Hi! It’s Monique here with some tricks that have helped me still go out and eat and socialise AND manage to look after my health and my weight! These are the slide from one of my Live Streams which is loaded with information about my experience and how going low carb has worked for me.
Take a look and feel free to look through some of my other videos to learn more about your own weight loss and wellness journey!
I’ve got this mate called Deano. Salt of the earth, good guy, owns a successful building company, likes a good yarn and a few quiets. Turns out he’s quite the foodie too! When I said to him ‘Deano, you always look fit and really healthy. What’s the secret?’ His answer: ‘I eat good food. I don’t eat anything processed, and yes – I eat the occasional pie – but it’s all about real simple food. And this recipe is a winner! Sometimes when I get home from work, I’m not sure what to cook for dinner, so I have a snack on the bean salad that’s always sitting in my fridge and it stops me from eating crap!’
So next time you’re reaching for a biscuit or a bit of chocolate, ask yourself ‘What would Deano do?’
Drain the beans and corn, removing all brine and put into an air tight container both for mixing and storage
Add finely chopped celery and red onion and mix through
Add avocado oil and balsamic vinegar ( add as much as you like according to your own taste) and mix through
Finally add some finely chopped coriander, mix through and enjoy.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Place in ramekins, mini cake tins or cups and cook in the microwave for 90 seconds
Cover with whipped cream and NOM NOM NOM
Pour all ingredients into a small pan or heat resistant cup and bring to a light boil. Don’t walk away, because milk can boil fast! Whisk well to combine all ingredients. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, the longer it will simmer the stronger the flavours will be.
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend for about 1 minute. That’s it!
Give it a whirl and let me know how it works for you!!! And for more of the WHY, here’s my short web TV show on dealing with bloating, the difference between fat, water weight and bloating and how to deal with it!
One of the challenges when you’re a low carber is that you often have to miss out on things that you love – UP TILL NOW! One of my favourite dishes is a good bit of roast lamb, smothered in gravy with a bit of Yorkshire Pudding on the side. And peas. You always have to have peas. Sadly, gravy, peas and the Yorkshire Pud are all carbs my body isn’t fond of, so the baker in me wondered if I could do a low carb version. And after several tries, this one is my favourite. The key is a good hot oven and the oil or fat you use. I have used Green Touch Avocado Oil because after trying loads of oils, this is one of the best and it transforms flavours from ‘ok’ to ‘WOW’ – and flavour is a big food driver for me. Avocado oil is also the safest oil to use at a high heat which is what this recipe requires, so give it a whirl!!
Recipe: (makes 6)
Heat your oven to around 200 or 225 if your oven is cooler
In a muffin tray add 1/2 a teaspoon of oil to each muffin holder
Put in the oven and heat until sizzling
Mix all other ingredients in a blender till mixed through
Once oil is sizzling fill up each container until all the mixture is gone
Cook for around 20 mins or until golden
Add your own toppings and devour
What I’ve learnt about living a low carb life is that you can make some really easy transitions, when it comes to ingredients, to transform you body into a fat burner. As an example, cauliflower is a go to when I want to replace potatoes, rice or past
Learning to work with almond meal, coconut flour and even chickpea flour has been great as I’ve been able to replace ingredients from some of my favourite recipes to turn them into low carb versions without compromising flavour – meaning I really can have my cake (or cookies) and eat them too.
However, a word of warning: you can’t just replace standard flour with alternatives. Often you have to add eggs as coconut flour and almond meal don’t have gluten like standard flour, which helps things rise or bind together. Coconut flour by nature requires more liquid than other flours…..and the list goes on.
This recipe is similar to your standard choc chip cookie recipe, with the addition of almond meal (added protein and fat) to replace standard white flour, stevia to replace sugar, choc chips sweetened with stevia and the addition of eggs, meaning more protein! So, low sugar, higher protein and some fats. What’s not to love? Ticks all the boxes and for me if I’m having a craving for something sweet (which is pretty rare now!!), 1 or 2 of these hit the spot.
Remember, just because it’s low carb doesn’t mean it’s low calorie! Go easy tiger! It’s actually all about a little bit of everything so find your balance and enjoy these treats!
