Salmon Delight!

This has to be the best meal ever to eat after working out and the simplest one to make. I’ve just been on a moderate 5 mile bike ride which doesn’t seem very far however to those who know Nottingham, you will understand the perilous hills which intersect our fair city.

My gym is closed at the minute and thus for a next couple of days im going to hit the pavement and put my bike to far better use then i have been. It was great to get out on the road and after having a massage yesterday it was almost easy.

Anyway, after i returned home i was naturally famished and needed to foody goodness. On my journey i popped to the supermarket and picked up a few bits and one of these was asparagus. I have had this many times before and enjoyed it but never myself cooked it. I knew i had some salmon at home and banged the two together.

I lightly boiled the asparagus for about 8 minutes, microwaved my salmon in a bowl with a little water so it was almost poached (which seriously is the best way to cook it) and after the asparagus was done i plated it up using the water to poach (badly) two eggs from my uncles chickens! Rock salt, cracked black pepper… BOOM! Blooming delicious, full of protein and the perfect post workout meal!

 

So-ya

Ok, i’m gonna be honest… i have been real bad in the diet department the past month. Grabbing what food i can, not reading the labels and eating food that was quick and convenient. Still always as healthy as possible but instead of making soup i’ve bought it, instead of making all my home made treats and snacks i’ve been buying the shop stuff! This is not me and it’s lazy. I haven’t been drinking which is still a good thing and in fact proven i can go out without the need to drink alcohol.

Something i have increased my intake of of is dairy. I know to some thats like, wow, so what… you have eaten a bit more cheese. Actually it has had quite an effect on the condition of my skin. While it is much better now two weeks ago i was blotchy, red faced and had an obviously reaction to the increased dairy.

I’ve spoken about my potential allergy to wheat and gluten before, but not i’m also wondering is i have a intolerance to lactose. Previously when i stopped eating wheat and gluten i noted my vast improvements to the quality of my skin. Going in the space of a month from pretty bad to near perfect with the odd breakout. This is no doubt down to the vast overhaul of my diet and sticking pretty vigorously to the Paleo way of life. However one thing i always allowed and didn’t really bat an eyelid at was my milk intake. I thought like most, im drinking milk its good for you (which is it) and im being uber healthy. However, after my encounter with the brie, parmesan and stilton… butter, and in excess of 3 pints of milk a day… it was obvious the week after that my increased intake which was virtually nil (other then milk) previously had had an effect of my skin.

Though Dr’s i have been to have told me that what i eat has nothing to do with my skin quality, i simply do not believe them. I have asked for allergy test and have been point blank refused. So, my own testing through elimination of food groups continues. I’ve cut wheat and gluten out but now it’s time for dairy as well.

I’m not gonna lie, i drink way too many Starbucks to cut it out completely but i am going to vastly reduce my intake. I always only ever have skinny lattes but im going to switch to soya for spreads and milk at home. Once again getting back on the mint and green tea’s at work. Reducing my caffeine and thus milk and try to limit the amount of milk i mix with my protein shakes.

I’ve bought a couple of things to try them out at home and see i get on with them. Almond milk being one of them which is fantastic in tea… not good in coffee lol Alpro soya pouring yogurt is fantastic and this vanilla flavor is amazing. Tastes no different what so ever to normal yogurt and if anything is creamier. They are a lot more expensive though with both cartons coming in at £1.99. But im willing to give them a try.

Deconstructed Turkey Burger

I haven’t had a burger in since I don’t know when and today I had a real craving. So I did what info best… Made my own!

These are really simple to make and taste delicious. I don’t eat bread so they are bun-less but you could quite easily add a burger bun and a Alan of cheese to gourmet it up!

Ingredients:

500g turkey mince
1 egg
2 tbs of wheat free flour
1 tbs of dried sage
Salt and pepper for seasoning
5 mushrooms
1 onion
4 garlic cloves
1 red pepper

Step 1:

Mix the mince meat with the egg, flour, sage, salt and pepper.

Step 2:

Form the mixture into 6 balls. Heat a griddle or frying pan, add each ball and pat down into the obligatory burger shape.

Step 3:

Chop the peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic. Fry these off after the burgers are cooked.

Step 4:

Prepare the salad and construct as you wish.

Butterbean Bake

I can’t take all the credit for this one. My friend Kerry got my onto this and I’ve been addicted since. SO easy to make, tastes amazing, is cheap and is your 5 a day in 1!

Ingredients:

2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 can of butter beans
1 small sweet potato
1 large onion (red or white)
Hand-full of mushrooms (any verity)
1 green chilli
1 courgette
1 tbs of dried sage
1 tbs of dried basil
Grated cheese for the topping

Simply chop all the veg into bite size pieces, mix in a bowl with the toms, butter beans and herbs.

Add to baking dishes and bake on a medium heat for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes top with grated cheese and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Serve either on it’s own, with salad or if your feeling naughty with some garlic bread!

My two smaller ones I’ll use for lunch at work!

Enjoy!

Thats my lunch right there!!! Amazing!

Midnight PANCKAES! Ok, well… Not quite midnight!

I find it really hard to find a healthy treat as sadly some of the wheat and gluten free selections really don’t match their counterparts.

So with my sweet tooth craving something naughty I went to my cupboard in the hunt for something… Anything!!

I found wheat free flour and honey in the cupboard. Milk, eggs and blueberries in the fridge… SO there really was only thing thing I could make: PANCAKES!

I mixed a couple of table spoons of the flour with an egg and milk to make a thick batter! Fried in a tiny bit of oil, topped with blueberries… Honey! BOOM! Tasty treat for me! Enjoy!

