Monday, 6 May 2013

Contemplating ~ lifestyle change { $75 Giveaway }

*Giveaway

I have a healthy interest in eating food and nutrition. I am in awe of the rich butter & cream dishes, the succulent mains and desserts served up with a dose of snark on TV cooking shows.

I've never been big on diets though I do have days when I deprive myself and think twice about my food choices...KFC ? or $1.50 Smoked Salmon on crackers -  as I drive home from town.


I never give diet and exercise advice- unless I am really asked. There is enough constant and contradictory assvice without me adding to it.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer  I did make some lifestyle - well specifically diet - changes. Mainly to eat less red meat and to boost plant/fruit & vegetable foods.
yes, it was a little tart !

Possessing no willpower, when it comes to sticking to diets, I don't even bother. Fortunately, I exercise away my poor eating choices. 'Diet' for me is about embracing healthy attitudes to your body including the way you view food, weight and shape.

My Day on a Plate is a column written by Dr Joanna McMillan, a registered nutritionist with a PhD in nutritional science. I was offered an assessment of my food dairy and a phone consultation. Of course I picked a good day ...

Overall, Joanna was happy with what I plated up and my portions, and said what I'd chosen was fairly well balanced with protein across all meals. She liked my honesty about including the treats.


At heart, I’m not a killjoy health fanatic – far from it, I love eating and cooking. In fact I believe that having a good healthy relationship with food is just as important as eating nutritious foods.  Joanna McMillan

For breakfast she suggested adding berries (fresh or frozen) .The flaxseed was good !



Dr Joanna advised limiting Bacon and maybe make the 'plate' better by adding grilled tomato & mushrooms - ( this was a weekend treat, mostly I eat a sandwich or soup (winter) for lunch). 1/2 the plate should be plant foods.


Limiting protein to 1/4 of plate and boost plant foods 1/2.

The Pomegranate came from my brother's tree ...good choice but I need more fibre &to be careful with juices.


 I did well to make nutritious choices such as muesli, good-quality bread, brown rice (ideally 1/4 of plate when I do).

 I could improve a little more on -
  • more Salmon 
  • increase my nuts ~ carry essential, fat-soluble nutrients (I eat Brazil for Selenium but Almonds are good too)
  • Dark chocolate with higher antioxidants
  • eating dark grapes/cherries for Resveratrol.
  • breads with wholegrain flour - whole wheat or rye limited white flour.
  • using olive oil
  • boost plant foods - use chick peas and beans
With breast cancer and hormone related cancers there is a lot of debate about Soy products - I'm safer to continue avoiding them. Since I'm still recovering from treatment  - taking a Multivitamin and Omega 3 - keep them in the Fridge too
Lastly , Joanna said to keep on moving - I walk or jog every day to reduce my risk of weight gain especially since I have a hearty appetite for some snacks !



Joanna McMillan ...“Pineapples are the perfect fruit to use in recipes as they are incredibly good for you and can be used in so many ways, from curries to quinoa. One pineapple is enough for the whole family”

Dr McMillan, has been creating pineapple recipes with Australian Pineapples . My boys love pineapple and when I get a decent oven I am making the Pineapple Oat Muffins -


Visit Australian Pineapples  for more information and delicious recipes...

Honesty, I don't use fresh pineapple as much as I'd like to . I love the summery and tropical smell of it , my hubby just isn't a fan of adding to fruit to main meals unless it is pizza !!

 


The boys and I made these instead  ... Pine-o-Coco Popsicles

Serves 8
Ingredients

  • 4 cups chopped fresh
  • pineapple
  • 2/3 cup coconut milk
  • 4 ½ tbs lime juice
Method

  1. In a blender, puree all ingredients.
  2. Pour mixture into molds and freeze for an hour (until they get 'slushy').
  3. Insert sticks and freeze for 7 hours until firm.
To encourage you to incorporate healthy foods, like pineapple, in your trolley, I have a $75 Woolworths voucher to give away!

Answer the following question:

How you would incorporate pineapples into your diet e.g. a family favourite recipe , your favourite place to eat pineapple or a fun & creative way to eat pineapple !

1. Only Australian Residents are eligible to enter.
2. Entries not answering the question will be deemed invalid. The winner will be chosen by originality and creative merit, not by chance. Judges decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
3.There is one prize : 1 x $75 Woolworths Gift card


4. Entries - Open 6/5/2013 - Close 11.59pm 16/5/2013 AEST. The winner will be notified by email, and posted to mylittledrummerboys.blogspot.com.au - the winners have 7 days to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
5. Prizes are not transferable, changeable or redeemable for cash.
6. Prizes sent out by PR firm directly will not be replaced in the event that they are stolen, lost or damaged in transit.


7. Subscribe to my blog  to receive MLDB updates.
8. Follow via Facebook or Bloglovin on the sidebar >>>>
 

 
This is a hilarious Pineapple song and dance I found while researching my post !



