A festival of food!!

Total rest day today, was no blog yesterday as we have my youngest niece to stay for the weekend, but have made sure I have time to blog this evening.

We have had a lovely day, we went to the Aldeburgh food festival in Suffolk which is fantastic, we go every year.  Lots and lots of local fresh producers selling their goods in one place, you get to taste loads of different things, (spend a lot of money!)  and watch local and celebrity chefs do demonstrations, although we didn't actually watch any of the demo's as my niece felt poorly, (not from the food, she has a nasty cold!).

But it was a brilliant day. Today's blog will mainly be photo's from the day, a little different than usual.  No exercise has been involved today, apart from lots of walking around the food festival, but I think that just managed to walk off the various 'tit-bits' we tried!!

To start the day off, before we left for the festival, we had toasted crumpets topped with honey and one of my gorgeous berry smoothies.

One of the first things we had at the festival was the most amazing freshly made frozen yogurt.  They use frozen natural yogurt, you then choose which fruits you want blended in and they make it up for you there and then. I chose apple and mango, my niece chose banana and black cherry and my husband chose raspberry and strawberry.
  

Afraid most of it had gone by the time we remembered to take a picture, but they were fantastic.  We had tubs rather than cones.  I think my niece chose the best flavour combination to be fair, it was gorgeous, but they all were. They put a good 5 chunks of each fruit in each one.  I really want a frozen yogurt machine now!! ;)

So many brilliant stalls there, selling things from delicious cakes, bread and pastries, pesto, oils, sauces, mustard's, chutneys, cheese, meats, fish, flours, drinks, sweets, vegetables and so much more!!  All locally sourced, all very beautifully presented.  Ofcourse the cake stalls were the most impressive, they would be wouldn't they, temptation to the max!!  We purchased 2 chocolate brownies, one for my husband, one for my niece, to take home with us and my niece also couldn't resist a little chocolate cupcake made to look like a sunflower with an Oreo cookie as the middle!

Although after a few bites she decided it was too sickly (how can chocolate cake ever be too sickly!!??), so that went in the bin!

Some of the cupcakes just looked amazing. 

Unfortunately they were all I managed to get pictures of as it was so crowded everywhere, I really wanted to get pictures of the fresh vegetable stall as it was so beautifully displayed, like a work of art, but I just couldn't get near.

 

But this is what we purchased today:-

 

So, we bought smoked chicken breast, smoked duck breast and smoked mackerel, various flavours of Munchy Seeds (various seeds roasted in flavours, we bought honey, soy and chilli), Purely Pesto .... THE best pesto ever, made with cashew nuts, herbs/tomatoes and rapeseed oil (we chose coriander, rocket and sundried tomato flavours), beautiful rainbow of plum tomatoes, kale, fresh lobster and crab and the most gorgeous flavoured vinegars, (we chose walnut, rhubarb & ginger, elderberry and .... chocolate!!).  These vinegars are amazing, beautiful subtle flavours, no fat, will make brilliant salad dressings, I used the chocolate one for a dessert tonight, see later in the blog!

We then left the festival and went for lunch in a lovely little country pub nearby.  I had the most amazing fennel, tomato and fish stew.

It was full of octopus, scallops, sea bass, monkfish and little brown shrimps and bursting with flavour.

It came with two fried croutons on top topped with a massive amount of  rouille, (a sauce made from mayonnaise with copious amounts of garlic), on top.  You are supposed to stir this into the stew, but I didn't bother, it didn't need it, the fish flavour spoke for itself and it was so fresh tasting, I absolutely loved it.  Instead we dipped some of my husbands chips from his dinner in some of the rouille, but we left most of it.

For dinner this evening we had a salad using the crab and lobster we bought today.

It was lovely, but crab is by far my favourite, I think lobster is very overrated, crab has much more flavour.

This was served with a salad of the rainbow tomatoes we purchased today, some avocado, beetroot and spinach and mixed leaves, topped with a dressing made from rapeseed oil mixed with the walnut vinegar we also purchased today.

My niece and I also made a loaf of homemade seeded wholemeal bread which we had with it.

To finish this day off, which seems to have revolved completely around food, I made baked bananas with chocolate vinegar.  Keeping the bananas in their skins, I slit them down the middle but not all the way through, opened them out a little and drizzled the chocolate vinegar into them.  Wrapped them in foil and baked at about 200oc for approx 25 minutes.

The served with frozen fat free passion fruit yogurt!  Yum!!!  Luckily it was only a very very small bottle of chocolate vinegar purchased, all gone now!!


