What a year! Here are my 2013 Highlights

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

So, it's now time to bid farewell to 2013. What a firecracker of a year it's been for Fitness, Food and Style. How did your year shape up?

Of course, like always, time this year just FLEW by ... seriously how quickly did it go?

Overall, it's been another amazing year and to put it in perspective, you can click on last year's highlights here to know what the starting point of 2013 was ...

With so many wonderful experiences and adventures throughout the year, it's hard to pinpoint favourites but below is a just a quick recap of the Fitness, Food and Style journey throughout the year that's been.

2013 what another great year!

January 

The year kicked off with a FFS #planksjan2013 challenge where I encouraged people to plank safely in an appropriate environment (not like the extreme rave a few years ago ... if you remember there were people planking in some very strange places).

Nevertheless, as easy as this move may have looked, it was extremely challenging as planking really challenges and tightens up the core muscles.

Here's my pre and post results.

February
This month the FFS challenge explored the world of no added sugar. I couldn't quite manage the entire IQS program ... however I certainly took baby steps. 

This challenge encouraged people to read food labels and focus on reducing the amount of refined sugar consumed on a daily basis ... simply through making better food choices. It's simple to do and checking labels is the first place we can reduce sugars we often forget are so heavily added to the foods we select.

This can then be taken further by eliminating soft drinks and saying no to added sugar in tea and coffee etc ... baby steps, remember! Read more here.

March

Here we stepped up the pace a little and focused on the upper arm and back region with our #pushupsandgreens challenge. Looking at food intake, there was a challenge to focus on adding more and more greens. An entirely suitable way to recognise that St Patricks Day would be coming very soon in March, don't you think ;-)

Photo courtesy of Loni Jane ALEVEN

The 'push up your greens challenge' was encouraging people to do push ups and increase their vegetable serves ... and enjoy them! It was an absolute hit!

Mmmm March .... Oh yeah I also celebrated my 39th birthday ;-)

April 

In April I wanted to maintain momentum for more mindful eating and to continue the education on nutrition, I thought what better way was there than to continue the greens challenge with an added twist? The challenge was on to experiment with a fully raw vegan lifestyle.

I included subgroups into the challenge to cater for those who still wanted to incorporate meats and other proteins - their brief was to try at least one raw meal per day - whether that be a salad or raw vegetables.

The beautiful Kristina from Fully Raw also shared her new lifestyle with FFS readers and assisted us through the changes a fully raw diet may result in for us first time raw-ers! Read more here.

My wonderful friends at 180 Nutrition also contributed to this months giveaway, click here.

May

May was such an exciting month for me and Fitness, Food and Style. I was absolutely thrilled to be featured on the Move Nourish Believe blog "A day in the life of Dani Stevens"

It was also the month that saw the start of the #RichardBransonProject campaign - promoting and seeking support for the Vision Crusaders GRAND SLAM Ride To Conquer Cancer events. We challenge the man himself Sir Richard Branson to come ride with us. Read more here. 

I also hosted a #ffsphotoaday challenge and there were some great shots captured and shared in social media land.

The beautiful birds at Birdnest and Stylerunner also gave some amazing giveaways for this comp!

June 

An absolutely amazing milestone in my life and total jump-for-joy celebrations that in June, FFS had it's first anniversary/birthday!!! 2XU gave a $200 x-card voucher to one of my lucky FFS readers.

Can you believe it??? We are just over 1 year young!!!  Here's a recap on all the fun moments here. 

Also the #richardbransonproject continued to build momentum and there was so much support from across the entire globe. You can read more here or come check out the retweet Danni Minogue did here. I love social media so much!

In June, I also collaborated with the amazing Grow Soul Beautiful team and we shared our #YogaADay challenge which I absolutely adored!!! 

July 

I was thrilled to be asked to feature in Lorna Jane's MOVE campaign so, in July, I headed to Brisbane and met some amazing women on the campaign photo shoot. More info here.

You'll be familiar with the Transformation Tuesday stories ... and in July, I shared the story of Robert. His transformation story was one of the true highlights of my year. This man inspired me to realize age is nothing but a number and it doesn't define you. Robert made a lifestyle change and at the ripe age of 57yrs hasn't felt better!!! You can read and be inspired by his story here. 

