Sorry if I offended anyone

Hmmmm I recieved a few emails lecturing me on modesty after my last post and I really don't see what on earth the problem is!! Those dresses I will wear with tights and a cardigan so what on earth am I showing?

Being a Christan doesn't mean being a clone, it doesn't mean that unless I wear an ankle length floral dress and cardigan than my salvation is not assured and it certainly doesn't say anywhere in the bible that fashion is a sin.

If you don't like what I wear then that's fine, don't wear it!!! But please don't send me emails telling me I am dressed as a prostitute when I am nearly fully covered. Sometimes it is far to easy to judge others then look at ourselves.

I am sorry if I offended you and I see I have already lost a few followers but being a Christian doesn't mean being forced into a tiny box that we all must conform to it means being set free!

Some new dresses!!

I know I haven't been posting as much as I should but in my defense I have been really busy!! On the upside the eating plan is going really well. I have barely any cravings for any junk but especially sugar. I am never hungry and always full of energy, I just leap out of bed in the mornings ready to start the day! I only started this as a ten day thing but because the benefits are so overwhelming I think I'll be giving up sugar for good and in the future really limiting my bread intake to twice a week. I think bread just limits my creativity anyway ;) why have a cheese and salad sandwich for lunch when you can have wholemeal penne salad with feta, spinach, cashews and a sun dried tomato sauce.

OK all these above dresses are ones I brought yesterday at a shop for under five dollars each. The black one is a size too small and it is my goal to fit into it before my sisters wedding in November. Now I will be spending a few hours altering these dresses! the necklines are way more plunging than I would ever dream of wearing so that will be the first thing I change. I have a few gorgeous cardigans to go with them already.

My muscles have repaired enough now so it's back to the gym first thing tomorrow! Hope you had a wonderful weekend ladies :)

Day Four

I'm writing this a little earlier in the day than usual but I am so very tired and have pulled a muscle in my shoulder and back and it is really painful! In case this seems like i'm giving up on the exercise I wont be i'll just be switching to Swimming and still sticking with the pilates. The best thing I have found is that when something appears to be setting you back use it to propel yourself to even greater heights!!

Today I had muesli and milk for breakfast. For lunch I had fruit, almonds and yogurt and for dinner I will have avocado sushi. I Haven't had very much to eat today because I haven't been feeling one hundred percent and went a did a circuit class this morning when I probably shouldn't have.

After sleep and a hot bath i'm sure i'll feel much better tomorrow!

Day three

Day three has been one of the hardest and one of the easiest in a few ways. One of the most physically demanding as this morning I cycled down to the gym, had a really hard spin class and then cycled home again and in the evening I had an intense boxing class (but I read they can burn 1000 calories an hour so was really happy to hear that).

Food wise it has been great! For breakfast I had a bowl of homemade muesli with yogurt and ground linseed, mor morning tea ten almonds, for lunch my orzo, leek and shittake salad and for afternnon tea I had ten more almonds and for dinner a huge green salad with assorted veges, orange, feta, walnuts and ground linseed.

Nearly all of the fat I consume comes from nuts, I always have skim milk and make my own skim yogurt. I generally stay away from oil because I want to keep my fat grams under fifty and nuts have so many more vitamins and minerals that oil generally does. I do however take a capsule of evening primrose oil everyday because it keeps my skin in perfect condition!

Today I sat next to my friends eating mcdonalds and didn't even feel slightly tempted to have any!!! I love these little things I overcome!

Day two

Today has been a good day! Started the day off with my favourite green smoothie and 15 almonds, morning tea was 6 walnut halves and half a glass of milk and for lunch was the above salad made from orzo,shiitakes, orange and leeks. That salad was so amazingly good! I will definitely be having that again tomorrow. For afternoon tea I had an apple and yogurt and for dinner well I really wasn't that hungry so I just had a few pieces of sushi and my left over green smoothie with some protein powder added.

Today I ran the furthest I ever have before! Afterwards I looked so disgusting and had to lie down for a few minutes but I did it!! I was so happy and just love going from strength to strength! Tomorrow I have a spin class and a boxing class so I'll be really careful about eating enough protein tomorrow.

