Info all Articles

Hello everyone! How’s your week going? Mine has been a strange one as I’ve been working from home / at meetings so my routine has been completely thrown out of sync!

I started yesterday with a fantastic run, unfortunately I set off and forgot to hit the start button on my Garmin. I was gutted as I had a really wonderful run which felt very fast, especially as I managed to include a few intervals in the middle. As its a usual route I know I covered about 6.4 miles. My last mile (once I glanced down and realised I hadn’t started the Garmin I started it up) was 8.41 so if that’s anything to go by I could have set a new pb for my 10k!

This morning I was up early and did some free style yoga for 15 minutes and tonight I’ve been to the gym for my usual Thursday 3,2,1 workout which was fun but hard work, it was so hot in the gym! I’m not complaining about this lovely weather we’ve had today though :-)

I’ve had a couple of doubled up meals these last two days, but as always I like variety in my breakfasts!

Post run green smoothie containing spinach, mixed frozen summer berries, half and avocado, coconut water, scoop of chocolate amazing grass powder, spirulina, mesquite, maca, stevia, water, ice, xanthan and guar gums for thickness then topped with the most delicious cashew butter sauce and Alara Goji Muesli:

This was just so good, it was almost like eating thick chocolately fruit sorbet, the cashew butter sauce was gorgeous as well.

This morning I had two slices of toasted quinoa and amaranth bread toasted and topped with a sachet of Justin’s Maple Almond butter and sliced strawberries plus the remaining strawberries on the side and a vanilla decaf with rice milk and stevia:

Loved that maple almond butter! Lunches have been the same salad beast with romaine, lambs lettuce, carrot, cucumber, radish, basil tofu, olives and braggs liquid aminos plus an organic pear:

For my dinners I decided to try and recreate one of my favourite high street supermarket lunches:

Source

The Marks and Spencer Wholefood Shaker Salad! I kept the label the last time I had one and created this recipe based on some of the ingredients:

I can’t believe its not M&S Whole Food Salad (makes 2 servings, vegan)

• 1/4 cup of cooked rice (the M&S version uses wild rice but I didn’t have any so used a red and wild rice mix)
• 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
• 1/4 cup of cooked green lentils
• 1/2 cup of edamame / soya beans defrosted
• 1.5 cups of cubed and roast butternut squash
• 2 tbsp of pumpkin / mixed seeds

For the lemon and herb dressing:

• 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (I used my cool oil)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• Handful of fresh basil, finely chopped

Combine the salad ingredients in a large lunch box or bowl with a lid. In a separate bowl combine the dressing ingredients then pour over the salad, pop the lid on and shake then serve:

I served mine with some spinach, steamed broccoli and asparagus. I loved this! It really did taste like the M&S version even though this had a much simpler ingredients list. I just used the ratio of rice / lentils / quinoa and edamame that was easy for me to put together (lentils leftover from another meal etc) but any combo of these ingredients in whatever amount would do the trick. I love mixed grain and bean / legume salads – I think that’s why I enjoy the salad bars at Whole Foods so much! 

Dessert last night was 6 squares of Green and Blacks Dark Chocolate with Peppermint filling:

Nom! Tonight I made a big bowl of Spiru-tein Peanut Butter Swirl Protein ice cream:

Topped with some peanut flour sauce and cacao nibs, fabulous!

I’m very happy this evening as I am now finished work for the week – I decided to book in a day off so I can have a ‘me’ day. I have a few nice things planned including a trip to town, fruit and veg and clothes shopping, perhaps some cooking and watching a couple of old movies. If you had a ‘me’ day planned what would it include?

I really enjoyed my I can’t believe its not M&S salad!' Do you have a favourite shop bought lunch or dinner option? Have you ever tried to recreate something you’ve bought at a shop?