I'M FAILING (KIND OF)

I'm trying to stay positive about this but for someone that eats well (plant based, mostly organic, cooked from scratch yada yada) my kid eats like a teenager with the munchies. 

She's two. She should be eating healthy meals, cooked from scratch, right?! Snacking on carrot sticks & hummus, no?! Well.. She doesn't. I bin most of her dinners untouched. It doesn't matter what i present her with, unless it's sausages & waffles it goes in the bin. If i run out of ketchup even the waffles go in the bin. She eats porridge for breakfast which is great, & she does love fruit. But i don't believe I've ever seen her eat a vegetable, well not one that looks like a vegetable.. Apart from potato obvs. 

In my defence. If she eats crisps they are mainly organic corn puff things that cost a packet. Her ketchup is almost always organic & well it is a tomato. & i serve her healthy food 'most' days. I'd love nothing more than to sit down & eat an actual dinner with her but she is SO anti trying anything new & binning good food is soul destroying. 

So I'm going to make it my mission over the next few weeks to try some sneaky sneaky healthy meals that look like waffles & sausage. Will report back with any recipes! 

HOW IS THIS OKAY, OK! MAGAZINE?

Browsing Twitter this morning i came across an 'OK! MAGAZINE' article about ex Eastenders star Elaine Lordan. 

http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/eastenders-actress-elaine-lordan-drinks-wine-in-street

The article itself tells us that she has previously sought help for alcohol addiction, the same year her mother committed suicide (throwing herself in front of a tube train no less), she later suffered a miscarriage & shortly after her father passed away. & today she will wake up to pictures of herself downing a miniature bottle of wine all over the internet. 

Why is it so acceptable to kick someone when they are so very down?! This isn't an attack on 'OK! MAGAZINE'. I read it, i enjoy it, & i do have an interest in celebrity crud. 

My point is shouldn't whoever signed off on this story question the damage this story, & many like it could do to someone in an already fragile state? Is there no way you could have turned this into a positive? Maybe you could have reached out to her & offered help? 

There are countless celeb stories that the media can report that are welcomed by the person being publicly dissected. As her agent hasn't responded to 'OK!' yet I'm guessing this story won't be a welcomed one?! 

Anyway, i personally wish her well. I hope that she turns this into an opportunity to seek help. 

I'M STRUGGLING WITH THE JUGGLING

Now that I'm back at work full time, albeit from home, it's tough. I'm struggling to fit everything in. 

My days are split between trying to earn as much as possible (self employed-get back what i put in etc + likes pretty things) & wanting Willow to have a fun fulfilling day (with less than five hours Peppa Pig). The house is bordering on chaos most days & i feel exhausted just thinking about the housework. Willow has drawn on EVERYTHING & the fact that i let her play with pens just so that i can get five minutes peace probs isn't helping. 

I'm sticking to the healthy eating as much as possible & although exercise has been out of the window - I'm working on it! 

I did find the time to buy some 'Bleach London' products this week so a review is imminent! (Bald by christmas?!) (how many times can i bleach my hair?!).

So things are tough at the moment & we are just trying to find a routine, but once i do i will find more time for blogging, & bleaching my hair etc ;) 

Anyone have any tips on juggling work & mum stuff? Or how to stop my kid living on potato waffles (post on that later).

WILDWOOD CANTERBURY/HERNE.

I've noticed more & more as the weather is changing we're spending way too much time sat indoors at soft-play (eating cake). Basically i bought some new jeans & my ass won't fit in them. We're not talking Kim K but still.. 

In the summer our spare time was spent exploring, which usually meant lots of walking/that thing, ermm, exercise. So i decided last week that we need to get wrapped up nice & warm & enjoy some outdoor play!

I'd heard good things about Wildwood & willow loves animals so we made the trip. & it didn't disappoint. I signed us up for membership which is £5 per month for me, Si & willow. It's such a beautiful place. 

BORED DURING NAP TIME?! CRAZY COLOR LAVENDER

So over the last few months my hair has been chopped, bleached, bleached, bleached, started falling out, & coloured purple.

I used the 'crazy color ' in shade lavender. I think it cost me about £3.50 on eBay. My hair was still patchy from bleaching it (damn gold tones why you no leave?!). So the lavender is patchy but i kind of like it that way. Overall it was pretty easy to apply. I forgot to get gloves & ended up with ridiculous bright purple hands (lasted ten mins in the bath). I left it on for half hour & the pic above was the result. It's fading nicely as in, the colour is still purple & not too grey! But it is fading pretty fast. I'm not sure that I'd do it again. I'm hoping to get my hair the blond that i want & then just get the roots done. Hoping! 

