Recipe .. Fit Mum's Chocolate Fudgey Pieces ...

I know you are looking for yet chocolate slice recipe, right? 

This recipe is the one that I made for my clients this month as a little treat!  They loved it! Yes, they are taste testers!  The family taste testers rate this one pretty highly also!  It's a bit of a combination of various recipes that I have tried and I add in what I want and get rid of whatever I don't want.

It is perfect to keep in the fridge for when you need a quick sweet fix.  I usually save mine for dessert when the kids have gone to bed and I can finally have 5 minutes peace!

Fit Mum's Chocolate Fudgey Pieces

What you need ...  

250g medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup water
1 cup walnuts
1 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut
2 tbs chia seeds
2 tbs cacao powder
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted





What you do ...

Place dates and water in small saucepan over heat and cook until dates have absorbed all the water.  While this is cooking place whole walnuts in food processor and blitz them up a bit ... it is up to you how finely you want the walnut pieces.  I like to have it so that you can see the pieces and the slice is a bit crunchy.

Add all ingredients to food processor and process until all blended together.

Press mixture into small baking pan, depending on how thick you would like your pieces to be.  Place in fridge for a few hours until cooled. 

I then take mine out, slice up into smallish pieces and sprinkle with cacao powder.

They will store in the fridge for several days, if they last that long of course!

Enjoy!

My Top 11 Healthy Lifestyle Commandments ...

Do you sometimes get stuck in a rut?

When in doubt, follow the 10 11 commandments of a healthy lifestyle ...


This is your lifestyle .. not just an 8 week or 12 week challenge .. you are here for the long haul so don't over complicate it

Be consistent .. Never go more than 3 days without some form of activity.  Unless of course your are injured or so unwell you have been advised to take time off!

Plan and organise your week .. plan your menu in advance and make sure you have your healthy snacks on hand.  Schedule in your exercise and get it done!

Challenge yourself .. try something new, push that little bit harder, faster, further .. set a new goal!

Get yourself a support network .. find yourself like minded friends who will motivate, encourage and applaud you and your achievements.

Eat whole fresh, unprocessed foods as much as possible .. avoid processed foods, junk foods, fast foods .. they will only slow you down and make you feel terrible

Don't cut out food groups .. eat a variety of fresh, whole foods.  They all have amazing benefits for keeping your body and immune system healthy.

Don't deprive yourself .. allow yourself a treat .. not a treat day, not a weekend .. a little treat that you really enjoy!

Always eat breakfast .. it will kick start your body for the day and gives you energy to keep moving with everything you have to do!

Don't skip meals .. it leads to overeating later in the day

Allow yourself to be successful! No negative thoughts allowed!

Go forth and conquer your health and fitness lifestyle goals!

Recipe ... Chunky Italian Chicken Soup ...

Although you wouldn't know from today, there is still 25 days of winter left here.
Yes, I am counting.

Even though the days are just glorious, the mornings and evenings are still rather chilly. And what warms your tummy more than a yummy soup?

This Chunky Italian Chicken Soup is a bit of a throw together of another recipe and I've added or eliminated ingredients as I have them in the pantry but in general I have everything I need so it's easy to whip it up in a hurry.

What you need ...

800g - 1kg chicken thighs or breast, chopped .. if you want a lower fat version use the breast meat
3 - 4 tomatoes,chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed

pepper
2l ( 8 cups ) salt reduced chicken stock
Jolly good slurp of white wine**
1/2 cup risoni
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley and basil
1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
Juice of 1/2 lemon
**yes, that is my exact measurement ...


What you do ...

Sauté onions, garlic and veggies for a few minutes until onion is soft.
Add chicken, tomatoes, stock, wine and pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through.
Add risoni and cook until risoni is tender.

Finally, add the fresh herbs and lemon juice. Season if you feel it needs it and serve with some crusty bread!







If you are lucky, there will be enough for left overs for lunch the next day!

Are you passionate about your health & fitness?

Have you checked out how many awesome health & fitness bloggers there are in Australia?! 

I, personally, love to read about other people's adventures .. it keeps me motivated!

I have been thinking for a little while ( ok, like a year or so .. ) that it would be great if we could create a community where all Australia's health & fitness bloggers can come together and share their hints and tips on blogging .. and of course, health & fitness!
There are similar sorts of communities in the US, but I am thinking that we could have one just for Australian members.

It doesn't matter whether you run, jump, lift weights, do yoga or zumba as long as you are passionate about living a fun, active, healthy lifestyle we can all get together and encourage each other!

So I am putting it out there to Aussie bloggers and health & fitness enthusiasts to see if would be interested in joining this sort of community in Australia?

If you are keen, please let me know.  Either comment here, send me an email or visit Fit Mum on face book .. or on Instagram .. you know I'll be around somewhere!

Monday Motivation ...

