Today I'm starting with an intention.

I intend to eat 1200 calories today.

I'll be focusing on high-volume, filling meals and avoiding appetite-spiking fructose and cardio.

Breakfast was an Organic Egg White Frittata. with an Organic Green Tea.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Dry fry 3 cups finely chopped vegetables, (I used kale, Spanish onion, grated zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, and roma tomato). Add 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp chopped ginger root, zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 Tbs coconut aminos, 1 tsp tabasco, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 Tbs psyllium husks, 1 tsp chia seeds. Add 4 egg whites whisked with 1 Tbs cold water. String a piece of string cheese and layer over frittata in a criss-cross fashion. Cook on the stove for 2 minutes on low, then transfer to broiler for 2 minutes more, (until cheese browns). Serve with Organic Yellow Mustard.

Dave wanted to stop of at Joe for a latte on our way to the grocery store. It was 11:15am and I knew I'd be a shriveled mess if I waited until we walked, shopped and got home before I could eat lunch. 

So I grabbed a full fat Large 16 oz Decaf Latte. I don't usually go large, nor do I go full fat milk. Not sure why I did this morning considering I'm trying to cut down on calories today. I guess my body needed the wholesome nutrition of real milk today. (Nearly 200 calories. Ouch! But it tasted so good).

While we were lugging our shopping bags 20 blocks home, I was suddenly hit by a whopping sensation of starvation. I had to stop and munch on 2 smallish fresh Organic Carrots ....

.... and 4 Raw Organic Almonds.

By the time we made it home I was so hungry I couldn't decide what to eat. I put on the stove to fry a Grass-fed Beef Burger, then decided I wanted Coconut Butter as my fat source for this meal so I needed a low-fat protein.

I'd bought some 'Food For Life' China Black Rice Bread at the store, which I was hanging to toast and spread with creamy Coconut Butter, so that's what I ate, (1/2 Tbs Coconut Butter and 1 slice of gluten-free Bread).

I coupled it with 3/4 cup Organic Cottage Cheese mixed with 1/2 Tbs Organic Coconut Butter, 4 sliced Strawberries and 1/4 cup Organic Fresh Blueberries.

Probably not the best choice in terms of volume eating, but I was craving dairy and berries like you wouldn't believe.

We were heading to a 5:30pm birthday dinner tonight, but at 5pm I was really hungry and decided to buy a small pack of Raw Walnuts to keep me social before dinner was served.

We went to Mario Batali's Otto Pizzeria and Enoteca. Thanks to our group of 12, we were forced to dine on a set menu which was pretty much pizza-based. Since I'm gluten free, I filled up on the ramekins of marinated vegetables, a few lentils, olives and cured meats. I was so hungry I chowed down on all the veggies without a break and ended up really full. Most of them were doused in olive oil so I'm not sure of the calorie count, but it's a healthy oil at least. 

I've never been a pork fan, but I had a few slices of proscuitto, 1 slice of salami and 2 large slices of some kind of gelatinous mound full of pig bits. (More out of protein necessity than anything else).

I had 2 small sips of red wine too.

When the pizzas came, I asked for a small ramekin of Calamari and Potatoes. Shockingly, it came out as green as grass. It had a kind of avocado taste to it and was surprisingly delicious. I skipped the potato cubes and ate all the calamari. Even though I was comfortably full, I needed the protein to keep me going for the rest of the party.

Dessert came out .... a range of gourmet gelati and sorbetti in flavors like: creme fraiche, hazelnut, olive oil, salted caramel, vanilla bean, marscapone huckleberry swirl, stracciatella, dark chocolate, pianogrillo (?), salty peanut, milk chocolate chip, grapefruit campari, tangerine, and tangy myer lemon.

Before it hit the table, when spoons were being handed out, I asked Dave not to let me have any. When the time came, he was clearly distracted as I got away with dipping the very tiniest edge of my spoon into each flavor for a little taste. My favorites were Marscapone Huckleberry Swirl, Hazelnut, and Myer Lemon, so I went back for about 6 real teaspoonfuls of those flavors. In the end Dave confiscated my spoon, bless him, to stop me sneaking more bites.