JUICE/RAW DETOX

I'm a bit late reporting back after this. But i survived & I'm a better person for it (health wise anyway!). 

I started the detox early evening so the next & first full day was the absolute pits (i imagine the second day if you start in the morning). After that i felt full of energy & my appetite was pretty non existent.

When i started eating meals again i swore I'd avoid sugar as I'm clearly addicted by the withdrawal symptoms i had, well avoiding sugar i did not. I ate all of the sugar. But i am slowly cutting back & using maple/date syrup as an alternative to refined sugar. 

I'm trying to juice & eat raw for one full day a week & juice twice a day everyday. Here's a couple of my favourite recipes. 

5 large leaves of kale
1 lemon
1 large apple
A 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger
1 sprig of fresh mint & water.

1 handful of basil leaves
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise
½ lime, zest and pith removed
1 apple, cut into wedges & water or ice. 

Kale has strong antioxidant health benefits which aids the body in fighting cancer. Lemon juice is antibacterial, high in vitamin C & the juice is alkalising for the body (balancing the bodies PH). Lemons contain 22 anti-cancer properties, protection against rheumatoid arthritis & hydrates your lymph system. Apples, well an apple a day keeps the dr away, right?! Ginger is a rich anti-oxidant & anti-inflammatory. Cucumber is 96% water! but the water is naturally distilled making it superior to ordinary water. 

Juice is a great energy booster. If you need a quick pick me up for post-nap fun ;) 

DAY TWO JUICE DETOX

Just a quick update. Yesterday i felt pants. Really hungry, weak & my head was pounding! I nearly caved a few times but managed the whole day on juice & a few nuts. (This is big for me because i eat loads & have zero will power!) 

I've been juicing apples, carrots, melon, red grapes, cucumber, ginger, raspberries & strawberries. I'm not great with green juice so I'll go back to that when I'm just juicing twice a day. I knew if it was green juice five times a day I'd give up.

Anyway day two and i feel SO much better. My headache is gone this morning & so has my appetite! I'm not craving sugar anymore & I'll be avoiding it for good now (the refined kind). 

I'm planning to get through today & then I'll add one meal a day. Noodles & stir fry etc. Very much sticking with whole foods as often as i can. 

I'm going to do some research on juicing & the best fruit & veg to use and then I'll do a post on what I'm adding to my diet long term. I'm thinking of a 24hr juice detox every Monday & juicing twice a day everyday? 

JUICE/RAW DETOX

Hello all! 

Just a quick update today. I've been letting things slide a little but I'm back on it now (new trainers & all ;) ). I'm doing a three day juice/raw detox (with the exception of coffee because this is a mummy blog & coffee plays a bigger role in my survival than oxygen at the mo). 

I'll let you know if i see any improvements & what 'meal' plan i follow. At the moment (started last night) I'm just juicing what's in the fridge but I'll do some research today (& shopping) & update you all. 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | SILENT SUNDAY

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | CHICKPEA & SPINACH CURRY

I've been trying to make up meals that i can freeze, or at least eat again the next day. Now that I'm back at work I'm more pushed for time than ever so cooking in a batch is a must. These curried chickpeas are amazing & it's really healthy too (you don't have to add roast potatoes but i kinda recommend it!) 

This isn't a recipe as such but a vague idea of what i used. 

So in a bowl i mixed a small amount of fresh ginger, finely diced with three cloves of garlic & some curry powder & garam masala. I added a little olive oil & made a paste. 

I fried off two small organic red onions until soft & then added the paste. 

Then i chucked in three tins of organic chickpeas & two of tomato passata.

Added a few handfuls of organic spinach & some coriander & a squeeze of lemon & some Himalayan salt.

Amazing! 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | NIVEA FACE CREAM?!

Okay, so you probably won't get fit using this. But I want to talk about all kinds of 'mum' stuff & make this a good blog for naptime reading too. 

