Eggplant fritters with yoghurt topping

Workout today
This mornings 12WBT workout consisted of legs and arm exercises. At the end was two x 4 minute Tabata rounds of 20 sec on/10 sec off. One of them was push ups and last week I skipped doing it because I knew I would struggle. This week I was determined to push myself to do it even though I didn't want to.

I was able to stay on my toes to about halfway through and then had to alternate between doing them on my knees and toes. At the end I felt like I wished I could have gotten through them all on my toes but I was glad I forced myself to do it this time as the only way to get better is with practice.

Dinner tonight
For dinner tonight I'm making Kasey's recipe for Lentil Sloppy Joes. Ever since I saw the recipe a few weeks ago I've been meaning to make it and tonight is finally the night. I'm planning on adding lots of extra vegies to mine in the form of capsicum and mushrooms as I will probably serve it with some bread not salad as she did.

Here's what my prep looks like so far:

Right now onto Eggplant Fritters. I am really into making vegetable fritters at the moment and wanted to experiment with different vegetables apart from corn and zucchini so decided to give them a go with eggplants. This recipe takes some prep at the start but that can be done in advance.

Eggplant fritters
Servings: 2, Serving size: 3.5 Fritters, Calories: 186 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
2 Large Eggplants
30g Wholemeal flour
1 Egg
2 tsp Garlic
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Bragg's Herbs & Spices Seasoning (or any general herb mix).
1/4 Cup Water
Salt
Pepper

1. Pierce whole eggplants with a knife.
2. Place whole eggplants on a tray to roast in a moderate to hot oven for about 45 minutes or until soft in the middle (should feel squishy):

3. Let eggplants cool and then peel the skin off and discard and then chop up the insides finely. (This is what could be done ahead of time)
4. Add the eggplant insides (I feel there should be a better way to say this!) to a bowl along with flour, egg, garlic, cumin, spices, water and salt and pepper. Mix well:

5. Put a frying pan on a medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
6. Add 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time to form about 7 fritters. You don't have to measure but I just find it easier when I do.
7. Fry each fritter until golden brown on each side be careful when you turn them over.

Yoghurt topping
Servings: 1, Serving size: All of it, Calories: 56 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
75g Low Fat Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp Garlic
1 tsp Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Squeeze of Lemon if you have it

1. Mix together yoghurt, cumin, garlic, lemon and salt and pepper.
3. Adjust the garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

I served my fritters and topped with the yoghurt sauce with a side salad and all up it was 285 Calories and it was yummy:

Do you have to push yourself to do certain exercises you don't want to do? What's on the menu for dinner tonight?

Sweet and Sour Tofu

My boyfriend absolutely cannot stand tofu so I'm always trying to come up with new ways to cook it to try and entice him to eat it. This recipe I'm hoping will do that but I'm yet to try it out to confirm whether it will get his seal of approval. Even if it doesn't I'm definitely going to keep making it just for me on nights when he is out or has to work back.

Sweet and Sour Tofu
Servings: 1, Serving size: All of it, Calories: 123 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
125g Firm Tofu chopped into cubes
1 tsp Garlic
2 Tbs Tamari (or soy sauce would work too)
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
2 Drops of Stevia or other sweetener (You could also substitute some honey)
Spray oil


1. Spray a small pan with oil and cook Tofu until golden brown on each side.
2. Whilst Tofu is cooking combine garlic, tamari, apple cider, water and stevia in a small bowl. Mix well.
3. Add the mixture to the pan and make sure the tofu is coated thoroughly.
4. Turn the Tofu over once it has started to soak up the mixture.
5. Once the sauce has cooked down, enjoy! I served mine up with some Quinoa, alfalfa, grated carrot, coriander and mushrooms with a drizzle of sweet chilli:

 
Simple but delicious!

Is there anything you absolutely refuse to eat?

Coconut Chia Pudding with Sour Cherries

There's nothing I like more since I switched to healthy eating as a lifestyle than breakfasts I can prepare ahead of time for the whole week. I'd read multiple recipes on overnight oats and had them before but wanted a recipe that used all chia seeds rather than oats to have more protein in my first meal.

I found Loving Earth Sour Cherries in the health food shop and thought I would try incorporating them into my breakfast. They are low in calorie and I read a recent article that said eating cherries is meant to assist you with a better sleep. Since I don't always have the greatest sleep anything that can give me a boost I'm on board with.

(Sorry for the not great photo, I promise I'm getting a better camera soon!)

