Peanut Butter Protein Artic Roll

40g of Tiana Coconut Flour

1 Scoop of Sci-Max 100% Vanilla Whey

10g Chia Seeds

1/2 tea spoon of Baking Powder

2 tsp of Stevia

50g of Peanut Butter

3Tbsp of Water

1. Add all the ingriedients (except the pb) in a bowl and compress into a ball.

2. On grease proof paper add some coconut flour.

3. Using a rolling pin roll out the mix into a long rectangle.

4. Spread the peanut butter.

5. Roll

6.  Bake for 15 minutes at 150 degree in a pre heated oven.

Serve warm with frozen yoghurt (I recommend Sainsburys Lick Vanilla Frozen Yoghurt), and melt down 1 square of Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate to drizzle over the top.

If its 'Treat' day why not swap out the PB for Nutella?

Serves 4 people,

141 Calories
8.2g Fat
4.6g Carbs
9.7g Protein

Power; The ability to do good things for others.

Last week I received an email from a nurse who worked at the Assisted Reproduction Clinic who is trying to organise some guest speakers regarding "IVF" and their experiences.

I have been asked along to some of "open evening" sessions in the past whilst I was doing IVF, however IVF is something that I have never spoken about since my 6th failed cycle back in May 2012.  I felt that I had brought closure to that area of my life and wanted to move on, as I had accepted that I would not be able to have a family of my own.

Receiving the email last week was completely out of the blue, and it has played on my mind the past week which has lead me to accepting the invitation.

Most people who pass comment on IVF are narrow-minded idiots, who have no understanding on the topic or compassion for those who have to turn to this method to allow them to have a child of their own.

I rarely get involved in debates these days, but one thing that really angers me is people who pass comment on topics they no nothing about or by the poor information out there in the media.

The definition of an illness; "a specific condition that prevents your body or mind from working normally"

A lot of people debate whether IVF should be paid by the NHS.  I was once told by an "ex friend" that i have no right to be spending the tax payers money on IVF nor does anyone else and that we should accept the card handed to us.  

SO does that mean that a cancer patient with lung cancer due to smoking, should not receive any medication or medical help because they should "accept the card that they have been handed to them, because their lung cancer was down to their own choice to smoke?".

Again, a narrow minded comment made without looking at the bigger picture.

During my time at the Assisted Reproduction Clinic or on fertility chat rooms I met women from all walks of lives.  There was one woman who had a terrible accident when she fell off her horse, which resulted in her being unable to conceive.  Another woman simply had not met the love of her life until her late 40s, but she had a good house, job and was very healthy, but time was against her.  Then there is women who have PCOS, Endometriosis to contend with.  Lets not forget the men, there was plenty of women during my time at the clinic receiving ICSI because their husband or partner had low sperm counts, some had an  accident earlier in life, or what about the gentleman who had suffered and overcome a terrible illness, and the medication stopped his sperm production?

Why should they be denied the right to have a child of their own.

"Well there is plenty of children out there looking to be fostered and adopted"

"Oh really? Why did you choose to have a child of your own instead of taking on someone else child? what makes you any different to us?".

I have went a bit off topic here... so lets get back on track.

The main mis conception about IVF is that its all older women, or career driven  that turn to IVF.  

I was 15 when I started having cramps.  My mum thought I was lying to pull a sickie at school, this happened on several occasions during my teenage years "its just growing pains go to school".  

The reality was when I was 17 one day I couldn't get up for work, I was doubled over in pain.  After 2 days off work, my dad took me to the hospital where they run tests.  Initially they thought it was appendicitis.  They later discovered I had fluid in my right fallopian tube which pushed my ovaries up, and it was contracting against my appendix causing the pain.  The fluid was drained, however it kept flaring up every few months. My period then became irregular, and I noticed that I stopped suffering from things like pre period back ache, nipple tenderness or mood swings (some women would love this).

I met my husband when I was 21 (but we had know each other for years previously) and we decided very quickly that we wanted family and started trying when I was 22 given my medical history.  Our first IVF session was when i was 24.  They say your chances are around 40 to 50% if your under 30 and healthy.  

What they don't tell you is the risks, or maybe they do but all I could think about was being a mummy....  

IVF involves stopping and starting your menstrual cycles, being put in and out of menopause, injecting yourself twice to 3 times a day, inserting progesterone every 12 hours, increasing oestrogen, taking HCG shots.  You get depressed, you eat, you gain weight, you eat again, you become reclusive, sensitive, it affects your relationship.

