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Hi folks, have you had a good weekend? I have to say that mine has been pretty awesome!
Today was all about my big long run. I got up fairly early so I could eat a good breakie and let it digest a bit before setting off. I decided to try filling a toasted wholemeal pitta with almond butter, apple slices, raisins and cinnamon.



Such a tasty breakfast, plus this gave me a good mix of carbs and protein to fuel me up for my run.

As the Great North Run organisers give out Powderade on the big day, they advise you to try this out to check that it works for you. I picked up a couple of bottles during my shop yesterday, so today I diluted half a bottle of this cherry flavour with some water to take out on my run with me.



Powerade is a still isotonic sports drink which contains electrolytes and glucose to keep you hydrated and give you energy. The ingredients list isn’t very good as its full of artificial sweeteners and other crap. A half bottle serving is 50 calories. I thought this worked quite well, I felt energised and hydrated and the cherry flavour made a nice change to plain water, however I wouldn’t use this if it wasn’t being used in the Great North Run as its just too full of artificial nasties for me.

Anyway, I did my run which was from my home in Durham to my parents just south of the Angel of the North. I covered 9.54 miles in 1.34. I felt really good through the whole run, towards the end I just felt like I was flying! I also had zero knee pain, which after my injury is just amazing. After seeing my times I wished I had pushed myself a little more to improve them:


Still not bad, but way off what I was achieving before my knee injury. For a recovery snack I ate one of my new 9 Bars – the Flax variety.



This tasted wonderful as always, very similar to the regular 9 Bars but with a slightly finer texture as some of the seeds are smaller. I even gave my Mam a taste and she loved it! I also had a small glass of milk. When my Mam brought me home I immediately hit the fridge and got myself this little carton of Vita Coco as I could feel that I was still a bit dehydrated.



Lunch was the last of my RAW crackers :-( with some gorgeous spicy lentil dip and lots of carrot and cucumber.



A little later I decided to make myself a protein smoothie. Now I am going to get excited! This is the best smoothie I have ever made. There are no words to describe good this is!

Laura’s Tutti Fruity Nutty Protein Smoothie in a Bowl

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup of frozen mango
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• 1 large heaped tablespoon of chunky peanut butter
• Just enough milk to get it to blend. I used hazelnut and almond rice milk
• Toppings – maple syrup, grape nuts, cinnamon

Blend all main ingredients together – watch how much milk you use if you want it thick and creamy like ice cream. Spoon into a big bowl and throw on your toppings.

 

Unfortunately these pics don't do it justice. This should have been served in a giant glass sundae bowl with sparklers stuck in it accompanied by a 3 piece band playing a fanfare, its really that good.

This afternoon I sat on the sofa with my laptop drinking Tea Pigs Rooibos Creme Caramel Tea (made in a tea pot of course!) while watching Amelie. Love that movie so much, makes me desperately want to go back to Paris (and eat pastries of course!)

Dinner was a steamed Trout fillet served with Hugh Fearnley – Whittingstalls Leek and Cabbage but made with garlic olive oil rather than butter plus some steamed broccoli.



Desert was chopped peach, nectarine, raspberries and fromage frais topped with a teaspoon of wheat germ.



July Review and August Training Plan

Well July has been a bit of a funny month! I started to write this thinking that I hadn’t achieved much, but I’ve just looked back at some old posts and it seems I have -

• Lost 2 lbs! (At the beginning of the month I was carrying my Majorca holiday weight)
• Got my running programme back in order after my knee injury. At the beginning of the month I had only ran 3 miles and was in pain all day. Today I’ve ran 9.5 and have no pain!
• I’ve focused on upper body work this month and I can definitely tell a different in my muscle definition in my arms, shoulders and upper back

I last recorded my measurements at the end of June (before my holiday and weighing a few pounds less) and I’ve increased by an inch on my hips and waist! Not good :-( but at least it gives me a starting point to improve on.

Current stats:

• Weight 10st 1lb
• Hips 36 inches
• Waist 29 1/2 inches
• Bust 37 1/2 inches

August Training Plan

As the schools are off and the traffic is better I can get into work a bit quicker which makes a morning gym workout an option so I’m ditching the DVD’s for the month! As the Great North Run is only 6 weeks away and my knee is much better I’m going to increase my running too. I’ll be increasing my overall cardio in an attempt to lose a couple of those extra pounds and inches as well as getting in at least two good resistance workouts to maintain and develop muscle.

