Many of my super-fit sporty friends live on a strict diet of protein-y pulses, iron-rich spinach, porridge and very lean meat, avoiding alcohol at all costs, counting calories, weighing their protein and generally being quite strict. One of the reasons I love training my ass off all week is to enjoy food, healthy portions and some treats which you feel are well deserved. Salad is not a meal. Carbohydrates are the order of the day.
Here is my alternatives to a healthy meal which also feels like a treat:
Healthy Fish and sweet potato chips with a red pepper sauce and minted peas
- Serves 2
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 x garlic clove, finely chopped
1 x red onion finely chopped
2 x red peppers, de-seeded and chopped
1 x can tomatoes
1 x small bunch of basil, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
2 x fish fillets; cod, hake, bream or anything you fancy
1 x egg
Flour
1 x lemon
1 x small bunch of parsley, chopped finely
2 x handfuls of white breadcrumbs
2 x sweet potatoes, sliced into thin wedges
Cayenne pepper (optional)
Frozen peas
Fresh mint, finely chopped
Method:
- Pre heat the oven to 180C
- Add the sweet potato wedges to an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper (optional)
- Heat some olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and chopped red onion until softened but not browned, then add the red peppers until soft, then the can of chopped tomatoes, and simmer.
- Prepare 3 bowls; 1 with flour, 1 with the egg mixed, and one with the breadcrumbs mixed with the zest of 1 lemon (reserve the lemon for later), salt and pepper and the finely chopped parsley
- Take each fish fillet and coat in flour, then egg then breadcrumb mixture
- Place onto a greaseproof oven tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of the fillet. To check, inset a knife into the middle.
- Boil your frozen peas for 5 minutes, drain and season with salt and pepper and add the chopped mint.
- Mix the fresh sliced basil into the tomato sauce (only at the end otherwise it loses it’s bright green colour)
- Serve the fish with the tomato sauce on the side, accompanied by the sweet potato wedges and minty peas.
- Fish by squeezing the zested lemon juice over the top of the fish and garnishing with a fresh basil leaf.
Healthy Lemon Cheesecake with summer fruits
Serves 2
Ingredients:
8 tbsp of natural yoghurt
1 lemon, zest and juice
Summer fruits; raspberries, blueberries and/ or sliced strawberries
Honey
Chocolate, grated
Method:
- Take 2 glasses/ ramekins
- Mix the yoghurt and lemon zest and juice
- Add 2 tablespoons of museli to the bottom
- Place the yoghurt mixed with lemon zest and juice on top
- Followed by the washed and sliced summer fruits
- Finish with a drizzle of honey and/ or grated chocolate
Monday 3 June 2013
The commuting pecking order
As well as being a triathlete by night (and early morning), I am also a commuter by bike.
6 years ago I stumbled into my local bike shop without a clue about the difference between aluminium and carbon, and chose a bike which was more comfortable and upright than the speedier more aggressive road bike which was 'a bit much'. Just £250 and with some lovely bouncy suspension, I started life as a commuter in London. Jump forward 4 years and I progressed on to my first road bike which also doubled up as my competition bike for the first couple of years doing triathlons. My trusty Felt ZW5 'Felicity' is still going strong despite a slight rusty chain and crunchy sounding head tube, it gets me from A to B in the somewhat challenging conditions of being a commuter in the capital, helped by a wardrobe of high vis, lycra which leaves nothing to the imagination and some nerves of steel. I remember I once met my Mum for lunch near Regent Street and she said she watched me wobbling off between big red buses and careering taxis and was terrified. My sister warns me on a regular basis how dangerous it is, though she lives in Guernsey where the speed limit is 20mph, so it's not very comparable.
It has come to my attention that there is a pecking order for London's commuters and (forgive my competitive spirit) an underlying competitive element between road users. I have been trying to determine this order for the last 6 years, so here it is;
10. Pashley's and wooden baskets with dogs in: The ladies (sorry that sounds a bit sexist but I'm a woman so I think that's OK?) riding these pretty steeds are in no rush. Skirts, hats and lovely fitted jackets, often seen on the streets of Chelsea with little road awareness and even less speed. Most commuters will pass them by in a bluuurrrrrrrrr.
9. Tricycle-riders: Not high on the general percentage but I have spotted 2 in the last year. Surprisingly swift, they coast along the pavements and manage to stay aloft at traffic lights a lot more easily than I can on my road bike pedals. A novel way to get into work on one wheel, bravo. Not just for the circus.
6. Mountain bikes: The streets of London is not ideal terrain for front and back suspension (although, pot holes...) but many choose this steed to get to the office. Baggy shorts, mountain bike clip-ins and a dislike for roadies, these guys put in a lot of effort and I believe burn more calories on an average commute as most of their pedalling effort is absorbed in to the suspension.
5. Hybrids: These guys have a slight advantage over mountain bikers, and are half way to being faster. Half roadie, half mountain bike, it's a popular and cost-effective solution. Bike snobs may sniff at hybrids being speedy but I had a good few years on my Schwinn which left (unfit) roadies to (sometimes) eat my dust.
