Damper and soft boiled egg - the best meal EVER!

When you haven't eaten much for almost three days you start to go a little mad. Doing the Live Below the Line challenge has been just that - a challenge. Day 1 wasn't so bad, day 2 the caffeine withdrawals kicked in and day 3 the taste fatigue kicked in... Please no more oats or potato curry!

One of the things we did was buy flour, milk and marg so we could make damper and oh how yummy it is! Fresh out of the oven with a soft boiled egg- on day 3 of minimal food nothing could beat it! (except maybe a big block of Lindt chocolate...)

So you can try it at home here's the recipe (it really is easy I promise):

2 cups self-raising flour

1 tbsp margarine

3/4 cup milk (I used light)

              Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the flour into a large bowl then as the margarine and blend with your fingers. Pour in the milk and stir u til a dough has formed.

               Kneed for a few minutes until you have a nice round ball (you may need to add a little more milk or flour to get the consistency right).

              Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden and hollow sounding when you tap the bottom.

That's it!

Thank you to all of you who have donated to our cause so far. The fitness adventures team has already raised $1200! If you haven't yet, but would like to support us go to https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/zoewilsonapd or https://www.livebelowtheline.com/team/fitness-adventures

Until next time,
Zoe

My delicious damper!

Day 1 of Live Below the Line

Today is the day - the first day in a very long time that I haven't had any coffee (or anything sweet for that matter) by now... The headache is a little annoying but otherwise it's not so bad! I say that now, but I'm sure after my 20th bowl of lentil soup I won't be feeling quite so positive...

Yesterday I did the shop and cooked up a storm. We had $30 to spend to feed 3 people for 5 days. I managed to use $29.82 so I was quite proud of myself... It takes a little planning and investigating and shopping around but its do-able. I found that Coles or Aldi were the best for staples like flour, margarine, pasta, spices and milk and Harris Farm did a fab job at supplying the pumpkin, potatoes, eggs, lentils and cauliflower.

Our food for the week (the eggs are hiding underneath...)

Our menu for the week looks like this:
Breakfast - either porridge or eggs and damper
Lunch & Dinner - a choice between a pumpkin and lentil soup, a potato & cauliflower curry & a pumpkin & (tiny bit of) chicken pasta
Snacks - a little more of either eggs, damper or porridge
So far the damper fresh out of the oven is the winner... I'll post you a picture and a recipe in my next post - it really is so easy!

Pasta making in the process... 

The Fitness Adventures Live Below the Line team - Andy, me and Rene - with some of our goodies! 

You can still sponsor us until the end of the week - we're getting much closer to our target but could still do with a hand... Head to https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/zoewilsonapd or https://www.livebelowtheline.com/team/fitness-adventures to help us on our way and make the caffeine-free days a little more bearable... 

Zoe

Is your food worth it or not? The concept of Food Value

Since I have signed up to do the Live Below the Line challenge of living on $2 per day for 5 days, I've been in the supermarkets checking prices and starting to work out a meal plan. With only $10 for the week - staying reasonably full and getting what I need nutritionally is going to be tricky. During one of these trips to the supermarket I started thinking about the cost of food vs the benefits gained nutritionally. Are we really getting what we pay for? Is the burden of those protein bars, fancy restaurant meals or even chocolate bars on our wallet worth it to our bodies? Or should we be heading back to simple staples that pack a punch nutritionally but don't cost the earth?

I was inspired by an article written by Brendan Leonard on Adventure Journal (see here for the full article) that was based on an interview with a "Dirtbag Gourmet" - someone that had spent a lot of time thinking about how to get the most food for his money. His definition of food value was:

“Food Value is a complex, algorithmically derived formula, principally accounting for one’s satiety, nutritional benefits, and money spent in order to ascertain said food items.”

In a nutshell - if a food is packed full of nutrients, fills you up and costs you nothing then it has the highest food value. On the otherhand, something that costs a bomb, doesn't deliver your body many nutrients and leaves you wanting more has the lowest food value.

I've done my own little cost-benefit analysis (see below) purely based on nutritional benefit and cost of certain foods (generally speaking - there has not been any tough mathematical calculations to get to this point). My analysis of nutritional benefit has included things like the amount of protein, fat, sugar, fibre, and vitamins and minerals and also taken into account how much you get to eat (the hunger-killing factor).

I love this idea because you can apply it to everything - it works well for food value but what about "activity value" or "fashion value"? Take going a walk and watching the TV for example - you might enjoy them both equally but which do you think your body likes more? Or those trusty pair of jeans vs a fancy dress for much more that you don't get as much wear out of?

So what's the moral to the story that I've learnt? I think the biggest take-out is that those foods that are best for you ("superfoods" if you will) don't necessarily have to cost you the earth. Hooray for that! You can forget about Goji's and Coconut Water and protein shakes and bars... Back to basics is definitely the best way to go! And next week, what I will be living on? Oats, lentils, eggs, in season veg, rice and a bit of dairy... I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

PS - To support the cause you can donate at www.livebelowtheline.com/team/fitness-adventures or to join  the challenge yourself visit www.livebelowtheline.com.au - I dare you!

Could you live on less than $2 per day?

I’m about to find out.

Live Below the Line is an event organized by the Oaktree Foundation that is designed to help those who are living below the poverty line.  They aim to raise much-needed funds to help with awareness and education about poverty and what lots of Aussies and others around the world are going through. The money from the Live Below the Line challenge is going directly towards schools and communities in Papua New Guinea – the poorest nation in our neck of the woods (their average income is only $2271 per year compared to our $34431).

Live Below the Line is a challenge to live on less than $2 per day for 5 days. That’s right - $10 for the entire week! That is equivalent to two bread rolls, a sushi roll (if your lucky) or half a coffee at the local café for the entire day. No more eating out with friends or grabbing a quick sandwich at lunch time, no more morning coffee and no hardest of all – not much fresh fruit and veg or meat!

I have signed up to try and do this and to be honest; I’m really not sure how well I’ll do. There is a group of us doing it together which means that we can pool funds and make our money go a little bit further but its going to be tough. If you happen to see me between the 7^th and 11^th of May, beware – I will be hungry and I get a little grumpy when I’m hungry!

We haven’t exactly planned our menu for the 5 days yet but it’s looking like it will be mainly made up of staples like potato, rice, pasta, lentils and the odd bit of fruit or veg if its on special. You cannot accept donations of food or the gift of a dinner at the pub and even if you grow veggies in your back yard you have to count them as if you were buying them from the supermarket. Eeek!

I’ll keep you all updated by blogging a bit more regularly about how its going and I’ll also put up our shopping list for the week and the meals we’ve managed to invent.

So enough about me - there are a few things I want from you!

·      If you want to join the challenge you can sign up separately or join the Fitness Adventures team at www.livebelowtheline.com/team/fitness-adventures

·      If you don’t want to do the challenge but can help us reach our target of $400 raised you can visit the page above to donate

·      Otherwise I want your ideas! What are the cheapest meals you live on (or used to – think back to student days) when times are tough? We will need some inspiration!

Til next week!

PS – If you want to know more visit www.livebelowtheline.com.au and you can watch the Project tonight on Channel 10.

All images in this post are taken from the Live Below the Line website at www.livebelowtheline.com/au

Monday is veggie day!

I love Mondays...

"You what? No-one loves Mondays" I hear you say... Well I do! There is some anticipation in my Monday morning that gives it a little excitement... Our big box of fresh veggies comes on a Monday! I am very partial to a big bowl of veggies and I know that you probably think this is about as normal as loving Mondays but they are very important, not to mention tasty, little things!

A few months ago, my flatmates and I decided that we would invest in a weekly delivery of fresh fruit and veg to make sure we always had some in the house (and so we didn't have to try to remember who owned the mushrooms...). Our fruit & veg box comes from Box Fresh (visit www.boxfresh.com.au) and for as much as a gourmet pizza up the road it keeps the three of us full of fruit and veg for the entire week.

The last National Nutrition Survey (and yes, we are well over due for a new one), suggested that Aussie adults are eating only about half of the recommended amount of fruit and veg. It's definitely a big area that we need to work on.

Our great Box Fresh fruit & veggie box

Why eat your fruit and veg?

By now you've probably heard that you should be eating 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of veg each day, but why? Eating enough and a variety of fruit and veggies has been linked to a number of benefits, these include:

• reducing the risk of certain serious diseases such as heart disease and certain cancers
• helping you manage your weight and reduce your risk of obesity 
• reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels and improving blood sugar control

Vegies and fruit are packed full of nutrients including fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants without much energy (only about 0-1 calories per gram except for the starchy veggies potato, sweet potato and corn) so they are a must in everyone's daily diet. 

But how much is a serve? 

About the size of the palm of your hand is the easiest way to think a serve of fruit or veg. But if you want to get a little more technical about it - one serve of vegetables is about 75g or:

• 1 cup raw veggies (think salad)

• 1/2 cup cooked veggies (broccoli, peas, beans, corn etc) or legumes (chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans etc)

• 1 medium vegetable (carrot, zucchini, potato - yes potato does count!)

And one serve of fruit is:

• 1 medium-sized piece (an apple, orange, pear or banana)

• 2 small pieces (apricots or plums)

• 1 cup canned or chopped fruit or grapes

• 1/2 cup 100% fruit juice

• 11/2 tablespoons dried fruit 

How do I fit 2 & 5 in each day?

It's not as hard as you think it is, you just have to try to be a little prepared (this is where getting a fruit and veg box comes in handy)... My favourite ways to get 2 & 5 are:

• 1 serve of fruit at breakfast, so you've got one out of the way before you even leave for work in the morning. Add a banana to your cereal or a tablespoon of sultanas to your porridge. If you get breakfast at a cafe on the way to work, throw an apple in your bag to eat on the way there.
• 1 serve (your second) of fruit as a snack. Worried about having squashed bananas in the bottom of your handbag? Try a mini snack pack of sultanas or mixed dried fruit instead. 
• 2 serves of veg at lunch, that way you don't have to try to fit 5 in at dinner. Order salad on your chicken or ham sandwich or pack a mini salad in the morning that you can add a tin of tuna, some nuts and vitaweets to. You can even just throw a tin of four bean mix in your bag to put on a piece of toast...
• 3 serves of veg at dinner - best way to think about this is that half your plate should be veggies (not including potato, sweet potato and corn). 
• Roast, steam, stir-fry, grill or microwave fresh or frozen veggies to your hearts content. Pair them with steak, grilled or baked chicken or a piece of salmon. 
• See how many different colours you are getting on your plate so you are getting lots of different nutrients too. 
• Replace mince with legumes such as kidney beans or lentils - this will make the mince go further and you'll be getting more veggies in too.
• Bake home-made veggie pizzas with a pita bread base, pasta sauce, a mix of whatever veg you have around, fresh basil, a sprinkle of feta and a grating of parmesan.
• Try a Moroccan salad with baby spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas, sliced grilled lamb, dukah, and goats cheese.
• Keep warm over winter with a pumpkin, sweet potato and lentil soup
• Throw all of the dying veg from the bottom of the fridge into a big pot, add a jar of passatta and some fresh herbs (try rosemary, oregano, basil and thyme) then use as a topping for pasta, quinoa or cous cous with a little grated vintage cheddar on top.

So tell me - what is your favourite fruit or veg and how to you eat it???

Edward the eggplant from our last veggie box! (we couldn't eat him...)

References:

Australian National Nutrition Survey, 1995.  

Go for 2 & 5, 2012. Visit www.gofor2and5.com.au.

When the bunny comes to visit...

It's that time of year again where we eagerly await a visit from the treasured Easter Bunny (or Bilby for that matter). This is hands down my favourite day of the year. I have had an Easter egg hunt every year no matter where I am. There have been a few particularly memorable ones too - one where we woke and went outside to find only wrappers and that the dog had eaten them ALL, another in the middle of a Florida summer where the eggs barely lasted two seconds before they all turned into a little puddle of brown muck, and the year that mum made us all wear a crazy hat and run around the garden (my grandfather was completed with a witches hat that day)...

There are a few common questions that I get asked this time of year by clients, friends and family alike.

1. Do you eat chocolate at Easter? Answer - I eat chocolate all year round but particularly at Easter!
2. Am I allowed to eat chocolate at Easter? Of course!
3. Really? So what should I have so I don't come back from the long-weekend with an extra few kilos around my waist? This is a good one...

Snacks, generally speaking, should make up about 1200kJ of your daily intake. You can eat them as you like - 2 snacks that are 600kJ each or 3 snacks that are 400kJ. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for this one, it's what fits in best with your day. Keepng that in mind, here are some good "Easter-friendly" snacks to get you in the spirit without going overboard. A serve of chocolate should be about 25g or:

• 4 Cadbury mini solid Easter eggs - 601kJ
• 1/4 small (100g) gold Lindt bunny - dark or milk  - 570kJ
• 1/2 Cadbury Creme egg - 360kJ
• 4 mini Malteser eggs - 570kJ
• 1/10 Cadbury Crunchie Bunny (about one ear) - 370kJ
• 1/10 Red Tulip Carnival bunny (about one ear) - 390kJ
• 1 Sweet William Sweet As Easter Bunnies - 280kJ (these are nut- dairy- and gluten-free so perfect for those with allergies)

Remember - chocolate tastes so good because it is a combination of fat and sugar and has little other nutrients, so whilst a little is ok, a lot is not a good idea, particularly if you are watching your weight. Boring I know but all things in moderation!

Also take advantage of the fact that a long-weekend means more time for exercise so try to get out and enjoy it! Swimming, walking, cycling or just playing a game of backyard cricket with the fam is a great way to work off the little bit of extra indulgence that may have occurred at the big Easter lunch!

So tell me, do you have any fun Easter traditions?

Happy Easter everyone!

Speak soon...

Zoe

Easter with the family - the funny hat egg hunt!

Old friends and eating on the road...

Everyone has people in their lives that seem to have always been around. Those that you don’t see, or even speak with very often, but when you do it feels like you only saw them yesterday. After my last post I got an email from one of these friends of mine. Bec and I went through years of pony club together and still catch up from time to time. Bec travels often for work and asked if I could help by writing about how to eat well when you are always on the road. This is a common question I’m asked by clients too, lots of people who travel regularly find it really difficult to make good choices with the food they can find on the road or in their hotel room.

A trip back to the time when Bec and I first hung out - 

Miss Prim and I at Kingstown pony club 

Typical travelling options include service station snacks and 

fast food, restaurant, take-away or room service main meals. Whilst it may seem difficult sometimes there are always “better” choices. It is possible to stick a little closer to your usual routine and return home without the junk-food hangover! Here are my top tips to eating well while travelling and I’ve also thrown in a few of my favourite “on-the-road” options so you don’t even have to think!

