health

How to juggle a busy family life and stay active

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Believe it or not, there actually are enough hours in the day, we just don’t always spend them productively enough. Life seems to keep getting busier and we are trying to do more, achieve more, fit more in and be something to everyone. No matter how busy you are, take some time back for yourself to ensure you are keeping fit, healthy and active. You will never have this moment again so do it now!

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It wasn’t too long ago that I was always waiting for the ‘right time’ to start living a fit and healthy lifestyle. What I didn’t realise was that life was passing me by anyway and there really is no such thing as the right time. I realised it was now or never. We are always justifying how busy we are as if we are looking for some kind of medal. It’s become a social status and if someone asks how we are, we automatically reply with a sigh and an “I’m so busy”.  Well, busy or not, one thing is certain, life won’t stand still or stop being busy to wait for you to get moving and make time for your health. So, right now seems like the perfect time to start. Stop waiting and just commit to making 2018 your year to make it happen.

It’s not as hard as you think, fitting exercise into your everyday life, you just need to prioritise and plan. I am positive that you can find a minimum of 15 minutes a day and even more on some days. Even on the days where you think it is going to be hard to fit it in, look for opportunities and try your best to make it happen… these are usually the days you need it the most and will benefit greatly from some exercise. And if it doesn’t eventuate, don’t beat yourself up over it ~ tomorrow is a new day with new opportunity.

My number one tip is to wear your workout gear, wherever and whenever possible! You will be surprised how much more inclined you will be to workout, get moving and be more active in general. This really does increase your activity levels. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed about being one of ‘those’ women who do everything in their activewear… embrace it and be proud, it’s a way of life!

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If you are extremely time poor and can’t make it to a gym, make High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions your best friend. A 10 – 15 minute HIIT session in the comfort of  your own home before work, while the baby sleeps, while the load of washing is on, after the kids are in bed or whenever else you can grab some time will make you feel so energized, get your heart rate up, burn fat and release those endorphins.

Another great time to fit in a little workout is while playing with the kids. Involve them and make them part of the workout, they will love it and you are role modelling wonderful lifestyle behaviours that they will hopefully adopt as part of their lives as they grow up. Jog on the spot, squats, pushups, plank, burpees, have a running race, skipping competition, dance, the list goes on. They are all simple body weight exercises that do not require any equipment and the whole family can do it together. Use the kids as weights, let them time the sets and count the repetitions. They just love being a part of what you are doing. Just make it fun and you won’t even know you are working out and you will be also spending quality (technology free) time with your children…. A rarity in itself these days!

Make an effort to do an outdoor activity on the weekend (rain, hail or shine – just dress appropriately…. Weather really shouldn’t be an excuse not to exercise). Being outdoors is great for boosting your energy, relieving stress and blowing off those cobwebs, especially if you are stuck indoors or behind a desk all week. Go for a walk, hike, jog, bike ride, walking tour, or just park your car further away from where you need to be and walk – let’s stop being so lazy or in a hurry all the time. We are all guilty of it.

One of the best ways I have found to increase my activity and exercise during the week (particularly incidental exercise) is by using an activity tracker/fitness watch. I love my Garmin 235. If you are someone who is motivated by challenge and hitting a certain target and goal then I suggest you get yourself a tracker (one that has an app on your phone is great for easy viewing of your progress and integration into your daily life).

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My goal at the start of last year was to get better at running and make running a consistent part of my life. The last little tip I have is one I found extremely beneficial for increasing my exercise, in particular my running when I was just starting out, during a busy week. Whenever we went somewhere as a family (eg. Grocery shopping, visiting family, sport etc), I always dress in my running gear or at least have it in the car along with a hat, suncream and earphones if you like to run with music – (be prepared and you can’t go wrong) and then on the way home I would get Hubby to drop me off and I would run the rest of the way home. Make sure you pick a distance you know you can comfortably run when you start out and you can increase it each time. I’ve actually lost count of the number of times I have done this and it gets it out of the way without having to make specific time during the day or stop what you are doing to leave the house to go out for a run.  It’s a no brainer and it helped my running in the early days immensely. Often the family will follow me in the car for a bit and yell encouragement out the window and then they go and park somewhere further along and surprise me. It helps keep you going when it gets tough or you want to stop.

