energoshealth

Making use of the available 'fueling times' is incredibly important for athletes who have to go from school to training or who have games/events in the afternoon.

Taking the time to eat properly at lunch will serve you well for the afternoon and provide your body with the fuel it needs.

Some suggestions below that include using whole grains or whole wheat breads, wraps, buddha bowls or sushi.

🔸 Chicken/Turkey sandwiches or wraps with Salad

🔸 Greek Yoghurt with fruit, nuts and seeds

🔸 Chicken and Rice bowls with vegetables

🔸 Brown rice, edamame and avocado buddha bowl

🔸 Salmon, chicken or vegetable sushi

✅ Keep it clean, healthy, use a variety of colours in your meal prep, keep up hydration and always listen to how much your body needs.

👉 Try to avoid ultra processed foods and foods high in sugar and you will be on your way to fueling your body for performance.

Cheesy Beef and Rice 🌟

The photo may not look all glamorous but this recipe is a great carb/protein combo that is perfect for post training refuel or as rice/meat combo for nachos as an afternoon snack.

The added black beans really give the meal that additional plant protein boost, dietary fibre and other nutrients.

🔸What you will need🔸

1kg/2 pounds Beef mince
1 cup long grain rice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 - 1/2 cup tomato paste
Handful baby spinach
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 capsicum, diced
Herbs such as oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and 5 spice.
EVOO

1. Pre heat the oven to 180C/350F
2. Heat a large pan and add the EVOO followed by then onion and garlic, cooking until fragrant.
3. Add the mince and cook until brown.
4. Add the herbs and spices to taste (I am actually terrible at measuring these and just go with a good sprinkle or two)
5. Stir through the herbs and add the capsicum and allow to cook until soft.
6. Move the mince mixture to the side of the pan and pour in the rice in to the space to enable it to toast for a few minutes.
7. Mix the beef mixture in to the rice and stir through thoroughly.
8. Add the tomato paste - be generous and taste for flavour.
9. Add 1 - 1.5 cups of water to the pan, bring to the boil, cover and allow to simmer for 10-15 mins. Stirring occasionally. Check that the rice is cooked at the end of the time. If it is not, add some more water and continue to simmer.
10. Add more spices to taste
11. Add the baby spinach and stir through until it wilts.
12. Top with cheddar cheese and pop in the oven for approx 10 mins. Don’t let the cheese burn.
13. You can serve this up as is, with some corn chips, top with Avocado or other greens as desired.
14. Enjoy!

👉 Note: I made a big batch of this because it keeps well in the fridge and can be used in many different ways.

Always Warriors when it comes to overall health, exercise and wellbeing. Adding a healthy dose of side split Sunday for that extra 🔥🔥

Loving training these ladies who are giving it their all to be strong and fit.
Each week is a new challenge and when they start to laugh I know it is burn 🥵 time.
Today was extra spicy 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

.realtor

🌟 Necka's Chicken Pasta 🌟

A recipe that is handed down and loved by all has to be the best type of recipe.
Simple ingredients and always made with love - the secret ingredient.

🔸 Ingredients 🔸
4 - 5 Chicken Thighs (skinless, with bone) or you can use Drumsticks (skinless, with bone)
2-3 Onions, peeled & roughly chopped
1/2 - 1 cup white wine
2 cans diced/crushed tomatoes
1 bag Penne Pasta or other favourite type
1/4 - 1/2 cup honey
EVOO
Salt & Pepper for seasoning
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Method
1. Peel and roughly chop the onions
2. In a heavy saucepan, add a good spash of EVOO - Don't be afraid to go here (approx 1/4 cup).
3. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the chicken and sit on top of the onions and EVOO. Turn the chicken in a few minutes to lightly brown the outside.
5. Add the honey all over the chicken and mix through.
6. Add the wine and canned tomatoes.
7. Pop the lid on, turn the temp right down to a barely there simmer and let it go for approx 1hr or until the chicken is falling off the bone.
8. Cook up the pasta as per packet instructions and drain.
9. Take some of the sauce from the chicken mixture and spoon it on the bottom of a serving dish and mix in the pasta adding more sauce as required.
10. Top the pasta with the chicken and remaining sauce, sprinkle with parmesan or pecorino cheese if desired.

