LowCarb Nasi Goreng

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Malin

I always have my freezer stocked with meat or fish but when I opened it up today I realized the only thing left was a piece of pork tenderloin. Not knowing what I was going to do with it I started to unfreeze it and pulling out whatever we had in the fridge…and this is what it turned into 😉

1/2 shredded Cabbage
Sesame Oil
chopped Garlic
fresh grated Ginger
Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon tomato pure
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
Fish sauce (I used touch of taste)
apple cider vinegar
splash of Worcestershire Sauce
1-2 teaspoons Hoisin Sauce
leek
Cilantro
2 egg
Salt
Edamame Beans
Pork Tenderloin
Salt and Pepper

Direction: Start by shredding the cabbage and fry it in the sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin, sambal oelek, tomato pure, fish sauce, vinegar, worcestershire sauce and let it cook or simmer until dry. What you will find is all the spices will really infuse into the cabbage.

Whisk the two egg with some salt and fry in sesame oil. Slice into smaller pieces add into the cabbage together with the edamame beans and the chopped leek.

I used the grill to cook the pork tenderloin. I love to use the grill, less mess and the meat taste 100 times better!

Serve the meat on top of the cabbage with some fresh cilantro. The kids loved it and so did the grown up…so tumps up!

Unfortunately I did not keep track of the measurement but I think with common sense it will be ok 😉

That is how a recovery run should go down!

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Malin

Oh gosh, this weekend has been really busy with one thing after another. The premier of “The Ghost Pirates” was at seven o’clock friday evening, all the kids had practice really hard and did an amazing job and Mira was really buzzing when she got off stage. She though it was so much fun so the next morning I found her totally dressed up with bright red lipstick and a pair of my highest heels on ready to bring on the world.

But in-between all the birthday parties, hockey and theater I managed to get my 7 miler in and it is amazing how your mind works. I mentioned my 4 mile recovery last Wednesday and it was sooo hard and I was disappointed because half way through it felt like it was never coming to an end.

This time around, I knew I was “turning” around at 3.5 mile and was running “home”. The only thing that gets me is the “sprint session” in the middle of the run, they are truly killers for the legs so for the rest of the afternoon it looked like I had **** in my pants…haha.

So when Sunday morning came around I had a choice to make…the 3 optional miles. The thing is optional is not really optional unless you hanging on by thread so I decided I was not going crazy. I took it nice and easy and I really enjoyed the brisk sunny morning not meeting a single soul on my first run of the season through the forest preserve! My legs were a bit stiff as expected but I went straight to a well deserved hot yoga session and what can be better for both the soul and the muscles to reach for your fullest potential to complete the workout week…this is truly how a recovery run should be like!

What’s in your cupboard?

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Malin

I know it is only Thursday night and Taco Night is sort of reserved for Fridays but what the heck. This is what I found in my cupboards, so tonight we’ll have Taco Pie!

Pie Shell

3 deciliter Almond Flour

1/2 deciliter Sesame Seed

1 egg

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Coconut Oil.

1 lb minced Beef

Garlic…a lot

Cumin

Paprika Powder

Chili flakes

Oregano

Salt and Pepper

(I added a touch of bong but it’s ok to use beef bouillon, make sure you mix it in well)

Egg Royal

2 Eggs

1 deciliter cream

1 deciliter milk

Oregano

Cumin

Salt & Pepper

Direction: Add all the ingredients for the pie shell in a food processor and mix it together until it becomes a smooth paste. In a oven proof dish press the paste and prick it with a fork. Pre-bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 F.

Fry the minced beef and drain any fat or liquid that comes from the beef. Add garlic and the spices (touch of taste) and fry for another couple of minutes. When done add it into the pie shell and lay out the chopped tomatoes.

Whisk the egg, milk, cream together with the spices and pour over the pie. Sprinkle over the cheese and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

A recovery run should be easy, right?!

