Post work run

Again it has been so hot! After work I had a bit of a cocoa Nak’d bar (was too hot to eat it all) and loads of water. My new shorts have arrived (got them from wiggle) and I was feeling brave so I tried them out on my run today. When I started running it was baggy tops and old combat trousers all the way, but last year I discovered Ron Hill stuff and realised that not all running gear has to be skin tight or non-existent. I have become more confident and am happy wearing vest tops whereas before I preferred t-shirts. I have some cropped trousers, and recently some Capri pants, but in this heat they are both too hot still. So with water bottle in hand I went outside. My legs would glow in the dark they are so pale, so I think I must have been a sight, especially by the end (bright red face is back, contrasting nicely with see-through legs). I did just under 6 miles around the lakes (very peaceful except the bit where I was bothered by a dog- I say bothered as it was an old dog and wasn’t really chasing me, but rather kept half running into me and changing direction right at the last minute and it was totally ignoring the people calling it) and was home in 57 minutes so for this heat not too shabby. Plus the shorts kept me cooler, and I didn’t feel too exposed wearing them (it’s these ones http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/run/8/Ronhill_Ladies_Aspiration_Flexlite_Short_SS10/5360049910/).

For dinner I had a new bake;

(this made 4 portions which I froze in foil tubs ready for defrosting when I fancy one):

80g Quinoa, Dry

150g Courgette,

80g Onions, Red,

120g Peppers, red

240g Spinach, Raw,

1 Can/220g Beans, Black Eyed, Canned, Drained,

400g Tomatoes, Chopped,

I cooked the onion first, then added the pepper, courgette, and some garlic. I rinsed the quinoa, added the chopped tomatoes and quinoa, then drained the black beans and added them too along with some water. At the end I put the spinach in a bit at a time as it takes a while to wilt down. I think I added some paprika too, next time I might add some basil, or maybe some chilli would be nice to make it a sort of spicy bean thing. It just cooked for maybe 15 minutes until the quinoa had gone all squiggly.

Anyway tonight I had that with some butternut squash, beetroot and beans (green- all the b’s).Delish!

Not sure what I will have later but will surely have some tasty tea later on.

Hot aerobics, cool dessert

Woah aerobics was hot last night! I was really looking forward it is as the last 2 weeks have been missed (one was after my half marathon and last week the dreaded ofsted). I spent the afternoon in the M25 roadworks so I felt the need to leap about. It was so warm in the room, even though the air-con was on it was only dribbling out, so by the end we were all dripping (gross sorry!).

Onto other things; nectarines are featuring a lot for breakfast at the moment. The Fru-grains which I bought on a whim in Holland and Barrett (cereal made of dried fruits, flour and a few other things- they look like flake or bits of wood but are really crunchy and tasty) are going very well sprinkled on yoghurt and nectarine.

I also made some more fake frozen yoghurt last night. This one was a frozen banana (slice before freezing otherwise it is a nightmare to fit in the mini chopper), a pot of provamel chocolate, and a squeeze of agave. It was so good but very bananary- the banana was very ripe before I froze it. I had it with some home-grown strawberries- delish!

Back in the game

After work yesterday I was very keen to have a run to get back in the game! I waited until about half 5 so it was a little cooler (not much!) and then went for a short 2.8 mile run. It took me about 27 minutes but for a couple of minutes I had to walk because I had such a bad stitch. I haven’t had a stitch in ages; I think I had drunk too much water before I went out. Aside from that it was a pretty normal day. I did have a lovely evening snack; a pot of caramel soya, a sprinkle of treacle granola and a tablespoon of a flaxseed mix. I picked it up on Saturday and it’s made of ground flax seeds (good for those omega 3’s), cocoa powder and dried strawberries and blueberries. I mixed it in a bit and it made the dessert all thick. It would be delicious with some fresh strawberries in it. Yesterday there was one ripe strawberry to pick so I didn’t save it!