✅ This is a kiddo favourite and seconds are always requested. Apparently I don't make it as good as Necka but when I tell them Necka's famous pasta is on the menu there are no complaints

✅ You can make this recipe in a slow cooker, it works just as well as on the stove.

Progress over perfection 🧡

Taking a small step each day towards your goals can set you on the path to big results.

Keep going!

🌟 The last in the series of our Pillars of Health for 2024🌟

Planning your fueling is as important as what you eat. Eating the right foods at the right time can make a massive difference to how you feel, how you perform and recover.

Keep these simple strategies in mind to help you train and compete at your best.

🔸 Pre-Exercise (3-4 hrs before) 🔸

👉 Consume a balanced meal rich in complex carbohydrates, low/moderate in protein, and low in fat.
👉 Include foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, some lean proteins, and healthy fats.
✅ Some of my favourite meals in this category is something like;
🌟 Chicken and Rice
🌟 Sushi
🌟 Salmon and Rice/Noodles
🌟 Pasta
👉 Stay hydrated

🔸 Immediate Pre-Exercise (30-60 mins before)🔸

👉 Consume a small snack or light meal that's easy to digest.
👉 Focus on carbohydrates to provide quick energy.
✅ Options here would include;
🌟 Banana,
🌟 Toast with honey
🌟 Simple Toasted Sandwich
👉 Stay hydrated

🔸 During Exercise🔸

👉 Anything lasting longer than 60 - 90 mins, consider consuming additional fuel to maintain energy levels.
✅ Have something that is easily digestible, simple carbohydrates such as
🌟 Banana
🌟 Muesli/energy bar
🌟 Sports Gel/Hydration drink
👉 Stay hydrated

🔸 Post-Exercise (within 2 hrs) 🔸

👉 Eat a well balanced meal of carbohydrates and protein to replenish glycogen stores and aid in muscle recovery.
✅ Some options here;
🌟 Balanced meal of lean protein and carbs
🌟 Protein shake, chocolate milk
👉 Continue hydrating to replace fluids lost during exercise.

🔸 General Tips 🔸

👉 Listen to your body's hunger and thirst cues.
👉 Don't experiment the day of competition with different foods - you don't want to be competing with an upset stomach.
👉 Every body is different, so find what works for you.
👉 Spend time planning your fueling strategy around the intensity and duration of your exercise.

✅✅ Need help? Get in touch and I can help you plan your fueling to achieve your goals.

There are lots of health benefits to Brussels Sprouts, so if you can get over the idea of also eating them raw, this salad can give you another option for how to serve them.

✨Brussels Sprouts, Baby Spinach & Pomegranate✨

🔸Salad Ingredients🔸
4 cups shredded Brussels Sprouts, or bag of pre shredded
Handful Baby Spinach
1 Avocado, sliced
1 Apple, finely sliced
1/2 cup Walnuts
1/2 Pomegranate, seeds
1/4 cup crumbed feta or goats cheese
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
Handful Cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp butter

🔸Dressing🔸
1/4 cup Honey
1/2 cup Orange juice,
2 tsp Orange rind
2-3 tbsp EVOO
Salt & Pepper

🔸Method🔸
1. Shred Brussels Sprouts, or add bag of pre shredded to medium salad bowl.
2. Add baby spinach to bowl and mix with brussel sprouts
3. In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients together, season with Salt & Pepper.
4. Add the dressing to the Brussels Sprouts and spinach and mix thoroughly.
5. In a small skillet, melt the butter and toss the Walnuts and cook gently - don't allow them to burn.
6. Add the pomegranate and feta to the salad bowl.
7. Add the walnuts, and any remaining melted butter to the salad.
8. Mix through, top with sliced apple and avocado.

original recipe

Weekend Challenge time and this weekend take some time to stop and eat mindfully.

Even if it is just at one meal each day, do yourself a favour and put away any distractions and savour each bite of your meal.

Who's going to give it a go? 🤔

Wellness Wednesday with our Pillar of Health this week being mindful eating.

