How has self-isolation been treating you? Whether your government calls it lockdown, sheltering-in-place or something else, you are probably home more than you are used to. If you follow me on social media, you might have seen my link for a 28 day self-isolation challenge. It offer something relatively simple to do each day. It could be trying something new, cooking, completing a workout or connecting with a friend. The calendar also allows you to track what days you drink and how often you are active. Although I shared it in April, there is no reason why you can’t start today if you missed it.
We switch to a different format for May. I have a few bingo cards for you to try out. Since watching The Phantom of the Opera on YouTube, I have been addicted to AccuRadio’s mutiple Broadway musical channels. This has inspired me to create classic and modern musicals bingo cards (there are two different sets for each category for a total of 96 shows). You can either listen to the soundtrack or watch the film of the musical in a square to cross the square out. Click here to download them as one file.
Musicals aren’t for everybody, but I believe chocolate is, so I asked my good friend, Katie from Cake vs. Scales, to create a chocolate lovers bingo board. She went above and beyond by thinking up two chocolate heavy themes. Please remember if you have any food allergies or intolerance to please check all ingredients before consuming our suggested treats.
First up is a Baking Desserts Bingo. Katie put together 20 of her favourite dessert recipes (many from her own website) and I added a few more that I love (such as my cookie dough guilty pleasure and Guinness cupcakes with whiskey ganache). You can download 30 different boards here and then the recipe links can be found here. This is a good one to challenge friends and family to. Book in a night baking together and see who has the best presentation. Take photos and tag us on Instagram (@ptmollie and @cakevsscales) so we see what you get up to.
If chocolate or musicals don’t make you happy, why not create your own bingo game? There are lots of websites that allow you to create unique boards. You can use films, TV shows, breakfast foods, chores, homework assignments, whatever you fancy really, to generate 30 different cards. Then you can play against friends and family. Our bingo cards are meant to spark some joy but I know these specific ones will not appeal to everyone. There is nothing stopping you from making your own fun with a little bit of creativity and bingo.
Leave a comment below and let me know which card you tried and how you did.
Happy Valentine’s Day! A day to celebrate the ones you love and have lots of goodies in the office. Maintaining a healthy diet is all about balance. You need to behave at least 80% of the time to allow for the times you slip. Having a little wiggle room also let’s you indulge in a portion-controlled treat.
But if you are like me and can’t pass up free food, wine, or chocolate, here are a few tips to help you remain in control today.
1. Write down everything you eat today. You may not realize that every time you go to the copier you are picking up a cookie along the way. Writing a list of what and how much you eat will help you be conscious of your food intake of the good and bad.
2. Have a piece of fruit first. Fruit is naturally sweet and might satiate your craving. Plus you need at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies a day. If you are still ‘hungry’ after the fruit, have a small treat.
3. Occupy your hands. This might be tricky in the office, but at home you can knit, paint your nails, clean the bathroom, or play patty cake with your kids. You might distract yourself and allow the craving to pass. (I will feature another post on cravings in the future) At work you can type up an email you have been meaning to send, do push ups against your desk or the wall, or take a 10 minute walk outside.
4. Drink a glass of water. Similar to eating a piece of fruit, this technique helps fulfill your requirement of 64 oz of water a day, plus leaves you filling a little fuller. Sometimes when our body tells us we are hungry, it really is saying we are dehydrated.
5. Have a solid comeback. If your office mates are trying to peer pressure you into eating another candy bar, blame it on me. Say “My personal trainer will be disappointed if I eat two candy bars today” or “I am working towards a goal of living a healthier lifestyle so I am going to pass, thanks” or “Maybe later.” Then stick to your guns! The lovely members of the Slimpod Club (part of Thinking Slimmer benefits) also gave these retorts:
My body, my life, my choices.
I’ll do it my way, thanks.
I’m not depriving myself, or using willpower to not choose something, it’s merely that I truly don’t want THIS, I want THAT.
Say very politely “no thank you, I am not hungry and don’t need to eat anymore” and if they get pushy just laugh and add “feel free to eat mine too if you like.”
Say “what I WANT (or don’t want) instead of what I CAN or cannot eat.” There should be less discussion about things you want, and there is a lot of discussion possible about things you can or cannot eat.
Avoid referring to a diet or lifestyle change, just explain how you feel when you would eat something. For example, “I do not want bread/croissant/cheese because eating more makes me too full/sick/sleepy/irritable/sleep bad.”
