Chicken Recipe. Muffin Mission

Today I bring you another chicken recipe... a very easy one that is so quick and of course tasty!

Tangy Grilled Chicken...

Mix together 4T tomato sauce, 1T worcestershire sauce, 2T white wine vinegar, 2T brown sugar and a bit of ground black pepper in a plastic container.

Put some slices (not all the way through) your chicken breasts and leave to marinade for about 10 - 20 minutes.  Place chicken on a sheet of baking paper and grill or bake until cooked. 

Simple! 

Tangy Grilled Chicken

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Lucy supervising the cook

This week we got Lucy a Bumbo seat which is fantastic! She loves being upright and seeing what is going on so its been a great help when I'm preparing meals or baking. Speaking of which, I am on a Muffin Mission. 

I love baking muffins...probably because they are so damn easy and quick.  I reckon it only takes me about 25 minutes from selecting a recipe to having them out of the oven and cooling down.  Each week I make a batch and pop them in the freezer, so then Matt and Lincoln can have one in their lunch boxes each day.  We have a ban on store purchased cakes, biscuits etc so I need to make sure we have a constant supply going - and thats why I post them so often. 

Champion Cheese Muffins

My favourite muffin books are 1. 'Marvellous Muffins' and 2. 'More Marvellous Muffins' by Alison Holst.  Yesterday I decided that I am going to make every muffin in the first (mentioned) book...from start to finish.  Kind of Julie and Julia style (the movie) but I wont be making them every day. Some do sound a little weird when you look at the ingredients, so in that case I may be making a half batch. Hopefully the boys dont get sick of muffins!  I'll also be sending fruit loaves and bikkies out of the kitchen and already have a bikkie recipe all set for tomorrow.

I, of course, wont be eating any!  I find cooking very therapeutic and so am happy to simply bake away.

Training is all set for tomorrow with my bikini countdown. Today I did a fantastic CrossFit session using the resistance bags, boxes and medicine balls.   There were lots of lunges, burpees, ball slams, wall balls, burpees, cleans and squats and even more burpees during the session which was interval based. By the end of it I didnt think my legs were going to make it down the gym stairs. I'm looking forward to putting myself through more of these sessions as well as dishing them out to my clients!

Sharing my Goal

Over the past couple of weeks I have been playing with the notion of entering the 'bikini class' of the next Bodybuilding competition here in Hamilton on Oct 9th.

I am happy with the progress I have made so far, but feel that I need to be even more specific with my training and eating.  My initial thoughts were to stay away from the stage until 2011 but I've been to-ing and fro-ing with the idea and have decided to do it...as long as I am looking sharp enough come the week before the comp.

Pro-Bikini.  Photo from www.muscleimaging.com

The bikini class has received a bit of stick on the bodybuilding forums with comments to the likes of girls that step off the beach could enter it, and that its a 'lazy girls' class due to the fact that the judges dont want to see a body thats too lean. However, I know I train hard; both with my weights and cardio!!  I saw the pro-girls from overseas compete in NZ earlier this year and they looked amazing.  I dont think I'll look much like them, but I know I'll be able to stand on stage knowing I have done my best - 5 1/2 months after Lucys arrival.  This show will be about competing against myself - seeing what I can accomplish,and being proud of it!

Sooo, I have a bit of a challenge ahead of me!  I have ordered my bikini today and each week I will be stocking up on the essentials: eggs, chicken, steak, salmon and plenty of veges. Weight training will be changing next week from my 5x5 programme to something else a tad more evil and cardio will be morning sprint work + walks to the gym and longer walks home.

Todays muffins...smelt so good!

I'll keep regular updates + my usual bits n bobs about what else is going on; like todays baking of Sweet n Spicy Pumpkin Muffins (not for me!).

Birthday - survival!

Ahhhh, finally the 10th birthday celebration is behind us! The last week has been a build up of party prep: organising games and collecting costumes, then as soon as Friday hit it was food shopping, baking and blowing up a multitude of balloons for the party.  My day started at 5.15 with a good blast of cardio, but I  shortened gym workout as I had so much to do.  By the time I got to bed Friday night it was 11.30, I was exhausted but well satisfied that the party would be a success...which it proved to be!

