Breakfast with a BOOST - Clean & Lean Cinnamon toast!

 Hi blog readers!

Today I'm going to share one of my yummy breaky recipes with you - Cinnamon toast! This is a super yummy treat meal, I grew up eating french toast that my dad use to make us nearly every Sunday morning & I LOVE it!

CINNAMON TOAST

What you need;

• 2 pieces of organic rye bread (Or gluten free bread)
• 2 certified organic free-range eggs, 
• 1/2 tsp of coconut oil, 
• Half teaspoon of cinnamon, 
• Organic raw honey
• Handful of blueberries, banana or strawberries.

Prep time - 5 mins

Cooking time - 5-10 mins

Are you ready to get cooking? Lets do this;

Firstly, grab your free-range eggs & break them into a bowl, sprinkle the cinnamon on top & whisk it together!

 Then what you need to do is grab you organic rye bread (or gluten free bread for those of you who are gluten intolerant) and soak the bread into the whisked cinnamon egg.

Take your 1/2 tsp of coconut oil & heat it in a non-stick frying pan (Be sure not to burn, don't turn the heat up too high!) then put the soaked cinnamon rye bread into the pan once heated & cook it on both sides until a golden-brown color this will happen after 2-3 mins. 

After you've cooked your cinnamon toast, top with a handful of blueberries, sliced banana or strawberries (You choose!)

I hope you enjoyed this post :) Do your good deed for the day & share this recipe with your friends with the link below or share your pics of your cinnamon toast creation with me on Twitter or Facebook!

Happy cooking

LOVE ELLIE x

"EACH DAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE YOUR BEST SELF. "

Compassionate Living

This is a post I am extremely passionate about & have been so excited to share with you for quite some time now.

I wanted to share my journey on being a vegetarian so far with you all. The positive & the negative I have received from making one of the greatest decisions of my life, doing research, staying strong in my beliefs & how to do it RIGHT (Includes an outline of my eating plan as a guide).

Since making the decision on becoming an advocate for green living, I have never felt better. That’s physically & mentally; my entire system is running on green energy & I am making my mark on animal cruelty by not supporting the demand on animal products. The social impact & benefits to my health, body & the environment are truly a very fantastic feeling.

I was never one for red meat or dairy products to begin with, it didn’t agree with me & I just felt sick & lethargic every time I ate meat or dairy. So I just stopped consuming it, then the only animal products I ate were just free range chicken & seafood (Something I believed to be ethical treatment of animals right? Well, not what I found during my research). After seeing a TV show that really hit me called ‘Kill It, Cook It, Eat It’, I simply could not eat an animal again.. Flying, swimming OR walking.

The show documents the going-ons in some free range farms (This show does not include the cruel factory farms as it would simply not be able to go to air due to the inhumane & disgusting practices); It begins from the day the animal is born to the day they are slaughtered & eaten. From that day I cut out eating ALL meat & seafood products.

- DO YOUR RESEARCH -

I believe if I am going to do something, I do it to the best of my ability. I think it is so important to do research before I make judgment & follow through with something 100%. If your someone who is not willing to pass up meat, at least do your research & consume products that are certified 100% free range & choose not to support the cruel factory farms while also respecting the decisions of those vegetarians out there, don’t attack them or taunt them. They are doing it for a bigger outcome than a persons humour (and the chances are, they are probably doing it for no one elses reasons other than their own and are not out to prove anything to anyone by doing it). Practice respect for these people making a conscious decision to do good in the world or just show a simply respect and understanding of some ones personal choice.

Videos that represent WHY I made the change – I encourage everyone I come in contact with to watch all of these; it opens your eyes to the reality... It opened mine:

WARNING, the following videos do contain disturbing practices.

FOOD INC MOVIE:

KILL IT, COOK IT, EAT IT:

 MEET YOUR MEAT (ALEC BALDWIN):

These are just a few videos that you will see, if you choose to do further research you will find many more..

- STAY STRONG ON YOUR BELIEFS -

One thing I came to realize after making the change to being vegetarian is the amount of negative reactions I got back from people. But it wasn’t a negative reaction based on their own research, it was purely just from their own opinion from what they had been raised to believe. One in particular was from my dad, someone who I love so much & really respect. He got really upset with me for doing it because he (just like everyone else) has the view that when you don’t eat meat, you simply can’t be healthy & full of energy.

It was only after I sat down with him & explained (with my research behind me) why I was doing it & that I was doing it properly that he understood, accepted & respected my decision. He said how proud of me he was for being someone so passionate about following my quest & leaving my mark on the world he even took all of the information I gave him into account before he ate certain foods. The core message behind anything in life is even if people (especially people you love & respect) try and challenge your decision, stay strong on your beliefs – You know you are doing it for the right reasons. You wont always win as I have found, others are very set in their ways.. But you can educate them if they question it. Remember you have nothing to prove to the world & people who believe you are wrong, what you can do is educate those who love, support & will listen to you – This makes a much more effective impact.

“NEVER judge some ones way of life before you research about the way your live yours first”

I believe if you kill the demand for the products there will be no longer a need to supply them. Just like fur. I realize that the vegetarian lifestyle isn’t for everyone & in no way would I shove it down peoples throats or force them to make that decision. This is how I believe I can make positive change. To encourage people to be smart about what products they buy & where they buy from – Even if you’re not interested at all in being a vegetarian, practice meatless Mondays & no fish Fridays! This is something that positively assists the environment as well as your health! All I encourage people to do is be smart, have heart & do it right.

Which leads me on to my next subject.

- DO IT RIGHT -

If your going to be a long lasting vegetarian or considering it, you need to be smart & plan it out. Most people who decide to do it spur of the moment end up being unhealthy & crashing – Then returning back to eating meat & seafood.

• Look for foods that are fortified with extra nutrients for a nutritional boost. Choose soy products that are fortified with calcium, vitamin D and B12.
• Try tofu, it is mild-tasting but it absorbs the seasonings & flavour of whatever you cook them with – So you can really make tofu taste amazing! Try cooking it with garlic, basil ect.. 
• Eat plenty of dark, leafy greens, which are rich in iron & provide calcium. Things like spinach are SO good for you. 
• Instead of milk, opt for a more nutritious option like rice milk, soy milk or almond milk. They contain much less fat, great levels of calcium & are much better for you.
• Eat moderate amounts of nuts & seeds (they are great for snacking on with a piece of fruit this assists with slow release energy throughout your body)
• Grab some great vegetarian cookbooks for cooking inspiration
• Eat lots of nutrient rich fresh vegetables and legumes (beans, such as kidney beans, soybeans, four beans, chickpeas & lentils etc.)
• While cooking on higher temperatures use coconut oil opposed to extra virgin olive oil – DYK; Cold olive oil is a healthy fat full of goodness, however, heated up it becomes a bad fat. Olive oil breaks down at high temperatures & becomes more carcinogenic (i.e toxic) Olive oil is ok if youre gently heating it up for short periods (Stir-frying veggies for a few mins)

• Try going meatless & no seafood 2-3 days a week at first. You don't have to cook elaborate vegetarian meals; it can be as simple as having a tasty lentil veggie burger & salad for dinner.. If you do some research on amazing veggie meals you will see that being vegetarian goes way past boring salads & plain vegetables! You can cook lots of meals that are tasty & extremely nutritious. 
• If you are really missing some of the past things you ate, there are some amazing food replacements out there like the Sanitarium vegetarian sausages – You can hardly tell the difference, they taste amazing & they are MUCH better for you than fatty meat sausages! (Not something you should have constantly though, all in moderation!)
• And probably most importantly, do your own research and ensure that the research you do, is not FUNDED by a company with a financial benefit to the findings. A great place to research are university studies by professors (however you still need to watch out for some of them)
• Also, map out your eating plan. Below is my eating plan that has all of the necessary food groups for my body & energy levels. Everyone is different, so you will need to chop & change for obvious reasons – But this gives you a great start to see just what foods are going to be good for you. I personally like to keep my eating plan very clean.

MY CLEAN EATING PLAN

Meal 1 – 7:00am - Breakfast

- 1 piece of organic gluten-free light rye toast + squeeze of lemon + ¼ Avocado (No Butter) + banana

OR

- A smoothie with natural fresh organic blueberries + 1 large banana + 1 scoop of whey free  protein + 1/2 a cup of chia seeds + sprinkle of cinnamon + Acai berry powder + 1 cup of water with ice.
OR
- Organic Berry Banana Blast Pancake Stack; with 1/2 a cup of organic oats + 1 fresh banana + 1/2 cup chia seeds + 1tsp cinnamon + 1 whole organic free range egg + 1 & 1/2 cups of almond milk. Top with fresh berries & add a little agave nectar
OR
- 2 scrambled eggs with a dash of unsweetened almond milk + shallots + a side of 2 tomatoes lightly cooked in coconut oil

DRINK;  

- Warm water with lemon & freshly sliced ginger

- 1 scoop of supergreens with water

Meal 2 – 9:30am – Snack

- 1 medium apple + 15g natural almonds + a few goji berries + pecans
OR
- 1 banana + 15g walnuts

Meal 3 – 12:30pm - Lunch

- Spinach Salad;

Spinach leaves + 1 spring onion + lemon juice + 1 tablespoon olive oil + black pepper + 1 tomato

OR

- Salad on gluten free light rye bread made into a sandwich (Use small amount of avocado as a substitute for butter if you need it) beetroot + tomato + onion + lettuce
OR

- Beetroot Salad:

2 large beets + 2 garlic cloves + 200g lentils + 1 red onion + flaxseed oil + Dijon mustard + red wine vinegar + 100g toasted pecans 

OR

- Organic lentil pattie wrapped in iceberg lettuce leaves with carrot, garlic & onion

- 1 cup of organic green tea with freshly sliced ginger

Meal 4 – 3:30pm - Snack
- Avocado with dijon mustard & cracked pepper on 3 crisp bread 
OR
- Tomato with dijon mustard & cracked pepper on 3 crisp bread 

