The 80/20 Rule

What is the 80/20 Rule?

1. The Pareto principle (also known as the 80–20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
   
   It can be difficult to lose weight if you follow a diet that heavily restricts all sweets and treats. The 80/20 diet rule allows you to indulge once in a while while still focusing on losing weight. This diet rule teaches you more than just how to manage your weight; it helps you to better understand moderation and balance. 
   How can you apply it to your life?

Food.

1. You know it's challenging to eat clean all the time. Work parties, BBQs, restaurants, holidays... all those things make clean eating a bit of a challenge. But if you can work toward eating clean the majority of the time you are going to see a difference in your body and in how you feel.  In addition , if you keep an eye on your portions you can effectively manage your weight

Exercise.

Yes, it's easy to fall out of your workout routine when you travel, or you have family in town, or a rerun of Orange is the New Black has you glued to the TV, remember to get right back and into it! Don't let a break from your exercise routine become a break-up from exercise. Push toward that 80 percent. Even 30 minutes of exercise a day is sufficient

It's easy to remember.

When things are easy to remember, they are easy to do. Plus, you can easily turn this rule into a question to keep you on track: Are the majority of my choices today healthy? If they aren't, start making some healthy decisions pronto. If they are, terrific! 

It's a lifestyle rule, not a fad.

It is not a quick fix or some type of fad diet. You can easily adjust it to your life and live by it and also not restrict yourself

You don't have to be perfect.

It is OKAY if you caved and had a sausage sandwich for breakfast but had a healthy and balanced lunch and dinner

When the majority of your decisions are healthy you can fit it in with your lifestyle

I guarantee if you exercise on most days and eat clean most of the time, it will work. You will be at the weight you want to be at and you will be healthier. The 80/20 rule is a doable, healthy lifestyle plan that you can enjoy! As always, speak to your doctor before making any changes to your diet, especially if you have a medical condition.

New recipes coming soon!!!!

Strawberry Santas - Healthy & Sinful version!

What you need:

½ tub Quark or whipped cream

2-3 tbsp sweetener - for use if making healthy version of recipe

12 strawberries

24 chocolate balls or seeds for eyes

Instructions:

In a bowl, mix together the Quark and sweetener .Cut the bottom off the strawberries (pointed bit) to create Santa's hat. Spoon or pipe the Quark or cream mixture on top of each strawberry and down the front (to create his head and beard) and place the hat back on.Add two little chocolate balls or seeds to make his eyes and serve as soon as possible.


*Whipped cream from a can sets better than standard whipped cream

Low fat Mushroom soup

Fill up your belly with this tasty and nutritious healthy soup to get you through these cold evenings!

What you need:

• Coconut Oil
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large potato
• 500mg mushrooms chopped
• 1.5ltrs vegetable stock
• freshly ground black pepper

* Low fat greek yoghurt

Instructions:

1.Put some coconut oil into a non-stick saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, potato and mushrooms and stir-fry over a high heat for 5-6 minutes.

2. Add THE STOCK and bring to the boil. Cover and cook gently for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season well.

3. Using a food processor, blend the soup until smooth. Serve the soup sprinkled with fresh herbs & season with black pepper

Optional – To make soup creamier, stir in a dollop of low fat greek yoghurt

Fab cakes!!

Hi guys , If you are looking for cakes for any occasion and based in Dublin i highly recommend 

https://www.facebook.com/bellesweetcreations

These cakes are an example here that myself and sister had the pleasure of enjoying - two of them were made for baby showers and one for a Christening

x

Mothercare Xpedior Review

Before I had my baby, we had a big decision to make and that was what type of pram/buggy to go for as there are HUNDREDS on the market! For some reason I was steered towards Mothercare and after checking some out we decided on the Mothercare Xpedior. The buggy comes in a range of colours and as we knew we were having a baby boy we decided on blue.

What I really like about it is that it can either be parent facing or forward facing.With that, you get the chassis, the carrycot which then converts into a sitting up pram, the car seat, a very large basket underneath, footmuff, rain cover etc.

It can be purchased with four wheels or three wheels - We chose three wheels as I was advised this would be good for steering around corners etc. The car seat is very straightforward and easy to put into the car but it just takes some time to get used to especially if you are a first time mother and have not done it before. After a while you can do it with your eyes closed! It is very lightweight and compact and easy to fit in the car boot

It is good value for money because it feels very high quality. Also another thing I like about it is that the push bar can be changed to different heights, which was quite important for me because my partner is 6ft 2 and I am quite tall myself

I am very happy with the pram and my baby is really cosy in it and comfortable, one of the minor issues is that the brake is easy to kick by accident when walking which is quite annoying but once you are aware of it you can try and avoid it...

Here is the link to check it out:

http://www.mothercare.ie/mothercare-xpedior-base-pack.html

Ham and Tomato Omelette

I had a busy day today as i am weaning the baby and he is teething so i made an omelette which are quick and easy to make.

There are some pretty cool benefits of eggs!

Eggs are a good source of protein and are rated as the highest quality of all protein after whey. They contain a good source of vitamin A and are extremely nutritious. Eggs are highly fulfilling and tend to make you eat fewer calories and best of all the are quick and easy to make

What you need:

4 free range eggs
Cherry Tomatoes
1 onion
3 -4 tablespoons of light grated cheddar cheese
A tablespoon of coconut oil
Wafer thin Ham
A couple of cloves of garlic

Preparation:

Chop tomatoes and ham and onions and garlic into small pieces
Fry the garlic in the coconut oil
Beat eggs, tomatoes, ham, cheddar cheese and onions together in a bowl
Add the mixture to the frying pan and cook
Pop omelette on the grill to cook the top
Garnish with fresh herbs

I served mine with a side salad of chopped spinach, cucumber and onion with some balsamic vinegar as i was trying to use up what was left in the fridge!