Hey everyone, I hope your weeks have all got off to a good start.
Yesterday we had to go to a funeral down in Southampton, and didn’t get home until about 8pm. But today has been back to normal, thankfully.
At the weekend I bought some of the new Meridian nut butters- Almond and peanut. They are lovely! I tried to make some apricot and almond jam (from my Superjam cookbook) but I think I overcooked it as it has set very solid!
Andy had bought some hot cross buns as Grand Prix snacks, so I toasted one for lunch on Sunday with some peanut butter, and put some of the jam on one side (you can see how solid the jam was!). Plus apricots and doughnut peach (from Asda- so delicious).
I have also been loving it for breakfast on overnight muesli. This one had strawberries and blueberries as well as chia seeds, muesli and almond milk. Today I had a similar one with a peach in there too.
I posted this the other day but it was sooooo good! Sourdough toast, nut butter and then blueberry sauce (made with blueberries, a splash of water and a tsp coconut sugar cooked in a pan until bubbly).
When I was in town on Saturday I saw this peanut butter ice cream in M&S- Andy had mentioned before that he wanted to try it, so I bought some as a treat. Then I realised that I had parked in Waitrose and also needed to pop in there so I had to do some speedy walking and shopping so I could get home before it would melt!
It is such delicious ice cream- the best peanut butter stuff I have tried in England (and I have tried a few…)- the peanut butter swirl was quite salty so I have had it with fresh strawberries (these are from the allotment) and a sliced peach. At least because it is so rich we only need a small amount- we have already had two servings each and there is still quite a bit left in the pot.
Today I went on a short run after work. I bumped into some of the Sweatshop runners (there is a beginners course on Tuesdays and I found out at the weekend that some of the Wednesday group have been volunteering as sweeper runners on Tuesdays)- they did invite me to join them but I want to save my legs for tomorrow. I actually had really stiff legs today which surprised me. I appreciate a rest day after a long run, but often find the first run back tough as I think my legs prefer to keep moving. Normally I would have a more “active” rest day (with a walk or the allotment or something) but that couldn’t happen yesterday of course.
Sadly no nut butter in my dinner! I have made 3 more lots of this for lunch this week. I sliced a big pack (350g) cherry tomatoes and put them in a tray with some balsamic, dried basil and a little salt. I then left them in a low oven for nearly an hour (I had a shower and Andy cooked his dinner). I cooked some quinoa and then served it with beetroot, avocado and some basil tofu.I poured over the tomato/ balsamic juices which were delicious. Mozzarella would have gone well with it too, or some fresh basil, but I didn’t have either of those.
A while ago I was sent some ZMA vitamins from Activate Nutrition. It is a supplement with zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6, and it is designed to help people recover from workouts as often people are deficient in these minerals and vitamins. You can read more about it here.
The directions were to take two about half an hour before bed, and I quite liked that as I got into a bit of a routine. Normally I have a multivitamin every other day as a top-up, but I do often forget as I am rushing about in the morning. I am not sure I felt much of an effect, but I never feel that supplements like this can do any harm. (I have not taken my multivitamin on the same days to make sure that I don’t get an overload).
Do you have supplements or just rely on your diet?
Do you have a favourite nut butter? I much prefer the drippy ones, and the 100% nut ones, so we often make a trip top Sainsbury’s as it is the only place that sells the pb&co stuff. I used to buy the big tubs of Meridian stuff in Holland and Barrett, but it used to get really solid near the bottom of the tub so I have stopped. I thought they had just re-branded their packaging, but I think they might have blended them up a bit more as I have had a stir around in the jar and it seems drippy all the way to the bottom.
Oh my love for all things peanut butter and nut butters is well documented, I now refuse to buy peanut butter but my particular and personal favourite is almond nut butter … if I buy a jar be sure it will be gone in a day 😉
I try not rely on multivitamin supplements but I try listen to my body & know when I need to take iron water or pop a Berocca a day for a few day. I do try take a daily glucosamine sulphate & fish oil supplement … with my joints I’d rather err on the side of caution.
I used to take glucosamine for a bit, but have not taken it for a while- need to check they haven’t expired!
I’ve got through 2 jars of Meridian cashew butter in the last week!! :-S It tastes so sweet, I love it, usually just by the spoonful, but sometimes mashed with banana & cocoa powder, mmm!
The peanut butter ice cream looks delicious, I was in M&S food when I went work clothes shopping on Saturday but obviously didn’t look properly…will have to get some next time I go into Exeter 🙂
I have not had the cashew butter in ages! Might get some when the almond butter runs out- I love mashing peanut butter and cocoa with a banana, but have never tried it with a different nut butter.
I am such a nut butter fiend, the Meridian almond and Original Peanut Butter Co are my favourites! They are so good with everything, almond butter and sweet potato fries is divine. That peanut butter ice cream looks great – must check it out!
Love your photo 🙂
I love almond butter but my current favourites are hazelnut and sunflower seed butter! I take a vegan algae omega and vitamin d everyday, sometimes I take a b complex or a sports multi. When I am training a lot I take rhodiola/ginseng. I’m sick at the minute so taking extra vitamin C and Zinc.
Hope you feel better soon.
Sunflower seed butter is lovely too- have not had that in ages but the Carley’s stuff is wonderful.
Love love LOVE the meridian drippy almond butter! And it just seems to go with everything, savoury or sweet 🙂 Also love the look of the peanut butter ice cream, definitely may find that it works its way into the trolley when I’m next in M&S 😉 Definitely with you on the 100% nut butters, why put anything else in when it clearly doesn’t need it!
Yeah the cheapy ones with oil and sugar and other things are not as good, but basically they are cheaper to produce I suppose.
I’m not actually a huge fan of nut butters. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy them when I have them but I never crave them or really fancy them. I’m baffled by the amount of love they get through the blogisphere but I guess I’m just an oddity! If I had to choose I’d probably go for the whole nuts…but then once I start I tend to not be able to stop :-S
I don’t take any supplements either, I tend to rely on my diet and hope for the best haha.
Gasp! 😉
I don’t love (or even like) coffee which is another blogger thing- esp iced coffees in the summer. I do like normal nuts too, but you can’t spread them on toast!
Yum, I love nutbutters. I tried peanut butter ice cream recently and fell in love! 🙂
It is so good! We had Ben and Jerry’s in the US which is lovely, and the one they have here is OK but it has a weird jam core which is super sweet and not so nice. The M&S one is superb 🙂
Peanut butter ice cream?! I know what I’ll be making next in my ice cream machine! 🙂
Almond butter wins every time, love it!