Friday 31 January 2014

Low-fat berry and meringue ice-cream cake Recipe

Photography by Louise Lister

This super easy berry ice cream cake is one treat you can feel good about!

Serves: 12
Time to prep: 8.25 minutes

Ingredients
2 litres low-fat vanilla ice-cream
500g fresh or frozen mixed berries
100g packet (10) pavlova nests

Method
Line a 26cm (base) springform cake pan with baking paper.
Stand ice-cream at room temperature until slightly softened (about 10 to 15 minutes). Place into a large bowl. Add mixed berries.
Add meringue nests to ice-cream and berries, 1 at a time, crushing gently in your hands. Stir until well combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place into freezer. Freeze for 6 hours, or overnight, if time permits, until firm. Turn onto a serving plate. Serve immediately.

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Friday night is FUN night at DHP


Friday night is FUN night at DHP. It offers swimmers the chance to compete and improve their personal best times as well as offering an environment for families to meet and socialise. The yummy BBQ is a great excuse for you have a night off cooking duties while watching your little champs having fun.

When: First Friday of the month
Time: Races from 6.00pm
Cost: $5/student (includes races and sausage sizzle)
First club night for 2014: 7th February

Club Nights are open to past and present LTS families of DHP. The event commences at 6pm sharp and are finished by 7.30pm. A Club BBQ will be on during this time.

For more information please contact DHP Reception or view/download the Club Handbook by clicking here.

Friday 24 January 2014

Asian brown rice pie Recipe

Photography by Louise Lister

Plate up a sensational side dish with this fast and creative rice and vegetable pie.

Serves: 4
Time to prep: 15 minutes
Time to cook: 1.10 minutes

Ingredients
  • 1 cup (200g) medium grain brown rice
  • 400g Asian Stir-fry Vegetables
  • 2 tsp oil, plus extra to brush
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbs sesame seeds
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh coriander

Method
  • Cook the rice for 25 minutes until firm according to packet instructions. Set aside to cool.
  • Slice the snow peas in the stir-fry mix into thin strips and thinly slice any large pieces of broccoli. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry mix. Stir-fry for 4 minutes or until soft. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir through. Transfer to a large bowl. Allow to cool slightly.
  • Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush the base and sides of a 20cm springform pan with oil. Sprinkle 3 tsp of sesame seeds over the base and two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan.
  • Add the rice, eggs and coriander to the stir-fried vegetables. Mix until well combined. Spoon the mixture evenly over the base of the pan and press firmly. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Remove from the pan and slice into wedges.

Wednesday 22 January 2014

January Fitness Challenge


Don't forget to try the January Fitness Challenge in the DHP Fitness Centre. Not only is it about friendly competition, it will also push you to finish a great workout. 

If you have any questions about the January Fitness Challenge please ask one of our friendly staff members.

Monday 20 January 2014

The True Power of Inner Strength

During one of my recent anti-bullying talks at a middle school, one of the girls, who courageously shared her tearful experience of being bullied, asked me afterwards what I meant when I said "Fitness From Within." There was something about her, about the look in her eye, that made me pause and remember what it was like as a teenager struggling with my own issues. So I sat down with her and shared some of my difficult experiences growing up and how my philosophy of "Fitness From Within" changed my life.


She didn't believe me when I told her that I used to be a "heavy" teenager struggling with my weight and self-confidence, until I showed her a photo of me at age 14 and 50 pounds overweight. She broke out into laughter. Chuckling with her I said, "I can laugh about it now, too; but it wasn't funny when I was your age." She apologized, but couldn't stop staring at the photo.

"How did you do it?" she asked. "How did you lose all the weight?" I thought for a minute then said, "With tears and hard work...fitness was my freedom and helped me build inner strength. That strength turned my pain into passion and changed my life."

There's something universal about overcoming pain. It doesn't matter how old you are, where you come from, or whether you're a man or a woman. We all have the same decision to make: We can let the pain destroy us, or we can turn it into something positive to let it drive us.

Are You Willing to Work Hard?
I used to look at other kids and convince myself that their "better" bodies were all because of good luck or genetics. I had those thoughts on a daily basis. I didn't like what I saw in the mirror, so if I met someone who wasn’t ashamed to look in the mirror, it was easier to tell myself they were "given" that body instead of having to earn it.

I was projecting my insecurities, and the reality was that I was lying to myself, binge eating and not working out. I wanted to be fit, but wasn't willing to face the truth or work hard for it. Can you relate?

It's Really All in Your Head
Or at least most of the times. There are a few folks who have legitimate medical conditions, but most of us don't fall into that category. I spent years convincing myself that I didn't have a weight problem, and then later I allowed myself to believe that I had been dealt a bad hand and there wasn’t anything I could do to change my body. This continued until I met a kid in my Karate dojo (someone who was more overweight than me), and he changed my perception forever. I will never forget sparring him my first day in class. I thought he would be slow and out of shape. I misjudged his body for his heart, and I left that day getting my butt handed to me in the dojo.

The next year, I entered middle school and started wrestling. There weren't enough kids on our team, so the three of us who made the team started wresting with the high school kids. I became known as "the fat kid that didn't know he was fat." They nicknamed me that because I refused to let my weight define me, and as each opponent misjudged me for my weight, they ended up on their back, staring at the lights as I pinned them down. That year taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my life: your weight does not define you, what people say or do does not define you, the only things that define you are your belief in yourself and your actions.

Once You Believe in Yourself, You Will Be Set Free
Once I started taking responsibility for myself, for my eating, and for my training, my belief in myself started to change. Instead of coming up with excuses of why I couldn't get fit, I came up with solutions of how I would get fit. It's never really a question of "Can you do it?" it's a matter of "Will you do it?" And this is where inner strength begins.

You may have heard that life is 10 percent what happens to you, and 90 percent how you respond to it. For me, fitness was my freedom, and fitness is 10 percent information that you know about it, and 90 percent what you do with that information. You have to take action. Walk the talk. When I started my fitness journey, there were days when I wanted to give up, but something inside of me wouldn't let me quit, something inside had caught fire. I wanted payback, I wanted to be free...I wanted to kiss a girl for the first time! So I trained harder and all the sweat and tears gave me strength. Inner strength.

Fitness from Within
If it doesn't challenge you, it won't make you stronger. The most valuable things in life are the ones we earn. If you want more inner strength, then challenge yourself more. Fitness is the fastest and most sure way I know to build inner strength because every workout, every set, every rep, you are faced with either dealing with the pain or quitting. When you face the pain, the fatigue and the fear, you grow stronger. What gave me strength was fitness. Fitness from within.

By BRETT HOEBEL

Friday 17 January 2014

Low-fat sesame chicken with lime and pepper wedges Recipe

Photography by Ben Dearnley

This healthy recipe is a new-age version of nuggets and chips without having to worry about fat or kilojoules.

Serves: 4
Time to prep: 20 minutes
Time to cook: 55 minutes

Ingredients
  • 2 large (1kg) sweet potatoes, scrubbed, cut into wedges
  • Canola oil cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lime rind
  • 1/3 cup sesame seeds
  • 500g chicken tenderloins
  • 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
  • 1/4 cup Lee Kum Kee reduced-salt soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste
  • 100g baby salad leaves

Method
  • Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Lightly grease a large baking tray. Place sweet potato on prepared tray. Season with salt and pepper. Spray with oil. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from oven. Sprinkle evenly with lime rind.
  • Place sesame seeds on a large plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat chicken evenly in sesame seeds.
  • Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook chicken, in two batches, for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
  • Whisk soy sauce, lime juice and wasabi together in a small bowl. Place salad leaves in a large bowl. Drizzle over dressing. Toss to combine. Serve chicken with sweet potato wedges and salad leaves.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Learn to Swim - Term 1 - Starting VERY Soon!


Dinky Dolphins Award Winning Learn to Swim Program for Term 1 of 2014 is starting Monday 20th January. To ensure your child gains the knowledge necessary to confidentially swim, enrol before Monday to make sure they have a place.

If you would like further information or have any questions, please don't hesitate to speak to one of our friendly team members at DHP Reception.