My staple food

I earlier posted a piece on 'Foods I eat for breakfast' but I think it's time to revisit this one and share with you another option as I've changed what I eat as my breakfast staple.

So here's what I've ben sticking to eating for breakfast...

Weetabix, Kay 2015©

WEETABIX! Yes- that's right. I've been having this for my breakfast everyday in the last month and I've noticed that my body appears to bloat less and I have more energy throughout the day. Now most breakfast cereals typically aren't a good source in providing sustained energy and often contain lots of refined ingredients and sugar, but the nutritional content of Weetabix is on the other hand not too bad. It has a low sugar content, it's high in fibre and B vitamins, easy to portion control. They come in rectangular pieces so I simple eat two with full-fat milk [I can explain why I opt for full-fat milk over skimmed milk in a future post. If you're interested, please let me know in the comments below or  comment on my @fitnnhealthyinhk Instagram so I know :)]. Made from 100% wholegrain, Weetabix ticks the mix in providing me with the energy to last and power through the morning before I have my mid-morning snack of roasted almonds.

For those who have never tried it before, it can be a little bland (what I like to call it rabbit food) so I enjoy mine with slices of half a banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon like this (see image below).

Weetabix with banana slices, milks and cinnamon, Kay 2015©

 It can be extremely dry so I like to break the two pieces that I have (about 100 calories each) into super small pieces and make sure all the milk soaks into the Weetabix pieces to turn into constituency like oatmeal. At first it took me a while to adjust to this break but but as an active gym goer I'm almost hungry all the time, I needed to find something that was going to satiate my hunger levels until mid-morning when I have my roasted almonds for my snack (#fitfamproblems). I've noticed it's doing a better job at keeping me full in comparison to my usual greek yoghurt and fruits breakfast despite having less protein funnily enough but my digestive system is feeling bit better (less blating, flatter stomach) having this breakfast and I've acclimated to the taste of it and have starting to love it so I think I'll stick to this for the time being.

If you ever get to try this out, let me know what you think. :)

Plain sailing Pita Bowl Recipe

If you like pita and want a simple meal that you can prepare in less than 15 minutes with minimal cutlery and/or ingredients then this pita bowl is the perfect dish.

The crunchiness of the oven toasted pita is delightful and there's no feeling of guilt with this recipe as this doesn't require any deep frying keeping it nice and healthy. :)

I've created two versions - one which I will call the 'Super High Protein Pita Bowl' and the other - 'The Light and Crunchiful Pita Bowl'.  You may wish to change the filling to suit your taste buds accordingly.

The main ingredient you'll need of course for this recipe is pita! I used a wholemeal version which I bought at Jason's marketplace and is readily available in local supermarkets which has 3 pitas for about HKD$13.

 'Super High Protein Pita Bowl'

® Kay 2015

For this recipe  which serves 2 half portions (half portion is the portion shown in the photo above), you'll need:

• 1 (wholemeal) pita 
• 4 chicken breast slices
• 1 or 2 boiled eggs (take the yolk out if you want)
• Optional to add flavour: Italian seasoning & White Pepper & Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce (readily available in most HK supermarkets)

Is that it? Yes but you may wish to add some veggies like spinach leaves if you'd like to up the nutrition because I got lazy whilst making this as I was super hungry after my workout!

Steps:

1. In advance, boil 1 ot 2 eggs.
2. Put the whole pita in a toaster oven and heat for around 5 mins. The pita should blow up like a balloon as it gets hot.
3. Whilst the pita is getting nice and toasted,  remove the yolk from the cooled eggs and break into small bite sized pieces.
4. Do some squats or lunges while you wait for the toaster to 'ping' :P
5. Take out the pita balloon once it's looking crispy. Watch out cause it's hot! Take a bread knife and cut the balloon shaped pita into two lovely bowl pieces.
6. Get your chicken breast slices and nicely fold them into your pita bowl, along with your egg white pieces.
7. Season your pita bowls with Italian seasoning, white pepper and Thai Sweet Chilli sauce or any condiment of your preference.
8. Voila! It's that simple. :)

'The Light and Crunchiful Pita Bowl'

® Kay 2015

This recipes calls for the same steps except for replacing the boiled eggs with lettuce pieces and cucumber and sesame dressing for the seasoning leaving a nice and refreshing pita bowl. :)

if you try this recipes or have any questions please feel free to comment below and I'll try my best to get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks and hope you like this post! :)

Have a great weekend!