I was into cycle 5 when i knew something was wrong.  I was 28 years old.  I collapsed and was taken to hospital where they realised I had over stimulated and i had to have an operation to remove my left tube.

12 months later I went through cycle 6, my head wasn't in the zone, I was deflated, I was going through the motions of it all.  I felt like shit.  It failed.

I decided that enough was enough and it was time to accept that this wasn't working and to move on, as it had consumed the last 4 years of my life and I was now in my late 20s.  

This was where I had my lifestyle change.

The reason I was asked to contribute to the open evening, was because of my age, there is not many young people who do IVF, nor is there many young people out there who have done as many cycles as me and then had to give up.   The clinic wanted to have as many people as possible from different back grounds.

I have been worried that writing this post would open the flood gate, but it hasn't at all.  I realise that I am a lot happier now and I have a whole different perspective on life.  What is & who is important, and I have achieved so much in the past few years.

Nemesis has really opened my eyes to peoples insecurities.  Becoming a coach has come with job satisfaction.  There is very few jobs out there that come with job satisfaction.  I hope that by doing the guest speaking I can help someone who is worried about going through IVF, perhaps needs some understanding when to know if enough is enough, and how to move on.  

Curried Parsnip Soup

A simple fast soup recipe, perfect for freezing.

1 kilo of Parsnips Chopped

1 Red Onion Chopped

3 Knorr Vegetable Stock Cubes

2 Table Spoons of Curry Powder.

1. Sautee the Onion

2. Add in the Parsnips, and Vegetable Stock (I used a pint and a half of water).

3. Add the Curry Powder

4. Simmer for 15 minutes before transferring into a blender

This makes 5 portions

Macro's per portion.

122 Calories

Fat: 2.1g

Carbs: 23.2g

Protein: 3.4g

Fibre: 8.6g

ENJOY

The Next Crazy 9 Weeks

After some time out in the Turkish Sun (very much needed after a stressful year), it's time to knuckle down!

I am flat out over the next 9 weeks..

1. I start my new job on Wednesday as a Project Coordinator.

2.  I start Uni on the 21st of Septemver studying for my MSc in Project Management.

3.  My current house is up for sale and I 

House Hunting! Some of you may be aware that my new job is in Perth so I will be leaving Aberdeen (yay).

4.  I have my half marathon for the Lily Foundation on Sunday 4th of October.

5.  I have the British Finals for UKUP

6.  Studying for my Y3T training and nutrition on Neil Hill Academy.

As well as all of this I still have to train, diet and coach all my clients with Nemesis.  Some people would freak out at these commitments but I love a challenge!  

The Outsider

I know this is a post that a lot of people in the fitness industry can relate to - being made to feel like an outsider when it comes to eating out / social events.

One thing I decided this year was never to make myself a recluse during prep, and to spend as much time as I could with friends and family and in general being a lot more sociable.

I went to nights out where I never drank and had just as much fun as I would have if I was drinking.  At the end of the day not everyone needs alcohol to have a good time - especially if your surrounded with good company.

The same goes for eating out... I don't see how eating out is an issue for people on prep (fair enough maybe not at 6 weeks out or any closer to the competition but staying a recluse during a 20 week prep period I feel is ridiculous).

The only restaurants on prep you can't really dine in are a chipper, indian or chinese restaurant.  I have never had a problem calling a restaurant in advance that I plan to dine at to ask for alterations made to my meal.

• Chicken Salad removing the dressings
• Chicken Fajitas - no Sour Cream or Cheese

There is always an option on any menu in any restaurant that can be altered to suit, and if you have tracked for as long as I have, you pretty much know when a chicken comes to the table if it is 100g of cooked chicken! I even found myself complaining and sending a plate back to the kitchen in Chiquito's when they were trying to charge me £16 for a Chicken Skewer where you would be lucky if it was 75g of cooked chicken on that skewer!

The issue with us fitness people is other people!  It seems to bother other people more if we choose not to drink, or make changes to our food.  

A few weeks ago I asked for a chicken dish to be altered (no sauce, and instead of the sweet potato fries to change it out for green vegetables).  The look on some of the peoples face at the table was of pure disgust, as if I had killed someone?!  Why is making changes to a meal to make it healthier a bad thing? I wouldn't dare turn round and mock their choice of a greasy fat ridden burger, and how the whole way through them chomping it they are moaning about their weight gain?! No instead I have respect, I would never put someone down infront of others for choices they have made.  

It's very similar to a post on Facebook which I have seen appear on my newsfeed a lot recently.  Its a picture of Dana Linn Bailey and then on the other half an over weight female.  The wording is along the lines of, calling her fat is deemed as bullying, but its okay to call DLB a man because she has muscle?  

I think people in the fitness industry have to put up with as much bullying as over weight people, and the funny thing is the people who make these comments are the ones who come to us asking for advice to shift the weight.

Double Chocolate Cookie Peanut Butter Protein Cake

This tastes amazing! Prep time less than 3 minutes.. bake time 20 minutes.

I used a heart shaped tin baking tin, but a standard cake tin of 8 - 10" diameter is fine!

For the Cake.

240g of Chickpeas (Drained and washed)

30g of Coco Powder

80g of 8hr DietFx Smart Tec Protein Powder (Chocolate Cookie Flavour)

130ml of Unsweetened Almond Milk

133g of Meridian Natural Peanut Butter

1 Egg White

50g of Sweet Freedom Original Syrup.

For the Icing

40g Meridian Peanut butter.

1/4 Cup of Water

40g of 8hr DietFX Smart Tec Protein Powder (Chocolate Cookie Flavour).

Now if you don't use Smart Tec make sure you opt for a protein that is Casein Based.

For the base

1.  Pre heat oven to 150 degrees.

2.  Add all ingredients in a blender (blend the chickpeas first then add the rest of the ingredients).

3.  Line a cake tin with baking paper or like me use a silicon baking cake mould.

4.  Spread mixture evenly.

5.  Bake for around 15 minutes.

6.  Leave to cool and make the icing

7.  Add the Icing ingredients together and mix well with a fork (you may need a little more water if the consistency is too thick to spread).

8.  Once the cake is cooled spread the icing over the cake.

9.  Decorate with some gold shimmer dust and chocolate sprinkles!

If the cake is cut into 8 slices the macros are as follows

250 Calories

12g Fat

16g Carbs

21g Protein.

(This does not include the macros for the chocolate sprinkles).

Double Chocolate Cookie Brownies

These are seriously good!  I also challenge you not to eat the left over cake mixture in the food blender!

240g of Chickpeas (Drained and washed)

30g of Coco Powder

80g of 8hr DietFx Smart Tec Protein Powder (Chocolate Cookie Flavour)

130ml of Unsweetened Almond Milk

133g of Natural Peanut Butter

1 Egg White

50g of Sweet Freedom Original Syrup.

1.  Pre heat oven to 150 degrees.

2.  Add all ingredients in a blender (blend the chickpeas first then add the rest of the ingredients).

3.  Line a small baking tray with baking paper.

4.  Spread mixture evenly.

5.  Bake for around 15 minutes.

6. Cut into slices.

Based on the products I used and cutting it into 8 Brownies the macros are per slice:

202 Calories

15.5g of Protein

14.8g of Carbs

9.5g of Fat

You could cut it into smaller brownie slices or larger!

Prep Update

Since the UKUP finals are in November, and like last year I have not been able to enjoy the Summer as I have been on prep, I decided to take a semi off season.

I eat super clean all week and hit my macros, but if I have a social event at the weekend I flexi diet.  If its alcohol based then I drink sensibly and wisely.  If its a food even I eat sensibly and wisely.  I don't deny myself a treat if I feel I want it on these days as well.

I am less than my stage weight now, and still remaining lean, my waist has actually stayed the same, and all other measurements have went up.  Most importantly  my metabolism is back firing and I am sitting around TDE calories which is great.  I am really happy with my size at the moment and there is just not enough time to make any size "gains" in such a short space of time, so I am concentrating on my weak areas - mid section.

I have been incorporating a lot of core strength workouts and ensuring my abs are under tension throughout.  Another area i felt that isn't as good as last year is my glutes, however I think this is because I left cardio so late this year, that I was running a lot over a short space of time and this caused a flattening in my glutes.  Some people will criticise  my opinion on this but the fact is previously I had a fat jelly ass, and when I start running I loose my ass - it always happens and just how my body works.

As all my friends know I love to be busy all the time, so I have decided to design my own bikini for the finals.  I can't wait for all the crystals to arrive! super excited.

