Salads 2 and 3 and the Bloggest Loser...

I am LOVING this 7 salads in 7 days challenge! It is really making me think creatively!!! Last night we made a yummy salad with chickpeas, avocado, cherry tomatos, lettuce, low fat cheese and baby spinach. Tonight I marinated some chicken in tomato and basil pesto, pan fried it then added it to some cooked pasta, avocado, sundried tomatos, rocket and baby spinach and it was by far the yummiest yet!

Salad 1.

Salad 2.

Beckie has started "The Bloggest Loser". I'll be back to talk more about it later!

Ash

xox

7 salads in 7 days...

This is my new challenge for this week. I am going to make a different delicious and healthy salad each night and post a picture here- just for a bit of variety. I already started tonight by making my own version of the salad Kate mentioned on her blog.I'm sure it is very different to the one you had Kate but it sure was delicious!

A yummy spicy Thai chicken salad made with lean chicken mince, red onion, coriander, bean shoots, lime, lemon, chilli, ginger and soy sauce, served on a bed of cos lettuce with a tomato cut into wedges. YUM!! I am definately making this one again some time!!

I had a fab time last night at Brooke's get together. Linda, Phil, Ails, Jadey, Sassy, Brooke and I got together to relax and spend some quality time together. I took Molly along to meet all her pretend aunties and she was a perfect angel! The girls all indulged in Jelly shots and pizza and watched chick flick DVDs.. ahhh.. heaven! I really enjoyed finally meeting Sassy. We had been planning to meet a little while ago (pre Molly) but never managed to get our butts into gear. We had a lot in common and chatted away like monkeys in trees.. hehe.. I like that saying! See Brooke's (in my sidebar) post for a more detailed description and some photos.

I have stolen this pic from Brooke's site as I think it is BEAUTIFUL! Isn't Brooke a talented little shutterbug? I haven't liked the way I have looked in many photos recently but I feel that this one really shows the joy I have in motherhood. My eyes are genuinely happy. That is really how I feel right now. I adore my girl and my life. I am happy with my body for the first time ever. It's like I have accepted it with all its flaws because I was able to watch it perform one of the greatest tasks ever- making another human being!! I am totally blown away by the power of the female body. What an amazing, spiritual thing it is to be a woman!

I am really excited to be feeling so good. John and I got out for another walk yesterday and I am feeling very ready to get back into proper exercise. I don't want to be silly and go too hard too soon but I am just really looking forward to feeling fit again. I think I will to couch to 5k as soon as I feel up to running. There is a Healthy Body Club booty camp in March which I plan to do and am VERY excited about!

Molly is getting such a strong little neck now and smiling all the time. I can't believe how fast she's growing and becoming more aware of what is going on around her! Here are some more cute photos of her doing her exercises during tummy time this morning.

I have never known love like this!

That will do from me tonight... I am sleepy!

Ash

xox

Wow.... Huh??

WOW...

As many of you would know, Saturday is my weigh-in day. Now, I was particularly keen to jump on the scales this morning as I have had such an awesome week filling my body up with sensible portions of fresh and healthy food- hitting 32 points or just below each day. I feel absolutely fantastic! I have been sleeping very well and did my 1st intentional exercise since having Molly yesterday with Kate (a big walk to the "big shops"... had a fantastic time Kate!). I have consumed at least 2 litres of water every day and am really proud of what we've done. I have not had one "treat" thus proving to myself that I don't need to have a little bit of something off the plan every day... only sometimes! I have been the goddess of the Weight Watchers world!! The QUEEN!! I ROCK!!

HUH??...

Now here's where the "huh??" comes in. I was so excited to feed Molly, go to the toilet, strip off (hey... my undies are heavy!!) and jump on the scales, expecting to see a big loss after the killer week I have just had. 96.2kgs... 96.2kgs!! WHAT?? Thats a GAIN of 700g!! Undoing the 600g I lost last week plus another 100!! Would someone please tell me what the heck is going on?? I wish I had've taken notice of the body fat percentage as it may explain something. I have not done any resistance apart from lifting Molly and pushing the pram so I doubt it would be muscle... I'm stumped!

