Cottage cheese and blueberry cookies

Anyone who ever tried to eat healthy will understand me: it is pretty hard to find something that helps with your sweet cravings, but it won't ruin your diet. Fruits usually do the trick for me, but I still need a cookie kind of thing for my cup of tea every now and then. So I was on a hunt for a healthy and tasty recipe. I don't really like paleo diet, but I have to admit you can steal some recipes from them, of course with modifications. :) So this is what I did. The source is a Hungarian paleo blogger, gonna link her blog anyway, I know I have Hungarian readers. :)

What I love about this recipe: it is a small portion, you won't end up with 2 dozens of cookies you feel like you have to eat, so you won't waste food. 

Ingredients

150 g cottage cheese (I use this, it is more like the Hungarian version, drier, perfect for baking)

1 egg

70 g oat flour 

1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

brown sugar or a wee drop of honey

a handful of berries 

I don't know about here in the UK, but back in Hungary it was pretty expensive to buy any type of flour that is not the typical white one. But porridge oats are pretty cheap, and with my new blender I easily made flour from it in literally 10 seconds. So I was pretty happy about it. :) Back to the recipe: mix all ingredients except the berries well together, then add the berries, but try not to crush them. Preheat the oven for 180 Celsius (160 if it's an air circulation oven). 

Cover a baking tray with baking paper, then form little cookies from the dough. It is going to be pretty sticky. :) Bake for 15-20 minutes, check on them every once in a while, just to make sure they won't burn. 

They are a bit ugly, but trust me, they are delicious. Even Panda begged for it, when I was taking the pictures. (Yes, she begs for everything, but still, she is a cutiepie.)

My favourite breakfast smoothie

Last week we bought a pretty handy blender, but I mainly use it for smoothies. Haven't tried out the other 2 parts of it yet, but once I studied it inside out, I can update you guys about it, if you are interested. 

Anyway, so I always loved smoothies, and I honestly thought stick blenders are perfect for it. But as I wanted to add more ingredients, ice, etc, my blender just gave up. My friend bought this exact Kenwood set a couple of weeks ago, and raved about it, so I really wanted to try it out. Since I have it, I drink a smoothie at least once a day. Sometimes it is for breakfast, sometimes lunch, or just my mid afternoon snack. I love it. 

First I wanted to share my favourite breakfast smoothie recipe, tasty, filling, perfect way to start your day. 

Ingredients

1 ripe banana

3 tablespoons of porridge oats

150 ml of milk

hint of cinnamon

Usually I am not too keen on milk in my smoothies, I prefer making them with fresh juice, but for this breakfast smoothie it is pretty lovely. I use regular cow milk, but if you are on a special diet, or just want to try something else, you can make it with almond milk, coconut milk, whatever milk you would like. You can leave the cinnamon out, but personally I love it. :) 

I am planning on sharing my favourite smoothie recipes, and would love to hear your ideas of the perfect smoothie!

OMG I am running!

As I said earlier, I started running in June. This is something I always hated as a kid. I honestly think, that people need to thing this whole PE thing over again, because that was my most feared class ever. We were never judged individually, they expected me, the chubby, asthmatic girl to run as much as quick as the gazelle of the class. Never happened. So for most of my life running meant, that I can't breath, people are making fun of me, and I feel a weird taste of blood in my mouth (yay for my asthma). 

However growing up I realised, it was not the running I hated, but the fact that I was made to do it, and no one told me, that I should not just try and run as quickly as I can, but there is a way to get into running. This is why I love the Couch to 5K app I mentioned earlier, because it tells you when to run, when to walk, and I like the Laura, the voice of the app keeps you posted about how many minutes you have left and stuff. Great app, really. :) 

Anyway, back to the running. I was terrified of yesterday's run, for one reason. All it said in the description: begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 20 minutes running, with no walking. At the beginning of each week I always check, what do they have for me for the following 3 runs, and reading this just really scared me. Thanks to this app I was able to run for 8 minutes before, but never in my life I have ran for 20 minutes. But I was positive. Freaking out, but positive. And you know what? I DID IT. I had to plan my route before going for the run, because here in Dundee everything is on a hill, and I am still not strong and good enough to be able to run up a hill for more then 1 minute. Or even less. So I planned my route in the park next to us, and just went for it. I kept telling myself you can do it, of course you can do it. They always say, that progress is more like a mental challenge than a physical, and I found it very true, as earlier I literally panicked myself into an "omg I can't breath" situation, where I had to stop and use my inhaler. Nothing was sore, my legs were fine, my lungs were fine, it was just my brain freaking out about the fact that I was running. So since then I always tell myself, that everything is ok, and I never experienced any pain or soreness. It is just my brain trying to sabotage me. Need to kick it's arse, that's all. 

