Journey to the Summer: WEEK 4 (09/04- 15/04)

Welcome back for my fourth entry of Journey to the Summer: a diet and fitness series.

To start off, apologies for the lateness of this blog post! As it was Easter Sunday I did not release the post as I was spending a lot of time with family, and unfortunately (but fortunately for me) today, I was called into work and thus couldn't release at 6pm. I promise, it will be 6pm every Sunday hence forth! This week I incorporated what my family were eating into my diet, doing so in moderation. Instead of having a complete meal, I would pick and choose different things from their meals and have them with healthier alternatives. You should be able to see what I mean below, so here's to week 4!

Sunday (958 calories):

Breakfast: 1 slice of white bread with butter and a golden delicious apple (179 calories)

Lunch: Wholewheat penne pasta with sweetcorn and a boiled egg (307 calories)

Dinner: Chicken tacos with a plantain salsa and mashed avocados (472 calories)

• For the chicken: Slice 1 chicken breast and cook in 1 tbsp. rapeseed oil, seasoning with garlic granules, cumin, salt pepper and chilli flakes.
• Chop 1/4 a grilled plantain into small cubes and toss  into a salsa with chopped tomatoes, onions and coriander.
• To warmed mini tortilla's add  the chicken, salsa, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, mashed avocado and peri- peri mayonnaise. Serve with a wedge of lime.

Monday (1,258 calories):

Breakfast: Oats in semi- skimmed milk topped with strawberry and blueberry granola (270 calories)

Lunch: Leftover wholewheat penne pasta with sweetcorn (230 calories)

Snack: Slim Fast chocolate delight bar (96 calories)

Dinner: Honey garlic salmon on a bed of cauliflower rice and beans porridge (663 calories)

• For the beans porridge: My father made this so search "Nigerian Beans Porridge" (aka Ewa Agoyin) for a good recipe online.
• For the Salmon: Add a tsp. honey to minced garlic and ginger and coat salmon seasoning with salt and pepper. Bake at 200℃ for 20mins.
• Steam cauliflower rice according to package instructions, seasoning with salt and pepper and adding finely chopped onion. Serve.

Tuesday (1,217 calories):

Breakfast: 1 egg omelette in a warmed mini tortilla (324 calories)

Lunch: Leftover chicken tacos (430 calories)

Dinner: Roasted chicken drumstick with roasted sweet potato, onion and sweetcorn (463 calories)

• For chicken: Season to your preference, being mindful of the salt in seasoning cubes. Bake at 200℃ for 25-30mins or until cooked through.
• Cut sweet potato into cubes and onion into quarters. Coat with 1 tbsp. rapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper and grill at 200℃ for 20-25mins or until brown.
• Steam sweetcorn and serve.

Wednesday (1,045 calories):

Breakfast: Cornflakes with semi- skimmed milk and a red apple (340 calories)

Lunch: A chicken drumstick with cauliflower rice and a Slim Fast bar (276 calories)  

Dinner: Haddock fillet with sweetcorn and roasted sweet potato (429 calories)

• Cook fish according to packaging instructions.
• Cut sweet potato into cubes. Coat with 1 tbsp. rapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper and grill at 200℃ for 20-25mins or until brown .
• Steam sweetcorn. Serve.

Thursday (1,103 calories)

 

Breakfast: Cornflakes with semi- skimmed milk and a red apple (340 calories)

Lunch: Tuna mayo sandwich with a Slim Fast chocolate delight bar (425 calories)

Dinner: Beef suya with abuja sweet bread (506 calories)  

• This dinner was bought by my parents from the suya stand at Ade Ade's supermarket in Thamesmead! Very delicious and I ate only the lean pieces of beef.

Good Friday (772 calories):

Breakfast: Oats with semi- skimmed milk (180 calories)

Lunch: Slim Fast bar (95 calories)  

Dinner: Grilled Sea bream stuffed with peppers and onions on a bed of salad (429 calories)

• For the fish: Make sure your fish is clean and descaled. Stuff with sliced onions, red peppers, garlic and lemons. Season entire fish with salt, pepper and a tbsp. fish seasoning. Grill at 190℃ for 25mins (depending on size) or follow cooking instructions as per weight of fish on packaging.

Saturday (1,539 calories):

Breakfast: Seeded toast topped with an egg, avocado and kiwi on the side (354 calories) 

Lunch: A Lidl croissant (not pictured) (185 calories)

Dinner: JRC Global buffet (not pictured) (estimated 1000 calories)

• At this buffet I had two plates of food both of which I did not finish. The first was sweet potato with breaded chicken pieces, roast pork and ribs. The second was roasted vegetables, char sui pork, dim sum and prawns.

This week as you can see, I allowed myself to eat a bit more of what my family were eating whilst still staying relatively healthy. I was very much so in heaven when I had my "cheat" dinner on Saturday. I would say I did pretty well considering the mad choices I could have made at the buffet but I tried very hard to stick to foods that appeared to be better for me. That buffet was actually the best buffet food I have ever had, all of it was cooked amazingly and there was so much selection. I am seriously very proud of myself for not eating dessert even though there was chocolate cake, cheesecake, the whole works there. It has been a pretty good week for me and I'm halfway through my journey, becoming more determined than ever!

Weeks concluding thoughts: Did someone say weight loss?

*Toots horn* Here ye, here ye, I have lost 6.2 kg so far in these 4 weeks and I think it's safe to say I feel amazing! I can see a little change in my body, with my stomach becoming slightly flatter, and my overall body looking slimmer. It's not a huge amount of weight but I am very happy that this journey seems to be working. I go back to Uni this week so I'll be able to go to the gym as often as in the first two weeks and see more change, more definition, more weight-loss... MORE EVERYTHING! I'm seriously so excited to look and feel good this summer. This weight-loss is more than Instagram body goals to me, I genuinely want to be able to look in the mirror and feel happier, changing not only my appearance, but my lifestyle in general. *Clinks glasses of champagne* To continued progress!

 

Be sure to follow me on Snapchat: Chrissola, and Twitter/Instagram: Chrissola_ for live cooking and more information on #CCC. Feel free to send me pictures of the meals if and when you choose to make them! Have a blessed day and a great week ahead!