Eating pud and feeling good!

Sometimes, chicken and veg just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes, you need something to finish a meal off. And there really is nothing better than a nice warming, hearty, apple crumble.

Now this is my healthified version, but by no means should it be eaten every day. When it comes to desserts, making them healthy all comes down to the ingredients. If you are one of these who hates “new” ingredients and won’t step foot into a health food store look away now. (In this particular recipe there is only one ingredient that requires sourcing from somewhere other than a supermarket. Although, by now I bet the really big ones do stock coconut sugar.)

I chopped up two cooking apples into bite size chunks and put them in a pan with a splash of water, literally a splash, you don’t want over gooey apples. When they were softening slightly I sprinkled over a little bit of coconut sugar and a squeeze of honey. Then I let it all cook and caramelise and get yummy.

It is also worth mentioning at this point that I did extra so that I had this delicious apple mixture as an extra topping for my yoghurt in the morning  - so worth it!

Once this cooked I distributed it into to little ramekins. My top tip here is to serve it in individual ramekins for portion control. By serving it this way, you can’t make too much and then go back for a second serving. :( Yey for waistline nay for taste buds. 

 

While the apple mixture was cooling I combined some oats, with a small amount of butter – this is why it isn’t 100% “clean” – some coconut sugar and lots of cinnamon. I pressed it all together in my fingers until it was just about combined and then sprinkled it evenly over the apple mixture.

Then I just baked it in a 180 degree oven for 20 mins. We were so excited that I totally forgot to get a photo of the finished product but I guess that just gives me an excuse to make it again. :) 

For the full recipe visit my recipes page

Homemade fish tacos - Friday night feast

This is one of my favourite recipes! It is a "taco" so it feels naughty, however, it is anything but. It is also a feast and if you serve it the way I did, it feels more indulgent as you grab at ingredients to stuff your home made tortilla so it's bursting with flavour!

First thing's first, make the tortilla. This is sooo easy I don't know why more people don't do it.
You need 100g of flour - use whatever healthy flour you have, I used a mixture of brown and rye as that's what I had in.

Mix the flour with around 60ml of water. Add it slowly as all flour is different, sometimes it may need more, sometimes a little less. Use your judgement to get a nice firm dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes and make yourself busy.

Now roll the dough out, this makes four for me so split it into quarters. I'm not that good at getting a super thin dough but roll it out as thin as you can and then slap it on a dry non stick pan

Can you see the bubbles?

Caution! Do not leave unattended. These tortillas cook soooo quickly. As soon as it starts to puff up, flip it over. This will only take a minute or two. 

Now clean up the floury mess before the other half comes in a shouts at you for leaving footprints all over the floor *flashbacks*.

Chop up your chosen fish, I would recommend haddock, it is cheap, sustainable and is filled with seven essential vitamins and minerals. Chop up your peppers - by choosing different colours you are getting even more vitamins. I also grilled spring onions whole to give them a sweetness and a char that is delicious. 

Whilst chopping I also diced the chilli, lime and coriander for the dressing. The next step is to cook it all. Just whack it all in one pan to save on washing up! 

While this is all sizzling away, it's time to make the dressing. This time I wanted a nice fresh and light tasting sauce so I took my greek yoghurt and mixed it right in the pot, (this is what real home cooking looks like).

Grate the zest of one lime into the yoghurt, squeeze the juice from half the lime in, chop some chilli and throw it in, as much or as little as you like and then add coriander or other herb of choice. Coriander is my fav!

Once everything is cooked put it on plates for everyone to help themselves like so...

Squeeze over extra lime and voila! Enjoy x

For full recipe details go to my Recipes page

Eat the rainbow!

By now we all know the main principal of healthy eating is to have a good balance of the three macro nutrients, Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat.

But that's not the end of it. It is imperative to get as many vitamins and minerals into your diet as possible to make sure your body performs at its best.

Now, there are many ways you can try and do this but the easiest way to ensure you get plenty, is to eat the rainbow.

Obviously, I don't mean skittles, but if your plate is all one colour, it looks bland and boring. But if your plate is splashed with reds, greens, oranges etc not only does it look more interesting but it provides many more nutrients. Each one can really benefit the other too, for example, eating vitamin C with iron increases absorption so combining a nice lean piece of steak with a red pepper salad is a great way to maximise nutritional intake.

