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Tonight’s quick dinner: Chicken Lettuce Cups

Mid-week dinners need to be on the table quickly, budget friendly, and hit the spot for everyone in the family. But weeknight convenience doesn’t have to mean ripping open a packet or calling in takeaway.

Today’s Chicken Lettuce Cups are a cleaned up version of a takeaway favourite that you can throw together in less than 10 minutes and will keep everyone happy. Add some steamed Asian veg and you’ve got a nutrient packed dinner.

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 spring onions, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 3cm piece ginger, peeled, grated
  • 500g free range chicken mince
  • 1 tablespoon chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
  • 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon honey
  • 1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
  • 1 head butter lettuce, washed and separated into leaves
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • 1 avocado, sliced thickly
  • 1 handful of almonds or cashews, roughly chopped

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Method

  1. Heat oil in a nonstick frypan or wok over medium-high heat.
  2. Add spring onions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about a minute or until fragrant.
  3. Add the chicken mince and cook brown all over. You will have to keep stirring and breaking the mince up with a spoon as it cooks.
  4. Add the dry sherry to deglaze the pan. Then add tamari, rice wine vinegar, honey and water chestnuts and stir-fry until heated through.
  5. Assemble lettuce cups by spooning chicken mixture into a lettuce leaf and topping with chopped almonds. Serve with lime wedges and avocado. This is a great one to get kids to assemble themselves!

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4 ways I KISS to get results

Clients tell me all the time that their schedules are bursting at the seams, and they feel completely overwhelmed by the constant decision-making of daily life. A surplus of information and options is stressing us out, and for most of us our health becomes the collateral damage of a complicated life.

I recently gave a presentation and was unhappy with my performance. I felt like I had jumped from one thing to another, rambling on with too much content. There’s nothing like public speaking to expose what’s not working for you in life!

I was chatting to a trusted mentor of mine about what went wrong. As usual, he provided me with the best advice.

He “simply” said to me “Keep it Simple Stupid”.

This advice is etched in my mind for the next public speaking opportunity, but why can’t we apply this strategy to our lives in general?

It’s been proven that wasting decision making skills on the small stuff depletes your willpower budget (more on this in this post). Over complicating things also provides the perfect environment for procrastination to flourish. It’s hard to just get started when you don’t know where to begin.

After this chat, I realised that in the areas where I KISS, I’m seeing results.  Here’s how keeping things simple has made a big impact with my discipline, health and productivity at work.

1. I always eat the same breakfast, lunch and snacks

I’m completely on autopilot when it comes to what I eat. This has taken time, but in general I’m down to a pretty good routine and know exactly what I will be eating for the majority of my daily meals and snacks. Preparation and having healthy options at hand is one of the biggest diet challenges for most of us. I find that having a pretty strict routine helps overcome this.

I try to always pack my lunch the night before too, as I’ve learnt that waiting until your ravenous at lunchtime is the worst possible time to decide what you’re going to eat. How many of us come unstuck on this one? My lunch is really, really simple. It contains two cans of tuna, baby spinach, tomatoes and a roasted sweet potato. I tip it into a bowl and pop it in the l microwave (much to my teammates’ disgust).

2. I always wear the same outfit to work

Yes, I wear a uniform, so this one’s pretty obvious for me. It is a weight off my shoulders to know that, most days of the week, I don’t have to make any decisions about what I wear. This leaves my decision-making power free to agonise over more important things.

What’s stopping you from implementing a uniform of sorts to your daily wardrobe? Think of Steve Jobs and Obama: simplicity in everyday choices like what we wear is an important part of keeping that willpower muscle strong well into the day.

3. Plan your day the night before

Rolling into work knowing the plan for the day is very reassuring, and I find I am far more productive even during periods of urgent interruptions when I’ve taken that five minutes the night before to nut out a prioritised to-do list. I’ve written about this here.

4. Exercise at the same time everyday

I have blocked an hour out of my diary everyday at 2pm for my own exercise. Yes, I work in a gym, so it’s easier for me to train than most, but I still have the same time pressures and commitments of everyone else. If I don’t book in a time, exercise can get squished out in a busy day.

If I could, I would always train first thing (5:30am) to ensure I start my day off with the number one activity that improves willpower: exercise!  Clients tell me that one of the best ways that they have committed to exercise is to make recurring bookings for their PT sessions – same day, same time, same place.

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Coconut and quinoa toasted muesli

The day I discovered that most mueslis aren’t actually very good for us was a sad one! Muesli is one of those so called “health” foods that has been telling us big fat lies.

Most commercial toasted mueslis are loaded with added sugar and cooked in unhealthy vegetable oils. It’s also hard to find a tasty one that’s gluten free, if that’s part of your approach.

But making your own healthy toasted muesli is actually really easy. Our coconut quinoa muesli makes a nutrient packed reason to get up in the morning and is also great on its own for an afternoon snack with plenty of protein and healthy fats. Paired with some greek yoghurt and berries for breakky it pretty much tastes like dessert.

Prepare a batch on the weekend and enjoy all week!