Day one

I weighed myself today and the damage wasn't as bad as I had thought, I'm still the lightest I have been in nearly ten years. But since I have been overweight since I was about eight I still have a long way to go :)

I didn't eat as much as usual today because I had only gotten about two hours sleep (I have terrible insomnia) and when I'm tired I just don't feel like eating much.

I started the day with a green smoothie (made with various fruits and greens and water) and then about 1:30 I had a protein shake and a banana, after my workout at about 4.30 I had ten almonds and for dinner I had 6 pieces of Quinoa Sushi and a salad made from mixed greens, walnuts, feta, orange and caramelised onions.

I had a very good workout at the gym and decided today that instead of taking the car anywhere in the town I live that instead I will cycle (unless it is pouring with rain) I will get fitter and save on petrol!

No challenges today but I know tomorrow will present one, every Tuesday I go to my Mums house and usually have chocolate biscuits and chippies, not good! Tomorrow I'm taking my own afternoon tea. I believe Dr Phil when he says that you cannot lose weight by will power, it's all about preparation and environment.

My ten day challenge

As of tomorrow I start my ten day challenge! The rules for the next ten days are as follows

1.) no sugar

2.) no cheese (except cottage cheese and occasionally low fat feta)

3.) no bread or pasta or white rice

4.) nothing processed

5.) drink ten glasses of water per day

6.) start everyday with a 45 minute pilate workout (except Sunday)

7.) do an hour of cardio every evening (except for Sunday)

8.) Do an hour of strength training three times per week

9.) No caffeine

Simple right??

Except not if you're a naturally lazy girl who loves her carbs. I know that I do more exercise than most of my friends combined however I often would rather be cuddling under my duvet and reading then running for 10 kms, well that's until the endorphins hit and then there is nothing I would rather be doing!!

I am doing this challenge with one of my friends, we are in a competition to see who will lose the most in the first week and i'm sincerly hoping I beat him!

Each day I will update with my food diary and sometimes a recipe.

Good luck to me!!

Sushi

I am determined to get some recipes down this morning because people keep asking for them! I have only had three hours sleep and I need to go for a run soon but see how dedicated I am to my blog ;)

I looooooove Sushi, I eat it all the time and in many combinations. I never get sick of it!

What you need

Since I am vegetarian I am only going to list what I have in mine but feel free to add whatever you desire. The fillings I don't have all at once I just select a few.

Nori sheets (these I buy in packs of 25 from Moore Wilsons which is far far cheaper)

Cooked rice (I always use brown rice but lately I have been having quinoa for variety)

Sushi vinegar

Finely cubed cucumber

Grated Carrot
Slices of avocado

Slivers of onion

Marinated tofu

Alfalfa sprouts

Slices of omelet

Mung beans

Pickled Ginger (optional)

Soy sauce

Wasabi (optional again)

You will find a bamboo mat useful but you don't strictly need one.

Cook the rice, when finished stir in the sushi vinegar (or a mixture of rice vinegar and sugar) and leave to cool. Place a nori sheet on the bamboo mat and dampen the end of about 1 and a hald cm, wet your hands and pick up a handful of the rice and press it evenly all over the surface of the nori (except where the dampened edge is) place fillings about an inch down from the side closest to you in a horizontal line. Then it's time to roll, make sure you do it firmly or you will have all your fillings falling out everywhere!

Cut 1 cm off both ends to make it tiday and then cut into 7 pieces! I love mine with soy sauce and Wasabi (but not too much) this really takes minutes to prepare and I have it for lunch every second day. If I don't then I really start craving it!

I'm not that girl anymore

A lot of people freaked out when I cut my hair off, they couldn't understand why I had cut my long, dark hair that had taken me so many years so grow.

They just didn't get it.......

And who could blame them really, long hair is a rarity these days in a world of bleached, over processed hair.

However I am not the same girl I once was and I know this in my heart and had to make it visual so that everytime I looked in the mirror I would remember that I wasn't that girl anymore.

The one who lived more for mens approval than for Christ's approval, the one who was never excited about life and lived in dread of being alone forever. The one who stayed inside hidden in books or the internet instead of truly living life.

The sad, sad girl who never accepted herself for her she was and continually thought that only is she was thinner, smarter or a harder worker than she would be accepted by all.

I know now I don't need to be accepted by the world, I only need to be accepted by God. God made me the way I am and he loves for for it. This is who I am and this is who God loves! I am his daughter and I am me!!!

