Exercising with kids is so much fun!!!

Hello everyone and happy Friday to you all!! I hope you have an amazing weekend and I look forward to sharing my fun run experience in the morning. I really want to achieve the 12km distance, so I'll keep you posted with how I go.....or can you tell I am distracted with the footy??? GO PIES!!!!!

Workout 

Completed my FYM workout from the Transformation Kit and love the fact these exercises only take 15 minutes of my time and I can do them in the comfort of our own home. Especially now with school holidays, even the kids love to workout out with me....

What exercises do you like to do with kids??

Breakfast
Pineapple raspberry quinoa served with natural greek yogurt and walnuts

Morning snack
Coconut protein smoothie

Ingredients
1 banana
2 scoops of coconut protein powder
chia seeds
milk
chia seeds

Method
Place all ingredients in blender and let it whizz!!!

Lunch
Pumpkin salad with feta, mushrooms and ham

Afternoon snack
2 hard boiled eggs with vegetable sticks

Dinner
Chicken breast wrapped in bacon served with steamed broccoli and carrots

Always remember if you fail to plan, plan to fail. Ensure you spend at least half an hour over the weekend and plan your meals for next week. Stock up on supportive snacks and I look forward to sharing our meals with you all next week! 

Xx Dani

My Mum is back from Serbia!!! Woo hoo!!!

Hello everyone, how are you? We are all really well and keeping busy these school holidays. Noah finishes up tomorrow so we have a full 2 weeks of kids activities which I'll keep you posted with. Many catch ups and day trips along with the arrival of my Mother from Serbia, which the kids and I are really excited about. 

How quick 3 months have gone.... I really did miss my Mother, Mira. For those of you that don't know who my Mum is, this photo was taken when I just announced I was pregnant with baby no. 4 Zali "Mirjana" which my Mum was stoked about that we named her after her!

My Mum Mirjana and I Dec 2010

Workout

Day of rest however I did go out for that run I mentioned last night, so early to bed for an early to rise run which was great fun!!! 

I did a bit of a cross country running course this morning which was very challenging, I don't typically run big hills but this morning I had a limited window to run (only ran 4.6kms AKA 2.9mi) so I thought it may as well be a challenging course. Mind you majority of the hills I had to stop and walk it a bit but better than me laying in bed thinking about running, I just did it!!!

I'm looking forward to the practise run for Run Ballarat this Saturday morning and in my mind I'm thinking of trying out the complete 12kms (7.45mi) circuit. See how I go....



Breakfast
Pineapple quinoa with milk

I added the milk after I took this photo

Morning snack
Natural greek yogurt with strawberries, sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds

Lunch
Chickpea curry on 2 toasted (wholegrain) sandwiches with tomatoes

We went to meet with a girlfriend (impromptu) at our local park for lunch so I quickly packed this for our kids...

1. Chicken and parmesan on white rye bread
2. Laughing cow cheese
3. Apple and cinnamon with freshly squeezed lemon juice
3. Strawberries
4. Muesli bars
5. Fruit and vegetable puree's for baby Zali

Spent the late afternoon with Celeste and her gorgeous kids so when we got home I had to whip up a super quick dish.

Afternoon snack
Dip with vegetables and crackers

Celeste made a similar dish the other night and gave me her BIG bright idea!!! Meatball sausages!! Meaning, squeeze out the meat in small pieces and throw away the skin!!! I purposely bought gourmet red bell pepper and onion sausages (not a fan of the plain butchers sausages) so this dish was just that little bit tastier with the spiced up sausages!!!

Dinner

Meatball sausages and vegetable pasta

NB: I served mine on a bed of spinach while the rest of our family had wholemeal pasta 

Ingredients
1x packet of gourmet sausages
3 tomatoes or punnet of cherry tomatoes
2 mushrooms
bag of spinach
1 capsicum finely sliced
1 lemon
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 tbs yogurt or low reduced sour cream
S&P
olive oil
wholemeal pasta (optional)

Method

1. Cut ends off sausage and gently squeeze small amounts of meat and gently fry in olive oil. Add any spices and herbs at this time, I used a Moroccan based spice with cumin and coriander.

2. Add sliced capsicums, spinach, chopped mushrooms and tomatoes
3. While pasta is cooking, use pasta water as part of your sauce and squeeze entire lemon followed by all the drained pasta

4. Add a tablespoon of yogurt (or fat reduced sour cream) to make a lovely cream based sauce
5. Taste and add S&P if required, garnish with parsley and parmesan cheese


Here's me cooking in the kitchen with our kids!!!

Mietta pulling her famous wink smile for the camera, while Zali (mini me) poses for the camera!

It's always busy in our kitchen with one or all of our 4 kids in the kitchen, I love it! I hope one day they enjoy cooking in the kitchen as much as I do!!!

Goodnight my friends and I look forward to meeting with you all again tomorrow.

Xx Dani

Quinoa - KEEN WHAA????

That's how my kids pronounce it KEEN WHAA? We made a couple of dishes with the packet of quinoa we purchased (approx. $5) today and no, it's not cheap however I did make 2 meals out of the 1 packet. I have had my moments with quinoa, with it's peculiar taste however now I double and triple rinse it and cook it in either stock for savoury meals or natural fruit juice for breakfast meals. Our kids are loving it and tonight's meal got 2 plate serves.

BTW here are some gorgeous tulips I drive past every day on my way to school pick up!!! I'm loving Spring and the colours of these beautiful flowers....

Workout

Completed my FYM workout and managed to do 4 sets although I did rush the last few as we were running a bit behind with our morning routine. 

Transformation Kit workout A ~ equipment a mat and 2 DB
I felt both the renagade row and shoulder press this morning, I love doing my arms. I plan on doing my run tomorrow which I am hoping to get to bed early, so I have the energy to get up early and "actually" do it!

Breakfast

Corn flakes with bananas and walnuts

Morning snack

yogurt with fruit

Lunch

2 fried eggs with spinach feta and polenta bread

Afternoon snack

hummus dip with vegetable sticks

Quinoa what is it exactly?  Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a highly nutritious gluten-free grain. This ancient grain contains more protein than any other grain, with a good balance of all 8 essential amino acids, making it a good choice for vegetarians. Quinoa is also high in fibre and has a low-GI, beneficial for keeping blood sugar levels stable. Quinoa is an ideal grain for diabetics.

We enjoy it from time to time and for a change when we want to replace our typical pasta meals or mix up our morning cereals.

For some of my readers who wanted to find out how I cook my quinoa, here is my process. 

How to cook quinoa until it's light and fluffy

I thoroughly wash/rinse my quinoa. That's the key and for every cup, I cook it in boiling water (or your of choice whether cooking a savoury or sweet dish eg: stock or fruit juice) for 15 minutes, then drain and allow to absorb on a tea towel or paper towel. 

I simply then fluff it up with a fork and it's so light and fluffy to add to any dish.

Dinner

Chicken & parmesan quinoa bake

Ingredients

500g Chicken thighs

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 cup of cooked quinoa

1 onion finely diced

3 crushed garlics

Bag of spinach

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

handful of parsley

S&P

Olive oil

splash of soya sauce/balsamic vinegar

4tbs ricotta cheese

handful of mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Method

1. Heat olive oil and sauté onions with garlic, once soft and golden add chicken (season with oregano, basil, cumin S&P) allow to cook for 10 minutes, add splash of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Cook for a further 5 minutes. 

2. Add can of tomatoes and spinach (or any other vegetables you prefer)

At this point you can serve the quinoa and chicken together as is, however our kids love the cheesy factor so I layered the casserole dish with 1/2 the quinoa/chicken mix, then sprinkled mozzarella, parmesan cheese and repeated again with the remaining quinoa/chicken mix a few tablespoons of ricotta and then the 2 cheeses. Bake for approximately 15 minutes in 200-180C degrees oven or until golden brown.

It was amazing!!!! I can't wait to have the left overs for lunch tomorrow. Until then, I hope you are going well, eating clean and keeping fit!

Xx Dani

6km run I DID IT YAY!!!!

Hello my beautiful people. Well I did it!!! Officially ran 6kms without a stitch or stopping (well I did, to stretch out a pain in my left ankle, other than that!!!) ran like the wind!!!!!

Day of rest so no FYM workout today


Breakfast
Antioxidant berry porridge

When I'm short on time to whip up fresh fruit in my porridge, I simply place a cube of my smoothie mix (each batch I make varies with ingredients and depends entirely on what I have in the fruit bowl, pantry etc...). Today was banana, blueberries, raspberries, apple concentrate, chia seeds, lsa mix. Place all ingredients in your blender and pour in your ice cube trays to freeze. When emergency mornings or snacks are in order, these are such a great short cut without compromising on all the nutrients your body needs.

I simply cook the porridge and mix this frozen cube or cubes in and it cools down our porridge quick smart. I also use these cubes for my smoothies. The idea came from the Creative Gourmet box I once bought in the freezer section.

Morning snack
Raspberry coconut muffins
latte

Ingredients
Wholemeal/buckwheat/oat flour
shredded coconut
2 eggs
1tsp baking powder
milk/yogurt
macadamia oil
apple concentrate/maple syrup
macadamia nuts (for decoration purposes)

Method
Mix dry with wet ingredients and bake until skewer comes out dry. Today was seriously a baking session with the kids, started off with cracking 2 eggs each, pouring in the flours, milk, oil etc...so no measurements once again. However please base it on any muffin recipe you have made in the past if you wish to experiment with the above "clean" ingredients. x

Lunch
Left over sweet potato leek soup
2 wholegrain pieces of toast with coconut butter

Afternoon snack
Yogurt with fruit

Dinner
Chickpea coconut curry

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 chopped carrots
1 chopped tomato
curry powder
cumin powder
1 can chickpeas
1 can coconut milk
1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
kaffir lime and curry leaves
S&P
parsley

Method
Super quick and tasty dish, sauté onions and carrots with spices. Add spinach, stock, coconut milk, kaffir & curry leaves and cook until soft. Simmer until it thickens. Season with S&P and serve with brown rice and mint.

I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far and I look forward to touching base with you again.

Xx Dani

Fit Yummy Transformation Challenge WEEK 3

How is everyone today? I am feeling fabulous and of course after yesterdays photo shoot, looking fabulous with my false eyelashes, yep! They're still in tact :-))) ha ha

THANK YOU all for your beautiful comments on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and of course here. I am blown away!!! You guys are awesome!! I should do these photo shoots more often!!!

It was so fun being glammed up by a professional make up artist/hair stylist and photographer yesterday. I was in my element and here's a shot to prove it!!! False eyelashes and all!!!

FAKE: eyelashes, spray tan & make-up GENUINE: smile, grey hairs & of course my new set of canons!!!

Workout

Seriously come follow me at Fit Yummy Mummy and you too will have guns like me :-) ha ha sorry had to make you laugh but seriously I am amazed how my body is shaping up. I can't believe we are already into our 3rd week and have only 7 weeks to go!!! WHOOSH!!!

I have never had my body looking like this in my entire life and I am loving it!!! I still haven't bought my heavier weights so that is still a goal over the next few weeks.


Transformation Kit Workout B ~ completed 4 sets MAX reps
Loving the squats however not strong with the lunges and really don't like performing them due to my pelvis instability :(


Post Workout shake chocolate protein smoothie

Breakfast
Bircher muesli with yogurt

Morning snack

Yogurt with fruit

Lunch
Scrambled eggs with fresh tomatoes and coconut toast

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 tbs ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Olive oil
S&P

Beat eggs with ricotta cheese, add parmesan. Heat olive oil and cook eggs to your liking

The kids cooked their own lunch today so it was good to see them choose their foods out of the fridge! School holidays officially kick in at the end of this week however I do have Oscar on 3 weeks holidays so it's been fun entertaining the 3 munckins today! Our house is a bomb site!!!

