"OK, you're a runner. Get over it"

I'm not normally one for responding to flame war provoking articles on the internet, but for this, I'll make an exception.

A few days ago, Chad Stafko wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal, which you can find here, wondering aloud why runners find it virtually impossible not to scream from the rooftops: "I'M A RUNNER!!! I RUN LOTS!!! LOOK AT ME!!!" (except put in a far much more articulate way, of course).

Go on, read it. I'll be right here waiting.

...

Read it? Good.

As you can imagine, the piece sparked outrage in the running community. There was even a rebuttal in Runners World, which quite frankly I found childish and quite cringeworthy.

So here's my rebuttal, which hopefully is fairly honest and actually assumes Mr Stafko actually has something going on between his ears, which the Runner's World piece sorely fails to do.

"What's with this infatuation with running and the near-mandatory ritual of preening about it?"

I'm not going to deny that there is a culture of "preening" (as Mr Stafko succinctly puts it) in the running community. Heck - I have a blog about it, I'm one of the worst offenders!

Medal selfie!

I like shouting my running achievements from the rooftops, and here's why: if you had told me 5 years ago that I would turn into a runner, I would have thought you were having a laugh. If you had told me two weeks into my Couch to 5k training that I would still be going strong over two years later, I would have said you were nuts.

Running is HARD. Sure, it gets easier, but it never gets easy. Running 10km is HARD. Running a marathon is HARD. So if I do something HARD, I want to give myself a little pat on the back, so I have the motivation to keep plugging away at it.

But it's not just the case with running. In 2006, I won the SBEA Award for the highest score in SQA Higher Administration in the country. That was HARD. Seven years later, I'm still riding that wave. That baby is still on my CV, I bring it up (semi)jokily in conversation whenever I can, and that little medal has pride of place on my shelf. Getting recognition for that award gave me the confidence I needed to study hard and get a First in my degree at uni (another achievement I'm proud of - sorry about that).

But you've got to celebrate your achievements. Whether it's mental, physical, whatever. If you don't find joy in your victories, then your life is going to be a long, hard and miserable road.

"When they're not out there sweating through the miles. they can relax with a running magazine... Runners World... Running Times, Trail Runner, Runner's Gazette and several others. Reading. About Running."

I like reading about my interests. Gosh, imagine that.

"Or these runners, when they're not running, can go shopping—at a running store...It sells only running equipment and apparel...This "equipment," of course, is nothing but shoes and clothes. You can buy these same shoes at a sporting-goods store or online, probably for much less...this apparel serves a clear purpose: We can look at them and immediately know that the person wearing it is a runner—perhaps even an accomplished one.

Here, Mr Stafko kind of has a point. You definitely can buy most things in a running store at online, or at another more general shop for much less.

Which is why I shop online, or in a more general sports shop, for my running gear.

Heck, it took me a over a year to actually get myself kitted out properly. And I certainly didn't get the stuff from a running store, when I could get it elsewhere for much cheaper.

Having said that, I do get my shoes from a running specialist. But thats not so I can smugly parade around town with my branded shopping bag looking like an accomplished runner, as Mr Stafko seems to believe.

The reason I go there for my shoes is because I have shitty feet. I need to get my gait analysed by a specialist, which are only found in these kind of shops, before I feel confident enough to make my purchase. Yes, it means the shoes are more expensive, but you are paying for that specific expertise. If it means I am going to avoid injury, then it's a premium I don't mind forking out for.

"Why would someone want to get up at 5 a.m. and run 10 miles...?"

Because I'm too shattered to go for a run after I come in from work. I do it first thing in the morning, because I actually have energy then and it's a great way to wake up.

Plus, I don't really fancy dying of a heart attack at 50.

"I have a theory. There is no more visible form of strenuous exercise than running. When runners are dashing down a street in the middle of town or through a subdivision, they know that every driver, every pedestrian, every leaf-raker and every person idly staring out a window can see them."

I don't know where Mr Stafko lives, but have you ever been outside at 5am?! The streets are DESERTED.

There's absolutely no one about. If I wanted to be seen by every Tom, Dick and Harry, I would choose a more "peak" time. And maybe consider putting some makeup on. The "halfway-through-a-run" look is not a pleasant sight.

So why do I not hide away in a gym and do my run on a treadmill to avoid offending people like Mr Stafko? Well, why the heck should I pay £25 a month to do something that I can do outside for free? That's what attracted me to running in the first place - you need hardly any equipment and don't need to drag yourself to a gym to do it.

"You can spot them, wandering through the mall or killing time at Starbucks, proudly wearing their "[Fill in the blank] 5K Run" T-shirts. They're getting what they want, without losing a drop of sweat."

If you spot me in a coffee shop with one of my old race t shirts, it doesn't mean I am showing off. It means I haven't done a wash cycle in a while and I am running out of actual clothes to wear. I will also be wearing my old, greying knickers.

