Christmas left overs to revive you

Post-Christmas bloat is familiar to us all. Even for the nutrition and health conscious, the Christmas binge cannot be avoided. Some indulge more than others but never-the-less, pigs in blankets, tubs of chocolates and boards of cheese get the better of most of us.

I have to admit this past week I have barely touched any form of fruit.

So tonight I packed our dinner with a whole host of nutrient dense foods whilst using up left-over Christmas staples.

I had already made my own stock (known as bone broth these days) by boiling the left-over turkey carcass with some root vegetable for hours, I created my own, incredibly good for you stock. I do this with most left over meat bones, it really is worth it.There are more minerals and vitamins hiding in the bones than in the rest of the animal - so without the broth you would seriously be missing out on a fantastic nutritious hit.

"Bone broth"

Put it in a pan and cover with water, boil and then simmer for however many hours you have spare.

I used this stock to create a Christmas broth medley. Sprouts, herbs and pancetta were left over from the big day, so by adding chicken and some other vegetables that I always have in, I was able to make a delicious hearty tea.

Miscellaneous Veg

I added pearl barley, sage and thyme into the broth and let it cook away. While that cooked I chopped the pancetta, mushrooms and sprouts up and fried them in a little butter and olive oil until crispy. I added sage and thyme to the pan to cook and at the last minute added crushed garlic.

When I was about 4 minutes away from completion I added finely sliced chicken breast to the stock and pearl barley pot and finally, I threw in some spinach at the last minute.

Once everything was cooked and seasoned to taste I dished out the stock concoction and spooned the pancetta, mushroom and sprout medley on the top.

Finished dish

It was deep in flavour and full of goodness. I recommend it to anyone wanting to use up any left over foods from the festive season, or even for a quick evening tea.

The big move!

Again, I have been a little quiet on the blog front. That is because I am in the middle of moving house. It has taken me a few days just to finish this post!

So moving and packing is exhausting, especially when you have made your current place homely as I had. We have been so busy and there has been so much to do!

I have moved in with my boyfriend, Matt. We both previously lived in flat's so we couldn't be more excited to live in a house with a garden so we can enjoy some sunshine properly! (If it comes back!)

Men are so much different to women, it took one evening to pack most of Matt's things up. It slowly took us around a week to do mine, and did I mention I live in a top floor flat complete with a spiral staircase.

Matt's stuff was moved into the new place throughout the week and mine on Saturday. It took Matt, two removal men and me to get all of my things out in a reasonable time. 

Needless to say we didn't make it to the gym or for any runs for a few days.


It also meant we had to whittle our food supplies down. If I hadn't already mentioned, I am a hoarder! A massive one, and that includes food. So I had a few frozen left over curries and loads of eggs. So tea for the last few days before moving was whatever we had. As you can see by this image, one night that meant, left over curry and scrambled eggs. Surprisingly, it was delicious and satisfying. 

My "What's left" creation

It also meant Saturday night was a take-away treat night. By the time we sat down and stopped unpacking I was way too tired to even think about cooking. We also had a few naughty treats as little sugar boosts such as Krispy Kremes and salted peanuts. If ever there was a good excuse to eat dirty this is it! The pick me up was just what we needed! I am sorry but a banana would not have cut it.

We are both just too stubborn to miss out on training although we did avoid it during the weekend, on top of being tired we just did not have the time. Moving house is like a work out in itself anyway. Between moving everything from one property to another and then re-building and unpacking everything we were exhausted. But this is such an exciting time for us and we couldn't wait to spend our first night in the new house. It has been incredible and now we miss it when we're away.

Our living room looking homely and beautiful

It is our place, which is new for us both. It has our stamp on it and we love arranging and organizing the furniture to suit us. 

But today is Monday and it is virtually complete except for some storage and reorganising, so we are back on the straight and narrow. Nutritious healthy food and a good amount of gym time. 

Food really is fuel

We have all heard it 100 times before, you need food to fuel your body.

And the food you eat depends on how you use your  body.

It goes without saying healthy eating is a must for all. Filling your body with vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals is the most important thing. But, we all have a treat now and again - you have to!