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Cream the butter and Natvia together using a bench top mixer (or by hand if you can be bothered or don’t have a bench top mixer)
Add all other ingredients and mix through till completely combined
Cover a baking tray with baking paper and put 1/2 teaspoon sized drops onto the paper
Flatten slightly with your spoon
Bake for 10-15 mins or until golden – do keep an eye on them though as they can burn really quickly in the last couple of minutes
Leave to cool so cookies become crunchy and enjoy!
This recipe is super easy as you can mix all the ingredients in a Ninja Bullet and you’re away laughing! I made 6 pancakes from this recipe – 3 for me and 3 for partner Pete. Best served with vanilla cream and your favourite berries. FYI: These pancakes are high in fat and protein so will give you longer sustained energy PLUS you’ll feel satisfied!!
Place all pancake ingredients in a blender and mix through till smooth.
Grease a frying pan and once hot, pour your desired amount into the pan. I find 2-3 tbsp per pancake is great.
Wait till bubbles appear and gently flip over using a spatula. Be careful as they can be a little delicate.
Serve on a plate with cream and berries and devour….!!
#TIP: If you want the look of powdered sugar, take some Erythritol or Stevia and grind in a mortar and pestle or fine blender! It should powder down beautifully!
PLUS: Head to your local Supermarket and look for a sugarfree maple syrup. You’ll thank me later X
Hey there! I’ve tried pretty much every weight loss programme, plan, shake, pill and fitness regime you can imagine, so I’ve decided to share real advice from my real life journey to help you on yours.
I was 110 kg’s and in 8 months of ‘bad dieting’ I reached 42 kg’s. While that may sound like an incredible achievement, firstly: 42 kg’s is WAY TOO SMALL FOR ME! I’m 167 cm’s and my ideal weight is more around 65 kg’s to ensure a healthy body and healthy mind! Secondly 42 kg’s is incredibly hard to maintain!
What I also learnt through this process is:
‘Starve yourself and you starve your brain of the ability to make rational conscious decisions.’
Yup. I made some pretty dumb decisions.
Throughout that process, I did starve myself and it left me wracked with anxiety, depression and a crippling eating 
disorder. My body was basically SCREAMING for help and I will admit, I did a lot of damage to my body in the process. What also didn’t help was the weight gain that followed which saw me head back up to around 90 kg’s. This made me feel like a complete failure and really messed with my confidence.
SO, I tried it again. I lost a whole load of weight on a weight loss programme. Then I gained it back again. Then I tried protein shakes as meal replacements and lost the weight again. I also experienced really challenging problems with my blood sugars over that period, not realising that there was 30 grams of sugar in each shake! I went off the shakes and regained the weight.
I went up and down, and up and down, time and time again and I couldn’t seem to find an answer that works!
Here’s what I know: When we go on a diet plan, what happens when we go off it? We regain weight – sometimes more than we started with – and realise we’ve wasted a whole lot of money and time.
Let’s go deeper: why did we go off that diet plan in the first place?
I know exactly why:
Sound familiar?
These were all my excuses. Diets are hard. I VOWED AND DECLARED THAT I WILL NEVER DIET AGAIN AND NOW I CAN LITERALLY HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT IT TOO! How? I discovered a new way of eating: not a diet….a lifestyle. And now I’m free!
But first, let’s discuss what else doesn’t work:
As mentioned, starve your body and you starve your brain of making great choices. You body also has to grab it’s protein from somewhere. For me on my journey, I still had fat, but my body basically started to cannibalize its own protein. I had a lot of muscle wastage and did damage to my connective tissues.
For some people intermittent fasting works. I’ve tried it. It’s good for re-activating your weight loss plan if you’ve plateaued, however as I spent many years in ‘starvation mode’ it puts a lot of stress on my body and messes with my blood sugars too much. I can do it for a week of two, then after that I have to go back to eating regular amounts every couple of hours to keep my metabolism cranking!
As we all have different genetic makeups, it’s important to work out what’s best for you and your own body. What I’m learning is that more people, particularly over the age of 40 are experiencing the same symptoms and circumstances as me! Keep reading to find out more!
Been there, done that, got the active wear. I did a load of damage to my body, without getting any further ahead. If anything, I ended up hating exercise. The best exercise is exercise that allows you to clear your mind and have fun! If that’s dancing with the kids, going for a walk by the beach or a casual bike ride, just do it. Do it because it fuels you to be more and live more!
