Lose Weight the Easy Way in 2016

Jan 6, 2016

Feeling daunted about starting your New Year resolution to eat better, get fitter and lose weight? Don’t worry, you’re not alone and there are some simple things you can do to get started and more importantly, to stick with it.

Experts in the U.S. have looked at the habits of people who manage to lose weight successfully and keep that weight off. There is a lot we can learn from these successful dieters, but the main thing is – this is not rocket science. What you need to do is develop a series of simple, healthy habits. And guess what? There are only 9 to remember.

Here are the 9 things that successful dieters do:

1.Track their food intake: You can do this using safefood’s free weight-mate app. It contains a huge variety of easy, delicious, healthy meal plans developed by nutritionists to suit your tastes.

2.Count calories or grams of fat: All of safefood’s weight-mate recipes and meal plans have been calorie counted and checked for fat content.

3.Follow a low-calorie, low-fat diet: There’s a lot of chat about low-carb and high protein diets these days, and they do work for some people, but that’s not what the successful diets did. Here are some handy tips on making your meals healthier.

4.Eat breakfast regularly: This tends to help people avoid making bad food choices later in the morning. If that sounds familiar, you’ll find lots of healthy breakfast recipe ideas on safefood’s website.

5.Limit how often they eat out: They don’t eat out more than three times a week and eat fast food less than once a week. Studies have found that foods eaten outside the home tend to be higher in calories and fat. Portions sizes are also often larger. We have lots of tips on healthy options when eating out to help you make better choices.

6.Stick with moderation for holidays and special occasions: (We’ll do better next Christmas!)

7.Walk about an hour a day or participate in other activities: You can set a physical activity goal of an hour a day on safefood’s weight-mate app and track how you are doing.

8.Watch less than 10 hours of TV a week: Monitor your TV viewing for a week to see how much you actually watch. You might be surprised!

9.Weigh themselves once a week: You can also track your weight using our Weight-mate app.

This year, let’s not let the resolutions slip. Say no to fad diets, do what works and start adopting these healthy habits to get healthy and stay healthy for 2016.

To get started, download weight-mate now:

YUM! This is officially the only way we want to eat sweet potatoes now

Nov 17, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Muffins! Healthy muffins for everyone! Ok fine, so perhaps not as healthy as we would like, but they make a definite improvement from devouring an entire bag of crisps in one go.

As we approach the festive season we become increasingly aware of two things. One being that attempting to maintain (or indeed start) a healthy diet at Christmas time is next to impossible, and also all anyone ever does when the weather gets rough is develop a craving for comfort foods.

So, we found this recipe for what essential become sweet potato muffins, just without the trickier aspects of baking with vegetables.

Ingredients
4 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp Salted Butter – Melted
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
12-15 Marshmallows

Method

Carefully slice Sweet Potatoes into 1/8 inch slices – add to a large mixing bowl.

Add melted butter, coconut oil, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat potato slces. Mix in the parmesan cheese.

In a greased cupcake tin stack the sweet potato chips to fill each cup. Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes until tops and edges nicely brown. Remove from oven and top each stack with a marshmallow. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes – watching carefully – until the marshmallows have a light brown and have puffed up.

Remove from oven – carefully pat down each marshmallow to form a nice dome over the stack. Let cool slightly before removing from pan.

Sweet Potato Marshmallow StacksPIN IT FOR LATER: http://bit.ly/swtpotmars

Posted by Tasty on Sunday, 15 November 2015

YUM! This chocolate cake is delicious AND totally guilt free

Nov 11, 2015

by Amber Saunders

For many of us, all we need for a dreary mid-week evening to improve massively is a sweet treat.

Here at SHEmazing! we can be of the belief that cake and a good cup of tea can be responsible for making a bad day infinitely better. Sometimes you just need to treat yourself.

The only down side can be that often our favourite snacks can leave us feeling a little bit guilty, but when we think of comfort food kale smoothies are not exactly top of the list.

This chocolate and peanut butter cake however sounds like exactly what we want.

