Melon Frozen Yoghurt

I'm a sucker for a cheap supermarket deal so when galia melons were on offer, I grabbed one. Sadly it sat in my kitchen for a few days so I decided to do something different.

Ingredients 

1 Galia melon

1 cup (340g) low fat natural yoghurt

1/2 cup (170g) honey

Method

1. Scoop out the melon flesh and cut into chunks.

2. Purée the melon in a food processor.

3. Mix the yoghurt and honey with the melon.

4. If you are using an ice cream maker then tip the mixture into it and follow the instructions. I set mine for 25 mins. If you are not using an ice cream maker then blend the mixture thoroughly in a food processor.

5. Transfer the mixture to a suitable lidded container. If you have not used an ice cream maker then you will need to freeze the mixture for about an hour. I did use an ice cream maker but I still froze mine for an extra 15 minutes to get the consistency that I wanted.

This is such a light and refreshing dessert for the summer. The recipe makes 800g of frozen yoghurt and is only 102 calories per 100g serving. The melon gives a sweet and delicate flavour but you could substitute a cup of any other fruit if you prefer

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 32 - The Right Direction

It was a small weight loss this week

but at least it was a loss. Anything that goes in the right direction is good. Maybe running helped yesterday. It certainly motivated me for Sept 6th when my daughter goes back to school and I can kickstart my fitness regime again.

I'm still trying to look at the weeks until then as maintenance. We have a quieter week coming up so no fast food temptations and a 100% healthy diet should be easy to maintain. If I'm really lucky then I might even be able to fit in a workout but I'm not counting on it!

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Monday Motivation - Aim High And Keep Positive

If you have read my blog before then you will know that the last few weeks have been quite difficult for me. It's the school summer holidays so my fitness programme has virtually stopped and the weight isn't really going down at the moment. So my motivation for this week is to keep my goals in my mind and stay positive whatever the setbacks at the moment.

One of my favourite quotes keeps coming to mind at the moment.

I know that Robert Kennedy was talking about changing the world when he said this but it could equally apply to changing yourself. Don't ask yourself why you are out of breath if you have to run, instead think why shouldn't you run a local fun run and work out how to achieve that.

When I started this weight loss journey and thought about what I wanted to achieve, there was this little voice in my head saying you will never lose all that weight and be skinny. That voice keeps trying to come back but I push it down and keep aiming high for my goals. 

My other thoughts this week are about looking for the positive in every situation.

I may not be losing a lot of weight at the moment but I am learning about how to maintain my weight and what that means for my food intake. This is something that I feel quite positive about as maintaining my weight is where I have always struggled so this bodes well for the future.

I know that it is sometimes hard to look for the bright side in every situation but trust me, look and you will generally find out.

This is just one of the things that helps me to keep on track, get through bad patches and keep focused on my aims and goals.

I hope you are all feeling motivated this week. Remember, it may take a while but we can do this!!

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Mango Protein Cookies

If you follow me on Instagram then you will have seen me post a picture of one of these cookies last week. I promised to give you the recipe so here it is.

Ingredients

75g low fat Greek yoghurt

100g honey

75g oats

75g protein powder

150g self raising flour

200ml almond milk

50g dried mango

Method

1. Mix together the yoghurt and honey

2. Stir in the oats. Mix until fully combined.

3. Add the protein powder and 100ml of the almond milk. Mix thoroughly.

4. Add the remaining 100ml of almond milk and the flour. Mix well until everything is combined into a sticky mixture.

5. Pull the pieces of dried mango apart so that they are in small chunks. Fold the mango  into the mixture and stir gently so that the pieces are distributed throughout the mixture.

6. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mixture at intervals on a large greased baking sheet. Flatten slightly with your fingers.

7. Cook in a preheated oven at 175 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until brown on top.

8. Allow the cookies to cool before removing them from the baking sheet. 

This was the first time I had tried baking with protein powder so I was really pleased how they turned out.

