Carbs, courgettes, corn and chia!

Slept like a baby last night, so back to happy me today!  I love my sleep, I love my bed and cannot wait to get into it at the end of the day, its my favourite place.  But am not the sort that can lay in it till late morning, it gives me a headache and makes me grouchy.  My husband on the other hand could sleep for England ... and quite often tries!  I need at least 7 hours and then all is good in my world.

So, Tuesday is a gym day, which means I like to set my day up  with a fill of carbs.

~BREAKFAST~

I love peanut butter, always have done, its fabulous!  Very calorific, but very healthy and full of energy, ideal to fuel your burners before a good workout.  The calorie breakdown in pb is 70% fats, 14% carbs and 16% protein.  However, most of the fats are monounsaturated and are shown to improve the cholesterol profile by lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein).  This effect is compounded by peanut butter also containing polyunsaturated fats, which in turn help raise the good HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein), making it a very good cholesterol regulator.

So, that's the science part ... this was my breakfast!

Two slices of Nimble wholemeal toast, spread with crunchy peanut butter, a smidge of marmite and slices of banana! Together with my usual half glass of chocolate protein shake!

I'm definitely a marmite lover... I adore it!  From very  very young I can remember it being  favourite of mine and have never grown out of it! Getting home from school and having marmite on toast cut into soldiers with tomato sauce to dip into ... fantastic! (And trying to stop my brother and sister from nicking my soldiers ... they always took my favourite one!!)

Marmite is such a healthy, low fat food, with a high B-vitamin content, as well as riboflavin and niacin.

And it goes fab with peanut butter ... and bananas!!

Don't knock it till you try it!

~MID MORNING SNACK~

Today's snack was the same as yesterday, my Little Pot of Loveliness, again with raspberries.  One of my favourite things at the moment so likely to figure most days.

~LUNCH~

A good fill of protein required today before my gym workout, as I intended to really push my muscles today. So, lunch was once again Quinoa, with spinach leaves, smoked mackerel and some toasted almonds roughly chopped, with a good dollop of horseradish sauce and a wedge of lemon. Soooooooo good, I really cannot stress how tasty this was. 

I also added a sprinkling of chia seeds. These are billed as natures most nutritious grain, high in Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids, antioxidants , fibres and complete proteins.

They are billed as 'the dieters dream', as when a chia seed is exposed to water, it forms a coating of gel, increasing its size and weight, keeping you feeling fuller for longer.  They can also help balance your blood sugar levels, the gelling action of the seed, with its combination of soluble and insoluble fibre combine to slow down your body's conversion of starches into sugar, ensuring steady, constant energy throughout your day.  Sprinkle them on your salads, into your porridge, soups etc etc.

Not sure if you can see clearly on this pic, the spoon on the right is the chia seeds in their dry form, on the left I have added a couple of drops of water.  You can see how they have bulked out and changed structure with the 'gel' encasing them.

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

One of my oh so much needed homemade Magical Energy Bars and a half glass of chocolate protein shake. 

~DINNER~

My colleague Ian keeps bringing me in a load of courgettes which he grows.  I normally grow them myself with lots of other veg, but this year we thought we would be moving so I didn't bother with growing anything as didn't want to leave my rewards for someone else to enjoy ... am selfish like that ;)

I love courgettes, Matthew hates them.  I always try and disguise them in whatever I put them in, he always finds them and leaves a pile on the side of his plate.

So I sat there racking my brain today as to what to do with them, then remembered watching something this week where they made fritters!  Ideal!

I also remembered a recipe from one of the Cook Yourself Thin books for sweetcorn fritters which we used to love for Sunday breakfast/brunch, and I had some sweetcorn cobs in the fridge to use, so I came up with this:-

Sweetcorn and courgette fritters (makes 6 fritters)

1 courgette

2 sweetcorn cobs

1 red chilli

3 spring onions

3 dessert spoons plain flour

1 egg

2 dessert spoons 0% natural yogurt

First of all, I grated the courgette. I then put this into a sieve over a bowl and sprinkled it with salt. Placing a dish on top with two tins as weights I left it for most of the liquid to drain out, took a couple of hours

I stripped the corn off the cobs with a sharp knife and put them in a mixing bowl, with the drained grated courgettes.  Thinly sliced the spring onions and chilli and added to the bowl, along with the flour, egg and yogurt and gave a good stir until all combined.

I then sprayed a non stick pan with fry light, heated it up and dropped 3 large spoonfuls of the mix into the pan, flattening each spoonful out.  Cooked for about 4 minutes till browned then flipped over and did the other side.  Removed to a warm plate and did the same with the remaining mix.  It made 6 in total (so I get two for my breakfast tomorrow :) )

I served these with some chicken which I had cut into cubes and marinated all afternoon in mango chutney, lime pickle, 0% yogurt and red chilli flakes.  I cooked these in the actifry whilst making the fritters, but you could either  make them into kebabs and cook under the grill or pan fry them.

I also prepared a lovely salad of spinach, red onion, mixed tomatoes and avocado dressed with balsamic vinegar.

All I can say is .........