8 kids took over the house on Saturday, and they all played well together with Jedi Light Saber training, a treasure hunt, the Chocolate game (hilarious!), and general running amok before chilling out to the DVD Return of the Jedi. I nearly ran out of food as the kids devoured everything I prepared, but some quick thinking had them filled up.  Food included Wookie Cookies, Darth Maul  Saber Dogs, Yoda Soda, Padawan Pizza + the Star Wars Cake.

I did have some 'party food', I got so busy I didnt have time to prep my normal lunch, which left me with a swollen sore tum and a good reminder that I prefer to eat my 'clean' food.  In hindsight I should have just had a protein shake to get me through.

The face says it all!

Lincoln was very lucky to receive some fantastic presents.  A light saber, Star Wars Guess Who, Star Wars magazines, RC car, X-Box DJ Hero, boxed set of Star Wars Books and  a Lego set that had been top of his list. 

Sunday morning we still had a couple of Jedis to get home, then it was a bit of house work before some much needed rest with my feet up.  No more parties for a while now, thank goodness.

Rock on Monday - back into training, eating well, and more rest!

My Food, Their Food

One comment I get quite often from clients is that they dont want to cook separate meals for themselves and their family.

Pork chops, roast spud & steamed vege for Matt. 
Steamed vege & grilled chicken for me!

This is one thing I do quite often, and I dont find a problem with it. My 'boys' will eat a bit of what I do, but its no prob for me to add a few extra veges and maybe change the meat portion.  I'm happy to make a big batch of mince/tomato/mushroom/herbs which can be frozen into containers then used for nachos, spag bol, or even lasagne. Their Sunday chicken roast spreads out to chicken sammies for lunch the next day and either a rice risotto or chicken fried rice for dinner.  Or sometimes I even make a bit extra and freeze a meal so there are a couple of options for them if I dont even feel like cooking.

I tend to be a 'same-same' eater: I'm happy to eat the same thing day in, day out.  If I want to drop a bit if weight, I dont expect my family members to eat the same as me, just as I dont want to eat the same as they do.   Its all about being a bit more prepared, and seriously, it takes no extra work!

Oaty Lemon Slice...for the boys of course!

Baking this weekend was Oaty Lemon Slice which smells very good...but as usual I havent tried any!  Matt gives it the big thumbs up but Lincoln isnt so keen. Linc gets to choose whatever goes this weekend for his birthday and I think my legendary choc chip cookies are on order.

The weekend also had some exercise: sprints on Saturday followed by an extremely evil ab session that has left me barely able to laugh.  Today I was a bit tired so stuck to a challenging 15 minute routine, as not to wear me out.

Matt took his new surfboard out on both days to catch a few waves..but only once he got Lucy to pose on it!   I sense a 'surfer chick' could be on the cards for the future!

Lucy: future surfer!

Zombie. Birthday disappointment.

Day 4

No cardio today.  Lucy decided to wake at 1am this morning. After being so successful with sleeping through the night this came as a total shock to my system! The thought of rising 4 hours later to run wasn't very appealing, so I decided to sleep in (if you consider 7am a sleep in) The upset sleep left me feeling quite zombied for the rest of the day.  My toes are feeling much better though and are probably enjoying the rest!

Not so for the rest of my bod though with another good gym workout.  Bent over rows, bench presses, deadlifts and lunges.  Right now I dont think there is one muscle that isnt feeling the wrath of the dumbbell!

Lincoln was feeling much better this morning after he ate his breakfast...he had been up in the night and had a bit of a vomit.  I gave him the option of staying home but he decided to go to school.  He was put in a great mood by winning a radio competition; he won some 'Weebles'; those funny little egg shaped toys that "wobble but they don't fall down".  He's a bit old for them so they have gone into storage for Lucy. He also came home with the 'Star of the Week' certificate from his teacher so he was in one hell of a great mood - until I had to share some very disappointing new with him.

