[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As a lot of you will already be aware, for the past year and a half I have been on a journey, my own personal journey of looking, feeling and thinking better. All at the same time as accompanying Paula doing what she does best, the length and breadth of the country. We have crazy fun, silly nonsense and tears all along the way but we do what we do to the best of our ability and wouldn’t change it for the world!
So many of you have since followed me on social media and asked me for all kinds of advice and help on your own journeys. So we thought why not start a blog, a blog where I can share everything to motivate and hopefully inspire some of you to take control and make a change.
So… here goes!
I follow all different weight loss accounts on the likes of Instagram and Facebook, whether it be Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Healthy Eating & Lifestyle – I take ideas and tips from all of them and make them work into my life. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”86753″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]What a perfect time to start writing this blog, on my first day back to work after a week off work. I had planned this perfectly since myself and my fiancee Lyndsey have just moved house so this was the perfect time to sort everything out! (but what a minefield for my weightloss it turned out to be!! I’ll tell you all about it later on.)
Our time off usually starts with some breakfast out – my favorite for being able to eat on plan whilst still enjoying a meal out of the house. I chose the continental breakfast option and enjoyed Weetabix and fruit salad.
I always have really good intentions when i’m off work about eating well and getting loads done, in reality I end up having cheat days and never really achieving anything ha ha!
As the week went on, I enjoyed some lovely on plan and healthy meals. Here’s a look at the meals we enjoyed![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”86751″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]One of my favourite things to cook is pasta, I love it in any sauce, shape, and form. So this is a firm staple in our house.
This dinner was no different using Farfalle pasta, peppers, spinach, mushrooms and leeks and mixing through a couple of tablespoons of Quark to make it creamy and mixed herbs, salt & pepper. I always serve dishes like this with a side salad and that is usually topped with my all time favourite dressing, Light Sweet Chili Sauce. Lush! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”86752″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Another meal we really enjoy is curry. This was a vegetable packed Chicken Tikka, made using Lean chicken breasts, Schwartz tikka spice blend, tinned tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and some 0% fat Greek Yoghurt to make it saucy! I served this with Wholemeal Rice cooked in chicken stock and some wilted greens, broccoli and carrots.
All of these meals can be enjoyed as part of any healthy eating plan, choose meals that fit into your lifestyle and enjoy cooking them! For me the cooking is almost even more enjoyable than the eating! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”88356″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Who doesn’t love a roast dinner right?! I certainly do and all those vegetables to fill my plate up are fantastic! Served with some Bisto roast potatoes to ( Peel, cut and par boil your potatoes, drain and place into a baking dish with beef stock made with 1 or 2 OXO cubes, until half way up the potatoes in the tray) Bake them at 200 turning frequently until the liquid has absorbed and the potatoes are golden brown and crispy, they’re so so good! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We got some serious walking and step counting in during our break too, with plenty of woodland walks and waterfall photography. The scenery in Scotland is mind blowing, walking in the forest is one of my favourite pastimes, it clears my mind and my soul. Sometimes when we do the events, the stories you hear can be not only soothing but sometimes the emotion and the sadness can be overwhelming. Hearing the such sadness and tragedy 4 or 5 nights out of the week can leave me really needing to defrag at the weekend and for this I head to the woods, with my trusty Lyndsey (with her camera in tow!) and our dog Keith. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”86742″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”86745″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]So all in all during my week off I really enjoyed some delicious meals, some fantastic walks and made some more wonderful memories. As I said earlier though, being off work and having free time always brings up old habits of comfort eating and enjoying things a little more than I should and this week was no exception.
I find that for me ROUTINE is the key to a healthy lifestyle for me, when I fall out of my usual routine I find myself feeling hungry at different times depending on my activity levels etc. So I’m not going to lie and tell you my week was 100% food optimized and on plan, it wasn’t. I had days when all I wanted to do was each Chocolate, and for me, one piece usually turns into way more than it should.
I have to draw a line under it and begin again the next day when I have a bad day. Write it off as ONE bad day and move on. Start again brand new the next morning.
That being said, I had a brilliant week off, it was relaxing, lovely, and now going back into this next season of touring, I’m back on my healthy lifestyle with a vengeance, feeling healthier each day.
Life on tour for me is fantastic, I love what we do and seeing the comfort and hope that it brings to people everywhere we go. I love the friendly people we meet along the way and have genuinely made friends that will last a lifetime. The more I write this blog the more i’ll talk about work, about food, about everything and anything that interests me, in the hopes that even if it helps one of you, then my ramblings are worthwhile.
Until next time… It’s show time for us!
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