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So, there are plenty of ways you can fit exercise and activity into your busy week. It’s not about having time, it’s about making time! Set your goals, plan your week and just get it done. No questions, no excuses!

Follow me over at  https://www.facebook.com/fitm.u.msa for workouts, tips, motivation, recipes and more. It’s a great community and we would love to have you join us.

Enjoy xx

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5 simple ways to unwind after a busy or stressful day

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5 simple ways to unwind aftera stressful day

Let’s face it, as much as we would love every day to be cruisey, stress free and smooth sailing…. that usually isn’t the case. Life moves at a rapid pace, we all seem to be living with what has become a constant and normalised level of daily stress (even if you aren’t always aware you are stressed, it is often at a subconscious level). I have found it so important for my state of mind and emotional and mental wellbeing to try to find a small amount of time when I feel things are really getting too hectic, stressed or out of control, to just unwind, recalibrate and de-stress!

I wanted to share a few of my favourite things to do to bring some calm back into my day. These are simple little things that I can do even in the shortest amount of time. Some days I am lucky enough to have an hour to be able to spend on myself and other days I am lucky if I can grab 10 minutes of alone and quite time. We are all doing the best we can in whatever roles we are playing (and we are usually juggling multiple roles at once)… whether that is mum life, business/work life, in our relationships and at home. It is absolutely ok to feel overwhelmed and stressed out, in fact, acknowledging it is super important and allows us to reevaluate our situation and make some valuable time to prioritise our own health, wellbeing and happiness. Next time you feel like it’s you against the world, or you know you are letting a stressful situation get the better of you, I want you to prioritise yourself by scheduling in a small amount of time to do one of the following:

  1. {Sit. Reflect. Relax. Breathe} Find 10 minutes to just sit somewhere quiet, nice and relaxing. You want to bring some peace and calm back into your day by just sitting down comfortably. This does not have to be a meditation, this can be as simple as just a few big, deep, belly breaths slowly in and out, ensuring to fill  your lungs up and to exhale all of the air out. This will help slow your heart rate, calm your mind and body and even detoxify your body by getting rid of any stale air in your lungs and eliminate harmful toxins. When we are stressed, we take short, shallow and rapid breaths and our lungs don’t fully expand and our body produces adrenaline and cortisol. By concentrating on taking deep, full and slow breaths, your body will respond in a positive way and  you will feel the benefits of your blood pressure lowering, your heart rate dropping and your muscles and mind relaxing! You can even make yourself a nice cup of herbal tea (I like Peppermint to calm me down) and just sit quietly sipping it while working on your breathing! Try it… this one won’t take much time out of your day at all but the effects are immediate and you will feel less stressed.

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2. {Lace up your shoes and head outside} Even if you don’t feel like it or you are not feeling motivated, I strongly suggest just putting on your sneakers, lacing them up and walking outside. There is something about being outdoors, soaking up some vitamin D and smelling the fresh air that just makes us feel better. Once you are outside, just head off on a little stroll, again concentrating on your breathing. This can be as short or as long as you like or you feel you need. A longer walk will obviously increase your heart rate and hopefully release those endorphins, but the benefits of even a short walk are huge, especially mentally! So, make it easy for yourself by keeping your walking shoes handy and don’t let excuses sneak in – excuses are a form of self sabotage and we want to eliminate that from our lives to enjoy a less stressed daily life.

