I’ve been feeling exceptionally spring like this week, we have been enjoying some amazing weather. All of a sudden I’ve started craving things like crisp green apples, refreshing smoothies (well I kind of always crave those), strawberries and asparagus. I can’t wait for the spring to really kick in!

Pretty sunrise!

This has been a good workout week:

• Sunday – AM outdoor run approx 3.5 – 4.5 miles, 30 minute power yoga flow
• Monday – AM 5 min cross trainer warm up, strength workout B from Base phase of Female Body Breakthrough, 10 min HIIT step machine, 10 min HIIT bike
• Tuesday – AM free style yoga, PM 20 min HIIT, Body Pump
• Wednesday – AM 5 min cross trainer warm up, strength workout A from Base phase of Female Body Breakthrough, 10 min HIIT step machine, 10 min HIIT bike
• Thursday – PM Yoga class
• Friday – AM 5 min cross trainer warm up, strength workout B from Base phase of Female Body Breakthrough, 10 min HIIT step machine, 10 min HIIT bike

My yoga class last night was really good, we did some tougher poses that really challenged me and left me feeling really stretched! Food wise I’ve been using up that magic mixture all week, firstly spread inside a herbed socca served with lettuce and alfalfa sprouts:

I also had some spread on home made raw juice pulp crackers with a pile of veggies for lunch:

I’ve also been using up some tins of Amy’s soup I’d been sent ages ago for review:

This was the vegetable and barley soup topped with sprouts and alongside some Lydia’s raw crackers. I also had a tin of the lentil and vegetable soup with blue corn chips on the side for dinner last night:

Both were pretty good for a tinned soup! Of course no week of mine would be complete without a green smoothie or two! I had a massive craving for one yesterday morning so made a light one in a glass to accompany my raw granola and coffee:

The smoothie contained spinach, alfalfa sprouts, a pear and a nectarine blended with water and a few drops of vanilla stevia. I had it along with a bowl of Living Intentions raw cacao granola and some home made almond milk. I also had a green smoothie post workout, a chocolate pear and ginger one made with the amazing new stevia sweetened Chocolate Hemp protein powder from Good Hemp, spinach, sprouts, pear, fresh ginger and topped with dried pear, buckwheaties and bee pollen:

Snacks wise I’ve been enjoying apple and carrot with raw tahini for dipping…

…nectarine and frozen raspberries with home made almond milk…

…and persimmons with raw matcha green tea cookies and a glass of almond milk:

The best raw milk and cookies ever!

Oh and I have to give a special mention to this amazing Gourmet Raw brownie I tried:

This is the Carob Hazelnut and it is amazing, tastes like Nutella in a bar!

On my weekend send off Love List this week…

Popchips! I loved these when I visited NYC and they are now available here in the UK. I was very kindly sent these to review and can’t wait to try all the varieties. They are available from these retailers. Also…

March arriving – and seeing the light at the end of winter // Pinterest – I’ve become even more obsessed this week! //Having a spring clean in my work office and feeling organised!

What have you been loving this week? Are you feeling full of the joys of spring yet?

Hi folks, hope your enjoying a blissful weekend! So far mine has been a good one indeed. There has been coffee…

…and an outdoor run and get this, with James! He decided to come out with me this morning and run a couple of loops around the block. Why is it that some one that doesn’t do a lot of exercise other than walking can run way faster than me? Damn those long legs of his ;-) He’s definitely a born sprinter. He hasn’t ran with me in the past as he has problems with his knees but we are thinking if he builds up slowly he might be ok. I continued on after that and did perhaps 3.5 – 4.5 miles – not sure what time as I was sans Garmin but it was just good to be running outside! Afterwards I came home and did this 30 minute yoga power flow from You Tube, so many chaturangas!

I have to say I feel like I’ve out done myself this weekend with the eats, I’ve made some delicious stuff! It all started on Friday evening when I made a Thai Green Soya Bean Noodle Bowl. I’ve made this a couple of times over the last few months and it is quickly becoming my favourite meal! I though it was about time I shared the recipe properly:

Thai Green Soya Bean Noodle Bowl (vegan, serves 1 hungry person or 2 normal people ;-)

• 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste (I use Thai Taste which is vegan)
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• Approx 150ml coconut milk – I used full fat but light would be fine too
• Clearspring Soya Sauce Ramen Noodles – 1 pack of noodles and soya sauce pack (or use pre cooked or other noodles of choice and soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup frozen soya beans, thawed
• 1 cup roast squash (I use Kabocha but butternut would be equally as good)
• 1 heaping cup shredded spring greens