........ Matthew cleared his plate, no courgettes left on the side!!!! (It's like feeding a child!)

~EXERCISE~

So today being a Tuesday meant gym day!!! Yayyy!!  I genuinely do look forward to it every time!
My gym sessions are based around the corded resistance weight machines.  I usually do the bike and the running machine (walking very fast) at the start, 10 minutes on each, but at the moment my foot is playing up (plantar fasciitis), was infact very painful today, so I left them out.  I don't particularly enjoy the cardio machines anyway, they bore me, I find them a chore and am always chomping at the bit to get to the weights.  I prefer to get my cardio from swimming.

When reading my new book, A Woman's Guide to Muscle and Strength, last night, one of the things that stood out for me was regarding the weight of the load you lift/push.  I am always conscious anyway that I push higher than a lot of the women do in the gym, and have always been a bit embarrassed about it thinking people will think 'look at that heffer, no wonder she can push high'!! (Truth is nobody takes any notice anyway!!).  I have also always had good strong core muscles installed from my gymnastic days so always had some good strength.  However, I still push a weight that I am comfortable with and doesn't stress me 'too' much, just breaks a sweat!

I will quote from the book:-

'Overload dictates that for any physiological system (e.g heart, skeletal muscles, lungs) to improve its function, it must be exposed to a load that is greater than normal.  If you are lifting loads that are about the same that you perform in your everyday life, you will not achieve overload, or any strength gains.  For muscle to get bigger, stronger and more defined, the loads must be great enough to cause physiological fatigue (within a predetermined amount of time) and require recovery.'

So basically, by going up to the next weight load, it would take me out of my comfort zone, push my muscles and intensify my workout.  To see changes in your muscles, you need to lift weights that are heavy enough to enduce a fatigue response, achieving overload. 

So thats what I did!  Just up to the next level and it really made a difference.  It wasn't so hard that I had to force and strain myself with every push, but it also wasn't comfortable, I could feel the extra stress and by the end of each set of reps I was ready to stop.  I usually do, depending on what machine, 5 reps of 10, 15 or 20.  I could really feel the muscles working, almost popping, and it was a great feeling!  I loved it.

So I shall continue with that until that weight again becomes too comfortable and then up it again.

I must stress I am not looking to become the next Jodie Marsh (god forbid) or muscle bound Mary.  I am merely trying to build my strength, tone my body up, decrease my fat and increase my lean mass.

It is a myth that if a woman pushes a heavy weight like men she will build huge muscles like men, that is simply not true.  We are built different, we do not produce as much testosterone as men. 

Again,I will quote from the book:-

'Contrary to many women's concerns, strength training using heavy weights won't result in large, body builder-type physiques.  However, some women still fear that it will bulk them up in unfeminine ways.  Women who strive to become competitive bodybuilders work out for several hours a day using a variety of exercise techinques, and a large percentage of their training combines very heavy workloads'

'Men and women who train similarly can increase their muscle strength, but because women have lower levels of testosterone and fewer and smaller muscle fibers than men do, they cannot increase muscle size the way men can'

See.... you learn something everyday!!!

Thanks again for reading
xx

Monday Meatfree Meatballs!!!

Lots to post today, so I apologise in advance for the long post!!

Had a very late night last night, stayed up and watched the fantastic Olympic closing ceremony, but that meant didn't get to bed until 1.30 and my alarm goes off at 5.30 .... 4 hours sleep does not make a happy Jo!

Regardless, when the alarm went off I jumped straight out off bed and straight into the shower. Luckily, I am a morning person, it will be this evening when it catches up with me and I will be begging to go to bed about 9pm!

Whilst in the shower I decided I would need some good energy conserving foodstuffs to get me through the day. A morning at work, followed by swimming in the afternoon.

So first things first ... BREAKFAST!

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, I am always ready for it and can't bear to miss it. I start work at 7 so it always needs to be something that will get me through the first few hours at least.

This mornings choice was to be scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast with smoked mackerel, with a half glass of chocolate protein shake!


Eggs are a fantastic source of protein, making them more satisfying than carbs as they make you feel full for longer. They also contain certain amino acids which makes egg protein easy for your body to absorb ... an ideal muscle repair food after an intense workout!

I make my scramble eggs from 2 whole eggs and some pure egg white (from a carton...I get this from Waitrose). The fat is in the yolks, adding more egg white bulks them out a bit more, adds more protein without adding extra fat.  I add nothing more to them, just put them in a non-stick saucepan, give them a good whip and slowly let them scramble. (Just make sure you put the saucepan straight in to soak afterwards!!).

I always use Nimble wholemeal, have done for ages now. A lot of people shun bread, saying it bloats them etc etc. I say its fine eaten in moderation, like most things. However I just prefer Nimble, it is light and makes lovely crisp toast and your sandwiches become more about the filling than the bread. I can't stand a sandwich made with thick clogging bread, I get bored of chewing it!

I also always use Flora Extra light, again have done for ages, both my husband and I prefer it.

So, all this together, topped with a piece of skinned smoked mackerel and a squeeze of lemon, makes a bloody delicious start to the day!

