Harissa Baked Feta | Recipe

Hi all,

This month I've been trying to add a little variety to my diet and experiment with some new things, and I wanted to share one of the recipes I threw together.

It's a super simple, healthy and tasty meal. Perfect for a quick lunch.

I love feta, but previously I've not really done anything to it. I have it cubed or crumbled over salads or sometimes pasta dishes and that's it. But, I wanted to try something new, so I was browsing Pintrest and I came across a baked feta recipe. I'd never thought to bake it before, so I was interested. The recipe I saw was for breaded baked feta, but I didn't want to do that since I'm currently gluten free, so I started looking around my kitchen for other things to try and I came up with this and I was so happy with the result. It was slightly gooey and tasted amazing! So, I wanted to share the recipe.

Harissa & Lime Baked Feta

& Salad

Ingredients

• 60g Feta 
• 2tsps Harissa Spices
• Juice of half a lime
• Salt and Pepper

For the salad

• Red onion
• Avocado
• Cucumber
• Spinach
• Cherry Tomatoes

*I added a gluten-free oatcake as well, but you can use any kind of cracker or leave this out.

Method

Cube the feta into small pieces. In a bowl, add the harissa spices and lime juice and mix to thoroughly coat each cube.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Line a baking tray with baking paper or foil and add the feta to the tray. Place in the center of the oven on gas mark 5 for 15 minutes.

While it bakes, chop your salad veggies and arrange (or toss) them into a bowl.

After the 15 minutes, take out the feta and serve!

Enjoy.

Until next time,

H.

Giving Up Gluten

Hi all,

I wanted to talk today about something new I've been trying for about a week now. I started suffering from a really bad virus a couple of weeks back. Intense headaches, stomach pains, rib pain, chest pain, nausea, and vomiting. It was bad and I'm still not feeling totally over it.

While I was feeling really unwell, I was finding that eating was making me feel so much worse. I'd be hungry, really hungry, but whenever I ate something it would make me feel terrible.

My mum, who's a trained nurse practitioner, suggested that I come off of gluten. She has a lot of health problems and food intolerances as well and she always sees benefits when she gives up gluten.

So, I've been giving it a go.

Giving up gluten is tough for me, a lot of my favorite foods are packed full of it. Like pizza, cakes, pasta, and bread. Now, these are mostly foods I'm supposed to be cutting out or limiting on my whole foods diet anyway, but on treat days these things would be my go-to. There are gluten-free options for all of these items, but I'm trying to go for more foods that are simply naturally gluten-free. Having said that, I am getting a gluten-free pizza today, but I'm going to try and limit the number of times I do things like that.

So far, it's hard to say if there have been any benefits. I haven't had my first weigh-in yet, so weight loss linked to it is yet to be seen. As for health benefits. I've just come down with a possible chest infection and I'm still getting intense headaches, but at this stage, it could be withdrawal from Gluten causing my headaches to be worse.

My first weigh-in is tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes and I'll keep you all posted on any health benefits I've been seeing.

Have you ever given up gluten? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments and please share and subscribe if you like this post.

Until next time,

H.

Pulsin Bar Review

Hi all,
It's been a while since I posted, but I have an interesting post to share today. I was contacted by Pulsin asking if I'd like to review some of their products. So, first off, I'd like to say a big thank you for Pulsin for sending me some bars to try.
This review will reflect my personal opinion about the products that I tried. If you'd like to find out more about the brand and what they offer, you can check them out HERE.

Review

Packaging

I really love the design of these products. When I opened the package they looked so appealing. It's definitely the kind of thing I'd be drawn to in a shop if I saw them, and I'm always on the lookout for healthy snack bars so this one would catch my eye.

Taste

I tried three different bars. Super Berry Raw Choc Brownie. Orange Choc Chip Protein Booster and the Vanilla Choc Chip Protein Booster. I was also sent a box of three Peanut ones, however, I don't like peanuts so these were gifted to my sister.

Vanilla Choc Chip

This one was definitely my least favorite of the bunch. I didn't like the taste much, but the thing which disappointed me the most was the texture. I've had a few different bars before, with varying degrees of success, but this one was probably my least favorite of any brand I've tried. The texture was very dry, leaving a film on my tongue that was unappealing. It's definitely not a bar I'd choose again.