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3. {Magnesium Bath} Soaking in a magnesium bath will help relieve muscle aches and tension and also relax your body and mind. Magnesium helps our bodies by relaxing certain receptors in our brain and nervous system. It can also aid neurological and physiological processes when the body is under stress and pressure and help alleviate headaches. You can apply magnesium oil directly to different areas of your body, however I love to add mine to a warm bath and just relax and let the oil soak straight into my body. I find this a great part of my post workout recovery or even if I just find I have a spare 30 minutes at night once the kids are in bed to unwind from the day that was! I use an amazing South Australian Magnesium, MgLIFE, which is made from organically sourced magnesium chloride and you can get your magnesium here and try it for yourself.

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4. {Self Massage} Relieve those knots and muscular tensions by giving yourself a little hand, neck, scalp or foot massage. We hold a lot of tension in our feet and hands so give them some love and massage your stress away. You can use some coconut oil or your favourite lotion and just knead the muscles, starting gently and apply desired pressure to loosen the tension. If you have a small massage ball, tennis ball or golf ball you can use this as a foot massager, just stand on it and roll your foot over it applying as much pressure as you can handle.

5. {Music on and belt out your fave tunes} It is amazing how much your mood can change when you hear songs you love. It can be any type of music, depending on what you feel will lift your mood… from loud dance songs that you can boogie around the house to, to power ballads that you can sing at the top of your lungs, through to some chill out beats to just relax and escape! I would prefer to listen to music all day long than put the TV on (I’m not a big TV person at all) and music always lifts my mood and if the kids are cranky or being a bit whingey, I will often put the music dock on and tell them to choose a song each and we just sing and dance with it up loud and it usually works a treat to change their mood and settle the situation.

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Find a little routine, ritual or activity that works for you and try to use it as much as you can when you feel you need to. Looking after your mental health and state of mind is so important to your overall health and wellbeing! I would love to hear some of the other things that you do that help you unwind after a stressful day? I am always looking to include some new ideas into my day so let me know what you find relaxing.

Kel xx

 

Simple & healthy choc-nut thick shake

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If you are looking for a totally delicious and healthy snack or dessert idea or even as a substitute to your daily smoothie repertoire, look no further than this devine and simple choc-nut thick shake. It is just like a chocolate sundae but free of nasties and full of nutritious goodness for you and the entire family. You don’t need to feel guilty when you want a little sweet treat…. and you can even give it to the kids and they will never know it’s packed with healthy ingredients! WINNING MAMA!

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RECIPE (1 large or 2 small serves – easily double the recipe for the whole family)

Ingredients

1/2 Avocado

1/4 cup almonds

1 large frozen banana, chopped

1 cup almond milk

2 tbsp shredded coconut

1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

1 tbsp raw cacao powder (more if you prefer strong chocolate flavour)

You may wish to garnish with extra cacao powder, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, chia seeds or anything else you like

Method

Place all ingredients in blender (except your toppings) and blend until smooth and creamy enough to drink.

Pour into glasses and garnish with preferred toppings and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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For more recipes and healthy living ideas and motivation, come and check us out on Facebook or Instagram – we would love to meet you!

Kelly xx

 

5 simple exercises for time poor people

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Is it just me or is life getting busier and more hectic?  If you feel the pressure of time constraints or having to fit so much into your day that the first thing to suffer is your own health & fitness, then keep reading, this article is for you!  As the world around us seems to speed up I feel as if we are at the point of being busy for the sake of being busy. When we catch up with friends and they ask “how are you?” we subconsciously answer “I’m so busy” instead of putting any thought into our actual answer. We are becoming overwhelmed with our crazy busy, time poor lifestyle that we barely make any time for ourselves and the things that are really important to us…. And there should be nothing more important to us than our health! Without it we have nothing. For someone whose entire business revolves around being passionate about helping people prioritise their own health and fitness, it is no surprise that I am a big believer in putting yourself first when it comes to your health, fitness and physical & mental wellness. You know the drill on the aircraft “place your own oxygen mask on first before trying to help others” – if you are no good, then you are no good to anyone else!