In a big wok or frying pan, gently fry off the ginger and curry paste in a little oil (I used coconut oil) over a medium heat. Once the paste has become fragrant (about 2 minutes) add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add your noodles to the pan (if your using the ramen noodles or other dried noodles) and add some hot water from the kettle – just enough to cover the noodles, and simmer until the noodles are cooked. Add the sachet of soya sauce from the ramen noodle pack (or add a tbsp of soy sauce) and stir before adding the soya beans. Add your squash (and noodles if using pre cooked ones) and then pile the shredded greens on top. Allow the greens to wilt a bit in the heat then stir them into the broth which should be fairly thick. Once the greens are tender serve in a large bowl or ladle out into two regular size bowls:

Seriously this is so so good, in fact it could be a contender for my favourite meal ever especially when made with the full fat coconut milk. Its also very quick to make if you have the squash roasted and ready to go and you could probably just add the beans frozen straight into the pan and just simmer a little longer. Absolutely delish!

For breakfast yesterday I decided to make use of the coconut milk leftover from the noodle bowl by following this method for making acai cultured coconut yoghurt! I had a sample of acai powder from an iHerb order so thought I would give it ago after making my own very simple coconut yoghurt a couple of weeks ago (just by refrigerating full fat coconut milk). I had some with blueberries, buckwheaties, pecans and maple syrup:

It was wonderful! I think if I made this again I would leave it out of the fridge somewhere warm overnight so it would ferment a bit more to develop more yoghurt like tang.

Lunch yesterday was a simple but really nice salad with spinach, romaine, red pepper, roast kabocha a sprinkle of fresh parsley and some tahini dressing:

I made the dressing really quickly in a jar by mixing tahini with lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, sweet white miso and water so I have enough for a few meals. I added some to another special meal I made this weekend, raw curried cauliflower with herbed socca and roast purple sprouting broccoli:

I’d been wanting to try the raw cauliflower ever since I saw this recipe on Some Like It Raw and it didn’t disappoint! I made a few amendments adding some coconut and a few chopped dried unsulphured apricots to the mix instead of the honey. For the spices I used turmeric, garam masala and cumin. It was well nice, and the socca turned out brilliantly too, especially dipped in that tahini dressing :-)

Other snackies include:

Raw snack plate with persimmons, apples, raw chocolate covered raisins and raw granola pieces

Blueberries, apple, peanut flour sauce, chopped dark chocolate buttons

Veggies, blue corn chips and sunflower butter and miso dipping sauce (the chips dipped in the sauce, so good!)

Of course there has also been green juices and green smoothies consumed too! Yesterday we took a quick trip into town to pick up a couple of things:

Feeling the pink, OOTD (haha caught a bit off guard!) leather look hooded jacket: Topshop, pink jersey wrap around scarf: Topshop, floral blouse: Oasis, coral Cambridge style satchel: H&M, gold chunky ring: Topshop, skinny ‘Baxter’ jeans: Topshop, biker style boots: Oasis

After town I called into a tattooist to discuss my ideas for my tattoo! Getting a half sleeve tattoo is on my wish list for 2012 and I want to make sure I have it done well before the summer as I want to show it off! I have another appointment to go in next weekend and finalise my design and arrange a date for my first sitting. Excited would be an understatement! Other than that I’ve been cooking up stuff again (including a great recipe I’ll share tomorrow), watching Family Guy Star Wars, painting my toe nails pink and reading Eat Pray Love. Good times!

How has your weekend been? What would you say is your current favourite meal? My favourite foods tend to change depending on the season and that Thai Green Curry is just everything I want in a meal right now!

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope your all having a great day, Sunday’s are the best aren’t they :-) I’ve had a really great weekend just so chilled out and relaxed. This morning I got in a great workout at the gym. I hadn’t been looking forward to running on the treadmill (and although it was bright, it was freezing outside!) so I made up a really simple relaxed treadmill workout:

5k treadmill workout

• 0.25 miles: 6.2mph
• 0.25 miles: 6.7mph
• 0.25 miles: 7.2mph
• 0.25 miles: 7.7mph repeat x 3 (to reach 3 miles)
• 0.1 mile sprint: 8.2mph (to reach 5k)

This was a great little run getting in 5k in just under 27 minutes. The regular speed changes stopped me getting bored and the speeds I used challenged me a bit, but left more than enough energy for my 15 min bike and 45 min Kettlebell class afterwards.