Monday – morning gym workout – 20 minutes of cardio intervals followed by a 3 x 3 resistance workout focusing on legs and using weights that get really tough on the last 4 reps:

3 x

• sit ups on stability ball x 20
• dead lift x 12
• forward  / backward lunges with medicine ball rotation x 12

3 x

• squat and press x 12
• sumo squat to the side with a frontal raise x 20
• Inner thigh toner machine x 20

3 x

• the clam x 10 each side
• leg lifts x 10 each side
• side plank - 30 seconds each side

Tuesday – evening gym workout – 45 minutes of cardio intervals followed by abs: 3 x 20 full sit ups, 20 bicycle crunches, 20 crunches, 20 side reaches, 10 v ups, 30 second plank hold and 2 x 15 half push ups and 15 tricep dips

Wednesday – evening run – 3 – 4 miles, 20 minutes Yoga for Runners session

Thursday – evening gym workout – 45 minutes of cardio intervals followed by abs: 3 x 20 full sit ups, 20 bicycle crunches, 20 crunches, 20 side reaches, 10 v ups, 30 second plank hold and 2 x 15 half push ups and 15 tricep dips

Friday – morning gym workout – 20 minutes of cardio intervals followed by a 3 x 3 resistance workout focusing on upper body:
3 x

• Stability ball side crunch x 10 each side
• upright row x 12
• row and tricep kick back x 12

3 x

• lateral raises x 12
• bicep curl with squat and press x 12
• chest fly on stability ball x 12

3 x

• Hyper extension for lower back x 20
• overhead tricep extensions x 12
• bent over reverse flye x 12

Saturday – Distance Run – building up from current 9.5 miles to 13 miles!

Sunday – Rest Day

Do you plan your training or do you just go with the flow? What have you achieved in July?

Hope your all having a great weekend! Here’s a bit of a catch up of my last couple of days.

Friday morning I headed over to the gym for my strength and cardio workout. I did my January routine for the last time as next week I’ll be changing things up. I warmed up with a 5 minute treadmill run before doing the weights. I felt really strong throughout and definitely feel that I’m ready to take things up a notch. I finished up with 30 minutes of HIITs on the step machine, cross trainer and bike.

Breakfast was so so good! I made my tutti fruity smoothie with additional purple kale, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and rice milk. I topped it with some grape nuts cereal and goji berries:

Mid morning I made a green-ish juice with 2 apples, 4 small carrots, celery, cucumber, cos lettuce and ginger:

Lunch was leftover roasted veggies (red pepper, courgette, aubergine, red onion) mixed with some barley couscous to which I had added a little vegetable bouillon powder, garlic infused extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. I served it on top of a big pile of spinach and lettuce and added some spicy roasted chickpeas on top for added protein and crunch. I also had a bowl of cherries:

This was delicious, I wouldn’t have usually gone for couscous but as I’m trying to get those wholegrain carbs in I’m glad I gave it ago. I was really stuffed but I know my body needs it.

Mid afternoon I snacked on a couple of my leftover cookies from the freezer:

Dinner was two small portobello mushrooms topped with half a Beetroot and Lentil Pattie which had been fried in coconut oil then topped with sweet chilli jam and cheezly mozzarella vegan cheese and grilled. I also had some parsnip chips, roast broccoli and steamed purple kale:

Fab meal,I just loved the loaded mushrooms! Dessert was a bowl of chocolate Freedom Frozen Dessert. I had bought this a while ago and it has been sitting in the freezer. Its free from dairy and soy and made brown rice flour, coconut oil and sweetened with sweet freedom fruit based sweetener:

It tasted really delicious, and even better I know that I’m not going to have a sugar crash afterwards! I also have a tub of vanilla to try, can’t wait!

This morning I was off to the gym for it opening. I ate an orange and 2 raspberry fruit yoyo for a little fuel:

I decided that I need to start increasing my running in preparation for getting back out on the streets when the weather gets warmer and for my Great North Run training. I did 6.6 miles in 1 hour on the treadmill, changing up the speed and incline every 5 minutes to try and combat boredom! I also did 10 minutes on each of the cross trainer, bike and step machine for a very sweaty 1hr30 minute workout. I have to say I was totally buzzing after this!