So i received the 'mumsnet swears by' email & there was a thread about this Nivea moitsuriser. I remember my mum always using this in the 80's/90's but I'd never tried it myself. Reading some of the comments mentioning 'glowing' & 'celebs use it' & 'SAME INGREDIENTS AS CREME DE LA MER' (that stuff costs a packet) (i need to get another job during naptime to afford that these days). I rushed straight to Boots and picked this up for less than two quid. 

I've been using a pretty pricey Dior moisturiser & this is undoubtably better. My skin IS glowing but not oily, my frown lines are better (& the kid is poorly so believe me I've been frowning!) & my complexion is much better after less than a week! I'm so impressed with this that it will take a lot for me to change (at least until the next mumsnet swears by email..) 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | SPARKLING MINERAL WATER

I've got a really exciting Friday night post for you. Nope, no i don't. Sorry!

I hope your evening is more exciting than mine. I just wanted to mention that I've been drinking a lot of sparkling water this week (unflavoured), & it kinda feels like a naughty water drink! It's weird. The bubbles definitely trick my brain into believing that I'm drinking something tastier than the nothing juice that is water.

I'm drinking as much water & green tea as possible & it's definitely improving my skin, & my stomach is starting to look flater! I think i may actually be getting some results.. 

Kaya X  

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | CHEESY ROAST POTATOES ALA NUTRITIONAL YEAST

I probs should change the title to 'how to get fat during naptime' for this post but stay with me!

Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast packed with ermm nutrients.. Honestly this stuff is a game changer. It's so good for us. High in B vitamins, protein, fibre & essential minerals. & it tastes a bit cheesy even though it's vegan (& gluten free). I rolled my potatoes in oil & then coated them in nutritional yeast & baked. It didn't burn & they were the perfect amount of crispy. Eat them responsibly & they are a great addition to a healthy diet.

Kaya X 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | WHEN I NEED SWEETS (MEDJOOL DATES & NAKD RAISINS)

Healthy eating, healthy eating, healthy eating, BAM: a whole packet of biscuits, four chocolate yoghurts & a sugar crash from hell. That's how i normally roll. 

So I'm doing my best to make sure that i have healthy snacks around me all of the time, & I'm also making much better choices at the supermarket! These probably won't count as a diet & i will still eat chocolate yoghurts & cookies, but I'm hoping it won't happen as often.. 

Medjool dates have always been a favourite of mine. They truly are natures sweets. They are full of natural sugars so it's best not to eat all of the dates, but still better than four chocolate yoghurts..

There are at least fifteen minerals found in dates: including selenium, believed to help prevent cancer & important in immune function (i take selenium to keep my thyroid in place!), protein, containing twenty three types of amino acids, some of which are not present in the most popular fruits, such as oranges, apples, and bananas. Unsaturated fatty acids include palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. & full of dietary fibre! 

Another thing that i have been eating like crazy recently is these little beauties! Cola & Lime flavoured raisins. They taste like sweets but with zero nasties, i believe that they also make cherry ones. They are just raisins & citric acid but they taste amazing! You can get these in tesco's. 

Kaya X 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | BENEFITS OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Warning: tastes vile.

I found this by chance when i was looking for something else, as you do on the internet! With so many great benefits & the added bonus of possible weight loss i sent Simon out for some at the weekend. The first bottle i bought is an organic one from the supermarket but after reading more i learnt that it needs to have the 'mother' to work, so i went to the health food shop yesterday & bought another bottle. I think it was around £4 & I'll use the original bottle on salads etc. I've been taking two cap fulls morning & night and i actually feel more energetic already.. Weight loss is yet to be seen but i ate my body weight in gluten-free bread yesterday so..

Kaya X

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NATIME | CATCH UP

Hello ladies! 

We've had a really busy few weeks so I'm sorry the blog hasn't been updated much. I think the best way for this blog to work is to try to update *daily (unless ill, up all night with the kid, kid's birthday or all of the above). To improve our health, tone up, lose weight, or achieve any goals we need to be consistent.. (This doesn't mean you have to give up anything, this blog is about making healthy choices & positive additions to our diet. It's not about living on lettuce. It's about being realistic!) 

So hopefully we are all: planking, doing squats, drinking water & green tea, & winding down with some yoga?! 

It's the start of a new week so I'm going to take some measurements today just for my personal records. Rather than weight loss personally I'm more interested in toning up, seeing changes in the way i feel & wearing crop tops ;) 

I'm starting to get in to a better routine now & I'll probably stick to this for September before adding more. 