His 10th birthday is next weekend and for the last few months we've been planning how to celebrate his 'double digits'.  As he is a HUGE fan of Star Wars, he decided to theme it and also take the kids from the party out for a few games of LaserStrike as we thought it suited the theme.  We were booked in, however today we were called to be informed that LaserStrike would be closing for 3 weeks for renovations...which meant we couldnt use the facility.  BUGGER!!!  Lincoln's eyes filled up with tears when I told him as he had his heart set on it.  So we are to have the party then round all the kids up again in September for the games.  Now I'm on the search for more things for the kids to do at our place...any ideas are welcome!

How Old? Cold Mornings & Sunshine

DAY 3. 

40 mins, 5.52km, 387cals

Last night we had to laugh at ourselves. Matt is a bit of a wino (connoisseur; not the drunken type) and has been trying to source some good 20 year old wine for our 40th birthdays, in a few years.  I was telling him how I got a compliment yesterday and the person asked me how old I was, to which I replied "37".  Well this sent Matt into a hell of a tail spin... as he realised that he has been searching out the wrong vintage (we are the same age) as he had been looking for wines that were drinkable in 2013, and will have to get back to the wine books to find something for 2012.  After about 30 minutes of discussing the issue, he realised that we are in fact 36...so I've been telling people all year that I'm older than I am, woops, sorry!  This of course makes me realise how daft we are; I forget something, and Matt just goes along with me.

Cardio this morning had to change.  All is well, but I have damaged tootsies.  My left pinky toe has a split under it (ow) and my right pinky toe has a blister underneath it.  Boo hoo, my poor feet. All this running has made them suffer.  Tomorrow I'll have to wrap them up in thicker socks (am eyeing up some of hubby's) to provide more cushioning.  My legs were very tight this morning, so I was not able to do my sprints.  So instead I did a run/walk with my run at 11 and my walk at 6... and increased the time to 40 minutes instead of a half hour.  Lots of calories gone, yay!

Chilly Morning

Then as it was such a lovely day (though rather nippy) I wrapped Miss Lucy up all snuggly buggly for a walk to the gym.  By the time we got home after a quick stop at the post office and supermarket the day was gorgeous and warm...perfect for some time outside.  I love these cool mornings; its a great reminder that spring is nearly here which is my favourite season.

Warm Afternoon

Poor Linc took a turn for the worst this evening.  He is feeling a bit ill so has gone to bed early with a bowl and a bottle of water.  I hope he feels better by the morning. He has a good track record of only having 3 sick days off school.

Pain in the Butt & Body Fat

DAY 2.

Another successful start at 5am this morning - woop woop!!  Onto the dreadmill with my cup of strong "mmmmmm" moccona which gets planted on the windowsill for sips on my walks inbetween the sprints.  Today I sped up and moved my legs at 13.5km with my walks at 6. 

30 minutes, 4.64km, 323 cals according to my York Z16 Machine.

Shower, breakkie of yummy oats, pineapple, protein + a dash of flax then it was mum time.  Organise Linc for school, get Lucy ready and off to the gymmy gym we go.

So today was 'cardio' day in my schedule.  Usually I'll alternate between cycling and running (10 min/10min) then redo it getting 40 mins in, but today decided to do a 600 rep challenge.  First I warmed up doing a light run for 10 mins then found a free spot in the ab area to get cracking.  I had 10 exercises and had to complete 60 reps of each.  Without giving too much away, included in the plan were pressups, tricep dips, jumping lunges and (the evil) burpees.  OMG.  Ow ow ow.  My legs were nearly buckling beneath me, and my triceps were screaming for me to stop.  The breaks I had were just long enough to catch my breath, shake out the pain, maybe say a curse word under my breath before I kept going.  The squats I did yesterday made themselves known as I completed deep lunges that have made my glute muscles extremely sore.  My walk is now rather amusing, so goodness knows how I'll look tomorrow.  Zimmer frame?

