Health and Fitness

What they didn’t tell me about the first trimester

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Who really knows who “they” are, but I feel that they should have told me a few things about the first few months of pregnancy. We hear very little about the first trimester (other than that there’s a big chance of morning sickness) and I think it’s because people are just trying to forget about it, really. Lol. Joking (not really). Perhaps it’s because it’s more often than not kept as a secret until the big 12 week mark when they’re feeling a thousand times better in any case?

Nonetheless, here’s what ‘they’ didn’t tell me that I wish ‘they’ did.

Your body is no longer controlled by you

Motherhood is really all about self-sacrifice, it seems. There are things going on that I just can’t do anything about. Morning sickness is not actually morning sickness, either. Whoever decided to call it that may have never been pregnant in their lives, ever. This person may have arguably been a man. For me, it was all day sickness. And not the kind that eases if you get it all out, but rather the kind that is a mild, underlying nausea that’s just enough to make you the grumpiest woman alive while trying to make it through each day alive.

Baby Gale don’t eat no kale

Food aversions are a real thing. I LOVE healthy food intensely, but during this time it was all about cheese and bread.  I now understand why expecting moms put on that extra weight whether they like it or not! Our digestive systems slow down to some bizarre snail pace and energy levels drop to what I would imagine would match someone in a coma.

Lying is much harder than you think it is

Especially when I had the patience of a (what has zero patience?) and didn’t have the energy to come up with stories as to why I didn’t want that wine, was exhausted 24/7, can’t ride my horse, didn’t feel like going out for dinner/cooking (2 of my favourite things) and felt sick most of the time. And we have to keep this up for at least 2 months! I wasn’t very good at it at all. I think our pregnancy ‘announcement’ wasn’t much of an announcement at all to most people 😄

You don’t actually feel pregnant

I don’t actually know what I expected, to be honest. I thought maybe I’d all of a sudden feel this intense maternal power or feel something happening in my belly (other than bloating and gas). That is not real life, ladies, sorry. There’s not much to “show” for everything that you’re going through yet, which makes it even more difficult. We decided to have an ultrasound at around 7 weeks just to be sure that the foetus was in the right place, had a heartbeat and was actually real! I’d highly suggest this. You can actually see the heartbeat at this stage and it helps to feel that this is all actually real!

 

You will feel human again soon

I woke up one day at around 12 weeks and felt like an actual human being again. I had so much energy that I baked cupcakes at 7am for breakfast. Thank the holy pope. Now my poor husband doesn’t get to lie around and sleep while I’m “woman-down”, he has to galavant around Cape Town with me again and try all my weird and wonderful healthy cooking experiments! Hallelujah.

Side note: Enjoy your tight-fitting clothes for now, the bump is coming SOON. Fast and furious.

Recipe: 3 Ingredient healthy white sauce

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I am not joking, no. There is such a thing as healthy white sauce for pastas, veggie bakes, cheese sauce etc. Not only is it healthy, but only uses 3 easy ingredients and is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, low carb. It’s basically black magic!

I used mine in a vegetarian alfredo pasta dish and it’s one of my favourite health hacks of all time.

  • Add the cooked cauliflower, coconut milk and vegetable stock to a blender.
  • Blend until smooth and creamy.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.

I used mine for a vegetarian alfredo sauce with Fry’s vegetarian sausage, fried onion, garlic and mushrooms. Another health hack of mine is to use shirataki noodles instead of pasta and the result is a really low carb version of a potentially fatty and unhealthy meal! It made enough sauce for 4 good portions.

You’re welcome.

Click here for more clever health hacks.