The good news is that we can work on our health and fitness without overcomplicating it or spending hours and hours doing so or needing a full gym set up. Keep it simple! As a busy mum of 2 and a business owner, I often have to fit in a fast paced workout at home in any spare time I can grab (often with kids next to me joining in). At first you might need to make the time and change your normal routine a little to fit it in but if you are prioritising your health and fitness then this is something you need to be doing! If President Obama can fit in a workout every single day, then so can we. I mean, how busy are you??

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So, you’ve managed to find some precious time to yourself and are ready to get started…. I have compiled a list of 5 fantastic exercises that you can do at home. They will provide you with a full body workout and can be done in as little as 10 minutes. If you have longer, that’s great, repeat them again. I recommend doing 20-30 seconds on each exercise with a 10 second rest in between and trying to complete as many rounds as you can in the time you have.

  • Pushups
  • Squats
  • Plank
  • Tricep Dips
  • Burpees

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It really is that simple! Give it a go, what have you got to lose? It will get your heart rate up, it will work your major muscle groups, you will sweat and you will definitely feel amazing afterwards!

The only workout you regret, is the one you didn’t do! So, make the time for yourself and remember how important your health is to you!

For other simple, at home workouts and health information, come and join in the FitM.U.M community here or get the whole family involved and visit us at FitM.U.M & IronDAD here.

Kel xx

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Apple, Carrot & Blueberry Muffins

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This is a simple little muffin recipe that is perfect for kids lunch boxes and snacks. We usually whip up a batch of these every few weeks during our Sunday Snack Prep and I keep a few in the fridge and freeze the rest for later in the week.

I make them with a combination of spelt flour and almond meal, however this does make them much more dense and they don’t rise as well as regular muffins so you can use plain flour or wholemeal flour. My measurements are an approximate off the top of my head so feel free to play around with your batch to suit your taste. You can also add any fruit or ingredients you like.

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Ingredients

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour (or plain flour)

1/2 cup almond meal (or wholemeal flour)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (of you can use butter)

1/4 cup grated apple or apple sauce

1/2 cup coconut or natural Greek yoghurt

2/3 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup blueberries

1 carrot, grated

1 egg (or omit to make it egg free which I usually do but I add 1 mashed medium banana instead to help combine)

2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. In a mixing bowl, which together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, yoghurt, milk, vanilla extract and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine.

Fold through the blueberries, grated apple and carrot.

Spoon mixture into muffin tin and bake for approximately 20 – 25 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Store in airtight container in fridge or they do freeze quite well.

I would love to hear from you if you do make these or adapt the recipe as I’m always keen to hear about what people are enjoying! So make sure you comment here or on my FitM.U.M Facebook Page!

Enjoy xx

You are worth it

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Lately, I have let my blogging slide due to my business being busier. However, that hasn’t been sitting well with me and I have been wanting to get back to blogging again. At the end of the day, I love connecting with people and talking about all things health, fitness, family, business and lifestyle.

So I thought my first post back should be to reiterate what is the sole purpose and driving force of my business, FitM.U.M (My Ultimate Motivation), and that is to help you prioritise your own health, fitness and happiness! This is my ‘Why’ and it motivates and inspires me every day.

My number one message for you today is:

Learn to put yourself first. Learn to value your health and fitness…..Whatever it takes, you are totally worth it. Stop feeling guilty, stop self sabotaging, stop comparing yourself to others and definitely stop making excuses!

Instead, make sure you try and do the following things every day:
✔️Eat wholesome food that nourishes and fuels your body
✔️Move your body, have fun and enjoy being active
✔️Treat your body and mind with love and respect…. if you don’t love or respect yourself, how can you expect other people to?

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I am so happy to be back blogging and reconnecting with YOU! I have set big goals and have promised big things in 2017 and I am determined to make them happen and I hope to continue to help you on your own fitness journey!

