Hi everyone, hope you’ve all had a good weekend! Mine has mostly been very good…

Today I went out and attempted my first outdoor run in over a week but my knee was having none of it! I was planning on 6 miles but had to cut it short at 4.5 miles (38.07, average pace 8.37) It seems that running on any kind of incline sets it off. As I could run ok on the treadmill mid week I’m hoping that I may be able to get some mileage in that way. It has been very painful today though. I popped to the gym hoping for an hours workout but it was so sore I had to leave it after 30 minutes on the bike :-( I’m trying to stay as positive as possible though!

Apart from that I’ve had an awesome weekend! Breakfast on Saturday was a much anticipated giant Oats in a Jar:

I have been waiting to finish this big jar of peanut butter just to be able to make this! I cooked some voluminous oats with 1/4 cup scottish oats, 1/4 cup oat bran and 2.5 cups of water in the microwave and added some vanilla stevia, frozen berries and a chopped peach. Delish!

OOTD: Faux leather hooded jacket: Topshop, anchor diamante earrings: Accessorize, striped tee: Zara, black cross body bag: H&M, floral skirt: Dorothy Perkins off eBay, tights: M&S, black faux leather boots: M&S

After a monster shopping trip in Newcastle, I came home and made a truly wonderful salad:

This contained kale, cos lettuce, carrot, cucumber, red pepper, sugar snaps, RAW Health crackers, some of my raw cheesy crumbles and hemp seeds. I massaged the kale with a dressing made from hemp oil, braggs, coconut nectar, dijion mustard and vinegar. I think I have discovered that the packs of kale from Waitrose are much better than the packs from Sainsbury's as they contain a lot less stalk!

For dinner last night I made a fantastic Mexican Tofu and Black Bean Scramble served on garlic sautéed greens:

I love my scrambled tofu recipe and the curried version I created a couple of weeks ago and this was just as good! This was also very filling, no doubt because it was protein packed!

For dinner today I made some Spiced Orange Pan Fried Tofu inspired by this recipe and served with a millet and veggie pilaf containing onion, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli and finished with a sprinkle of parsley:

This was amazing, I’m going to have to try and remember what I included in the marinade so I can post it as a recipe! It almost tasted like sticky ginger infused marmalade, yum!

I’ve had a pretty busy weekend in the kitchen making raw cheesy kale chips that taste exactly like Brad’s, raw candied cinnamon pumpkin seeds and some raw cheesy pumpkin seeds all in the dehydrator and so much cheaper than if I’d bought them! I also made some roasted pepper hummus which I ate with a load of veggies and raw juice pulp crackers for lunch:

I just made some standard hummus with chickpeas, tahini and garlic then about 2/3 of a jar of roasted peppers. It tasted wonderful!

Of course no post of mine would be complete without a green smoothie! I had his one for breakfast containing cos lettuce, 2 pears, vanilla sun warrior, maca powder, spirulina, msm crystals, stevia, water, ice, xanthan and guar gums for thickness and topped with some Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter sauce and granola:

I got 8 pears for £1 at the market and they were on their way out so I’m drying some in the dehydrator and used a couple of them again to make a Chocolate Pear smoothie for dessert:

Two pears, raw cacao, ice, water, xanthan and guar gum and stevia topped with some of my raw candied cinnamon pumpkin seeds, delicious!  

As mentioned above I had an awesome shopping trip! I had some gift cards from my birthday to spend so I thought I’d get some clothes for the new season! First up, these gorgeous skinny burgundy trousers from Warehouse:

I’ve been lusting after some pants in this colour for ages! I also got lots of knit ware and a necklace from New Look:

I love my knits, I can’t wait to cosy up in that mustard yellow number! The necklace was actually free as I’d spent over £30 :-) I also picked up this dress in the Warehouse sale:

I love the colours in this and will layer it up with leggings / jeans, cardies and belts over the autumn. I also hit H&M and got this basic tee:

Plus a couple of basic cardies and black leggings. I also got some yoga pants for chilling round the house, a water bottle and some vanilla coffee from TK Maxx as well as stocking up with flavoured tofu, tempeh and other bits and bobs from the health food store. I also got three bags full of fruit and veggies from the market for just £11. I shopped till I dropped!