Recipe: Mushroom Quinoa Risotto

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I just love finding healthy versions of classic (usually pretty unhealthy) meals and who wouldn’t want a healthy mushroom risotto? This is my own recipe that I threw together last night and it’s a winner! It is so easy, it’s ridiculous…

Ingredients

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

A little olive oil for frying

1 large punnet of mixed, chopped mushrooms

1,5 cups quinoa

About 4 cups of vegetable stock

1/2 green chilli

Handful of baby spinach

  1. Fry 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil
  2. Add a large punnet of mixed mushrooms and some mixed herbs of your choice. Cook it all up and set aside for later.
  3. Cook about 1.5 cups of quinoa as per package instructions, but use vegetable stock instead of water
  4. Add the mushroom mixture to the quinoa
  5. Add some chopped fresh green chilli
  6. Throw in a handful of baby spinach leaves to wilt
  7. Serve with grated Parmesan (or nutritional yeast for a vegan version)

Serves about 6

Click here for more clever health hacks.

Recipe: Salted Brownie “Cheesecake” Bites

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This is a recipe from Nutriholist, which I adapted according to the ingredients I had! These salted brownie “cheesecake” bites are so decadently creamy and sweet, you’d never guess that there is no cream or sugar involved!

Vegan Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 5 dates, pitted
  • 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt

For the filling:

  • 1 ½ cup cashews
  • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • ½ tsp. vanilla essence
  • 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • Pinch of sea salt
  1. To make the crust: Combine all crust ingredients in a food processor and process until a sticky mixture forms.
  2. Grease a muffin tray however you see fit (not really necessary if it’s a non-stick tray). Transfer the crust mixture to the trays and press down into an even layer. Place in the freezer or fridge while you prepare the filling.
  3. To make the filling: Add all filling ingredients except for cocoa powder and salt to the food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
  4. Remove muffin tray from the fridge or freezer and pour half of the “cheesecake” filling on top of each base.
  5. Add cocoa powder to the food processor and process some more to combine. Dollop the chocolate mixture on top.
  6. Transfer the tray to the freezer and let it chill for 1-2 hours.

Recipe: Chia Breakfast Bowl

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I’m having a current obsession with chia seeds! Chia seeds are considered a superfood and fantastic for breakfast as they provide protein, fibre, antioxidants, Omega-3s without being high in carbs.

This is such an easy chia breakfast bowl and my own recipe. I’m obsessed with the texture of it and how filling it is while still feeling really light.

Chia Pudding Breakfast

Ingredients

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cup almond milk

1 banana

2 tablespoons vanilla/plain yoghurt

Handful of sunflower and flax seeds (or any seeds you’d like)

Drizzle of honey 🌟

Method

Soak the chia seeds overnight in the almond milk

Give it a stir in the morning and pour into your breakfast bowl

Slice the banana on top, with a handful of seeds and a drizzle of honey 🌟

Variation: Add some frozen/fresh strawberries when in season!

Chia Breakfast Bowl with Strawberries

Hint: You can make any interesting breakfast combo with chia seeds. Just always make sure to soak them for at least a few hours in liquid of ratio 1:4.

Fit, not fat. My story of self-love, discipline, perseverance and health.

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Four months ago, I saw one of those “fitness progress shots” appear on my Instagram timeline of someone who recently had a baby and went on a “body transformation” journey. It appeared at a time when I was feeling big and lumpy and sick of not fitting into those pants… you know? I’ve always been quite active and healthy, but have never really been focused on it and never really followed a training programme or eating plan. What struck me about this particular post was that it was someone that I knew and I all of a sudden realised that I COULD actually regain control of my body, with a bit of dedication. If she could do it whilst being a new mom, I’m sure I could do it too!

My journey is a story of self-love, dedication and perseverance. I haven’t just changed my body, but shown myself that I am capable of so much more than I think I am and (thanks to my fiancé) that it’s okay to be kind to myself too.

Here’s what I did.

What was I putting in?