I make willow her breakfast (whilst oil pulling!) then while she is eating i boil the kettle for my one coffee whilst doing thirty squats & i do at least two minutes planking. 

During her nap I'm jogging, in my house like a total loser, on the spot for 15 minutes (sometimes i jump or skip). (Then i frantically do some work or clean the house before she wakes!) 

In the evening I'm doing another thirty squats & trying to fit in 30mins yoga/meditation everyday! 

I'm also walking wherever possible (depending how long it takes to get madam dressed & how late we are!)

It's going to be a good week! 

Kaya x

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | GREEN TEA

Can we do three cups a day?! Packed with antioxidants it's up there as one of the healthiest teas. If you can't stomach it maybe try black tea, also a super tea! Add lemon for extra healthy jazzyness.

Hold tight for a bit of a morbid moment. As a mum I've become increasingly aware of my own mortality, cut short: i want to live a zillion years with willow. She's one of my main motivations for this whole 'get fit during naptime' blog. I want to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible, for her. I'm sure all of us mum's share that. So it's great motivation when you see the benefits of green tea. I find if i don't get decaffinated i get a coffee like buzz. If that's your thing! 

Kaya X 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | 30 DAY SQUAT CHALLENGE

Hey guys! We have started this challenge this week. Feel free to join in. My routine at the moment is the 'sun salutation' yoga routine in the morning to start my day feeling positive & energised. During naptime i try to do the squats & i end my day with planking! Let us know how you get on.

I have also been preparing a litre of fruit juice for the day. Packed with antioxidants. It's 200G blueberries, 1 mango, 1/2 a cucumber & loads of hemp seeds. I just keep whatever is left from breakfast in the fridge. 

Kaya X 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAP TIME | CARROT & APPLE CAKE

Carrot and Apple Cake

Hiya! As I said last time. Despite trying to be good, I can't resist a piece of cake from time to time. I try to bake my own so that I can tweak recipes to make it as healthy as possible.  This recipe was originally just apple but I've morphed it to include more good stuff (sometimes I even chuck a courgette in too) and good fats.

Ingredients:

2 apples

1 large carrot

30g of raisins*or other dried fruit

50g of coconut oil

50g of butter/spread

100g of caster sugar (or you can sub in agave but use a bit less as its sweet- last time I did 40g sugar 30g agave)

2 eggs

175g sr flour (or plain and 1tsp of baking powder)

1 tsp of baking powder

30g desiccated coconut (optional but lush)

Ive also done 25g less flour and added 25g milled flax before for omega 3s and fibre

1tsp of cinnamon (I wack in 2 but I LOVE cinnamon)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Grease and line cake tin (I'm lazy and just whack in baking parchment for a 'rustic loaf')

Cream butter, coconut oil and sugar together

Grate apple and carrot (or chop in a food processor). Peel if you like but I leave the skin on for more fibre and add to mixture

Add in raisins and eggs and mix well

Add in flour, baking powder, desiccated coconut and cinnamon and mix well.

Spoon into tins - my mixture normally makes either 1 large loaf or a smaller loaf and 6 muffins

Cook until golden brown- muffins take 20-25 mins

Loaf takes approximately 45 minutes.

It's lovely the next day as it goes squishy and a bit stodgier (in a good way!) and keeps for a few days in a tin.  I often freeze it in slices so that I can whip it out if people come over or I want a treat but can't trust myself not to eat a whole cake!

Obviously this isn't 'completely clean'. I will try it one day with just agave and coconut oil and feedback but would love to hear any other ideas for 'cleaning it up'.

Do you have any other 'clean cake' recipes?

Helen x

* i LOVE this recipe. Great for my increasingly fussy toddler too! I'll adapt this to a vegan recipe if anyone is interested. Also, I've been using coconut sugar & it is AMAZING! Kaya X 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | COURGETTE FRIES & STUFFED PEPPER.