Afternoon snack
My very own "guilt free" caramel popcorn

Method
You're going to love me for this recipe. I even featured on the "clean eating" website The Gracious Pantry

Amazing what a bit of honey and peanut butter can do on some plain popcorn...divine!!!!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup almond butter or peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 8-10 cups popped popcorn

Directions:

1. Read through the steps first so you know what you to. You’ll need to work quickly.
2. In a small pot, warm the honey on high heat. Bring it to a boil.
3. Let it boil up in the pot about 1 inch and then quickly remove from heat.
4. Stir in nut butter with a whisk and whisk until smooth. Should be “pourable”.
5. Pour over the popcorn and mix with a spoon. The mixture is hot, so don’t be tempted to mix with your hands. I learned that the hard way (Duh!!).
6. Let it all sit and cool and ENJOY!!!! Leave me a comment below when you have tried this xx

Dinner
Chicken fajita's (Dani's quick version)

As you all know I did my impromptu photo shoot yesterday so had no time to cook. We grabbed some roasted chickens and the left overs are my dinner creations tonight...

Ingredients
Left over roasted (store bought) chicken
1 onion
1 carrot
1 tin crushed tomatoes
1 pkt of spinach leaves (350g)
6 kalamata olives
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 chilli (omit in childrens serve)
1/2tbs olive oil
Corn Mountain flat bread

Method


Heat olive oil and sauté onions, carrots with herbs, add chicken, followed by spinach. Once spinach wilts, add tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes!! Real quick, simply and super super easy and so tasty!!!

We served ours with yogurt and shredded cheese (all the vegetables were cooked together in the chicken mix!) Simply wrap in flat mountain bread and smash it!!! Everyone loved it!!!

Until next time.....

Xx Dani

Photo shoot today

Hi everyone, just a real quick post to update you on my pictures that I got done by my wonderful photographer Philip Darley today.

It's been a really busy couple of days so I apologise for not posting. I have been eating clean and doing my FYM exercises regularly and the Transformation Kit is really challenging my body.

Today was a real short notice photo shoot that Phil thought would be great for my blog. A bit of glamour Mum (thanks to wonderful hair and make up guru Simon Bull) in the kitchen cooking with our kids and some fitness shots. We had it all going on, of course our kids wanted pancakes so the below picture is us mixing up the batter!!!!

Of course the reason behind the pancake mix was our kids wanting to see my famous pancake flip!!!! Remember this one Celeste took of me....

This always gets the kids excited!!! How excited am I doing the flip??? I love it!!!!

Then we got into some fitness photo's which I'll reveal throughout the next few posts, but here is me striking a "paparazzi" pose but really flexing my canons :-)

Well we did have a ball today and I look forward to sharing more pictures of my fitness, food and style journey!!!!

Xx Dani

Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, gosh you can be harsh!

We were on the go this morning and when I mean on the go, like 30 minutes to get out of the door from pj mode to showered, dressed and fully fed! Well we did it in 45 minutes.... and amazingly turned up to our wonderful and sunny Lake Wendouree in Ballarat for our 6km walk....

Let me tell you though, looks can be deceiving. When we arrived it was a beautiful sunny Spring morning, but the weather turned on us so we decided to go to a cafe for some morning tea until the rain settled. Little did we know the worst was yet to come.... Let's just say, I was walking like a babushka with my scarf wrapped around my head....it was that icy cold and wet that we walked our a double s's off!!! Only to arrive back to our cars with this beautiful sunshine. Oh well. We walked the lake at least!

Workout
Day of rest (if you'd like to call it that after our walk this morning!)

Breakfast
Green smoothie

Morning snack
Egg and bacon bagel

Lunch
Grilled flat head fish with avocado and grated beetroot salad

Afternoon snack
Mountain oat flat bread chips with home made guacamole, feta and basil dips

These are super quick and real fun to do with the kids. While the flat bread is getting toasted (I do this in my non stick fry pan) we blend the feta, basil, neufchâtel cheese (or you can use philadelphia), chia seeds, add salt and pepper to taste. For the guacamole dip, we just mashed it up with a fork, squeezed lemon juice added S&P and kids just said "Yep, it's done Mum". Normally sour cream or some form of cheese used to go into this but it was all good today!

Dinner
BBQ lamb cutlets with chicken mini burgers served with salad

So sorry for the quick post. We're off to watch Noah's first Year One Concert and I'm kinda excited for him! See you tomorrow and as per usual, I will update my recipes here and then post under the food tab.

Oh yes and of course the cocoa oatmeal cake I ate at midnight....I'll provide the steps to that here as well ASAP! Promise!

Xx Dani