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Caramelised onion, kale & goats cheese salad

Ingredients

1 big bunch of kale, rinsed, dried and torn in to pieces

1 onion, peeled, finely sliced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 green apple, cut into thin matchsticks.

1 sweet potato, peeled, diced

150g goats cheese

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200C.
  2. Place sweet potato on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over and toss to combine. Pop in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden and tender.
  3. Toss the kale with 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside for 20 minutes. Rinse the kale and squeeze dry.
  4. Meanwhile, throw the onion into a frypan over medium-low heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Cook for about 20 minutes or until onions are golden and soft. Stir through balsamic vinegar and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir regularly and reduce heat if necessary.
  5. Assemble the salad by combining in a bowl the kale, caramelized onion, apple and sweet potato and toss gently. Crumble goats cheese over the top.
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Dinner: Sesame salmon, broccolini and asparagus stirfry

Ingredients (to serve 4)

2cm piece ginger, peeled, grated

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 cup sugar-free soy sauce or tamari

4 skinless salmon fillets, cut into 2cm cubes

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

3 spring onions, sliced

2 brunches broccolini, cut into 3cm lengths

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 3cm lengths

1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds

Steamed brown rice or soba (100% buckwheat) noodles to serve (optional) 

Method

1) Combine ginger, sesame and soy sauce or tamari in a bowl. Add the salmon and toss to coat, then leave to marinate for about 5 minutes.

2) Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a wok over high heat. Remove salmon from marinade with a slotted spoon, reserving marinade. Add the salmon and cook for a few minutes, or until just cooked. Remove salmon from the wok and set aside on a plate covered with foil.

3) Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the wok. Throw in spring onions, broccolini, asparagus, rice wine and reserved marinade. Stifry for a further 3-4 minutes.

4) Return salmon to the wok and add sesame seeds, stirring to warm through.

5) Serve with steamed brown rice or soba noodles if you like.

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Why body composition is more important than body weight

I recently trained a client who had only been with New Image for three weeks. At the conclusion of the session, she asked me for a few check measurements. We normally hold off measuring until 10 weeks when we complete full reassessments, as I find measurements after just a few weeks can sometimes be disheartening. Usually at this point people are feeling awesome but these changes won’t necessarily translate to a reduction on the scales or lower tape measurements. Nonetheless it’s also important to me that clients get what they want so I was happy to do a quick check-in.

When this particular client first came to New Image, her goal was a little different to the most common goal we see, which is, you guessed it, WEIGHT LOSS. She really wanted to increase her flexibility and, after performing a sit and reach test, she confirmed this was definitely the main objective of her training.

So at that Week 3 mark we remeasured three factors to gauge her progress:

1.    Sit and reach: hamstring flexibility

2.    Waist circumference

3.    Body weight

Here are the results after three weeks of just one PT session per week, plus extra programmed cardio and flexibility at New Image:

•   Sit and reach test improved by 7 centimetres

•   Waist circumference decreased by 2 centimetres

•   Body weight increased by 400 grams…….WHAT???

 

If I said this a FANTASTIC result, would you agree? I hope so!

 

It is very clear this client has progressed towards her flexibility goal. What’s even more exciting for me as her trainer is that her BODY COMPOSITION has changed. We have all heard countless times that muscle weighs more than fat, but I find that this really doesn’t sink in with people and they can feel really frustrated when, after a few weeks of training, their measurements have reduced but they have maintained or even had a little increase in weight.

One of the many benefits of increasing muscle size, or cell density, is that you are giving your body a chance to burn more fuel or increase your metabolism.

Initial weight gain may be common when you build muscle but as you keep training, the composition of muscle to fat changes. Your lean body mass increases and changes such as my client’s reduced waist circumference occur. Other benefits of muscle growth include:

•   increased strength

•   balance

•   energy

•   endurance

•   looking and feeling better in clothes.

I can’t wait until the 10 week assessment with this client. She has demonstrated that by completing one PT session a week and attending New Image for extra cardio sessions followed by a stretch routine, significant inroads to achieving your goals can be made. She is also proof that you need to be really specific with your goals if you want to knock them over.

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