My heart and my health choices for a hopefully long life.
I do not want any, thank you. I really don’t want any!
You go ahead. You are allowed, but I’ve had enough thanks!
6. Bring in a healthy option to share. Take the lead by bringing in fruit salad, trail mix, granola bars, yogurt parfaits as a healthy alternative for your office mates. They will probably be grateful!
Do you have any other tips on how to control food consumption at holiday time at work?
Note, this post contains affiliate links, which costs you nothing more but helps cover the cost of running this blog.
It has been a few months since I signed up to work with Melissa, the Delicious Nutritionist #gifted. My initial goal was to stop eating crap while on-the-go and get back control of my eating. I had a few bad habits I needed to break, many of which involve craving sweets and being unable to control my response. Melissa was very supportive during our coaching calls and had lots of good ideas to help me overcome some of the challenges I faced. She suggested quick meals full of vegetables for my meal plan after hearing that my husband prefers not to eat meat at home. She also had new ideas for simple snacks that I could find anywhere if I failed to pack something appropriate ahead of time (such as homemade popcorn, dark chocolate, a banana, and cheese slices).
Avocado and cucumber salad
Avocado and cucumber salad
The same day as our coaching call Melissa would send me two weeks of meal plans with some new recipe ideas that my husband and I both enjoyed. The plans included a weekly meal plan for all meals and snacks as well as a shopping list. The amount of food required for both the shopping list and recipes were in American units which means you should have a scale and/or measuring cups available if you don’t live in the USA. I am used to this system though (obviously). When my husband and I did the first shop, we were amazed at how much fruit and vegetables were overflowing form our fridge. We tend to buy for a week at a time as our groceries are delivered. However, this wasn’t the best strategy for us with the fresh items as some of them went off before we could use them.
Shopping for tinned goods
My biggest challenge in working with Melissa was sticking to the plan. She provided everything I needed but something blocked me from sticking to her plan. Some of it was scheduling as I was busy the week we started. I asked for meals that can made enough for leftovers (yes, that is a choice if you hate leftovers) and when I actually made them, that worked out great. But I don’t know why I found it so hard to stick to her plan. On our last call, I explained this to her and she said in retrospect she could have provided me with recipes rather than a plan. Her coaching is great like that as it is very flexible. We do refer to her recipes often. Two salad recipes she gave us are now firm favorites- spinach with roasted cherries, blueberries and goats cheese and a nectarine quinoa salad. I am not sure we will be able to make these in the winter months but we have even brought them to picnics and BBQs as a healthy alternative to coleslaw and potato salad.
Acai bowl with homemade granola
The biggest takeaway I have from working with Melissa is that I had got lazy with my food. This in turn made my standby recipes a little boring. I wasn’t being creative in the kitchen anymore. The recipes Melissa provided allowed me to experiment with a few new food combinations and remember how good vegetables can taste if prepared the right way (ie not overcooked). She never scolded me for not sticking to her meal plans but rather helped talk me through why I was having trouble and brainstorm ways that we could modify the plan to make me be more successful at it, such as putting reminders in my phone to come off social media and meal prep instead. She also checked in via email as I wasn’t ready for weeks 3-4 when I should have been. I felt like I had a lot of support from her even though I wasn’t strictly following her advice.
Tinned options work for me
If you are in a food rut or just want some new ideas on how to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into your diet, I would suggest getting in touch with Melissa to see what she can help you with. Feel free to mention my name for a 10% discount too and let me know how you get on.
Fresh salad, broccoli soup, and cheese slices fill me up!
The Delicious Nutritionist provided me with complimentary services in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own.
Over the last 2 years, I have been working with a nutritionist on and off to help me loose a bit of weight and ensure I was fueling my body properly for all of the training I was doing (remember my 4×4 challenge?). However, since I took my foot off of the gas at the end of last year due to injury, it was hard to stick to my plan without a race in the diary. Her plans were based on the amount of calories consumed per day and associated macros. At the start of this year, I wasn’t hitting either target. I knew I had to make a change. I just didn’t have the motivation or willpower to get myself on track.
Meet Melissa, the delicious nutritionist. She has a First Class degree from Newcastle in Food and Human Nutrition, endorsed by the Association for Nutrition. I found her on social media when she was offering her services to bloggers in exchange for a testimonial and review on their website. I volunteered to be a guinea pig and be assured, I will tell you about my experience honestly.