After dessert I had a small full fat Decaf Cappuccino to get rid of the sugary taste in my mouth. I was done.

I also had 2 sips of Dave's real Espresso with sugar, (to help keep me awake for the festivities).

By Midnight I was getting rather peckish. We were at a houseparty, surrounded by food and alcohol. I stuck to soda and lime juice all night, then grabbed 5 of these bite-sized grilled chicken skewers. (The photo makes them look deep-fried and battered, but they we definitely low fat).

I also had about 8 skinny slices of orange.

I stupidly dipped one of my skewers into a bowl of soy sauce, not thinking it'd be full of wheat. I ended up with a sore belly for the rest of the night. Nasty gluten!
I read something that was a bit of a worry today too. Kat Eden wrote a blog entitled: "101 Ways To Lose The Final Five (kg's)" Here's what she had to say about gluten intolerant people:"Oh – and if you are gluten intolerant? It’s a zero percent tolerance rule. I know – sad face. But listen up – it takes your body about 90 days to clear out the effects of one bite of gluten, and the effect it has is like a virus. Imagine lots of little inflammation fires all throughout your system – each time you eat a little gluten those fires start burnin’ strong again. Your poor body can never catch up – and you’ll never fully reach your ‘lean living’ goals if this is an issue for you."

I know from past gluten slip-ups that I'll have a noticeable fire burning in my belly for at least 4 days. Now I understand the further-reaching issues. Never again!
Despite my intention to stick to 1200 calories today, it didn't happen with the eating out and the late night party. I'm glad I started the day with that intention though, as it kept my calories low to begin with and allowed me a bit of leeway for the night. I did feel guilty eating so much for dinner and afterwards, so I ended up walking all the way home from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to the Upper West Side. It took me about an hour and a half, was a bit scary around Midtown (single white female alone at 1am), but I made it. It's now 2am and I'm about to pass out from lack of sleep. Tomorrow will be a lower calorie Sunday.

I've been eating far too many calories lately, breaking the Golden Rule to vary my calorie intake daily. It's because I've also been exercising far too much and not getting enough sleep.

It's raining today, so I can't walk to and from work. I'll see if I can cut down my calorie intake along with my exercise regime in response to the weather.

Breakfast is a low calorie filling favorite: Vegetable Scramble.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Fry (in a small amount of water) 2 cups chopped veggies (I used Spanish onion, kale, grape tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms). Add 1 clove garlic, zest from 1 lemon, 1 tsp chia seeds and 1/4 of an avocado. Add 4 egg whites and 1 whole organic egg. Scramble until eggs set.

I have hit the nail on the head. Bananas make me incredibly, unfightably hungry. I've eaten banana and sweet potato crumble for breakfast the past 3 days, and each of those days had me starving by the time I got to work at 9:30am. 

This morning, after my filling, sugar-free egg-based breakfast I was full until 11am. I started feeling a little peckish and probably could have forced myself to last until midday before eating, but I was not occupying myself with anythign exciting.

So I drank a Licorice Spice Tea ....

.... and ate 14 Raw Organic Almonds. The theory being that I won't eat as much at lunch. If I let myself get ravenous, lunch wouldn't even touch the sides. Studies show that a handful of nuts an hour before a meal lowers your calorie intake substancially.

Gluten-Free Eggplant Bean Moussaka.

I skipped the avocado in favor of ....

.... 2 squares of Republica Del Cacao 75% Chocolate that Dave bought last night.

I'm still confused about the calorie and carb content of my Eggplant Bean Moussaka. The portion is *tiny* yet packs a whopping 230 calories and 38 grams of carbs. How can this be right? (I calculated my recipe on Livestrong.com). 

I then have to balance this meal by adding protein and fat which takes me up over 400 calories for lunch. (I usually try to stick around 300 calories per meal).