New hair

I did it!! Scarily enough I chopped about 40 cm off my hair and dyed it blonde. I was so scared to do it but now feel great. Almost like I chopped off my past along with my hair ;)

Oat, date and coconut slice

I love slices! But as per usual do not love the fat and sugar that usually accompanies them, this one is so great because it's filling, good and for you and takes next to no time to make.

If you are not worried about calories you could make a lemon icing to drizzle over it :)

Coconut, Oat and Date Slice
1 cup plain flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup shredded, dessicated coconut

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup finely chopped dried dates
2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp golden syrup

1 heaped tbsp nut butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

rind of one lemon (optional)
1/3 cup low fat soy milk
Mix the first set of ingredients in a mixing bowl.Stir the second set of ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, until it gets all nice and melty and liquid.Mix the soy milk into the stuff in the saucepan.Add the wet to the dry and mix well (you’ll probably need to use your hands for this).Press evenly into a 27x19cm baking tray that has been lined with baking paper.With a sharp knife, press into the mixture to make 16 slices, not cutting through the whole way, just to help dividing it up later on.Bake for about 20-30 mins @ 180, or until nice and browned.Once out of the oven, re-cut the whole way through the lines you made previously.Remove each piece and cool on a rack.

If you are not vegan then you don't have to use soy milk. I actually didn't use the dried coconut but instead of canola oil used coconut oil. I also didn't use the brown sugar or golden syrup but instead put in a little date syrup

Blueberry chocolate cake

I have been experimenting a lot lately with different recipes especially ones that have very little sugar and fat. So yesterday I made oat, date and lemon slice and also experimented with miniature baked spring rolls, both of which are delicious. I will post the recipes this week some time.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you are trying to lose weight then there is no reason at all why you should have to miss out on delicious food, it just means getting a little more creative which is all part of the fun anyway. This morning Aviva and I made this vegan blueberry chocolate cake, I am not a vegan but it is something I am seriously thinking about with increasing regularity.

This cake is so great because it has no refined sugar or oil, refined sugar tends to make me really lethargic so I do avoid it, instead I make date syrup which is done very simply by boiling dates in water and then blending them. It is very sweet so I use it sparingly in recipes.

My recipe was slightly different from the original because I only had frozen blueberries, so instead of putting fresh blueberries on top like the recipe suggested, I topped mine with a blueberry coulis made from 2 T of date syrup, 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries and the juice of one lemon and then just blending it all.

Chocolate Blueberry Cake

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (white whole wheat preferred)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground chia seeds or flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup date syrup, maple syrup, or other liquid sweetener
1 cup blueberries (for serving)
additional syrup or agave nectar to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, chia (or flax) and salt. In blender, combine water, 1/2 cup blueberries, and balsamic vinegar and blend until smooth.

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add the syrup and the blueberry mixture. Stir until completely mixed. Pour into an oiled 9-inch round cake pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before inverting onto serving platter.

Serve with blueberries on top, drizzled with additional syrup or agave. (I recommend agave for drizzling.)

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 144 calories, 10 calories from fat, 1.2g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 217.1mg sodium, 204mg potassium, 33.6g carbohydrates, 4.4g fiber, 14.9g sugar, 3.6g protein, 2.2 points.

Real girls eat REAL food

Granted this is not the most flattering photo of me :) (I had just come home from a long run) however I use it to illustrate the point that you do not need to starve yourself, cut out all carbohydrates or eat food that comes prepacked in cardboard boxes from the frozen foods section of the supermarket aisle to lose a large amount of weight.

In fact I don't believe that's normal or healthy. So far I have lost 35 kilos (75 pounds) and I certainly didn't do it by starving myself in any way. Everyday I eat huge amounts of fruit and vegetables, moderate amounts of protein and carbohydrates and small amounts of fats and refined sugars but I am never hungry. Once a week I do have something I want like some french fries or a chocolate croissant and the rest of the time I make delicious, healthy meals that I look forward to eating. The thing about diets is that they don't ever work because in real life they just don't hold up for long and then you gain the weight back plus extra. Maybe some people can live the rest of their lives eating only cottage cheese and celery or never eating bread or pasta but I can tell you right now I'm not one of them.Sometimes I do slip up and eat more than I should of but I lace up my running shoes, get out there and make better choices the next day.