We also did another no added sugar challenge combined with some squats and continued building upon our earlier work from previous months.

August

Two of my babies celebrated their birthdays this month. Noah turned 8 and Zali 2. 

I made a point of experimenting with some healthier party food options and tried to remove a lot of the refined sugars food at their birthday parties. You can click on their hyperlinked names to check out the birthday party posts and see how there was much fun to be had without all of the sugary stuff. 

I completed my first EVER Ride To Conquer Cancer in Brisbane (read here) and continued my #richardbransonproject. You should have seen me totally jump into the air when Sir Richard sent THIS  only 2 days before the team rode. He shared this on his blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, I was over the moon!

This month, there was a focus on hydration and I encouraged FFS readers to increase their water intake during a 31 day water challenge. 

September 

In September, I decided to adopt Freeletics - an AMAZING fitness program which takes participants on an intense body weight journey. No gym membership or equipment needed ... the only requirements are your body weight and a determination to see your end goal. See Levents transformation here and get your program here.

I also introduced the concept of Rave Reviews where FFS readers were able to receive and trial the products I get in turn for honest feedback and opinion which brands then utilize for their marketing research.

I'm looking forward to continuing with this in 2014, so be sure to follow the link and register your interest.

October

Such a busy month - I completed my second RTCC ride AND Mietta turned 4 with requests of a Unicorn party. She isn't a fan of traditional birthday cakes as such, so she challenges me! I had super fun experimenting with a watermelon cake! Yep, believe it and you can find more pics here. 

A rockin' Rocktober challenge kicked off and I started on the 15 week Freeletics cardio program. Never too late to join in, and you can grab yours here. 

November 

WOWZA!!! November already???? How did that happen?? This month was totally cray-zay! BUSY! 

From Oscars 6th birthday one minute ...  

To sliding down the deepest, steepest and fastest waterside at sea and cruising across the Pacific Ocean to Vanuata the next!

Before I had chance to catch my breath,  I was flying all across Oz ... from Hamilton Island to Adelaide for my RTCC finale ride. Whoa!!!! My head is just spinning as I type this. 

We also managed to squeeze in a mini 7 day #ffsplanks challenge, here's my Vision Crusaders team and I in Adelaide and in full form!

More information and reminiscing about these amazing times are just a hyperlinked click away :) 

December 

Winding up an amazing 2013 involved the famous #xmas25squats challenge. 

The times got busy as we packed the family up for travelling North on a well-deserved family R&R break and celebrated Christmas on sandy beaches. Of course I'll be keeping you updated with snippets of our holiday adventures via Facebook and Instagram. 

Phew! 

So what were your highlights this year? What did you set out to achieve? How did you go ... even if you thought the impossible would never eventuate? 

Remember to ALWAYS #dreambig and I'm looking forward to another exciting year with you all filled with much Fitness Food and Style! 

Bring on 2014!
Just because I have to give you the heads up ... in 2014 there will be a NEW FFS website, more tools for you, interviews and products to share to keep you all fit, healthy and looking fabulous throughout the upcoming year.  

Much love and friendship,

XxDani

PS:

I really do hope that you had a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones. In 2014, I wish you an abundance of good health, fun times and prosperity. 

I truly can not wait to share another year's journey with you - my Fitness, Food and Style friends! At this opportunity, I'd like to thank YOU for being here with me along the way ... it's with your support and friendship that I'm living the dream and in 2014 I hope I can help you to live yours too!

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas! I hope you are all enjoying this amazing day and spending it with your loved ones.

Here's a super easy Christmas salad to make today. 

Chopped watermelon with feta cheese and red currants. Garnish with mint leaves and squeeze some lemon juice. Really refreshing and amazing with BBQ garlic prawns. 

Or this one is a favorite if you have red currants. Simply add whatever green salad and vegetables you have, feta cheese and watermelon. For the dressing mix some lime juice with macadamia oil Mmmmmm....

We also made some Christmas porridge with strawberries and blueberries decorated with my favourite flowers Frangipani.

It's so hard to eat in moderation this time of year. I'm typically on a "seefood" diet around Christmas time. Get it. I see food and I just eat it!!! ;-) ha ha 

However rest assured a bad meal will not sabotage all the healthy eating you have been doing throughout the year. So knock yourself out and live a little. Enjoy this amazing time with your friends and family. 

Ahhhhh.... our #xmas25squats challenge comes to an end today and what better way to finish it off with the man himself and his little elf helper!!! ;-) 

Merry Christmas everyone! Wishing you and your families all the love, health and happiness in the New Year. I can't wait to share another amazing year with you all. Thank you so much for supporting me. I have so many things COMING SOON in 2014. 

How do you spend Christmas Day?

Much love and friendship,

XxDani 

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FFS has a moment with Sha Ragnuath .. the woman behind Sugar Free Kids

I came across Sha via Instagram when I was using the #iqs "I Quit Sugar" hashtag and as you all know I am such a big advocate of Sarah Wilson, see her interview here. I was super impressed with all the recipes Sha was making that I wanted to invite her to our FFS 5 Q&A interview. 

Sha started cooking sugar-free, nutritious and tasty treats for her son after realising how many child-friendly recipes were shockingly full of sugar. Her friend’s children also devoured her healthy food and the recipes were in demand so she started sending photos and recipes of her creations to her “mummy network”. As many more health conscious parents became interested in making easy sugar-free snacks for their kids, she decided to create a website, www.SugarFreeKids.com.au, where she publishes new delicious recipes every week for free.

FFS readers here is the lovely Sha Ragnuath….

1. What fitness activity do you schedule into your daily routine to keep healthy?

Taking a football to the park to kick around with my son is a really easy and fun way for us both to get some fresh air and get moving.

2. Describe your dream meal - what could we expect to find on your plate?

When I went to Bali this year I ate the most delicious and amazingly simple fish dish, I dream of it often. The fish was basted in coconut oil and heaps of garlic then cooked over hot charcoal. It was served with a chili sambal and a gorgeous baby beans and coconut salad.

3. Who’s your go to style icon - who have you always admired for their style, and why?

I love Charlotte York’s wardrobe from Sex and the City, she dresses to suit her lifestyle and character instead of following latest trends. I am likely to overdress, I would wear a lovely dress to the library story time or pretty earrings when I am just heading to the park. I don’t save my favourite clothes and accessories for a special occasion.

4. What’s a childhood habit or mannerism that has followed you into adulthood?

I was taught to read labels on food when I was 9 years old and diagnosed with diabetes. It is such an important skill to have, I’m so pleased it is a natural habit for me to check what exactly I plan to put in my mouth.

5. Name three things you can’t leave the house without and why?

A snack bag of Sugar Free treats for my son and his friends maybe some Sugar Free Muffins, Strawberry Shortcakes or Goji Amaretti biscuits. My iphone, mostly for the camera these days. Two bottles of water because my son doesn't like to share his water with me.

Strawberry shortcake

Thank you so much Sha for making such amazing sugar free recipes for our children and of course us adults. For those that wish to follow Sha she is on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

What's your favourite sugar free recipe?

XxDani 

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FFS has a moment with Sarah Wilson .. the woman behind IQS

The Food component of Fitness, Food and Style focuses very much on wholesome, real food that is quick to prepare and nutritious. You'll know by now that I'm not into fussy ingredients or elaborate preparation - just easy food that provides maximum energy. In our household, it pretty much means our day-to-day eating involves no added sugar.

I've now done a couple of "No Added Sugar" challenges here on the blog, and they are amongst the most popular. Hundreds of people have been motivated to join these challenges and it's always such a buzz to hear reader feedback saying how much better they have felt as a result of eliminating added sugars.

One of the people who has really inspired me with our move to sugar free is Sarah Wilson of the IQS (I Quit Sugar) 8-week Program. I've done it myself and loved it so much I became an affiliate and promote it as a great way of getting into the sugar-free zone. 

With so many people loving the benefits of a no-sugar or reduced-sugar lifestyle, the IQS phenomenon has expanded to include fantastic recipe books with hundreds of recipes for delicious no-added sugar snacks, meals and drinks.

I'm always pleased to promote the program and IQS book, as it's come in so handy for transitioning our 4 kids to a low-sugar lifestyle. Truly, if I can hold rocking kids' parties with no-added sugar birthday cakes and healthy, fun treats, then it's a way of life you can adopt with your family too! Our thriving kids are completely used to eating like this and actually don't really enjoy the taste of sugary sweets now at all!

wholesome and delicious no-added sugar pancakes

When the opportunity arose to have Sarah Wilson answer some interview questions, I knew you'd also be wanting to find out a bit more about what makes this superwoman tick.

FFS readers, I'd like to introduce you to Sarah Wilson ...

Sarah Wilson {image from iquitsugar.com}

She is an author, tv host, blogger and wellness coach whose journalism career has spanned 20 years. 

FFS asks: What fitness activity do you schedule into your daily routine to keep healthy?

At the moment for me, walking is one of my forms of transport. It means I get my exercise done, but it also ensures I have pockets in my day - when I walk to the post office, my office, to a meeting - where there is some time to think clearly and recalibrate.  

Most of us don't need big slabs of time to recalibrate, just 5-15 mins here and there throughout the day is enough to stay on track.

FFS asks: Describe your dream meal - what could we expect to find on your plate?

Roast pork, with plenty of crackling! And a stack of green vegetables. 

FFS asks: What’s a childhood habit or mannerism that has followed you into adulthood?

I bite on my lip. When I'm mulling things over. 

FFS asks:  Name three things you can’t leave the house without and why?

In the mornings I don't leave without a green smoothie. Because I'm often eating on the run, I make sure I take a densely nutritious smoothie with me to keep me going. 

I usually don't leave without my bike! I ride, or walk, most places. 

My running shoes. I usually have a pair on me or in my bag, for when I'm walking or riding places. 

If you haven't yet checked out the 8-week IQS Program, maybe it could be something to add to your Santa list, ready to kick off as a New Year Resolution for a fresh and sugar-free 2014??

If you've already kicked the sugar habit, I'd love to know how it's going for you. Leave a comment to let me know.

much love and friendship

xx Dani

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Favourite Five this Friday - November 22

Wow! Another week gone already, and what a jam-packed 7 days it has been! From a triathlon up at sunny Hamilton Island, to a Birthday Boy turning 6 and tropic-cool Hawaiian themed party to match. Just non stop, but I'm loving it!

A huge highlight of my week was heading to Hamilton Island - for the first time ever to the amazing FujiFilm sponsored triathlon (it was my 3rd time on the Island. Last time I was there Adrian asked me to marry him! So romantic). I am totally inspired to do a triathlon myself now, so watch out Hamilton Island 2014 - I'll be back ;)

Here's a snapshot of the busy Fitness, Food and Style week that's been ...

1. Lucky enough this week to spend some time chatting with legendary ironman, Ky Hurst. He's a superfit athlete, who makes it look just so effortless! And a great fellow too!

Ky Hurst is an Australian swimmer and ironman

2. Beach-perfect lunch is something as simple as a wrap stuffed full of healthy protein and greens. Fresh and delicious .... and ... yes, that's a sneaky fruit muffin treat that you can spy in this picture too!

Healthy salad roll lunch on Whitehaven beach

3. The absolute highlight of my week was celebrating our Oscar's 6th birthday with a fantastically fun Hawaiian themed party. Check out the blog post from yesterday to see how I pulled it all together in under 6 hours. Healthy food, fun games and grass skirts ... aloha!

Hawaiian birthday party theme 

4. There are many times when the easiest option ever would be to give up. STOP! Don't do it! The greatest rewards come from persistence and pushing through. I love this inspirational image and shared it on Instagram this week as a reminder to all of you ... and me!

5. Please indulge me this fangirl moment as I share with you my opportunity to meet and interview the supremely gorgeous Lindy Klim. What a gracious and stylish woman she is and so completely down to earth too! Keep an eye out for the upcoming feature on her and her business.

Lindy Klim former model and fashion entrepreneur 

Wow, there you have it ... another whirlwind of a week! Funny thing is I can't see it slowing down for a while yet! 

Please, let me know how your week's been ... what exciting things has life dished up for you?

Until next Friday, take care!

Much love and friendship

xx Dani

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Aloha it's Oscars 6th Birthday Hawaiian Party

HipHooray, we've had a birthday in the house, and tell me, who does not love a good birthday party?

It only seems like yesterday this little man came into our lives, but wowsers the years have flown and our Oscar turned 6 last week!! Because life has been so hectic in household Stevens we had to delay a few days and managed to celebrate his birthday yesterday.