Chocolate hazelnut cupcakes


So after my lack of run yesterday I was missing the lake, so I went for a nice walk around the lakes this morning, but it was so hot! I tried to do some gardening but in the midday sun there is no shade- all I managed to do was pot on a new strawberry plant, plant some beans (something has eaten the other ones I planted) and pick some strawberries.
So today I have been inside, watching the grand prix, the football (yes it was a goal but Germany were the better team so I am not moaning!) and making some cupcakes. It has been ages since I made some, so I had a look in the Hummingbird Bakery book and decided to try out the chocolate hazelnut ones. Basically they are chocolate cupcakes, with icing made with nutella (or generic chocolate hazelnut spread). They are so good! I decorated them with some hazelnuts too, and tried to make the icing look all swirly. Took them around for family tea and they were enjoyed by all so I would recommend this recipe, yum.

I also made some more fake frozen yoghurt; this time I used 80g frozen mango chunks and mixed with a small pot of mango yoghurt- so yummy! It looks like frozen yoghurt and has the lovely thick texture of it. I think that vanilla soya desserts would also be good to mix in instead of yoghurt, so I might try that soon.

Bad bad run, fun food shopping

Apologies for not being around this week. It was going to be fab- I was going to have a short run after work Monday, aerobics after a late meeting on Tuesday, get up early for a run Wednesday before work (so I could leave and watch the second half of the England match- then out for celebration meal with work in the evening), body pump Thursday and a rest on Friday. What actually happened was this: Monday break-time we all got called into the staffroom- Ofsted were on their way for Wednesday and Thursday. Cue being at work from 7am, not leaving til 7pm, plus lots to do at home too. (As an aside this is not because our plans etc are rubbish, but Ofsted expect perfection- they may only observe for 10 minutes but in that 10 minutes expect to see everything!- also I usually have PPA time (time out the class for planning etc) but this was taken away so the children had continuity of teachers- so more lessons to plan for than usual. Plus I get everything ready in advance instead of leaving some things until the morning just in case!). That was a long bracket! So anyway all the runs and classes went out the window, and the week was full of work, worry and little else!

So this morning I was really looking forward to a run. I had breakfast as usual, a big drink of water and headed out. After ten minutes I had to stop to cross a road and felt so dizzy all of a sudden I had to hold on to the push the button post thing. Not good, but it went away so I carried on. Five minutes later I got to the park and felt so bad I sat on a low fence. I was feeling more and more dizzy and in the end sat on the grass for 5 minutes, drinking more water and trying to get the normal feeling back into my legs. At that point I knew I had to cut my run short, there was no way I was going any further. I then did a combo of walking/ slow jogging/ stopping until I got home. It really was the most awful run I have ever had. I think it must have been a combination of being a little dehydrated (it was so hot at work and although I have been drinking more water than usual it is maybe not quite enough), plus the stress of the past week. When I got home I was all clammy and had to sit with my head between my legs for a while. I had some coconut water as I thought it would do me good as it’s good for re-hydration, and then a cool shower. All day I have still been feeling dizzy, I have drunk so much water today and tried to take it easy, so fingers crossed I will feel better tomorrow.

On the plus side I have finally added the photos from the last few weeks (although not sure how to get the ones off my phone so may take some more next time I make bread).

I also popped to the shops and had a spending spree on healthy food! A post-ofsted treat! Holland and Barrett were doing buy one get one half price so I stocked up on coconut water (including some flavoured ones- mango and peach, and pineapple).

I also tried out a new health food shop (http://www.naturalhealthwelwyn.co.uk/store/ ) and got a few treats including rainforest nut butter (brazil, cashew and some other nut- have seen it on the net but never in a shop). I was impressed with the shop; from the outside it looked like a supplement shop, which normally puts me off, but inside it had a big selection of groceries; cereals, cooking things like maple syrup, agave, pesto etc, snacks and treats, all the gluten free nak’d bars (hooray! including gingerbread so I got a couple!!), and even a fridge and freezer section. They also sold tempeh which I have been reading about (it’s a soya protein but higher in protein than tofu), I think I will look up some recipes before I buy it though. Although when I paid the lady asked if I had a loyalty card and I said no. I am not wondering how you get one and maybe I should have asked! Silly me!

This evening I have made some peanut butter and white chocolate cookies (with some agave instead of caster sugar)- they are very gooey at the moment but I love chewy cookies so am hoping they will be ok. I also got very hot in the kitchen making a vegetable quinoa bake for the freezer (onion, pepper, courgette, spinach, tomato, quinoa, black beans, sundried tomato, herbs- all mixed up in a pan and simmered) so I had a walk too to cool down . Fingers crossed I am back to normal tomorrow!