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Malin

This morning the alarm went off at 4.45, I was taking Knut to his early morning skate and although I was tired I knew what I had to do. I went down in the kitchen brewed my coffee, that is a must for me in the mornings and boiled my eggs. I was running around the house getting everything together and before I knew it I grabbed my coffee and it was time to leave. So I thought I have my eggs when I got home, no big deal.

But for all the parents out there you know how it goes when you are about to send the kids off to school. They need to get dressed, you have to pack their lunch, homework and so on, once again time slipped between my fingers and it was time to go to the bus. I had a busy morning in front of me so I put my head down and got to my business and it was not until my way to the gym I realized how hungry I was. It was just so odd because my egg breakfast normally last me until lunch and I remembered I had not yet eaten, the eggs was still in the pot on the stove…haha, what can you do?

I had to run and I was so excited knowing it was my 4 mile recovery run, I told Megan (my trainer) that this was going to be a walk in the park! I knew it was my own fault being so forgetful and I could blame no one. Also I have my pride to protect, right? So all I could do was to make the best out of it and pretend it was a recovery run knowing I had an amazing yoga session in front of me to stretch me out!

This is how it was supposed to feel like…

…but this is how it really felt…haha

Lets make oatmeal…hmm, delightful?!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Malin

In our family it’s just Knut and me that really likes oatmeal and this was often on the menu as both my parents were working and would not have time to spend an hour in the kitchen.

Although oatmeal is not really a low-carb alternative it has a fairly low Glycemic Index and when adding flax seeds reduces the effect on blood sugar. So today after working out a fair amount and rushing out to fit the kids activities in this was a perfect alternative.

Oatmeal

1 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons flaxseed
2 cups water
a pinch of salt
Milk

Strawberry jumminess

4-5 sliced fresh strawberries
a splash of water
a pinch of stevia

Directions: Bring oatmeal, flaxseed, salt and water to simmer and stir occasionally for about 2-5 minutes. In a different pot add strawberries, stevia and water and simmer for the same amount of time. Serve the oatmeal hot with strawberries and cold milk…you will be surprised!

It will be what you want it to be!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Malin

This week has been a little slow and it seems like a lot of people is sick or feeling sluggish and I would guess it’s the weather change. This will only give excuse to the unwell but for the rust of us, we don’t have one!

As you probably have figures out by now I am training for 1/2 a marathon but this doesn’t mean I given up on weight lifting. I like to “feel” that I worked out the day before, yes I sort of thrive on being sore. The thing is, trying to get all the miles in we have planned for every week and being tight and sore is not necessarily a good combination. But to every problem there is a solution, right? And mine is called YOGA!

This hour gives me the opportunity to center myself, release all the tension in my muscles but also focus on the goals I have ahead of me. So yesterday when I was doing my first run of the week, 6 miles. 2 miles warm up then 20 sprints a 30 seconds then running normal pace and legging it the last 1/2 mile and it was tough. The wind was gusting in my face and my heart pounding at 185-190 beats/minute and I’m not lying, it felt like I was running in syrup. That is when I came back to that place I go to when I’m doing yoga. Again it doesn’t mean it stopped hurting but I knew that I could do it and so I did!

LowCarb Crepe filled with garlic and mushroom

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Malin

I have never been a big fan of pancakes or Crepe as they always given me a tummy ache, not even as a child. Today I was in the mood to make something fast and easy and I thought Garlic and mushroom filled Crepe would be a perfect dinner and without the wheat I don’t feel nauseous.

Low-carb Pancake

2 Eggs

1/2 a cup and a bit of Almond Flour

1/4 Water

Pinch of Salt

Garlic and Mushroom Filling

Button Mushroom

1 Clove of Garlic

Pinch of salt

Dijon Mustard

A slice of cheese

Direction: Whisk everything together and use half of the batter to make a “pancake” and fry it until it is slightly brown. Sauté the mushrooms and the garlic in butter and season with salt. Spread the Dijon mustard on the pancake, add the cheese and top off with the garlic mushroom before “closing”.

If you want it more creamy or if you need more fat because of your diet, add mayonnaise.