The key to success is changing your mindset and understanding that your end goal is a healthy lifestyle that supports you to LIVE!!! I’ve tried every fad. Seriously, if you’re on one right now, we need to talk. Eat real food that serves you. Your body will tell you if you’re hungry and when you’re full – so long as you pay attention and listen!
There’s this great detox device – It’s called your LIVER! Laxatives are a short fix that can get rid of all the good bacteria in your gut that you actually NEED IN THERE! Diet pills that speed your metabolism can put a load of pressure on your heart, your liver and your kidneys. Your body is designed to work efficiently when you give it the right fuel. Most people I know who have used either laxatives or diet pills have not ended up with long lasting results, and in fact have done damage to their bodies or gained back more weight! Be gentle with yourself! You body is a complex and AMAZING machine! Look after it!
Become a conscious consumer Know what you’re putting into your body. Read labels. Get rid of processed foods and anything with a number. NUMBER ARE NOT FOOD! Eat real, whole foods and notice the difference in your body and your health.
Find out what inflames you and what fuels you. Foods that inflame you are obvious and in me, they lead to a lot of ‘puffiness’ and weight gain.
Symptoms to watch out for:
What I have learnt through my research is that this can be different for everyone, as it all comes down to our genes, however, there seems to be more and more people coming to see me with exactly the same symptoms as me!
FYI: I had all of the symptoms listed above and thought I must be hitting menopause early! Turns out, it’s inflammation!! Knowing this and transforming my diet has been the key to my success and easy weight loss, and it was so easy to do once I understood the rules of the game!
As an example, here’s a list of anti inflammatory foods: green tea, dark chocolate, leafy greens, multi coloured vegetables, avocado, berries.
Sounds delicious right? Oh, it is…..!! And the best part: knowing the rules, I’ve not only reduced the inflammation, I’ve lost weight as well!!
We all experience it. Did you realise that it can actually directly affect your weight? There’s 2 types of stress – bad stress and good stress. Good stress is the stress you experience during a workout or a power walk. Bad stress….well you probably know what I’m talking about right?
Chances are if you’re over 40, you’re carrying extra weight, particularly around your middle, you eat well but you still have unexplained weight gain and nothing makes sense? Stress could be a factor. Stress can actually trigger us to eat more – well actually the production of cortisol in stressful situations is the trigger.
It also inhibits our ability to make good food choices – meaning we often go for comfort foods as a quick fix. So, how do we fix this? Remove temptation. I only have foods that serve my health in the cupboards, and the best part is that with the way I eat – which is low carb – everything is delicious and it all feels like a treat! Shop smarter and look after yourself!
Stress can also affect your insulin levels as well. This can lead to unexplained weight gain or ‘puffiness’ and could be a precursor to becoming insulin resistant – and that’s just not ok! You need to do something immediately!!
Stress affects our sleep too. Lack of sleep triggers the production of more cortisol, which messes with our insulin levels and it just turns into a vicious cycle!! So, become conscious of your stress levels! Do it for your health!
What can you do to change today? How are you going to manage your stress? You’re the boss of your life. You can make great decisions. You’ve got this.
Some years ago I was at an event with international speaker, Bob Proctor. He talked about the way our subconscious brain governs 90% of our daily choices, without us even thinking about it.
Ever been in a situation where you catch yourself eating cake? It was on the table. You’re not even hungry and somehow it ended up in your mouth. You didn’t need it and potentially didn’t even want it. What the hell happened? Your autopilot took over and said ‘Oh let’s have cake’.
That autopilot is not the boss of you. Yes, it helps to keep your lungs going and your heart beating. It helps you drive a car without thinking about it. It also holds a whole bunch of old habits and behaviours that no longer serve you.
That other part of your brain – the conscious brain – is now the boss, carving new neural pathways, enabling you to make better decisions. To create that new pathway is to become conscious about what you eat. It’s like ‘Mindfulness: the Food Edition’. To do this, slow down when you eat. Be grateful for the foods that you’re eating and the nourishment that food provides for you body.
To take your conscious eating habits to the next level and really ascertain which foods inflame you or fuel you, grab a notebook or print off my food diary template and create your own conscious food diary. Note over a couple of weeks what you eat and most importantly how it made you feel. After a few weeks, you’ll start to learn what inflames you and what fuels you and you will have re-programmed yourself to make better choices and achieve success! Trust me on this! You want to feel good and lose weight right? Feeling good is the driver. The weight loss is an added bonus.
