Tag Archives: nutrition

Recreation and Resolutions

04 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by in Nutrition, Running

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2018 has been pretty good to me so far.  In January I started a temporary position with the Forestry Commission for HR Events running 20 transitional events across England’s woods and forests.  It’s a lovely environment to be in and I really hope that the job lasts long term.  It’s refreshing to be working within recreation.

The funny thing is working in recreation doesn’t mean one has all the time for the world for it.  I often leave early and come back late.  This means my activity has fallen by the wayside a little.  I do have to focus on making the best of this assignment though as I know it’ll be beneficial in my future.  They liked my like with parkrun and that I run events in my spare time.

I love events because I’m passionate about bringing something to peoples lives that will leave an impression.  A slice of time that people will walk away with that you helped personally deliver in their timeline.  It’s a wonderful feeling to know something that you’ve put together can have that affect on a person.

I’ve managed the odd morning run since, I’m still running one run a week.  Last week was an exception because a bad fall on the weekend meant it took my arm a long time to get back into running shape again.  I know it’ll be easier to get back into it once the light returns.

MMushrooms

At the very least I’ve been managing to eat right.  Nutrition is something that can fall by the wayside in office jobs with all that cake.  I’ve been bringing in fresh fruit salads, yogurt and Graze snacks.  I’ve made a habit of Sunday or Monday meal prep lunches.  Please feel free to share your favourite recipes for meal prep in the comments! Above Moroccan Mushrooms and couscous.  Below Greek Salad.

GreekSalad

Another of my favourite Sunday tasks is to Bullet Journal for the week ahead.  I like Bullet Journaling because it blends art with lists.  One of my resolutions for 2018 is to parkrun once a month.  I made this parkrun tracker to help me keep note of my parkruns.

parkrunbulletjournal

Happy running,

xxx

Eleanor

Grazing on the Go

20 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Nutrition, Product Review

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Running folk lead a busy lifestyle, that much is obvious.  We’re not just runners.  We tend to be trying to fit running around our day jobs, night jobs, weekend jobs, extra jobs, good will efforts, family commitments, friends and, well, eating.  A bunch of articles out there will tell you grazing is better than large meals, but finding a process that suits you is best, regardless of whatever diet is all the rage.

We like to do that.  Eat.  It’s hard to eat healthily though.  A lot of battle an emotional relationship with food.  As an ex bulimic I am no exception.  I have to battle the desire to down a whole packet or eight of Custard Creams in one sitting sometimes.  There are small things that can help such as a hoard of healthy snacks in the cupboard.

Enter the Graze box.  They’ve been sneaking onto the office desks of snack savvy workers for the past few years now.  Standard sized and bulk snack packs have even made their way to the shelves of Sainsbury’s so their popularity is on the rise.  I thought I’d reboot my subscription after another dip in my health meant that regular snacking was the only way I could really eat and I didn’t want it to be all chocolate since I couldn’t run as much.  Just some of it. 20171002_171851_001

I signed up for the Protein Box and it’s frankly lovely getting a box through the post every Monday.  Not a bill or a bit of junk mail.  A box of four snacks that you can carry in your handbag per day for your snack emergencies … we all have them.  That’s when that Kit Kat looks so pleasing.

A few favorites so far;

  • Cocoa and Vanilla Flapjacks – deliciously like rice chocolate crispie cakes with a
  • good blend of chocolate and grains.
  • Mississippi BBQ Pistachios – smoky and perfect for veggies that might miss a meat flavour, eaten in about ten seconds flat.  Shell first if taking for a run.
  • Salted Fudge and Peanut Cookie – suggest eating by the handful with a large cup of tea.  Delightfully moreish.
  • Cherry and Almond Bites with Green Tea – great combination.
  • Peanut Butter Dipper – great snack pack for studying, could use a larger box!
  • Honey and Lemon Protein Balls – fantastic for the on the run, just zip in a zip lock and go!