DRINK;

- 1 cup of organic green tea with squeeze of lemon with freshly sliced ginger

Pre Workout Shake (20 mins before workout) –

During Workout Shake (Consume during workout) -

Post Workout Shake – 6pm (Straight after workout) –

Meal 5 – 7pm – Dinner

- Japanese stirfry:

Buckchoy + tofu + cashews + steamed baby carrot + green beans + chilli + spring onions + garlic + little bit of vegetable stock

OR

- Veggie pattie with cooked spinach, chickpeas in an organic wrap (or wrapped in iceburg lettuce) with a side of tofu

OR

- Tofu squares + garlic + spring onion cooked in a little coconut oil & some Tamari sauce + steamed carrot + steamed brocolli + 1/2 cooked quinoa
OR
- Super Green Salad: Green beans + asparagus + rocket + cucumber + pine nuts + spinach + frozen peas
Dressing: Dijon mustard + white wine vinegar + olive oil

-       1 cup of organic chamomile tea before bed

- WHERE TO FROM HERE? -

Life isn’t about what happens in your life, life is simply about the two choices you are given in every circumstance.

I have chosen to be the one who stands up to positively talk about the choices we all have in life. There are some things in life we cannot change, and some things we can. There are some things in life that we don’t like, and there are some things in life that we do like.

But the difference between a happy person and an unhappy person is the difference in their choices when they are given a situation. We can choose to positively impact, influence, support and speak the message we are TRULY passionate about. Or we can do nothing… I’d rather stick by my beliefs, even if it meant losing support from people – But if its what I believe to be the right thing, I wont back down because someone challenges me - If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.

I’m not here to sell you my story, tell you how to live your life, or give you advice. I’m simply here talking to you now because I am given the opportunity to speak out, share my beliefs, experiences & values with you all who have made the first step & have read this blog.

Everyone has the right to know what they are contributing to and make a conscious decision after they become aware. I hope what you have read has educated you & made you see things a little clearer than before. Personally I’ve never felt lighter, leaner & cleaner in my life since making the change.. (As you will see in the below image of me wearing a Veve suit my body has noticeably changed) 

 

I thank-you for also taking the opportunity to read this.. Lets create positive change wherever or whenever possible.

LOVE ELLIE x

“YOU SHOULD NEVER JUDGE SOME ONES WAY OF LIFE BEFORE YOU RESEARCH ABOUT THE WAY YOU LIVE YOURS FIRST"

Rujuta Diwekar States Some Health Benefits of Regular White Rice

Regular rice is much maligned and is fast being dropped in favour of its unpolished avatar. But are the charges valid? Sports nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar separates the grain from the husk

Rujuta Diwekar, Sports Nutritionist

The Chinese eat rice with every meal, breakfast included, and the average Chinese on the street is thin, if not skinny. In our country, however, we are getting skeptical about rice and yes, we are all getting fatter. We either give up rice or replace it with wheat or ‘brown’ rice. What is wrong with this approach?

Replacing rice with wheat is not a good idea since it means reducing your intake of amino acids (protein’s building blocks) and Vitamin B. As for brown rice, it has the outer layer (husk and bran) intact thereby making it high in fibre. Now, of course we want fibre but if your rice has more fibre than you can digest, brown rice will only cause indigestion. On the other hand, rice that emits blinding whiteness may not be the best source of nutrients either.

Buy Books Written By Rujuta Divekar
Free Home Delivery - Cash on Delivery Thus, to get the best of both worlds, polish your rice to the extent that helps it retain its nutrients (proteins, Vitamin B and fibre) and looks brownish or reddish. Remove the outer bran but allow the rice grain to show off its brown/red strains. Don’t worry, this won’t compromise the taste and yes, you can eat basmati rice with the brown/red strains as well.

The protein in this rice (red-rice or hand-polished rice) is absorbed much better by your body than in brown rice. It is also way easier to cook and digest as compared to brown rice. It is easy to digest, easy to absorb, easy to assimilate proteins from and easier on your excretory system too.

This is exactly how the farming community of India eats its rice.

In fact, Ayurveda uses ricebased diets in treating various imbalances in the body.

Dal-chawal is a nutritious meal, possessing the entire spectrum of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also accelerates fat burning. In fact, the essential amino acid methionine found predominantly in rice helps mobilise fat from the liver. As India is dominantly vegetarian, getting proteins from rice, especially the essential amino acid methionine and the conditionally essential amino acid (becomes essential under conditions of stress) tyrosine is crucial for us. Diabetics should also eat rice since they need these proteins.

Know that rice is not a bad thing. The bad thing is when we mindlessly decide if one thing is good for us and that if we do it a lot, it becomes only better. We do that with rice so often now.

A humble dal-chawal meal is so satiating that it makes you eat slower and improves your chances of eating the right amount (the cornerstones of fat loss or accelerated metabolism, good digestion and health itself).

Rice is auspicious in both China and India: the dead are offered rice to wish them good health for life outside their physical selves. It is sad then, that in India, even when we are still in our bodies, we make fads out of rice.