New Year's Resolutions - Weight Loss And The Way Forward

Do you make new year resolutions? If so, do you stick to them? Is it a successful way to motivate yourself or do you just end up feeling guilty when you have broken all your resolutions by the second week in January?

I don't always make specific resolutions but I do find that the start of a new year can spur me into making a fresh start and being more pro active. I suppose it's linked into the idea of a new year and a Beene. Last year, the start of the year was the push I needed to start my weight loss journey and this blog. So I have been giving some thought to how I could mark the beginning of 2017. 

For once I have decided to actually be specific and set some resolutions with aims and targets. I think it will give me more focus. I have achieved a lot this year and I now need to build on that success.

So here are my resolutions 

1: Lose another stone by Easter.

2: Build exercises using weights into my fitness regime

3: Mix it up and don't get fixated on just one form of exercise however much I enjoy it. 

4: Eat more vegetables 

5: Aim to get a minimum of 6 hours sleep per night.

That's quite a lot of resolutions but I think they are all achievable. I already feel inspired and can't wait to get started! Let me know what your resolutions are for 2017. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful new year and that you will join me as my weight loss journey continues in 2017.

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 51 - Survival!

So we all made it through Christmas with hopefully not too much damage. I was slightly scuppered by my ex husband buying me a very nice expensive bottle of red wine for Christmas and it would have been rude not to drink it! I know alcohol is empty calories but I've basically been teetotal for the last year so I figured it was ok to make an exception. The other indulgence was the Malteser based pudding we had on Christmas Day. It was worth it though! 

I would normally be really cross at putting on a pound in a week but to give this some perspective, I gained about six pounds over Christmas last year. So I figured I'm doing something right.

Anyway it's back to healthy eating now. No workouts as my kids are still off school and university. Plus I'm ill at the moment. A heavy cold seems to have turned into an ear infection. I'm trying to treat it at home but if it doesn't go by next week then I will have to go and see the doctor. 

We are just home for New Years Eve and will eat normally so that won't be a problem. I might have a drink or two but nothing excessive. Then next week I should be back on the fitness path when my daughter goes back to school.

Hope you all had a great Christmas.  Speak to you soon 

Love Erica xxx

Christmas Cranberry and Sultana Bread

I promised you another festive recipe and here it is. The recipe uses the Cranberry sauce that I made for my Cranberry Muffins so I have repeated how to make it here. 

Ingredients 

300g cranberries 

Juice from one satsuma 

150g honey

3 tbsps cold water

2 bananas

2 eggs

50g coconut oil 

50g margarine

250g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder 

100g sultanas

Method

1. Pace the cranberries, honey, water and satsuma juice in a large pan and simmer for between 5 - 10 minutes until the cranberries are completely softened.

2. Remove from heat and purée the mixture. I used a hand blender. Set aside to cool.

3. Peel the bananas, break into pieces and place in a bowl. Purée until smooth.

4. Beat the eggs and mix into the bananas.

5. Add the coconut oil and margarine then mix well.

6.  Add the flour and baking powder, stir until fully combined 

7. Carefully fold in the sultanas

8. Stir in 200g of the Cranberry mixture. Your bread mixture should look like this

9. Spoon the mixture into a greased loaf tin making sure it is level

10. Cook in the middle of a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees. It is a good idea to use a skewer to check that the loaf is fully cooked.

11. Allow to cool before removing from the tin.

The loaf is 2889 calories in total. It easily cuts into 15 slices which makes it 193 calories per slice.

It would make a nice alternative to Christmas cake! Let me know if you try making it. Speak to you soon. Merry Christmas 

Love Erica xxx

Festive Cranberry Muffins

I've been meaning to try some Christmas baking for a while and I finally found the time to create these little treats. I read a lot of warnings about cooking with fresh cranberries as they can be slightly bitter. This is why I turned them into a sauce first and then added that to the muffins. The recipe makes twice the amount of Cranberry sauce that you need for the Muffins. You can either use the remainder as a Cranberry sauce for your Christmas  dinner or I will be publishing another recipe that needs fresh cranberries in the next few days.

