Lifestyle overhaul.

And the temperature today soared above 20degrees. Strange indeed for August month, when winter chills are supposed to be wrapping the city and people still black and gloomy in winter wear. Today, I saw streets lined with shorts and singlets, slippers and stocking-less legs. Surprisingly, didn't catch sight of any overgrown legs or armpits. Big phew.

Ok.... so you know what this time of the year means. Time to whip out the wax and strip off the fuzz. Dig out that almost moldy bottle of fake tan and slap on after a cool shower. Time to dust off those runners and squeeze into those XS pair of 2XU (goddammit why the HELL do i listen to sales girls who insist on me buying the tiniest size when it is obvious that it only covers part of my dear ass), and hit the tarmac. Time to whittle off the weight, and time to give myself that annual "lifestyle overhaul".

Yep. It's time to bring on the healthy eats. Home made, store bought, potlucked. Whatever it is, i've got to start imposing self control and while I'm not going to count calories (and I swear I will try my hardest not to turn into a compulsive apple/celery muncher) I am going to make a concerted effort to be diligent about my diet. What diet you say? Liz all you do is eat! Your life revolves around eating, shopping for food, eating out, cooking, reading recipe books, heck, your favorite channel is Lifestyle Food so, hello, are you removing your first love from your daily ritual?

Erm. No. Actually I'm not... I can't give up food, because after 28 long years on this earth I have decided that I am one who lives to eat. I will never ever eat simply to live. Life is way too short and precious to go through it not tasting the fruits of one's labour. And by that, I mean rewarding through gratifying meals. So, I'm making a pact. A pact I'm hoping to keep to myself not just now, but through summer, next winter and in the years to come. I'm going to watch what I eat, and do my darnest to break cheeky eating habits (like sneaking in the odd chip or chocolate) and replace it with fresh fruit and veggie or water instead.

TARGET WEIGHT BY SUMMER: 52KG

Day one: 3 August 2011

Weight 56.5kg

Height 165cms

Size 8-10 varies depending on cut

Breakfast: Oats and honey

Naughty sneak: 3 x maltesers

Lunch: Banh Mi aka Vietnamese Pork Salad Roll on a wholemeal bun. Extra pate and extra chilli

Naughty drinks: 2 x skinny lattes (comes with mini choco meringues)

Naughty after gym: 1 x banana (frigging $2.33 can!?)

Dinner: Fried rice with capsicum peppers, minced pork, sausage

Naughty after dinner: Whole grain chips (handful)

Good: Bowl of cherries, lots of water

Workout: Run for 15mins on treadmill, ave speed 9.2km/hr, one hour Body Pump, walk to and from work

VERDICT? Ok, so I haven't been a complete angel today which is a pity. Have to do better tomorrow....Good night people. I am sleepy!!!

Liz'z Healthy Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins!

Wow, I have not written an entry for over a month. Thanks to my dumb camera being unable to transfer pictures for awhile (Sorry V!) I've been so lazy to try doing it again.

Just an update: I have been cooking some lovely dishes and I tend to cook/ bake on instinct rather than by recipes... Well, most of the recipes are researched and compiled in my head, and then voila - I personalise them to my preference so in that sense, I think they still can be considered mostly mine. :) Having said this, seeing that it's been so long and I've cooked plenty, I thought best to start uploading some of these recipes so that when I'm old and forgetful, I can still log on and see just how I did them.

For today, I'll do a quickie post about my very healthy Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins. I did a fair bit of research online for this muffin. It's really my favourite flavour. The sweet and tangy orange is complemented perfectly by the mild nuttiness of the poppyseeds. Oh, how I love poppyseeds! Am thinking of smuggling a bag home to Singapore at the end of the year... Wonder if I'll get arrested at customs!?

I saw a fantastic healthy recipe on the Australian Institute of Sport and decided to tweak it to suit my own taste. My results probably taste nothing like what the AIS proposed in their recipe, and I daresay it might taste heaps better! (Hello, using butter is always a sure winner over something as yuck as margarine!)

Lizzee's Healthy Orange & Poppyseed Muffins

1 cup self-raising flour (sifted)

1½ cups wholemeal flour (sifted)

½ teaspoon of baking powder

½ cup Natvia

2 tablespoons poppyseeds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup (250 ml) skim milk

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 egg

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

I preheated the oven to 180°C (350°F). Then, I lightly greased a 12-hole nonstick muffin pan with some unsalted butter. I next sifted the two flours and baking powder together in a large bowl. The sugar and poppyseeds are stirred in after this, and I use the stirring spoon to create a well in the centre.

In a small bowl, whisk unsalted butter, milk, orange juice, egg and orange rind together then add to flour mixture. Gently stir the mixture until all ingredients are combined but take care not to over mix.

Spoon mixture into the muffin pan and bake for 20 - 25 mins/ until the muffins are springy when you touch them.

Let cool for a couple of minutes, and then enjoy muffins warm. I kept mine in the fridge for about 3 days and they still tasted great!

note: if you prefer not to use wholemeal flour, substitute with self-raising flour and omit baking powder