"I saw a great new bumper sticker the other day. It read 0.0. I'll take one of those, please."

This makes me feel really sad. It suggest to me that Mr Stafko doesn't want to run, purely because he doesn't want to be seen as a "runner".

That is really such a shame, because running is a great way to keep fit and could probably do wonders for his health. Don't sacrifice quality of life for the sake of a couple of cultural differences!

Chad, if you read this, come and do a 5km with me. I'll show you how good it feels - then we can put a selfie of our sweaty faces up on Facebook afterwards. :)

This could be YOU, Chad!!!

Ham and Lentil Soup

Another soup recipe, yay!

This is an old favourite in the MFC household. It's really simple to make, Mr MFC loves it and it's hella cheap.

It's my grandma's recipe, who passed it down to my mum, who passed it on to me, and I will definitely be passing it on to my kids. Its an absolute essential for any adult to have in their recipe arsenal, if you ask me.

Ham and Lentil Soup (for 4)

1 litre of stock made from ham or vegetable cubes
100g lentils
1 onion chopped or (if you're lazy like me) sliced
4/5 slices of ham (cheap sandwich slices work just fine)
2 carrots, grated or chopped

1) Bung everything in a pot and bring to the boil

2) Put the pot lid on and simmer for an hour

Here's one I made earlier

3) Er... that's it. Done. 

It's really that simple. Not only that, the only really essential ingredients in this recipe are the stock and the lentils. Everything else is optional. 

Bearing that in mind, assuming you get just basic stock cubes and a bag of lentils, this soup just works out at roughly 7p per portion. I'm serious, I've worked it out and everything!!!

Basic pack of 10 stock cubes cost 20p, and a 500g of lentils costs £1.09 (from Tesco, which we have already established may not always be the cheapest). That's enough to make 5 batches, which is 20 portions. 

£1.29/20 = 7p (or 6.45p to be more precise). 

Any excuse to reference Breaking Bad, really.

So next time someone moans at you that "eating healthy is too expensive", do me a favour and slap that in their faces. 

...oh I almost forgot! Nutritionals!

kcals: 135

fat: 1g

sat fat: 0.2g

Enjoy! 

How I halved my monthly food spend

Since around November last year, I have become quite obsessed with the idea of "weeding out the unnecessary".

This obsession has seeped into pretty much every area of my life: I've got rid of a lot of my stuff; I think carefully about how I spend my time; and I have tried to shop less.

Not only has it made my home much more pleasant place to live, I feel more relaxed I have saved a SHEDLOAD of money. I'm not going to bore you with everything that I have done, we would probably be here forever, but seen as this blog is about food, I will talk about my food shopping. To be fair, it is probably one of the aspects of my "paring down" that I am most proud of. Not only do I save a lot of money, but we also waste a lot less.

Mr MFC and I used to spend around £250 on food a month. Now we spend about £125. These simple tips may come as common sense, but I thought I would share with you anyway:

Know how much things cost

I have done food shopping for myself for over six years, but only until very recently have I actually made a point of stopping to acknowledge how much things actually cost. When I did, I was shocked. It's amazing how marketing can dupe you. Large supermarket chains that constantly tell you they are good value for money, that they are the cheapest around (not naming any names) are actually probably the most expensive places to shop. I'd never realised, I just assumed that they were cheap because the billboards told me so.

Don't fall into that trap. Start to take note of how much things cost. Start with the basics, such as milk, bread, eggs etc and move onto stuff that you buy often. It's actually a lot easier than you think.

Take milk for example. I used to pay £1.29 for 4 pints of semi skimmed. Now I normally pay 79p for two litres (which is marginally less than two pints). While I used to be happy to shell out £1 for a loaf of bread, now I rarely pay more than 65p.

Even if the idea of learning the prices of every item on your grocery list seems daunting, just learning a couple of the key items on your list will give a pretty reliable guage for the pricing of the shop as a whole. Say for example I go into a shop that is selling milk for £1.50, I know to run a mile. And now, hopefully you do too :)

Shop around

Having said that, once you pay more and more attention to pricing, you will come to realise that you will rarely get the best deal on your entire grocery list all in one place. It's a pain, but one of the facts of life, I'm afraid. If you truly want to have a good value, varied store cupboard, you have to mix up where you shop.

I have my weekly shop, which is Lidl. I can find most of the stuff I need there at the cheapest price. However, there are some things that I simply can't get there or (gasp shock horror) I can get cheaper elsewhere.

Enter my monthly shop: Sainsburys.

I know what you are thinking: "how is Sainsburys cheaper than Lidl?!". Believe it or not, Sainburys is cheaper on a few items that I use often: spaghetti, tinned tomatoes, chicken to name but a few.