Start of my acai bowl (but I didn’t have any acai powder)
We started off working together with some paperwork so she understood my lifestyle, food habits, and dietary preferences. We then chatted on the phone for about 20 minutes about my goals and what I was looking for. The following day, I had two weeks of meal plans in my inbox.
My meal plan and list of expiry dates for the fruit and veg (thanks James)
While we were chatting, I asked Melissa the difference between being a registered dietitian and registered associate nutritionist. She said nutritionists help healthy people while dietitians help the sick. What attracted me to her program (of which I have been gifted one month) is that she designs a weekly meal plan, complete with recipes and shopping list. I didn’t have to think about anything or make any decisions.
Salad with nectarines and lentils
Week 1 started on our way back from Cornwall. My initial shop was at Asda one evening with James, much to his disappointment. We usually have our groceries delivered, so while we were driving back home I added the things I thought I would need (and be able to eat). The shopping list was very detailed with the amount of each items needed. However, I was a bit nervous about all of the perishable goods. Would we be able to eat them before they go off?
Full fridge, please ignore all the plastic
The things I like about working with Melissa:
No thinking required- the meal plan takes all of the guess work and decision making away. We have been a in a bit of a food rut so it has been nice to try new things that end up tasting good.
Meals are fast to prep- during our phone consultation, I explained to Melissa that we are time poor (or just want to spend our time doing other things) so she made sure to choose recipes that are quick and easy.
Fruit and veg are back- these were definitely lacking but are now key components of each and every meal. It is too early to tell for sure but I think I feel a bit more energized too. This is something I will be monitoring closely as I continue to work with Melissa.
Drinking lots more water- Although this isn’t a part of her plan, I am reaching for water more often than not. The warmer weather may have something to do with it too, or the fact that I am slowly increasing my activity levels. Whatever the reason, I am glad to be hydrating the proper way.
Of course, I am still facing challenges:
Using all perishable goods before they rot- Minor fail on this one. While a portion of what we ordered we used in the provided recipes, we were able to use ingredients in other ways, such as for dipping in hummus, adding to yogurt for breakfast, and grilling on the BBQ.
I am still snacking and stress eating- This will take time to change my bad habits. I have many triggers that cause me to reach for cookies, cookie dough, and chocolate. Some of these I can control by not having poor snack choices on-hand. My plan recommends Brasil nuts as a snack so these are now in my lunch bag.
Finding time to stick to the plan- Ironic? I thought so. We have been travelling and now I am on a course for work. Hopefully I can start Week 2 properly next week (after I return from another trip to Cornwall).
As I already have my Week 2 shopping list and plan, I wil start this next week when I am back from a surf and yoga weekend. This week, I will continue to refer to Week 1 meal and snack suggestions, wrapping my brain around healthy choices rather than my old bad habits. Have you ever worked with a nutritionist or followed meal plan? If so, let me know if you have any suggestions on things I should be trying. Or tell me your favorite easy meal to prepare.
Goat cheese and tomato scramble with avocado and prosciutto
From when I was young until 2014 when I did my first Whole30. I was a vegetarian/pescatarian. The only meat I ate was tinned tuna. This slowly faded out after I ride a TIME article explaining how the fish was going to be extinct within the next 50 years. The no-meat-thing stemmed from me being a picky eater rather that a righteous drive. I was opposed to swordfish for over-fishing reasons and veal for animal welfare perspective, but seemed to be in the minority for both.
Typical Whole30 breakfast
When I started eating meat three times a day, it was a big change. I had no idea how to cook it or how to season it. My husband has been flexitarian since we lived in USA so it caused a few problems at meal time when we wanted different things. Although I no longer follow the Whole30, I work with a nutritionist, Shannon who has me eating 100+g protein/day. As much as I love protein shakes and bars, they tend to be expensive when you have multiple servings a day and seem to be full of chemicals and/or sugar. They are handy to satisfy my sweet tooth though because of this.
Sweet tooth, say what?