This was the powder I used

Feel free to use any unflavoured protein powder though. You could also use a different dried fruit if you are not a big fan of mango. I'm thinking of trying cranberries the next time I make these.

The recipe makes 18 medium sized cookies

Each cookie is only 79 calories each and each one contains 3g of protein. They are a really filling healthy snack and I will definitely be making them again.

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 31 - Look At Where I Am, Look At Where I Started

Apologies for paraphrasing the musical Hamilton in my post title today! Haha, anyone reading this who's from the USA probably got the reference.

So there was no loss this week and the school summer holidays continue to prove to be difficult.

As I have said before, I knew the summer holidays would be very hard with no workouts and changes in eating patterns. Still some manic gardening and a day hiking around London helped to balance out eating McDonalds.

There are four weeks left until school starts and I already have my workout plans drawn up for then so it's just a case of hanging on for now. I have to admit my ex husband is taking the girls out for a day next week and my first thought was Oh My God, that means I can go for a run! 

On a long weight loss journey we are all going to have times when losing weight becomes more difficult whether that is for a week, two weeks or for the school holidays like me. The trick is to focus on the long term. You will get past the hard time. Also focus on what you have already achieved and remain proud of that even if you are not losing any further weight for a little while. So look at where you are, look at where you started and hang in there!

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Monday Motivation - Find A Way

So my motivation for this week is to remind myself that you will always find a way through, however difficult it may seem.

For me at the moment, this is mainly about getting through the school summer holidays and managing to stay on track. I've accepted that, with my daughter at home, my fitness routine is completely destroyed. I'm a self employed single mum with no family support. My youngest daughter has special educational needs so she needs me around during the day. My spare time is going towards working and earning enough to keep us solvent until September. My way of getting through this is to be a bit gentler on myself. I accept that losing weight will be difficult at the moment although I'm sticking to healthy eating as much as possible. Instead I'm keeping focused on the longer term and I know that when my daughter goes back to school, I will be able to push myself hard. Then the pounds will hopefully drop off!

Another way that this idea of finding a way through has motivated me is with food. When I started this weight loss journey, I found it hard to afford to buy, on a regular basis, the weightwatchers snacks on sale in the supermarkets. This led me to start creating my own recipes to make at home. If you have read my blog before then you will know that this has developed into a big activity for me and I am working on a recipe ebook at the moment. So finding a way through that difficulty has led me down a new and exciting path. 

Remember don't get disheartened! However big the obstacle seems or how difficult, you will always manage to find a way through if you try!

This is my mantra for the week ahead.

Stay motivated and have a great week! Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

A Visit to Whole Foods Market

I spent Thursday in central London with my daughters. We were there to see the Dream Jars that are around London to advertise the new BFG film but I decided to combine this with a trip to Whole Foods at Piccadilly. We don't have any branches near us so it's a treat to go there.

Whole Foods Markets basically offer what their name says. This is a grocery shop where you can guarantee that the products do not contain trans fats, artificial sweeteners or flavors, colors or preservatives.

Whole Foods is also a great place to shop if you require a special diet. Plus there is a wide choice of artisans and specialist foods.

You can even buy hot food if you fancy lunch.

I just love browsing and looking to see what takes my fancy.

The choice of food available is simply staggering.

Some choices may not be the healthiest but they make an amazing treat.

I always find the fruit selection particularly tempting.

Another great thing about Whole Foods is the free samples. On our visit I got to try cold pressed coffee, fantastically creamy cashew milk which I bought and the most amazing chocolate bar with no sugar and extra protein which I also bought.

I really could spend a fortune in Whole Foods.

It is not a particularly cheap shop though so I try to limit myself though to things that I know I can't get anywhere else or new products that I haven't seen before. 

I always do manage to find something exciting to buy though.

This is what I bought onThursday. 

So if you get the chance to pop into a Whole Foods Market then I highly recommend it. I just wish that they would open one near my home now!

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx