Hello friends!
I have an extra special surprise for you today! I’m really excited to introduce you to another excellent food blogger- my lovely friend Amelia. She is also from New Zealand and is currently studying law. Amelia is the queen of gorgeous Instagram photos. She has kindly shared an awesome chocolate zucchini oatmeal recipe with us.
If you don’t already follow her on Instagram, I highly recommend it! She honestly has such great photos.
So first of all let’s find out a little bit more about Amelia…
What sparked your interest in healthy living?
For me there was no grand moment of realisation, my interest developed gradually over time. After competing in sports at a serious level for many years, I always took note of what I was putting in my body – looking back now, it probably wasn’t the best food. I always enjoyed fresh fruit and vegetables, but balanced that with my fair share of treats as well. One day I was reading an article about healthy food accounts to follow on instagram. When I looked them up I couldn’t resist the gorgeous food and the positive messages and everything just spiralled from there. Moving out of home required better budgeting and I prioritised those foods which made me feel the best.
What is one thing you have been dying to make?
I wish I had the time and the money to make more raw treats. I had a perfect raw passionfruit cake the other day and now I can’t get it out of my head. I have also been eyeing up the Mars Bars on the ‘Hippie Lane’ app for a long time. One day I will get there.
How do you manage to stay fit and eat well while studying?
Planning and prioritising. I know that I feel my best when I exercise and when I eat well. I try and incorporate moving into my day naturally, so even on those days where I don’t have time to ‘workout’ I have still done significant movement. This includes biking to work and university and walking as much as possible. I use a quick walk as a study break, instead of watching TV or surfing Facebook when I can. Eating well really just requires planning of meals and always having healthy options. I try to avoid taking my wallet to university, as then I can’t spend my money on unhealthy foods. I always take my own lunch to class and I make large batches of boiled eggs and roast veggies at the start of the week to make this an easy process for when I am in a rush.
What’s your favourite quote?
It’s actually one by someone who inspired me a lot as a swimmer – Ian Thorpe. He said that “only the pain of a hard workout can save the agony of defeat.” While this doesn’t appear to apply to life beyond exercise, I use it to motivate me to always perform my best and put all my effort into everything I take on. I hate doing things poorly, or to a standard that I know is not my best. So even when I am tired or don’t feel like doing something, I come back to this quote and remind myself that the effort I put in now, will save me feeling regretful afterwards.
What is your go-to breakfast
Porridge. Without a doubt. It amazes me still that as a child I used to hate it. Now I can have it everyday – I’ve even had it for lunch or dinner when I’m lazy. Now I always try to add vegetables such as courgettes or carrots to it, so I can feel better about the lashing of peanut butter that I pile on tip.
Who is your biggest food hero?
I love both Sarah Wilson and Dr Libby. Sarah Wilson and I Quit Sugar do an amazing job of raising awareness for exactly what is in our food and the best ways to purchase, cook and consume. I love her way of living and I try and follow it as much as I can. The same can be said for Dr Libby except she goes further into the science of it. Reading her books made me stop and change the way I think about food, exercise and the way I live my life in general.
What is your favourite way to exercise?
As boring as this may sound, I love to walk. Walking in a new place is my favourite thing to do. It’s the easiest way to explore and see the new sites and get you out in the fresh air. The same goes for cycling. If I feel like more of a sweaty session, I will always go for high intensity weights sessions (think Kayla Itsines). These normally last for no more than 30 minutes – just enough to get a good sweat on and build some muscles.
If you could offer our friends one piece of advice what would it be?
Remember that while eating is a necessary part of everyday life, it should still be enjoyable. I know that I am guilty of being so excited to eat, that I inhale my food rather than savouring every bit. I am still working on being mindful of what I eat and how I eat. It’s so easy to feel guilty about food these days, so I just listen to my body and accept that some days I am going to eat some chocolate while with my friends, or have an ice cream with my boyfriend and it won’t be the end of the world. Pretty much balance and listening to how you feel are the mantras I work with.
Now for her delicious recipe…
Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
1 small zucchini grated (around 1/2 a packed cup)
1 tsp chia seeds (optional)
1/2 scoop protein powder (optional)
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk of your choice – adjust to your requirements
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbspn cacao
Your favourite toppings
First: add you oats, water, milk, chia seeds, grated zucchini and cinnamon to the pot. Stir all of this together to combine and while the pot is coming to the boil stir in your protein powder if using – be careful not to let it go lumpy.
Second: Once the pot begins to boil, turn it down onto low to simmer so it can absorb the rest of the liquids. This is when I stir in my cacao – note I have used a lot of cacao because I love the chocolatey flavour, so you might have to adjust it to your own taste.
Third: Once all the liquids are absorbed and the zucchini is ‘melted’ into the mixture you are ready to serve with your favourite toppings!
I hope you enjoyed this post. Head over to Amelia’s blog for more amazing recipes…and to read my guest post!
M x
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