Although I am now itching to get some exercise in tomorrow, my rest day was fabulous!

Ooo, this is the website for Munchy seeds .. I promise you they are seriously good, you can also buy them in many supermarkets, but they are Suffolk based! Munchy Seeds 

And this is a link to Purely Pesto.  Their pesto's are amazing, I love them just spread on a Dr Karg seeded cracker or oatcake as a little snack, or just mixed through some wholewheat pasta.

Thanks again for reading
Jo
xx

 



Come on get happy!!

Resistance training day at the gym today and even before I got there just the thought of it puts a big smile on my face!

Was doing a double day today as had to pick husband up from work earlier, so rather than drive all the way home to come back out again soon after, I decided to just stay longer in the gym, an hours resistance training followed by an hours swimming.  Will be doing that again tomorrow too.

One of the PT's came and had a chat with me today whilst I was working out, asking how I was getting on.  I said how much I love it, but that I do not enjoy the cardio machines, I still give them a go every now and then, but they bore me, and I have to enjoy what I am doing to stay interested.

She suggested trying different programmes on the cardio machines, challenging myself a little more, and I have agreed to let her show me next week when she is back in.  I hope she isn't just trying to get me to agree to her giving me some PT, I don't want that, I don't respond well to somebody telling me what to do, silly I know, but I have to do things in my own time at my pace and my choice, otherwise I won't enjoy it and will stop, and I am loving it too much to let that happen.  I do understand that I need to give my body more challenges so that it doesn't get too used to the exercises I am doing and become static, but as my great friend Jen said, who is  a PT herself and is somebody I will listen to , I can do that by upping what I already do in the pool and with my walking, both which I love.  I do still feel like I could give them more, especially the fitter I get.  But will give it a go on Tuesday with the cardio machines and see how I get on.

~BREAKFAST~

 

A big bowl of happy sunshine to brighten up what started off as a grey, wet, miserable day here today.


Caribbean porridge, made with porridge oats, oatbran, chia seeds, chopped almonds, roasted coconut shavings, chopped stem ginger and cinnamon cooked with almond milk.

Served topped with fresh mango and more cinnamon.   Made my heart sing!!

And was so filling saw me right through to lunch!

~LUNCH~

 

Sorry, really not the best picture but I forgot to take my Ipad into work today so couldn't take a picture of the finished product!!

I love fish pates, especially smoked salmon or smoked mackerel or crab pate, they are gorgeous, but normally made with lots of cream and butter.

I am going to a food festival at the weekend where they always have THE best fish pates for sale which I would not normally be able to resist.  So I decided to give it a go at making my own, low fat version.

I had some poached smoked salmon which I mixed with a couple of tablespoons of Quark (a fat free soft cheese), a good squeeze of lemon juice, half an avocado and some chopped sunblushed tomatoes.  Honestly, it tasted amazing, every bit as good as the full cream versions.

So I potted it up in a little tub and took it to work for my lunch to spread on a couple of Dr Karg's seeded crackers.  Definitely won't be tempted at the Food Festival this weekend now, I know how to make an equally delicious version, ok, still quite high in fats with the salmon and avocado, but good, beneficial fats.

I followed this with a banana, no further snack was needed this afternoon.

~DINNER~

 

Been running round like a mad thing tonight trying to get the housework done as my niece is coming to stay with us for the weekend, so needed something very quick, easy and delicious for dinner.

So knocked up my fabulous Quorn bolognese and wholewheat pasta.  Full of asparagus, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes and courgettes with Quorn mince and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan.

We love it, and I made enough to have some to take for my lunch tomorrow too, happy days!!

~EXERCISE~

 



I have already covered the exercise for today at the start of this blog.  As I said, I did a double today, an hours gym followed by an hours swimming. 

Am considering doing swimming everyday now to get maximum benefit after the resistance training on weights days.  I will push myself more on the days I don't do resistance training, but even doing just 60 lengths I think will be a great benefit every other day. 

At the moment I do swimming Monday, Wednesday and Friday and resistance training Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  It's worth giving it a go, it will hopefully make my body step up again.  It makes me feel so good.  My rest days, (well, non-gym days) are the weekends, I can recover then!!

Best go finish off the housework now, such fun!!

Thanks again for reading
Jo
xx

BMI and Actifry!!!

What do you think about BMI?  BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which is a way of seeing if your weight is appropriate for your height.

It is calculated by dividing your weight (kg) by your height (mtrs) squared, or you can just look at a chart like the one on the left.