Breakfast was a bowl of carob oat and quinoa porridge with berries and peanut butter. I used half a cup of oats, 1/4 cup of quinoa flakes, 1 cup of rice milk and 1 cup of water, plus the carob powder and some sweet freedom for this fab bowl of deliciousness!

We were straight off out after this as we were meeting up with J’s family for his Sisters birthday. Here’s a quick OOTD:

Coat: Monsoon, vest top: Topshop, cardigan: Peacocks, treggings: Dorothy Perkins, boots: Peacocks, chain bag: Topshop, scarf: Next.

Yes I am a high street queen! In town I snacked on a Berry trek bar to keep me going:

Then we hit the Chinese Buffet! I had two big plates filled with crispy fried greens, fried noodles, stir fried veggies and chilli potato wedges:

I proper stuffed myself, my eyes are always to big for my belly at these places!

To be honest I’m feeling pretty yukky from that food, I currently have a big pot of organic green tea on the go to try and make me feel a bit better. I’ve also snacked on a couple of chopped apples with cinnamon and maca:

After everything that’s been discussed in my Finding Balance post hopefully you should be able to see from my eats that I’ve been increasing my wholegrain carbs and nut butter a bit and making my two ‘main’ meals more equal sized, rather than one being very light. I have had to eat sometimes when I haven’t felt hugely hungry but I know that I need to do that occasionally. I know its only been a few days, and that I’ve been out of my usual routines but I feel like I’m finding a good balance, at least for the moment!

Tomorrow I have a mega to do list before going back to work on Monday but I know that getting things done will make the rest of the week a lot less stressful in the long run.

Well I am off to drink more tea, still feeling yukky! Does anyone else end up overdoing it at those buffet style restaurants? To be honest since going veggie I’m not as bothered by them, but on the plus side they have all the vegetarian dishes well marked which I find really useful.

Hope your all having a fab weekend, I’ll catch you tomorrow - I have a fun fashion post planned! :-)

Hi everyone, hope you are having a very pleasant Sunday! I’ve barely left the house all weekend which has suited me fine, especially as we have had a couple of rain storms! We’ve just had an HD box installed so today we have enjoyed watching the London Marathon and the Bahrain Grand Prix in high definition. Its been a great weekend of sport!

One of my apple and cinnamon hot cross buns toasted with vegan spread and cherry jam plus Earl Grey tea enjoyed while watching the London Marathon

Luckily, I got my run in yesterday morning when the weather was quite pleasant. I did my old 10k route without the garmin again and it was brilliant! I know I was very slow in comparison to how I was, but I just want to enjoy my running and not worry about that this time round. After my run I made a big tutti fruity smoothie with added spinach and some raw tamari ‘roasted’ almonds, goji berries and maple syrup on top:

Delish! I’ve also enjoyed some tempeh a couple of times this weekend, the more I have it the more I love it! I baked some on Friday night and had half with some stir fried pak choi, carrot and purple sprouting broccoli in a rich almond butter miso sauce:

Then yesterday I had the rest of it in a salad with a great dressing made from sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil:

Its a shame its so hard to get hold of, I’m going to have to stock up when I’m next at the health food shop. Today I had a serious craving for tahini and raisins so made some raw wraps with carrot wrapped in spring green leaves:

I haven’t had raw wraps in far too long, I love how fresh they taste!

This morning I decided to open my carton of Alpro Hazelnut milk and had some with a chopped apple and my favourite Dorset Cereals Simply Muesli:

It tasted good, I had been expecting it to be sweeter than it was and I’m glad it was more mellow. I guess it tastes a bit like the Almond and Hazelnut Rice milk which is good in my book!

Snacks wise, I’ve been enjoying the usual weekend green juices with some pak choi added to the cucumber, celery and ginger base as well as rice cakes topped with sunflower seed butter and bee pollen, apples and dark chocolate left over from Easter:

I made up some peanut flour into a dip for the dark chocolate, heaven!

When I found some aubergine in the reduced bin last week I immediately thought of a recipe I’ve had on my list to try for a while now. Caponata is a Sicilian vegetable side dish traditionally made with aubergine, tomatoes and vinegar. I had saved a recipe for a version of a caponata a while back which included celery, pine nuts and currants in the ingredients and I thought it sounded delicious! I decided to put my own twist on the dish, reducing the oil, using a sugar alternative and bulking it up with some green lentils for added protein to make it more suitable as a main meal:

Caponata with Lentils (vegan, makes 2 very generous servings)

• 1/2 cup of green lentils, cooked (or 1 tin drained)
• 1 tin or carton of chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 onion (I used a whole one cause I love onions!)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 medium aubergine
• 3 stalks of celery
• 8 olives (I used kalamata)
• 6 dried prunes (or you could use another type of dried fruit)
• 2 tbsp capers (optional)
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tbsp of sugar / agave etc – I used sweet freedom
• Fresh basil to serve

Begin by toasting the pine nuts in a large pan or wok over a medium high heat. Once they have browned set aside. Dice the aubergine and using the same pan, add some oil and fry until browned then set aside. Chop your onion, mince the garlic and finely slice the celery. Add some more oil to the pan and fry the onions and garlic along with a little bit of salt to prevent burning. When they have softened add the celery and continue to fry for a few minutes. When that has softened add the aubergine back into the pan along with the chopped tomatoes and lentils. Chop the prunes and olives and add to the pan along with the capers, vinegar, Italian seasoning and sweetener. Simmer for a further 5 to 10 minutes then serve topped with the toasted pine nuts and fresh basil:

I served mine with brown rice and roasted cauliflower and broccoli but it would be just as tasty served with some crunchy brown bread. Its a unique mix of ingredients and flavours which I loved. I’d never had capers before and only used them because I had some in the cupboard but I think this would taste fine without them. Its the syrupy tomato sauce, sweet prunes and salty olives that make this dish for me. Absolutely delicious!

As well as watching TV I have actually been semi productive ;-) I’ve recipe tested some easy cookies and microwave cakes for my next healthy eating workshop with young people. I loved them and they passed the James approval test so we should be good to go! I also went and bought the ingredients I needed plus baking trays, measuring cups and spoons. I’ve also made a fantastic and unusual recipe with some of this Burgen Sunflower and Chia Seed Bread I’d been sent to try:

Watch this space!

How has your weekend been? Do you enjoy watching sport on TV? I guess we all better get used to it with the Olympics approaching! Have you ever eaten Caponata?

I’ve just come in from Yoga which was brilliant again. We did a full sun salute and quite a few other postures which were pretty challenging but at least I can feel my muscles really working hard.

I started the day with Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred, for some reason I find Level 3 easier than Level 2!

Breakfast was super tasty: plum and dried fig protein porridge containing:

• 1/2 cup of rude health fruity date porridge
• 1/2 cup of soy milk
• 1/2 cup of water
• 4 tablespoons of liquid egg whites
• 2 chopped plums
• 2 chopped dried figs
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• a drizzle of agave syrup

Yum! So tasty and filling this was delicious! I’m loving the dried figs sent to me from Goodness Direct they are gorgeous – sweet but not as sweet as dates so you get a nice balance.

Lunch was some lentil and root vegetable stew with some steamed kale.

I steamed the kale at work in the microwave by adding some water to the plastic zip lock bag I’d brought the kale to work in, then punching a few holes in a the top of the bag and cooking for 30 seconds – this gave me perfectly steamed kale! I also had a sliced nectarine and some watermelon I had picked up from the reduced section on my break.

Mid afternoon snackies were two apples – one giant coxes apple and a braeburn plus a 9 Bar Original.

I’ve just finished devouring this bowl of heaven that is a tutti fruity smoothie topped with cinnamon and goji berries.

So so good. I’ve also just ate a big fat russet apple, my tummy is now happy!

I’m going to leave you with a pic of what I’m currently lusting after:

Hooded ‘leather’ bomber jacket from Topshop - £52.

I have a hooded leather jacket, as just seen here:

I bought it last year and its probably my favourite thing in my wardrobe, I just love it. Unfortunately its a size 14 and I am now a size 10. Although I still wear it, it is becoming a little too baggy looking. I’m thinking of ebaying it to someone who will hopefully love it as much as I do!

Do you have a favourite item in your wardrobe that you love above everything else? What is it?

I need to write myself a new wish list ready for when I get paid, I went a little off track last month and although I got most things on my list I ended up getting lots of other stuff and having to leave some things such as a hair cut and a slow cooker until next month!

Hope all your weeks are going well, bring on the weekend!