I start my degree next month as well in Project Management, I don't plan to do Project Management in Oil and Gas once qualified, my interest lies in house building and I would like to manage projects such as house conversions / extensions and then also the interior design side.  As well as this I have started my first module with Neil Hill on his academy training to be a Y3T Instructor and Nutrition Advisor. In October I also have my half marathon for the Lily Foundation.  If you haven't already done so I would gratefully appreciate it if you could sponsor me.

www.justgiving.com/laineystrath

Chilli Chicken Quinoa Hot Pot

Serves 6 

295 Calories

3g Fat

26g Carbs

35g Protein

200g Celery finely chopped

150g Red Onion finely chopped

Knorr Vegetable Stock Gel Pots (2)

95g Carrot Chopped

2tsp Chillies Crushed Schwartz

800g Napolina Chopped Tomatos with Garlic

1tsp Dried Oregano

650g Chicken Breast

500g Asda Quinoa (cooked weight)

300g 0% Fage

1.  In a pan with low calorie spray, cook the chicken then add all the vegetables.

2.  In another pan boil water and cook quinoa

3.  In the pan with the chicken add the spices and Chopped Tomato and bring to the boil.

4.  Reduce heat to a simmer,  and then make the vegetable stock with hot water and add to the pan.

5.  Transfer the pan into an oven dish in a pre heated oven at around 175 degrees and bake for 15 minutes

6.  Remove the oven dish and add in the cooked quinoa and mix.

7.  Bake for a further 5 minutes

8.  Remove the oven tray and stir in the Fage.

9. Split into 6 portions.

Run of bad luck.

I have neglected the blog the past week and a half, but to be honest I have had a lot going on in my personal life.

I don't think 2015 is my year at all, and I seem to be having a run of bad luck.

Last week was a nightmare,  last week my house was broken into whilst I was sleeping upstairs, they then stole my car keys and made off with my car.  I haven't been sleeping well the past few weeks, which goes without saying when you have no job, and your spending your days worrying about money, applying for jobs and then constantly being told your over qualified so they will not be taking your cv any further.

That night I went to bed at midnight and I must have went straight into a deep sleep.  I also never had my dog at my house because the next day I was meant to be attending an interview in Manchester.  Forty Five minutes of me falling asleep I was awoken by the police banging on my door.  Everyone who know me knows how much I love that wee mini, and I was devastated that it was gone, but more shaken up men had been in my house whilst I was upstairs (I will rephrase that "BOYS").

On the plus side my neighbour seen it all happen and was on the phone to the police as they were in the house.  The police gave chase and my car was recovered the next day un damaged.  I had a full tank of fuel in the car too so when I got my car back it had just under a full tank.

Its funny the amount of text messages you get from people you haven't spoke to in months or years messaging you just to be nosey.  No message asking are you okay etc, just how did they gain access to your car, do you know who it is?

It wasn't until a few days after the incident that 2 people (TWO) actually asked me first if I was okay and if I felt safe at home before they asked about the car.  It pretty much sums up what kind of society we live in today.  A car is a car, there replaceable, but an invasion of privacy and feeling unsafe in your own home can't be replaced.  All I can think about is how a few nights before I fell asleep on the sofa downstairs watching a movie, what if it was that night it happened?

The police knew pretty much straight away the people involved and they were arrested and charged, and bailed.  What makes it worse is people have now send me screen shots of there face book pages and articles in the paper of all the cars they have stolen previously.  Having a face to the name is now worse than not knowing.

I really don't understand the enjoyment these people must get from stealing something that is not theres.  I only hope that sometime in their life they get to feel a similar pain of someone stealing something valuable to them that they have worked so hard for.

This past week has really opened my eyes to the type of people we live amongst.  When working in Vienna and returning to Aberdeen I seen how materialistic people in Aberdeen can be.  Its all about who has the best car, the nicest house etc.  In Vienna its all about the quality of life.   One of my friends travelled round OZ for a year and I brought this up with her and she totally agreed that she noticed the same thing when she returned to Aberdeen.

Two days later the company who was suppose to interview me on the morning my car was stolen got in touch with me to re arrange an interview for the next day.  My bad luck continued.  The van I got a shot of to drive to Manchester broke down at Carlisle.  Several tow trucks home later (still not making the interview),  I was home.  Exhausted.  Going back to what I said about Aberdeen being materialistic, one of the tow truck drivers actually mentioned this in one of our conversations going up the road.  How much money Aberdeen has.  He actually made a comment that in Glasgow the homeless drunks are all merry and will ask you how your doing and still have a smile on their face, you pass a homeless drunk in Aberdeen and they are miserable.  Although this was his own opinion it still made me laugh, because he sort of had a point.

Despite all the dramas last week, I still hit my macros and never missed a training session.  I never let anything affect me achieving a goal.  It was really hard pulling myself out of bed last week and going to the gym, and eating when I wasn't hungry - but I did it.  Because I want to achieve my goal and the only person that can do that is me.