I'll tell you more about the protein shake in another post, but I have a half glass every morning and again after exercise every training day. The morning glass helps keep me feeling full, the afternoon one stops me picking! It also helps towards repairing muscles after they have been given a good stretch!

Mid-Morning Snack

I think its important, especially when training, to eat little and often, keep your energy levels replenished. So I make sure I have something around 10ish every morning when the first slump hits. Sometimes its a handful of almonds, or some dried apricots, or a few oatcakes ... today it was my little pot of loveliness!!

In a little container, I put two dessert spoons of porridge oats and add a dessert spoon of mixed seeds. I then add a pot of fat free yogurt and some fresh fruit, today was raspberries. Mix them all together, bung on the lid and then put in the fridge when I get to work. Its a lovely fresh tasting filling snack that really does the job.

LUNCH

I try to eat my lunch about 12ish during the week, this is then about an hour before my workout, long enough for my body to digest it and extract the nutrients and energy it needs to help me without feeling bloated and uncomfortable whilst exercising.

Today's lunch was a quinoa, spinach, sweet potato, roasted new potato and chicken salad! The quinoa comes ready prepared in a packet, the potatoes were left over from last nights salad and the chicken was marinated yesterday in garlic, lemon juice, pepper and a couple of teaspoons of rapeseed oil yesterday then cooked in the Actifry last night, left to go cold overnight. All this was tossed together in a bowl and drizzled with a dressing of 0% greek yoghurt and mint sauce....... et voila!  (Then put in a plastic container and taken to work!)



(What is quinoa? .... It is usually considered a whole grain, but is actually a seed, although it can be prepared like whole grains like rice or barley, but it takes less time to cook.  It has a higher protein content than whole grains and provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. )

My current AFTERNOON SNACK is one of my homemade protein bars, ideal after a workout, see yesterdays posting
magical energy bars

DINNER

I hadn't decided what to have for dinner tonight, normally I have an idea in the morning but this morning was too tired to think that far ahead!  But whilst swimming this afternoon I started thinking about one of mine and my husbands favourite dinners, meatfree meatballs and pasta ... and I had to have it!

I am a big fan of quorn, I love it.  I never buy beef mince anymore, I use quorn mince to replace anything I would have used beef mince for beforehand.  Cottage pie, chilli, spag bol etc etc.  It is a fab source of protein, very low fat and takes on any flavour to show it.  For more info on Quorn click here http://www.quorn.co.uk/why-quorn/

I discovered Sainsbury's own version of quorn, in particular their meatfree meatballs!!

I always cook this in the Actifry.  Its quick, its easy, and I can get on with other things whilst its doing its thing.

First of all I just chuck the balls, from frozen, into the actifry, add the timer for 5 minutes and let them cook, whilst I can chop up the veg!

I like to use peppers, onions and mushrooms in this, and if I have asparagus then that will go in too! When the timer has finished I will then throw in the veg and set the timer for another 10 minutes. The Actifry slowly turns all ingrediants over so everything gets evenly cooked and nothing sticks. I then add the tinned tomatoes,a splash of balsamic vinegar and an oxo spag bol cube (although I think they have now stopped making these .. luckily I stocked up on a few boxes!). Set the timer for another 8 minutes and ding ... its done!

I then cook some wholemeal pasta, serve it in a bowl with a sprinkle of low fat cheese.

So thats todays food out of the way! As you can imagine, I am feeling nicely full and nicely nourished!

EXERCISE

Exercise wise today was a swimming day. I knew I was feeling pretty tired and didn't want to push myself too hard. I try to aim for between 80 - 100 lengths per session, 80 is a mile apparently, but today I took the decision to do 60, and I made sure I stuck to that, I felt I could have done more, but I decided to be sensible. I followed the swim with a 15 minute relaxation in the the steam room .... I LOVE THIS!!  It took me a while to build up the length of time I can spend in there, now I have to force myself out!  I actually got stuck talking to somebody in there recently and didn't realise how long I had been in there, and when I came out I nearly fainted!  I always make sure now I still have plenty of drink left to rehydrate when I come out.

OTHER NEWS

Today at work was like Christmas!!  Last week I had been quite trigger happy on Amazon, and had forgotten all about it, and it all arrived today!

I will tell you more about them when I have had a chance to look through them ... but have already have a quick glance at A Woman's Guide to Muscle and Strength and it looks fantastic, so that is coming to bed with me tonight!

I also got a tub of Epsom salts!!  I am told bathing in these have so many benefits, see here for further information Epsom Salt Benefits

My poor old Mum is really suffering with her knees at the moment and awaiting an operation, she is in a lot of pain and I read that Epsom Salts can be beneficial in helping with the pain, so I got her some too.  Its not a miracle cure by any means, but if it helps in some way to ease her pain and make her more comfortable it will be worth it!

After working out, by the evening my legs always start to ache, I also really suffer with plantar fasciitis, a problem with my heel, so am hoping these will provide some relief.

So, I am off for an Epsom Salt bath and then into bed with my bedtime reading!

Night all ... and thanks for reading to the end!!!
xx