Not only is this absolutely delicious (trust us, we have sampled a slice or three) but the recipe comes from #fitspo queen Kayla Itsines. You can enjoy this cake absolutely guilt-free and by including protein you're actually adding important nutrients in your diet.

Ingredients:
Crust:
½ cup cashews
½ cup walnuts
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 dates, pitted
2 Tbs Cacao Powder

Filling:
½ cup of natural peanut butter
2 scoops of Whey Protein Isolate (Peanut flavoured) or 60g of powdered peanut butter
½ cup Cottage Cheese
½ cup natural yogurt
2 Tbs Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 tsp Coconut Oil
2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping:
2 tbs coconut oil, melted, 1 tbs maple syrup, 2 tbs raw cacao powder and 1 tsp vanilla.

Directions:

Combine all crust ingredients together in a food processor until they form a crumble and then put it in a pan.
Blend the cottage cheese, peanut butter and natural yoghurt together. Add in the remaining filling ingredients.
Make the chocolate topping by combining all ingredients together.
Pour the filling mixture on top of the crust. Smooth down with a spatula and pour over chocolate topping. Chill for one hour.
After the pie has chilled, take it out and remove from the pan.
Eat all of the cake!

Cheesecake! Cupcakes! Five of the best healthy dessert recipes

Oct 22, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We love avocados and we also loved baked. We really love when we can combine two things which we absolutely love and end up with something even more delicious.

There is also the added bonus of knowing that by incorporating avocados into our baked goods, we’re technically being healthy.

Avocados are the good kind of fat you need, and that makes us happy. So here’s a list of some the best ways to incorporate avocados into your baking routine. Trust us, you won’t even realise you’re eating healthy because these desserts are magical.

Double chocolate avocado cookies

Try the recipe here.

Chocolate avocado mousse

‘Cheat clean’ as they say. The recipe is here.

Red velvet mini cupcakes with honey frosting

OK, so these may be a little bit tricky, but so delicious you need to try them.

Avocado cheesecake

Cheesecake on fleek

Chocolate biscuit sandwiches

Everything about this recipe is excellent.

Constantly hungry? These five foods are what you should eat!

Oct 18, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Do you ever have those days when you are so hungry, you could eat everything in the fridge?

When nothing seems to keep you full, or satisfied you can quickly find yourself developing a dreaded 'hangry' tantrum. It could be because you aren't eating the right types of food during the day.

According to Australian fitness guru Kayla Itsines instead of reaching straight for the junk food to cure your grumbling tummy, we should try these 5 foods that are known to keep you feeling full for longer!

Berries

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries – any will do the job! They contain belly-filling fibre, are low in calories and they contain phytonutrients that increase fat metabolism.

Minestrone Soup

The broth fills your stomach with lots of liquid while the vegetables fill your stomach with fibre which slows digestion so you won't feel hungry straight after. If you can find or make one with beans in it – even better! Kayla notes to stay away from the soups with white pasta in them as refined carbs spike your blood sugar levels up and leave you wanting more.

Eggs

Eggs are packed with protein, which will keep you satisfied and help avoid binging. Eating two eggs for breakfast can help keep you full for a good portion of the day. Hard-boiling eggs in advance are also great for snacking on later during the day.

Olives

Now, most people either love or absolutely HATE olives. However, they are a source of good-for-you unsaturated fat, meaning they will take longer to digest and leave you feeling fuller for longer. You can add a couple of teaspoons of chopped olives to salads and sandwiches at lunch to kiss afternoon hunger pains goodbye.

Spinach

Research has shown that people who consume spinach during a meal feel much more satisfied than those who don’t. This might be because spinach is a veggie that helps to fill the stomach. You can add spinach to almost anything and you can enjoy it fresh or wilted.

DIY! Tasty cold and flu-fighting recipes you can make at home

Oct 15, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Right now it feels like just about everyone has a sniffle, a sore throat, or a full blown head cold.

There's a real winter chill in the air and it seems our bodies just weren't quite ready to deal with the change in temperature. Not to worry though, as there are plenty of DIY fixers that'll have you feeling better in no time.