Body Fat...yes the calipers measured me up today and I am proud to announce that I have lost 2.18% in 2 weeks which when converted means 1.58kg.  Goodbye fat!  How did I do it...through eating clean, working hard, and being dedicated to my plan!

Coconut Chocolate Brownie

Not by eating bad food, like brownie: which I baked today for Matt & Lincoln.  I had a girlfriend call in just as it had been taken out of the oven who said the house smelt looovely, and asked how I don't eat it.  To me its easy. I just 'switch off' the desire to eat the foods that arent on my plan.  She reckons she still needs to find that switch; and I reckon we all have one.  You just need to want something enough that nothing will stop you.  With all the baking I do, when I have my 'switch off' I dont taste the goods, not a lick of a spoon,  not a crumb!

Early Rising

Today was my new 'DAY 1'. 

Day 1 of my new food plan and Day 1 of my new cardio.  As I'm returning to work next week my usual time when I would be doing cardio will no longer be available, so today I had planned to be  up bright 'n early at 5.30am to hit the treadmill.  Bright probably isnt the right word considering its still dark with stars sparkling in the sky.

It's not too hard for me to get into the early start as Matt wakes at 5.30 before heading out the door at 6am, so I just need to get up when he does.  Also, over the last week Lucy has been sleeping till 7 or 7.30 so I knew I had plenty of time to get my running in before I was on mother duty.

Lucy did have other plans today though as she woke at 5am!  Never mind, she consumed 150mls of milk, was put in a clean nappy, rewrapped and tucked back into bed in about 8 minutes flat.  I was straight to a strong half cup of coffee as I got into my running gear. 

A quick warm up then it was time to speed up to intervals.  1 min fast, 1 min walk.  Fast was speed 13, the walk was 6. Tomorrow I need to do 13.5  Its incredible how my fitness has returned.  I clearly remember my first run a couple of weeks after Lucys arrival (so about 12 weeks ago now) and 8.5 was a struggle. 

By the time Lincoln was downstairs for breakfast at 7am I was showered, had eaten, was ready for the gym, and also ready for Lucy to wake.  She decided to sleep in till 8.30 - what a life!

Weight training went exceptionally well.  Im on my 3rd week of my programme which increases my weights each week and feel like I should be putting them up more than the programme prescribes now.  Seeing my strength improve so quicky gives a great feeling of accomplishment.  I was hoping to get my body stats done today but my checker-upper was busy, so hopefully we can do that tomorrow. My weight hasnt changed...hence the diet change, but hopefully my fat has dropped a smidge.

Tomorrow is 'long cardio' day. I still intend on doing intevals first thing, and will be trialing a new cardio based body resistance programme; 10 exercises, 600 reps.  Thats gotta be good!

Bikini Sunday

Lucy at 14 weeks

Lucy is 14 weeks old today: but it feels like she has been with us a lot longer than that.  I decided to try on one of my bikinis today and get Matt to take a photo so I can get a good grasp of how I'm looking.  I'm pretty happy with my progress so far!  Theres still a bit to go, but I am very confident that my food plan and training programme will give me the results I want.  The tan we tested last night is pretty bronze...so next week we'll try a lighter shade. 

Todays training was cardio for only half an hour. 

Cycle:  random, level 9 with sprints and hills
Row: 100m fast as possible, 100m slow. Up to 1000m
Cycle: random, level 9 with sprints and hills
Row: 100m fast as possible, 100m slow.  Up to 1000m

My glutes are still feeing the lunges which is great: and could feel it more so with my hills on the bike.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to increasing all my weights in my programme and some HITT cardio.  Woop! 

Golden Girl. More biscuits.

Wet wet day today. My glutes are feeling yesterdays workout: especially when I'm heading upstairs to the kids rooms.   I'm also a golden girl at the moment.  We are currently testing a different spray tan each week so as I type my blog my skin is darkening... Matt reckons I look like an indian girl!  It'll be interesting to see how I look once the full colour has developed.  This one is a 'rapid' developer, which means I can shower it off in 2 hours...much better than the usualy 4-5 hour developing time. 