As someone who really loves cake, sugary cereals and ice cream (to name just a few vices), I have to work hard so I don't give in or I would eat it all day, every day.

But remembering that sugar is the enemy is difficult when that brownie is melting in your mouth.

Which is what happened to me over the weekend. Cooking lunches, dinners, breakfasts, even snacks are not difficult for me. I only cook healthy food with natural ingredients - wherever possible - it is just that cookie that is presented to me that ruins things. But as those kinds of sugary treats hadn't really been on my radar since coming back from holiday and I haven't struggled too much.

I enjoyed feeling energetic and fresh last week living on a hearty and healthy diet. I didn't even feel hungry!

But then I went home to Yorkshire - where the dreaded monster mum lives and it all went down hill.

She had baked brownies, chocolate cake and a strawberry tart. We also had a big family BBQ. I managed to reign it in with the BBQ, eating just a few nice pieces of meat and some salad with only one (homemade) breadcake.

And what a BBQ it was

But then came the strawberry tart with homemade ice cream. (I did ensure it was a small portion but when you're out drinking all night ((a friends wedding do)) the calories rack up no matter what.)

Then the next day I enjoyed two big sticky brownies. Yes I did turn down the chocolate cake but the amount of sugar consumed in everything else made up for it anyway.

Matt and I didn't eat very well that day, skipping meals and eating bread and oil when we finally wanted something to eat at 8pm!

I am ashamed.

But the main point of all of this is, the next day I really felt it. I was sluggish and lethargic - as was Matt and when it came to going to the gym neither of us had it in us to actually train hard. After 20 minutes of slowly trying to push ourselves we gave in.

We were close to burning out and it just isn't worth the exhaustion. So we went home to rest up and I am happy to say we both ate very well, as we will the rest of the week.

Grilled chicken, sweet potato and veg. Mmmm

So, hopefully with properly fueled bodies we can train hard again and get back into the fantastic shape we were a month ago!

A little bit of what you fancy

Now, I know this blog is about the battle against the sweet tooth and fitness goals - but... I am a firm believer of having a little bit of what you fancy.

Every week, my boyfriend and I have a day of eating what we want. We both enjoy exercising (in fact he is my training partner) and we both like to eat well, so we look forward to letting loose.

I would be lying if I said it was the only day of the week we ate badly, sometimes it turns into a weekend and we do give in to the odd treat throughout the week, but generally, this is the day we look forward to.

And yesterday was so good it was worth sharing with you all. I won't talk about everything we ate, just my top three foods of the day.

The most delicious ice cream

First, the sun was shining so we went on a little drive to a place called Blaze Farm where fresh ice cream is produced.

There is nothing better than eating fresh ice cream in the sun, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by green hills. I had cappuccino and raspberry, Matt had Turkish delight and rhubarb and custard (vile in my opinion).

We also made our own pizza, base and all. It was purely experimental and I had to use two different flours but it turned out pretty well. We both topped our own pizza's and then split them.

My pizza (the best) parma ham, pineapple and sweetcorn.

Matt's very meaty pizza

And then, the piece de resistance. Nutella stuffed digestives. We both love biscuits, they are a big weakness for us. And we both love a classic digestive - sometimes over a chocolate covered one. And dunked in a good brew they cannot be beaten. At least that is what I thought. I love Nutella, I eat it out of the jar with a spoon. So, I had a light bulb moment and spread a nice thick layer of Nutella on a digestive and topped it with another. Dunked in that brew - it was like heaven. I don't think you could get a better snack.

It just looks perfect

It tasted like perfection

By no means am I trying to say that throughout the week we eat boring food. We cook some delicious healthy meals but we both have a sweet tooth which is our downfall and what we miss for five and six days of the week.

I am a firm believer of the 80/20 rule (even if sometimes the ratio is not quite that). I would rather indulge in good foods which we crave once in a while than have the perfect body and feel grumpy and hungry all the time. I am the kind of person that suffers with the "hangry" syndrome (hungry and angry). As is Matt.

We both enjoyed what we ate so much yesterday it was worth a mention. It may be a contrast to my usual blog posts but I wanted to show that everyone deserves a treat.