Interestingly or not today -  May 6 is International No Diet Day INDD!
So we don't diet for 1 day ...hooray ! 
 PS - Come back tomorrow for My Cadbury Chocolate Giveaway !

Disclosure: *Australian Pineapples has a campaign with Dr Joanna McMillan as the ambassador. 
I also received Woolworths voucher to compensate me for my time and to try some pineapple recipes. 

I'm taking part in the Mother's Day Classic raising funds for breast cancer research. Every extra dollar raised goes towards vital research into the prevention and cure of breast cancer. I'll be participating or volunteering along with 120,000 Australians nationwide who are making a difference on Mother's Day . You can help me too by donating online  

Comments (21)

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Pineapple goes perfectly in a cocktail. My favourite way to drink it is with midori, malibu, and pineapple and coconut juice. Then I add frozen pineapple and blend it all up, mix passionfruit pulp through and it's a yummy summer cocktail.
My recent post Clusterfuck
1 reply · active 616 weeks ago
Yum. I forgot to mention I made Pina colada ice-cubes out of the leftover mixture - though I'm kind not drinking alcohol for health reasons -One is okay ;)
When I got married in Mauritius, where my husband was born, he introduced me to an interesting street food, fresh pineapple sprinkled with chilli on a stick! Let me tell you, it was so refreshing on a hot day, yum yum
My recent post Carnaby Street, London in the 60's
I love pineapple with chopped mint. Leave in a sealed container overnight in the fridge and it's just divine

Grilled on the BBQ is a big hit here too
Fresh is always a good way other than that I love stir fry's with chunks of pineapple thrown in with a sweet and sour sauce... so good!
My recent post Treasures
Mary Preston's avatar

Mary Preston · 616 weeks ago

I can remember shopping at road side fruit stalls with my Mother. She would always be on the lookout for the small rough leaf pineapples. (Considered to be fit for only pig food by some of the farmers we met.)

After purchases were made we would go and park up on the headland to watch the ocean. My Mother would produce a kitchen knife & spoons. She would twist the top off, cut the pineapples in half & we would just dig in with a spoon.

I seriously need to introduce my children to this bizarre and memorable family ritual. I actually think the pineapples were sweeter and more delicious when eaten this way - ritual and all. (The kitchen knife in the car is a worry though. It was leaning towards machete mode.)
Michelle V's avatar

Michelle V · 616 weeks ago

This lemonade cake sounds simply divine
With pineapple frosting for that sweet tooth of mine
Click the link below and you too will see
A very scrumdiddlyumptious recipe!
http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Lemonade-Cak...
"assvice" - snort! Not everyone in our family loves pineapple but when we do use it, it's usually in cocktails, on homemade pizzas or we make pineapple fritters. Yum!
I've done this once before with kids and want to do it more often, put a ring of pineapple on each kids plate and let them decorate to make "pineapple people", shredded coconut hair, sultana eyes, strawberry ears etc, the kids love it and have great fun, and they loved eating their fruit!!!
Narelle Rock's avatar

Narelle Rock · 615 weeks ago

I love fresh pineapple on home made pizzas, wholemeal pita bread as the base, roast chicken, red onion, bbq sauce and mozzerella cheese
I love grilled pineapple
When you grill, you caramelise the sugars in the fruit. It leaves a nice golden colour, which is bursting full of flavours ;)
I love banana and pineapple muffins, they never last very long around here, even fussy miss 5 loves them!
My family favourite way to eat pineapple is with rice, yes, you've heard it right. I cook Pineapple fried rice quite often at home, it's easy to cook, yummy and full of vitamins. All you need is some cooked rice, 2 tbsp of oil (i use canola oil but u can use any), 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 green onion, 1 egg, a handful of cashew nuts and sultanas (if you like) and sugar and pepper to taste.

1. Heat oil in a frying pan, add chopped green onion and cook for 2 - 3 mintues.
2. Add chopped pineapples (about 2cm cubes) into the pan and fry til they darken. Usually take 2 minutes but depending on how fresh the pineapples are.
3. Push everything to the sides, pour beaten egg into the centre of the pan and cook for a few seconds. Keep stirring so they don't stick.
4. Mix cooked rice with a pinch of sugar and pepper and put it into the frying pan. Cook until heated through and add fish sauce. You can add salt instead of fish sauce but I like the taste of fish sauce better. This usually takes 3-4 minutes.
5. You can now add cashew nuts and sultanas if you want and fry for about 1 more minute.

That's it.. SOooo easy to make, take less than 10 minutes to cook and it's a perfect one-dish meal for the family. Just one rule, always use fresh pineapples for this dish instead of canned pineapples.
I love making pineapple and banana smoothies with a splash or passionfruit, a wonderful and healthy way to start the morning
Homemade Pineapple Fritters with sugar ...mmmm
My family love pineapple upside down cake with extra syrup.
In a Pinocolado cocktail with wedge of pineapple and little umbrella on side.
On fresh home made pizza using pita wraps for the bases. Can't go wrong with pineapple pizza!

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