Because I get emails from time to time from people asking me how I did it I just want to say. There is no magic cure. Instead it's all about eating moderately and well. Cut out the white foods and processed stuff from your diet and start drinking lots of water and green tea. Make little changes at at a time and before you know you will look and feel amazing.

At the beginning of last year I was huge, miserable and looked at least six months pregnant even though I wasn't. Below is a photo showing me at the weight I was, not a pretty picture!





This is me now both photos were taken within the last two weeks. I still haven't lost all I want to however I am fit, healthy and I can hold my head up high!

A small break

I haven't been around for a little while and will continue to be away for a little while longer.

While I seemed to be getting better about a week and a half ago my mind just kind of snapped and so I am going to spend this time taking my medication and just focusing on each day getting a little stronger.

I really love this Russian Proverb which I have been focusing on

" Pray to God but continue to row to shore"

A letter to myself

This has been a really hard week for me, in many respects. You know just when you think you're over it? I found on Monday that my husband (and we are still officially married) has a girlfriend and has had one for some time, even when we were together.

When I first saw the photos I felt like I had been punched in the stomach, for the first few days I pretty much just stayed in bed and cried, I didn't eat and I barely slept and it was really hard. I just couldn't think why he chose her and not me.

But then I remembered a few things

Sometimes the relationship you need to rescue is the one you have with yourself

Don't glorify the past

What do I believe about myself that I would think I would honestly deserve someone who lies, cheats , left me when I was pregnant and continues to cause pain and destruction

Leaving Carrie Underwood Cd's on repeat is an excellent idea ;)

Another thing I did this morning is write a long letter to myself from a year from now. So in theory writing about the awesome things that will happen a year from now. I will leave some excerpts from it, but not all cause some of it is kind of embarrassing :)

The point in your life of meeting O was so that you actually learned to live your life, instead of waiting to get married so that your life was complete. And live it you will!!
One day you are going to meet the most amazing man that you wont believe he is actually real. This man opens doors for you, makes you laugh and arranges picnics on the beach at sunset. He loves the Lord, loves Aviva and would willingly die for you both. But because he is so awesome he deserves a whole person and not half of one. And that is who you are going to become, I promise.

So sweetheart get up out of that bed, tidy your room and paint your nails. Because you are only going to regret this time wasted over him one day, he doesn’t deserve it and your life is soon going to become to fantastic that it will replace all the painful times that ever happened to you. Remember that time that that woman wrote to you and told you that the Lord will replace what the Locusts had eaten. Well that was totally a prophetic word to you if ever there was one.

So chin up! I can’t wait until you see what your future brings, The Lord has his own amazing surprises for you! Just wait and see.

I so hope that in writing this that I can encourage one day anyone else going through the same kind of pain. God is so good, and his love truly does endure forever.

Winter soup

I am a big fan of soup, I cook it all the time and in fact it has been a big help in helping me lose weight. It is really cheap to make and I love that you can make it by cleaning out the contents of your fridge! I eat soup nearly everyday for lunch, I make it in a huge pot and freeze it in smaller portions to make it even easier. Also it means if visitors come by unexpectedly for lunch I can whip it out and have it bubbling away in no time.

Below are two super easy vegetarian recipes for soup. They are a good way of introducing pulses to your diet if you haven't eaten many of them previously. In winter I always add extra onions, garlic and fenugreek and to date Aviva and I haven't had a cold or flu in nearly a year (I also think our very low consumption of sugar helps as well)

Split pea soup

8 c. water
2 c. split peas
1 onion chopped (I added a few chopped garlics as well)
3 carrots chopped
3 ribs of celery chopped
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Put all into a crock pot in the morning on medium high. It is done by late afternoon!

Lentil soup

1 c. lentils
1/3 c. rice
1 1/2 qts. water
1 big can of chopped tomatoes
2 grated carrots
1 chopped onion
Salt & Pepper to taste
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper
1 t. oregano & 1 bay leaf


Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, then add soy sauce to taste and let cook another 15 minutes.

Sorry there are no photos, something is wrong with my camera and the photos aren't looking very good at all.