BUT neither shop gives me the variety or value for money that I demand for snacks such as cereal bars. Those I get from Poundland, which I pop into just as and when I need to stock up.

It just comes back to knowing what things cost. Over time, and comparing receipts, you too will realise that different shops offer value for money on different items, and stock different items too of varying quality, so vary where you shop to make sure your cupboard is always full of the food you love, no matter where it is from.

Be smart with offers

Offers are great, but be mindful of the fact that their sole purpose is to make you buy more than you intended. If you needed the item on offer anyway, then fantastic! Fill yer boots. But be careful will offers, especially those that include high end branded stuff, as it may end up costing you more than you intended to spend in the first place.

Plan ahead

You can instantly build up your immunity to these kind of offers, and other impulse buys, by going into the shop with a list. If you have a list to hand, you have a clear idea of what you need and are less likely to stray from the essentials.

How do you get a clear idea of what you need? By planning your meals, of course! I know I am not the first to say this, and I definitely won't be the last, but if you want to save money on food, one of the most effective things you can do is plan your meals.

By planning your meals, you can make sure you use all of your fresh produce before it goes off. You can also take stock of what you already have in your cupboard and create a meal plan to fit around it. Once you have all your meals planned, you can figure out what ingredients you will need to get. Nine times out of ten, you will need a lot less than you think.

There will also be a lot less nights where you will succumb to the takeaway, simply because you don't know what to have for dinner that night. The decision will already be made for you.

The freezer is your friend


If by some chance you do buy more fresh produce than you need, chances are you can freeze it. Sometimes I see vegetables on offer, so I stock up, go home, process it and freeze it. Frozen vegetables are great for plopping into soups or slow cooked stews.

Meat as well, which is notoriously expensive, can just be dipped into as and when you need it if you freeze it. I like to get the big packs of chilled chicken breasts, these offer the best value, and then split them into portion sizes with either freezer bags or cling film when I get home.

Don't go shopping unless you have to

You might find that with a freezer full of goodies and an organised meal plan, a week might roll around and you don't need to get anything. That's okay. It's odd that we have trained ourselves into doing a "weekly shop", but the reality is that if you don't need anything, there's no point in going! Don't go shopping just because it's in your schedule - go shopping only if you genuinely need to stock up.

What are your food money saving tips? Is there anything I've missed? Please let me know in the comments!

A love letter to yoghurt

Back in May this year, I went to Crete for a week with Mr MFC for a much needed dose of vitamin D. Although, if I say I go on holiday simply for the sunshine, I would be lying. I go on holiday to indulge. I'm sorry. I spend 51 weeks out of the year trying to eat what is best, so sue me if I can't take a week off to enjoy myself.

The Greek food is amazing. I love noshing on gyros (shredded lamb with pitta bread and tsatsiki), moussaka and souvlaki (pork on a stick. glorious). When I'm not eating, I am normally lazing at a seaside bar working through a cocktail that is bigger than my head.

Mmm artificial colourings!

Without a doubt, my favourite Greek cuisine was the yoghurt. Every morning I was away, I would start my day with a big dollop of luxuriously thick yoghurt and lashings of gorgeous sweet honey. Mmmmmm yummy!

Now don't get me wrong, I have always really liked yoghurt, but recently I have really ramped up my affair, slurping down at least one portion a day.

Lidl do a 500ml pot of really smooth yogurt for 50p, and it's enough to last me about five days (none of this "consume within three days of opening" nonsense). I sometimes have it the Greek way, with yoghurt, but recently I have been experimenting with yoghurt and fruit. For example:

Yogurt with Blueberries

Yoghurt with Tinned Mandarins

Basically, any kind of fruit I have lying around, I'll just chuck it in and see what happens. I haven't been disappointed yet, it goes great with peach, nectarine, strawberries, pineapple...

I also love the fact that yoghurt is full of protein, so added with the fibre from the fruit you get a really satisfying snack/ after dinner treat! And the scale rarely tips 100 kcals. Bonus.

But enough about me, how do you take your yoghurt? ;)

Alibi

As a girl in my mid-twenties, I love to party. Don't get me wrong, I am not out EVERY weekend getting sloshed, but when the mood takes me, I can certainly get going with the best of them. The only problem is, I really get punished for my sins the next day. 

Even when I was a teenager, my hangovers were awful. I wouldn't be able to leave my bed, and when I did it would just be to go to the toilet to throw up. Unfortunately, it's only got worse as I have gotten older, and now even a couple of glasses of wine is enough to give me a fuzzy head the next morning. 

So I suppose Alibi was made for people like me. According to its website, Alibi is "the world's first PRETOX drink... [it] has been developed to prepare your body to recieve and process toxins quickly and efficiently."

