignore. 

Alarm clock. 

Stretch. 

Kitchen. 

Lemon. 

Eggs. 

Prep. 

Tea. 

Lunch. 

Work. 

Snack. 

Tea. 

Snack. 

Dinner. 

Snack. 

Snack. 

Water. 

Tube. 

Bed. 

Quick update on the squat challenge. I've been a naughty girl and crawled into my bed like a tired little bear and neglected them. But not tonight, no sir! 

Detox Day Two.

Today started off with a cheeky game of ignore the alarm clock. It turns out dancing all night long in heels after being stood statue still for 6 hours really does take it out of you. But I wasn't going to let a few yawns and blisters (stupid shoes) stop me. I dragged my butt out of my pit and made me lemon juice and water drink, there's no feeling sleeping after this bad boy. 

I felt like my hair was standing up on end....

Breakfast this morning was the Detox Smoothie, which I whizzed up and had on the tube on my way to meet my parents. I also had quarter of an avocado (it's important to get your good fats) 

Snacks, just a few veggie sticks and my trusty green tea (I'm going to make a homemade hummus tonight for snack time over the next few days. 

Lunch was 2 heaped tbsp of cooked quinoa, a few pieces of broccoli, spinach, carrot sticks, cucumber and quarter of an avocado, all drizzled with a homemade dressing of 1tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1tbsp of balsamic vinegar, juice of half a lime and black pepper.

For dinner I just whipped up a yummy vegetable stir fry. I included asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, adzuki beans and tofu with a generous sprinkle of basil.

I'll be honest with you, I was NOT a fan of tofu. It had a spongey texture, but smelt like egg...odd. I'm going to experiment and get back to you guys with tastier ways to eat it. I will not be beaten ;)

Now just sat here, sipping my green tea watching House, blissful.

How's your day been?

Detox Day One.

Hunger really isn't a problem with this detox, so just listen to your body, eat when you're hungry, not bored. And make sure you drink plenty of water. I used to be crap at keeping hydrated, so I'm now carrying a 2ltr bottle of water with me everyday and challenging myself to finish it before the day is over. Also stick a few green tea tea bags in there half way through the day for a refreshing change, yum! 


As I mentioned yesterday, I wasn't too excited about the juice of a lemon part of the routine, but I grew a pair and got on with it.....
I do apologise for this photo, I just thought it was good for other people to se how much I was suffering when drinking it. (morning face)

Such an elegant little face.

As I said yesterday meal prepping really is vital with clean eating. It makes it a lot easier, and then you can just throw all your veggies etc into a tub and heading out to enjoy the sun (wherever it's disappeared to) 

I'd suggest cooking a weeks worth of Quinoa, Lentils, or Beans, black or kidney, not Baked ;) it only takes 15-20 minutes, you can glugg your morning lemon juice while you wait. 

Today's food

For breakfast (after my juice of a whole lemon in a pint of water) I had porridge, with a few hidden lovelies. 

Grapes, 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon, 2tbsp milled chia seeds and a side of two handfuls of almonds, that's about 12. 

 

 On the go... who said you can't have porridge on the train.

Lunch and dinner was prepped the night before, which was raw veggie salad. Today I included, spinach, broccoli, red pepper, carrot and mushroom. With a little apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar and black pepper dressing. 

Snacks wise I had the occasional strawberry now and then and ofcourse my hefty bottle of green tea. I defo prefer mine cold and straight from the tap, no boiling and leaving needed. If today is anything to go by I'm feeling pretty positive about the next few days :) 

Could I look more like a foodie with this lot on the train this morning?

I don't think so, lets get prepping for tomorrow!

Meal Prepping.

I'm embarking on my first ever detox tomorrow and I've possibly picked the most hilarious day to start. About 6 months ago I said goodbye to the modelling and hello to chef whites, recipes, and constant nibbling. So it's just my luck that a good friend of mine has gone and got me a Bodypaint gig isn't it ;) 

Talk about jumping in at the deep end after a fair amount of time out of the game. Anyway I won't babble on anymore about that. 

Changing up your diet or just eating more healthily and resisting temptation is a lot easier if you've prepped in advance, so tonight I'm preparing myself a few little sandwich bags with healthy snacks, my lunch and dinner. I've also discovered that I much prefer my green tea cold, which works out well when you're on the move. So I'll be shoving a few tea bags into my 2ltr bottle and I'll be ready to run out of the door. Just as soon as I've had my "juice of a whole lemon in warm water wake up call" which may I add I'm not looking forward to...I'm a little bit scared tbh. Last time I attempted this morning ritual I managed half a lemon and pulled some seriously ugly facial expressions the whole time. So fingers crossed. 

I've also taken on the 30 day squat challenge, for those of you that aren't familiar with this, it basically means you start by doing 50 squats, an it increases every day (every third day you get a rest day) until you've reached 260 by the end of the month. I'm currently on 100, now I'll be honest, I'm not an exercise fan. I'm much more of a "I've ran up the escalator  today, GO ME" "I spend 8 hours on my feet in a hot environment, I'm burning calories right?!" Kinda girl :P but it really is true that just putting aside as little as 10 minutes a day really does make a difference. I've been doing the challenge about a week and can already feel a change in my stamina. I really would suggest getting involved!! 