It is supposed to correlate with body fat, supposedly the higher your BMI the greater your risk of a number of medical problems.

It seems to be what the medical profession go by when calculating how 'fit' you are in their terms.

However, one of my friends nephews is a P.E teacher. He is very tall, very broad and very well built.  He is super fit, full of muscle with hardly an ounce of fat on him.  He obviously has a physical job, not only that he works out every day at the gym and goes running 4-5 times a week.  He eats a very healthy diet and watches everything he eats, he is passionate about it.

He went for a medical last week, they calculated his BMI and told him he was obese and needed to lose weight!!

Totally crazy isn't it. 

I agree, BMI can be used as a general measure for most people, however, it really doesn't take into consideration a person's build, athletic build at that.  It doesn't differentiate between between fatty tissue and lean tissue.  5lbs of fat takes up more space than 5lbs of muscle, meaning you can fit more muscle into your body than you can fat.  So your weight is not always a correct interpretation of how much fat is in your body.

I think I will just carry on concentrating on increasing my strength and my muscle, replacing my fatty tissue with lean tissue and increasing my fitness and stamina.  However that affects my weight is not so important to me, I will continue to gauge my progress by how many inches I have dropped and how my clothes fit, not get hung up by the scales, as I have said before, they do not define me!!

~BREAKFAST~

 

I wanted oats this morning, I also wanted pancakes, and I wanted something 'cinnamony' with some maple syrup involved somewhere along the line!!

So, I decided on some apple & walnut oaty pancakes with roasted pear and walnuts!


So easy, just put 3 tablespoons of oats in a large bowl, I also added 2 teaspoons of chia seeds, then add 2 tablespoons of fat free yogurt and a beaten egg and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, plus a grated apple!  Then just mix together.

Heat a non stick pan and drop the 'oat batter' mix into rounds, I made 3, cook for about 4 minutes on each side.  Whilst they are cooking add a chopped pear and some chopped walnuts to the pan too and let them 'roast' in the heat.

I then served them up with the pear and walnuts scattered  over the top of the pancakes, a drizzle of maple syrup and a spoonful of fat free greek yogurt.

Absolutely amazing!

The third one was put aside for my afternoon snack after the gym this afternoon!! ;)

~LUNCH~

 

No need for a mid-morning snack today, the pancakes saw me right through!

So today's lunch was another helping of the delicious chicken, lemon and green vegetable soup I made yesterday.  As there was no blog yesterday here is the recipe:-

In a large pan I cooked some spinach, broccoli, asparagus, sugar snap peas and courgettes in some good organic chicken stock.  I then added 2 chopped up chicken breasts and let them poach in the liquid until cooked through.  Seasoned with a good dose of white pepper.

I then simply blitzed with a hand held blender, but leaving some bits whole.

When serving I grated some fresh parmesan and fresh lemon zest over the top and scattered some roasted pumpkin seeds too.

This had such an amazing flavour, and the added lemon zest really brings it alive, I totally love it!

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

 

After a good swimming session today I fixed myself my favourite berry protein smoothie and heated up the remaining apple oat pancake left over from this morning.

 

~DINNER~

 

I love to do a mid-week roast, especially now the nights are drawing in and it has become colder, it makes everything alright with the world! ;)

Tonight I did a yummy roast chicken dinner.

I simply lift the skin on a chicken and stuff grated lemon zest, garlic and lemon thyme underneath.  I add two lemon halves to the chicken cavity and then place it in a rack in a roasting tin so that as it cooks the fat drips away.



I roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and parsnips in the Actifry without any oil for 45 minutes so that they were lovely and crisp.

I then simply lightly boiled some sliced carrots and roman cauliflower, then used the vegetable water and chicken juices (drained off fat) with a little cornflower to make the gravy.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Incase you were wondering, this is an Actifry...

It is a way to 'fry' foods, especially potatoes, with little or no fat.  It rotates and turns the food you place in the cooking bowl continuously and blow continuous hot air over it, making potatoes extremely crisp even without any oil .  I never add oil to my potatoes, I just cook them dry and they are always crisp and fantastic, I don't even par boil them beforehand!

I also cook numerous other dishes in mine, it is a brilliant 'gadget'!

~EXERCISE~

 

A really good swimming session today, the pool was practically empty so I managed a good 100 lengths, and I loved every one.  Rather than running out of energy the more I do, I find myself getting stronger and this really pushes me on.  It is brilliant.

