Journey to the Summer: WEEK 7 (30/04- 06/05)

Welcome all to the 7th post on my diet and fitness series: Journey to the Summer! 

This week I think I did really well with my meals, I was inventive but still strict on portion and made sure to stick to what I know is a better alternative. I was going to gym more, and seeing differences! What I ate this week goes as follows:







Sunday (1,244 calories): 

Breakfast: 2 slices of Danish toast with 1/4 avocado and a boiled egg (325 calories)

Lunch: Tuna sandwich with a kiwi, orange and apple fruit salad (294 calories)

Dinner: Chicken fried brown rice topped with an egg (625 calories)

• Boil rice according to package instructions 
• To a wok, add 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp olive/coconut oil and brown 1 large chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 knob of ginger and chilli flakes. 
• Add sliced chicken breast to the wok and cook with salt, pepper and Chinese five spice until cooked through.
• Add cooked rice, dark and light soy sauce and  a packet of stir fry vegetables. 
• Fry and egg and serve. 

Monday (1,101 calories):

Breakfast: 2 slices of Danish toast and a cup of tea (not pictured) (180 calories)

Lunch: Tuna sandwich with an apple (266 calories)

Dinner: Left over brown fried rice with a boiled egg and 1/3 grilled plantain 

• See Sunday for fried rice recipe. 
• Grill 1/3 plantain, boil an egg to your preference & serve with extra grilled onions. 

Tuesday (1,170 calories): 

Breakfast: French omelette with a slice of toast (263 calories)   

Lunch: Leftover chicken fried rice (278 calories) 

Dinner: Fish Tacos (629 calories) 

• Grill a fish of your preference (I used sea bass, grilling with garlic, salt, pepper and paprika) and flake into small pieces. 
• To a warmed mini tortilla add chopped lettuce, plantain salsa (chopped onions, plantain, coriander and tomatoes), your grilled fish, and top with creamy guacamole. Serve. 

Wednesday (1,126 calories): 

Breakfast: Special K cereal with Arla best of both fat free milk (332 calories)  

Lunch: Tuna and egg salad (324 calories) 

Dinner: Chicken kebabs with hassle back potatoes and salad (apologies this is not the completed picture, I lost the one I took) (480 calories)

• For Potatoes: microwave your sweet potato for 3-4 mins until slightly tender. Pierce with a skewer and run your knife in a circular motion to create spirals. Season with salt, pepper and paprika and bake in the oven at 200℃ for 25-20 mins. 
• For Chicken Skewers: Cube a chicken breast and place in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, minced garlic, minced ginger, paprika, turmeric chilli powder, curry powder, mixed herbs and freshly chopped coriander. Squeeze in a wedge of lemon and 1 tbsp olive oil and allow to marinate for minimum 30 mins. (See image above for 
• Chop up red, green and yellow peppers and a large onion. Add to bowl with chicken and coat well.
• Skewer chicken, peppers and onion and place on a baking tray to cook at 180℃ for 25 mins or until golden brown. Flip half way to ensure complete browning of skewers. 
• Serve with a salad of your choice. 

Thursday (1,418 calories): 

Breakfast: 2 slices danish toast and an egg with a cup of tea (250 calories)  

Lunch: Mini chicken wrap, leftover brown rice and an apple  (580 calories)

Dinner: Wholewheat spaghetti bolognese (588 calories) 

• For bolognese: Cook beef mince (less than 12% fat) in olive oil with onions and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, basil, oregano, mixed herbs, crushed chillies and one magi cube. Add one can of chopped tomatoes and cook for 5-10 mins.
• Boil 150g wholewheat pasta as per packet instructions. Boil an egg. 
• Steam vegetables from frozen.

Friday (1,121 calories): 

Breakfast: Special K cereal with Arla best of both fat free milk (243 calories) 
Lunch: Small bowl of leftover spaghetti bolognese (319 calories)
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti bolognese (649 calories) 

• See Thursday for recipe 

Saturday (1,344 calories): 

Breakfast: 2 egg french omelette with a slice of danish toast and a cup of tea (317 calories)
Lunch: Tuna sweetcorn sandwich with an apple and a packet of bbq pop chips (504 calories) 
Dinner: Grilled sea bass on a bed of quinoa, spinach and onions (513 calories) 

• Pan grill your sea bass seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
• In a small pot, boil your Quinoa according to its package instructions, but adding salt, pepper and a 1/2 seasoning cube. When the quinoa is nearly fully cooked ad fresh spinach and sliced onions. 
• Serve with a wedge of lemon. 

This week was pretty good. I loved eating Sea Bass  as I am usually only used to eating salmon as my fish of choice. Having only one salmon fillet left in my freezer (cry with me) has revealed my love for Sea Bass and I am happy that I can incorporate different fishes as I was getting very sick and tired of chicken. My favourite meal this week was definitely the spaghetti bolognese as it tasted amazing, had simple ingredients and made me feel like back in the day before my Journey to the Summer began. I have hit the gym a few times this week, increasing my cardio each day and challenging myself in terms of weights. For example on Wednesday I started off only squatting with 10 kg, but I have increased it to 15, hopefully reaching 20 by the end of my journey. Bring on week 8! 

Weeks concluding thoughts: Bloating? 

I haven't felt very slim this week I will not lie. Back when I was in London I was feeling like a slimmer better me, but over the last couple of weeks that feeling has faded away. I think I know the cause of my bloating in the past few days but it hasn't made me feel great... almost making me question whether this process is working (I know it is). Feeling good is much more important to me than looking good and therefore I hope that over the next (and final) week, I can go back to my old excited fitcentric self. It's dawning on me that I am going to finish this journey next week and making me feel worried! I know now that I will be continuing my Journey to the Summer most likely for the next 3/4 weeks or at least until I finish Uni, but i'm anxious about how the effect of not blogging will play out. Will I still be consistent? After craving so many things over these past 7 weeks who knows! Anyway, ONE MORE WEEK TILL I CAN REVEAL MY BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES! 

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!