Category: Stuff I love!

Frazzled brain

So, I can’t think what to call this post! This week has seemed even more busy than usual- visiting my Mum at the hospital/ calling her in the evenings on top of a normal working week has made it more tiring than usual. Thanks for the wishes also- I don’t want to go in to details but she is awaiting an operation at the moment (a year after I had mine, although for something different) and alright.

I have a load of random photos which have been hanging around on the camera for ages, so this is going to be a random post.

This is my favourite pre-Sweatshop run snack at the moment- 2 fruit ryvitas with nutella and that biscuit spread, plus an Earl Grey tea. I was pleased to see the unsweetened almond milk in Waitrose at the weekend, so I picked this up to try, but before that I have been on an Alpro light phase.

I made some tofu/pumpkin bakes the other week, and have been working my way through these. I have put recipes for variations of these before. These ones were 1 block of silken tofu, 2/3 tin pumpkin puree, some sundried tomatoes and a little basil oil whizzed up. Then I mixed in 75/100g quinoa (dry weight, cooked in water), some beetroot and a drained tin of artichokes. I might have added a tsp of pesto in there too. I do often add in spinach too, but I didn’t have any this time.

Anyway, I put them in the foil trays (although I had one right away, so that went in a glass dish) and then I can freeze them, and they are super easy midweek meals.

Does not look like much, but the tofu makes it so creamy, and the sundried tomatoes add a little zing to the flavour. The artichokes were a new addition but they add a bit of saltiness and I really liked them in there.

I noticed this apple and cinnamon granola the other week, so I decided to treat myself. I had it for breakfast at the weekend with a chopped apple and a tea- it was lovely and quite American tasting if that makes sense? Maybe all the cinnamon.

I had a rest day on Monday, after the speedy run on Sunday with Andy, and just did a short run on Tuesday to get my legs going. The Sweatshop run last night was super tough- I have not looked at my Garmin time yet, but I bet it was one of the fastest ones. No-one slower than me turned up, so it was me at the back with the guy from the shop. He is very encouraging, but he does not let you slow down for a moment! My legs were so stiff by the time I had run home and had a shower. I had a couple of delicious Booja Booja ginger truffles as my dessert (lovely Christmas pressie from Lucy), as I am sure they are the perfect recovery food! Tonight I am going to book on to pump, but my shoulder is still not 100%, plus I am totally exhausted after being on a school trip all day, so I am not going to be back to my normal weights.

How has your week been going? What school trips did you enjoy when you were younger?

 

Alibi winner and a speedy run!

Hey all, I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

First up, the winner of the month’s supply of Alibi drinks.

I was a bit more high tech this time; I used a random number generator on the internet (and had to work out which number matched which comment as some people put their facebook entry in the same comment- which is fine), and got number 2, which was Lara! Congratulations! If you can just email me the address you would like it sent to, then I will let them know.

Right, on with the weekend.

I was planning on having a run on Saturday morning, but Andy said that he would go with me if I waited until Sunday (he was off to football on Saturday) and I am really glad that I did. Saturday did not turn out as planned as I ended up visiting my Mum in hospital (she has been in and out recently), so I had to put back my work to Sunday afternoon too.  I did manage a bit of baking- I made some pecan crumble bars using this recipe.

I added in some coconut too- they are ready for Sunday tea in a bit. Andy had something similar in the tearoom in Stratford last weekend, and I fancied having a go at making something similar.

My shoulder has been loads better too- I feel like I have to be careful doing certain things (eg opening the garage door) but generally it is fine now. Still no idea how I did it (or what I did) but at least it is nearly normal again now.

Right, onto the run. We did the usual 8.3 mile loop- Andy knows that I have been getting faster, and also am prone to plodding when left to my own devices. He promised to slow down a bit, and although parts were tough, it was really great- we chatted most of the way (he had to chat on the hills!)- it does mean I am getting behind with my marathon talk listening! We did the loop in 80 mins, and usually my average for that loop is around 90 mins! Look, I can post my stats from the Garmin website: (split, average speed, distance, time)

1 9:59.4 1.00 10:00
2 9:47.2 1.00 9:47
3 10:00.5 1.00 10:01
4 9:53.4 1.00 9:54
5 9:37.0 1.00 9:37
6 9:30.4 1.00 9:30
7 9:45.7 1.00 9:46
8 9:32.0 1.00 9:32
9 2:42.2 0.29 9:16
Summary 1:20:47.8 8.29 9:45

I did find some of the hills tough, but no more than usual (probably)- it proves to me that the Brighton half was not a freak incident, and I really am starting to speed up a bit.