Ingredients
300g fresh cranberries
Juice from 1 satsuma
150g honey
3 tbsps cold water
1 banana
400g self raising flour
4 tbsps coconut oil
150g skimmed milk
1 egg

Method
1. Place the cranberries, water, honey and satsuma juice in a large pan and simmer for between 5 - 10 minutes until the cranberries are completely softened.

2. Remove from heat and purée the mixture. I used a hand blender. Set aside to cool.

3. Peel the banana, break into pieces, place in a bowl and purée.  Again, I used a hand blender.

4. Add the egg and mix together.

5. Mix in the coconut oil and stir well until fully combined.

6. Add the milk and flour and mix until you have a sticky mixture. 

7. Take approximately 150g of the Cranberry sauce and fold it gently into the mixture. Your mixture should then turn a lovely pink colour like this.

8. Spoon the mixture into muffin cases so that they are about half full.

9. Cook near the top of a preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes at 160 degrees.

10. Allow to cool fully before removing from  the muffin tin.

The recipe makes 12 Muffins which are only 202 calories each.

Simmering the cranberries with the honey and orange juice first removes any tartness and the banana helps to add to the sweetness. These make a lovely festive treat and would even be good as breakfast Muffins on Christmas morning.

Let me know if you try making these and look out on the blog for another festive recipe in the new few days. Speak to you soon



Love Erica xxx

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 50 - Maintenance

It's been a manic day so this is a very late Wednesday Weigh In update. 

As you can see, that's another week with no change. I am sort of accepting now that's how things will be until the New Year. That's not too bad a thing as previously I used to put on about half a stone over Christmas. Therefore if I get through Christmas this year without putting any weight on then I will count that as a triumph!

As far as this week is concerned then I'm blaming my daughter's birthday for the face that I didn't lose this week. She had a big party on Sunday with lots of lovely party food.

I ended up missing out lunch and dinner that day and just filling up on sausage rolls and cakes, not a particularly healthy option.

Two weeks time and it will all be over though.  I have big plans for the new year and I'm looking forward to a new fitness routine!

Hope you are all prepared for Christmas now. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 49 - Stalemate

So no change this week and I'm trying to put a positive spin on it by thinking well at least that's not a weight gain. The whole week has been a bit of a stalemate really; the exercise I have managed has probably been balanced out by the long hours I have had to sit hunched over my laptop working. A distinct lack of sleep this week hasn't helped either. as that always seems to be a factor in slowing down weight loss for me.

On the plus side, this is the last week that I really need to work manic amounts of hours before Christmas and I should be able to achieve a better life balance next week. 

Hope you are all having a great week. I'm off now to continue sorting out 30 party bags for my youngest girl's birthday party at the weekend. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Monday Motivation - Perserverance

I was feeling quite fed up today. Things hadn't gone my way over the past few days. Something that I hoped would be the answer to my financial prayers wasn't going quite as well as I had hoped. I realised though that, after an initial rant and fit of despair, I was automatically looking for actions to take and things that I could do to improve the situation. It struck me that I generally show a lot of perseverance and determination in my life and that is something I need to remember when dealing with my my weight loss journey. 

So I'm digging deep at the moment and am determined to get through Christmas without blowing all my good work over the last year. Also it's my birthday in January and this year is a big one. I'll be 50 (gulp!). My birthday always pushes me to make changes most years and so I'm determined to use that  mood for a real fitness drive in the New Year.

So remember, persevere and you will get there. It might take you a bit longer than some people but that doesn't matter. Don't they say when you go somewhere that the journey itself is part of the fun?

Whatever Monday throws at you today, in whatever aspect of your life, persevere and don't give up. We will get through this together!

Have a stupendous start to the week. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx