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Fitness, Healthy Living, Lifestyle

My 100 Healthy Days With Well I Am – Motivation

Smart Goals

I thought I would give you a bit of an update on my progress with My 100 Healthy Days With Well I Am! As I have mentioned before, I have never been someone who likes dieting, mostly because I get bored very quickly and lose interest. I have found that a much better approach to losing weight and fitness is a lifestyle change but this can be easier said than done! Especially during the cold winter months and if I am on holiday because all I want to do is comfort eat.

Smart Goals

The most important thing with any challenge is to set yourself goals! When setting yourself goals, they need to be realistic and attainable, otherwise you will give up very quickly. Make sure you have a clear idea of what you would like to achieve and the time you would like to do it in.

Motivation

My biggest issue recently is unexplained weight-gain, although not a huge amount, it has been a steady climb, which has found me the heaviest I have ever been unless pregnant! I know that it does have quite a bit to do with age but I am determined to lose the weight! So my main goal in the Well I Am Challenge, is to lose 10kg and get back to what I weighed a year ago!

So what lifestyle changes have I made to help me achieve my goals? From a meal perspective I have cut down portion size and I try to avoid any processed food. I have also cut down my salt intake dramatically. What I am not prepared to do is eat bland steamed food – this is where I draw the line!

To be honest I love food not just eating it but the entire experience – I know for some people food is merely a necessity but that is not the case for me. I think this is why I find it hard to diet – food must be interesting and sexy for me to enjoy it and if I cannot enjoy it then what is the point! I guess this has been one of my challenges – to make healthy food not only tasty but appealing visually. You may remember the post I did featuring My Healthy Recipes and meal ideas.

I do find myself eating out quite a bit and this can pose a problem, if you are trying to lose weight but there are many healthy options available on menus, which are lower in calories and you can always substitute your starch, with salad or veg. If you have to eat desert, then if possible share it with someone – then at least you can share the guilt 😉

Motivation

I am almost 3 weeks into the 100 day challenge and even though I spent a week on holiday in Knysna and have had a bad cold, I have managed to maintain both a healthy diet{with the odd cheats} and regular exercise! This has not been easy but I am motivated to stick to my plan and I have things like a trip to Italy in September, to really motivate me and keep me focused!

To date I have lost over 2,5kgs, which means that I have 7,5kg to go! I am also feeling much healthier and more energised, which I think is a combination of eating well and excising daily.

Are you doing the 100 Healthy Days with Well I Am or a similar challenge? If you are I would love to hear about your goals and how you keep yourself motivated!

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Cape Town Lifestyle, Lifestyle

Cavendish Square Winter Sale Gets Smart

Cavendish Square Winter Sale Gets Smart

I am not sure about you but I spend a better part of my life at the shops! If it is not shopping for birthday presents or things for the kids, then it is grocery shopping! One of my favourite shopping centres in Cape Town is Cavendish Square, I find I can get everything I need under one roof and that includes my necessary coffee fix 🙂

Cavendish Square

The annual Winter Sale has become an institution at Cavendish Square and it starts today! I know that we can all use a few bargains and if you are really organised you can stash a few goodies away for Christmas.

Cavendish Square Winter Sale Gets Smart

This year the Cavendish Square Winter Sale Gets Smart! It will be presented in an entirely different fashion via a QR code mechanism, allowing shoppers to access all store promotions via their cell phones.

As well as all the amazing sales and promotions on offer, you can stand a chance to win a R1,000 Cavendish Square shopping voucher and cash prizes every week, for the duration of the sale.

Cavendish Square Winter Sale I love saleHow to use the QR Code and get shopping:
• Download any QR code reader from your phone app store.
• When you see the QR code in Cavendish Square or any media platform, scan the code in the ‘heart’ for Cavendish Square winter sale and competition information.

Keep a look out for the ‘I heart sale’ and ‘I heart to win’ artwork in Cavendish Square and on the shopping centre online platforms and experience the sale with a technology twist. For those of you who do not have access to smart phone, shops participating in the sale will have large sale decals in front of their stores, to indicate whether they are running promotions.

Cavendish Square winter sale, it’s the perfect excuse to go shopping!

For any inquiries regarding the sale please visit the Cavendish Square Website or Facebook Page.

Disclosure Ranking: 2

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Events, Lifestyle, Out & About, Wine Farms

The Winter Food and Wine Festival

The Winter Food and Wine Festival

Calling all food and wine lovers in Jozi!!! I thought I would give you a heads up on The Winter Food and Wine Festival, hosted by Boucheron Wines, happening in Johannesburg later this month.

The Winter Food and Wine Festival

The festival will be held at a private lodge, just 10 minutes’ drive from Fourways, Johannesburg and will take place on the 26th of July from 11:00 am until 17:00pm.

Black-Pearl-Boucheron-Wines

You can expect a wide variety of artisanal foods, wine tasting from many premium wine estates plus lunch and dessert are included. You will also receive 2 free bottles of wine (including the white merlot) and a gift hamper full of delectable delights for just R365 per person.

You can bring the kids along, as there will be plenty of fun for them too! R50 per child under 12 years and R100 per child between 12 and 18 years of age (No alcohol served to under 18s). Puchase 10 or more tickets at once and enjoy a group discount of 10%.

Festival Details:

Date: 26th of July 2014

Venue Address: 132 MacGillvray Rd, Lone Hill

Times: 11:00 am – 17:00 pm

Pay by credit card or EFT. We’ll take your credit card payment over the phone:

CLICK HERE for tickets or call 011 708 3444!

No tickets available at the door!

Your ticket price of R365 per person includes:

•     A gift hamper filled with goodies and a wine glass

•    Delicious lunch and dessert included and served from 12:30 …

•    Free bottle of White Merlot 2013

•    Free bottle of ZenMaster 2013 (red blend)

•    Meet your favourite winemakers

•    Live Bands

•    Kids Zone for under 12 years

•    Taste foods from top artisanal producers

Disclosure Ranking: 2

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Food, Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Lifestyle

My Healthy Recipes with Well I Am

Healthy Pork Stir Fry

One of the main goals with My 100 Healthy Days with Well I am, is to eat a healthy diet and cut out all processed foods. As I have mentioned before I am not big on dieting per se but prefer to eat healthy meals and limit my portion size, essentially making lifestyle changes, as opposed to sticking to a strict diet or eating plan.

Healthy Recipes by Inspired Living SA

The main difficulty most people find when it comes to healthy meal preparation, is to ensure the food you are eating is tasty and appealing, as well as being healthy and low in calories – in my opinion there is nothing worse than eating a plate of unappetizing, “grey”, steamed food! So I thought I would share a few of My Healthy Recipes and meal options, which are perfect for the whole family as well!

Vanilla and Berry Smoothie

  • Vanilla and Berry Smoothie ~ Smoothies are a great breakfast option and you can really let your imagination run wild, when it comes to ingredients! My favourite smoothie is vanilla yogurt and berries.You can use either fresh or frozen berries. I also like to add two scoops of protein power to my smoothies for an extra energy boost in the morning, especially if I am excising. For the full recipe click here

Vanilla and Berry Smoothie

Muesli-Berries-Yougurt

  • Muesli with Fruit and Yogurt ~ Another great breakfast option is Muesli, which you can make yourself or you do shop bought but ensure you choose one which is not loaded with saturated fat and sugar! When in season, I love to add fresh berries to my muesli, as well as fat free vanilla yogurt – you can also used dried fruit such as peaches or cranberries. This is also a great breakfast option if you are working because you can pack it to go!

