Friday Food Fest: Berry Important Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! I love breakfasts. If I had more time in the mornings, I would make more of an effort to experiment with it. I want to share two breakfasts with you! A quick one and a fancy pants one! Both recipes contain berries that belong to the superfood group.

The Mishtery says:  Don't skip breakfast because you want to sleep in late over the weekend. Use that lazy day to roll out of bed and make your favourite brekkie. Enjoy!

• By eating breakfast, you wake up your metabolism and burn the kilojoules you need to lose weight.  True story!  

• All berries are considered to be superfood.
  
  Berry-licious

Recipe from Fast Food for Sustained Energy

1 c frozen or fresh berries (125 g)
1 large banana (150 g)
1½ t oat bran (7.5 ml)
5 T fat-free or low-fat milk (75 ml)
3 T fat-free or low-fat plain
yoghurt (50 g)
ice cubes (optional, but unnecessary if frozen berries are used)

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Berries not only give this smoothie the highest fibre content, but they also provide generous amounts of phyto-nutrients and antioxidants. 

French toast with berry compote

Image from http://www.taste.com.au/

 4 eggs
    1/3 cup light cream
    1/3 cup reduced-fat milk
    1/4 cup caster sugar
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    25g butter, chopped
    8 slices of thick bread
    200g vanilla yoghurt, to serve

Berry compote

    1/4 cup caster sugar
    300g frozen mixed berries

Make berry compote: Place sugar and 2 tablespoons of cold water in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high. Bring mixture to the boil. Cook for 3 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Stir in berries. Set aside.

Place eggs, cream and milk in a bowl. Whisk until combined.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Melt half the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Dip 4 slices of bread, 1 at a time, in egg mixture until soaked. Cook bread for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan. Toss in sugar mixture to coat. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter, bread, egg mixture and sugar mixture.

Serve toast with compote and yoghurt.

Mish Body Love

I found these pictures on the web to share with all the women I know! Love your body! You are beautiful!

 Be kind! xoxo

Image source

Image Source

Image Source

Image source

Start the body love revolution! What a Mishtery!

Last week I had a bit of bad luck. My health went from bad to worse and took a further dip just for some dramatic effect. Arghh, I was so irritated because I have been dedicated to my workout sessions, just to get sick for an entire week. I am so sorry for not posting! You were in my thoughts the entire time.
I have a great short series that I am working on and it is about loving what your mamma gave you! Yes, it is about loving your body! Don’t stop now… Read on. :)

I did some research to help me to stay motivated and to keep levels of encouragement high while I work on cutting the kilos! Negative reinforcement just never works for me. So I decided to learn how to cultivate a positive body image. The better you feel about your body, the better choices you make. This applies to your body and to life in general.  It was so fascinating that I am more determined than ever to help change the way women see themselves.

 I am not the hottest and with that said, I am not the nottest BUT it is important to feel good about the body God gave me. Women are beautiful and amazing beings. We literally are the gateway to the future. In shape or not… We must love what we have and learn to appreciate that we come in all shapes and sizes... Some of us have jiggly bits, some are tight tigers and we truly have earned our stripes [quite literally in most cases]. So be bold and proud!

 Let's face it, we are not all supposed to look the same. Thank God for Kim K, Beyonce, Tyra and all the celebs who love their bodies enough to be loud about it! Not every man desires the same body type. You will be surprised to find out what men like.

It is a struggle to accept my body but I am learning to love it, so I can take better care of it! After all, it is the only one I am going to get! Do yourself a favour and find at least two things today that you like about your body and tell someone about it. Aaahh, that little boost you get is a tiny step towards finding the heart to love your body.

Image Source

Friday Food Fest: German-style!

A few weeks ago I went to my first food blogging event and had the best time! It was an inspiring get together where food bloggers in particular had the chance to exchange thoughts on blogging vs print and publishing. It is so good to know that there is a support network that exsists out there. I can't wait to attend more of these types of events.

This event sparked the idea for today's Friday Food Fest! As it was a food blogging event, we were treated to a DIY pizza, baked in a oven while you sip on your drink and enjoy blogging chatter. I hung out with the likes of Jade de Waal contest in MasterChef competition and blogger, and Sarah Graham, blogger and author of Bitten and Abigail Donnely, editor of Taste Magazine. With these tasty and light little pizza's in mind, I searched for a mouthwatering equivalent and found it in the recipe book called, Make Give Sell by Callie Maritz and Mari-Louis Guy.

Jade de Waal and Sarah Graham

Do enjoy this recipe! I know on my day of from eating right, I will be eating a pizza without a doubt! Enjoy and have a great weekend all!

Makes 8

Flamkuchen

INGREDIENTS
½ cup (125 ml) lukewarm water
1 packet (10 g) instant yeast
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
½ cup (125 ml) milk, at room temperature
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
a pinch of salt
2–2½ cups (280–350 g)
cake flour

for the Flamkuchen for the topping
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tubs (250 g each) crème fraîche
125 g Gruyère cheese, shaved
12 slices Serrano ham
1 onion, thinly sliced
wild rocket for garnishing

Flamkuchen
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine the water, yeast, sugar, milk, olive oil and salt. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add 2 cups (280 g) of the fl our. Cover the top of the bowl with a tea towel to prevent splashing. Mix at medium speed for 3 minutes to form a soft dough. Add more flour if needed. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, or until it has doubled in volume. Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Lightly grease a large baking tray. Knock down the dough and divide into eight equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough very thinly, about 2 mm thick. Place two or three pieces onto your baking tray at a time (or however many will fit) and bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and golden. Add toppings of your choice and pop back into the oven if desired. Serve.

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Lightly grease a large baking tray.

Knock down the dough and divide into eight equal parts. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough very thinly, about 2 mm thick.

Place two or three pieces onto your baking tray at a time (or however many will fit) and bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and golden.

Add toppings of your choice and pop back into the oven if desired. Serve.

Serrano and Gruyère topping
Any good cured ham like prosciutto or black forest ham also works a treat. Mix the garlic into the crème
fraîche. Spread over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle with the cheese, add the ham and top with the onions.

Mish Fit: 7 Things I have learnt so far

As I am sitting here, I feel energetic, confident and pretty inspired. My morning did not start out this way. It started off with a cyclist giving me the finger as I took a turn at a robot, then I braved the morning traffic to work and decided to treat myself to a breakfast at i-Cafe, which is on the ground floor of the Naspers building. I ordered a Monte Cristo Breakfast while paging through a YOU Diet magazine dated 2011 while waiting. Not paying attention to the menu, I stupidly overlooked that the breakfast I ordered consisted of a ham and mozarella french toast and carmelised onions and chips. Argh, I caved and had a few chips! Bought a gift small gift and a biggish gift bag and the gift did not fit. My mind was boggled.

I knew I could not possibly be the only one having an odd day and feeling a bit bleh (for lack of a better word). I overheard a friend of mine's frustration because her day started out weird too. Anyway,it made me think of how my week was going and here are the things I discovered. I hope you enjoy it!

1. I have more persistence than I thought.
2. Two is better than one. We have read this in the Bible and this is great motivation. Exercising together is a great motivator to stay commited and to push through.
3. Warming up and cooling down is not optional! My body is not aching after I workout but, I feel like I have done a solid training session.
4. Whenever I am done working out, I crave bread. I thought this was bad but, according to studies and Women's Health SA you carbs speeds up the recovery after a good workout.
5. I discovered a hormone that is linked to stress and weight gain, called cortisol. The more you stress, the more of this hormone you produce. Cortisol is the hormone. So if you backslide, don't stress, just keep at it.
6. I found that when I eat after I workout, I am less rebelious about what I eat and more accepting of fruits and veg.
7. I discoverd the best proudly South African dark chocolate with blackberries by Chocolates by Tomes as a treat. Hmmm, truly gives Lindt a run for its money.

Mish Fit: 4 Diet Derailers and what to do about them!

A week into my slim down undertaking and so far, everything seems to be on track. The cravings are minimal and I have only slipped up about four times. My commitment to regular workouts has been okay and hopefully I will do even better this week.

But you know life happens and gets in the way of all your good intentions. What causes you to blow your diet? I gave it some thought and listed 4 reasons why my healthy intentions were derailed after a couple of days worth of good practice.

Source image

The time-out
You have done so well, so now you decide to pig out for one night. After all you have worked really hard and earned your calorie splurge. This friends, is not wisdom. I have done this so many times.

Solution
Granted, you are allowed a break from your diet plan but the fact remains that you don’t have to go over board. A break once a week is enough. The only difference is that you can have a few more calories, so go for the fried chicken if you want but skip the chips and add a garden salad. Pick your day. Stick to your new portion sizes.

Source image

Your hips still lie
You have not lost an inch in spite of all the exercise and eating. What is causing this? You become despondent and later tonight, you end up sitting with the Coke in a mug (to hide the shame) and slice of comfort me pie.

Solution
You might just be in a rush and your goal might be a bit outrageous. Revisit your goals. Look at your exercise routine. Workout 3 times a week to start off with and try to create a deficit intake of the amount of calories you ingest. You need a deficit of at least a 1000 per week. Do more cardio, this is the workout that truly slims you down, no matter how much you hate sweating.

Source image

Laduma
You have shed that stubborn kilogram that makes a difference between a size 12 and 14 and you are elated! So, let’s celebrate this accomplishment with a slice of Death by calories, I mean chocolate… Stop it! Put down the spoon and back away from the plate.

Solution
When you have lost a crucial kilo and you should reward yourself. This will keep you motivated. BUT seeing as a diet plan is actually more of a lifestyle change, than just trying to fit into a smaller dress size, your reward should be apt. Opt for a great outdoor activity and soak up some vitamin D or go for a spa treatment.

Source image

Social butterfly
You get invited for pizza or to the launch of a new restaurant or as in my case… a book launch and you have been so good and now it is going to be spoilt by a series of unfortunate eating events. The easy thing to do is say no but sometimes you just can’t get out of the work events and or nights out with your friends. What do you do? Call in diet, in stead of sick?

Solution
This scenario derails even the most committed, resulting in you pushing your diet plans to the next week. Try to find out where you are meeting up with your friends. Check out the menu online. This will help you decide in advance on the healthier option and don’t be encouraged to get anything else than what you have settled on beforehand. In case of the finger foods at an event, eat two small plates and avoid a serviette. This can be misleading, causing you to eat more. Don't load up on the pastries either.

I hope you were able to identify with these scenarios. If you know what could derail your plans, you can counter with these simple solutions. Just try it for yourself, don't take my word for it!

Friday Food Fest

What a crazy week this has been and I for one, think that it is time to kick back and just erase the series of unfortunate events and celebrate the things that went as planned and the surprises! Low points, not being able to complete the blog post I had hoped for, an unnecesary spat with a collegue and not being able to spend more time with my folks. The high points: taking back control and not lowering myself to a level that I don't live on, enjoying new found respect, look forward to my diet diary on Monday because the post is going to be awesome! The cherry ontop of this week is being announced as the winner of a four day cycling tour in the Mother City, compliments of the V&A Waterfront and AWOL Tours! Laaa! I am elated!

So, in celebration of the weekend and all things right, bright and beautiful, here is your Friday Food Fest recipe! I have decided on a fab new recipe book, Make Give Sell, coming this November by super styling siblings, Callie Maritz and Mari-Louis Guy! If you are into markets, fete's, street food, church bazaars etc, this book is jam packed full of tasty ideas! This book is so terrific, I will be posting a number of favourites for you to try and do buy the book, it makes for a great gift - filled with gifts!  In the spirit of fun and colour, let's enjoy Jelly in its simplest form as Adults!