 

I rewarded myself with a good ten minutes in the steam room and a good 20 minutes in the jacuzzi, well deserved I reckon!!

 

Thanks again for reading

Jo

xx

Love your DOMS!!!

 

Ouchie!!!  Today I am in a little pain, suffering from DOMS, (delayed onset muscle soreness).  But it is a pain I love!!!  I am suffering with them in my thigh muscles, making me look like a little old lady everytime I go to stand up. 

 

This is following yesterday's crazy loon dancing in which I incorporated a ludicrous amount of squats and lunges, even though I work these muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings) all the time with the various machines at the gym and with swimming and walking.  DOMS are your body's way of adapting to a new exercise, the ache is caused by micro-tears in the muscles fibres.  Why is it a pain we love?  Because it shows your body is responding to new exercise.  Next time you do that exercise it won't be so bad, as long as you keep stretching and keep a good blood flow to the muscles affected.  Warming up properly beforehand and cooling down and stretching after any exercise can help reduce them.

 

To overcome it tonight ... I did some more squats!!  What can I say ... I love the pain, it shows the effort I am putting in is working.

 

~BREAKFAST~

 

Something completely different for breakfast this morning ... a sweet omelette!!

Last night I roasted off some fresh figs, peaches and mango alongside some almonds and walnuts in a little coconut oil with a drizzle of agave nectar, then just warmed them through this morning.

I then whisked up two eggs this morning and added a teaspoon of cinnamon, then simply cooked in a hot pan as any normal omelette, finishing it under a hot grill to souffle up. I then filled the middle with the roasted fruits and nuts, folded it over and top with some fat free greek yogurt and another sprinkle of cinnamon.  Totally devine!

 

~MID-MORNING SNACK~

 

Simply a good old banana for my snack this morning!

 

~LUNCH~
 

Was so cold today, I really wish I had made some soup to take to work but instead I had made a salad... but it was a yummy salad!!

 

Mixed leaves and spinach with the rest of the smoked chicken I purchased from the Farm shop on Saturday, some dried apricots, red onion and half an avocado.

 

All topped with my favourite dressing of rapeseed oil, agave nectar, dijon and wholegrain mustard and apple cider vinegar.

 

 

 

 

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

 

 

 

Oooo I love these things!!!  Dr Karg's organic classic 3 seed crispbreads.  So delicious.  But I have to limit myself or they could become my new crisps!!

 

So, today I had two, topped with some reduced fat lemon and coriander hummus.

 

Gorgeous!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~DINNER~
 

Using the remainder of the homemade baked beans from yesterday, I added some fresh vegetables, courgettes and mushrooms, some quorn 'chicken style' pieces and mixed it into some cooked wholewheat pasta.

 

Topped with some freshly grated parmesan and a scatter of reduced fat cheddar and baked in the oven for about 35 minutes.

 

Served with a little green salad.  It was delicious and very, very filling!!

 

 

~EXERCISE~

 

Yayy, swimming today.  Was chucking it down outside and I really thought that would mean the pool would be empty ... wrong!!!  Was annoyingly busy today, I couldn't get into the fast lanes like I normally do, so I had to try and swim dodging the 'casual' swimmers who mosey along chattering away, was so frustrating... I JUST WANT TO SWIM, it is a fitness pool after all!!!

 

So I managed 40 lengths then gave up and went in the steam room and jacuzzi for about 20 minutes.  The jacuzzi was brilliant on my legs, really pummelling away at my muscles and really helped .. for a little while!!

 

I then went back in the pool after it had cleared a little and I managed to get a fast lane and did another 20 lengths.

 

I then came home and did another load of squats, just to punish my legs a little further, and some bosu ball stomach exercises.

 

So that's it for today!

Am off to put together a yummy warming soup for tomorrow's lunch!

 

Thanks for reading

Jo

x



Beans Beans are good for your heart!!!

What a totally pants day weather wise, after the beautiful day we had yesterday, today was just miserable, pouring with rain, cold and grey, not a great start to Autumn.

But I didn't let it dampen my spirits.  I was up and out of bed nice and early for a Sunday, if I lay in bed too long I get a headache, unlike my husband who could lay there all day if I let him!

Whilst he slept, I did some yoga, some kettlebells and some bosu ball workouts.  Then I simply plugged myself into my Ipod, turned my music up loud and danced around the house downstairs like a complete crazy loon for a good 45 minutes, without any inhibitions.

You know what I noticed more than anything? I have sooooo much more energy now, and stamina. I danced and danced and danced, pausing briefly every now and then for a quick drink.  I incorporated squats, lunges, weights and stretches into my dances, working all of my body.  I used to be out of breath within minutes and would then slump on the sofa, today the more I danced, the more energy I found, and it felt so good. I felt amazing, totally alive.

We went shopping later in the day whilst it was pouring down, and I had to run from the car to the shops.  We had to park quite a way away so I literally had to run the length of the car park, and I did it no problem!  Doesn't mean I am going to take up running, it is an exercise that doesn't really appeal to me, never liked running, even as a skinny sporty girl when I was younger, but to be able to run even that relatively short distance and not get out of breath and be a sweaty mess felt like a huge accomplishment to me.  Maybe I will try taking it up, one day!

I also noticed my legs as I was walking around.  They feel powerful, they feel strong, I can feel the muscles working in them with every step I take, and I totally, totally love that feeling.

Every little reward I get back from my body is worth it's weight in gold and so much more than rewarding myself with so-called 'treats' for my achievements.

~BREAKFAST~

 

Last week, Dannii at Hungry HealthyHappy shared a recipe for homemade baked beans.  Matt absolutely loves baked beans, one of his favourite foods, so I was determined to make this this weekend.

I also, late last night, you know, when you have your best ideas (!), decided to make my own homemade bread!!  Never done it before, only with a breadmaker, the thought of it had always scared me as I stupidly thought it was very complex.


How wrong! One of the easiest things I have ever made, and very rewarding!


So, for the bread.  I used a wholemeal seeded and grain bread flour.  Add 500g of flour to a large bowl with 1 tsp of salt.  Next add 2 tsps of easy bake yeast and 1 tsp of sugar and stir in.  Add 15ml rapeseed oil (you can use soft butter or vegetable oil) and rub into the flour mix.

Make up about 300ml warm water (1 part boiling, 2 parts cold) and add enough to the mix to form a soft dough, using your fingers to 'stir' it in.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surfaced and knead for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.

Shape the dough on a baking tray, cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size for about 35-40 minutes.  Place in a pre-heated oven at 230oc gas mark 8) for 15  minutes, then reduce temperature to 200oc (gas mark 6) and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, until bread is risen and golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap it underneath.  Cool on a wire rack.

I topped my bread with sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds..

For the beans I kind of followed Dannii's recipe but with a few tweaks.  Mainly because a) it was late and I was tired and lazy and b) I wanted to use the tins of beans I had in the cupboard.  As advised by Dannii it is best to use dried beans as tinned beans are full of sodium, and absorb it even if you rinse them.  But anyway, I had a tin of cannellini beans and a tin of haricot beans sitting in the cupboard so this time I used them.  I also couldn't be bothered to hunt out the brown sugar in my cupboard so added agave nectar in its place, and a good dose of white pepper as I adore white pepper and love the hit it gives this sort of food.

I also added a good glug of balsamic vinegar.  I love vinegar on my beans and I love balsamic with anything 'tomatoey', it really enriches the flavour.

So I bunged it all in the slow cooker, put it on low and left it cooking through the night.  The smells in this house were amazing, I kept waking up and taking deep sniffs, could not wait to get up and have some!

Today's Sunday morning breakfast was a total hit, with both of us.  I served the bean on my toasted home made bread and topped with a dry fried egg.  Totally stonking!!

I also had one of my berry smoothies with it, a very delicious, filling start to the day.

 

Beans and legumes are chock full of protein and dietary fibre. They are also loaded with complex carbohydrates, the nutrients that are responsible for providing energy to the muscles and brain.
 

Because they have a low glycemic index (GI), they have the unique ability to provide energy over a sustained period of time by being slowly released into your blood stream. Also, beans are a great source of dietary fibre, which promotes a healthy digestive tract, helps lower blood cholesterol levels, and can reduce the risk of some types of cancer.

But the rhyme is true ... the more you eat them... the more you, well, lets just say the odours in this house today have definitely not been amazing!!!!!!!!

 

~LUNCH~

 

Breakfast kind of saw us through until late afternoon, when I decided to fix us some sandwiches.  I had bought some smoked chicken at the farm shop yesterday and decided to knock up a version of a sandwich I had in a pub a few weeks back.  So in the fridge I also had some avocado's, some fresh mango and some spinach.  Using my homemade bread I spread half an avocado over both slices, topped with slices of the chicken and slices of mango and finished with the spinach.

 

A total total taste explosion, amazing, no need for any other spreads or sauces, it was just amazing.