I looked into some eating options and decided to start by getting my eating right. I put a lot of effort into researching portion sizes and healthy recipes. I started with the 21 Day Fix concept because I liked how it very simply laid out portion control and proper meal planning for each day. I prepared a plan for each day where I allocated my daily portions to meals and snacks and came up with interesting ways to put together all the required starches, proteins, veg, oils and dairy. This was the most difficult thing for me as I was used to snacking on things (mainly cheese as it’s the easiest thing to grab and eat from the fridge) as I got peckish and not really taking note of it all. When I added it all up, I realised that I was eating generally healthy meals, but constantly snacking the throughout the day without realising how much crap I was consuming as a result! Having to measure and plan my food really helped me to gain control of what I was putting into my body and raised awareness for healthy portion sizes and healthy “clean-eating” foods. I also don’t eat meat or chicken and this makes it even more difficult to find healthy balanced fitness meals!

That being said, I also quickly realised that I wasn’t eating enough on the 21 Day Fix plan and ditched it (being hungry is not an option for me), but continued to plan my food in advance in the format of breakfast, lunch and dinner with two snacks in between – now portion controlled and clean-eating focused. Magic!

What was I doing with it?

I spent 2 weeks getting my eating right and then needed to move on to a proper exercise plan. I started following all the latest fitness and health nutters online and was quite taken by the results shown by the Bikini Body Guide programme. If you follow Kayla Itsines on Instagram, there’s basically no way you can just hang around being sulky with your own body without trying it out. If they can do it, then so can I!

I was completely shocked by the level of difficulty of the programme, thinking that I was generally quite active and fit (ish) and started with the 4 week pre-training guide first, then committed myself to the full 12 weeks of hard work ahead.

Not one single workout was easy. I did not feel on top of any one day that I trekked off to the gym to push myself, but I did it. Some days were more half-hearted than others, but I did it. In the freezing cold, dark and rainy mornings of Cape Town winter, I did it. With only myself as a motivator, ignoring the stares at the gym when I’m doing some weird burpees mixed with push-ups and jumps all over the place (a lot of the time nearly falling on my face), I did it.

I moaned, beat myself up about not getting my meal planning right all the time, drinking too much wine sometimes and gorging on cheese sometimes, but I kept at it. When I started to see the fat fall off and actual muscles start showing, I nearly DIED with excitement.

Discipline is the name of the game here and finding a way to fit exercise and food prep into your daily routine is key.

How did it turn out?

I toyed with the idea of posting my progress pictures for a few reasons:

  1. I was embarrassed about my ‘Before’ picture. When I took it, I was shocked at what I really looked like. The thing is that I really felt like I looked, but refused to believe it.
  2. I’m not one to parade my bikini-clad body all over the internet and it takes some serious guts to put it out there for all to see!
  3. I’m scared that you look at it and don’t see the massive difference that I actually feel. I’m no fitness model and have just stuck to my path as best I can, but am so incredibly proud of what I was able to achieve.

But you know what? My journey started with seeing someone else’s hesitant progress picture post and I was motivated to make a change for me, for the better. If my little story can motivate just one person to move towards a healthier lifestyle, then it’s worth it.

 

PopcornCandi BBG

There are so many paths in life that we can take and we all get to make our own choices. Choose a path and follow it! 

Giveaway! Siri Uzuri Argan Oil

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#Sponsored

Look, I’m no beauty blogger, but I’m very much into healthy living and looking after myself. I can’t tell you what the latest eyeliner trend is and a lot of the time I can’t tell you where my make-up bag is, but I can tell you how to get active and look after your own wellbeing. Today, I’m going to tell you about my experience with Argan Oil.

I gym/exercise in the mornings, which consists of high intensity training three times a week, a 5km run twice a week and hot yoga once a week. In the afternoons I ride my horse 4-5 times a week. This means that if I’m not sweating, I’ve probably just got out of the shower. I shower at least twice a day and wash my hair once a day.

Can you see where this is going? My hair needs some tender loving care! And it needs it in a way that fits into my busy schedule (between all that activity, I’m also running a social media business and am putting in the desk time).