I have seen it around for a while, but my default setting on all things ending in "-tox" is "cynical", so I never really felt tempted to give it ago. It wasn't until I saw it on offer in Holland and Barrett last week that I decided it might be worth a punt. 

I had a flat party last night, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to give this stuff a test run. I had the pomegranate flavour, which was sweet, light and refreshing. It was so tasty in fact, I would probably just have it as a regular drink. At 99 kcals, it's not exactly saintly, but it could certainly be worse. I chugged it down before I left the flat, and then just carried on with my night as normal.

The results? Well I had a pretty heavy night (as was to be expected), but I made sure to do what I usually do and break up the alcohol with some soft drinks throughout the night, and chugged down lots of water before I went to bed to prevent excess dehydration, which I know even on its own helps massively.

I woke up this morning with the expected fuzzy head, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what I was expecting. You could have been forgiven for thinking that I had only gone out for a couple, and I hadn't stayed out the entire night tanking vodka jellies, downing jagerbombs and dancing to godawful R'n'B (which I DID NOT do.... obviously...).

So, even though I have been quite cynical in the past, I must say that I will definitely be using Alibi again! I know that it's hardly a replacement for not partying hard in the first place, but life is for living! And a girl's got to have some fun, right? ;)

TL;DR

So once again, I have let a few months slip by without posting. Man, that's a nasty habit I am developing.

I know that excuses aren't really my style, but if I was going to make an excuse, my personal life has been a bit of a roller-coaster recently. Luckily, I haven't let my fitness routine slip, but unfortunately life pretty much drained me of any extra energy to do anything else.

Have you ever felt that your life is so exhausting, that you are happy with just existing? Not sure if that makes sense, but basically for a while back there, I would get up, work out, go to work, come home, and sit in front of the TV until I fell asleep, then start the whole routine again the next morning. That was all I had the energy to do.

I am not going to go into it, but basically pretty rough shit has been going on in my professional life. It wasn't anyone's fault, but it was a pretty tough situation that started a whole existential crisis about what I was doing with my life, was I doing the right thing, am I capable of doing more... and then when I thought I didn't have enough emotional energy to deal with anything else, BAM! Death hit. 

It was Mr MFC's grandad. I don't think he would mind me saying that it was expected, he had been ill for some time, but it didn't make things any easier. Losing someone close to you never is.

That was a couple of months ago now, and it's just now that I have started to feel like I am coming back to life again. I think I still have some way to go, but I feel now like I am taking positive steps to change things things, rather than just sitting back and letting stuff happen to me.

So, with all that chat out of the way, let me update you on the stuff that has been going on in my life since I chatted to you last:

• I went to Crete for a week and discovered my love for Greek yoghurt and honey
• I have run in not one, but two races!
• I have gained 6lbs in weight (but it might not necessarily be a bad thing...)
• My ankle is still giving me hassle, but not so much that I have had to stop the running. Thankfully, I am getting fitted for my own custom made orthotic which should make things even better!
• I have handed in my notice at my current job (see reference to "rough shit" above) and start my new job in two weeks. Yes, I am cacking it.

But enough about me, how have you been? :)

Someone scratch me

So I am in a bit of a huffy mood today. I just feel minging. Why you ask? Uch, it might be something to do with this:

Basically a few months ago I was prescribed a skin cream by the doctor, which I reacted badly to. So the doctor, being the caring and thorough professional that they are, referred me to the dermatologist to have a skin patch test.

Now, I was imagining the sample size would be quite small, and I'd maybe have something about the size of an A5 sheet of paper put on the base of my back. Silly me. When the nurse wheeled out all the samples she had to administer, I wondered whether there would be enough room on me to fit them all. There were 132 in total.

132.

And I'm not sure if you've ever had a huge selection of irritants stuck on your back, but I'll tell you now. It fricken kills. First comes the tightness, where you can barely move because the skin on your back has been glued together, but that loosens off quick enough. Just in time for the itching. MY GOD the itching.

It's taking pretty much every ounce of my being not to rip this thing off and go to town on the nearest tree like Baloo...

But I have managed to resist. Thankfully I only have to endure it one more night, then it gets taken off tomorrow morning.

Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. Did I mention I am not allowed to shower during this?

Yeah, the last shower I had was on Monday morning, and I'm not allowed to shower again until Friday afternoon. Delightful, right?!

At first I thought that I would be able to wash after I got the patch taken off, but no. I have to keep the whole area dry until my last appointment on Friday, to make sure they catch any delayed reactions. Funzies!!!

If you haven't gathered already, this puts any form of excess perspiration out of the question for this week. That includes - you guessed it - any form of vigorous exercise. Which means I am having to put my training on hold for a week. With my 10k just around the corner, that is mighty frustrating.

I know I know, it will be good when I am done to have a comprehensive list of things that cause my skin to react and I'll know to avoid, but right now, with my back alight with all the horrible itching, it's difficult to be positive.

Pity me. :(

Me after 45 minutes on the cross trainer

Sweaty is sexy, right guys...? :p

Food organisation

I have been wondering whether to put this on my blog or not, as it's not really relevant to the whole theme I have going on here, but I have been going through a massive decluttering spurt.

It started when I was out of the game with my ankle, and I was practically crawling up the walls with frustration. To take my mind off it, I started to go through all of my stuff and weeding out the unnecessary.  It felt really good, and now I feel properly cleansed.

But I am not stopping there. Last weekend I decided to give my kitchen a revamp and re-organise my food cupboards. Given that this blog is about food (well, sometimes), I thought I should crete a post to boast about my efforts.

There was one corner that used to really annoy me. It was wasted space, frankly, and a dumping ground for all the food that I couldn't fit in my cupboards:

ICK.

There was two issues with this arrangement: firstly, it looked like a total guddle, and secondly, the water from the nearly sink sometimes seeped over onto the work surface, making my teabags all soggy. :(

I realised that there was also a lot of wall space there that I wasn't using, so I came up with a plan to start storing up, rather than out. I invested in a cheap £10 Billy Bookcase from Ikea, and voila! Instant organisation!

YAY

It looks so much better now!

I was even able to bring out some of my pretty jars of rice, pasta and pulses, and put them on display. I don't know why, but there is something so nice about having all of my wholesome ingredients on show.

So yeah, that was my weekend.

Do you have any kitchen organisation tips? Please tell me about them in the comments! Now that I've got the ball rolling, I get a total kick out of this stuff. Seriously.

Just a quick one...

... To say how shocked and saddened I am to hear of the tragic events in Boston.

The day before the race, my Twitter feed was full of excitement and anticipation... but at the moment it's so full of heartwrenching stories, that I dread opening it for fear of what I might read next.

I know it's hard, but we need to look on the bright side. Ill leave you with this quote that popped up in my Facebook feed (because that's where I seem to get all my blog inspiration nowadays).




The tales of the many heroes rising up to the plate in this difficult time have been inspirational. We need to take the positive out of this if we can, and keep our chins up. Because when we let things like this bring us down, that's when the fuckers win.

Be strong, Boston. The world is thinking of you.

X

New Beginnings

I freaking love April.

Winter is well and truly behind us (well, in theory), the mornings are getting lighter, the days are getting warmer and I am feeling good.

Screw new year's resolutions - resolving to make a change for spring is where it's at, and here's why: there is a kind of hope attached to spring breaking that cannot be found at any other time of the year. With new blooms appearing, and the sunrise ready to greet me when I get up in the morning, it feels like the whole planet is awaking from a six month slumber.

Don't get me wrong, my ankle isn't completely better, but it is the best time of the year to start a new training plan. I went out for my first run yesterday in over two months, and boy it felt good.

Well, at the time. About 10 hours later the dreaded and inevitable DOMS set in (you know, when those muscles you haven't been using for a while go "remember us?!") so I've been walking like John Wayne most of the day, but I know it will pass.

The main concern is my ankle. I don't know if it is true or not, but a trainer once told me that the pressure equal to 8x your body weight passes through your foot every stride you take on a run. That's quite a hammering. So, I am starting out really really easy, only 15 minutes at a time, and then building up from there. The flare ups are to be expected, but I am trying to minimise them as much as I can.

In the meantime, so far so good. I'll keep you posted.

What 2000 calories looks like

Yes, I know I have literally just written about something similar, but these food comparison thingamyjigs seem to be everywhere at the moment and I'm just a sucker for them.

Plus, the background music is so jaunty! ;)

Via Buzzfeed

Why I Run

Just a short one today, I came across this pie chart (may or may not be wholly accurate) on why people run. It made me chuckle:

There's at least a couple of those reasons that resonate with me! How many do you identify with?

Drugged up March

I know these moany posts aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I have to vent. Plus, it's my blog, so screw it. If you don't like it, go and read someone else's blog! (I don't mean that, sorry. Please stay. I love all my readers. Sit down, I'll make you a cup of tea. JUST DON'T LEAVE ME!!!)

Anyway. The ankle still hurts. BAH.

Don't get me wrong, there is a definitely a vast improvement from when I stopped running six weeks ago, but it's not the complete miraculous recovery I was hoping for.

I went to the orthopaedic assessment clinic as planned, but unfortunately it wasn't as fruitful as I was hoping it was going to be. Don't get me wrong, the doctor was lovely, but she hadn't really told me anything I hadn't heard already. Just the usual "nothing wrong with the ankle structure, WOW your biomechanics are screwed, here are some exercises, give it time... blah blah blah..."

Well guess what, I have given it time. I have given it time with bells on. I have paid my dues, I am fed up and I want to get running again NOW!!!

So you could say I was pretty bummed. Shortly after I went back to my physio/psycho therapist and vented. I think she was relieved that there was nothing there that she had missed, and that she had been right in thinking there was nothing wrong with the ankle structure itself. That got me thinking... is there any way that this could just be a chronic niggle with no physiological purpose? Quite possibly, she replied.

If that's the case, maybe I should shift my focus from healing my ankle injury (when there isn't anything to heal) to breaking the psychosomatic pain feedback cycle that it has left behind. So, I have started on a simple course of ibuprofen to block the pain for two weeks, and hopefully once I come off them, my stupid brain will realise the pain served no purpose and will block it out for good. Well... that is the plan anyway. :)

I've done "no run February".... so I am following it up with "Drugged up March!"

Hmm, maybe need to work on the name a bit. It sounds like I have lost it a little... Nevermind. You all know what I mean.

Besides, I have a 10k at the end of May to train for so I have to get started up again pretty soon. I've spotted a good training plan by Bupa that should get me 10k fit again, but it takes 8 weeks, which means ideally I should be up and going for it in about 10 days.

But, I'll just wait and see if the ibuprofen plan works before I make a solid decision. I'm sure I'll get there one way or another ;)

How to make popcorn

Every so often, you gain a skill that changes your life. In the past couple of weeks, I have been honing such a skill, and I swear I am not exaggerating when I say that it has been a game changer. 

Home made popcorn. Oh yes. 

"But wait!" I hear you cry, "Isn't popcorn that cinema snack that's really bad for you?!" Well yes, because its covered in a sugary syrup and fills a bag that's twice the size of your head. As a matter of fact, with a sensible topping and a controlled portion size, popcorn is quite a modest treat that's perfect for satisfying those evening munchies. 

Homemade Popcorn 

(serves 1 - multiply the recipe if you need to serve more)

• 25g unpopped popping corn (I get mine from Holland and Barrett, but you can get it in pretty much any health food store - for a pretty decent price too)
• 10g butter or margerine
• 1 teaspoon of sugar OR 1/4 teaspoon salt (depending on whether you want your corn sweet or salty)

Add your butter to the pot (hint: you'll need a bigger pot than you think)...

... and melt on a medium low heat. 

Once it's all melted, add your flavouring, whether it's the sugar or salt. I've decided to go for salt today. 

Something I've noticed is that when it comes to popcorn, people tend to fall into either sweet lovers or salty lovers... I must confess I am a rare breed in the sense that I have a soft spot for both. It really depends what kind of mood I am in!

Next, add your corn and shake your pot so that each kernel is glazed with the butter.

Finally, put the lid on the pot. And wait...

This is probably my favourite part... watching the corn as it pops in the pot is really exciting and I turn into a 5 year old again! Just remember to shake the pot every so often so the popped corn doesn't catch and burn. 

You'll know when it's ready once the popping has settled down to every 2-3 seconds. 

And hey presto! Perfect popped popcorn, with a fraction of the guilt. At 150 to 170 kcals with the sugar, it's the perfect cheeky treat ;)

Exercises for a bangin' booty

I have a bit of a weakness.

Smelly stuff.

Tip of the iceberg - seriously. 

I have a fair collection of Soap and Glory stuff, so I thought I would show off my collection on my favourite mindless social network, Facebook. It was only a matter of time until one of my friends asked if I have tried "Sit Tight" - the brand's latest butt firming cream.

Whoo boy.

Now even during my pre-concentrate days, when I just sat behind a desk eating Wotsits and M&Ms, I would never have wasted my time on that stuff. First off, it is hella expensive (£16.50 for a tiny tub? No thanks) but secondly I couldn't see how rubbing a layer of cream on your skin could have an effect on the muscles deep underneath. Especially if it is buried under a mound of fat.

If you want a pert bum with a nice lift, ain't no cream or lotion or potion gonna do the work for ya. You've got to put the hard graft in yourself. Exercise (combined with a good diet, of course!) is your best bet at firming up your behind. And guess what? It doesn't have to cost you a penny.

Here's my favourite bun burners:

Squats

Lunges

Deadlifts

Hip Bridges

Donkey Kicks

Of course, all of these exercises come with the standard disclaimer: you can tone the muscles underneath, but you've got to burn the fat too. So be sure to pair with a healthy diet and a good dose of cardio (e.g. running, swimming etc) for best results!

Have I missed out your favourite bum exercise? Tell me in the comments!

Chicken and Broccoli Noodles

It has occurred to me that, despite this blog claiming to be all about "food and fitness", the "food" part has been woefully neglected. So, I have got a couple of recipes I would like to share with you. They are really easy, pretty healthy (well... there might be a couple of exceptions) and really tasty.

I know that the latest food industry scandal has left lots of people with a bitter taste in their mouths... but for me it just confirmed what I thought all along. You want to know what's going in your food? Learn to cook. It's surprisingly easier and cheaper than you think.

So, with that said, here's my first offering...

Chicken and Broccoli Noodles

This recipe has been adapted from 101 Low Fat Feasts by BBC Good Food. You know that one recipe book that you constantly refer to? Well, this one is mine (second only to my trusty Be-Ro book!) and I highly recommend you get yourself a copy. In the meantime, let me whet your appetite with this tasty dish...

You will need (serves 2)

• 2 nests of egg noodles
• 175g broccoli
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Thumb size piece of ginger, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced and/or diced
• Bunch of spring onions
• 1.5 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 vegetable stock cube

This is what raw chicken looks like 

Some more of your ingredients (clockwise from top right): grated ginger, garlic, broccoli, spring onions

Quick word on your greens before we get started - in the case of the spring onions, it's very much a case of do what I say, not what I do. Last time I made this and took these pictures, I experimented with freezing my spring onions. It did not go well. In an attempt to defrost them, I added them early on in the cooking process, but unfortunately this made them all squidgy by the end :( . So, be sure to use fresh spring onions and add them fairly late on so they keep their crunch. However, I also used frozen broccoli, which worked out fine. However, if you want to use fresh, that's okay too.

Heat your oil in a wok (or a large pot) and add the ginger and garlic. Cook out for about 30 seconds, then add your chicken and cook until fully cooked (about 5 minutes depending on the size of your pieces).

I added my spring onions too - as I mentioned earlier, don't do that.

While that's cooking, make up your vegetable stock from the cube according to the instructions. Boil up some water in a separate pot, and add your noodles, broccoli and all but 100ml of your stock. Pop the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes.

Keep stirring your chicken while it is cooking. This is what it should look like when it is nearly ready:

When the chicken is cooked through, add the rest of the vegetable stock and soy sauce.

Nom.

The noodles and broccoli should nearly be ready now, so drain them and add to the wok with your lovely fresh spring onions.

Stir about for a minute or so to let the lovely sauce soak through everything, then serve.

GET IN MY BELLY

It's a really satisfying dish, and not too bad calorie wise, at 425 calories and 4g saturated fat. 

Let me know if you give it a go, and also let me know if you find a way to freeze spring onions without turning them into a squidgy mess!

Exercise Sites That I am Loving Right Now

Hey everyone!

So I'm nearly through with No Run February, and even though my ankle is feeling better (I think), it's still not 100%. So, I reckon I am going to keep off my running shoes for a little while yet.

I've got an appointment at an orthopaedic assessment clinic in a couple of weeks (which is lightning speed for the NHS in my opinion), so in the meantime I am going to keep going with my strength and pilates. To be honest with you, I have found that it has been plenty to keep me ticking over for now.

The internet has been a huge factor in the reshaping of my exercise routine, so I want to share with you the two sites that I have fallen in LOVE with over the past month. Without these, I am pretty sure I would be crawling up the walls with run-less mentalness. Both of them have a comprehensive library of exercise programs, from beginner to advanced, so no matter what level you're at, I reckon you should give them both a try:

Blogilates: Pop Pilates with Cassie Ho

This came as a recommendation from a girl at work. When I told her about my initial dabble in pilates, she told me to try this site out for a bit more of a challenge.

Boy, was she right. Cassie, the pilates extraordinaire, is MENTAL (but in a good way)! Her challenges are grade A rock solid. Now, I like to think I have resolve of steel, but I have (shamefully) had to throw in the towel a couple of times. This challenge had me a quivering mess by the end:

But don't let that scare you off, there are plenty of beginner pilates workouts too if you want to ease your way into it ;)

Do Yoga With Me

Yoga is a great way to get some stretching in, and I really enjoy it, but I HATE yoga classes. I can't stand them. I have the flexibility of a steel rod, and wouldn't want to subject any yoga instructor to such a hopeless case. No, seriously. I studied yoga for six months in India and by the end I STILL couldn't squeeze myself into the lotus position.

At least if I do it in the comfort of my own home, the only one who can get frustrated by my lack of progress is me. Hence why I love this site. There is a huge variety of practices, focusing on all the body parts you can imagine, ranging from 15 minutes to over an hour and a half. So there is bound to be something to suit you.

My favourite at the moment is the Bend and Stretch. Melissa the instructor has an excellent manner, and I feel so relaxed by the end.  Doing it first thing in the morning makes for a great start to the day, and it's a really enjoyable way to make sure I am all stretched out :)

What workout sites do you swear by? I'd love to discover more, so please share them with me in the comments!

200 Calories

I saw these pictures recently on my favourite time-sucker Reddit, and thought I would share. I find these kinds of comparisons absolutely fascinating.

200 calories worth of...

Fast Food Burger

Baby Carrot

Apple

Dried Apricot

Hot Dog

Grapes

Baguette

Doritos

M&Ms

Celery

Full Fat Coke

This is just a selection, but if you're interested you can also check out the full set.

No-Run February: Update!

Is my ankle getting better? It feels like its getting better. It's still not totally better, but it feels better. I think it feels better. Is it really getting better?

We're over halfway through the month now (time flies when you're having fun, haw haw haw) so I thought I would give you all an update on my progress during No-Run February.

No it's not a national event or anything, it's just something I made up. I made it up to stop myself from doing anything silly and to give my ankle a chance to heal.

So how have I been getting on?... Well, to my complete and utter surprise, I haven't found it as devastatingly difficult as I thought I would. Yeah I still miss it, but not putting that pressure on myself to go out for a run as soon as I feel vaguely able is... nice. It feels like a weight has been lifted. I've made the decision not to run, and that's that.

I visited the physio last week, and I swear, the woman is a saint. She's not only my physical therapist, but kind of my psychotherapist as well. After all the bleating to her I do about my ankle, I wouldn't be surprised if she screams into a pillow the moment I leave the clinic.

Anyway, I told her about my decision not to run and the reasoning behind it, and she seems pretty happy. In fact, she was really excited when I told her I had been dabbling in pilates the last couple of weeks. She is a huge fan of pilates, because it is great for strengthening the muscles and correcting my alignment, which as I have mentioned before, is pretty dire.

I've also gone to see the GP, who has referred me to a podiatrist or an orthopaedic specialist... I can't remember which. I thought they were both the same (they both like feet) but apparently they are not. Anyway, the hope is that the foot person, whatever their specialism, will order me a pair of custom orthotics, which I can wear when I am running to make my feet function more like a normal person's, and not the mashed up disaster zone which I currently have to deal with.

So yeah, that's it so far. I'll let you know if I do manage to get back to running when the month is out. I'm started to feel quite zen about it now though - it'll take as long as it takes. Can't really argue with that.

DVD Review: Pilates for Dummies

As part of no-run February I am experimenting with different types of exercise that I wouldn't have tried before - one of them being Pilates.

I had a voucher that I hadn't used yet, so I bought this DVD from play.com: Pilates for Dummies.

Because let's face it, I am a bit of a Dummy.

I'm loving Pilates at the moment, pretty much because it works me out without putting pressure on my ankle.

This DVD has 18 exercises, and is about 25 minutes from start to finish (35 if you decide to sit through the intro).

As a workout DVD, it's great. The host, Michelle, is really friendly, supportive and is excellent at explaining the movements clearly. Being used to the tough love of Jillian, Michelle's patience and encouragement came as a bit of shock! You can see an example of her loveliness in the video clip below:

But how is it as an actual workout? For me, it's not challenging enough. I think this DVD is aimed at people who are maybe a little bit older, or are completely new to exercise. Don't get me wrong, I do get a little knot in my stomach that I get as a result of most ab workouts, but I just don't get the same kind of satisfying burn that I get when I am lifting weights or doing crunches with Jillian. One of my friends has recommended Blogilates for more challenging stuff, so I am going to give that a go next.

Meanwhile, I have recommended this DVD to my Mum. As she's a bit older, I think this DVD will be perfect for her, plus she'll benefit from the crystal clear instruction.

Think Pilates for Dummies is for you? Feel free to ask me any questions about it in the comments section!

How to Make a "Smug Holder"

So for Christmas this year, I decided to make Mr MFC a special holder for all of his bibs and medals. The man is so great, he has started to collect a fair few.

I know it's a bit late for Christmas, but Valentine's Day is coming up, and it makes a great gift for a significant other. Plus, the materials are really cheap and it's super simple to make (don't tell Mr MFC that, though)!

You will need a plank of wood, a couple of clothes pegs, superglue, and a bunch of nails. You might want paint as well to make it pretty, but that's entirely optional.

All my projects seem to start with a plank of wood...

 First, I checked that the wood fitted the bibs.

They did, hurrah!

I decided to make an explosive design, so roughly drew it on with a pencil...

You can see my other Christmas shopping in the back there...

To give it a real professional feel, I thought it would be an idea to make the edges straight and clean with some masking tape...

Next, I sourced some sample paint that I had bought for another project a couple of years ago. It had been sitting in my drawer for a while, but thankfully the paint was still good.

Who needs a mixing palette when you have a Sainsbury's invoice?!

Next - painting!!!

Looks a bit rubbish at this point

The masking tape worked a treat.

Starting to look awesome...

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Boo yah.

I waited for the paint to dry, then I superglued on the pegs and hammered in some nails at the bottom. 

And here is the finished article:

I'm really pleased with the way it came out, and so is Mr MFC. He worked so hard to earn those medals, so it's only right that he gets to show them off in style!