No training today.  When I do train, I like to get it over and done with in the morning, but today Matt was out surfing so I was on parent duty. The option of an afternoon train was also out as I was catching up with clients...who I am more than impressed with due to their great progress.  Mrs LD has abs starting to appear and Miss JP is also trimming down nicely.  I feel so proud of them and look forward to see their results at each check up.  The waves arent favourable tomorrow so I'm planning on getting a good session in. 

Today I took Linc out for the search for a Star Wars costume for his 10th birthday, which proved to be quite the mission.  There isnt a great range available for kids (good idea for a business right there) but we finally found something at the 4th store. On our travels I did find a Princess Leia costume which comes complete with the famous side buns.  2 weeks to go and the party is on!
I'm still to sort out party games and am keen for suggestions! 

Lucy & Lily-Rose

Oaty Peanut Choc Chip Cookie

The bikkie tin is low again so another restock was due.

Todays baking 'oaty peanut choc chip cookies'.  I ate 2.  Naughty!!
While the bikkies were under way I cooked up a devine lasagne (well the boys tell me it was).  I was good and stuck to my grilled chicken and steam veges.

Next baking...Choc Peppermint Slice.

Friday, Lunges & Love

Friday...the last day of weights for the week & another tough session completed!

Bent Over Rows, Incline Bench Presses, Deadlifts, and finally... Lunges. Ahhh, the feeling of your glutes working as you lower down then power through the front foot to propell yourself off the gym floor. I always used to say my butt was like a pancake: round but flat. Lunges therefore, are one of my favourite exercises as I can definitely see the changes they have made as I now have a booty! I just have to keep lunging to make sure it doesn't start to sag. Tomorrow I may have to endure the slow hover down to the toilet seat but it'll be worth it!

 Cardio today was walking. Instead of loading Miss Lucy in the car I wrapped her up all snuggly & warm on this chilly foggy morning, popped her in the stroller and marched into town...gym bag placed in the small compartment under the stroller seat and Lucy's cutsy pie Pumpkin Patch backpack slung on my back. Its only a 25 minute walk to town and it was rather nice: something I now plan to do more often as long as we are ready on time and it's not raining. After our workout (well, Lucy's socialising in creche), it was another 25 minute march to Plunket where Lucy had her 12 week check up. She is doing very well and is weighing in at 6.75kg with a height of 60cm. After plunket, we were off home (another 20 min walk) to catch up with a great friend and her son (as we do each friday) who is 8 weeks older than Lucy. These catch ups are great as I get to see what Lucy will be doing soon since shes not far behind.

 The afternoon brought great news with Lincoln getting the Hattam Values Award at school for Individuality. He has a freind over tonight so they are keeping each other amused; much to the amusement of Matt and I. They have asked what time their 'curfew' is, and it was a surprise to them to hear that they don't have one as they are already home. We'll negotiate the bedtime later.

Matt & I on our wedding day. April 11 2009
Photo by one2onephotography

Another great end to the week was Matt giving me a beautiful card with some very loving words on being a wonderful wife & mother, along with a gift voucher to one of my favourite stores and a bottle of champagne. It was the sweetest thing....life is great!

Chicken Licken

Quite often I get asked "don't you ever get sick of chicken?" The answer is quite simply ''no''. There is so much you can do with chicken and today I'm sharing one of my favourite recipes. I have lots of recipes so I'll try to share more on here, or if you contact me and ask me nicely, I'll send you them all in a nice PDF file.

Warren Klein

I am very fortunate to be sponsored by Warren and Deb who own Dinsdale Poultry & Seafood. Their store supplies quite a lot of the Hamilton restaurants and their stock is extremely fresh and also better value than the supermarket.

They are currently expanding to incorporate a butchery in store in about 6 weeks, with a great new name, which I can't share just yet because of branding.

In store there is a great selection of chicken products, today I found Warren preparing Cream Cheese & Apricot stuffed chicken (yum!), and they also stock pig happy (free range) pork & bacon.