We're not saying these are full-on cures – you might still need a cough bottle – but they'll certainly ease that feeling of stuffiness and general misery.

Here are a few we can't get enough of…

1. Lemon, ginger and honey tea
Warming, sweet and with a gentle antioxidant kick – it's Lemsip without the Paracetamol. You can simply pour hot water over some thinly sliced ginger, with a spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemon juice, or you can pre-make a natural syrup with the recipe linked above.

2. Chicken ramen
Nothing beats a warming bowl of soup when you're feeling out of sorts, and a nourishing broth with noodles is perfect for building you back up. Think of it like a hug in a bowl… or maybe that's just us.

3. Spicy flu fighter
Garlic, apple cider vinegar, ginger, honey and a pinch of cayenne pepper will give your immune system the boost it needs.

4. Echinacea cure-all
Whether it's prevention or cure you're looking for, you can't go wrong with all-natural echinacea, a herbal remedy often used for fighting colds. Here it's added to hot water, honey and ginger to make a tea.

5. Turmeric milk
Turmeric has huge anti-bacterial properties and is also a great anti-inflammatory, so it's perfect for easing your cold. Warm it with with coconut milk, honey and spices for a healthy alternative to a hot chocolate.

6. Immune-boosting green smoothie
Spinach, lemon, lime and oranges all combine in this green smoothie for a Vitamin C-packed punch. Juicing is the perfect way to fill up on more fruit and veg – your immune system will thank you.

7. Flu fighting cookies
Okay, these biscuits probably won't cure your flu but they're far better for you than tucking into a pack of chocolate Digestives. Ginger, lemon zest, spices, cranberries and walnuts make for a tasty cookie filled with antioxidants.

Sick of salads? Try these seven delicious healthy snacks instead

Oct 3, 2015

by Amber Saunders

There is nothing worse than working hard in the gym all week and sticking diligently to your healthy eating plan only for it all to go out the window once the weekend arrives.

Avoiding the biscuit tin at the office is hard enough, but when Saturday arrives your willpower can be pushed to the very limit. Nobody wants to be stuck ordering a pretty boring salad at brunch.

So, here's a reminder of all of the delicious options out there that aren't loaded with calories and taste absolutely amazing.

Sweet potato fries:

Courghetti (healthy spaghetti basically):

A healthy chicken burrito:

Homemade Granola:

This recipe is pumpkin spice, because that obsession is not going away it would seem.

Shakshuka is not just for breakfast:

Almond butter protein balls:

Avocado toast:

Yum! These delicious dinners are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes

Sep 27, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Sometimes at the end of a long day we can’t be bothered to go to the effort of cooking an entire meal from scratch.

Or else we get so hungry that by the time our real dinner is cooked we already ate a block of cheese and two packets of ham.

Not exactly the healthiest or most appetising options.

So in an effort to put a stop to this cycle of oh-so sad dinners we put together a list of recipes that take less than 30 minutes to cook… with some of them even quicker than that.

So much food, so little time spent in the kitchen. Hurrah!

1) Nachos. Who doesn’t want nachos for dinner?

2) A healthy chicken parmesan:

Courgette noodles remove the risk of overloading on starchy carbs. If you don’t have a spiraliser use a cheese grater or just make courgette chips, everything is delicious anyway so don’t even worry.

3) The BLT pasta salad. Sandwiches are amazing but this makes it dinner.

4) The kale and quinoa bowl of your dreams.

There are some easy substitutions to made here too, like using olive oil instead of walnut oil, any cheese you want instead of goat cheese and almonds or other nuts instead of pine nuts because sometimes pine nuts can be pricey.

5) Shrimp fried rice.

Faster and less loaded with calories than a takeaway but definitely more delicious. Find the recipe here.

We found some of the BEST Irish blogs for you to start reading

Sep 8, 2015

by Amber Saunders

The Irish Blog Awards shortlist was announced recently and there a number of items which grabbed out attention very quickly.

This year the awards received a huge response with the number of nominations being up in the thousands. Judges will now be tasked with reading, reviewing and scoring all of the blogs which on the shortlist.