1. Try to remember you “balanced plate”. Aim to have half your meal full of vegetables or salad, a quarter carbohydrate and a quarter protein. This simple rule works anywhere – a chicken and salad sandwich, a Thai beef stir-fry with rice and veggies or a steak, mash and veg at the local pub. Also remember that just because you are away from home doesn’t mean that you need to opt for an entrée or dessert at every meal. In fact, at some restaurants, an entrée-sized meal with an extra side of veggies may be enough.
2. Avoid banquet overload – if you are staying at a hotel with a continental breakfast, try to stick to your normal breakkie and avoid having multiple courses just because it’s there. Same thing goes at lunch and dinner – have a look at all the options, serve one balanced plate and enjoy it! Don’t go back for seconds or thirds or try to have a little of everything, it's easy to quickly go overboard in terms of energy.
3. Arm yourself with healthy snacks. Keep a few good muesli bars, snack packs of dried fruit and nuts, fresh fruit or individual packets of wholegrain crackers (try Vita-Weats) in your handbag or glove box. If you get stuck these are pretty easy to find now at airports and service stations. In most service stations now you can also find low fat yoghurt, reduced-fat cheese and crackers and fresh fruit – you may just have to look a little harder (behind all of the chips, chocolate and biscuits).
4. Always keep a bottle of water on hand. It so important to stay hydrated and the best choice is water. Try to stay away from juice or soft drink as they just add extra energy to your day without filling you up. The best thing about drinking water is you can always refill a water bottle too so you can save money at the servo.

 One of the many examples of a not so good take-away choice 

on a recent trip to the US...

Better on-the-road choices

Breakfast options:

• At a café or the hotel restaurant:
• Poached, hardboiled or scrambled eggs on toast with a skim cap – you get a filling protein hit from the eggs and a serve of dairy too. Even better – add some veggies to this (try tomato or baby spinach) to get one of your five serves for the day.
• Fresh fruit, muesli and yoghurt – lots of fibre and a serve of fruit, whole grains and dairy.
• Wholegrain cereal with reduced fat milk and take a piece of fruit for the road.
• At the airport or service station:
• Single serve tubs of yoghurt and fruit (fresh or a tub in natural juice)
• Raisin toast with a skim coffee – raisin toast is low GI and usually easy to find in the airport at all hours.
• A muesli bar or nut bar but check the label and look out for those with lots of added sugar.
• At a fast food outlet:
• McDonalds now stock Uncle Toby’s single serve oats, which is a great low GI, filling option.
• Try a breakfast wrap but skip the bacon to cut a whack of sodium, fat and energy from your breakkie.

Lunch and dinner options:

• At a café or restaurant:
• The daily soup special – make sure it has veggies and a protein (meat, beans, lentils etc). This can make a great healthy option but be sure to stay away from the creamy-style soups which can have a huge amount of fat and extra energy.
• Grilled meat, chicken or fish with veggies and baked or mashed potato or a bread roll. Just watch out for high-fat sauces and dressings that may come with, ask for them on the side so you can choose how much you eat.
• A healthy pizza – places such as Crust Gourmet Pizzas have good healthy options that you can share with your travelling partner. You can also choose your own toppings so you can load up on veggies and reduce the amount of cheese that goes on top.
• Sushi – try a California roll or salmon sashimi, and seaweed salad to make a great meal.
• At a fast food outlet:
• Remember that most fast food restaurants now have the kJ count on their menu so make sure you compare the options. Ideally look for something with less than 2000kJ.
• Subway 6g of fat or less sandwich. Easy to find wherever you are – just be careful not to add too much in the way of cheese and high-energy dressings such as ranch.
• Tandoori chicken wrap at McDonalds and a salad. Also easy to find and one of the better choices on their menu.
• If staying in a hotel, find a grocery store and make your own quick lunch or dinner. Try:
• A Sunrice Quick Cup, a tin of tuna or four bean mix and some baby spinach and cherry tomatoes – no chopping required!
• A lean cuisine balanced serve frozen meal with a packets of Heinz Steam Fresh individual serve frozen vegetables.

A true travelling option - the amazing floating markets in Borneo. 

Make that "on-the-water" fast food. 

 

I hope this gives you a few ideas Bec. For those of you who travel lots, what are some quick, healthy and easily available options that you go for to help keep you on track while you’re away?