Paprika Baked Chicken...

1/4 cup flour 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp curry powder 2 tsp garlic salt.

Mix all together. Place chicken on a baking sheet.

Using a seive, shake the mixture onto chicken. Bake at 180c till cooked. Serve.

I usually make a large batch of the mix and keep it stored in an airtight container. Too easy!

Paprika Baked Chicken

Watch out for the enemy

Miss Lucy today

It's raining...and I think I'm one of the only people that likes it! The days are warmer because of it, and I have the luxury of not needing to be anywhere so I can stay mooched up at home with Miss Lucy. Lincoln doesnt seem to mind it either; he loves the sound of the rain on the roof when he goes to bed, and as he is sleeping upstairs gets a good dosing of it on the thin roof.

Linc off to school

I do feel a tad sorry for him as he has to bike to school in the rain. He tells me its okay and that I need not worry...such a great kid! So off he goes each morning, on his bike (which he won in a Paddle Pop competition!, dressed in wet weather gear, and the compulsory green fluro bag cover. We say our 'good-byes', wish each other a great day, and I finish with "watch out for the enemy". The enemy is of course, cars. He knows to make sure that they see him before crossing any roads, but it's still scary as hell every morning sending him off. One thing about being home on a wet day is that I can have a nice warm bath ready for Lincoln when he gets home...from soaking wet to soaking in the tub!

Burning calories

Today I blasted my 500 calories that I had pledged to do.

This was done by:

10 min run at speed 11 = 130 cals
10 min bike, random, level 9 with hills & sprints = 95 cals
10 min run at speed 11 = 130 cals
15 min bike, random, level 9 with hills & sprints = 126 cals
10 min run at speed 10 = 120 cals

Which actually adds up to 601...just thought I may as well go for an extra hundy!


The rest of the day was well spent.  Contacting clients, prepping work, a snippit of study, marking down clothes for a huge sale coming up soon, and planning dinner. Tonight the boys are having sweet n sour pork and I'll be having grilled chicken & greens...yum!

Flat. Biscuit. Birthday. Surprise

FLAT Today I started off all good, then felt flat by the time I got to the gym.  My gym journey didnt get off to the greatest start.  I was in the car, all set to go then realised I had left my protein shake & apple inside.  Rush in, collect, back to car.  Then I realised I had no towel: Rush in, collect, back to car.  Then just as I get to the end of the street, remembered my programme was on the kitchen table. Grrrrr, drive back, rush in, collect - get to the gym!

Being late in starting my programme was annoying, and made me feel a bit flat.  I did a good hard training session: wide grip chins, tricep dips, hammy curls, squats, shrugs and weighted crunches. I had 25 minutes left and should have done some cardio to follow it but my flat mood meant I pressed the STOP button after 5 minutes. 

Tomorrow I pledge to burn off 500 calories to help make up for it!

                                                                            BISCUIT

Ginger & Raisin Biscuits

The boys have demolished the Lemon Slice made for them on Sunday so it is time to refill the bikkie tin. Today I made Ginger and Raisin Biscuits.  I've never made them before, but they sure smelt good and look appetising enough.  Of course I wont have one, not even a wee teeny tiny crumb... and I didn't even taste the dough!  Hopefully they pass with a seal of approval which should mean that another batch of home-made goodness will be due about Friday.  I usually only make a half batch of a recipe; so there's not too much to eat, and its gone before it starts to deteriorate.
Lincoln gives them a 'YUM!' but I feel he was a tad disappointed to discover what looked like chocolate chips were actually raisins.

BIRTHDAY

Lincolns 10th Birthday

Lincolns' 10th birthday is coming up (21 Aug), so we have a Star Wars party planned for him. My brother Kane has done up the invites which are great with Lincolns face appearing as Luke Skywalker. Linc is a fan of Star Wars Lego and has presented us with a list of about 8 lego sets...damn those things are expensive!   I'm planning on making Wookie Cookies, Yoda Soda and Darth Maul Dogs.  Fancy dress is also an option so we'll be sorting out costumes soon: Linc wants to dress up as Darth Vader, I may dress up as Princess Amidala and maybe even dress Lucy up as a Ewok!