Duck duck MOUSSE....

It's been a while since I treated you peeps to a naughty but nice post, so here you are kids....

Does it get better than guilt free chocolate mousse? 

NO. 

What about guilt free chocolate mousse that you can whip up in less than 10 minutes? 

Amazeballs!

So here's how you get your mitts on the good stuff...grab these things:

2 bananas

1 very ripe avocado

2tbsp of nut butter (not essential) 

3-4 tbsp of cocoa powder

Shove it all in a blender and whizz until smooth. This is why it's good for your avocado to be ripe. Last time I made this mine were a little too tough and have my blender had a bit of a workout. 

I'm a bit of a freezer freak, mines filled with non dairy alternatives and a tonne of frozen fruit. I decided to top today's treat with raspberries. Mmmmm dark chocolate, raspberries and a tv catch up...perfection! 

I'm off to lick the blender bowl. 

Enjoy!! 

Step away from the Cinnamon Graham's.

This morning I woke up and all I could think was these bad boys. 

I bought them a week or so ago during a naughty day that went to far. So to squash my cravings for them I whipped up a yummy little (one pint) smoothie instead. Mmmmmm

Today's mix was:

2 bananas

2 squeezes of runny honey

Lots of cinnamon (measure to taste)

4 gluggs of almond milk

Handful of frozen blueberries

1 fat frozen strawberry

And two handfuls of gluten free oats. 

And here it is in all its glory!
 

This was delicious! It'll definitely be a regular breakfast recipe! 

Summertime, is that you?

Yesterday I finally had my first taste of an English summer! I spent far too long in bed, but when I did whip back the bed sheets I was greeted by a beautiful day. I threw on a summer dress (the first time I've been able to do that all year) and headed off to find sunshine and friends. I found both at Gordon's Wine Bar. Little fact, it's the oldest drinking establishment in Europe. Go Gordon's! We all caught up on eachothers lives for the past week or so while polishing off bottle after bottle of wine. I was sticking to the water, oh yum ;) A few hours later and I was STARVING. We managed to gather the troops and head to L'ulivo, an Italian restaurant just round the corner. If anyone has ever said to you don't go grocery shopping when you're hungry, because you'll make awful choices, you couldn't be further from the truth with this place. I was so hungry when I ordered and I don't regret the Calamari, King Prawns or the Garlic Bread.

 And I certainly don't regret this bad boy.

Yep that's all mine. Here we have, a 12oz Sirloin Steak, red wine and rosemary sauce (swoon) and 2 sides of veggies, much to my waiters dismay I polished off the whole lot with a little help from a slightly tipsy partner in crime. 

We had every intention of going to meet more friends to continue the evening, but after that much food and that much sunshine we were all pretty sleepy. So we said our goodbyes, went our separate ways. 

And promptly fell asleep on the tube home. 

Lunchbox lovelies.

As promised here are some super quick and tasty foods that you can throw in your handbag and enjoy on the go if you find yourself staring at a talking sandwich in your local supermarket. Depending on your job I can appreciate that forward planning your meals can be a strategic nightmare. Take it from me, I spend atleast 8 hours of my day in a busy restaurant kitchen. If I could I'd be having about five mini meals a day, but lets be honest it just ain't gonna happen. So the best I can do is try to stay clear of all the tempting puddings, and make the most of being fairly active for those hours. When it comes to snacking on my days off here are my top ten:

Apple segments with almond nut butter spread on them. 

Oat or rice cakes with mashed avocado and marmite. 

Soft boiled eggs. 

Any of my smoothie recipes that you can find here. Although a lot of them are more like a meal in themselves. 

Cashew nuts (try to limit yourself to a small handful) 

Bananas. 

Raw veggies and hummus (homemade or organic preferred so you know what's in it down to the letter) 

Water, not in a "I wanna be skinny so I won't eat way" half of the time you're not hungry you're just dehydrated. So always keep hydrated. Even if you're still hungry that glass of water will aid your digestion. 

A piece of meat the size of your palm. Works out as about 100g. It's enough to quiet a rumbling stomach and kick your metabolism in the butt. 

Blueberries. Take a little Tupperware of these with you to the office to keep naughty temptations at bay. Blueberries are really good for you. As a rule any fruit or vegetable that's naturally deep purple in colour is very high in antioxidants, so should be a staple in your diet.  

I hope this helps you, and stops you from wanting to inhale the contents of the fridge at work or make your way through the cookies in your next meeting. 

If you have any snack suggestions please do let me know, the more the merrier! 

Whites off, black on.

The other day I was asked if I minded helping out on the other side of the kitchen door at work. They needed a hostess and as I do have previous experience asked if I would be up for it. 

So I had to say goodbye to comfy whites and pour myself into this number instead. 

Yes, I love a good selfie, deal with it ;)

It was pretty standard hostessy type stuff but instead of making the canapés I was serving them. And who better to serve them to than the head chefs of the company. It was a great opportunity to socialise with people that have been in the industry for years and still love it. It was very inspiring indeed, chatting to them made me realise its up to me if I want to push myself, and push myself I shall! :) Luckily I'm pretty content sat in bed thinking up recipes and doing ingredient research. So watch this space kids.