I sure needed breakfast when I got home!

I made the batter the night before (20g peanut flour, 20g w’g spelt flour, baking powder, 40g pumpkin, 60ml soya milk) and then cooked a chopped apple and pear in some coconut oil and sugar, and then stirred in some meridian mincemeat (my last jar). Plus teapigs chocolate flake tea.

Delicious.

Plus, the sun came out! I treated myself to some tulips yesterday as they are one of my favourite flowers, and they looked so pretty in the sunlight. I really hope Spring is around the corner now.

Have you seen any signs of Spring recently? We saw loads of snowdrops and crocus flowers out, and I saw a rabbit too!

Alibi giveaway!

First up, thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my Brighton half recap post- I am still grinning when I think about it. If anyone is tempted by a half marathon then I would strongly recommend it. The run was pretty flat, and at least the slope/hill was at the start (and it wasn’t that steep), the scenery was lovely by the sea, the race starts at 9am (I prefer earlier rather than later as you don’t spend the whole day doing the race), and Brighton is a lovely place to visit for the weekend too.

Since then, my legs have been pretty sore. I put on a lot of the Deep Freeze cream, as that really does help, but they were still pretty stiff. I had a day of work (and lunch out) on Monday, and had that as a rest day. On Tuesday I went out for a gentle run before breakfast, and that really did help my legs, as they were much less stiff after.

Yesterday I went to have my hair cut, did some work at home, and then went to the Sweatshop run in the evening. I have no idea how far we ran because when I went to start my Garmin it told me to hold to save the previous run, but I just pressed start, and by the time I realised I was already running, and it was dark, so it added it on to the previous run, but I didn’t start it for around a mile I think. Anyway, I lost the front runners, but could see the middle runners ahead, and had the guy from the shop with a couple of newer people behind me. I thought I knew the route, but when I got back near the shop the guy from the shop (who I thought was behind me) ran towards me from the shop, and then all the other runners appeared from different directions! It was a bit confusing- I think no-one was 100% sure of the route so all the little groups went their own way! Ah well, it was still good. And the guy who ran with us told me how much faster I have been getting too (not the same guy as last time). It is nice to hear that, and now I have the half marathon time it sort of proves that I actually am speeding up. Hopefully that will continue!

Right, on to the giveaway! A while ago I sampled some Alibi, which is a sparkling drink fortified with vitamins and herbal extracts. I quite liked the flavours (pomegranate or lime)- they are pretty refreshing.

Anyway, one reader (UK based) can win a months supply of Alibi drinks, delivered to your doorstep. All you have to do is leave a comment saying why you would like to win them. The winner will be chosen at random, next weekend (2nd March). You can get an extra entry by liking my facebook page, and leaving a comment to say you have done that.

Good luck!

Perfect hot chocolate and a giveaway

So when I got home from work on Friday I was super tired, but I went out on a run for two reasons- I needed my third Jantastic run of the week, and I like a run after body pump as it helps loads with reducing stiffness. I did a short and fairly quick 2 miles, and that was enough for me!

The temperature had really dropped though, it really was very cold! I think I underestimated how cold I would get, and got quite chilly in the evening after dinner. Hot chocolate was the solution, and I have now the perfect method for it.

Yum, so frothy! I heat the milk in a little jug in the microwave (I use some kind of alpro light stuff), and then put the chocolate in the bottom of a mug (I use Montezuma’s hot chocolate, which is chocolate shavings, but small chocolate chips would work just as well) and pour a little of the warm milk on top. Then whisk it up with an aerolatte (or a mini whisk) until the chocolate melts and the milk froths up. Then pour over the rest of the warm milk.

Perfection.

This morning I went out on an 11 mile run. I did it in just over 2 hours, and I felt OK and a few times decided to go a bit faster for half a mile or so.

My legs were a little stiff when I got home, so post shower I tried out the Deep Freeze gel I was sent. It felt cool at first, but after a couple of minutes the iciness came through- a lot! It had quite a clinical smell, but not as strong as the Deep Heat. Hopefully it will help with the stiffness a little.

Right, on to the giveaway. I was sent a little parcel of goodies for my blog a while ago, from Jamie, to help with fitness and motivation and goals.