With close to 20 different categories, there is plenty to choose from. We are all about the bloggers here at SHEmazing and we’re always excited to find some new blogs to start obsessing over.

We put together a list of some of our favourites that cover everything from laugh-out-loud posts, serious (and realistic) fitness inspiration and more interesting takes on Irish life.

Health & Wellbeing:

A video posted by Michelle Massey (@michelle_kettlebelle.ie) on Aug 3, 2015 at 6:04am PDT

The girls behind Kettlebelle.ie are committed to keeping it seriously real on their fitness journey. This is not the place to find a 'lose 5lbs before 5pm' type of post. Instead they write: "This is not a blog for elite athletes or bikini models (although we do look at photos and think one day that will be me!!) It is for us everyday girls that often need some help, tips, motivation or a swift kick up the arse to get ourselves on the road to being the HEALTHIEST, FITTEST, STRONGEST VERSION OF OURSELVES." You can find them on Instagram too and trust us, this is where some of the finest #fitspo is to be found.

Best Blog Post Nominee:

A photo posted by Dublin Girlo (@dublin_girlo) on Sep 7, 2015 at 4:24am PDT

Dublin Girlo already has us laughing on a daily basis with her accounts of just what it takes to the sassiest stun-hun Dublin's southside has ever seen. Her blog post 'The 5 stages of getting over an arsehole' is no different. A highlight: "You and your girlos plaster every night out all over every social media site there is. You upload a selfie every day of you looking hunreal. Your clothes are stunning, you’ve probably dyed your hair (He obviously didn’t love you because of the colour of your hair)." Have a read of the whole post here. Be warned, it is fairly NSFW.

Food Blog:

The Little Green Spoon is hard to not read without feeling hungry. Seriously. If you can get to the 'Sweet Treats' section without raiding your presses then we salute you because we tend to only make it as far as the homepage before needing some snacks. There are countless recipes on this site to keep you occupied well through the winter. You can find some here.

Lifestyle:

With All the Finesse of a Badger is the place to go if you're feeling a little disillusioned with our modern society. Alvy is a writer who "dabbled in a bit of everything" and was recently at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her retelling of 'the most impressively disastrous job interview there ever was' still has us laughing at our desks. You can find it, and more here.

Travel:

Eat Sleep Chic is more than just a fashion and beauty blog. If you're looking for some weekend activity inspiration then look no further because this where all the best picks are going to be. We had no idea what Football golf was until we saw read this blog, and now we honestly can't to get out and try it. Oh, and another thing we love about this blog: all of the food! So much foodie goodness for your entertainment.

10 oh-so delicious and HEALTHY desserts that you just have to try

Sep 3, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Who doesn’t love dessert? Around here we are big fans of all kinds of desserts.

From cupcakes to ice cream and pretty much anything else you would find on the dessert menu, we are generally going to be wanting to try a slice. Or two. Ok fine three.

One thing we are not wild about however is that having a sweet tooth is not exactly the best when trying to live a healthy lifestyle. So, we found ten ways that you essentially cheat yourself into eating dessert all the time.

Healthy Brownies

This is basically salad, right?

Chocolate cake! With bananas and almonds, yum.

You could even call this breakfast.

Berry crumble.

Again, all this fruit and nuts mean we can have cake for breakfast.

Peanut butter cups.

With bonus chocolate.

Strawberry shortcake.

Which is also vegan-friendly.

Banoffee Pie.

Give us all the pie.

Almond ice cream.

Amazing.

Chocolate chip blondies.

Healthy treats for everyone!

No bake cookies.

Sugar free but still delicious.

The 10 foods you need in your fridge when trying to lose weight

Sep 2, 2015

by Amber Saunders

If you’re adopting a healthier lifestyle that you can actually stick with, then your fridge is going to need something of a makeover. The easiest way to avoid falling off the wagon and overindulging is to simply not have any of the less healthy options on hand when you’re looking for a snack.

Here are some of the best options to have on hand if you’re looking to make some healthy foodie swaps:

Vegetables

Chop up some of your favourites and pair them with a healthy dip, like hummus, so you won’t be left hungry again.