So back to my 20 minutes. When I reached the end of the run, I almost started crying. If you told me 2 months ago, that I am going to run for 20 minutes without stopping and having no problems with it, I would have probably laughed at you and told you, you were an absolute idiot. But still here I am, writing this, and I cannot wait for my next run tomorrow. :) This is the first time I feel like I am actually a runner. Not just someone who is trying too hard and just tortures herself in the park, but I actually enjoy it, I look forward for the next one, and I started google-ing about races. Because I want to have this as a proper hobby. And I love the benefits, love to see the results, love the feeling when I get home, and I just throw my clothes on the floor and I jump in the shower and I am just so proud of myself. 

I will keep you guys posted, I hope I am going to stay this motivated. :)

Take pictures!!!

So my electric toothbrush's charger died today, and I didn't remember what model was it. What I remembered, that I took a picture of the box when I bought it (perks of instagraming everything, amirite?). So I started looking through my old pictures on dropbox. Of course I never found the one I was looking for, however I found an old selfie of mine, from the end of last September, the day we moved in to our flat. And my jaw just dropped. I quickly ran and took an other selfie, same mirror, just a different me. 

What a difference! And the strange thing is, I don't even remember being like this. I mean obviously I saw the picture when I took it, but it is just crazy how you can ignore problems you don't want to face. I am not starting to bash my old self, because it was still me, and I was happy and confident, but still it is just amazing to see the results of my hard work. Especially because I feel like I don't always see myself like this, and I need to be reminded, that what I am doing is working indeed. 

So this was a reminder, that taking pictures is very very important! And I am happy I took this selfie last September, because now I can see the results. And I will keep taking pictures like this every month, so I can be an outsider for a second and see, not just look. 

If you are trying to change yourself, do yourself a favour and take a picture now! And try to find one from the past. And then keep taking pictures. I can't even tell you how motivating this is. 

Review: Footner exfoliating socks

So it is summer, and even though the weather is not treating us here in Scotland, I like to get my sandals out. Just so I can still pretend it is warm. :) I always struggled with dry and hard skin on my feet, since I spend 98% of my working hours standing and walking. I never really liked foot graters, I have a filer, but I don't find it very effective. I was thinking about buying that School electric pedi thing, but first I wanted to try this sock out, as I liked the reviews. 

Now I am a lazy person when it comes to exfoliating feet. I don't like to balance over the bath so the dead skins don't fly everywhere. And it is hard work to exfoliate for minutes (says the runner, haha, but still). These socks promised results without scrubbing, so I gave it a go. The way it works is quite interesting, there is some kind of chemical in it, which will make your dead and dry skin peel off in 10 days. I find it quite pricey, it was £19.99 in Boots, but since I only read good things about it, I wanted to try it. 

It says, you have to wear the socks for 1 hour. It is basically a weird plastic slipper, filled with liquid, that you put on your feet for an hour. You should put on a pair of your own socks as well, to keep it in place, then they said it was perfectly fine to walk in them around the house. Now I didn't have the courage to do it, I didn't feel it safe, so I just sat for an hour watching Netflix. It was also advised to put some vaseline on top of your feet, so your skin will not peel there. After an hour I removed the socks and washed my feet with warm water as I was told. And then I waited for the wonder. 