So, I have a little giveaway with a couple of the items from the parcel. The Hairy Dieters Cookbook, and some Clipper Green Tea (I love the range of Clipper Teas- my favourites being their Earl grey and their Apple and Ginger).

I love watching the Bakers/ Bikers, and they lost a lot of weight by making sensible swaps and cutting down on portion sizes etc. The book is jam packed with healthier versions of meals; breakfasts, soups, curries, casseroles, tagines, lunch ideas, and even a little sample meal plan. A lot of them are meaty ideas, but you could easily sub them for a substitute and keep the sauce/ flavours the same I would think. It has some fab reviews on amazon, so if you fancy winning it, all you need to do is leave me a comment, saying what meal/ food you would love to be healthified. Mine would be caramel shortcake.

UK people only please, and you can get an extra entry by liking my page on facebook, or by linking to this on your blog. Leave me a comment to say if you have done these things too (or put it all in one comment- I will just write your name on more than one piece of paper, as I am all technical like that).

Over to you!

It will close next Friday, and I will pick a winner next weekend.

Snowy weekend, and less than 100%

Yep, I can’t not mention it I am afraid. So I will try to be brief.

Friday evening:

Keeping warm with a hot chocolate (swapped this mug with some smaller ones which are now at work instead). Got a bit of a cold.

Saturday morning:

Pumpkin Pancakes (made with peanut flour so they basically fell apart)-plus cooked apple and some meridian mincemeat- plus teapigs chocolate tea for a late breakfast.

Opening a parcel from the blogging team at confused.com for me to use for the blog- giveaways for some of the items will be coming up at some point.

Saturday afternoon:

Making chocolate covered mango with some yummy urban fruit mango.

Eating a lot of the mango while Andy cleared a lot of the parking area outside.

(This was Sunday morning, when the snow started and had begun to cover where he cleared- although you can see a lot of what he cleared...)

I also helped Andy for about half an hour with the sweeping of the snow- we ended up with 3 piles as the area is communal so we have to move it right to the edge so it is not in the way of any of the parking spaces.

Going on a snowy walk (mainly to see the state of the pavements).

Pavements near us were not good!

To be fair, neither was the road.

Frozen pond (usually has fountains running in it too).

Later Saturday afternoon:

Baking a carrot cake (used the recipe from the new Leon book- a pretty healthy recipe, using a little oil- I used hazelnut- plus agave nectar, wholegrain flour, carrots, coconut, spices…).

Saturday night:

Enjoying a slice of the carrot cake (topped with a little icing made with orange juice and icing sugar).

Sunday morning:

Went out on a snowy run. The pavements were OK on Saturday- they had been cleared and gritted, and my cold was loads better, so I decided to do a short run to get my third of the week (so not 100% for week too, boo)- instead of the 10 miles planned. Ah well. It was fun- the snow was coming down while I was running, and I ended up looping around the same bit several times- I ended up running next to my first lot of foot prints so it looked like someone had jumped along with their feet next to each other. It amused me, anyway. That photo was when I got back, and the bit that we cleared on Saturday was covered completely!

Cranberry pecan swirl for breakfast after a shower to warm up.(Yes, I did a lot of baking this weekend!). I used this recipe, but divided it into 9, so I made 2 generous ones.

Sunday evening:

Deep heat on my back- one side was really sore and I can only think it was from sweeping up all the snow on Saturday- pointless as it turned out to be!

Monday:

Spent the day working as my school was closed (I was very relieved as the roads around here were not gritted)- I usually have planning time on a Monday so I did that at home instead.

Late in the afternoon I needed some fresh air, so I went for a run. The pavements were awful! They seemed to be cleared in short places (the business park by me usually clears them as they have these little mini truck things), but then not in others. So I was jumping over piles of snow, running through inches of slush- my socks were wet through and my feet were freezing by the time I got home. 4 miles was quite enough! Luckily the deep heat can be used on chillblains too. The snow went past my ankles (I don’t think the picture shows it very well)- and more snow below that was compacted! Anyway, at least the roads were clear so driving tomorrow will be fine once I get off my road, as it still is covered in compacted snow and ice.

I also made some foccacia bread (from the Hairy Bakers book) and roasted up some butternut squash and sweet potato, for some soup.

Soup and warm bread = a perfect dinner after a run in the snow.

So, to sum up, my weekend was a bit like my Jantastic team (which are all awesome by the way)- filled with running, baking, and now a long blog!

Bye 🙂