For the sake of a few quid each week which is, lets face it, the cost of a pint, the delight of having a box of treats isn’t much of a cost.  If you’re low on funds you can always find small packs of mixed fruits and nuts in every good supermarket section and decant into small pots or zip lock bags.  It’s quite nice working your way through all the snacks with Graze as you get to rate them so your box shouldn’t contain any you’re not keen on over time.  It’s all trial and error, it’s going well so far.

Happy Running,

xxx

Eleanor

Nutrition: Allergy Trial Cutting out Wheat and Lactose

31 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by in Nutrition

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So I did a full week of cutting out Lactose whilst I was away in Scotland and then had a cup of coffee with milk in it this morning as I’d forgotten to buy soya. Not only did it do horrendous things to me physically but I also didn’t like the taste of it and have no desire to have cows milk ever again.  I used to think soya in tea… gross.  Now it has to be soya in everything or it doesn’t taste right.  I would now rather have a black coffee or go without coffee than have coffee with milk in it. Long live soya! I’ll miss cheese the most and yoghurt but I won’t miss feeling like crap every day!  Luckily I’m alright with Feta Cheese so I can still have those scrummy Greek salads.

A running friend called Joe once said, ‘stop eating the shit that makes you ill’ so this is me making a crack at New Year’s Resolution #3 Focus on bettering nutrition.  This week I’m focusing on phasing out Gluten because as well as being Lactose Intolerant I’m also Gluten Intolerant to the extent it gives me migraines and makes me feel like I have a cold if eat too much of it.

Also gluten free, wheat free, nut free, egg free, milk free and salt free organic pasta tastes terrible although the Tomato, Garlic and Olive Pesto saved it by giving it some much needed flavour.  It sounds like such a magical thing to be free of everything but it’s a poor imitation of the real thing.  It takes absolutely forever to cook as well even though the instructions said 4-7 minutes this was a lie.

Whilst on this track I found a few tasty recipes.  Mostly to do with bacon as I had a pack of it that needed using up in the fridge and I hate to waste something so tasty.  These have become favourites because they are quick and free of the things I’m allergic too whilst packing in layers of interesting flavour.

Sweet Potato Scrummy

ChopSweetPotatoBaconFryUpped Sweet Potatoes

4 rashers of good quality bacon

A handful of raisins

A sprinkle of Soy Sauce (check to make sure it’s one that doesn’t contain allergens)

2 chopped spring onions.

Olive oil for frying

Chop into small cubes and boil the sweet potatoes in a saucepan.  On the side fry some cut up bacon until cooked.  Once ready drain the sweet potatoes and add to the pan to lightly fry them with the bacon.  Then chuck in the raisins and spring onions for the last couple of minutes and dash in the soy sauce to preference.  Layer up in a bowl and tuck in!

The inspiration for this recipe came whilst on holiday in Centre Parks where a side dish was sweet potato hash with gammon pieces, cranberries and maple syrup.  I found the mix perfect for a sweet side but wanted to develop something that would suit a larger main dish with a savoury edge.  With that in mind one Friday night whilst craving a takeaway I came up with this to satisfy the sweet tooth without over doing it.

Homemade Butternut Squash, Bacon and Pine Nut Soup

ButternutBaconSoup1 handful of pine nuts

4 rashers of bacon

1 Butternut Squash

Lactose Free Philadelphia

Half a pint veg or chicken stock

Sprinkle of dried Italian Herbs

 

Bring a pan with the stock to the boil and add the prepared Butternut Squash.  Simmer until cooked.  On the side fry chopped up pieces of bacon until cooked.  Drain out the Butternut Squash retaining enough of the stock to produce the consistency that you want for your soup.  With a hand blender or smoothie maker blitz Butternut Squash and bacon together.  Ladle into a bowl and sprinkle on the herbs and pine nuts.  These can be lightly toasted if you prefer a more smoked crunch.  I added to the side a dash of Lactose Free Philadelphia to stir in.  Beautiful nutty meaty soup.  They also make very good balanced recipes to prepare for a work out or after one because they are a blend of carbs and protein.

xxx

Eleanor