 

SERVES 4

Jelly for grown-ups

Jelly in any form is always fun to eat, but Gelatine can be quite tricky to work with. We certainly prefer working with Gelatine powder as opposed to Gelatine sheets as the size varies from country to country. The General rule though is 6 sheets = 1 tbsp = 1 x 10 G sachet. Always soak the Gelatine in cold liquid to allow it to bloom before adding hot liquid.

INGREDIENTS

1. cup (190 ml) water

1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1 Tbsp (15 ml/10 g sachet)

gelatine powder

1. cup (190 ml) rose wine

1/3 cup (50 g) fresh sliced

strawberries or raspberries

or

1. cup (190 ml) water

1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1 Tbsp (15 ml/10 g sachet)

gelatine powder

1. cup (190 ml) fruity

white wine

1/3 cup (50 g) fresh grapes

a few sprigs of fresh

tarragon or a few

mint leaves

or

1. cup (190 ml) water

1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1 Tbsp (15 ml/10 g sachet)

gelatine powder

. cup (190 ml) pink

lemonade

a few drops of rose-water

petals of 1 rose

Heat the water in a saucepan, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Sprinkle the gelatine over the wine or lemonade and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the gelatine to bloom. Stir through. add the hot liquid to the cold liquid and stir until well combined. Pour a small amount of the liquid jelly into the bottom of your glasses/jelly moulds and refrigerate until set. Keep the rest of the jelly at room temperature. Remove the glasses/moulds from the fridge. top with berries/grapes/petals and then add the rest of the liquid jelly. Chill until completely set. unmold by briefly dipping the glasses/moulds into hot water. Serve with either thick plain yoghurt, clotted cream or vanilla infused cream.

ISBN: 9780798157339 

To be released: 01 November 2012
Price (incl. VAT): R 250.00

Also available in Afrikaans as Markdag.

 

The 1 hour diet! Mish fit or not?

Source image

Today is the first day of my slimming down series. I might be shooting myself in the foot by sharing my intention to shake off the winter warming weight, so I am loading the gun with this post. Hopefully writing about mission will keep me motivated and inspire those of you who need inspiration as well.

Not too long ago, I was feeling down in the dumps over certain things that were not going the way I had hoped. A good friend and colleague of mine came to my rescue with sweet tea, a tissue and a piece of life changing advice. She said when things get so tough you feel like you can't catch your breath, stop, regroup and literally take it an hour at a time. This is so simple and yet so profound. I took it in and decided to start applying this wisdom.

This brings me to the one hour diet! Dieting is such a daunting task for me and this is the why I have come up with one-hour-diet tips! Hopefully you will find it as useful as I have. It is more of a mental cheat.

The One Hour Diet

Rise and shine
When you wake up in the morning, eat within the first hour. This kick starts your metabolism and you will not over eat because you will take in what you require.

Quench your thirst
Drink a glass of water every hour, this way you will have reached your quota of water by the time you head home after work. Tip: Start your morning with hot water and lemon to rev the metabolism!

Snack attack
When you crave chocolate or something crammed with kilojoules, delay your snack by an hour. Chances are your craving has left the building and if the craving persists, opt for a healthier alternative!

Come dine with us
Switch your television off and eat with friends or family. Take an hour to eat your food. The slower you eat, the better because your body will have enough time to let your brain know that you are satiated.

No pain, no gain!
Exercise for an hour, at least 2 to 3 days a week for an effective work out! Do not go over this time, especially when you are starting out. I am doing the Kim K Fit in your Jeans by Friday workout and it is really gruelling but I love it.

Try these easy little adjustments and see what happens! Don’t take my word for it, try it one hour at a time for yourself!