Category: General ramblings

Christmas teapot!

Hey peeps, I hope you are all well.

We had a lovely weekend in Kent, visiting plenty of National Trust places. On Friday afternoon we went to Chartwell where Winston Churchill lived- for an interesting look around and some cake for lunch then on to Ightham Mote for a look around before heading to our B&B. On Saturday morning the weather looks good so we went to The White Cliffs of Dover for a lovely walk- we didn’t quite make it all the way to the lighthouse (2 miles away) as it looked like it would rain, but we ended up staying dry. We shared some cake in the tea room, and then headed to Canterbury for the afternoon as the weather had predicted rain. We did stop for a drink in Starbucks in the afternoon and it poured with rain- good timing indeed, but it stayed dry for us. Our hotel for that evening was on a leisure park, so we went to Nando’s I was very impressed with their options (they do veggie burgers/ wraps etc)- we shared hummus and pitta bread to start, and then I had a lovely salad with green beans, avocado and seeds sprinkled all over. On Sunday morning we went to Bodiam castle (in the picture)- we had some delicious carrot cake in the tearoom. Then we went to Sissinghurst castle for a walk around the gardens before heading home. Kent is a great place to go as there were loads of other places we could have visited- we got value for our membership for sure!

It was lovely, and we were so lucky with the weather as on Thursday it had looked as if it would be a washout.

Also I bought myself a Christmas teapot! Andy actually pointed it out to me in a shop window- that was a mistake! I did look at it and think about it while we walked around the shops, but decided to treat myself.

Last week (at long last) I got myself some new trainers. I tried on a few pairs, but the updated version of the shoes I had already were very comfy, so I went for them.

I went for a run on Friday (we we left at lunch time) but I didn’t wear them as I was going on the fields and didn’t want them to get all muddy. On Monday after work I went for a 3.5 mile run, but annoyingly after around 2.5 miles they started to rub on my little toe of my left foot. It seems to be where they bend. This evening we went for a walk and I wore them and tried to lace them differently, but one shoe was still rubbing. Annoying- I shall have a look on google- I can swap them for another pair in the next month, but I don’t really want to do that!

Hope you are enjoying the 5th of November! We didn’t go to a fireworks display this year, but on our walk there were plenty going off- I love seeing them from a distance.

Cute clothes!

So if you follow my facebook page you might have seen my post the other day on the cute clothes I bought from Sainsbury’s:

They were selling all their clothes at 25% off, so on Wednesday I went to Sweatshop, came home, showered, had dinner and then popped out later on. Bonus- the shop was quiet. Negative point- the fitting rooms were closed.

I was looking at the jumpers- they had so many cool ones, but this penguin one grabbed me. It is super snuggly and soft fabric too. The owl gloves are fingerless gloves with a mitten pop over bit (no idea what that is called)- the owl is on that bit so they are going to cheer me up each time I see them. And the penguin PJ’s are just cool really.

The Sweatshop run was good. We were a bit thin on the ground- I think there were 8 of us? People are less keen to go out in the dark I think. I actually think it is better running with them in the winter as it feels safer running in a group, but that is just me perhaps. The route was 3.2 miles and I ran most of it with my brother (who missed our start time and had to sprint to catch up with us!), and then sped up at the end. Even though the front runners are super speedy, it is great because when we all get back to the shop they are waiting, and we have a chat about how we got on- I do enjoy the community aspect of it. I have a 10K in Brighton in a couple of weeks time, so I want to focus on shorter but faster distances as I would really love to get that sub hour 10K.

Bought any bargains recently?

A perfect autumnal day

This morning it was raining. Then it was drizzling, and the skies were grey. Not a hint of sunshine anywhere. But, it was such a great day.

After breakfast (delicious pumpkin porridge) I walked up to the allotment, and spent a good hour digging, weeding and chopping down plants. I even picked some sweetcorn that we have grown!

Once I was home, it was time to warm up and dry off a bit.

Then onto one of my favourite autumn tasks- making Christmas cakes! I make one for us, but also for our parents, so I had to cook them in two batches.

While they were baking (they take 2 hours) I got on with some housework, some work, and general pottering about.

I also made some orange and lemon/ passionfruit fairy cakes for work- more on that another day!

I have booked on to pump later, and before that I am planning on walking up to Sweatshop to get some new trainers, but that depends on when I take the final lot of Christmas cakes out of the oven.

What are you favourite drizzly day activities? Baking has to be up there for me, but I also love going out in it, because then coming home to a warm cup of tea just seems even better.