Phytonutrients are what give foods their colour and each colour has its own unique property. For example, orange foods, eg carrots and sweet potato have carotenoids which help with vision (yes granny was right, carrots help you see in the dark) and blue/purple foods like blueberries have anthocyanins which help to keep your heart healthy. Now, I won't go into every single colour but you get the idea.

Every fruit, vegetable and grain has its own unique property offering a whole range of benefits. For the purpose of this blog, let me give you one of my favourite summer salad recipes, with additional nutritional info:

Rainbow Salad

Rocket: Only 25 calories per 100g. Strong delicious taste which stands up to most food. Laced with vits&minerals including: Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium.
Cucumber: 16 calories per 100g. High water percentage to help with hydration and feeling full. Source of Vitamins A, C and K, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorous and Manganese.
Yellow pepper: 27 calories per 100g. Excellent source of vitamin C. Also, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.
Edamame: 122 calories per 100g. Great source of protein at 11g per 100g as well as high in vitamin and mineral content including, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Folate, Manganese.
Feta: This would be the "fat" in the salad and also acts as a dressing due to it's tangy flavour. 14g of protein per 100g, good source of Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6 and B12 and Riboflavin which helps activate other vitamins.
Tesco Pink Slaw - Red and white cabbage, red onion and carrot. Calories = 38 per half pack (70g).

Enjoy x

Holiday Work Outs

I know, I know, I have done it again and left it far too long in between blogs. I had a good excuse though, I had two holidays :)

Two holidays is a lot for one month and the extra eating combined with a lack of exercise can sometimes leave you feeling a tad podgy. This year I took steps to ensure I could minimise the excessive bloat.

The first thing I did, and it sounds very simple and straight forward, but I am sure a good chunk of you will agree, is easier said than done, I wasn't greedy. I went with the mindset that I would have one naughty thing a day. While this wasn't always the case, I did make sure to not have a dessert if I had an ice cream that day, and I tended to have one naughty meal and then tried to eat as best as I could for the other meals.

Generally, breakfast and lunches were healthy, but if a naughty lunch slipped in (cheese toasty I am looking at you) I kept the portions small.

In Sweden we spent all day walking around, so even if there was time for a workout, we certainly did not need it. Our best was 26,000 steps in one day. But in Cyprus, where we lounged and lazed, we had to work out but of course, being on holiday, we didn't want to waste precious tanning time so it had to be quick and effective.

The key was to do it first thing in the morning before it got too hot. I developed a quick (roughly 16 minute) HIIT routine designed to burn fat. I did it when I woke up before I ate to put my body into fat burning mode. Even though I did it at 9am most days while the back garden was still in the shade, it was brutal. The temperature was HOT HOT HOT and I was doing this in 32-35 degrees. Please bare in mind that you should only do what you can in this weather as you don't want to overheat and make yourself ill.

Matt and I also did a couple of 1.5mile runs. Sounds short, but you try running with the sun that hot pounding on your back. The extra sweat made up for the extra miles trust me.

So here is my HIIT Routine: It worked in 30 second stints and followed the same pattern of 30 second cardio burst, 30 second body weight exercise and 30 second rest. At the end of the routine, I rested for a minute and then repeated this two more times totaling 3 sets.

Mountain Climbers: Get on all fours into plank position. Bring your right knee up to your left elbow and then back. Repeat on the other side. Continue this pattern as fast as possible for 30 seconds.

Squats: We all know how to squat! Make sure your knees don't go over your toes and work and getting your bum lower to the ground each time.

Rest 30 seconds.

Burpees: My nemesis. Stand up straight, drop to the floor with your hands flat on the ground and jump your feet backwards. Jump your feet back towards your hands and then come back up and jump. (I did a knee tuck jump here sometimes - jump variation is up to you) And repeat the whole process. Sounds easy enough right? See if you still think that after 10 burpees.

Push Ups: Harder than you think. If you're a beginner, try the easier variation and put your knees on the floor.
Get into plank position and slowly lower your chest to the ground and come back again. Go as slow as you need to, it's better to do a proper push up then 20 half assed ones.

Rest 30 seconds.

Jumping Jacks: These are the fun ones. We all know how to do these. BTW, does anyone know if there is a difference between jumping jacks and star jumps?

