Swimming and Spice, and all things nice!

Aaaah, it's Wednesday, half way through the week! Time just flies when you're having fun!

Today is a swimming day which of course I am looking forward to. I really thought after yesterdays workout my body would be on strike today, but it actually feels good!! I feel very erm...... strong! Wednesday is the day I really push myself at swimming each week and aim for 100 lengths, so I need some good fuel inside me!

~BREAKFAST~

As I mentioned in yesterdays blog, the mix for the courgette & corn fritters made 6, so there were 2 left over and I had already marked them for my breakfast. (Matt is not a breakfast person, he can manage a bowl of cornflakes or a toasted hot cross bun and that is it ... unless its the weekend and he will have a cooked one.... we go out, I never cook it!).

So I reheated the fritters in the pan, and then topped with two dry fried eggs and a squidge of tomato sauce ........ yum!!! Again, with my half glass of protein shake.

~MID MORNING SNACK~

My mid morning snack didn't happen today as I had a visitor at work, but luckily my lovely filling breakfast and loads of water had seen me through.

~LUNCH~

Amazingly enough, quinoa didn't feature in my lunch today, I fancied a change.  I had some small wholemeal tortillas in the bread bin, a pot of prawns in the fridge, an avocado on the side and some spinach in the salad drawer.  So, a prawn, avocado and spinach wrap it was!

Spread half the avocado over the tortilla, (I wrapped the other half in foil and put in freezer, can use it another time to make the avocado and chocolate dessert ), laid some spinach on top, followed by some prawns, sprinkled with white pepper and a squidge of lemon and wrap it up!  Wrapped it in tin foil and put in the fridge at work. Delish!

I followed this with the Little Pot of Loveliness that I should have had mid morning.  Today I had added chia seeds and blueberries to the usual mix.

~AFTERNOON SNACK~

Today I did a huge swim, will tell you about it later, but was so exhausted afterwards and my muscles were achey.  So when I got home I decided to feed them some pure protein. So I had a couple of frying steaks, which I rubbed with a bbq spice mix and then did on the griddle pan.  I had these with some gherkin spears (love these) and a dollop of good old English mustard ... plus my protein shake .... did the job! YUM!

~DINNER~

My husband paid me a lovely compliment the other day, whether he meant to or not!  He told me he prefers my homemade curry's to an indian take-out!  I love indian take-out, so that's a huge compliment to me, bless him.

So tonight's dinner is my version of a Jalfrezi Chicken Curry, with onion and courgette (still got loads to use) bhajis!

 Chicken Jalfrezi (serves 2)

2 chicken breast, thickly sliced

1 red onion, quartered and split into 'leaves'

2 lumps frozen spinach (or handful of fresh)

1 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 red and 1 yellow pepper, chopped into chunks

mushrooms, sliced (about 4 or 5)

2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground coriander

4 tsps hot curry powder

4 cardamom pods, crushed

So, first of all I spray the pan with frylight, then dry fry the spices.  I then add the chicken and ensure it is coated in the spices, then add the onions and  garlic to soften, followed by the spinach, peppers and mushrooms.  When all browned a bit or softened I add the tinned tomatoes, then leave to simmer slowly for about 20 minutes or so.

Onion & Courgette Bhaji's (makes 4)

2 red onions, finely sliced

1 courgette, grated and squeezed of most moisture

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp black onion seeds

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tbsp gram flour (chickpea flour)

Add all ingredients to a bowl, add a couple of splashes of water and mix thoroughly to form a batter, not too wet.  Leave to stand for about 30 minutes or so, then divide into 4 large spoonfuls onto a baking try (I lined mine with silicon sheet).  Bake in oven about 180oc for approx 25-35 minutes, till golden brown and crispy.

~FLUIDS~

I haven't mentioned about drinks have I.  Well I always drink loads of water, always have done, it is honestly my most favourite drink out of everything.  I hate tea with a passion, and not bothered by coffee.  Sometimes I have one coffee in the morning and that's it, but not even done that lately.  I don't enjoy hot drinks really.

I sometimes add sugar free orange squash to my water, but it has to be very very weak, so that it just 'clouds' the water a little,  cannot stand it any stronger.  Very occasionally now I will have a caffeine free diet coke, but I prefer water.

I take a  big bottle of water with me whenever I workout, including swimming, which I always drink.  When swimming I keep the bottle at the end of my lane and stop every 10 lengths for a quick swig.  People think you can't dehydrate in water ... but you can!!

Although I hate tea, I quite like some fruit teas, and I quite often make a large glass full up then leave it in the fridge to go ice cold, its really refreshing.

And of course there is my protein shake I have everyday.  The one I use is called Maximuscle Lean Definition Promax Diet Chocolate .  It is 'an advanced high protein shake with proven weight loss nutrients'!!  Not sure about that, it has high whey protein for muscle definition, green tea and guarana to supposedly support weight loss by mobilising and burning fat and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) to support lean muscle and weight loss and is low GI.  Anyway, it is supposed to be ideal after exercise to aid muscle recovery or between meals as an alternative to snacking.  All I know is, I take a half glass in the morning, and a half glass in the afternoon, and it helps me feel full and stops me snacking on things I shouldn't!  I would never use it as a meal replacement, just as an energy booster and hopefully as an aid to my overworked muscles.

~EXERCISE~

As I have already said, today was a swimming day, and on Wednesday's I always plan to do between 80-100 lengths .  Well today I did 100, in 1 hr 15 minutes, a new record for me!!  The lady in the lane next to me was cheering me on at the end and told me I should develop my own move like Bolt or the MoBot, I said my arms were too tired to do anything just then!  I actually really enjoyed the swim, I always do but sometimes it is harder than others, sometimes it feels like wading through mud, other times you wonder where the energy has come from!  Today was a good day and I whipped through the water.  My left shoulder was hurting a bit to start after yesterdays intense gym workout, but that soon sorted itself out.  I mainly do breaststroke, and every now and then will do a couple of lengths on my back. Can't do front crawl, I don't find it comfortable for some reason, and I hate having my face under water too so am one of those who swims with their head up all the time .. but then I notice that actually most people in the pool do that!

There were some bloody obnoxious men in there today though.  It was really busy at one stage, luckily I had snagged the fast lane which two people can usually fit into, I was swimming close to the edge so that somebody else could join me.  This obnoxious great big man dived in and took to swimming up and down the centre of the lane, completely pushing me out the way and stopping me from swimming properly.  So he got a very sharp kick at one point and a glare and that seemed to sort him out!!!  Then this other man came in and sat at the end of the lane, put his goggles etc down and just sat there staring hard at me, as if to say 'get out, I want to get in and I obviosuly own the pool!!!!'.  Big mistake!!!  I was only at 70 lengths then, had another 30 to go, so he had a loooooooong wait!!  He soon gave up and went in another lane.  Always the bloody men, all splash, no action!

Anyway, off to read more of the book 'A woman's guide to muscle and strength ' now, will enlighten you on more from that tomorrow, you lucky things!!! ;)

Thanks again for reading!

Jo

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