I have touched on this before but I think it is always something we should be reminded of.

Here are some quick steps and questions to ask yourself to help carry you through some mindful eating practices and help us all slow down with our meals.

👉 Put your phone away, or any other device that is a distraction while eating. Being distracted prevents you from being in tune with our body and the signals it sends us, like feeling full.

👉 Are you eating because you are hungry, bored or responding to an emotional want?

👉 Ask yourself if you are reaching for food that is nutritionally healthy or is it simply comfort food?

👉 Take in the flavours, textures, colours and everything the food has to offer.

👉 Chew your food slowly and enjoy it and the moment whether eating on your own, with a group of friends or loved ones.

Possibly the best frittata ever!! ✨

🌟🫑 Vegetable & Goat Cheese Frittata 🥦 🌟

Couple of notes when making this recipe.

✅ You can pretty much use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge.
✅ Use quantities based on how many you are feeding. I tend not to 'measure' the vegetables so will just provide a rough guide as to what I used to serve 4.

🔸 Ingredients 🔸
1/2 Butternut Pumpkin (Squash), peeled & diced
1/2 Red onion, peeled & diced
1 small Zucchini, diced
1 Bell Pepper, diced
Handful Asparagus Spears, cut in to 1 cm pieces
8-10 eggs
125g Goats Cheese
3 tbsp Milk
Handful Roasted Seeds (Pumpkin, Sunflower etc)
Handful Basil, roughly chopped
Salt & Pepper to Season

🔸 Method 🔸
1. Prepare all the vegetables
2. Pre heat oven (or Air Fryer) to 180°/350°F
3. Prepare an Overproof dish with baking paper, layer out the pumpkin, spray with EVOO, salt & Pepper.
4. Cook in the oven until mostly cooked, approx 20 mins
5. Add other vegetables for approx 10 mins. Don't worry if they aren't completely cooked through.
6. In a bowl mix together the Goats Cheese, eggs and milk, stir together and add basil, salt & pepper. Save some Goat Cheese for the topping once cooked.
7. When vegies are ready, add the egg mixture to the vegetables and mix through.
8. Sprinkle through the seeds.
9. Cook in the oven until golden and cooked through, approx. 40 mins
10. To serve, sprinkle with more Goats Cheese and serve with a salad for a meal.

Get your Weekend sorted and improve your gut health along the way.

Follow the steps to improve gut health that can make a massive difference to overall health and disease prevention.

🔸 Introduce a mediterranean diet - high in fresh fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and olive oil the mediterranean diet is fantastic for building a robust and diverse microbiome.

🔸 Include fiber and prebiotic foods to feed the good gut bacteria. Go for fermented foods such as Kimchi, Kombucha, Kefir, miso and greek yoghurt.

🔸 Reduce red meat, or atleast go meat free for a day. Make "Meat free Monday" a thing to help eliminate inflammation that can increase from a heavy meat based diet.

Also try these simple steps too;

🔸 Drink plenty of water
🔸 Get plenty of rest
🔸 Avoid ultra processed foods

I'm up for the challenge, are you?

What steps can you take to improve your gut health?

Treat your gut well, it's considered your second brain!

Poor gut health can lead to issues with;

🔸 Digestion - such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea or gas.
🔸 Poor Immune System - leading to frequency illnesses or infections.
🔸 Skin - acne, eczema or rosacea can be made worse by poor gut health.
🔸 Low energy & Fatigue - poor gut health can lead to a lake of energy production and nutrient metabolism.
🔸 Nutrient Deficiencies - Compromised gut health can lead to poor nutrient absorption leading to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.

✅ Simple changes can help get your gut healthy and help establish a healthy biodiverse environment it requires.

🔸 Limit Ultra processed foods
🔸 Eat more fermented foods
🔸 Eat a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, fiber and nutrients.
🔸 Include Prebiotic foods such as onions, garlics, leeks, asparagus, bananas and oats.
🔸 Reduce Stress
🔸 Stay hydrated
🔸 Include Probiotics

Give it a try and include a couple of the steps above to improve your gut health.

👉 Need Help? Reach out ...