Kel xx

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FitMUM of the Month Transformation

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I love a transformation story and this is a great one……

For those that don’t receive our FitM.U.M & IronDAD monthly newsletter (which you can sign up for here), I am featuring a FitM.U.M of the month in each edition. I would love to introduce you to this months FitM.U.M Emma. Please read her story as I believe it will resonate with others and hopefully inspire you. It has taken a lot for Emma to put herself out there, this is a big part of her journey and I am so proud of how far she has come!! Please show her the respect, encouragement and FitMummy love that she absolutely deserves! Let’s hear from Emma about her health and fitness journey so far….

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“My name is Emma and I have been training with Kelly for about 3 months now. As a mum to two young girls (3yo and 1yo) I found myself to be in a bit of a rut while on my last lot of maternity leave. I was lacking energy and in turn lacking motivation to do any exercise and was eating pretty poorly. I was also struggling to accept my post pregnancy body which resulted in a degree of social anxiety and isolation. After realising I needed to do something for myself I treated myself to a bit of a shopping spree and commenced training with Kelly. I started with two PT sessions a week, where I was put through my paces, constantly challenged by Kelly and supported by my 1yo daughter! After two months I returned to work (as a school teacher) and have cut back to 1 PT session a week, with the aim to also get to 1 group class a week. Kelly also encouraged me to join the FitM.U.M 12 Week Challenge, which I did and it has helped keep me accountable.

Reflecting upon the last 3 months, I’m amazed and very proud of the changes I have seen in myself. Obviously with the amount of training I have been doing the physical benefits have been many. I have lost some weight, feel stronger and more importantly have much more energy to get through each day (which is vital at times when running on limited sleep). Kelly has also helped me assess and modify my eating habits. I’m now more aware of what I am and should be eating and can honestly say I feel much better for it. However for me the most important changes I have experienced are the psychological ones. I am much more pleasant to be around, have a lot more confidence in myself and am far more patient with my loved ones. Kelly has taught me the importance of looking after myself and not feeling guilty about it, making small achievable changes so as to not set myself up for failure and to enjoy the challenge of training (which I do…..most of the time)”

 

I love nothing more than seeing my FitMummies become happier, healthier and prioritising their health and fitness! It is the most rewarding part of what I do and I will never get tired of it. I hope you loved reading Emma’s story and maybe it resonated with you or gave you a little spark of motivation and inspiration to start your journey or to keep going…. you are most definitely worth it!

Kel xx

Bupa Blog Awards Nomination

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So many things have been happening lately and sometimes you just feel like you are really on a roll. I have been putting a lot of time into working ‘on’ my business, I am extremely energised and driven to build my brand and put myself out there and grow!

This week I was extremely excited and proud to receive an email informing me that I have been nominated in the National 2016 Bupa Blog Awards. Little old me, a wife, mummy of 2 and small business owner who just happens to be extremely passionate about helping women prioritise their own health and fitness and making time for themselves. Two years ago I took the huge step to turn my passion and dream into reality and launch FitM.U.M (My Ultimate Motivation), I love what I do beyond words and I still have so much I want to do to build and grow. 

I am lucky to train amazing women everyday both ‘in real life’ and online and those that know me know that I am passionate and driven to help them reach their goals and be the best that they can be (and we have fun and a laugh along the way!)

Today I choose to be proud and realise how far I have come both personally and professionally. I have always said if I could make a difference to one person and the way they feel about themselves, I would be extremely happy….. maybe I am doing just that and also building a kick ass little community of amazing women along the way!

 

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You can find out more about the Bupa Blog Awards here

Wish me luck as I feel as if this is a very exciting opportunity through an extremely reputable company who place high priority on health and wellness in Australia.