Walking Lunges: (Walking part is optional) Lunge your right leg forward bending your left leg until the knee almost touches the floor. Each leg should come to a nice 90 degree angle. Now repeat on the other side. Do this on the spot or get some momentum going forward  to walk.

Rest 30 seconds.

High Knees (or run on the spot if you're tired): Simply run on the spot but try and bring your knee up as high as it will go. If you really push yourself, your heart rate should soar.

Plank: Depending on the floor (I had a hard tiled floor) Put your hands or your elbows flat on the floor, toes balancing out behind you and hold your core tight. 30 Seconds is a piece of cake ;)

If you're not sweating, you're not working hard enough!
Rest for One minute and repeat the whole process at least two more times. Hardcore folk can do 5 sets!

This is made easier with an interval timer. There are plenty of good apps available, the one I use sounds a great load noise every 30 seconds and is literally called IntervalTimer on the Apple App Store.

Of course, this doesn't have to just be a holiday work out. Try it at home when you're short on time. Let me know how you get on!

Stop saying no to CHO!

I am tired of hearing about all these fad diets. One in particular that bugs me is "paleo" or "low carb"!

Why would you do this to yourself? Why can people  not understand that we need carbohydrates, they are our body's main source of fuel!

Ideally, at least 50% of our diet should be carbs. This same feeling is reflected to low fat too. I know there has been a little resurgence lately and more people are understanding that not all fat is bad but it is not enough.

I still have to speak with people daily who choose low fat things that are caked in sugar.

We need to find a balance. Yes, you may see the odd low fat product which isn't a con and if you're looking to reduce calorie intake, I would recommend it due to fat's high calorie content. A great example is Fage Total 0% Yogurt. It is actually genuinely good for you. High in protein and calcium, no fat and more importantly, no added sugar! It is creamy and delicious and you can flavour it how you like. That is the key, that way you know exactly what is going into your food and your body. Skyr is also a good brand FYI.

But this post is not about fat it is about carbohydrates.

Your body turns carbs into glucose or blood sugar which enters your cells, tissues and organs to provide energy. The key is to aim for starchy and fibre based carbs to keep you full and stay away from simple carbs - which is a term I am sure most people have heard of by now.

My other half recently spoke with a friend who told him he did two to three days per week low carb - we're talking 100grams per day max - to help him shred and look more defined and so Matt insisted we did it too. I caved and agreed, more than anything to prove a point. We were both starving all day and all we could think about was naughty foods such as pizza. The next day, carbs were reintroduced, and despite eating what we normally would, it wasn't enough, again we were hungry all day and couldn't be satisfied. Because our stores had been depleted. We had no energy in the gym either. The key thing to remember here is, we are both usually very active. All we wanted to do was sit on the sofa and eat food. I felt this little experiment proved my point.

Here are some top tips for consuming a healthy balanced diet with carbs.

Choose wholegrain (not brown bread, wholegrain!) and start your day with some slow releasing carbs like oats. If you don't fancy hot oats try my Overnight oats

Replace your usual sandwich casing with a wholegrain bread, wrap or pitta alternative. Check the ingredients list to make sure something wholegrain based is the first ingredient. Or move away from the traditional sandwich all together and make a tasty salad using brown rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat or whatever takes your fancy.

Eat whole fruit over fruit juice, less sugar, more fibre and certainly more filling.

Eat more beans and legumes for a good dose of slow releasing carbs and protein.

Don't be afraid of carbs, embrace them and learn which are good and bad. Obviously, we all know cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc.. are "bad" carbs so just limit the amount you eat. Don't cut them out though! Why should you, we all deserve to enjoy something a bit naughty once in a while. It stops us bingeing if we don't restrict ourselves too much. Just learn moderation. Eat well most of the time and exercise. I think I have said before but the 80/20 rule is the best thing I have heard. Eat well 80% of the time, enjoy whatever you want to eat the other 20%. Happiness is the real key to good health!

A day in food

I have a few staple healthy meals so I thought I would share another trio of recipes.

These three dishes encompass a day of food in our household. Monday tends to be egg night so I have a few eggy recipes in my arsenal as they are quick, healthy and yummy. This particular one can also be served at breakfast or lunch and as it is such a popular choice between myself and Matt, it made the cut for this post.

There isn't a carbohydrate in the image but this dish needs one to compliment it really, a nice slice of wholegrain toast sat under this is perfect. We had a crumpet with it recently as that is what we had left over. But that's just another example of how flexible healthy eating can be.

The Stages of the Egg

These eggs are cooked in a yummy tomato base made up of with whatever you like really. Usually, I start with garlic and onions and throw in whatever veg we have, spinach and mushrooms is great and then tip in chopped tomatoes. I added a chopped up rasher of bacon too recently which was left over. As mentioned, this is such a flexible and versatile dish, you can make it your own!

Make some wells in the sauce and crack in some eggs, give them five minutes to cook through and bob's your uncle. I have to say, it may be yummy but certainly it isn't the prettiest dish to photograph.

I love salads. I hate when people perceive salads as the bog standard lettuce, tomato and cucumber -boring! I experiment with different ingredients and new recipes all the time. It isn't hard and doesn't take up any more time then any other lunch prep would. Often you can make enough to last a few days too.

This (almost) raw Pad Thai salad is one of my latest creations. I draw inspiration from various cook books such as Get the Glow (the most recent edition to my collection) and Jamie's Superfood (my current favourite) and make my own versions of salads based on something I see in other places.

Almost Raw Pad Thai

The Pad Thai combines wholewheat rice noodles with finely sliced veggies. Just choose your favourite it's easy! Then simply make a dressing, this had lots of lime juice, tahini and soy sauce. Ooze it over the salad and let the flavours come together. Yum.

All  ingredients and the final result of the overnight oats (including in a to go tub)

Overnight oats are one of our favourite breakfasts, perfect for those with a busy lifestyle who need a grab and go breaky. The best part is, it takes a matter of minutes to prepare the night before, and if you want you can prepare two days worth.

All you need is a banana, mash it up, mix it with oats and milk and let it soak over night. I often include other soft fruits, mainly berries when mashing up the banana. It is so tasty and if you have a sweet tooth (like me) add some extra honey into it too.

Then, when you wake up, grab it out of the fridge and eat it. Hey Presto!

I will put the full recipes up on my page here in the next couple of days.

Happy eating! <3

The power of Green Tea

Let's talk about GT, no not our favourite poolside tipple, the healthier option - Green Tea. 


It is no secret now that Green Tea is good for you, I am an avid drinker of the beverage and I really genuinely enjoy it.

I find it refreshing and thirst quenching and the knowledge that it is doing my body a bit of good makes me feel even better.

But how many people really know about the advantages of incorporating  Green Tea into your day?

The most commonly known benefit is that it acts as an antioxidant. This is due to a powerful phytochemical in the leaves called EGCG which fights free radicals in the body that can damage healthy cells and cause cancer. It also promotes the death of cancer cells, so while it obviously isn't a treatment for the big C it won't do any harm in helping you fend it off. 

The EGCG also increases the amount of oxygen that your body can use as fuel while you sweat so having a cup before the gym isn't a bad idea. 

Not only is Green Tea calorie free, it contains caffeine which is a known stimulant and another antioxidant called Catechin. Both can help burn fat as they increase the speed of metabolism. 

The caffeine helps to block fatigue-inducing adenosine which will help you work out harder and longer, so when pairing GT with a good workout regime you can say bye bye to belly fat and drink as much as you like without racking up the calorie count.  

A study published in 2013 from the European Journal of Nutrition found that regular green tea drinkers weigh less and have smaller waists, (just in case you wanted some evidence). 

There are other claims which suggest drinking Green Tea regularly can reduce cholesterol, combat cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease and while there is no conclusive evidence for any of the claims, it can't hurt to add a couple of cups into your day anyway.

I know Green Tea isn't for everyone so if you can't bare the flavour you could squeeze some fresh lemon into your daily brew. This is something I do every morning and the addition of lemon only adds to the health benefits.

If you have a sweet tooth, squeeze in some honey (moderation please) to help you sup the full cup or alternatively there is a huge variety of flavoured Green Teas to try now, so experiment and find a favourite? 

I cannot sign off without first saying, whatever you do, don't go out and buy those stupid Green Tea pills. They don't work and they are full of extra ingredients and chemicals that your body will not understand. These supplements make people believe that swallowing these tablets daily will be the answer to all their problems. Not only are they expensive but they do not work.

Nothing beats a healthy, balanced diet and active lifestyle. Enjoy having a brew knowing it will AID (being the key word) you in your healthy living journey. But do not ever rely on just one thing to change your life.