Your can serve up this Gnocchi meal either leaving it as a vegetarian meal or you can add some chicken to include some extra protein. Either way, both are delicious and pretty easy.

Ingredients
🔸 1 pkt potato gnocchi
🔸 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
🔸 1 cup miushrooms, sliced
🔸 1 cup thickened cream
🔸 3/4 cup chicken/vegetable stock
🔸 1/2 cup dry white wine
🔸 1 can Artichoke hearts, drained
🔸 Handful baby spinach
🔸 Basil leaves, Salt and pepper
🔸 EVOO

Method
1. Cook Gnocchi as per packet instructions, drain and rinse - set aside
2. In a skillet, heat oil and fry garlic for 1-2 mins until fragrant.
3. Add mushrooms, allow to cook for 2-3 mins before adding artichoke hearts, stir for 2-3 mins.
4. Add liquid ingredients first adding the stock and wine - bring to the boil to allow alcohol to burn off. Add cream and stir thoroughly.
5. Add Gnocchi to the skillet and stir through making sure it is well covered in sauce.
6. Add baby spinach and basil, stir through.
7. Season with Salt & Pepper, top with shaved paremesan and enjoy!

👉If adding chicken, add to the skillet after cooking the garlic.

Weekend Challenge time! 🥦🥕🍅

5 Serves of Veg each day (75g) - what could that look like?

🔸 1/2 cup - cooked green or orange veggies
🔸 1/2 cup - cooked or dried beans, peas or lentils
🔸 1 cup - green leafy or raw salad vegetables
🔸 1/2 cup - corn
🔸 1/2 medium - potato or starchy vegetables such as sweet potato
🔸1 medium - tomato

Who's up for the challenge to increase their veggie intake for the weekend?

Lets do it!

The next step in the energos journey to complete the full offering!

I am so excited to start this! Pilates has been a passion and my regular workout for years now so I wanted to be able to include it in how I can help clients holistically through nutrition and movement.

Lets do it!



💪🧘‍♂️🍎🥑🔸

Wellness Wednesday and Pillar of Health day - Increase your veggies or just simply eat your veggies! and that doesn't mean just eating salad!

The list of reasons why we should eat more vegetables in our diet is fairly endless, from the fact that they provide fiber = healthy gut, weight management, hydration they also provide us with the variety of minerals and vitamins our body needs to stay healthy and fight disease.

If you aren't a veggie fan or you just stick to a few specific vegetables, there are ways you can increase your intake.

Try the following;

🔸 Incorporate a new vegetable in to your favorite meal - puree it, mince it, finely dice it - what ever it takes but once you start introducing your senses to the new flavors of different vegetables, the sky is the limit.

🔸 Try different cooking techniques or don't cook them at all. and eat them raw. Some vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, celery and broccoli are better with a bit of crunch. Just be sure to give them a good wash.

🔸 Grow your own - It makes them accessible, great to pick and crunch as you go, and you can decide which vegetables you want to experiment with trying to grow.

👉 Generally a serve of vegetables is around 75g and we need to aim for around 5 servings a day. Sadly only 1 in 10 is getting enough veggies a day!

👉 Getting crunching on these veggies and prepare for the weekend challenge.

👉 What veggies will you try to incorporate?

Prawn Salad with Black Garlic 🍤🧄

Black Garlic is richer in antioxidants then regular garlic and has more of a compound that helps the body absorb allicin, which in turn has benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-microbial.

If you haven't yet come across it, keep an eye out for it. It provides a softer, sweeter taste to a recipe and is almost sticky when you try and chop it up.

What you will need 🌟

🔸 2-3 cloves black garlic, crushed
🔸 12 raw prawns, peeled, tail on
🔸 Chilli flakes
🔸 Avocado oil
🔸 1 whole avocado, diced
🔸 Capsicum/bell pepper, finely sliced
🔸 Cherry tomatoes
🔸 Lettuce mix
🔸 1 Cucumber, peeled and diced
🔸 Crumbed feta
🔸 Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method🌟

1. Heat a small skillet, add a splash of avocado oil.
2. Add the black garlic and cook for a few mins, then add the prawns. Season with Salt & Pepper and cooked until they change color and are cooked through. Sprinkle with chili flakes and remove from skillet.
3. Prepare the salad by tossing in to shallow bowl the lettuce mix, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and avocado.
4. Place the prawns on top, sprinkle with crumbed feta, salt, pepper, a splash of avocado oil and squeeze of lemon, mix through and enjoy!