The sweetness of the mango against the smokey chicken and the creamy avocado was perfection!
 

I was going to make a baked bean lasagne for dinner tonight with the left over homemade baked beans, based on a recipe adapted from Slimming World which I used to follow and one of the recipes from it I truly loved, but neither of us are particularly hungry this evening so will do something with them tomorrow night instead.  Dannii advises that you can freeze them, but my freezer is chock full at the moment so they have got to be eaten, and I want to eat them, they were delicious!  I may mix some cooked chorizo or lean bacon into them and serve with wholewheat pasta, we shall see what I feel like tomorrow!

Going to enjoy the rest of my evening now with my lovely husband before back to work tomorrow! I have even managed to clear a large portion of my ironing pile today .. most unheard of!!

Thanks again for reading
Jo
xx

A walk on the wild side!!

 

 

Today is a rest day ..... supposedly!!!  So my rest day meant I got a lie-in this morning, a whole hour, and was up at 6.30am to get to nature reserve RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk for a fabulous day of walking, nature and photography!  An absolutely gorgeous day with beautiful sunshine....and loads of walking, by the time we got home we were totally whacked!!

 

On the way home we stopped off at a fabulous farm shop where I purchased a whole heap of goodies for just over £30, would have all cost a lot more in a supermarket or health food store, it was like Christmas for me!

 

We started the day off with breakfast at the Reserve coffee shop, I just had a couple of slices of granary toast and a decaf cappucino.

We then did A LOT of walking, covering most of the reserve and further, taking lots and lots beautiful photographs.  We were surrounded by dragon flies, they were in abundance everywhere, practically dive bombing us at times.

 

Very beautiful, as were the butterflies...

 

We both love walking, and we both love nature and wildlife, and we both love photography, so this to us was a totally relaxing ideal day, absolute heaven.  The fact that a lot of exercise was thrown in was just a bonus! 

Walking is a fantastic exercise, for a start it is free!!  Regular walking helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure, raised levels of cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, it is also a great all over body and cardio workout.

For best results you should maintain a 'brisk' walking tempo, meaning you will breathe a little faster than normal, feel warmer and your heart beats slightly faster, but you are still able to carry on a conversation.  Also, walking outside, in the fresh air and surrounded by natural beauty, is so restorative for the soul, reducing stress levels and enhancing mood.

For lunch we returned to the coffee shop, and I had a fabulous ham and cheese ploughmans salad.  Beautiful local carved ham, a wedge of local suffolk blue cheese, a doorstep of wholemeal bread and lots of lovely fresh salad.  I ate practically the whole lot, although hardly touched the bread as was very crumbly, and only half the cheese as as much as I love it, it was just too rich and too much.  But the birds around us enjoyed what was left!

 

We then walked that little lot off with another lot of walking till our legs could take no more!

 

The question when we got home was what to make with all the lovely fresh goodies I had bought from the farm shop. 

After a lot of umming and aahing I came up with a pesto chicken and vegetable crumble.

But after taking this pic, I decided to leave out the root veg!

So, I diced up the chicken and dry fried it in a hot pan until browned, then added a chopped onion and the yellow and green courgettes sliced and diced.  I chopped up some oyster mushrooms and broccoli (already in fridge) and added to the pan, then stirred in 2 teaspoons of pesto.  I had purchased a little pot of this, made by a Suffolk company called Purely Pesto.  They sell big pots too, but I would have stood and eaten it on its own with a spoon, it is so good, so was safer with a little pot!!  I let it all cook a little longer then added two tablespoons of fat free fromage frais and warmed it through.  I mixed up a teaspoon of cornflour with a dribble of cold water and added to the pan to thicken up the source.  I then ladled the mixture into two mini ovenproof dishes.

I then made a topping by mixing some oats with some wholemeal flour, mixed seeds and chopped up almonds and some chopped up sun blushed tomatoes.  I then drizzled into this some rapeseed oil, about 1.5 tablespoons, and mix it all together, along with a quick grating of parmesan cheese, then sprinkled it over the top of both dishes. 

Placed in an oven at about 180oC an cooked for approx 35-40 minutes until the crumble had browned and the sauce was bubbling underneath.

(pre-cooked)

 

(cooked)

 



Absolutely delicious, definitely recommend a savoury crumble!

 

 

I also managed to knock up my first ever homemade seeded wholemeal bread tonight , my first ever attempt at bread without a machine, for breakfast in the morning.  It is a huge success, but will tell you more about that tomorrow!!

Off to relax with my husband on the settee and watch a film now, Saturday night chilling at it's best!