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Ingredients

2 cups quinoa flakes (you can also used rolled oats if you prefer and aren’t fussed about the gluten)

½ cup raw almonds

½ cup walnut kernels

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/3 cup shredded coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/3 cup sultanas or dried fruit of choice

Method

  1. Preheat the oven 120C fan forced.
  2. Pop quinoa flakes or oats, almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds in a food processor and whiz for a few seconds, long enough to chop the nuts and seeds roughly and get the pieces nice and evenly sized.
  3. Combine coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted.
  4. Tip quinoa and nut mixture into a bowl and add melted coconut oil mixture, shredded coconut and sesame seeds, stirring together to combine.
  5. Line a couple of oven trays with baking paper. Spread the mixture out on the tray in a very thin layer so that it cooks evenly. Pop in the oven and cook for about 1 hour or until muesli is golden.
  6. Remove trays from oven and leave out to cool. Toss with sultanas. Be sure to store muesli in an airtight container so you can enjoy it over the week.
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How Pilates revolutionised my training

I have been training for 20 years, but no other mode of training has made as big a difference to my fitness as Pilates. It has become a huge part of my training regime and has uplevelled every aspect of my fitness.

By now you should know that I’m passionate about changing that tired perspective that Pilates is just for the ladies. Yes, Pilates is extremely beneficial for women whose cores and pelvic floors have been weakened from carrying and delivering children.

My male clients have been gaining huge benefits from their Pilates sessions,  worthwhile gains that are relevant for all of us.

Pilates teaches us:

  • how to find muscles, isolate them and activate them
  • adjust your breathing technique
  • increase flexibility using advanced stretching exercises
  • get the best core workout and noticeable results.

What Pilates has done for me

I have seen a huge increase in my flexibility. Having more mobility and a greater range of movement has allowed me to load up my body for longer during my resistance sessions, and I’ve become stronger.

My back pain has disappeared. I used to get a fair bit of lower back pain, including a particularly debilitating week-long bout of back spasm last year. I can now get into positions and maintain positions that would have caused me pain in the past, particularly when stress and fatigue were thrown in the mix. Through Pilates, I have strengthened the entire core area by switching on those deep, stabilising core muscles. It is such a relief to be free of those familiar twinges (if you’ve ever had a muscle spasm in your lower back, you’ll know what I’m talking about!)

I’ve improved my posture. Coming from a football background and doing lots of weights throughout my life, I’ve always had a tendency to roll my shoulders forward and have tight pecs. Stretching and strengthening muscles that were previously not getting enough love has helped me stand straighter, and hopefully taller! We all know what a confidence booster strong, straight posture is, and it’s also key to remaining injury free.

I’ve improved my breathing technique and enhanced my ability to maintain breathing rhythm under fatigue, deliver oxygen to the muscles and release toxins. This has allowed me to really ramp up the intensity during cardio and interval training.

When I first started doing Pilates I found the breathing techniques quite awkward and I really had to concentrate. Some people get turned off Pilates in the early stages because of the concentration factor. My experience is that it’s so worth pushing through this. Working on my breathing has made a huge difference to my training, and the techniques are also coming far more naturally now as I understand them better.

I am learning how to be more mindful and in the moment. Pilates forces you to be present like no other form of training I’ve tried.  You have no choice but to to really think about whether you’re working the correct muscles and focus on engaging them. It’s a great way to escape other stressful thoughts and I find it quite meditative. This ability to be truly present is powerful and is something I’m working on in my life. I find pushing my boundaries in the gym to be a real training ground for a lot of life skills, and this is one way that I’m really improving.

Are you interested in trying Pilates?

Our small group Pilates sessions are a great place to start. Check out our timetable here. You will notice particularly accelerated gains in 1-on1 or double sessions. Give me a buzz on 8883-4031 or email me on sean@newimagept.com.au to chat about how Pilates can help you. 

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Lean & mean chilli con carne recipe

Around this time last year, my clients were begging me: please stop telling me to eat salads!

I get it.

Winter is time for comfort food that wraps you up in a big hug at the end of a shivery day. The problem is, it is exactly this comfort food that can get us into strife and take us into Spring with a couple of extra kilos on board.

That’s why this Winter we’re sharing delicious recipes that tick the comfort food box while sticking to our nutritional guidelines. In case you need reminding, these are:

  • Half of your meal should be veggies
  • The rest of the meal is shared between lean protein, an unprocessed carb and healthy fats
  • Stick to whole foods

Last week we shared a pretty excellent (if I do say so myself) recipe for easy-as lamb shanks. And today, we’re back with our comfort series to bring you chilli con carne.

This dish has been such a winner in our house. It is a deeply satisfying, one bowl wonder that packs up perfectly for lunch leftovers. And, like lasagna, it really is better the day after.

The red kidney beans will do as your carb so there’s no need to throw in a tortilla or rice. Sorry!

Chilli con carne recipe

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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 500g grass-fed beef mince
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed
  • 1 onion, peeled, diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 red capsicum, seeds removed and finely diced
  • 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
  • 500ml reduced sodium beef stock
  • 1 small tub of tomato paste (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 x 400g can of red kidney beans
  • 1/2 punnet of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 avocado
  • Juice of 1 lime

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Method

  1. Heat olive oil in a casserole dish or large frypan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until softened.
  2. Add capsicum, garlic and spices and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
  3. Tip in the beef mince and brown, tossing and breaking the mince up with a spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes or until evenly cooked.
  4. Add the stock, canned tomatoes and tomato puree and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, pop the lid on and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. Check on it every now and then to ensure it’s not sticking to the pan or drying out.
  5. Add the red kidney beans and simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid off.
  6. Throw in the cherry tomatoes and baby spinach leaves and stir to wilt the spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Mash the avocado with the lime juice for a very basic guac. Serve the chilli piping hot with a nice generous dollop of the avo mixture. Seriously hits the spot!

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