With this weeks pillar of health being about getting rest, meditation can be way to detune and destress. Meditating before bed might also help you disconnect and prepare for slumber.

There are many benefits to finding time to meditate such as;

🔸 Reducing stress
🔸 A sense of calm
🔸 Enhanced emotional wellbeing
🔸 Better mental clarity
🔸 Overall better physical health

So who is up for the challenge to find 5 - 10 mins to put your phone away, find a quite spot and follow these simple steps.

1. Find a quiet spot where you can relax. You can either sit or lie down, whichever is more comfortable.

2. Breathe Deeply - In through your nose, out through your mouth. Take 5 deep breaths letting your body relax with each breath.

3. Observe your body - starting from your toes and working your way up, checking in to see how it is feeling, take note as you work your way up your body of your muscles relaxing.

4. Allow your mind to wander, to be free, acknowledge any thoughts and just let them coast by your mind. Letting your mind be free is a chance for your thoughts to just go where they want without the normal interference.

5. As you prepare to finish your meditation, become more aware of your surroundings, sensations of your body, what you can feel. You might start to notice noises around you, or be aware of other sensations - how you feel.

6. When you are ready, open your eyes and take notice of how you feel. Do you feel calmer, more relaxed.

👉 There are lots of resources available online and even guided meditations to help you, so find something you like and give it a go 🧘‍♀️

Wellness Wednesday and another important Pillar of Health to take in to consideration and think about is how much REST you get.

🔸 According to research, the average adult sleeps less than 7hrs a night, which is under the recommended amount of sleep required and here is another scary fact 58% of middle schoolers and 72% of high schoolers get less than the recommended amount of sleep required for their age too.

🔸 There are so many things keeping us awake these days, and one thing is for sure. It is not good for our health.

🔸 Routinely getting less than 7hrs of sleep a night is said to have wide ranging negative effects on cardiovascular health, our endocrine and immune system, a increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and not to mention the impacts it has to our eating habits and diets.

🔸 Without enough sleep people tend to overeat and choose unhealthy foods by reaching for high calorie foods that ultimately leave us with a larger waist circumference.

🔸 Our bodies also can't recover and repair from the previous days activities or exercise. Sleep is the recover and build mode needed to reset and grow from the previous day. Our cognitive health declines, we make poor decisions, have slower response times and our emotional processing can also suffer.

🔸 There are many sleep aids and other means to try and help us all get some much needed sleep, but there are also some simple methods to try through diet and exercise that can also work.

💤 Don't eat too late - give your body time to digest your meal before going to bed.

💤 Avoid Caffeine and other stimulants - Beware of stimulants in energy and soft drinks, or consume them earlier in the day.

💤 Get moving - Regular exercise improves sleep.

💤 Exposure to Natural Light - What about a combination of exercise outdoors, then it is a combination of natural light and exercise. Natural light helps keep your body's clock in sync with natural sleep rhythms.

So get some rest, your body and mind will be thankful 💤😴

My favorite recipe of the week 🫑

These stuffed capsicum are relatively easy to make and taste great either on their own, with a salad or some other vegetables.

One of the other things I like about them is that they are loaded with Cottage Cheese which is protein packed 😁

What you will need
🔸 4 Capsicum/Bell Peppers, top cut off seeds removed
🔸 1 cup Cottage Cheese
🔸 1/4 cup cooked Quinoa
🔸 1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
🔸 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
🔸 1 spring onion (optional), finely diced
🔸 Handful Mushrooms, finely diced
🔸 Fresh Herbs such as Parsley, Coriander
🔸 Salt and Pepper for seasoning
🔸 1 tbsp EVOO
🔸 Squeeze of Lemon