When you're on the go and flat-tack, just like I've been these last few weeks, I really do think you need to plan time super carefully - maximum bang, from minimum fuss!

We are big fans of birthday parties, and knew the day had to be special for Oscar, but when you put your mind to it with a plan, it's possible to hold a cracker of a party with minimum fuss and preparation.

This is how I managed to arrange a party for our birthday boy in under 6 hours!!!

Spongebob - passionfruit sponge cake with fruit topping

Spongebob is Oscar's character if choice - he loves him! He also loves water - both pool and ocean, and so logically the initial plan was for a pool party.

Unfortunately the dreadful Ballarat weather was not in agreement and we were resigned to entertaining the party guests indoors.

Plan B it was!

Happy TROPI-COOL Hawaiian party, Oscar! A great way of combining the ocean theme whilst keeping it all undercover! And, yes, any excuse to don my grass skirt ;)

Balloons are easy to outsource and by ordering them first up in the morning, I could collect them within 2 hours. A true time saver and they looked great, don't you think?

Balloons always make great decorations

With the clock ticking, I then devoted some energy to running around looking to find grass skirts, table decorations, shells, leis, cocktail umbrellas and anything that looked remotely "Hawaiian" and that I could easily get my hands on. My efforts were well rewarded and I managed to get home by 1pm, tropical props in hand, to start decorating the place and making preparations for the food! It was action stations!

Luckily I had my favourite pineapple, a funky fedora hat and ukulele from Hawaii (a souvenir purchase Adrian and I made when we married in Hawaii, 2006) as the basis for the afternoon. They became my centrepiece decorations and everything else fell into place around them, surprisingly easily too! 

Hawaiian theme birthday party

If you've seen what I've been up to via Instagram, I'm actually not long back from Hamilton Island and, as such, any time for 'home' cooking was scarce. I decided to opt for a little bit of a semi-healthy 'cheat' and figured that party time was a pretty good excuse for it ;)

Drinks were easy - Tropicana juice with no added sugar, preservatives or additives. I had timing down to the wire as five minutes before Oscar's guests arrived, I was busily tying straws around the necks of bottles whilst my adorable big helper, Mietta, opened up all the cocktail umbrellas. 

Tropicana juice in cute little glass milk bottles 

I kept snacks very simple with colourful fresh tropical fruit and loads of tasty popcorn. I was right in betting on the kids being more interested in playing than in fancy food and these healthy options were still fun enough to satisfy them as party starters.

Hawaiian party theme food

Here's a quick family snapshot before all the guests arrived. Hope I don't look too rushed and frazzled ;)

Our beautiful kids (Mietta, moi, Zali, Noah and Oscar)

Just how cute are these grass skirts and leis? I'd recommend having a Hawaiian themed party if only to see your littlies dressed up like this! Adorable!

Hawaiian grass skirts are the best party dress ups

Hawaiian lei and grass skirt

Hello hula! Kids always love getting into the spirit of a themed party, don't they? It's amazing how confident little personalities can become when given the opportunity to land in a created world of make believe. You can guess we love parties, right? ;)


As Oscar's little party guests arrived, I started getting the warm food ready. Super easy pocket ham and cheese pizzas - being quick, tasty and universally loved by kids they ticked all the boxes and were a hit!

Cheese and ham pizza pockets

I can assure you that this plate of pizza slices did not last long after being photographed! It was quicker and easier to prepare these freshly than it would have been to either heat unhealthier frozen ones or order greasier ones in from the store. I'd call that winning, wouldn't you?

The activities were easy to organise and included those party games that kids never tire of - bobbing for apples and statues were probably the firm favourites.

You can see from the smiles and laughter below that Oscar's mates all had a fantastic time! We all did!

Happy 6th Birthday, Oscar! You are such a little rockstar and bring so much joy to our lives.

Now if I were to tell you that this now 6 year old kid of ours has a smile that melts hearts wherever he goes and is the coolest little dude we know, you'd call me biased wouldn't you?? ;)

Hip Hip! Hooray! Happy Birthday Oscar

So there you have it, a rocking kids party, all in under 6 hours from start to end! Phew!

Have you ever planned something short notice and pulled it off to be a cracker? I'd love to hear about it!

Much love & friendship,

XxDani 

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