Baked-Eggs-with-tomato-and-bacon

  •  Baked Eggs with Tomato and Bacon ~ Eggs are a very important part of a healthy diet, as they are a great source of high-quality protein, which is rich in vitamins D and A and low in saturated fat. They also contain choline, which was recently noted for its importance in brain function. Making baked eggs in such a simple but delicious meal, which could be either a breakfast or lunch option. Preheat your oven to 180ºC then grease a ramekin with olive oil. Roughly chop back bacon and tomatoes, place in the bottom of the ramekin. Crack an egg on top of the bacon and tomatoes, sprinkle with chopped rocket leaves and oven bake for approximately 10 minutes or until the egg is done to your liking. Again you could vary your ingredients and add mushrooms or a sprinkling of cheese if you wanted something a bit more substantial.

Tuna Apple and sugar snap salad

  • Tuna, Apple and Sugar Snap Salad ~ I always find lunch such a tricky meal to keep healthy and convenient, as I am usually running around or attending events. The easiest way to keep lunch healthy and quick to prepare is to keep it raw, so salads are a great option. This tuna salad is super easy – simply mix one tin of tuna, in brine, with a tablespoon of low cal mayo. Roughly chop half an apple, half a cucumber and a handful of sugar snap peas and mix with the tuna. Add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and you are good to go. You could add half and avocado and a few cherry tomatoes to change it up a bit. If you do not like tuna then substitute it with grilled chicken.

Jamie Oliver Vegetable and Chicken Soup

  • Poached Chicken and Vegetable Soup ~ Soup is another great healthy lunch option! You can make a huge batch at the beginning of the week and reheat as you need it or buy in. If you are buying soup, remember to check the ingredients and try and choose a low fat option, also check the salt and sugar content, as these should not be too high, if you are trying to loose weight. This recipe from Jamie Oliver is super healthy and easy to make.

Chicken Wrap

  • Chicken Wraps with Avocado and Rocket ~ these wraps are super easy to prepare and very yummy! As a healthier option rather than using the original flour tortillas you can using the multi-seed ones, which are available from Woolworths. If you did want to reduce the calories even further, for this meal, you can replace the avo and cheese with a raw salsa. For the full recipe click here

Chicken Stir Fry

  • Chicken Red Pepper and Ginger Stir Fry ~ This is another really simple meal to cook, most of the effort is in the preparation! You can also vary the veg and add things like sugar snap peas, green beans, broccoli and mushrooms. The image above I changed up the recipe and substituted the chicken with pork, which is as delicious! For the full recipe click here

Seasonable Fruit Salad

  • Seasonal Fruit Salad ~ A healthy desert option if you are watching your weight is a seasonal fruit salad. I am not a lover of winter fruit but I find a fruit salad, is a great way to get my daily fruit quota in!

There are so many healthy meal options to choose from and these are a few I like and find easy to prepare and cook. If you have any ideas to share please leave a comment below.

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Events, Lifestyle, Out & About, Travel, Wine Farms

South African Wine Index Awards 2014

SAWi-Awards-2014

I recently attended the South African Wine Index Awards 2014, which acknowledges South African wine excellence. The South African Wine Index{SAWi} gala awards were held at the luxurious Grootbos Private Nature Reserve near Gansbaai.

The Villa at Grootbos

Grootbos not only sponsored the event but also entered into a partnership with SAWi, to exclusively offer the complete range of the ‘SAWi Grand Wines Collection’ (wines scoring 93+ points through the unique SAWi Algorithm of Excellence) at this world renowned Reserve.

The Villa at Grootbos

For those of you who are not familar with the SAWi wine judging Algorithm of Excellence (Arabic tenfold system), it is based on the combined results a wine has achieved over multi vintages, in any of 84 different multi-national wine competitions or reviews (each weighted according to the compilation of judging panels and the number of medals on offer).

Consistency in results, top 10 mentions and trophies won are also taken into account during these calculations. As such, a wine is not judged on one occasion only but its consistency is tracked over a period and built out to a 10 year quality window.