Method🌟
1. Prepare the Bell Peppers/Capsium
2. Heat the Oven to 180°C/350°F or pre heat an Airfryer to 350°
3. Cook the quinoa as per packet instructions, drain and allow to cool slightly.
4. In a medium bowl mix the cottage cheese, mushrooms, red onion, spring onion (if using), parmesan cheese.
5. Add the quinoa and mix thoroughly to ensure the quinoa is mixed through.
6. Add the herbs, EVOO and squeeze of lemon juice. Mix through and season with salt and pepper.
7. Standing each capsicum/bell pepper upright fill with the cottage cheese mixture, repeating for each.
8. Top with a sprinkle of extra parmesan cheese
9. Carefully place in the oven in a prepared pan or in the airfrlyer.
10. Cook for approx 10-15 mins, if using an air fryer check regularly as they will cook quicker and you don't want them to burn.
11. Enjoy!

👉 Note: Depending on how big your bell peppers/capsicum are you can double the recipe or at least increase the amount of cottage cheese. I doubled my cottage cheese and quinoa so I got 6 stuffed bell peppers and had a bit of mixture left over than went great on toast 😋

Not eating straight away after a workout is not doing anything wrong,

However, if your goal is to build muscle, improve performance or to even loose weight then you could be jeopardizing not only your workout but your nutrition plan as well.

✅ Eating the appropriate food following a workout provides the muscles and body with essential nutrients and minerals needed for recovery, add protein for muscle growth and repair and you are on to something.

✅ If weight loss is your goal, not eating after a workout can lead to fatigue, reduced metabolism and weight gain when you reach of point of being so hungry you will eat anything.

✅ Exercise can blunt hunger - this is ok too if you simply can't eat straight away.. Just be aware that this is the case and when you are ready to eat make it worthwhile by consuming the right foods throughout the day.

Also don't forget to hydrate 💦

💧 Who is up for the challenge?💦 I know I am as my water intake in the cooler months has been less than ideal.

So whether you are in the heat or cold at the moment or somewhere in between - lets do this, your body, skin, hair, mind - actually everything will be thankful you did.

Drink your salad when you don't feel like eating it.

You can throw so many things in to a blender to mix up a green juice to hit that salad spot.

🔸Cucumber
🔸Kale
🔸Baby Spinach
🔸Avocado
🔸Celery
🔸Lemon Juice
🔸Hemp Seeds

Maybe not all at once, but what about these to try;

👉Green apple, celery, kale, lemon and a dash of ginger.
👉 Lettuce, parsnip, carrot, spinach and sprouts
👉 Cucumbers, Celery, Kale, parsley, lemon and garlic
👉 Baby Spinach, tomatoes, spring onions, celery, carrot, capsicum and a dash of olive oil

Any of these will certainly get your greens going for the day.

Lemon Garlic Orzo with Asparagus 🍋🧄

Great for either Lunch or Dinner.

What you need;

🔸 1 cup Orzo/Risoni
🔸 1 bunch Asparagus or Broccolini, trimmed and cut in to bite size pieces
🔸 Handful fresh Dill and Parsley, chopped
🔸 1 lemon
🔸 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
🔸 3 tbsp EVOO
🔸 1/2 cup panko crumbs, toasted
🔸 1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated
🔸 Salt and Pepper for Seasoning

1. In a medium saucepan bring water to the boil
2. Add Orzo and cook to the packed instructions, add the asparagus to the pot and allow it to cook for a few extra minutes.
3. Drain the Orzo and Asparagus and set aside tin a serving bowl.
4. Grate the lemon rind and add to a small bowl, cut the lemon in half and squeeze half the lemon in to the bowl.
5. Add EVOO to the bowl with the lemon
6. In a small fry pan, fry the garlic until fragrant and add to the lemon mixture.
7. Toast up the panko breadcrumbs but don't let them burn.
8. Mix the chopped herbs to the Orz0 and season with Salt and Pepper.
9. Stir through the lemon mixture and add the panko breadcrumbs and parmesan.
10. Stir through all the ingredients and top with some extra parmesan.

👉 If using Broccolini instead of asparagus, add the broccolini steams as above and add the floret when you turn the eat off to stop them overcooking.