Theoretically, I've eaten far too many carbs in the meal. I aim for 27 grams. Today's lunch ended up with 58 grams of carbs once the chocolate, apple and cottage cheese were added.

But if I eat just the tiny slice of Moussaka with 1/3 cup cottage cheese added for protein and 1/4 of an avocado for fat, (no chocolate or apple sugar) I'm starving within an hour. So confusing and unsettling not to be sure what I'm eating. But my freezer is stacked with about a dozen more Moussaka portions and they're made with the most wholesome, yummy ingredients, I'll have to eat them no matter what.

I'm listening to my body though. It wanted more carbs with the Moussaka this time, hence the Pink Lady half and the 2 squares of decadent chocolate.

I hate being obsessive like this, but I have an uneasy feeling when I delve into the unknown. For too many years I've been kidding myself about what I'm ingesting. For my weight loss success it's important for everything to be crystal clear, save the odd brunch or restaurant meal once or twice a week.

I grabbed another half a handful of Raw Organic Almonds before the gym.

Creamy XXX Salsa Dip with Crudites.

7 Organic Raw Almonds.

I'm eating a lot of these today, but I'm going half-portion everytime.

Grilled Octopus Salad.

Oh. My. Lordy.

My boss just took a trip to Eataly in the Flatiron District and brought back the most delicious octopus. Who needs sugar to be in heaven? I am on ocean-dwelling olive oil Cloud 9. Oooh, those Italians really know food. How could such a simple concoction of fresh tentacles and the purest quality olive oil with crisp celery slices taste so darn good?

I want to jump on a plane to Italy right now.

I had just a small taste of the salad. Probably 1.5 - 2 oz of octopus. My tastebuds are singing.

I spend a lot of my time researching health and fitness trends in the world, trying to keep up with the latest scientific discoveries and the best way to lose weight. Considering all the cardio I've been doing lately, i was shocked to read an article entitled: "How To Avoid Chunky Fat Aerobics Instructor Syndrome".

It comes from the blog of Kat Eden, a former Cardio Queen Gym Junkie and current Personal Trainer who has revolutionized her workouts. Instead of cardio 3 hours a day, 7 days a week to barely maintain her figure, she ditched it all in favor of weight lifting 30-45 minutes 2-3 days a week and a kickboxing class once a week. She, and all her successful clients, now have far more free time to live their lives and they are burning far more fat for much less effort. She wrote another eye-opening article entitled: "New Study Shows Aerobic Exercise A Waste of Time".

Her theory works on the fact that cardio actually makes you fat. After 6 weeks of intense cardio your body will begin to anticipate the workload and store fat as energy reserves to cope with the onslaught. Cardio also raises cortisol in our bodies, (the stress hormone), which increases appetite and fat storage at a cellular level.

Interesting food for thought, especially since I'm basing my Golden Rules on the 'Energy In = Energy Out' premise. And since cardio appears to burn more calories on the face of the workout compared to weights, I'm choosing that option every day just to ensure I reach my 625 daily deficit.

Apparently weight lifting and repeated 'historically natural movements' (squats, twist lunges, etc) done in HIIT routines (High Intensity Interval Training), raise your metabolism with their afterburn effect, whereas cardio offers no such benefits. So after lifting weights you actually do end up burning more calories. My question is, how do you track this?

I am a little hesitant to give up cardio altogether, but I'm going to now increase my weight training sessions from 10 minutes 3 times a week to 30 minutes 3 times a week. I may even try some HIIT. Let's see how it goes.

I think I've eaten too many carbs and too much sugar today. I was a little hungry again this afternoon and had to have a snack. I'm worried I haven't exercised enough today now. I won't reach my deficit unless I go home and exercise some more.
It's raining and I didn't bring my walking shoes to work anyway, so walking home is out. Even though my body is hanging for a powerwalk right now.

I ate half an Organic Pink Lady Apple ....

.... and 2 Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese Sticks.