SAWi-Awards-2014

SAWi Platinum is the highest accolade that may be achieved by any single wine. A score of 95 or more, out of a possible 100, will secure this award. These wines are referred to as the ‘SAWI Ambassadors Club’ the top end of the ‘SAWi Grand Wines Collection’ which also include wines which received Grand Gold status for scoring 93 and 94. No score below this attracts any accolades, ensuring that SAWi decorations are aspirational and really the cream of the crop.

The Villa at Grootbos

The day started off with a lovely lunch at the Forest Lodge, giving wine makers and invited guests the opportunity of socialising and getting to know one another.The rest of the afternoon was spent at leisure exploring the beauty of the reserve, indulging in the luxuries of the Grootbos Estate or watching a bit of rugby!

SAWi-Awards-2014

In the evening all the guests, producers and wine makers were treated to a tasting of the winning wines, before the presentation of the awards got under way. The event was a showcase of South African ‘Grand Wines’ – highlighting the value of the SAWi principles and methodology.

SAWi-Awards-2014

Constantia Glen took top honors on the night, receiving the SAWi Trophy for Wine Producer of the Year, with Justin van Wyk (Winemaker) and Ettiene Southey (Vineyard Manager) and his team acknowledged as top achievers for 2014.

SAWi-Awards-20142

De Morgenzon received the 2014 SAWi Trophy for White Wine Producer of the Year.  The Trophy for the 2014 SAWi Red Wine Producer of the Year went to Kanonkop Estate, also from Stellenbosch.

SAWi-Awards-2014

The inaugural Trophy for Best South African Brandy Producer was awarded to KWV.

Chardonnay dominated, with 17 accolades, followed by Shiraz wines with 12, Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux Blends with 10 each, Pinotage 8, Pinot Noir 6 and Red Blends 5.

SAWi-Awards-20144

Hemel and Aarde Valley had 14 wine accolades, followed by Constantia with 10 and Tulbach with 7, whilst Elgin, Franshhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch Kloof, Blaauwklippen and Idas Valley had 5 each. Wines from Stellenbosch West, , Blaauwklippen, Cederberg, Somerset West, Franshhoek  and Durbanville made up the rest.

Once again, outlying wine pockets like Cederberg, Tulbach, and even Barrydale featured prominently.

Since the start of the SAWi Ratings four years ago, only 32 wines out of a total of 914 which were rated have scored 95+ points, with repeated good performances by the majority of these wines. This year another 13 wines were added to this category.

SAWi also welcomed a number of new wineries to its honors list in 2014, including Constantia Glen, De Morgenzon, De Grendel and Journeys End Vineyards.

What an amazing evening spent enjoying and celebrating some of the most accomplished wines offered in South Africa, in one of the most beautiful settings in the Cape!

AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
Top scoring wines
99 points – Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay, Saronsberg Cellar Full Circle, Rijks Private Cellar Pinotage and Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer

98 points – Eagles’ Nest Shiraz and Stellenrust Wine Estate “48” Chenin Blanc

97 points – Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, Diemersdal Wine Estate Pinotage Reserve, Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir, Spier Wines Creative Block 3 Rhone Blend and KWV The Mentors Shiraz and Raats Mvemve Raats de Compostella Bordeaux Blend.

Top Wine Producers
Constantia Glen
Kanonkop Estate
Groot Constantia
Bouchard Finlayson
Saronsberg
De Morgenzon
Hamilton Russell Vineyards
Rustenburg Wines
De Grendel
Cederberg Private Cellar
Joubert Tradouw
Cape Chamonix
Eagles Nest
Raats Family Wines

 Images: Event ~ [email protected], Grootbos Villa ©FAR Photography

Disclosure Ranking: 4

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Meet Fiona Rossiter

Hi, I am Fiona Rossiter, from Cape Town, the writer and photographer behind Inspired Living SA Blog. If you love good Food and Wine, reading amazing Travel Adventures, keeping Fit and Healthy, as well following Decor Trends – then Inspired Living SA is just the place for you! Read More…

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