Orange Choc Chip

Better than the Vanilla one, I actually liked the taste of this one a lot more. There was a definite taste of orange and the chocolate taste was pretty decent too. Though not as dry as the Vanilla one, this bar still has a drier texture than I'd like and still left a bit of a weird film on my tongue. However, the taste was good so I may consider getting this one again.

Super Berry

My favorite of the bunch. I found both the taste and texture of this bar to be so much better than the others. The berry flavor shone through well and it was a lot moister than the other two bars. I liked that there were pieces of fruit inside the bar, which definitely helped with the moisture. Of all the bars, this is the one I'd be most likely to try again.

Exante | My Thoughts

Hi all,

If you saw my last post, then you'll know that last week I decided to try out Exante diet products. I mentioned in that post, that the products weren't what I was expecting, as I thought it would be prepared ready meal style food, which I've seen other diet companies doing. So going in I was a little hesitant.

Now, a week later, I wanted to tell you how I got on.

In short. I didn't.

On day one, I went in feeling cautiously optimistic, and determined to stick to the plan. I started by having one of the pancake sachets for my breakfast, which tasted ok but not great, and it was significantly smaller than I'd been expecting.

For lunch I decided to try out the coconut shake, which I really did not like, and by this time I was so hungry. My mom, who's a nurse practitioner, was already worried about the extremely low calories, so after having two products, I gave up. I just couldn't. I was so hungry.

I have used a few of the products this past week, but I've been adding in real food as well to get to my 1,200 calorie allowance, because I didn't want to be that hungry on a diet. To me, if you're feeling that hungry, then it's not a healthy diet.

I lost a pound this past week, but I can't say it's because of Exante at all, because I didn't really use many of the products. The ones I did try, weren't great, and I was disappointed, because it was nothing like what was advertised on their site. As show, by the image example below of what's on their site, and what the products actually look like.

All in all. I was really not impressed by this diet plan. The food didn't taste great, the portions were really small, and it was nothing like what I thought I'd be getting. I am much happier following a healthy eating plan, of whole foods.

Recipe | Pumpkin Spiced Latte (Skinny Fit Style)

Hi all,

Autumn is here, and with it comes the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, which I am a little bit obsessed with. At Starbucks, a Tall Skinny Pumpkin Spice Latte with no whipped cream is 200 calories. This isn't too, and I'll admit that when I'm near a Starbucks, I'll most likely go inside and grab myself one. However, my closest Starbucks is around twenty five minutes away by car and I don't drive. I, also, don't always have the money to splash out on a latte when I want one.

So I thought I'd try my hand at making my own latte. This recipe is one which I figured out simply by putting the ingredients I thought would work together, and mixing them in the best way I could think of, and I was pleased with the results. It doesn't taste exactly like the Starbucks drink, but it's really tasty, and less calories too!

If you track your food on MyFitnessPal, you can find this under Pumpkin Spice Latte (Skinny Fit).

It's quick and easy to make, and the perfect drink for autumn. So here's how to make one in your own kitchen.

Ingredients

Serves 1 | 139 Calories

150ml Skimmed Milk (You can use other milks, dairy free milks etc, but it may adjust the calories per serving)

2 tsp coffee granules

1 tbsp Pumpkin Puree (canned)

2 tsp Coconut Sugar (You can use other sugars if you prefer, however you may need to adjust calories)

1 tsp Cinnamon

1tsp Nutmeg

Method

Mix together the milk, pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend together in either a blender or whisk it until all the ingredients are combined.

Put this mixture in the microwave to heat it for around 45 seconds.

While the milk mixture is heating, make up your coffee, you'll want to fill your mug about a third of the way with coffee. Mix it well to dissolve all the granules.

Once the milk mixture is heated, pour it into your coffee and stir.

If you want to add a little extra spice to your latte, then go ahead and sprinkle some nutmeg and cinnamon over the top.

Also, at this stage, if you want to add a little extra treat, and some extra calories! You can add whipped cream before dusting with the spices.