How has your weekend been? If your in the UK do you have any bank holiday plans? As the gym doesn’t open till 10, and as my knee is still very sore I’m thinking of doing a home based workout first thing and then chilling out for the rest of the day. I’m actually looking forward to doing my own thing at home and have downloaded the Gym Boss app for my phone so I can get some intervals in! Have you ever had to deal with an injury? I’m actually amazed at how calm I am about the whole thing, when I got injured last year there were a lot of tears and tandrums!

Have you bought anything for the new season yet? I’m all ready to embrace Autumn, its my favourite season, and I can’t wait to get the boots and cosy jumpers on! Hope you have a great Monday whatever your up to :-)

Hi everyone, hope your having a good week! This week is a pretty crazy one for me, yesterday I worked from home while we got our new carpet fitted in the bedroom. As we are in a little one bed flat this has meant that the whole place has been turned upside down! We also headed to Ikea last night and bought a new bed and mattress, it gets delivered tomorrow and I can’t wait!

Here’s a few images that I’m using for bedroom decor inspiration:

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I really love the mix of different patterns and bright colours in each of these pics. See my Tumblr page for more inspiration!

As I said in Sunday’s post, I’m experiencing some IT band / sore knee issues right now. I’m trying very hard not to panic, the Great North Run is less than a month away and when I had this injury last year it took me a month to get running again. I don’t think its that bad this time but I’m still giving running a miss for a couple of days although I may try a short treadmill run tomorrow. 

Yesterday morning instead of my usual 5k treadmill run I did 1 hour of cardio on the gym machines including the cross trainer, step machine, bike and rowing machine. I did 2 minutes medium intensity : 1 minute high intensity intervals. I finished up with my abs and core including my first ever 3 minute plank! My knee was fine apart from a bit of a twinge while on the cross trainer.

Breakfast yesterday was a delicious bowl of sweet fresh strawberries covered in some chocolate chia pudding (1 tbsp of chia seeds, 2 tbsp of viva pure chia porridge mix, 1 scoop of chocolate sun warrior and water):

For lunch I raided the freezer and had a bowl of my spicy black eye bean soup along with some raw juice pulp crackers:

It was nice to have soup for a change!

As I was working from home while the carpet got fitted I thought I’d make use of the blender and have a green smoothie as a snack:

Spinach, frozen banana, soy milk, ice, stevia, maca, spirulina, msm crystals topped with coconut and freeze dried berries. This was such a great filling snack, it felt like a nice treat being able to have a smoothie!

As this week is shaping up to be a bit hectic I decided to take some of my own advice and make up a huge bean and veggie mix that I could use in several meals to save time:

I mixed a tin of soya beans, frozen edamame, carrot, cucumber, radish, spring onion, red pepper, parsley and coriander in a big bowl and popped it in the fridge. For dinner I’ve eaten it with some wholegrain rice pilaf from a microwavable pouch alongside steamed rainbow chard and broccoli with shoyu:

This was delicious, but unfortunately I’m worried that something in it made me poorly. Last night I spent several hours throwing up! Not fun :-( Luckily this morning I felt much better. I had a big bowl of peanut butter puffins, chopped apple, a spoonful of smooth peanut butter and some soy milk for breakfast:

It felt good to get something back on my stomach. As I only had that bean and veggie mix prepped for lunch, I decided to risk it and eat it again. I had a big portion on top of some greens with my damson and balsamic dressing:

Luckily it didn’t make me poorly so I risked another portion with the rice again for dinner. I have to say it really did save me a lot of time having that prepped, all I’ve needed to do is wash and chop greens to go with it!

I also managed to fit in my gym session and body pump tonight, thankfully this Luna Bar gave me enough energy to get through the workout!

I really liked this flavour, although I couldn’t taste many macadamias.

Tonight for dessert I had the usual post body pump bowl of protein ice cream:

1 scoop of smore’s spirutein, water, ice, stevia and some chocolate sauce made with cocoa powder, water and agave. Perfect!

When it comes to home decor do you prefer the minimal look or do you like a lot of print and pattern? I have quite eclectic taste, I love to mix and match prints and patterns and different styles. I can’t wait until the whole room is finished, just curtains, bedding and accessories to get now :-)

Please check out blog sponsor Cat’s awesome giveaway over at Knitting, Running Eating – such a fab set of prizes, especially the teapigs, nakd goodies and hand knitted coasters!

See you tomorrow for What I ate Wednesday!

