post-run muesli bars (more like granola...)

To celebrate a really good fartlek running session I decided to make muesli bars. I did this last week too, but my attempt wasn't very successful and I ended up with a container full of granola. I realised my mistake - not enough butter (trying to be too healthy) - so this time around I thought I would follow a recipe and use as much butter an needed. However, I am now left with a sticky pile of granola! I have no idea what went wrong. I followed the recipe (well, mostly - I substituted some oats for bran and prunes for apricots, but the quantities were right) and when I brought the tray out of the oven they looked good...

Golden muesli bars - looked good in the tray, not so good out of it

However, on attempting to lift them out of the tray they pretty much all collapsed into a heap. So, now I have incredibly buttery and sweet granola for breakfast.

There's no point adding a link to this recipe - I wouldn't bother using it again. In fact, I think I'll give up on my muesli bar/flap jack quest.

At least I had a very good run today! Less than three weeks to the half marathon. Feeling good, but still need to do the distance.

Aduki bean burgers with parsnip chips and sweet potato humous

I wanted a super healthy post-run meal that wouldn't take too long to cook, but would still be a bit special with lots of different tastes. I thought that if I put most of the veg in the oven and cooked the beans on the hob I could leave them whilst I ran for 45 minutes and it would all be done by the time I got back (well, I had my husband to prod them every ten minutes or so). It didn't really work out like that as it took about 50 minutes to assemble everything when I got back from the run (with 10 minutes inbetween to have a shower). So, this was a great meal, but potentially not one to do mid-week if you want a run too!






So here's how it goes:

Aduki bean burger

200g aduki beans soaked overnight and then simmered in water for 45 mins
1 onion
2 bulbs of garlic
Handful of almonds
Handful of fresh herbs - your choice
Handful of breadcrumbs
lemon juice
A few cherry tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese (optional - could be made vegan)
Breadcrumbs (to coat)
olive oil to fry

1. Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil
2. Place the onion and garlic mixture with the above ingredients - except for the cheese and breadcrumbs to coat - into a food processor and whizz until the mixture is slightly chunky (you don't want it too smooth)
3. Divide into how ever many burgers you require - I made three big ones, but I think this mixture could make 4 average-sized ones or maybe a few even smaller ones
4. Divide each burger ball into two and make two burger shaped patties (i.e if you are making 3 burgers you will have 6 patties altogether). Then on one of the patties place a spoonful of mozarella cheese and then cover with another pattie, squash slightly and make sure the edges are sealed. Do this for each burger and then roll in breadcrumbs and lightly fry in olive oil.
Make sure they don't stick to the pan (inevitably, a lit bit always does)

Parsnip chips

1. Par-boil some parsnips (however many you want)
2. Lightly shake in a colunder and coat with olive oil, honey and wholegrain mustard
3. Roast in oven for 45 minutes

Sweet potato humous


I can't claim this recipe as my own as I found it on this blog:

http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2010/10/sweet-potato-hummus.html

Amazing humous - it involves roasting sweet potato in the oven for 45 mins beforehand...


I also roasted some figs and then mixed them with sundried tomatoes and feta cheese. This didn't really go with the meal so I would leave that out in future!

A hunk of wholemeal bread was a lovely finishing touch.

Green tomato chutney

Another year of kilos of green tomatoes! This time around though they have not gone to waste. I found a great recipe on the BBC Good Food website (I love this website as you can list the ingredients you have and the perfect recipes pop up!)

This is the recipe:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2865/green-tomato-chutney

I have to admit that it was my husband who cooked all the chutney - it's so tasty with cheese on toast and not too calorific either.

Why won't they turn red?!

Mmmm, lots of tasty chutney

10 milers

I've just completed my third 10 mile run and am feeling pretty good! It's difficult coming home from work knowing you have one hour and a half of running before you can sit down to eat and relax, but it is very rewarding (well the glass of wine was a reward!)

I'm really starting to think seriously about doing a marathon next year, but it's going to take a hell of a lot of training and will power to do. And then there's the risk of injuries... Runner's World has a great First Marathon training guide available from their website. Seeing all the training written down somehow makes it more doable.

The half marathon is in one month time, so I may see how I feel a week after that... quite tempted by the marathon in Copenhagan on 20 May - quite some time away so plenty of time to train. Something to think about anyway...

Apple and Blackberry Pie

We have a beautiful apple tree at the bottom of our garden, but never seem to do anything with the apples and so they often go to waste. We also neglect our growing blackberry bush. I suppose the slugs and maggots are happy in our garden!



However, this year we've been ploughing through the fruits and I have found a great recipe on the BBC's Good Food Guide:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2749/gales-blackberry-and-apple-pi


This is my husband throwing me apples :-)










And here are the results!

It's great as there's not too much pastry nor sugar so it's not overly unhealthy. We only had a few handfuls of blackberries growing in our garden so I put in quite a few extra apples instead.

Cardiff 10K

Well, it didn't go too badly. I ran the 10k in 48 mins and 55 seconds. Not my best, but still a good time and something to work upon in the future. After all the bad weather we've been experiencing, the sun decided to come out in full force today along with a strong wind (which constantly blew in the wrong direction to be of any help). 

I now realise that I need to up my training and concentrate more on actual running than circuit training and nice little runs in the park. More fartlek and more structured training is needed! The Half Marathon is in just over a month so enough time to up the training and see if I can get close (and maybe break) my previous best of 1 hour 48 mins.

Now it's time to relax.

Ratatouille - post run bliss!

I have spent the last few days on holiday (in a very wet and windy Cornwall) and so the training has taken a bit of a hit. I have also consumed too much rich food and am feeling quite sluggish. To combat this (and because the 10k race is THIS Sunday) I have run two days in a row and have made a super healthy dinner that's lasted my husband and I two nights. I also have enough left for lunch tomorrow. :-)

Here's my ratatouille with cous cous and wholemeal flat bread:

It was very easy to make and great for using up vegetables and tinned beans. I just fried off some onions and garlic in a little olive oil, added about 8 chopped tomatoes and a couple of handfuls of chopped runner beans (yep, they are still growing!) and let it all simmer. I also fried up some mushrooms, peppers and courgettes in a separate dish and then added them to the tomato mixture - with all the juices - and some olives and tinned butter beans. To accompany the ratatouille I made some simple cous cous (wholemeal) and chucked in some capers, a tin of sweetcorn and some feta cheese. To finish it off I grilled some flat bread sprinkled with a little extra virgin olive oil, garlic and thyme. Oh, I also added some houmous. It's the kind of dish that lends itself to any vegetables - it just needs a good amount of tomatoes (and I would always go for fresh ones when available)

It tasted great post run and felt healthy too :-)

Runner Beans!

 Well, it seems only right that my first blog about food should be regarding runner beans! Every year my husband and I grow runner beans in our garden - basically they are one of only a selection of veg that we are able to grow really well. And we have hundreds of the little beans every year. I don't find them the most versatile of vegetables, but I have found a great little recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall called: Runner Beans with tomatoes. Here's the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/05/borlotti-runner-french-bean-recipes?INTCMP=SRCH

It's quite easy to make (which is always a plus point) and goes really well with cous cous.

 Fruits of the garden

The result! Food photography is something I've yet to master...