Work It Girl.

What exercise have you done today?

Me? Oh poo. Nothing. I woke up feeling sick, and I've got a cold. I'm not happy. I am going to rest today and dose myself up with vitamin C, echinacea and probiotics. We're off on date night tonight so I don't want to speaking with a nasally voice and sniffing. How unromantic is that?

Bill's Ricotta Hotcakes.

I once ambitiously had a huge dinner party for a group of people, which included a handful that I'd never met before. It was one of those last minute ideas. One of those ones that seemed like a good idea at the time.

I decided to make my own ravioli with pumpkin inside along with an equally ambitious main and dessert. In the end the ravioli was under cooked and my dessert, peach and raspberry tart, was a little bit the same.

It was over the entree that two of my guests {whom I'd never met before - friends of friends} decided to inform me that they were food stylists. I looked down at my ravioli, which looked decidedly grey and unappetising, and sighed. Stylish, this food wasn't. I hurried back to the kitchen to fix the main {Parmesan chicken and salad} and sat with my guests to eat.

You could be a food stylist, my guests quipped, you're really good at this.

I looked at them waiting for the laughter. They appeared serious. They began to tell me that the food we see in magazines is mostly inedible once they're done. They have to use hairspray, paint, glue and many other products to make the food look good in the photographs. I've never looked at food in magazines the same. And I never really knew if they were having a dig at me or not.

Over the weekend I made my all time favourite breakfast, ricotta hotcakes. I tried to make it look all lovely and fancy for the photos, but I couldn't make it pretty. And I wasn't about to go and ruin a good meal with hairspray or paint.

If you've never tried these before, I demand that you do. They're a taste sensation. Please, please, please make the honeycomb butter too. It's super easy and keeps in the fridge for ages.

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups ricotta {you can use low-fat if you like}
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs, separated
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
50g butter {I actually forgot to put this in, and they still worked perfectly}


To Serve
banana
honeycomb butter {see recipe below}
icing sugar for dusting


Honeycomb Butter
250g unsalted butter, softened
100g honeycomb, crushed {I leave mine a little chunky, cos that's how I roll}
2 TBS honey
Just combine all the ingredients, roll into a log and cover in cling wrap and keep in the fridge.


Method
Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the ricotta mixture and mix until combined.

Place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites through batter with a big metal spoon.

Lightly grease a non-stick frying pan with a little butter, and cook pancakes. Smaller is better. Cook over low to medium heat for 2 minutes each side, or until golden. Turn and cook on other side.

Transfer to plate. Add some banana, and a slice of the honeycomb butter. Enjoy.

*They say that the honeycomb butter is delicious on toast, but I'm not game enough to try. Let me know if you do.

What is your favourite breakfast dish?

Amazing Protein Pancake Recipe

One of my clients shared this amazing recipe for pancakes with me. They are guilt free and help burn fat because they are high in protein and fiber:

Pancakes:
* 1/2 cup oatmeal
* 1/2 cup cottage cheese
* 4 egg whites
* A few drops vanilla extract

Put the ingredients into a food processor or blender and then pan fry with a little bit of olive oil or Pam.

Nutrition Information (this recipe serves 2):
Carbs: 35 grams (including 4 grams of carbs)
Protein: 33 grams

Q&A - Is there an effective way to lift my droopy butt?

A: There sure is!
If you've ever taken one of my classes you'll know that I'm a BIG fan of donkey kicks. They shape your entire butt by boosting the top part (the part that fills out your jeans nicely), lift the bottom, and firm your hamstrings all at the same time.

Get ready for your instant butt lift:

Get on your knees and elbows and lift one leg up into a 90 degree angle. Start pulsing the heel into the ceiling while keeping your butt muscles firm. Repeat 30-50 times and switch legs.

There are many variations that will really do the trick, such as straight leg lifts, side leg lifts, cross overs, etc.

Do at least 100 reps 3x weekly on each side and check out your new assets in 2-3 weeks.

Q&A - Getting bulky lifting weights

Q: I've read that when you have a lot of fat to lose, it can look bulkier after lifiting weights because it pushes out the fat or turns that into muscle. Is that true?

A: Good question. Fat turning into muscle is a complete myth. Since they're two different types of tissues, one can never turn into another. However, you can drop fat and build muscle at the same time.
Did you know that lean muscle takes up about half as much space as fat? Just by building muscle you will feel and look smaller (just think of ballet dancers - they're pure muscle!).

You might feel a bit bulky right after a strength workout because fluids (blood, nutrients) rush into the muscle for repair. Don't worry, it's only temporary and within a few hours you'll feel lean again. If you're still hesitant, go to the supermarket and pick up a pound of lean chicken and compare that to a pound of butter. Which package is bigger?

Remember, a pound of muscle burns about 4 times as many calories daily as fat (about 15), whereas fat only burns about 3. Your goal is to build muscle, so you can increase your metabolism, burn excess body fat, tighten up your body, lift the saggy spots, and feel strong. Imagine gaining 5 pounds - that's a total of half a pound of fat burned in a month!

Lastly, if you try to lose weight without strength training, you'll lose muscle and eventually gain back the weight faster than you can eat a twinkie!

Playtime.

Good morning girls and boys.


The weekend whizzed by, once again... but thankfully I'm still on holidays so Mondayitis hasn't kicked in. Phew.

We started the weekend with a trip to the markets, some chatting with horses and finished with pizza in the late afternoon on Sunday at Ga's house. Lacey has taken to calling my Ma Ga {as in grandma}. We think Ma is the new Lady Ga Ga.

*Oh, darn it. I just realised that the date didn't go in there. It's meant to say 16th. Oh well.

Here is my contribution to Point + Shoot. I managed to sort out Lacey's toys, finally. I have no idea how she managed to accumulate so many toys in her short little life. I feel like we have some order now... or until she decides to act like a whirlwind and throw them about, everywhere. I can't wait until I can yell: Clean up your room, and don't come out until it's done!

How was your weekend, my friend?

Within.

this is part of a communal sharing of inspiration and beauty called sunday citar.

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