Muscle Muffins

These are a variation on some banana muffins i made a few weeks ago and are so easy to make.

Ingredients:

225g brown wheat free baking flour

1tbs cinnamon

2 heaped tsp baking powder (its a heavy mixture so this is needed to help get some rise)

1stp of bicarbonate of soda

1tbs vanilla extract

2 medium eggs

115g dairy free sunflower butter

4 large bananas

100g penuts

50g mixed nuts

2 (large) tbs of honey

3 heaped tbs of chocolate or unflavored protein powder

Step 1

Mix all the dry ingredients in a blender. Add the butter, eggs and once combined transfer to a mixing bowl.

Step 2

Mix the bananas and honey in the blender then add to the mixing bowl.

Step 3

Mix all this together with a wooden spoon, separate into muffin cases and bake for around 15/ 20 minutes on gas mark 4, 350 fahrenheit or 180 celsius.

Homemade Hummus

Right at this moment in time there is something I’m totally addicted to more then anything… HUMMUS!! Seriously, I eat about 3 tubs a week. So since I’m clearly a fan I thought I’d see how easy it was to make my own.

I may never go back to shop bought again! It was so easy to make and tastes even better then the supermarket varieties.

Here’s how it’s done:

Ingredients

2 cans of chickpeas
4 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
3 heaped table spoons of tahini paste
2/3 table spoons of rice bran oil (olive oil works fine)

Step 1

Drain, rinse and add the chickpeas to a blender. Pulse for 1 minute.

Step 2

Add the garlic, lemon juice and tahini paste. Blend for a further 2/3 minutes.

Step 3

While blending all this together add just enough oil so that the consistency isn’t runny, rather that of a thick paste.

I also added a tablespoon of chilli powder. You could fry off some onions or peppers and add them.

Add to a bowl, leave to cool and your done! So easy and so tasty! I eat mine with rice cakes but chopped carrots are a classic combo.

Spread The Intake

 

Over the past 2 maybe 3 months i have stuck to a pretty rigorous diet which has been stripped back to the bare essentials. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been pretty flavorless. So i’ve been shopping today and while still being healthy i have made a couple of purchases.

Peanut Butter:

This nutty treat is something i have never had before today but now i’m addicted and it’s SO good for you… Unless you have a nut allergy obviously lol

Other then the fact that it’s made from nuts which gives a slow release of energy throughout the day it is also packed with healthy goodness. Fiber, Vitamin’s B3 and E, magnesium, antioxidant p-coumaric acid AND protein.

Dark Chocolate Spread:

Now this is a bit of a treat really and i am going to limit my intake… though the urge to stick a spoon in the jar is pretty hard to fight haha

Chocolate spread and it’s most popular brand Nutella is traditionally made from hazelnuts, coco and milk which are all creamed together into a paste of chocolaty amazingness! Sadly it is packed with sugar which is something i try to avoid. Sugar and I do not get on well and my skin does suffer if i eat a lot of it.

However, I found a dark chocolate spread today which has increased coco and less sugar. So i think that in moderation this is something i can use as a treat. As i’m addicted to rice cakes i plan on smothering them with this and getting a cuppa tea to go with it!

Pastry Free Quiche

Sometimes it’s such a chore to make breakfast. All you wanna do is grab something quick and be on your way. On a high protein diet I don’t always have time to make an omelette or scrambled eggs. Though both quick you still have to chop, whisk, fry… and at 6 in the morning this is just a chore!

These tarts or pastry free quiches are simple, tasty and packed with protein. If not for breakfast then you could eat two for lunch with some salad or even take them on a picnic… When summer finally arrives lol

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1 large chicken breast
1 red onion
5 mushrooms

Step 1

Chop the chicken, onion and mushrooms into small pieces. Fry in a little oil until cooked.

Step 2

Whisk up your eggs until nice and fluffy.

Step 3

Add the cooked mixture to a tart tray, cover with the whisked eggs and season with plenty of cracked black pepper!

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until the egg is firm and your good to go!

As a quick tasty snack, breakfast on the go or with salad for lunch, this is the perfect quick fix!

Roast Tomato & Lentil Soup

Seriously, homemade soup is the single most simple thing to make in the world and it’s a joke at how quickly you can make something which tastes better then anything you buy in the shop! AND for a fraction of the cost.

This batch probably cost me £3 to make and (unless your a fatty like me) you can easily get 8 portions out of it. Simply put into zip bags/ tubs and freeze… if you don’t think you’ll eat it all in one week. Plus freezing will keep it fresher for longer.

Ingredients:

18 small/ medium tomatoes ( quartered and de-seeded)
4 garlic cloves peeled
2 red peppers (any colour will do)
2 medium onions ( peeled and chopped roughly)
Yellow split lentils (ideally soaked in water over night but for at least an hour before should do)
Vegetable stock cube (not essential and obviously I’d use homemade left over stock if I had it)

Step 1

Lay all your chopped tomatoes in a roasting tray. Season with proper and a little salt.

Drizzle with a tiny amount of oil.

Step 2

Add to the tomatoes the peppers, garlic and onion.

Step 3

Roast until all the veg is softened and a little bit crispy. On a medium heat id say for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4

Transfer all the roasted veg to a large saucepan, add the soaked lentils and fill the pan with water until about an inch over the too of the veg.

Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15/ 20 minutes. Until all the lentils are softened.

Step 5

Take off the heat, allow to cool and then blend with a hand blender!

Done! Simples.