Incidentally, I've just learned that even though apples are low GI, they are extremely high in fructose and should be avoided except for the odd occasion. (Much like bananas). Sarah Wilson's blog post entitled: "Why Sugar Makes Us Fat" explains this in more detail. At first I was skeptical as I swore I'd been told that apples are as low-sugar as pears. But then I began to watch my own body's reaction to apples. I only ever eat them in halves and still I get a surge of sweetness coursing through my veins that has me craving more food right after. 

Have you ever noticed that if you aren't that hungry and you eat an apple, suddenly you're ravenous? 

I'm going to go easy on the apples from now on. I'm not giving them up, just using them as a condiment rather than a third of the carb content of my meals.

I ended up walking all the way home from work. The rain had stopped but the wind was whipping down the avenues like a knife.


For dinner I made a quick and easy meal: Balsamic Herring Salad with Grilled Eggplant.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Chop 3/4 cup pickled herrings, 2 roma tomatoes, 8 grape tomatoes, 1/4 of an avocado, 1/2 cup cilantro, and 1 cup kale. Dress salad with the zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar. Slice and broil half an eggplant. Sprinkle with salt.

2 Organic Vegan Choc Coconut Cookies.

1 Strawberry.

1 x Coconut Water Icypop.

I've broken a Golden Rule again and gone over 1700 calories. (1800 today - woah). So much for cutting down the intake today.

I really have to readjust my calories in and out. All this exercise is going to kill me. It's already beginning to take over my life as there's so many hours I have to squeeze in each day. I think I'm being lazy with my eating. I really didn't need all those extra snacks today. I made up excuses in my head as to why I should.

Tomorrow I'm going to avoid fruit, (except berries) and try to eat small. I'm going out for a birthday dinner so it will be a bit of a challenge, but I've been pushing the boundaries far too much lately and I need to focus on my end result .... that wedding gown and the bikini on the beach in Fiji! Only 9 weeks and 1 day to go.

I think I used up all my snack quotas today. It's bedtime without a pre-bedtime snack. Boooo.

Sweet Potato Chia Crumble with creamy Greek Yoghurt and an Organic Green Tea.

And guess what?! I am at my thinnest ever right now. Yesterday and today the mirror showed positive, noticeable results. It's only been 2 1/2 weeks. Sweet! 

My pants are falling off me too. I look a bit dishevelled in my saggy outfits, but I'm not going to shop for any new clothes until I reach my goal weight. That will be my reward for all this hard work.

I had a great night's sleep last night, and woke up naturally before my alarm went off. I love that feeling. My favorite time of the day is early morning when I'm laying in that half-asleep/half-awake zone. My mind flies off on an adventure of possibilities. Then I take off my eyemask, see the grey skies over New York City and come crashing back to reality.

I'm hungry this morning. At 10am I had a Passion Tea.
 
It didn't fill me up.

So I had half an Organic Pear ....

.... and 2 Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese Sticks.

I'm still hungry. Perhaps I didn't get enough sleep last night afterall? Or that 70 minute powerwalk to work each morning is working up my appetite? Now I'm hanging for lunch.

Turkey Quinoa Stirfry.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Stirfry 1 Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Burger with 1 clove garlic, fresh ginger, 2 cups vegetables, 1/4 cup cooked coconut quinoa, 1/2 Tbs olive tapenade, zest of 1 lemon, 1 Tbs coconut aminos and 1 Tbsp coconut vinegar.

I was mistaken. I am tired today. I keep yawning and the drive to get to the gym today is just not there. I'm going to go, but I'll need a cheeky Green Tea boost to get me there.

Damn you leptin. Your levels are so low in my body today that I am a bottomless pit. I just want to eat and eat and eat. Enough already!

I needed something sweet after lunch, so I grabbed 1 Organic Vegan Choc Coconut Cookie. Oooooh, these are soooooo goooood. I wish I could eat the whole batch.

1:30pm - Cheeky Green Tea.

So tired.

Need sleep.

Don't want to workout but I am committed to my Skinny Bride Mission.

I left it so late to get to the gym that I needed another boost in the food department. I grabbed 7 Raw Organic Almonds.