I’m a low carb eater and I eat a huge variety of food. This is the first plan in my life that has actually worked for me. How do I do it? I eat more plant, always have protein. I believe fat is good and so is fibre.
Here’s a rule I live by: PPF. Plant, protein and fat – in that order at every meal.
We’ve been sold a lie: We don’t actually need bread, pasta or cereals. They are simply ‘nice to haves’ and most of them are just filler foods with little to no nutritional value. Vegetables provide ample low GI carbs that serve our bodies and with so many ways to cook them, we’re spoilt for choice!
Yes, you can eat fruit, however for me, too much sugar and food high in carbs inflames me, so when I have fruit, I choose lower carb options such as berries. I can also guarantee that living low carb is not only fantastic for your health, you end up losing all those cravings that sabotage your ‘diet plan’. Why? Because this isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle. You never get bored. You end up with great nutrition that serves you so your body doesn’t cry out for attention with those sabotaging cravings! There’s no more ‘living off rabbit food’. Everything is delicious! You eat real food and by learning a few subtle techniques and about replacements, you can still have those cakes and biscuits, if you really want them. They’re just low carb versions that TASTE AMAZING and serve your health!
I used to do this and a cheat day would turn into a cheat week, inevitably turning into a cheat month and then a whole lot of weight gain. Nobody has willpower of iron!! The way to deal with this is to simply eat real, delicious food that fuels your body!!
Remember too: No food is good or bad – there are just choices with consequences. Eat too much of one thing and you could end up developing an intolerance to that food. I know this as I’ve done it!
Sure, some fats can be nasty for our bodies. Sugar can do a lot of damage and is 9 times more addictive than cocaine. Wheat is not great for everyone. At the end of the day, we’re all grown ups capable of making empowered decisions for ourselves. Chances are if we eat these foods over and over again, they may have a negative impact on our bodies and let’s be honest – do we really want that? I don’t know about you, but after 25 years of yo-yo dieting, I’ve decided I want to treat my body better by consciously giving it great food that fuels me! It’s not that these foods are ‘bad’, they just don’t serve me or my health.
I used to crave a lot of sugar and suffered really badly with fluctuating blood sugar levels, in fact, I was falling into the realm of being pre-diabetic. It’s interesting to note that when we eat a variety of foods, your body begins to receive all the nutrients it needs and interestingly enough, your cravings diminish. My thoughts are that cravings come from either FOMO (fear of missing out) or because our body needs nutrients or some sort of ‘hit’ from the food we’re craving. A good question to ask yourself is: does my craving come from a craving of a physical nutrient OR could be the need to satisfy an emotional need? Listen to your body. It has all the answers…..
So a tip from me: Just eat real food and stop stressing about it! Learn what your body ACTUALLY likes and needs (not what you think it likes and needs) and you’ll flourish!
Chances are if you’re following me and watching my posts and recipes, and if you’ve been plagued with unexplained weight gain, you may be like me: carb intolerant. This was a real game changer for me as I thought I ate really well! I ate according to the traditional food pyramid and yet I had symptoms of IBS, weight gain and generally felt like crap. Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing: Some people can eat heaps of carbs, and in fact they need them for their metabolism. You know those people. They are very slender. They have a muscular physique. They can eat carbs all day without bloating or weight gain. I can’t. In fact, I look at a loaf of bread or a bowl of pasta and literally bloat up a dress size.
We all work differently. Learning that I’m actually carbohydrate intolerant was the first thing in my weightloss journey that has actually made sense. The way we process carbohydrates all comes down to the AMY1 gene in your saliva. To find out more about this, download my free PDF Low Carb Lifestyle Booklet that gives you a full breakdown on the WHY, the WHAT and the HOW to deal with it. Let me just say it’s a game changer and it all comes back to learning what inflames you and what fuels you.
So, do you think you’re like me and you may have a carbohydrate intolerance?
It’s time to make a change and I’m ready to share what’s worked for me. You can
Subscribe to my mailing list for free recipes and updates
Join my Facebook group for inspiration, support and weekly low carb live streamed cooking classes that serve your body and have helped me lose weight
Book for one of my low carb workshops: I cook, we talk, you eat
OR book a one on one lifestyle low carb reset. In one hour, I’ll overhaul your daily diet, teach you how to re-engineer your food to cater for you and your family, AND send you away with a shopping list, a load of recipes plus a list of foods that fuel you.