Enjoy!

Less than 100%

Hi all,

I wanted to write a little update about how it's been going following the principals of Deliciously Ella, which I started a little over a month ago now. You can see my post about starting it, and what it involves here.

For almost a month, I stuck to it entirely. There were a couple of slips, when I didn't realize a certain ingredient was in something, like the cranberries I bought, and my brother noticed had been sugar coated!

As with any diet, though, I think it's really tough to just jump right in, and not have any slips. Especially when you're going into something that requires such a huge change, and cutting so many different items.

My slip came this past week. I had a really busy weekend the first week of August, and for the first a while I stuck completely to plan, but then on one day I decided I just couldn't come home and cook something, so I allowed myself to have one cheat day. This involved KFC, which is probably one of the worst things I could have gone for, but it tasted good, so I told myself, just one day and I'll get back to it tomorrow.

Unfortunately, this one lapse, led to several more over the next week. I was eating chocolate mini rolls, pizza, burgers. I just couldn't say no. Now, I was only eating badly for one meal a day, and a couple snacks, my breakfast and lunch remained good. The problem I was having, is that while I am feeling more energized since being on this diet, my health still isn't good. I get really tired, and often ill by late afternoon/evening time, and some days I'm still bad all day. So it's a lot harder for me, to cook something in the evening.

What I need to get into, is being more organized, and having some meals prepped that can be cooked easily, or frozen and can be heated up.

My weight loss hasn't been affected too badly by my slips. I lost a pound this past week, and a pound the week before. So now I'm down to having just one stone left to go, which is exciting.

From today, I am determined to get back on track fully, and I plan on stocking up on some good choices tomorrow, so I'm not reaching for the cake and pizza.

So, that's where I am currently. I'm still learning, but I'm hoping it'll stick soon.

As for fitness, I did 15k on the exercise bike yesterday, which was the first proper exercise I've done in a while. I need to get back into eating fully healthy and running on the treadmill! I also want to get more into pilates.

I'll update again soon on how it's going.

Let's Try Something Whole

Hi all,

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about getting healthy. For me, when I started this weight loss journey, it was primarily about that. Weight loss. I knew I wanted to be healthier as well, fitted, more toned etc, only I never truly believed that I could be healthy. Not fully.

When I was sixteen, I was diagnosed with an illness called POTS and it completely changed my life. You can read more about how it affected me, by clicking here. But in short, I lost my good health, and that's been really hard. 

So while I've been dieting, I've hoped that if I exercise more, I'll feel a little better, but I was slim when I was diagnosed, so I never truly believed I could be healthy. Over the past few days, my outlook on this has absolutely changed. I now hope that I can be healthy, and I mean, off my medications, able to go out on my own, and get a job kind of healthy.

This has all become possible, because of a blogger that my mum found while looking into different diets. She came across the blog and book Deliciously Ella, and started to read a little about her. She's a woman, who also had POTS, and started following a wholefoods, plant based diet, in order to feel better. It worked. Two years on, she was off her medications and living a normal life.

So that's what I'm going to be trying from here on out. Gone are the processed foods, the sugar, gluten and dairy that's been in my diet for so long. I'm going back to basics, and while I will be eating a little fish and chicken along with it, primarily my diet will be plant based.

I'll be sticking to wholefoods, organic as much as I can. Eating more fruit, veggies, and things like chia seeds, almond butters, and wonderful smoothies.

I'm going to be having food in it's purest form, in the hopes that it might do for me, what it's done for Ella, and somewhere in the next couple of years, I could be healthy.

Along the way, I'll be sharing my progress, and some recipes I try. Both ones I find from other blogs and books, and some I create out of whatever I have in the kitchen.

I have no doubts that it's going to be really hard. I'm a sugar junkie at heart, but I'm also determined. I've been struggling to find diet inspiration for a while now, and what better inspiration, than getting my health back.

Reward Cake?