My Green Tea trick didn't work today. That's how tired my body is. But instead of giving in, I decided to use my newfound fitness as a springboard to powering through my workout. Let me tell you, it was H-A-R-D. Exercise is always more difficult on less sleep, and my soul cries out for mercy, but this time I was determined not to listen. My reward was to be a train ride all the way to my door tonight, instead of walking the 45 minutes through Central Park. I committed to 1 hour and I made it.

I grabbed a pack of cut carrots and celery at Garden of Eden on the way back to the office, then I invented an awesome protein-packed XXX-Hot Creamy Salsa Dip.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Mix 1/2 small tub 2% Fage with an equal amount of D.L. Jardin's Habanero Salsa (1/3 jar). Serve with crudites.

The dip and veggies were so low in calories and fat, I capped them off with 1 Organic Vegan Choc Coconut Cookie.

Yum.

The night air was so mild when I stepped out of the office tonight, I was compelled to walk home through Central Park after all. 

On the way through Columbus Circle my senses were arrested by the tantalising aroma of fresh baked vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing. It was scrumptious and inviting and I couldn't get the idea of cupcakes and buttercream out of my head all the way home. I spent the walk concocting a healthy version of everything I craved: springy texture, sweet creamy frosting, a huge, towering, indulgent cakelike mass. 

45 minutes later I arrived home starving, pulled together a Smoked Salmon Wrap with Pesto and Sundried Tomato, then I got to work on my cupcake alternative ....

Gluten-Free Strawberry Cakestack with Coconut Butter Frosting.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Whisk 2 organic egg whites with 1/4 cup 1% whipped cottage cheese. Add 1/4 cup garbanzo flour, 1 Tbs unsweetened shredded coconut, 5 chopped strawberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger. (Vanilla essence would be good too, but my kitchen cupboard was bare). Grease a frypan and drop batter into 4 dollops over low heat. Flip halfway through. Grab a plate and layer pancakes in an alternating fashion with 1 Tbs coconut butter and 3 sliced strawberries.

Abso-friggin-lutely divine.

I was so proud of myself. The old me would've jumped right onto the cupcake and buttercream craving, reasoning I had to give my body what it wants as it obviously needs it. The new me analyzed all the individual factors I craved and went to work inventing a super low calorie and nutrient dense version of those diet wrecking Magnolia cupcakes. Woo-hoo! I love this diet. 

Dave decided to bring home another block of that amazing chocolate he bought last month, this time in a different flavor. I've set aside 2 pieces for lunch tomorrow. I feel so free being able to indulge when he brings me treats. Instead of denying myself even a lick now, then bingeing a week later on multiple blocks of chocolate, I have finally learnt to have everything and anything in moderation. Yay to me.

Frozen Passionfruit Cantaloupe Cheesecake Parfait.

It's healthy diet dessert breakfast time this morning! Organic Sweet Potato Chia Crumble with a tub of 2% Fage. 

Yummo.

And an Organic Green Tea.

I haven't been sleeping well these past 2 nights. I've stayed up late and had a fitful sleep from 1am to 7am. That may explain my low leptin levels and huge appetite yesterday. Unfortunately I have the same feeling today. I had to have a morning snack, but it was unbelievably delicious.

I ate 2 x Organic Vegan Choc Coconut Cookies.

I was on a baking roll last night and launched straight into these after making my Sweet Potato Chia Crumble. They are truly balls of heaven. My two favorite ingredients combined into a superfood ball of crumbly goodness: Chocolate and Coconut. This recipe is adapted from Choco Nut Drops at themommybowl.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Grind 2 Tbs flax seeds in blender. Add to 6 Tbs hot water to form a flax egg. In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup coconut butter, 1 Tbs peach butter, 1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa, 3/4 cup almond meal, 1/2 cup coconut flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir in flax egg and form into a dough. Measure 1 Tbs balls of dough. Press gently down on each cookie with the back of a wet fork to form criss-crosses. (You can also leave them as balls if you prefer). Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 26 cookies at 50 calories each.