Lesson No 1: No matter how well you think you’ve been training, you can still pick up an injury. 10.5 miles in 1.31 average pace 8.42. Seems that my old injury from last year has resurfaced only this time on my other leg! I started to feel a tightness in my left IT band that got worse and worse and then a pain at the side of my knee. I had already decided to cut my planned 14 miles down to 11, but at 10.5 I could not physically run any more :-( Ice, Ibuprofen and foam rolling are going to be by best buds for the next few days!

Lesson No 2: Do not attempt to use the mandolin slicer you picked up on sale in Lakeland while making a salad in a rush. You will slice open your thumb and have it bleed for 2 hours:

At least the salad was tasty! This contained mixed organic leaves, red cabbage, carrot, green pepper, courgette, cucumber, chickpeas and the most wonderful dressing made from my damson sauce, hemp oil and blueberry balsamic. yum!

Lesson No 3: Green tea and sympathy from your best friend is the best comfort.

Lesson No 4: Cocktails with your Mam makes everything better:

I had a delicious raspberry sherbet containing fresh raspberries, cranberry juice, vodka and amaretto.

Lesson No 5: Copious amounts of Chinese food including tofu in spicy sauce, crispy fried greens and pak choy in garlic dressing will give you a food baby!

Lesson No 6: Wearing high heels with an injured knee may not be the best idea:

These are my fave pair of heels, I adore them although I don’t think dancing in them was very helpful for my knee!

Lesson No 7: Water, green smoothies and green juice will make you feel great, no matter how much alcohol you consumed last night:

Green smoothie containing romaine, spinach, courgette, banana, 2 nectarines, peanut butter swirl spiru-tein, spirulina, maca, msm, stevia, water, ice, xanthan and guar gum topped with damson sauce, peanut flour sauce and choc covered sunflower seeds

Green juice containing all organic cucumber, celery, broccoli, carrot tops, radish greens, lemon and ginger

Green smoothie containing kale, banana, plums, cinnamon, ginger, hemp protein powder, mesquite, spirulina, water, ice, xanthan and guar gums topped with raw pecan butter, freeze dried berries and buckwheaties

Lesson No 8: No matter how tired you feel the next day or how much ‘unhealthy’ food and alcohol you consume, its all worth it to celebrate your cousins Catherine’s hen do:

:-)

What lessons have you learned this weekend? Hope its been a great one!

Last week I mentioned on Twitter that I was getting my foam rolling on and I got several questions about what foam rolling is, why it is good for you and how to do it. Here’s my lovely foam roller:

This is the foam roller I bought from Amazon. I got it a couple of years ago when I first started having problems with my IT band / runners knee. I’m no expert here, but the Iliotibial band is a muscle than runs from the outside of your hip down your thigh and into your knee. From what I could decipher from my physios, I have some bio mechanical issues and I tend to over pronate which means that my IT band gets worked hard trying to keep my legs in line and therefore can get very tight. When it gets too tight it starts rubbing against my knee and can cause me some nasty pain until it heals.

I’ve now suffered from that injury twice, both years I’ve been training for the Great North Run, and I am determined not to let it happen again! I can’t afford the physio again for a start. This is one of the reasons why I’m not pushing my pace too much in training. I’m more concerned about enjoying my training injury free and passing the finish line in one piece than getting a personal best. Even though my pace is slower I’m still getting tightness in my IT band and I’ve started to feel a niggle in my knee so as a preventative measure I’m using the foam roller as often as I can, as well as doing specific strength exercises (such as one leg squats) and stretches. The Hot Yoga classes should also be helping!

So what is foam rolling? A foam roller is a firm cylindrical piece of equipment which you can use to perform self massage – or myofascial release if you want to be posh. Its kind of like a self administered sports massage.

Here’s a great video from the Tone It Up girls which demonstrates how you can use the foam roller:

They’ve also done a handy print out of the moves. I tend to do my IT bands and quads but have started doing the chest stretches as well. You know when its working as it can be bloody painful! If you hit a tender spot you just need to keep at it (within reason of course) because that’s a tight area that needs to be relaxed.

Foam rolling isn’t just for runners but can be useful for anyone that exercises and even those that don’t and just get tightness from sitting at a computer! It can be great for relaxing and lengthening your muscles, it was even recommended as part of the Female Body Breakthrough programme for strength training recovery.