My husband and I still disagree about how much meat I eat and what kind. Normally I have chicken for lunch, which I season and grill. However, this gets old quickly. I will mix it up with sustainable wild salmon, Heck sausages, and the occasional ground beef or lamb. If we eat out, I will usually get a cheeseburger (with bacon, avocado, and sweet potato fries if possible). In a recent article, the environmental impact of eating meat is highlighted. There are movements for Meat Free Monday and generally eating less meat. I no longer have meat at every meal, but I do need to hit my protein targets.
The one source of protein we agree on is chocolate milk (one of the many reasons I think we knew we were suited for each other).
When I saw a tweet offering a new protein-packed chocolate for review I immediately responded for the following reasons:
I love chocolate
I need more protein
I like to support female entrepreneurs and small businesses
I treated myself to a hot chocolate after being timekeeper at parkrun not too long ago and it was delicious. I added two scoops of the pistols to 160ml of slowly microwaved semi-skimmed milk and stirred for a while to get it to melt (I don’t think the milk was hot enough and I was being too lazy to heat properly on the stove top). I have also tried Apple Pie and Funky Monkey. My usual preference is for dark chocolate and they were all yummy. On average, 100g of dark chocolate offers 4.9 grams protein but, as shared above, 80 Noir Ultra offers more. When you add this to milk (3.6g protein per 100ml), it is a pretty powerful punch.
Simply put, I loved each and every sample I was given of 80 Ultra Noir. I haven’t been able to use it for a proper recovery drink as I have been injured for eight weeks but I will be happy to give it a go as soon as possible.
So it looks like, I need to be supplementing my protein intake with hot chocolate, dark chocolate, and chocolate milk instead of mass produced farm animals. That is one diet I can get on board with!
Thanks to Carole Armitage for the complimentary samples. All opinions are honest and my own.
From when I was young until 2014 when I did my first Whole30. I was a vegetarian/pescatarian. The only meat I ate was tinned tuna. This slowly faded out after I ride a TIME article explaining how the fish was going to be extinct within the next 50 years. The no-meat-thing stemmed from me being a picky eater rather that a righteous drive. I was opposed to swordfish for over-fishing reasons and veal for animal welfare perspective, but seemed to be in the minority for both.
Typical Whole30 breakfast
When I started eating meat three times a day, it was a big change. I had no idea how to cook it or how to season it. My husband has been flexitarian since we lived in USA so it caused a few problems at meal time when we wanted different things. Although I no longer follow the Whole30, I work with a nutritionist, Shannon who has me eating 100+g protein/day. As much as I love protein shakes and bars, they tend to be expensive when you have multiple servings a day and seem to be full of chemicals and/or sugar. They are handy to satisfy my sweet tooth though because of this.
Sweet tooth, say what?
My husband and I still disagree about how much meat I eat and what kind. Normally I have chicken for lunch, which I season and grill. However, this gets old quickly. I will mix it up with sustainable wild salmon, Heck sausages, and the occasional ground beef or lamb. If we eat out, I will usually get a cheeseburger (with bacon, avocado, and sweet potato fries if possible). In a recent article, the environmental impact of eating meat is highlighted. There are movements for Meat Free Monday and generally eating less meat. I no longer have meat at every meal, but I do need to hit my protein targets.
The one source of protein we agree on is chocolate milk (one of the many reasons I think we knew we were suited for each other).
When I saw a tweet offering a new protein-packed chocolate for review I immediately responded for the following reasons:
I love chocolate
I need more protein
I like to support female entrepreneurs and small businesses
I treated myself to a hot chocolate after being timekeeper at parkrun not too long ago and it was delicious. I added two scoops of the pistols to 160ml of slowly microwaved semi-skimmed milk and stirred for a while to get it to melt (I don’t think the milk was hot enough and I was being too lazy to heat properly on the stove top). I have also tried Apple Pie and Funky Monkey. My usual preference is for dark chocolate and they were all yummy. On average, 100g of dark chocolate offers 4.9 grams protein but, as shared above, 80 Noir Ultra offers more. When you add this to milk (3.6g protein per 100ml), it is a pretty powerful punch.
Simply put, I loved each and every sample I was given of 80 Ultra Noir. I haven’t been able to use it for a proper recovery drink as I have been injured for eight weeks but I will be happy to give it a go as soon as possible.
So it looks like, I need to be supplementing my protein intake with hot chocolate, dark chocolate, and chocolate milk instead of mass produced farm animals. That is one diet I can get on board with!
Thanks to Carole Armitage for the complimentary samples. All opinions are honest and my own.
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