SURPRISE
A couple of weeks ago I went for a screen test for a TV commercial. Generally when you go for an audition, the rule is if you don't hear back within 3 days you haven't got the job. 
So a week had gone by and I had told Matt that they must be seeing other potential people. But then, in the midst of my baking I got a call telling me I got the role!  This is very exciting!!  We'll be filming in a few weeks once the final locations and my scripts are sorted...so you'll get to see me on the tele!  I'm not going to say what it's for,  but will share the news once I know when we are going to air!

Body and Brain Workout

Monday - the first workout of the week and what a hard one it was!   All my weights had to go up as per the programme directions...most of which wasnt too bad but the shoulder work was nasty! 

Cardio afterwards was my 3rd Treadmill Challenge which was exactly that; an uphill all the way routine.  I hadn't done any cardio since Thursday and my body screamed to remind me. My lungs were gasping for oxygen, and the red 'STOP' button was a constant temptation and perspiration was giving me a lovely sheen all over.  I did have to adjust my speed (down to 9 from 9.5) in my last 10 minutes but I still did myself proud and burnt through 317cals in 25 minutes.

Brain Food

Home to a nice lunch of chicken, kumara, greens and a splash of flax oil.  Then while Lucy slept it was time to give the brain a work out with some study.  I'm studying Sports Nutrition at the mo...just another thing to add to my plate!

Just when I feel like dozing off for a snooze, Lucy is up, Lincoln is home from school and its all on again.  Such is life - but I wouldn't have it any other way!

July turns to August

First of August today...this year is flying by fast.  My son will be 10 in 20 days!

Yesterday I headed to the NABBA Waikato Bodybuilding Champs.  I had been looking forward to going as I hadnt been to a show in some time, and it was a great opportunity to see some familiar faces in the audience, support people that were competing and I was also there representing NZ Body who was a sponsor.

Sue at right in purple

The show was fantastic and showed a huge array of toned, tight, well trained physiques. Novice Figure Tall had 9 in the line up, which would have given the judges a tough job. The Open Figure class was won by Sue Bettridge who I hadnt seen compete before...and whose ultra lean body was very impressive.  I loved her bikini too!

More pics of the show are at GoFigure

Linc: front double bicep pose

I had Linc & Luc with me at judging and Linc got into it, by following the posing then having a go himself on stage during intermission. Lucy was quite happy just relaxing in my arms. Linc loves performing (he recently won 4 classes of speech and drama at the Hamilton Competitions) and is very keen to be world famous actor after appearing with 'Harry' in Shortland St and being 'Timothy' in 2 Westpac commercials.

Westpac: carbon footprint.    Westpac: Hey Dad

The night wound up late - well past my usual bedtime and Sunday left me pretty buggered so I've given myself the day off the gym so I can spend it with the family and do some food prep for the next few days which includes making a batch of Muesli for Matt and some Lemon Slice for the lunchboxes (not mine of course).  Tonight is 'roast chicken' night, which is always the sunday thing. I still havent had my 'cheat meal' for the week (though I did have to opt for a protein bar at the show yesterday - which was horrible and a good reminder as to why I never eat them) and the thought of a yummy roast doesnt even appeal.  I think I'll stick to my usual clean dinner!

Lemon Slice

I've been making muesli for Matt all year and I have banned store purchased  biscuits/cakes/muffins etc from the house as I prefer to know what goes into my family mouths.  This started from Matts love of Christmas Fruit Mince Pies that had a expiry date that could last through a couple of Christmas'.  What the hell is in them!? The same goes for the Tim Tams, Choccy Chips and Mint Slices that used to be a regular feature in the pantry.  The ban means I have to bake once or twice a week but I love it, and enjoy the fact that my boys are eating more natural ingredients instead of a whole list of numbers that represent preservatives, flavours, enhancers, colours etc.

  

Home Made Muesli