Thanks again for reading
Jo
xx

That old chestnut!!

Didn't blog last night, sorry if you missed me!  Had a really intense session at the gym and by the evening after doing various bits and bobs I was shattered and just couldn't be bothered to even think!!

Am  not much better today, had a double session today, an hour in the gym followed by an hours swimming, followed by half hour in the steam room and jacuzzi.  The jacuzzi seems to have relaxed my body so much I have gone a bit rag doll like for the evening and a bit more gaa-gaa than usual!!

At least I now have two rest days coming up...although plenty of walking will hopefully be taken!! 

I did actually miss doing my blog though, because the main reason for me doing it is to keep myself focused, to read back over and see how far I have come, how much my life has changed.  The fact others from far and wide seem to share and enjoy it and get inspiration from it is a great added incentive to carry it on, so I thank you all sincerely for continuing to read it and for your support, it means an awful lot.

I am learning so much about health and nutrition and it really really interests me, I am no expert, I am not trained, I can only report on what I have found and what works for me, but I am seriously considering studying it in some way or another and will be looking into that in the near future.  Even if it is just to benefit myself, I think it would be great.

 

~BREAKFAST~

 

Fancied another sundae today, made a slightly different variation to the one I had on Sunday.

Once again I 'roasted' some fresh figs and nectarines this time in a hot pan, letting them release their natural juices.

I then made a cold porridge mixing oats, chia seeds, cinnamon and chopped stem ginger with 0% yogurt and layered it up with the roasted fruits.  Topped with some dried banana flakes and roasted coconut chips and some more cinnamon, with a drizzle of agave nectar.

Absolutely delicious, cannot recommend this enough.

~MID-MORNING SNACK~

 

Just one of my Magical Energy Bars this morning, plus a banana ... knew I needed all the fuel I could get today!!

 

~LUNCH~

 

Definitely getting cooler lately and straight away I want warming foods to take to work for lunch, not salads!

I knocked this one up last night for today's lunch, very quick and easy and one of my most favourite soups.  Mushroom and Chestnut soup, taken from the CYT first cookbook.

In a large pan add a teaspoon of rapeseed oil and cook a chopped onion until softened.  Add chopped mushrooms, I use closed cap, chestnut and oyster mushrooms and saute for a few minutes until they start to release their water and cook down.  Add a pack of chestnuts, chopped and stir through.  Add some made-up chicken stock (I use Kallo organic chicken stock cubes), plenty of white pepper and a twist of salt and a teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes.  Then just blitz, keeping a few mushrooms and chestnuts whole if you like for some added texture.

Unlike other nuts and seeds, chestnuts are relatively low in calories, contain less fat but are high in minerals, vitamins and nutrients.  They are high in starch, making them a good bulking agent for this soup, and their nutritional composition is similar to other staple starch foods such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, sweetcorn etc.  They are rich in vitamin C, folates and a good source of dietary fibre.  So you definitely want to carry on the tradition of adding them to your childrens stockings at Christmas!!

Top the soup with some fat free fromage frais or 0% yogurt, is also good with some crisped up parma ham on top!

 

So so so so tasty, if you love mushrooms, which I do, you will love this!!

 

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

 

I could have eaten my way through my entire fridge contents when I got home after the gym today, but I refrained!!

Instead, I had some oatcakes, fat free cottage cheese, sun blushed tomatoes and a couple of gherkin spears.

Gorgeous.

I talked about Cottage Cheese the other day and how it is a strength trainer's and weight watcher's dream food, read the blog again here:-secret eater blog.

~DINNER~

 

Not so long ago, on an evening like today's, end of the working week and when I am tired an lacking in enthusiasm, dinner tonight would have been ordered by telephone, or maybe entailed just a teeny bit of exercise by walking down to the fish and chip shop just down the road (they do do amazing fish and chips!!). 

 

And I very very nearly did the same tonight.  But luckily I poked my head in the fridge to see if there was anything I could rustle up which would remain healthy without much effort, and came up with this:-

 

 

 

How beautiful does that look?  It made me smile just throwing it together, and that is literally what I did.  Peeled and chopped up some sweet potatoes, a red onion, a red and yellow pepper, a courgette, a leek, some mushrooms, asparagus and threw in some tomatoes, quartered up a lemon and then put two chicken legs on top.  Scattered over some fresh rosemary and drizzled with some rapeseed oil and just bunged in the oven.  And it is cooking away and smelling delicious whilst I type this.  One pan, big flavour!