This was a very quick and easy dinner that filled me up and I still have half the batter left to use for lunch for tomorrow!

Sometimes we need a little magic!

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Malin

I sleep really well last night but I woke up a few times because my lower back was killing me, not in a bad way but from yesterdays sweet workout with Frank. Soreness from a workout will never stop me so with 2 Advil later and some tiger balm rubbed into my back and I was as good as new.

I knew what I had to do today because Megan told and I am sticking to the game plan. So with 5 miles to run today I started as planned but in the middle of the run the treadmill came to a stop and I had to start all over and some personal stuff came up that was completely out of my control and all the sudden it felt like I was running in a storm.

Everything was hurting and I had one mile to go and I was going to crank the speed up from 8.06 minute mile to 7.54 minute mile and with the darkness in my mind it felt…hmmm, not impossible but close.

So when Tarik, a fellow trainer walked through the doors I begged him to stand next to me and help me push and so he did. He made sure I did not give up and when I told him I was puking he just told me to keep running and stop making a mess. I came in on 24.14 at three miles and then I already had over two miles under my belt.

Sometime we just need to use some magic to turn the negative into something positive and the storm that might have been ahead is all of a sudden less threatening!

Thank you Tarik for pushing me to the end!

Grilled Cod with the famous yumyum sauce

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Malin

A few weeks ago we ended up going to a local restaurant after my dinner attempt turned into an epic fail. I ended up having the fish tacos and after that I am craving fish, so fish was what was on the menu for this evening but their was a slight problem When I woke up this morning winter was back with vengeance after those lovely couple of days of spring. But that was not letting my spirit down and stopping me to proceed with my dinner plans…Grilled Cod.

I think their is a few advantages to making food on the grill; I don’t have to deal with the yucky fish smell that always is stuck in the house for days on days and the food just taste so much better. There is one more thing I always have to deal with when it comes to fish & kids…It’s not their favorite dish but my mother-in-law has the solution and we call it the yumyum sauce! Every kid that has ever tried it ends up eating their fish like it is candy so here we go…

Fish

1 lb of fresh Cod

Canola Oil

Salt and Lemon Pepper (or pepper and lemon juice)

Direction: Use a gridiron so if the fish separates you end up with nothing except an empty plate. Grill the fish for approximate 4 minutes on each side, make sure not to over cook it so it turns dry and awful.

The yumyum sauce

1 part sour cream

1 part cream

1 tablespoon Fish Fond or a cube of fish boullion

Direction: Mix it together and bring to a simmer…as simples as that!

This is magic!

Both the kids finished all the fish and they loved it!!

Practise what you preach

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Malin

Today we had a guest appearance from the City. It was Laura’s friend and I’ve been told she is just like me “a gym junky” so the pressure was totally on. I knew the girls was going to be sore from the drop sets we did on Monday so arms was more or less off-limits. So coming in I had to try the workout to see if it was descent or not. As I did Frank, on of the trainers at Lifestyle Fitness decided to join in. It is so much more fun when you have a workout pal because if I every thought about giving up when working alone, having a partner it never even crosses my mind.

So there we were, Frank and I slightly rushed for time when we started to crank out the first set of wood chops, body weighted side bridge, burpee with push up and last but not least shoulder extensions from a medicine ball. Although this was a core circuit the shoulders had to stabilize a fair bit so coming into the last move me and my shoulders had a very private conversation 😉

As we are having a bit of a drop-set week this week what would be more appropriate than carry it over to the legs as well. So with a barbell squats, dropping the weight twice followed by 20 walking lunges with at least 20 lbs weight did the trick…

…but to every frontside there is also a backside. This time around we did the drop set last and started with 15 Barbell “good mornings” followed by Romanian deadlifts. I was coming into my third set and I was glad I was seeing the silver lining of the workout. We topped the day off combining the weight training into 6 minutes cardio blast. I could with an ease to my mind let the girls do the same because I knew I pushed myself and how could I ever give them a workout that would not be challenging enough?!!