Argan Oil

Enter Argan oil. This is one from Siri Uzuri that I was given to try out. It’s 100% pure, freshly pressed & certified organic Argan oil and available from Hello Pretty for R150.

For my hair, I used about 5 drops and rubbed that through my towel-dried hair. I then just did a quick blow-dry as usual (no straightening or anything like that) and it came out silky smooth and soft. (I wanted to call this post “The lazy girl’s guide to good hair” after that, actually!)

 

Argan Oil

But enough about me, let’s move on to you! I’m giving away one 25ml bottle of Siri Uzuri Argan oil to one lucky PopcornCandi subscriber. Here’s how to enter:

  • Make sure that you are subscribed to the blog. The competition is only open to subscribers. (You’ll see a “Sign me up” box on the right hand side – enter your details there if you’re not yet subscribed)
  • Make sure that you’ve liked my Facebook page and comment on the competition post there, telling me why your hair deserves to be silky smooth.

 

 

 

 

Ts and Cs:

  • Competition closes on Monday 12 September at 5pm.
  • Only subscribers to www.popcorncandi.com are eligible to win this prize.
  • Winner will be chosen by random draw.
  • Judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  • Only South African residents may enter.
  • Prize will be couriered to the prize winner within 2 weeks of winner announcement.
  • Winner will be announce on the PopcornCandi Facebook page and will be sent an email to the email address on record in the PopcornCandi subscriber list. If the incorrect email address is provided, a new winner will be chosen and the original winner will forfeit their prize.
  • If the winner does not respond to the winning email within a week, the prize will be transferred to the next randomly drawn winner.

The Ultimate Spring Time High Tea Guide

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There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. – Henry James

A post in collaboration with Tea Eats, The Beautiful Blog and C’s Style Diary to give you the ultimate guide to hosting a Spring High Tea! Be sure to read through to the bottom where you will find free printables and links to the food, decor and fashion aspects of your high tea!

IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO THE TEA

Good tea makes your tea party. Tea should take you on a journey, an adventure of sorts. This isn’t going to happen with a standard tea bag, that’s for sure!

LOOSE-LEAF TEA VS TEA BAGS

When you look at the detail, loose-leaf tea beats tea bags hands down. Here’s why…

Tea Bags

  • Are often broken ‘dregs’ of tea leaves. This compromises the quality of the leaves, losing a lot of the aroma and nutrients found in tea.
  • Lack “flow” in their material, resulting in the brew struggling to diffuse through the tea bag into the water.
  • May also carry their own flavour, which does not belong in your tea! The flavor should be all about the leaves, not the bag that they come in.

Loose-leaf tea

  • Doesn’t have the low-quality leaves, diffusion and flavour issues that come with tea bags.
  • Provides more flavour, aroma, antioxidants and all-round deliciousness.

You can find some beautiful tea diffusers, which will also double up as décor elements at your table.

CHOOSING YOUR TEA

When it comes to choosing your tea, consider your guests and their personalities and tastes.

  • For the normal, everyday tea drinker, Ceylon tea and herbal tea is your best bet.
  • For the more adventurous tea drinker, consider green teas (matcha is a hot option at the moment), spiced teas and buchu.

Here are my Top Three Favourites, all from Lady Bonin’s Tea:

Moulin-Rouge-Low-Res-e1436004277345Moulin Rouge (Rooibos, Vanilla, Rose Buds)

This herbal tea is smooth, sexy and soothing. With real rose buds in the mix, it’s one of my top favourites and oh-so-glamourous!

 

To serve:

As it is, without milk. A spot of honey if you need to sweeten it up.

Follow the steep instructions on the packaging and don’t over/under steep.

Benefits:

Antioxidant, caffeine-free, antibacterial and contains Vitamin C & B.

 

Rooibos-Spiced-Chai-e1436004420795Rooibos Chai

A beautiful twist on the standard Rooibos offering. It’s a gentle and playful mix for your guests to “ooooh” over.

