I'm Back!!

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth (although in the last week there were a few days I wished I had).  I returned to work 2 weeks ago and the last week has been the week from hell!  I've had a baby boy that has decided he wants to wake up every hour and I've also had a little Miss 3 who has had temps and has also interrupted mummy's much needed sleep because the birds have been too noisy!!!  Needless to say this week has been a very loooong week and has certainly tested my patience and my positivity.  BUT no more woe is me and feeling sorry for myself - I know there are mummy's that are in a lot worse situations than me (hello my sister has 5 kids under the age of 6 - crazy?  I think so haha).   But on the positive I have FINALLY to work through my plateau and seen the scales drop again.  I had been at the same weight for nearly 2 months I think (I honestly am not as strict with weighing myself anymore) but since returning to work I've cleaned up my diet just that little bit more and I've managed to lose +1kg in that time.  I was probably eating clean about 70% of the time, but I've tweaked a few things and dug deep to find a bit more determination and I'm eating clean 80-90% of the time now.  Yes, I am human and I will admit to a glass of wine and a row of Cadbury chocolate this week but I've gotta say - I didn't really enjoy either as much as I used to!!!  Eating clean just feels so much better but until the little lightbulb goes off in your head, it ain't gonna happen. 
So over my next few blog entries I will share some of my new found 'Clean Eating Recipes' as one of my 2012 goals is to be more adventurous with food.  I've got to say though after trying a batch of Protein Pancakes this morning my husband really isn't sharing my enthusiasm lol.
So my first 'Clean Eating Recipe' for 2012 is a stuffed chicken breast.  Nothing too fancy, but considering I'm not really a big cook this was quite a big deal for me and I must say - I LOVED IT!!!  So here's my simple to follow recipe:

Mix together in a small bowl a tablespoon (or 2 if serving 2) of cottage cheese, a bit of grated carrot, diced onion, diced capsicum, spinach, garlic and salt and pepper if desired. 

Stuffing mix

Then cut your chicken down the middle and spoon mixture in.  Roll chicken in Almond meal (I used my super whiz Thermomix machine to mill my own almonds).  I then seared them on both sides in a hot fry pan and then baked in a moderate oven.  The chicken breasts I used were quite large so it took about 50 mins.  We had half a breast each and then had the leftovers today for lunch.  My husband didn't wasn't so keen on the whole cottage cheese and carrot combo so I stuffed his with a store bought pesto and a couple of thin slices of brie cheese - not quite as healthy but it was easy to do to keep us both happy.

The end result - served with a salad (or vegies)

I was quite surprised with how good it tasted.  The almond on the outside definately gave it that un-bland taste.  These will certainly be included in my regular meal planning.  And they're also something that I can prepare earlier in the day and leave in the fridge to just pop in the oven on a night I work. 

Well that's my first recipe and I will have more to come - including my Protein pancakes (will have to test a few different variations on that one though).  I would love to hear of any of your Clean Eating Recipes that are a favourite in your household.  Please feel free to post in the comments or you can email them to me at bh@behotpersonaltraining.com.au and I can share them on the blog for everyone to try (including myself).