Yesterday I didn’t quite end up getting my intended lie in but I did have my lazy breakfast! Usually I know what I’m going to have for breakfast before I get up, but yesterday I decided to just see what I fancied. I really wanted something a bit bready that I could smother in nut butter but we don’t buy bread very often. Instead I decided to make a fat socca bread! I mixed half a cup of gram flour with half a cup of water, cinnamon, vanilla extract and a touch of stevia then fried the batter in coconut oil in my small frying pan. When it was cooked on both sides I topped it with with cashew butter, fresh blueberries and lots of maple syrup:

Perfection! This was just what I had been craving and was absolutely delicious. I decided to stick with the breakfast theme later in the day and made some oats in a jar for a snack after returning home from seeing friends and family:

I needed warming up as we’d been out for a walk and I couldn’t think of anything better than oats! I filled a near empty sunflower seed butter jar with oats cooked with water in the microwave and a heaping tbsp of Clearspring naturally sweetened blueberry jam.

This mornings post workout breakfast was a raw protein buckwheat bowl with vanilla sun warrior, chopped apples, raisins and cinnamon:

Yum! I enjoyed this with an Indian Chai tea with coconut milk, delish!

Other tasty bits and pieces this weekend include my usual weekend green juices, however as I was going out I didn’t think just juice would hold me over so taking inspiration from what I’ve been reading in Crazy Sexy Juices and Smoothies I made a smoothie with cucumber, celery, parsley, basil and orange blended with water, ice, maca powder and a little stevia to sweetened it up, all drank in a pretty mug of course:

This tasted very refreshing and nourishing!

Last night’s dinner was based on my Roast Broccoli, Brussels and Chickpea and Cranberry Couscous recipe – I roasted some broccoli, and for the first time some savoy cabbage (delish by the way) in coconut oil and then topped with the chickpea and cranberries but made with quinoa instead of couscous:

For dessert I tried one of my new chocolate almond puddings on top of frozen cherries with some peanut flour sauce swirled on top:

Heaven in my mouth!

This afternoon I’ve been having a party in my kitchen, I’ve had the radio blasting while I’ve been cooking and doing the laundry and I’ve even had a bit of a dance ;-) I’ve cooked up some brown rice for the week, made a special dish (which if it works will be incredible – will blog the recipe) and a giant pan of Lentil soup – based loosely on this recipe but I added some celery and left out the spinach because I didn’t have any. I had a huge bowl with some organic blue corn chips on the side for lunch:

Proper lush, I dipped the chips in the soup for extra noms :-)

Please don’t tell me I’m the only one that dances in my kitchen? Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend and have a great week ahead!

Hello guys, hope the week is treating you well! Of course I am back today for another WIAW!

These are my eats and goings on from yesterday. I had a work meeting mid morning and was working from home around that, so I thought I’d get a run in first thing with having a bit more time. As I missed my long run at the weekend I had considered running it yesterday, but I just really did not have the motivation. I am struggling a bit with my long runs at the moment, especially when the weather has been so poor! Before I left I had my warm water and lemon and half a banana for some fuel:

I managed to do just under 6.5 miles which I was really pleased with. I have no problem doing shorter distances like 3 or 4 miles but when it comes to the longer ones I’m finding it very difficult to get motivated.

I am going to try and power through, but I’m also considering taking a little long distance running break as well as taking some of my own motivation advice! I am well prepared in terms of training for the Great North Run Half Marathon and that’s not until September so I can afford to relax things a bit. Last thing I want to do is burn out mentally or physically. Any way, I did cheer myself up with an amazing breakfast:

I made a thick socca pancake using 1/3 cup of gram flour, cinnamon, vanilla stevia, a pinch of baking powder and 1/2 cup of water. I fried that in my little pan and it turned out brilliantly. I topped it with a tbsp of almond butter and the other half of the banana. I also made a smoothie with 1 cup of unsweetened soy milk, 2 peaches and some frozen blueberries which was absolutely lovely. Of course there was also coffee!

Then I got ready to head out for my meeting, OOTD:

Trench style coat: Warehouse, basic tee: H&M, necklaces: Warehouse, ring: Topshop, black ankle length trousers: Zara, cream flats: Next, bag: Accessorize

I’m so in love with that coat! Its a really flattering fit and is good for the unfortunate rainy weather we’ve been having.

I got home at lunch time and made myself a tasty salad:

This contained romaine, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, black beans and half an avocado. After that I got settled down with my laptop but not long after I was starting to get hungry again so I made a Mocha Protein Frappe:

The best thing about working from home is having access to my blender! I just whipped up some ice, chocolate protein powder, instant coffee, cocoa powder, water and a pinch of xanthan gum with some stevia to sweeten. It turned out so creamy and give me a great afternoon lift!