 

 

~EXERCISE~

 

As I have already said, was a double whammy day today, hours strength training followed by hours gym.  I concentrated more on my legs in the resistance today as swimming takes care of the arms.  Oh. and getting on really well with my swimming with head under water, its all in the breathing and not to panic, am getting there!!

 

Nothing more to say about it really, except as usual, I loved it!  And I am actually starting to see shape happening on my legs, and loving it!

 

My dinner is smelling ready now so off to eat that.

 

Thanks again for reading

Jo

xx

Happy Feet... I've got those happy feet!!!

I am elated today, absolutely elated!  I ordered some new clothes for Autumn as last years are just too big, (like I need an excuse!), but decided to order the next size down believing I wouldn't be in them just yet but use them as another incentive, and they ALL FIT!!!  Not only that, won't be long and they will be too big!! 

And they weren't all from one store, were from 4 stores, and normally store sizes all differ, but these all fit!!!!

Such a good feeling.  I know I can feel the changes happening, but I still look in the mirror and see the old me, my brain or mind doesn't seem to want to catch up with my body and I just cannot get my head around the fact it is actually shrinking, and shaping up!!

One of my good friends commented today that she loves how happy my new lifestyle is making me, that is such a lovely comment to make.  I am always a happy person anyway, but more than anything, I have confidence, in me, and that is the huge difference, and I love that she recognised that, she is another huge influence and inspiration to me and a great support ... am talking about you, the fabulous Audrey Field, if you read this!! ;)

Normally, in the past, with fad diets, when I  have had success, I have always 'rewarded' myself with a 'treat', like a take-out or something!!  WHY IS THAT? The fact that these clothes now fit is reward enough itself, and it just spurs me on to continue to live my life in a healthy and happy way.

~BREAKFAST~

 

I baked some sweet potatoes last night with a view to making some more sweet potato falafel, but instead decided to make pancakes with one for breakfast!

I mashed the flesh of one baked sweet potato with a tablespoon of porridge oats, 2 teaspoon of chia seeds, 1 tablespoon of 0% greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a beaten egg, mix it all up until all combined.

I then heated a non-stick frying pan and sprayed with olive oil and dolloped the mixture into the pan (it made 3 pancakes).  I cooked for about 4 minutes each side until browned and cooked through.  I served them 3 extra lean back bacon medallions, some sliced avocado and a drizzle of agave nectar ...... a stonking start to the day!!

~MID-MORNING SNACK~

 

Another nectarine today and one of my Magical Energy Bars, both lovely.

 

~LUNCH~

 

Lunch today was made from leftovers from last nights dinner.  Chopped up lean lamb and roasted vegetables mixed in with quinoa and puy lentils, almonds and raisins with a dressing made 0% greek yogurt and mint.

Absolutely delicious, so glad I made too much last night!

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

 

Did such a major workout at swimming today and worked up a huge appetite, so got home and made my favourite berry smoothie and had some nut butter and banana on wholemeal bread, and spread more nut butter on the left over banana, love it!

~DINNER~

 

A nice quick and easy dinner tonight, Quorn and vegetable chilli, bung it all in the pan and let it cook away.

So in the pan I added a teaspoon of rapeseed oil and cooked some chopped onion until softened, then added chopped leek, chopped pepper and mushrooms and a chopped up red chilli until all softened a little.  I then added a packet of Quorn mince, some kidney beans, a teaspoon of chilli flakes, a teaspoon of hot chilli powder, a teaspoon of smoked paprika , a tin of sweetcorn kernels and a carton of chopped tomatoes.  With a dash of worcestershire sauce I then let it simmer away for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime I chopped up some baking potatoes into wedges and cooked in the actifry with no oil for 30 minutes until nice and crisp.

Served the chilli on top of the wedges with a dollop of 0% yogurt, some slices of avocado and some reduced fat grated cheddar on top.

Was as tasty as it looks!

~EXERCISE~

 

Swimming today, which always makes my mood even happier.  I normally do 10 length, then stop for a minute or two, then another 10, then stop, and so on and so on.  Today I didn't stop, for the first 50, I just did them!  Then I had a little break in the steam room, stretched my muscles a little, and went back for the next 50.  It was hard towards the end, but I felt like it had given me such a better workout, I was really focused on what I was doing and could feel my strength pushing me on.

 

At the end I was exhausted, so went and chilled in the jacuzzi for 10 minutes and rewarded my hard working body with a little relaxation, much deserved!

 

Thanks again for reading
Jo
xx