Lemon

Plain water can get a little boring, but hydration is important, so keep some lemon slices on hand, or any other chopped up fruits you fancy.

Ready-to-eat protein

If you’re prepared then you won’t be tempted to tuck into a frozen pizza or opt for a cheeky takeaway.

Fruits

A healthy snack options when you’re on the go.

Nut butters

Have you tried almond butter yet? You need to, it’s very important.

Eggs

Preparing some hard-boiled eggs means you won’t be stuck for a high protein breakfast tomorrow morning. Or you can try these make-ahead egg muffins if you need some variety in your life.

Hummus

A high protein option that you can use in wraps or as a salad dressing as well as using as a dip with your favourite veggies.

Spinach

The easiest way to add nutrients to almost any meal.

Almond milk

A handy dairy substitute with lower fat that can be used as a replacement for ordinary milk in countless recipes with ease.

Greek yoghurt

Swap ice-cream based treats for Greek yoghurt with honey and fruit if you’re feeling a sweet craving coming on.

Mamma mia! Scrumptious Italian recipes you NEED in your life

Aug 26, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We all love a good, hearty meal at times – and on these days (hello there, August rain), a cheesy treat is the way to go.

Inspiring many great Italian meals, we have rounded up the best cheesy treats for you to indulge in. Hurrah!

Whether you want to spoil yourself on the weekend, or make your a loved-one or flatmate a mid-week surprise, here are the tastiest and easiest Italian dishes you can show off with:

Umbrian-style white pizza

If you don't like tomatoes, this is the way to go.

Buy a pizza base (or make one from scratch like a boss)
Top with wafter thin slices of potato, six anchovies, sage leaves and torn pieces of a mozzarella ball
Cook in a very hot oven for 15 minutes and viola – you pizza is made!

Stuffed baked potato

This snack is pure perfection and full of golden, crispy goodness.

Take one big baked potato (already baked that is) and slice in half
Scoop the potato out of the skin and put it into a bowl
With that, mix in crispy bacon, a dollop of cream, some butter, mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper
Spoon the mixture back into the potato skins and pop in the over at 220C for 20 minutes

The ultimate cheese omelette

Cheese and eggs are a match made in foodie heaven.

Thinly slice some mushrooms, half a red onion, chives and a tomato
Then crack three eggs into a bowl and mix everything together, along with seasoning
Fry the mix on a hot pan with a knob of butter and immediately add some grated mature cheddar and parmesan
Cook for 5/10 minutes and then just enjoy the oozy goodness

Italian Mediterranean pasta salad

A glorious Italian taste sensation

Bung a bag of penne pasta into boiling salted water and cook al dente
Add frozen peas at the last minute
Drain the whole lot and pour into a bowl with a good glug of olive oil.
Stir in a cup of crispy bacon, chopped chives, veg of your choice and a packet of your preferred cheese
The cheese will melt and ooze and transform the whole thing into a fabulous tasty meal

Kicky cheesy scones

Super easy yeast-free bits – just try not to eat them all!

Rub together 225g of self-raising flour, 55g of butter and a pinch of salt
Then stir in a liberal amount of cheddar
Pour in 150ml of whole milk and stir until you reach a doughy consistency
Separate into ten even pieces on a baking tray, brush with milk and grate some strong cheddar on top
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 220C for about 12 minutes.

Cappuccino cheesecake

For something a little bit sweeter try this

Mix crushed digestive biscuits with 85g of melted butter and a tablespoon of espresso coffee
Then pour the mixture into a baking tin and squash down so it's all even
Stir three tablespoons of espresso into a pan along with half a tub of mascarpone and heat gently, stirring until it bubbles
Then drop four gelatin leaves into a bowl of cold water to soften
Squeeze excess water from gelatin and add to coffee-cheese mix until dissolved
Beat the other half of the mascarpone tub with 225g of icing sugar
Stir the coffee and sugar together until sweet and creamy, than slather thickly over your biscuit base
Leave overnight and see what glorious-ness awaits you in the morning