I did the treatment on Thursday, and there was nothing weird for 3 days. I started to think that I just wasted 20 quid on nothing, and started getting annoyed, but then on Sunday, after a long day of shopping, when I arrived home I noticed that on my heels I had some huge blister-looking dry skin patches. So it begins I thought. And I was right. From that day I felt like a lizard. I read that some people found it disgusting, but to be honest it kinda amused me, that without any pain or discomfort my dry skin just fell off and I had babysoft skin underneath. It is Wednesday today, 13 days after the application,  and I just stopped shedding. :D The vaseline didn't work a 100%, the top of my foot still dried out a bit, but I just applied some cream and it was all jolly good. I had an area on my right heel with some really stubborn dry skin which sadly didn't go away, but my other foot and everything else is like brand new. 

Overall I am very happy with this purchase, it is a bit pricey, but I think it is great. They say the result will last for 3 months, now I am interested in that, I think it is quite a long period, but I'll see how it goes. I am still thinking about buying that electric pedi thingy, but I will wait a couple of weeks for sure. 

Even if you just want to do this treatment once a year before summer starts, it is a great way to refresh your skin on your feet. Just make sure you do it well in advance before any events, because your feet won't look pretty for almost a fortnight. You cannot wear sandals during the shedding period. Other than that, this is brilliant. :)

I want to lose weight! - Where to start

A lot of people say, that making the decision is the hardest part of the changing process. I don't really agree with it, I remember deciding several times, that I am going to change my lifestyle, but after a couple of weeks I always gave up. Making the decision is still there tho, when you finally start the changes. So here is my list, what helps you to stick with your decision, and get you started.

1. Buy a scale

Yes, weight is not everything, and your body still can transform without losing (or even gaining) any weight. But still, when you have quite a few pounds to lose, it is nice to track your progress. I never owned a scale before, just bought my first one at the age of 27. But hey, gotta start somewhere. I bought a digital one, which shows not just the kilograms but the decimals as well, because you won't really lose a whole kg a day. Also...

2. Weight yourself every day

This is an other thing, that fitness magazines tell you not to do. Because there can be oedema somewhere in your body, yada yada yada. But it helps me, because I can track the effects of my meals from the previous day. And you can discover things, like: if you don't sleep or drink enough, no matter how healthy you ate the previous day, your body won't be able to lose weight properly. I work 12 hour shifts, and when I am working 4 days in a row, I still eat healthy, I bring food in with me, but just because I am on my feet all day and can't drink enough (not to mention the 6 hours of sleep instead of the 9 I usually need), I just don't lose weight as I would expect it. The second I have my day off and have a proper sleep, I see the difference on the scale in the morning. Oh yes, of course, weight yourself the same time every day. I keep my scale in the bathroom, and every morning, right after getting up and running for a pee, I stand on it. Also, make sure you don't have heavy clothes on. I usually just have my underwear on, because your jammies can trick you and make you think you didn't lose any weight, but in fairness you are just wearing your big fluffy heavy Christmas onesie in the middle of June which weighs a ton (happened to a friend, not me of course). 

3. Buy a pretty journal

You can use one of your many unused notebooks if you want to, but it always motivates me, when I buy new stationary. 

I bought mine in Paperchase, and I love it. Every day I record my morning weight, and the meals I have. Even the smallest bites of anything. I also add whether I worked or not, and the workouts as well. I mark those days of the month as well, since your body works differently during your period. In my case I can just grab this journal and bring it to the doctor when I am having an appointment, so I can show her my progress. 

I know, that there are many apps, that you can use instead of writing, but I prefer having this little thing, it is prettier to look at, and I quite enjoy writing, so it works for me. :)

4. Get rid of all the non-healthy food

It is quite a logical saying: if you don't have bad food in your house, you won't eat bad food. Get rid of the chocolate stash, the sugary drinks, everything that you consider not good for your diet. You don't have to bin them, you can give them to a chocolate lover friend, or if you have a lots of ingredients, you can donate them. 

5. Set a reasonable (!) goal

If you have a long way ahead of you, don't start putting pictures up on your inspirational board of models and skinny minnies. Yes, you might end up there at the end of the road, but you should focus on something that is going to come sooner, not in 2 years. It is too far away, won't be motivational enough. Set a goal with your weight, for example: I want to be under 100 kilos by the end of June/winter/whatever. I want to buy size 16 trousers in August. I want to be able to run for 3 minutes straight in 5 weeks. Something you can reach, and you can celebrate soon. Celebrate every good day (not with cake!), if you did well. Pat your shoulders, and keep on doing it. Don't think it as like a long period of torture. You are getting better and better at it day by day, and if you are being consistent, you will reach your goals. All of them.