.... and a stick of Part Skim Mozzarella String Cheese.

A repeat of last night's dinner for lunch today. It's so easy to whip up a double serving at night and save half for work the next day.

Organic Grass-Fed Beef Stirfry with Babaganoush and Chinese Rice Vinegar.

.... and half a Grapefruit.

I did a moderate workout at the gym at lunchtime, so my appetite wouldn't spike. I needed a boost before I went though, as I'm still tired from my less-than-8-hours sleep the past two nights.

I had half an Organic Green Tea before I left.

After my workout, I had a dirty Licorice Spice Tea at 3:30pm.

At 4pm I had a gluten-free Organic Brown Rice Cake with 1/4 Tbs Butter and a sprinkling of salt ....

.... and 2 Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese Sticks stringed and layered atop the brown rice cake.

Salty goodness.

I feel like i want to keep eating now.

At 5pm I ran down to Garden of Eden to grab some of this awesome XXX Hot Habanero Salsa. I needed filling up!

I ended up eating a third of the jar (about 47 calories and no fat). This is a serious high-volume bang-for-your-calorie-buck food. And bursting with flavor with a metabolism kick in the chilli quotient.

I dipped in a cup of Carrots ....

.... and a stick of Celery.

I was all vegetabled out by the time I got home. So I just grabbed the last of the Roast Chook from the other day and ate it right off the bone. (Skin free of course). I estimate I ate about 3 oz of chicken.

Then I had half an Organic Pear and 2 Organic Vegan Choc Coconut Cookies ....

.... and 1 X Coconut Water Icypop.

Dessert was a new concotion. Frozen Passionfruit Cantaloupe Cheesecake Parfait.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Mix 1/4 chopped cantaloupe with the pulp of 1 passionfruit. (I used frozen Italian 100% passionfruit pulp). Add to 1/3 cup 1% whipped cottage cheese and 1/2 Tbs organic coconut butter. Freeze for 30 minutes and enjoy.

Bircher Muesli is an Aussie/Brit invention that hasn't taken off in The States. But it should. It's freakin' awesome. It's a soaked muesli, low in fat and it's so easy to make the night before so you can grab a quick breakfast as you run out the door.

Usually Bircher Muesli is loaded with sugar in the form of orange juice, grated apple and lots of concentrated dried fruit. For this version I used Coconut Water and fresh berries instead. I then boosted the protein content with creamy Strained Greek Yoghurt and added some raw Pecans for fat and flavor.

Bircher Muesli is also often made with wheat bran for fibre. My version is naturally gluten free.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Soak 1/4 cup oats overnight with 1/2 cup coconut water, 1 small tub 2% Fage, cinnamon, the zest from 1 lemon, 1/8 cup blueberries, 6 small strawberries, 1 Tbs unsweetened shredded coconut and 4 raw pecans, chopped. Remove from fridge in the morning and dig in cold.

After powerwalking 80 blocks to work this morning, I was hungry again at 10am. I had a handful of Organic Raw Almonds, (about 14) ....

.... and a dirty cup of Licorice Spice Tea, (surely I don't have too many more of these things to get through? There were only 20 in the pack. Feels like I've forced down about 100 in the last few months).

By 11am I was still hungry. The Skinny Bride Mission involves eating when I'm hungry and listening to my body, but I figured I should hold out for lunchtime. So I had a cup of Wild Sweet Orange Tea to fill me up.

Roast Chicken Babaganoush Salad, (same as dinner last night). The perfect quick, easy, healthy diet meal. How can losing weight taste so good?

I also had half an Organic Pink Lady Apple as a healthy diet dessert.

After a massive workout at lunchtime where I pushed myself really hard on that horrid stairmaster, (I'm trying to love it), I came back to the office absolutely ravenous.

I had a few options in the kitchen, but I couldn't decide whether I felt like salty or sweet. So I had a bit of everything.

it began with 1/4 Tbs Organic Natural Almond Butter ....

.... then a tub of Sheep's Milk Yoghurt ....