Coconut Chia Pudding with Sour Cherries
Servings: 1, Serving size: all of it, Calories: 185 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
1 Tbs (15g) Chia Seeds
150g Chobani Non Fat Greek Yoghurt (or any greek yoghurt)
15g Sour Cherries
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 drops Liquid Stevia
1/4 Cup Water1/2 Tbs Coconut Flakes


1. Combine chia seeds and yoghurt into a small container.
2. Add sour cherries, cinnamon, stevia and water.
3. Stir well making sure chia seeds are mixed thoroughly through. The texture may be a little watery but don't worry the chia seeds will soak up the extra moisture.
4. Add coconut flakes to the top.
5. Let sit overnight, wake up and enjoy.

I usually make 4-5 of these for the week and have them in my fridge ready to go for a quick breakfast. When I eat it I give it a good mix and sometimes add another drop of stevia but it depends how sweet you like your breakfast, the cherries are quite sour so sometimes some extra sweetness helps offset this. I also usually mix the coconut flakes through when I actually eat it.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Casserole

It was a surprisingly cold day yesterday after a string of very hot days. The change of weather really put me in the mood for something hearty. I had lentils and lots of vegetables in my fridge so I decided to put together this casserole which turned out very well.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Casserole
Servings: 4, Serving size: 2 Ladels / serve, Calories: 171 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
1 Onion chopped finely
375g Sweet Potato
300g Mushrooms chopped
100g Dry Green Lentils
2 x Stock Pots (Vegetable) - You could also use stock cubes
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Garlic
1L Boiled Water
Salt
Pepper
Oil Spray

1. Spray a pan with cooking spray and fry onion and garlic on medium-high until soft.
2. Add sweet potato and stir, let it cook for about 5 minutes
3. Add mushrooms to the pan with cumin, paprika, onion powder and pepper only. Do not add salt as salt makes lentils tough if cooked with it.
4. Add a dash of water if the pan starts to cook the vegetables too quickly.
5. Make up your stock by adding stock cubes to 1L of boiling water
6. Add dry lentils to pan and let toast in the pan for about 30 seconds. This gives them a nuttier flavour.
7. Add stock to pan.
8. Bring to the boil. Once boiled turn the heat down to low and let cook for 30-40 minutes until some of the stock has evaporated and the lentils are cooked.
9. Enjoy and add salt once served. I served mine with sprouted grain bread but it also worked well today for lunch with brown rice.

Chickpea and Broccoli Red Curry

I changed another 12WBT recipe to make it quicker and have more of the foods I enjoy that being broccoli and chickpeas. This curry is super delicious and can be cooked in 10 minutes making it a very easy dinner.

Chickpea and Broccoli Red Curry
Servings: 4, Serving size: 2 ladels, Calories: 192 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
1 Tbs Red Curry Paste
1 x 400ml Coconut Cream - Trident brand has the lowest calories
300g Broccoli, chopped
300g Mushrooms, chopped
240g Chickpeas (400g tin drained)
3 tsp Brown Sugar
1 Lime, juiced
1 Tbs Fish Sauce
2 Kaffir Lime leaves, chopped finely

1. Add curry paste to a saucepan and let it cook for about a minute, stirring as you do.
2. Add the coconut cream and stir very well, let simmer about another minute or two so it is well combined
3. Add chickpeas and leave for 5 minutes
4. Add broccoli and mushrooms and let cook for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are cooked to your liking
5. Add brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and lime leaves.
6. Serve and enjoy. I like to cook some brown rice to have it with, just be sure to add the extra calories if you do this.

Healthy Banana Bread

I adjusted this Michelle Bridges 12WBT Recipe to make it much lower in calories and even healthier. It is great for breakfast or a hearty snack.

Healthy Banana Bread
Servings: 8, Serving size: 1 slice, Calories: 171 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
65 grams Quick cooking rolled oats
250 grams Wholemeal Flour
65g Natvia (Stevia sugar)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1.5 Bananas (150 grams), mashed
70g Apple puree (Goulburn Valley)
3/4 Cup Skinny Milk
1/4 Cup Water

1. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and spray with olive oil spray just to ensure it doesn't stick.
2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
3. Mix together Oats, Flour, Natvia and baking powder.
4. Add mashed banana, apple puree, milk and water and mix together well. If mixture is very thick add a bit more water and stir through.
5. Place mixture into tin and spread out so that the mixture is flat
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean
7. Cut into 8 slices and enjoy.