6. Use social media

Nowadays it is in our everyday life. Why not use it to find motivation? I mostly use instagram for this purpose, I don't like spamming on facebook, but I am happy to post pictures of my meals, and look at others for inspiration, motivation and ideas. Also, Pinterest! That is heaven for everything. honestly. 

7. Take a picture of yourself 

You don't have to show it to anyone, if you feel embarrassed. But weeks later you will think: oh, I wish I had one, so I can see the progress. It is going to feel amazing to see the results of your hard work. 

Two more important things you should keep in mind: Do not bash your bigger self. I hate when I see people posting pictures about themselves, saying: I am such a fat pig, disgusting. It is still you. You have feelings. Don't hurt yourself. Yes, you are healthier and fitter than you used to be, but you still should respect yourself. Also. You are not getting prettier and more beautiful. You are pretty and beautiful. You are just getting healthier. Keep this in mind. Very important.

Same me, new habits

I do apologize for the looong break. I did not really have the motivation to write posts, and I didn't want to start blabbering about random stupid things. :) But now I feel like I am motivated again, and I am going to try and post regularly.

The following part might seem like a bit TMI, but I always used to be like this, I don't mind speaking about topics others might find inappropriate. 2 months ago I was diagnosed with PCOS. For those who don't know what it is: my ovaries are basically not functioning properly, every time it is time for an ovulation, it won't happen, and they end up having dozens of cysts in them. This condition is not curable at the moment, but one can try and make it better. The happy news is, that I don't have insulin resistance, which commonly walks hand in hand with the cysts. The main thing is, that I needed to change a lot in my life. We would like to start a family in the next 2 years, and the most important thing is for that is to have functioning ovaries of course. 

So after a couple of very emotional days I came out of my puddle of depression and tears, and decided to take action and be positive about it. I always procrastinated healthy eating and working out. At first I always said, oh I am getting into shape when I am preparing for my wedding, but I felt good in my skin anyway, and didn't want to make extreme changes for the big day. I think my problem was, that my weight never really stopped me from doing anything I wanted, so I was just relaxed and fine, there was no motivation for the big change. Now I know, that if I want to have kids in the future, I HAVE TO change. This was a kick up my ass, and got me motivated. I have a pretty good reason to change. So here it goes. 

I started eating healthy about 2 months ago. And by healthy I do not mean that I became a health freak idiot, who hates all processed food and everyone who goes in to McDonald's every month or so. I do think, that if you want to change your whole way of living, you cannot just exclude everything that is considered bad. I am a hedonist, I like my food, and I am not going to give up chocolate, or the occasional pudding. So what I do, I just think twice before eating. I eat a bit of a chocolate once a month or so, if I feel like I need it. I am not going to say no to ice cream, I am just having one scoop, not 3. I am eating hamburgers, but I try and make it bunless, or choose the healthiest option. I do go to Burger King once or twice a month, but I order a salad or the veggie wrap. I add salad as a side next to everything. I always reach for my small plates, so every meal my plate looks full, tricking my mind I have a full big meal, but I have half of the portion I used to eat earlier. Pizza is fine, 2 slices, with a massive amount of salad. Yada yada yada, I could go on for ages, but hopefully you get what I mean. 

Oh and also, I started running 2 weeks ago. I did home exercises before, but I never really liked jumping up and down like an idiot in front of the telly, and the dog always tried to hump me while I was on the ground. :D I tried running years ago, before our wedding, but I just jumped at it, without thinking, an of course it was a failure. Now I started running with the NHS app Couch to 5K, which tells you when to run and walk, so you slowly, week by week run a bit more, and walk a bit less, reaching your goal without pushing too hard. I can say that I started enjoying running, tho it is still not my favourite, but I prefer it over the home jumping. 

So yes, this is happening now, and I am going to try and post regularly, about my progress, recipes maybe, motivation and stuff. Tell me if there is a topic you want me to write more about, and I'll try my best to deliver. :)