Melting chocolate

I love any recipe where I have to melt chocolate. There is a fantastic cookie recipe in the Hummingbird book where you melt dark chocolate and then stir in the rest of the ingredients, and I love making caramel shortcake as just melting the chocolate for the topping is so satisfying.

I was recently sent some goodies from Thorntons to use in my baking:

Some milk chocolate buttons (ideal for melting as they had extra cocoa butter in them), 85% dark chocolate, milk chocolate with orange and cardamom, and some chocolate marzipan (although I have just been eating this and not using it in anything!).

I used the milk chocolate buttons to make these caramel shortbreads. The chocolate melted so well- I think small buttons melt easier than big chunks anyway, but it did go really smooth.

Earlier in the week I made some fudge (as a thank you to the people who helped me raise money for The British Heart Foundation). I went for my peanut butter fudge recipe, with some almond extract, swapped dark chocolate chunks for the white chocolate, and topped with a few cocoa nibs for extra crunch.

The dark chocolate was quite bitter (in a good way), so it went with the sweet fudge really well. I have not used the orange and cardamom chocolate yet, but I can imagine that the flavours so well together, so maybe some sort of spiced orange loaf cake? I was impressed with the range of chocolates from Thorntons, I have not looked at their chocolate for ages, but they have some more unusual flavours now (they do one with salted pistachios, and dark chocolate with salted macadamias which I think sounds amazing) . You can see the dark chocolate available from Thorntons here.

What is your favourite chocolate recipe?

* In conjunction with Thorntons.

Guest Post- mixing vegetarianism with triathlons

Hi peeps,

Today I have a guest post for you all:

Vegetarianism and triathlons – a good combination?

Many people think that in order to be a successful sportsperson, you will have to be an ultimate carnivore, dining on meat whenever possible. However, as Martina Navratilova, Carl Lewis and British Olympic medallist Lizzie Armitstead prove, vegetarians have their place in the world of sport.

A triathlon is an incredible test of your endurance and an event that will push your body further than ever before. As a result, fuelling your body has never been more important and failing to do so correctly could seriously affect your performance.

Here’s everything you veggies need to know about triathlon nutrition:

Replace what is lost without meat

Meat provides a lot of the vital nutrients that our bodies need to function correctly. Once meat has been excluded from our diet, we need to find a substitute to keep us fit and healthy.

As you’re probably aware, meat is a great source of protein, which is vital for tissue repair, red blood cell development and keeping bones healthy. However, there are other ways of getting protein into our body without eating meat: milk, tofu, cheese, peanut butter – there is a wealth of options that can work.

Iron is also found in meat and is used to help transport oxygen around the body, reinforce the immune system and convert blood sugar into energy. As you will agree, keeping your iron levels correct will be key to the success of your triathlon. You can do this by eating foods like leafy green vegetables, wholegrain cereals, figs and lentils.

Focus on complex carbohydrates

You will need enough energy to see you through the test of your triathlon. Around 60 per cent of your triathlon nutrition should be made up of complex carbohydrates, as these take longer to be broken down by the body, and hence provide a slow release of energy. Complex carbohydrates include rice, pasta, bread and potatoes.

There’s no difference

If you carry out your vegetarian diet plan successfully, there is no reason why you can’t perform just as well as – or maybe even better than – non-vegetarians during the triathlon.

Once you have sorted yourself out internally, you’ll need to kit yourself out externally to optimise your performance. Invest in a pair of running shoes made from a breathable material with a thick, spongy sole. These will keep your feet comfortable and dry.

It’s also worth investing in some specially designed triathlon clothing. Have a look at the range at Activinstinct – their collection of compression clothing could help prevent muscle strain, keeping you safe during the triathlon. They also sell a range of triathlon wetsuits, which you will need for the swimming stage.

You can find out more information about a successful vegetarian diet plan here.

I was listening to the marathon talk podcast the other week, as Tom Williams (one of the presenters) was in Hawaii reporting on the Kona Ironman. A triathlon has never appealed to me as I am such a poor swimmer, but I can see how the cross training would benefit running, and completing something like an iron man must be such an amazing achievement. It is also interesting to see that more people are opting for vegetarian or vegan diets. A quick google search directed me to an article about Thad Beaty, who turned vegan, lost 70lbs and then completed Ironman Arizona to raise money for charity. Of course there are other famous vegan athletes like Brendan Brazier and Scott Jurek (I loved his recent book Eat and Run) – while I am not saying these diets are for everyone, I think it is great that there are people proving that you do not have to have the typical raw egg protein shake diets to build muscle and achieve at endurance sports.

Would you ever consider a triathlon (or have you completed one already?)?

How has your diet changed as you have got older?

Veggies/ Vegans- are there particular athletes you look up to?

*Contains sponsored links