Please note: I am not a nutritionist and so these meals may not be perfectly nutritionally balanced. I am just blogging to sharing my dishes on what I eat that is on my Instagram at @fitnhealthyinhk for those who are interested :)

Chickpeas and tuna salad

This salad is super easy and its healthy so it's a great way to get fuelled for the way when you are short of time. You can always use this recipe as a basis and use whatever veggies you like to have and it doesn't require a great amount of utensils or washing up after.

Chickpeas tuna salad © Kay 2015



Ingredients you will need (serves 2)

- a can of chickpeas (around 300g)

- a can of tuna (75g)

- veggies you would like to use. I used:

-3 stalks of celery

- 3 beetroots

- a handful of baby carrots

- 4 romaine lettuce leaves

For the dressing:

- sweet chilli sauce

- juice of one lemon

- fish sauce (not essential but adds flavour to it)

- white pepper  (not essential)

Equipment/ Utensils:

- one large mixing bowl

- a knife

- a chopping board

- a tablespoon

- lemon juicer

- serving bowl and forks


1. Wash and cut up all your veggies into bite friendly sizes

 © Kay 2015


2. Drain all the liquid out of the chickpea can and tuna can and combine them into one big mixing bowl.

© Kay 2015


3. Move your cut up veggies (except the romaine lettuce)  from the cutting board and toss them into the big mixing bowl.

© Kay 2015

4. Now to make the dressing- squeeze the juice out of one lemon and add 2 tablespoon of Thai sweet chilli sauce. Give it a stir and a taste to see if it suits your liking. You can always add more sweet chill sauce. If you do have fish sauce add a few drops and it will help intensify the flavour of the dressing.

 ©  Kay 2015


5. Combine the dressing into the big mixing bowl and use your both hands to mix the sauce with the salad so that the dressing is evenly coated.

© Kay 2015


6. And there you go! A quick and easy AND healthy recipe with a good combination of fibre, protein and carbs.  Half the serving and save the other half for the next day or share it with someone  :)

© Kay 2015

Thanks for reading this post! Let me know if you liked this recipe and if you would like me to post more easy healthy recipes on my blog by commenting below. I would love to hear your thoughts! :)

Blogilates Hot Body Year Round Book Review

Yes it's finally here!

Me with Cassey's Hot Boday Year Round book :) © Kay 2015

Cassey Ho's (Blogilates) has released a Hot Body Year Round book providing her Popster fans a go-to guide in leading a healthy lifestyle and I am so happy to have my own copy! :) And because I pre-ordered it I got a free tote bag as a gift- Thanks Cassey!

Free tote bag from Blogilates © Kay 2015.

The book was bigger than I expected so it's not one you can carry around everywhere but it's definitely a good keep at home for when I do my yoga/pilates type exercises. It includes about the story of her life, easy recipes by season, tips on staying motivated and nutrition, and an array of interesting and fun pilates moves that requires no equipment.

Hot Body Year Round Contents Page © Kay 2015.

I have been following Cassey on her Youtube for around 5 years now and love to follow her workouts on her channel as she delivers such positive energy in her videos, the workouts are fun and most of the time require no equipment. All you really need is a laptop/mobile and some space to get a workout in! I've taken a few photos so you can get a feel of what the book is like on the inside which you can see below. I really like how she's divided the book into Seasons so you can prepare dishes that go with the fresh in-season ingredients and allows you to focus on mastering the moves of each season and challenging yourself when a new season comes!

Hot Body Year Round Intro © Kay 2015

Hot Body Year Round Recipes Example Page Spead © Kay 2015 

Hot Body Year Round Summer Workout Page Spread Example © Kay 2015

Hot Boday Year Round Autumn Workout Page Spread Example © Kay 2015

The book has been beautifully photographed and is really colourful, bright and happy (just like Cassey). Instructions are clearly laid out and so they're easy to follow. I'd say this book is more geared towards beginners or those who are just getting into the routine of exercising. Advanced exercisers are more likely to be using this book as an off day routine for conditioning. The book does provide great recipes to try out and I must say I was oohing and aaahing when I saw some of them so 

I'd give this book a 5 star taking into account the cost of the book (around HKD150 free shipping) all the exercised and recipes that are provided.