Kate mentioned in her blog about our lovely day together yesterday. I arrived at her house at 9:30 and we chatted till 10:30 when we loaded up the prams and headed out for a walk. It was such a gorgeous sunny day with a cool breeze- perfect for walking. We stopped for a drink and some fruit at the 1/2 way point and grabbed a yummy sushi lunch 3/4s of the way home. I got a bit sunburnt- I have spent the majority of the last few months indoors.. didn't really feel like baring my swolen pregnant self at the beach this summer!!

Our lunch was delish! I am completely addicted to california rolls. It's not like I never ate them before this week but I have rediscovered those tasty little fellas on this fresh food challenge. Kate and I spent the rest of the afternoon half watching Scrubs (gotta get me some of those DVDs!) while we chatted and looked at her before pics. That girl has come a LONG way my friends! Nag her to find her scanner so she can post the pics!!

Now, of the three things I said I was going to do this week I have only done one... hmm disciplined huh?? I did manage to get my butt into gear enough to make up my own muesli which is delish! I thrw together some rolled oats, sultanas, peanuts, coconut, almonds, dried pawpaw and pineapple, prunes, dried apricots and lsa. It was sooo yummy! I grated a big green apple onto it and it was magic!

I did not make bread or peanut butter although I have all the ingredients there ready to go so I WILL do them over the next couple of days.. Phil, I might take you up on the breadmaker offer! *lol*

Next week I aim to walk three times. Our challenge has officially ended but we have started some really good new habits (or should I say, we have retured to our old good habits) so we will continue to eat this way as much as possible with a bit more flexibility.

That will do from me for now...

Hope you all have lovely weekends!

(Note: Since writing this post I have recieved a couple of comments about how many pts I should be having- saying 32 pts might be too much for me.. Just for the record, I have been following the WW points system for 4 years and it has worked so far- It got me to goal! WW recommends 32 pts for breastfeeding mums feeding as frequently as I do no matter their weight so I I feel like this has been a good amount for me... by the way.. just hopped back on the scales remembering my memory function and discovered I have lost 1% body fat this week.
So 32 pts looks about right.)

Ash
xox

Day 1 of the fresh food challenge a success!

Yay! What a great day! Had no trouble eating to plan today! Feels GOOD!

Decided to allow grainy bread in this fresh food challenge as I need the carbs and was having trouble eating enough points! I know it's a "packaged food" but if I keep to grainy Burgen bread I think it's ok. Also having low fat cheese and low fat yoghurt.

Today looked like this...
B. (pre-supermarket, thus pre-challenge) 1 slice grainy toast with peanut butter, 1 banana (4)
L. Wholegrain sandwich with ham, cheese and tomato (4)
D. Roast beef (just used a little olive oil), 1 med potato, pumpkin, asparigus, broccoli and corn (6). And for sweets some low fat yoghurt and 1/2 a banana (2.5)
Snacks. 1 handful of raw mixed nuts and seeds and 2 peaches (3)
Total: 19.5

Ok... better go eat some more- It's gonna be hard making up 32 points with all this fresh low point stuff!!

Ash
xox

Weigh in...

I cannot believe I acutally managed to LOSE weight this week!!

Last week: 96.1
This week: 95.5!!

Yay!! I must be doing something right!!

John and I have decided to set a challenge for ourselves this week. As of this afternoon (when I can get out to the supermarket and fruit shop) we are starting the "fresh food challenge". We have set some rules for this challenge as follows:

1. No pre-packaged or processed foods
2. All meals prepared at home must be made from scratch with fresh ingredients
3. Whilst out and about the rules still apply
4. Must drink at LEAST 2 litres of water per day
5. Must have protein (meat or legume) with 2 meals per day
6. No caffeine

I am so excited about this as I know how bloody AWESOME I'll feel by next Saturday! I will have set myself a goal and achieved it and that will feel so GREAT!

Let me know if you would like to join us on this challenge!

Ash
xox