Kel xx

Don’t give up on yourself – small steps can have the biggest impact

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This is information I think lots of women need to hear…… I work on a lot of mindset issues with my clients. It is as important as the physical training and if you can get your body and mind in the best possible shape you will be much happier and more likely to continue reaching your goals. In early May I launched my very first FitM.U.M 12 week online fitness challenge. It started from talking to my clients who always dread winter weight gain and feeling sluggish and unhealthy. They were actually just expecting that it was going to happen every year and all the hard work that they had put in and the results they had achieved over summer would be undone and so continued the cycle, year in and year out. I started to hear this more and more and realised how common it was. I loved the idea of starting a group/community to help keep people accountable in the lead up to winter. I put the call out to gauge interest and I was blown away with the interest and knew it was something I had to do. That was when my 12 week pre-winter accountability challenge was born. We are now just over half way through this challenge and everyone is doing great and have really encouraged each other to stay on track. The thing I have noticed the most during this challenge is that everyone goes through the same feelings. It is never easy for anyone and at different times we will all experience low motivation and ‘fall off the wagon’. If you are reading this and are currently feeling this way then it is important to know that you are certainly not alone and it does not mean the end of your journey. Perhaps you are not currently feeling this way, which is awesome, but I bet you can think of a time that you have felt this way.

No matter how good your intentions are when you set your goals and begin your health and fitness journey, there will more than likely come a time that you will start to feel a slump in motivation and the initial enthusiasm can seem to wear off and it starts to feel a bit ‘too hard’. This is the time that you need to refocus and remember the reasons why you started. How did you feel before you decided to commit to working on yourself and your health and wellness? What are your goals? What is your motivation? If you are feeling like it is becoming harder to maintain everything, you need to break down your goals again and go back to basics. I tell all of my clients that it is important to choose one main area to focus on and take small steps. Once you feel that you have that area under control, then you choose another area to focus on. You need to crawl before you can run and often things get overwhelming when you try and do too much and the slightest hiccup will get you off track.

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Instead of trying to have the cleanest diet in the world (which can become overwhelming and hard to maintain when life gets stressful and busy) you should choose one main area of your diet that you feel needs some work (eg. reducing processed carbohydrates, cutting out soft drink, decreasing added artificial sugars etc). Stick with that until you feel like you have got it under control and then add a new mini goal. Small goals which you can achieve and continue to maintain. Do not try to change your entire lifestyle in a few weeks because if it gets hard you are more likely to throw in the towel and let go off all of the progress you have already made. Take a deep breath, reassess where you are at and how far you have come and just simply start again.

There is a big difference between a set back and failure!!

➕Slip ups, distractions, busyness, eating the wrong foods, lack of motivation, particularly bad period week, not exercising for a few days, injuries…. They are all just setbacks and are overcome the minute you decide to put your head down and bum up and get going again!! They do not define your long term goal.

✖The only failure is if you decide that your health, fitness & wellbeing was not worth the effort and you quit completely!! 
 You have all come too far to let that happen! Do not give up on yourself……You are capable of more than you know ~ Believe in yourself!

Kel xx

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you got this

 

Quick and delicious Protein Pancakes (dairy free)

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We love pancakes, we try and make different varieties flavours and experiment with ingredients. This week we mastered a yummy 5 ingredient protein pancake that we all love. It’s quick and simple and it is dairy free (and there is no flour in sight!). So why not whip a batch up next Sunday morning for family pancake breakfast.

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Ingredients (makes roughly 5 pancakes, depending on the size)

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Bananas

1 scoop of preferred protein powder (we use BSc Natural Organic Chocolate Protein Power)

1/4 cup Traditional Oats

1/4 cup LSA mix (Linseed, sunflower seed & almond meal)

Blueberries (optional)

Directions

Mash banana in mixing bowl and add all other ingredients

Stir well to combine

Heat frying pan. We use Nuttelex or Coconut Oil to cook the pancakes in

Pour mix into desired size and cook on one side until they bubble and then flip. Cook for further minute or so until golden brown.

Serve with toppings of your choice. We have sliced fresh strawberries & blueberries.

Enjoy xx