Feel free to comment in the below to ask my any questions about Cassey's book or any questions whether it's about me, fitness, healthy eating! :)

Easy weekend hike in Discovery Bay

LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) Cardio with a view

When the weekend comes and we catch up on our sleep deprivation from earlier in the week, by the time we get up and out of bed it almost seems like half the day has gone by already don't you agree? Now that summer is here in Hong Kong with the sun beaming out on most days, it doesn't take a long day's hike to enjoy this beautiful weather (before the real summer comes and it gets too hot and humid!)  As for some of you fitness enthusiasts, weekends are your cheat or rest days so an easy hike that allows you to easily see a great view of Hong Kong is a great way to spend your weekend.

I spent my Easter bank holiday chilling in Discovery Bay. A 30 minute ferry ride from Central  ($40, accepts Octopus card) takes you to the plaza with quite a few options to dine in (Thai, Mexican, Korean, Western style, Coffee shops, etc) and plenty of benches to grab a drink and chill.

If you would like to immediately take your journey up the pagoda to see this lovely view (see my pic below) upon exiting the ferry pier, take a turn to the left and walk to the bus terminus and carry on to the top of the slope and make a turn to the right. From there, follow along the foot walk till you see tennis courts on your right (takes about 3 minutes). You will see on your left a slope with the mountains - this is where you want to be heading (Tip: If you spot a Golf Club bus you know you're headed in the right direction). Be careful while crossing this road as traffic can be coming from many directions.

It's all simple from here! Just simply walk along the footpath up the hill. To get to the pagoda you will need to walk up about 20-30 minutes till you reach a point where you can see a clear white road path to the right. Follow this track for about 5 minutes to see the hut and enjoy the view! Don't forget to bring a bottle of water and maybe a snack as there are no vendors here.

View of Hong Kong from Discovery Bay pagoda © Kay 2015

Simply return back to the plaza by following the route you came from. Once we arrived back to the plaza I was hungry so I grabbed a takeaway from LifeCafe [I ordered a broccoli salad ($30) and the eggplant sandwich ($30) which I'd recommend to health junkies cause it is delicious and my absolute fave! :)] at sat at one of the benches.

Eggplant sandwich and broccoli from Life Cafe © Kay 2015

There's also the option of sunbathing at the beach for a sun kissed glow.

 Discovery Bay beach © Kay 2015

If you choose to dine-in, I'd recommend going for the thai restaurant Koh Tomyums or the Korean restaurant for a good BBQ (Booking would be needed especially during Public Holidays/ Weekends) so if you don't want to be disappointed, I'd advise to book ahead of time.

You can always make a whole day out in DB hiking along the trails across Lantau (you can go to Mui Wo and Tung Chung or just climb to the peak of DB and back down).

View from the peak of DB mountain © Kay 2015

Any questions please feel free to comment below :)

Join me on forming one new (healthy) habit!

Image courtesy of iheartnaptime

Hi guys,

You've probably heard the saying that it takes 21 days to form a new habit which has also been criticised as a myth by the likes of Huffington Post and Forbes. But does it really matter? I guess what I am saying is that we can always choose to make our own changes for the good. Every day it's up to us to make a decision on how we decide to lead the day. The things you can't control shouldn't determine your day/week/month or year but the things you CAN control are things we should act on to bring happiness into our life.Anyways, with the thought of incorporating a healthy habit for my wellness, I've decided to add drinking hot lemon water to my morning routine before I have my breakfast (click here to see a post on foods I tend to eat for breakfast). It's been nearly 2 weeks since I've stuck by this and I don't know if it's a placebo effect but I HAVE noticed my skin is more clear. I guess the extra cup of day is good in keeping my skin hydrated and using this as a replacement to my cups of coffee that I had become so reliant on. Although I still do have my cup of morning coffee, I've limited myself to a maximum of one a day. Taking baby steps...Asta la vista to my 2-3 cups of daily coffee!  :)

So why did I decide to add hot lemon water as my morning ritual?