Even though I’d worked out in the morning I was registered for my Body Pump class and since I was feeling pretty good I didn’t want to miss it. I made sure I had a decent late afternoon snack to fuel me up:

2 wholegrain rice cakes topped with 2 tbsp Peanut Butter & Co Smooth Operator (i.e. the best peanut butter in the world) and a sliced pink lady apple. Then I was off to Body Pump and surprisingly I was full of energy – perhaps thanks to that mocha! I had expected the class to be a killer but I was ok and only dropped my weights for the back track, although when I actually did it I think I could have easily managed my normal weights, win! Still loving the new squat and lunge track too :-)

I’ve been having a serious craving for a good bean burger recently so while I was making my lunch earlier I’d decided to make some ready for dinner. When I’d actually made them I thought they were a total recipe fail, they were very ‘wet’ and I didn’t think they’d hold together at all. I baked them before I left for body pump thinking they would need quite a while in the oven to be edible but they actually turned out fantastically!

I had one in a Food Doctor seeded pitta with spinach and ketchup along side half a baked sweet potato. Talk about hitting the spot, this was so good!

After dinner I had a little sweet snack of some raw chocolate covered goji berries and a sliced persimmon:

A little later, as is my normal eating pattern now, I had a big Cherry Vanilla Sea Salt Protein Smoothie in a bowl!

Yes I’m still enjoying these, but sans Popchips topping as unfortunately I have ran out!

I also had a big mug of Kuricha tea:

Enjoyed while I crashed out on the sofa and the day caught up with me! Throughout the day there was also lots of water and plain green tea of course :-)

I was really surprised at the level of energy I had considering how much I’d worked out, and equally surprised at how well those bean burgers turned out, a couple of unexpected wins! As for the running motivation, well I’m trying not to be too negative about it all. I think I’ll be seeing how I go and keep my fingers crossed for some sunshine!

When did you last have an ‘unexpected win’? How do you deal with lost motivation?

Happy Friday everyone! How has your week been? With working from home and getting the carpet and bed sorted my week has been a strange one, but its all good. Especially now I have a proper bed to sleep in!

Yesterday I had the best nights sleep so I woke up bright eyed yesterday and ready for a quick bit of yoga. I did the usual Yoga for Runners followed by some foam rolling on my IT bands. Breakfast was so good but it was dark and rainy outside and I had to use the flash on my camera!

This was delicious: tofu yoghurt (its been too long), banana sunshine muffin, damson compote and a sliced peach, yum!

This morning I hit the gym for my NRoL workout – still doing 3 sets instead of 2 on all the moves, and warmed up on the step machine instead of treadmill. After that I had a wonderful protein packed green smoothie:

This contained spinach, cucumber, 1 frozen banana, 2 scoops of vanilla sun warrior, spirulina, maca powder, msm crystals, water, stevia, ice, xanthan and guar gums and topped with roasted almond butter sauce and goji berries.

Lunches have been veggie packed and tasty:

Slice of raw bread made with veggie juice pulp and brazil nuts topped with some cheesy avocado mash (half an avocado with nutritional yeast and lemon juice) plus lots and lots of chopped veggies and and 2 apples. I love snacky plates like these!

Other snackage has included my last Lara bar:

Cherry Pie, so good, I must make some home made versions of these! I also snacked on a big almond coconut cookie and apples:

That cookie was so good, they freeze so well! The snacking hasn’t stopped there though. Last night I was ravenous and snacked on apples, dried fruity pieces, popcorn, chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, chocolate nut butters – hazelnut, almond and peanut (!) and some fantastic bowls of brown rice puffs mixed with peanut flour sauce and agave. I recognised that this was genuine hunger and not any kind of binge as I felt in control and despite it being quite a lot of food, I didn’t feel sick or ill afterwards :-) I think my body clearly needed the extra fuel.

Last night after work I also popped to the gym and put in a great sweaty 1 hour cardio workout followed by abs and core exercises. I felt like I needed a really intense sweaty workout and I felt great afterwards!

Last night I had more seitan stir fry for dinner but tonight I fancied something new. I made up a socca with some coriander and filled it with a mix of mashed black beans, roast peppers, fried onions, a slice of vegan cheese and spinach. On the side I had some roasted courgette and carrot ‘chips’:

This was wonderful, so filling and I really loved the ‘chips’ too!

Desserts have included raw cookies and cream cheesecake and tofu yoghurt with damson compote and a chopped apple:

The tangy sweet compote was so good with the creamy yoghurt, yum!

I’m really looking forward to the weekend ahead, especially as we have bank holiday Monday! Tomorrow we are planning a shopping trip to town and catching up with friends and family then hopefully we will have the rest of the long weekend to relax. I’m also hoping to try a short run, fingers crossed my knee will be ok!

Are you a big snacker? Usually I just have one or two snacks a day but very occasionally I have periods like last night when I just graze on all sorts for several hours! What’s your favourite snack? I really loved the odd little combo I discovered last night of brown rice puffs mixed with peanut flour sauce and agave, yum!

Hope you have a great weekend!