A week of surprises

It has been a week of surprises around here! The first one was on Monday when a huge bag of make-up arrived. Here are a just few of the lip glosses...

But also included in the bag was an assortment of nail polishes, bronzers, eye make-up and foundations. And also quite randomly this tea......

I love my Auntie Jendy and the perks of her job! Giving me a bag of make-up is like giving a child a giant sack of sweets ;)

Also out of nowhere I am looking after several children these holidays, which means that I can earn some extra money (even though I would have done it for free). One of the children coming is a little girl who I look after two days a week, having other peoples children in your house is such a great way to teach them about Jesus. R and Aviva get on so well and it also teaches Aviva about caring for younger children as there is a three and a half year age gap between them.

Aviva and R

And lastly I really needed a new vaccum cleaner as mine broke down a few weeks ago, so I prayed hard that I would find one second hand. So I went down today and low and behold there is one there! Also it was brand new and would normally cost $500 dollars, I couldn't believe it! (Actually I could because God is ALWAYS faithful) and so today Aviva has spent it vaccuming the house, I'm hoping the novelty doesn't wear off soon ;)

Broken dreams

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Proverbs 23:18

For the past five years I have had five goals

1. To be a wife
2. To be a mother to many children
3. To home school my children and in the process make passionate soldiers for Christ
4. To create a lovely home

Over the past year I have watched as all of these dreams has been smashed one by one. The last one to be broken is my house. I have put a lot of effort into this house to make it a home. I've planted tulips and daffodils along the borders, spent hours creating a massive vegetable garden. carefully chosen art from thrift shops to complement the walls and of course decorated it with various pieces of crystal, vintage linens and other beautiful ornaments. But after years of living here the Landlord is raising the rent to a huge amount and I have to leave, the only problem is that every place to rent in this Suburb is really expensive. But I need to stay here, my Mother needs taking care of and my part time job is local plus the school that I have enrolled Aviva in for next year is here (as it's the only Christian school for the next 30 kilometres).

My only option left is to apply for Government housing. You can not imagine how I do not want to do this. I cannot believe that as a university educated woman, I have to go and live with my precious daughter in the same area as gang members and Drug dealers (I know that these are not the only kinds of people living in this area but they certainly frequent a lot more than in other parts of society as wherever there is poverty, crime flourishes)
I cannot live at home as my mother thinks I am brainwashing my daughter (she thinks anyone who chooses to stay at home with their child is either stupid or lazy, me included)
I cannot understand how my life has sunk this low, after years of faithful service to Jesus I now have to face all of my dreams in a mangled, broken pile.

But God is a faithful God and he has not forgotten me or my dreams.

'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose'.
Romans 8:28

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.
Job 11:18

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Psalms 119:114

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:70

But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

Psalms 71:14

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7

Our God is not a God of disbelief he indeed is a God of Hope and Promise. My dreams may not be here today but that doesn't mean they are gone forever. God knows my heart and I truly believe that this time of trials is no enable me to one day help others going through similar things. He will be everything alright in the end, and I also firmly believe I have bigger and better things awaiting me, he can take those dreams and turn them into something more amazing than I ever hoped for.

May God take your own pile of ashes and change them into something beautiful.

Jesus, what a beautiful name

I love this song,we sung it at church this morning and I felt so blessed by it, it is going to be my goal to learn it by heart over the next few days.

My heart felt very heavy this morning but I sung this song and shut my eyes and pictured Jesus on the cross. With every bang on the hammer taking on the vile sins of the world, it certainly puts my own circumstances into perspective.

Anyway here are the lyrics, I hope they lighten your heart as they have mine.


Jesus, what a beautiful name
Son of God, Son of Man, Lamb that was slain
Joy and peace, strength and hope
Grace that blows all fear away
Jesus, what a beautiful name

Jesus, what a beautiful name
Truth revealed, my future sealed, healed my pain
Love and freedom, life and warmth
Grace that blows all fear away
Jesus, what a beautiful name

Jesus, what a beautiful name
Rescued my soul, my stronghold, lifts me from shame
Forgiveness, security, power and love
Grace that blows all fear away
Jesus, what a beautiful name

Joy and peace, strength and hope
Grace that blows all fear away
Jesus, what a beautiful name
Joy and peace, strength and hope
Grace that blows all fear away
Jesus, what a beautiful name