Hi all,
Weigh in day today, and after a couple of 1lb losses, I finally got a number I was happier with. I managed to lose 3lbs! I was so excited when I saw the number on the scales.
Then this afternoon I was out with my family and we woumd up in a cafe. This cafe had cake, and everyone was getting some. So, I decided to break my diet for one day and have a slice.
I picked out a piece of Victoria Sponge, which was huge. I could actually only manage half of it, which made me realise how far I've come on my diet. Just a few months ago, I could habe easily finished that slice of cake.
I didn't feel too bad about breaking my detox diet today, because I still kept to my calorie allowance.
I do wonder though, if it's a good idea to reward a good weight loss with cake. Perhaps next time I'll find a better way of rewarding myself.

Weight Lost : 45lbs
Left to Lose : 23lbs

Detox

Hi all,
I decided it's time to try something new. At my last weigh in, I stayed the same and I wasn't happy about that. I knew I needed to refocus, and try something new.
Counting calories has been working really well for me, but now it's just not enough. I thought about doing low carbs again, because that went really well last time. However, then my mum said something, that what she'd really like to do is detox again. I thought, well why not?
I've followed a detox plan before and not only did I lose weight, but I also felt healthier.

So, what do it involve?
The detox plan we follow involves cutting out certain foods. Which is tough and can cause some headaches the first couple of days, but ultimately it's worth it.

What to cut out?

-Meat & Poultry
-Dairy
-Fish
-Eggs
-Sugar
-Gluten
-Caffeine

My personal variations

I'm keeping a small amount of fish and eggs in my diet, and I will be keeping caffeine. These are just some alterations that make the diet easier to follow, and make it less likely I'll go off plan.

So, today is my first day on detox. I'll let you know how it affects my weigh in on Saturday.

Danger Foods

Hi all,

Do you have those certain foods that you just can't say no to? I know I do, and it's not just an issue with not saying no, but not staying stop either.

Portion control was one of the first things I tackled, when I started counting calories and losing weight. I got into a habit of weighing things before eating them, and making sure I counted accurately. 

There are just a few problems. I have certain foods that I can't seem to stop myself eating, and in quantities that are not diet friendly.

There are really three main ones I have.

• Chocolate

A dieters nightmare! It tastes so amazing, and yet it really isn't a great use of my calories. Currently I'm on 1200 calories a day, and using 200-300 of those on one small bar, that isn't going to fill me up and doesn't offer much in the way of nutrition. That's not a great idea.

Still, I can't cut it out of my diet. Did I mention how amazing it tastes? So I do still eat it, more than once a week, and for the most part I make sure I count it in my calories and choose bars that have the lowest amount of calories in them.

The problem comes on those days when a bar of chocolate, will end up taking me over my calories. I have the mindset of thinking I can just eat it, go over my calories and work it off another day. If there's a bar of chocolate offered to me, I don't even think about calories, I just eat it. 

This is something I really need to work on.

• Roast Potatoes

It doesn't matter if they're homemade, or frozen ones. When I have a roast dinner, roast potatoes are always a part of it, and I love them. 

When I'm in charge of cooking, I've managed to become pretty good at limiting how many go onto my plate. Two is my limit and I'm strict about it.

The problem comes when it's someone else's night to cook. The other night, my sister cooked and when my plate came to me, there were FIVE potatoes on my plate. This was on a night when I hadn't counted for any on my tracker, because I've been going on and off low carb for a while. So I didn't have the calories for any of them, so I should have left them. If I couldn't leave them, I should have limited myself to one, two tops. I didn't. I ate all five, went over my calories and felt stuffed afterwards.

From now on, what I know I need to do is to stay in control of my portions. If it's not my night to cook, I need to either be in the kitchen when it's being dished up, or I need to make sure the person cooking knows how much I can have. If I don't, then whatever is on my plate, will end up being eaten.

• Pasta

I discovered while doing low carb, that cars are pretty much my favorite thing to eat as you may have guessed from the three foods I've listed as my danger foods.

Pasta is definitely one of my danger foods. It's very similar to the potatoes. I will eat whatever portion is dished up, because it's one of my favorite foods.

The solution is very much the same as with the potatoes. I need to make a plan of how much I can have within my daily allowance, and then make sure that's what ends up on my plate.

Do you have any danger foods that you can't control yourself around? What are your tips for quelling that urge to splurge?