 

To serve:

With or without milk. A spot of honey if you need to sweeten it up.

Follow the steep instructions on the packaging and don’t over/under steep.

Benefits:

Antioxidant, caffeine-free, anti-inflammatory, lowers blood pressure & cholesterol, improves digestion and lifts the mood.

CeylonCeylon

For the traditionalists, a good ol’ Ceylon tea is always a win.

*Warning: if you try this tea, you won’t go back to tea bags off the Spar shelf, sorry (not sorry).

To serve:

With or without milk. A spot of honey if you need to sweeten it up.

Follow the steep instructions on the packaging and don’t over/under steep. 

Benefits:

Rich in antioxidants, lowers blood pressure and boosts immunity

(Tea Photo Credits: Lady Bonin’s Tea)

FOR YOUR GUESTS TO TAKE HOME 

Tea Envelopes

 

Why not send your guests home with a little sample of their favourite tea leaves?

Here’s a handy printable mini-envelope template to use to create your own tea take-aways!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUR FULL HIGH TEA EXPERIENCE

Now that you’ve got your tea sorted, let’s take a look at your food, decor and fashion:

Tea Eats for your food ideas

The Beautiful Blog for your decor

C’s Style Diary for your fashion.

Hint: There are some gorgeous and free printables for you there too… 

It’s a lot of information to remember, so we’ve gone ahead and created a checklist for you (thanks to Tea.Eats and Lin Lopes for the design):

Spring High Tea Checklist Image

 

Happy High Tea!

Runner Alert! New specialist running store on the block – Run on Bree

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So I’m back into running (slow jogging) again! It’s been a long journey of years of back issues, but I’m just going ahead and doing it (slowly and carefully) because life is too short to miss out on doing the things that you love.

So that means… it’s time to ditch the old, falling apart takkies and invest in a decent pair of running shoes.

Run2

Run on Bree street is a new specialist running shoe store and they painstakingly took the time to measure my feet, assess my running style and brought out the whole store room of options for me to try and try and try again. As a non-runner, I thought I’d be a bit intimidated going to a specialist store like that, but it was relaxed and the staff were so helpful. I walked out with literally the perfect pair of running shoes for my feet, I’m sure!

Run3

I can’t wait to try these babies out, thanks to these guys for doing such a professional and patient job with me, I really appreciate it!

Run1

Banting seed crackers recipe

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Don’t get the wrong idea here, I don’t “bant” (is that even a word?). I don’t believe in the banting diet nor am I a Noakes groupie. I do, however, love the idea of crackers that don’t contribute too much to the waistline (it’s struggling enough to compete with the starving tourists on Clifton beach as it is) and increase my seed intake.

So, I tried this banting seed crackers recipe and it turned out rather nicely, so perhaps you’d like to try it too! It’s from Chronicles of a Banter.

Ingredients:
250 ml sesame seeds
250 ml linseed/ flax seed
250 ml sunflower seeds
150 ml pumpkin seeds
2 to 4 tbsp Psyllium husk
500 ml water
5 ml salt

Combine all the ingredients, starting with seeds, salt, water, and 2 tbsp of psyllium husk. Mix well. The consistency you’re looking for is a paste. If it is still too soggy then add another tbsp of psyllium husk, but don’t overdo it. Leave it to rest for about 15 minutes or so.  Set the oven to 160*C. 

When the past is ready, spread it on your baking sheet. The important thing is to get it as even as possible and there should be ABSOLUTELY NO HOLES. Pop in the oven for approximately 60 minutes, or until lightly browned (not singed, burned, or blackened). It depends on your oven, so please do keep an eye on it. Oh, and don’t try to put more than one batch in the oven unless your oven can actually do that. 

I left it to cool for a minute or two and then lightly cut lines into the sheet of cracker so that it breaks off easily once completely cooled down.

Here’s my stash…

Banting Seed Crackers

All ready for an after-work beach picnic later. Rad.