You know that feeling when you just don't feel like going for your run, or doing your workout .. or even choosing a piece of fruit over that chocolate bar that is screaming for you to eat it? Discipline ...

Yep, I feel like that sometimes too! We all do! OK, well maybe some people don't but I think they might be freaks of nature .. meant in the nicest possible way of course! Discipline ...

Give it a go .. flex that discipline muscle! You know you have it!  I bet you would be surprised at how it makes you feel!

Are you on Instagram?  So am I! 

Come and visit me @fitmum on Instagram or Face Book and let me know how you are staying healthy and active this week!

Have a great week everyone!

Vicki x

Monday Motivation ...

Phew! We made it through another week and weekend! 

What did you get up to on the weekend?  Did it involve some outdoor activity?  Here in Brisbane, Saturday was a gorgeous day but my only outdoor activity consisted of watching Miss 11's netball.  They played a great game by the way!

Sunday was my day for some fresh air ... long run day.  As you may know I've had to cut back on my training with a little overuse injury that has been plaguing me. 
On Friday I was given the all clear by the physio to start increasing my mileage again .. SLOWLY .. of course!  I was actually super keen to get out and run as I had been feeling pretty good.  Mr Fit Mum wasn't going to do his usual 25km this weekend so I advised him that he should still run a nice, easy 10km with the family .. OK so I wanted company!

The whole family headed off on our run ... kids on bikes, mum & dad tailing them as best we could! Baxter, the border collie, was beside himself to have everyone there!

I managed the first 5km, stopping and starting with Mr 7 on his bike, in just under 30 minutes! Yes, I was so happy! No niggly hamstrings!  The return trip was a little slower but not by much, so this Fit Mum is pretty happy today .. especially that I have pulled up well with no aches, pain or much stiffness!  Now to take the rest of my runs this week a little easy ...

Check me out with one of my support crew ... she didn't realise she had serious helmet hair!  And aren't I all matchy matchy .. even my shoes are hot pink!  And I don't wear pink!

My other challenge for the week will be to keep on track with Fit Mum's Healthy Eating Challenge this month.  I've prepared my menu for the week, did the fruit, veg and butcher run and ordered the groceries online.  They should be here any time now so the pantry will be stocked with everything I need to get healthy meals on the table without having to think!

Here's a little reminder ...

sometimes it will feel pretty tough to plan and get organised to get those healthy meals and snacks ready to go.  By sticking with a routine of planning your meals for the week and making sure you have everything you need, you will be in the habit in no time! 

I would love to hear what you have got planned to stay healthy & active this week!  Drop by Fit Mum's facebook page and let me know or leave a comment here.

Friday Facts ... The most important information for your week!

Have you had a fabulous week?  It's been a busy week here again ... but who isn't!

I'm still on a go slow on the training front with only a few slow runs so that I don't over strain anything and I can get back on track and hopefully finish this half marathon in August!

I managed a "long" run on Sunday .. only 8.5km but other than a little stiffness because I haven't done much running, I pulled up OK. 
I did a very short run on Tuesday and spent about 20 minutes doing lots of stretching and movement to keep my range of motion where it should be.
Yesterday's 5km didn't feel too bad either, with only a little niggle so fingers crossed the physio today tells me I've been a good girl.  And that any niggles I am feeling will miraculously disappear and I can resume normal training ... yeah, I know, I'll wake up now!

Off the training front as that's rather unexciting at present and on to the Healthy Eating episode!  I started my Healthy Eating Workshop this week and I plan on staying on track myself along with all my clients.  It's only been a few days but I am in the groove and am really not looking for anything I shouldn't be looking for!  Let's see how the weekend goes!

Now just for the fun of it, I found some interesting facts that I just know you will be able to use as you are going about your day ... either that or you will be able to sleep much better tonight for knowing this information ...



They have square watermelons in Japan ... they grown them like that to fit in their fridges and stack easier ...



There are over 1000 types of apples ... so plenty to choose from for a pick me up snack or they might even boost your exercise endurance!



 Lemons have more sugar than strawberries .. so next time the kids ask for a sugary lolly offer them a lemon ...







If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water.  When the human body is dehydrated, it's thirst mechanism shuts down ... off you go now, grab a glass of water .. I did!

If you are right handed you tend to chew on the right side of your mouth .. if you are left handed, the left side ...

The world's most expensive coffee is made of civet poop ... a cat size mammal excretes the partially digested berries it has eaten and this is then harvested.  Hmmm must check where my morning coffee comes from ...

You lose your taste buds as you age ...

It takes the body around 12 hours to completely digest eaten food ...


You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV ... excuse me while I head off for a nap now!    


It is impossible to lick your elbow ... go on, no one's looking, give it a go!




I know, thank me later for all this terribly important information!

Have a great weekend everyone!  Head over to Fit Mum on Facebook and Instagram and share with me what you are up to!