.... with an Organic Pink Lady chopped and microwaved into a sort of hot apple pie filling, (the natural sugars in the apple were super sweet) ....

.... then I finished it all off with a stick of Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese. Mmmmm, I luuuurve cheese. I figured I'd had too many carbs and needed to balance my snack with more protein in accordance with the Zone Diet macronutrient balancing rule.

At 5pm I was hungry again. I swear that high intensity workout spiked my appetite. I'll have to focus on getting a balance of exercise to burn calories, but not too much so that my stomach becomes a bottomless pit.

I had 2 more sticks of String Cheese ....

.... and a gluten free Organic Brown Rice Cake with 1/4 Tbs butter and some Rock Salt.

Organic Grass-Fed Beef Stirfry with Babganoush and Chinese Rice Vinegar

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Dry fry a 4 oz grass-fed organic beef burger. Add 1 clove garlc, fresh ginger, 2 cups vegetables, coconut aminos and Chinese rice vinegar.

Coconut Grapefruit and Blueberries.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Mix 1/2 a grapefruit, 1/8 cup blueberries and 1/2 Tbs unsweetened shredded coconut.

1 Coconut Water Icypop.

I was in a serious baking mood tonight. I made the most delicious, healthy gluten free and sugar free Sweet Potato Chia Crumble with creamy Greek Yoghurt. I ate half a serve with half a tub of 2% Fage tonight. 

Heavenly.

The recipe was adapted from ohsheglows.com

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Peel, chop and cook 1 small sweet potato until soft. Set aside. In another pot, bring to boil 1/2 cup oats, 2 cups 1% milk and 1 Tbs chia seeds. Stir continuously until milk is absorbed. Mash sweet potato and add in a mashed banana. Stir in 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp salt. Add to oatmeal pot and stir for 1 minute. Press into a greased baking pan or casserole dish. 

In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup chopped pecans, 3 Tbs coconut flour, 2 Tbs organic butter and 1 Tbs peach butter to form crumble. Layer on top of pie in baking pan. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Broil for 1 minute to brown crumble. (Be careful not to burn). Cut into 6 portions and serve with a small tub of 2% Fage.

I was down to the last serve of Chunky Homestyle Greens 'n Beans Soup, so I repeated yesterday's breakfast with a twist.

Dirty Eggs with half a Grapefruit and Coconut Butter

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Fry 1 cup Greens n' Beans Soup with 4 egg whites. Add cayenne pepper, cumin, coconut vinegar and scramble until eggs are set.

I skipped the whole eggs this morning as I wanted to save my entire fat quotient for some of my exciting new ingredient: Organic Coconut Butter.

I daubed 1 Tbs ontop of half a chopped grapefruit and inadvertently invented the perfect dessert. Coconut butter is the goods. It hardens into a fondant at room temperature. It would make the most delicious, healthy alternative to cupcake frosting. I felt so decadent this morning, as though I was eating high quality frosting right out of the jar. Instead, my body was being inundated with all the health benefits of this wonder-fruit (seed/nut/whatever a coconut is classified as).

9 Raw Organic Cashews.

Dave and I walked down to Blue Ribbon Sushi for lunch today. We shared a Sushi and Sashimi Platter. (I ate mostly sashimi and very little rice).

I then had a Grilled Mahi Mahi Salad with Rice Vinegar Dressing on the side.

I had a few sips of Dave's Raw Sake. 

Since my lunch was mostly protein, I grabbed a Pear on the street for dessert. Yum.

A small 2% Decaf Latte from The Sensuous Bean tied me over through an afternoon movie.

Roast Chicken Salad with Baba Ganoush, Fresh Lemon and Coconut Aminos.

Half a Pink Lady.

A Coconut Water Icypop.

Strawberry Coconut Parfait.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: 1/2 small tub 2% Fage, 1/2 Tbs organic coconut butter, cinnamon and 4 sliced strawberries.

OK, don't be fooled by the ugliness of this breakfast. I know, I know, it looks like dirty scrambled eggs. But trust me, I didn't drop my breakfast on the floor and scrape it back into my bowl. These are good clean eggs with a secret ingredient. And they are bursting with nutrition.