According to my research the top 4 benefits to hot lemon water are:

1) It improves digestion

2) Regulates an overactive appetite

3) Aids constipation

4) Alleviates pain

So it may not be completely backed up but drinking hot lemon water vs drinking coffee? But I can say it has less calories, it's all natural, easy to buy, it helps me drink more water to keep me hydrates and it seems to work for me :)

Let me know your thoughts in the comment below!

Day 2 Juice Cleanse

My 2 day juice cleanse experience (DAY 2 review)

Day 2 of my juice cleanse from Genie Juicery consisted of the same drinks as Day One (you can read my Day One review here) so I knew which drinks I were going to look forward to drinking and better evenly space my drink intake throughout the day.

Upon waking up my stomach felt hungry and empty- it was noticeably flatter (yay!).  I drank my warm lemon water, glass of water with psyllium husk and my 1st juice of the day (The Master).

Day 1 Juice Cleanse

My 2 day juice cleanse experience (DAY 1 review)

Some of you may know from my Instagram that I was on my juice cleanse recently. I really wanted to try one out so I figured it's about time I tried one! As it was my first cleanse I chose to go for the safe option of doing it in the comfort of my home during the weekend in case I felt antsy, fatigued and to avoid embarressment of a roaring lion growling from my stomach.

Hong Kong has such a wide selection of juice cleanse programmes and juice shops around the city like noodfood, punch detox, be juiced, hyaku, mr. green juice- the list almost seems endless. I chose Genie juicery as it had been popping a lot of mentions on my instagram news feeds from fellow bloggers and it offers 8 instead of 6 juice bottles for each day (you could tell my concern was about getting hungry with no solid foods for two days :P).

I ordered my 2 day cleanse online (I chose intermediate based on the benefits listed here) from their website. The ordering and checkout process was quick and simple. You pick a date when you want to start your cleanse. Remember to order before 5pm before the day you intend to start your programme as this is the cut off time. When you fill the delivery form they provide the option to leave a note to arrange your delivery so I had arranged a note to pick mine cleanse up at the ferry pier after work given that they don't deliver to outlying islands. Delivery around HK island is free with a extra surcharge for deliver to TST and other locations around HK.

What I got:

My 2 day cleanse came in two freezer bags (see below).  In each bag came 8 bottles to drink per day with a sachet of psyllium husk and chia seeds for added fibre and protein, a genie bible and a straw to sip your juices. My advice is to make sure you make space in your fridge beforehand as it takes up quite a lot of space and have it delivered if you can to your door as it's pretty heavy! I immediately put my juices into the fridge to keep them cold. 

What it looks like inside

Foods I eat for breakfast

A work day morning is often a rush for most people. I often find myself in a haste to get to work squeezing in a few more minutes of sleep and I'm sure at times you may have skipped breakfast simply because it's easy to let it fall low in your list of priorities or you just weren't feeling hungry.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should be eaten within two hours of waking up to literally 'break the fast'. Eating breakfast helps to boost your metabolism for the day, enhance your immune system and mood so that you are fuelled to kickstart your day so I never skip this meal and I find that having a few go-to options will help you stick to a healthy routine of eating in the morning.

For breakfast, I usually choose one of the options below because they are quick and easy to make. I usually decide what I eat depending on how I feel that day, what I've got and what needs to be eaten before it goes off. By no means am I calling myself a nutritionist or a health coach and that this is what you should be eating but these are just things I eat and like to eat. Feel free to try incorporate them into your eating routine or mix it up by adding/removing different ingredients so that it suits you :)

Hello and welcome to my blog...

As with all the fun I get round when Instagramming (see my posts here at @k_fit_journey- new account here in keeping with this blog address: @fitnhealthyinhk), my only thought was to get round to blogging so that I can share my thoughts on health and fitness with you in more detail. As a 20-something year old who previously lived in the UK and now resides in hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, I found it harder to stick to maintain my healthy lifestyle.  Although Hong Kong is a city where you can find almost anything and everything, I've found that in comparison to the UK, access to healthy alternatives are limited (and more expensive!) so I thought that it would a good idea to post along and share my thoughts to others in Hong Kong (and abroad) how I try to keep track on maintaining a healthy lifestyle in keeping fit- whether by at home workouts, easy clean recipes, health product reviews and options for healthy dining in this city.