TWO FOR ONE:

Hiya! I'm Helen. I've been trying clean eating for about 8 months on and off. With diets most people aim for 80:20 ratio of good to cheating. Being honest due to my horrendous will power and penchant for cake, wine, gin and cheese I get more of a 65:35. Hopefully blogging will help me improve this but hey its still a start and I've seen improvements (I don't do scales and have lost my tape measure but today I fitted into a dress I've not worn since I fell pregnant. That is big news for me! Will get some measurements soon for people to have a better idea. 
On to the important bit, the food!
Today I fancied a picky clean tea (following a cake filled 2nd Birthday party today) and had a load of courgette's to use up and some marinatd chicken that needed a side dish.
Courgette Fries:
4-5 handfuls of almonds blitzed up/200g of ground almonds
50g of  grated cheese (I used feta and cheddar but in future I'd use parmesan)
Seasoning -whatever you fancy. I used garlic, mixed herbs and smoked paprika. Do it to taste
1 egg.
1-2 courgettes

Cut the courgettes into chip size,
Coat each one in egg,
Then in the almond/cheese/seasoning mixture
Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees

As there was mixture left I got creative (I hate waste) with some extra dishes

Stuffed peppers:
Almond/cheese/seasoning mix
Plus half a finely chopped courgette,  4 finally chopped mushroom and 2 handfuls of finely shredded kale (I used the bits from my juicer-classy).
Chop the top off a pepper, deseed and stuff with the mixture
Bake for 15 mins at 200 degrees
Both were lovely with the chicken as a tasty light tea. Yum.
I also had some leftover coating/stuffing mix so made some kind of veggie bake thing (like goodies bars). They're awaiting the toddler seal of approval but if they're good, I'll share the full recipe so watch this space. 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAPTIME | HYDRATION

Hey ladies! 

We are nearly through the first week! I've just had a message on instagram mentioning a 6lb loss. That is pretty awesome isn't it?! 

I've been managing to drink three litres of water a day the last few days. I think at least two litres of pure water is a good aim & some green/white tea. Hydration is SO important for the body to rid itself of toxins. I feel more alert & have more energy because i am hydrated. It's important to sip rather than guzzle or you spend most of the day trying not to pee yourself, & after having a baby it's a challenge that we don't need, right?! 

I made a lovely vegetable chilli last night. It's a great budget friendly meal, & one that is our go to quick dinner. I take willow's out before we add the spices ;) 

I just fry some red onion & carrot, add some pepper & courgette. Then some mushroom & garlic. Once softened I add tinned tomatoes & kidney beans (organic if poss). Then i put aside willow's & add a tablespoon of chilli spice mix. Top with fresh coriander & serve with wild rice. 

I'm going to add an exercise routine tomorrow to mark the first week. I think we have a few ladies joining us from Facebook today so 'Hi' & the planking DOES get easier! I've found the yoga routine is coming together nicely too. I did it in the garden today. Bliss! 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAP TIME | GET YOUR YOGA ON!

Hey ladies! 

Not sure if any of you tried the yoga routine yesterday? i posted it on instagram (will link to mine at some point). I have found the planking SO much harder than expected but i think the yoga balanced that out as it should be practiced gently.  

I think i mentioned Himalayan salt on Instagram but it's worth a mention on here. I changed from normal table salt to pink Himalayan ages ago & it is amazing! The health benefits are great too so if you see it in the supermarket you will thank me! 

As far as eating goes i haven't managed to cook anything recipe worthy yet but I'll get stuck in next week. I'm trying to stick to healthy meals & cutting down on snacks. 

I've taken my measurements & my weight but i don't think we need to share those ;) I'll be checking them monthly so I'll probably share any changes?! 

Anyway, i hope you're finding it all okay so far. It's early days & I'm no expert so please stick with me & if there are things i can improve let me know! 

HOW TO GET FIT DURING NAP TIME | PLANKING

Hello ladies! 

I shared a post on Instagram earlier about wanting to improve my eating habits & finally start doing some exercise! I'm a total beginner when it comes to working out, other than a bit of yoga, which I'm still unbelievably shocking at. I thought it might be nice to get some other mamma's involved as we are all in the same, zero time to ourselves, boat. I figure this will be great motivation for us & any diet improvements will be beneficial to the kiddos too. No cheat days, you eat what you like when you like. It's about us trying to make better choices rather than strict dieting. 

I thought this would be a good place to share ideas & keep a record of our progress yada yada.

I'm still reading up on some beginners exercise routines but something I've seen knocking around on Instagram for a while is this planking thing. It's all about increasing our core strength. Will it give me a six pack? Probs not. I'm going to start this challenge tonight so feel free to join in if you like. 

I've got some ideas for shaking up breakfast that I'll post tomorrow (once I've taken fancy pants pictures). & then i think we have to talk water.. Until then, enjoy the planking!