Bean Soup Scramble with half a Ruby Red Grapefruit and Organic Green Tea.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Fry 1 cup of leftover Chunky Homestyle Greens 'n Beans Soup, add 1 whole organic egg and 2 egg white. Mix in 1 tsp chia seeds, cayenne pepper, Louisiana hot sauce, (or Tabasco). Scramble and serve.

Sunday brunch at Five Points had me choosing Baked Eggs and Tomato with Polenta and Ricotta.

It was made with 3 whole eggs, so I ate 2 of them, and practically cleaned the rest of my bowl. It was such a warming treat for the freezing day we had today.

I also ordered a side of Pork and Fennel Sausages. I ate one of these and palmed the rest off to my brunch buddies. It seemed pretty lean and very tasty, although in hindsight I had a little too much protein this meal and not enough carbs. I was so full.

I also had a Jasmine Green Tea.

My mates ordered the famous Churros with hot dipping chocolate for dessert. I passed, thanks to my gluten-free and sugar-free dietary requirements, but I did have a teaspoon full of the hot chocolate. (Hey, how could a chocolate aficionado not have at least a taste?) 

It was overly sweet and not something I'd go back for. I honestly don't find junk like this appealing anymore. it doesn't even look pretty, does it? All orangey-brown and devoid of the rainbow of natural foods.

Dave and I powerwalked the hour-and-a-half from our Uptown apartment to Five Points in SoHo. Then we cruised around the Lower East Side and the East Village taking photos. By 3pm I was starving again, so we ducked into Northern Spy Food Co. for a beer (for him), and a coffee (for me).

Well, a Decaf Coffee for me. I had a refill too with about 1/2 a cup of Full Cream Milk.

My coffee took so long to come, I decided I needed to eat. It was afternoon tea time afterall. I ordered a bowl of Oatmeal with Spiced Marscapone, Dried Cherries and Brown Sugar. I asked for the toppings on the side, (a good move as they were super sugary), then stuck to the plain, delicious oatmeal. But the bowl was humungous! I ate half ....

.... and I gave the rest to Dave, toppings and all.

Since the oatmeal was carb-heavy, I popped into a nearby bodega afterwards to grab a 0% Fage ....

.... and 1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds for a bit of fat.

I stumbled upon an awesome raw foods store in the East Village today, and I was in my element. I get so excited about yummy, healthy superfoods and alternative treats. 

I think I've mentioned my coconut obsession before. Today it expanded to a bunch of new coconut products: Coconut Vinegar, Coconut Aminos and Coconut Butter. I also found Coconut Nectar as a low GI alternative to maple syrup. And Coconut Crystals too, (a solid version of the nectar). I was tempted, but decided they'd probably be too sweet for my taste and I can always experiment with the Coconut Butter instead. 

I tasted about 1/8 tsp of Coconut Butter. It has a silky mouthfeel and a range of flavors that hit your tastebuds then develop in quick succession. My mind is already concocting some treats I can make with this new delight.

We ended up walking all the way home from Downtown again. Another hour-and-a-half. By the time we got home I was absolutely beat. I grabbed a small leftover bowl of stirfry from last night and beefed it up with 2 oz of Smoked Salmon and some Coconut Aminos.

I then had a bowl of gluten-free cereal: 1/2 cup of Puffed Millet with 1/2 cup 2% Milk and 3 Strawberries with a sprinkling of Cinnamon....

.... and a Coconut Water Icypop.

I was hanging for Half a Coconut Lime Chia Slice. So I smeared it with 1/4 tsp Organic Coconut Butter and coupled it with a Part Skim Mozzarella String Cheese stick for protein.

Interesting. So I looked in the mirror this morning and I couldn't wait to take my measurements. I actually looked visibly skinnier. To the point where I was loving this Skinny Bride Mission and I started daydreaming about which bikini I'll be wearing on those stunning Fijian beaches in 10 short weeks.