Have you tried foam rolling before?

Hi everyone, hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend! I’ve been up to lots so I apologise for this long post!

First things first – a running update. Today I ran 6.2 miles in 54 min average pace 8.43! I was so worried about running with my knee injury. The first two miles were completely pain free, then I started to get a tightness in my left leg and knee – not so much pain, more tension. At that point I did think of stopping but I continued and by mile 4 I was ok as most of the tension had loosened up. I felt like I could have continued to run for longer and been ok, so I’ve decided that I am going to try the Great North Run next week! I have another physio appointment next week and I think if I stay off running again this week and ice and foam roll I’ll be ok (fingers crossed). It has been a little sore today but things are definitely looking up!

How lush is this coat? I spotted this on a quick trip into Durham, it is now top of my wish list!

Mustard Velvet Tie Double Breasted Coat, Topshop, £75

Thanks for the comments to my Fresh Start Friday post, it seems that I’m not the only person suffering from an attack of the snack monster on a regular basis! I also really valued the helpful comments about reassessing my diet to make sure that I’m eating enough, and enough of the right stuff. I responded to all those comments so take a look if your interested. I have been a lot better this weekend but have totally failed in avoiding chocolate. I ended up giving in an eating lots of raw chocolate covered goji’s and a couple of squares of Lindt 90% – so at least not too sugary! I’ve also eaten loads of fruit:

Strawberries, kiwi, melon, apple plus lots and lots of unpictured plums, blueberries, more apples and oranges, yum!

Ironically, given that I’m avoiding nut butters right now, I accidentally ended up making my first ever home made nut butter!

I was making some raw cookie dough bars (recipe to come!) and had been processing some cashews and almonds when they looked like they might turn into a butter. I had thought that my little processor would not be able to handle making a nut butter but I added a little organic grape seed oil and salt and ended up with this amazing raw salted almond cashew butter! I did have a tiny taste but successfully managed to avoid digging right in, which given my recent behaviour with nut butters is a big win! I’m going to try making my own raw version of chocolate hazelnut butter!

Other than the chocolate, eats have been pretty clean but tasty. For breakfast yesterday I has this tasty smoothie:

Inspired by Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut Smoothie! I blended kale, romaine, mixed frozen berries, 2 plums, carob powder, stevia, 1/2 tsp of almond extract, barley grass powder, mesquite, msm, stevia, water, ice and xanthan and guar gum with raisins, flaked almonds and walnuts on top. This was gorgeous, adding the almond extract really pushed this over the edge of pure deliciousness!

I’ve also enjoyed my usual weekend green juices containing cucumber, celery, lemon and ginger:

For lunch yesterday I made a really gorgeous bowl of courgette pasta with the most delicious avocado sauce:

I based the avocado sauce on my creamy dreamy avocado dressing but used basil instead of parsley and added 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast and a dash of braggs liquid aminos. I topped the bowl with some olives and more basil. This was seriously amazing!

Today I had a tasty snack plate with some Squash Dip made with butternut squash, veggies a thick RAW pitta bread and some of my home made raw sundried tomato flax crackers:

For dinner I was inspired by a very simple dish in Thrive Foods (just received this and enjoying reading it!) called Kitchari which is basically just red lentils and brown rice cooked together. I decided to add more flavour with coconut and ginger:

Coconut Ginger Lentil and Rice Stew (makes 2 servings, vegan)

• 1 tsp of coconut oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger minced
• 1/2 cup of red lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 cup of rice of choice (I used a mix of brown basmati and red rice)
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of coconut milk (I used reduced fat)
• 1/2 tsp of vegetable bouillon powder (I used vegan marigold)

In a large pan, warm the coconut oil on a medium heat. Once melted add the ginger and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the lentils and rice and stir to coat in the ginger and oil. Add the water, vegetable bouillon and coconut milk. Simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until the stock has been absorbed and the rice and lentils have cooked.

I served mine topped with parsley alongside some butternut squash roasted in coconut oil, steamed broccoli, spring greens and kale. This was lovely, it had a nice creamy texture from the coconut milk and a slight kick from the ginger, a perfect dish for when you are craving simple but satisfying food.

This morning I went for more green smoothie action:

This contained romaine, half an avocado, vanilla sun warrior protein powder, coconut water, spirulina, maca, msm, ice, xanthan and guar gum topped with goji berries and bee pollen. I love avocado in smoothies as they make them so creamy!

Tonight for a little dessert I made the wonderful Katie’s Chocolate Covered Ice cream with raspberries using water, raw cacao and stevia:

Heaven in a bowl!

How has your weekend been? I’m so pleased that things are getting more positive, both for my knee and my snackiness issues! I probably will be doing a fuller post about my eating and snacking and what not at some point, especially as it seems to be a topic that a lot of us can relate too and have an option on. I love the foods that I’ve eaten this weekend, which despite being ‘clean’ (I hate that phase, I certainly don’t think any foods should be labelled as dirty!) have been exceptionally tasty too! That avocado and courgette pasta dish was the bomb, and the simple mix of rice and lentils in the stew was perfect! What foods do you crave when you feel the need to eat better?

Last night I had my sports massage!  Big thanks to Jess for recommending a therapist, she was excellent and very knowledgeable. She talked through my injury with me, gave me some suggested stretches and corrective exercises and then massaged my legs. It didn’t hurt as bad as I had been expecting but she did say that my legs were very tight. She explained that I had some muscle imbalances and that my glutes probably aren’t ‘firing’ properly and that my inner thigh muscle is a little under developed. She also said that I should be able to do the Great North Run! I’m still going to try a short run on Sunday and obviously if I still have a lot of pain I’m not going to risk things getting worse, but overall things are looking up!

I’ve still be working out this week, as thankfully my usual exercise doesn’t hurt my knee. I’ve had a few light cardio sessions at the gym and my usual body pump class and yoga podcasts.

I’ve also had some lovely eats this week including the usual suspects:

Green smoothie containing assorted leftover greens: spinach, romaine, spring greens, frozen banana, kiwis, hemp protein, maca, spirulina, msm crystals, vanilla stevia, water, ice, xanthan and guar gums topped with lots of almond butter sauce, goji berries and bee pollen.

Salad with romaine, cucumber, carrot, yellow pepper, beet, green olives, Lydia’s raw organic crackers, cheesy pumpkin seeds and braggs liquid aminos

On Tuesday evening I made the most luscious bowl of protein ice cream:

This was made with some frozen watermelon, vanilla sun warrior protein powder, stevia, ice, water and xanthan and guar gums. It was divine!

As I had a busy evening on Wednesday I decided to treat myself to something from the salad bar at Sainsbury’s. I was pleasantly surprised!

This was half butternut and lentil salad and half ‘seventeen salad’ containing quinoa, bulgar, edamame and I think there were also pear and cranberries in there! All served up on top of a bag of mixed spinach, watercress and rocket. Yum, I can totally see that becoming a lazy evening habit!

I’ve also been experimenting with a new way of cooking tempeh. I made a Tempeh and Quinoa Stir Fry based closely on this recipe which crumbles the tempeh rather than frying, baking or grilling it in slices:

I made mine with shredded cabbage and sliced runner beans and served with steamed greens. This was really delicious, I will definitely be cooking tempeh in this way again!

Veggies in my breakfasts (i.e. my carrot cake chia pudding!) have become a bit of a theme this week. This morning I had this amazing dish waiting for me when I got up:

Chocolate Courgette (zucchini) Overnight Oats (vegan, serves 1)

• 1/2 cup of scottish oats
• 2 1/2 cups of water (or milk, or half and half)
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds (optional)
• 1 large grated courgette
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp of agave syrup or sweetener of choice
• 1 tbsp of cacao nibs (or chocolate chips, or nuts) for topping

Begin by cooking the oats and water according to Katie’s Voluminous method. Once semi cooked and cooled slightly, stir in the chia seeds, grated courgette and cocoa powder. Once completely cooled transfer to fridge to chill overnight. The oats should thicken up nicely! In the morning add sweetener to taste and enjoy either cold, or reheat topped with the cacao nibs or other topping of choice!

I think I’ve been inspired by all the chocolate and courgette action going on in other blogs recently! This is a lot tastier than you may think, and is a great way of getting in an additional portion of veg! The cooking method, especially when combined with the chia seeds, gives you can amazing creamy bowl of oats.

Obviously I’m a lover of getting my greens at breakfast in my smoothies but my carrot cake chia pudding and this recipe are a new way of getting my fix! Are you a fan of veggies for breakfast?