Like it? Ready for change? You know where I am.
It works. So let’s do this.
This is a great recipe!
Preheat oven to 180 – 200 degrees celsius
Add walnuts, oil, chives and garlic into a blender and blitz. Ingredients should still remain a little coarse.
Place Brie or Camembert onto a baking covered with baking paper.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until outside is crunchy and golden and the inside is squishy.
Eat with vegetable crudites or low carb crackers
Base:
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cup of almond flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup of stevia
1/4 cup coconut oil
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Heat oven to around 180 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together, then press into a BIG baking dish and bake for around 10-15 mins or until golden.
Remove from oven and cool.
Topping:
3 x packs of cream cheese
3 eggs
1 cup of Stevia
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp lemon juice
Lemon rind for the top
Mix all ingredients together then pour on top of base. Scrape some of the lemon rind on top.
Bake in oven for around 30-45 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is. You’ll know it’s done when the top is firm and the mix is going golden around the edges.
Remove from oven and cool. Store in small portions in the fridge. Devour and enjoy!
“Eggs are among the healthiest foods you can eat. They are rich in high-quality protein, healthy fats and many essential vitamins and minerals.”
There are many other benefits including being low in calories, being nutrient dense (and they’re really filling!), high in protein, loaded with amino acids which are great for your body and help your metabolism, PLUS -and this is the bit I like – they’re sooooo easy to cook and CHEAP!!
One of the things that really activated my weightloss was a quick morning scramble!
I make mine with 3 eggs, 250 mls of milk, blitz in the ninja bullet and cook with avocado oil, salt and pepper. They come out really creamy and delicious and feeds both Pete and I for breakfast!
Give them a whirl!
This dessert is seriously so good and so beautiful that it may actually make you cry.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
Place in a ramekin and cook in the microwave for 1 minute OR cook in the oven for 15 mins on 180 degrees
Serve with whipped cream and berries
Love that flawless finish, without feeling like you’re caked in makeup? Want to look luminous and fresh? What if I told you that you can also get rid of your concealer?? YES, it’s true!
One of my most loved beauty products is from New Zealand company Radiessence! Their invisible Finish Foundation comes in just 4 neutral shades, meaning it’s super easy to find the perfect match website, contains an SPF and it’s one of the few products that you can use as a foundation AND a concealer!
The finish is creamy and light and leaves my skin looking luminous. As a makeup artist – as well as a makeup addict – I have all 4 shades in my kit and use the darker shades for contouring and the lighter for highlights, however for the everyday makeup lover, one shade is all you need! FYI: it’s great for all skin types, however for you older tartlets like me, I find this is great in the fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes.
The price point is exceptional for this level of product and once you’ve bought the compact, you only ever need to buy a refill in the future, saving you money and looking after the planet as well! Check it out! Link here: https://bit.ly/2U1wk6g
Seriously, you’ll love it! XX
Wash cauliflower and cut into florets
Steam for 20 minutes till tender or cook in the microwave for 8 minutes
Blend florets into rice sized pieces
Place rice in a clean tea towel or wet muslin cloth, then twist to squeeze out excess moisture
Place dry rice in a bowl
Add eggs, herbs, salt and pepper and cheese into bowl and mix through
Cover a baking tray with baking paper
Press mixture onto tray in a square formation until a few mm thick
Bake in the oven till golden
Remove from oven, then using another piece of baking paper, flip your cauliflower bread over and place back on baking tray
Peel the paper from the bottom (now the top), cover with more cheese and back for a further 5 minutes till cheese is melted and delicious
Chop into wedges and devour!
Seriously these are SO GOOD! Really easy to make and tasty as heck, so get them in ya!
Ingredients:
Steam cabbage till tender.
Mix pork, chopped spring onions, ginger, minced garlic, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a bowl, till fully mixed through.
Fry tablespoons of mixture in a hot pan with a little oil, till cooked through. Once cooked, place on a paper towel to cool slightly.
Take pieces of cabbage leaves and roll around your dumpling filling, then secure with a toothpick.
Place back in your fry pan and cook through in the pan juices until the cabbage starts to go ‘glassy’.
Serve with soya sauce and chilli infused oil and enjoy!