4. Triathletes: Their identify is clear from the tribars, 'bento boxes' attached to their top tubes, slurping down energy gels (for a commute, yes I have seen this before). I like to think they have just come from a hard morning ride before work, but it does seem they are just commuting (and sometimes with their 'nice race wheels', hmm). Wildly competitive and likely to make unexpected moves, they are not considered the best road users but are speedy for the most of it, and likely to be attempting time trials accross parks and along the Victoria Embankment.
3. Fixies: Without wanting to generalise too much, I believe that these mostly originate from east London where gears are considered unfashionable and quiffs, plimsols and buttoned up to the collar shirts are definitely in. What they lack in gears they make up for in style and surprising speed. Fixies will always try to beat roadies off traffic lights and move through the streets of London with speed and swiftness, despite not wearing a helmet (as it ruins the quiff).
2. Roadies: Well seasoned bike snobs, roadies believe they are the kings (or queens) of the road. From classic steel frames to the highest spec and newest carbon model (I hope these guys have secure bike parking at their office), roadies will never want to be overtaken, especially by numbers 10-3, and will always make a sprint from the lights. They cockily ride through reds, overtake in the cycle lanes and sprint up hills to 'get into zone 4'. They believe they are the cream of the crop but I disagree...
1. Courriers: And at number 1, an unexpected candiate - the bicycle courrier. Whilst working in Soho this year, I came to know a little bit more about this specimen. These guys ('tis true I have seen very few/ if any female courriers, please correct me if I'm wrong) literally live and breath the streets of London. Their trusty steeds are indeed not shiny but boy are they fast. They know every back street, short cut in town and always blend into the streets and pavements as their clothes and faces are specked with London's finest road dirt. I will always be overtaken by courriers with ease, and believe they really do rule the roads.
Warning to fellow commuters: there is always a white van/ red bus/ minicab/ scary lorry out where ready to make an unexpected turn, countless passengers flinging open their doors and pedestrians updating their Facebook status as they cross the road (without looking). Have fun out there and be safe!
6 years ago I stumbled into my local bike shop without a clue about the difference between aluminium and carbon, and chose a bike which was more comfortable and upright than the speedier more aggressive road bike which was 'a bit much'. Just £250 and with some lovely bouncy suspension, I started life as a commuter in London. Jump forward 4 years and I progressed on to my first road bike which also doubled up as my competition bike for the first couple of years doing triathlons. My trusty Felt ZW5 'Felicity' is still going strong despite a slight rusty chain and crunchy sounding head tube, it gets me from A to B in the somewhat challenging conditions of being a commuter in the capital, helped by a wardrobe of high vis, lycra which leaves nothing to the imagination and some nerves of steel. I remember I once met my Mum for lunch near Regent Street and she said she watched me wobbling off between big red buses and careering taxis and was terrified. My sister warns me on a regular basis how dangerous it is, though she lives in Guernsey where the speed limit is 20mph, so it's not very comparable.
It has come to my attention that there is a pecking order for London's commuters and (forgive my competitive spirit) an underlying competitive element between road users. I have been trying to determine this order for the last 6 years, so here it is;
10. Pashley's and wooden baskets with dogs in: The ladies (sorry that sounds a bit sexist but I'm a woman so I think that's OK?) riding these pretty steeds are in no rush. Skirts, hats and lovely fitted jackets, often seen on the streets of Chelsea with little road awareness and even less speed. Most commuters will pass them by in a bluuurrrrrrrrr.
9. Tricycle-riders: Not high on the general percentage but I have spotted 2 in the last year. Surprisingly swift, they coast along the pavements and manage to stay aloft at traffic lights a lot more easily than I can on my road bike pedals. A novel way to get into work on one wheel, bravo. Not just for the circus.
8. Parents with trailers/ carts and carry cots attached: Hats off to the parents who combine the school run with their commute. A little person sporting a large helmet bobbing along in the back seat, a trailer with a brightly coloured flag protruding upwards taking the corners short, or even a tandem where the little one behind is enjoying the views rather than putting in any effort. Special mention to a fellow Strava user of mine, Maryka, who clocks some super speedy times during her weekly training sessions in Richmond Park with her little one in a trailer behind, which I must admit is a lot faster than my average times sans child!
7. The Brompton: A statement of convenience and style (some think) Brompton-riders have a very high cadence, Brompton riders smugley fold their bikes up and enjoy the combination of train and cycling commute. A reasonable weight to lug on to tubes, no one can argue with the clever design. However, to be overtaken by this 'folding bike' is nothing short of embarrassing, particularly for competitive commuters like myself.
6. Mountain bikes: The streets of London is not ideal terrain for front and back suspension (although, pot holes...) but many choose this steed to get to the office. Baggy shorts, mountain bike clip-ins and a dislike for roadies, these guys put in a lot of effort and I believe burn more calories on an average commute as most of their pedalling effort is absorbed in to the suspension.
5. Hybrids: These guys have a slight advantage over mountain bikers, and are half way to being faster. Half roadie, half mountain bike, it's a popular and cost-effective solution. Bike snobs may sniff at hybrids being speedy but I had a good few years on my Schwinn which left (unfit) roadies to (sometimes) eat my dust.
4. Triathletes: Their identify is clear from the tribars, 'bento boxes' attached to their top tubes, slurping down energy gels (for a commute, yes I have seen this before). I like to think they have just come from a hard morning ride before work, but it does seem they are just commuting (and sometimes with their 'nice race wheels', hmm). Wildly competitive and likely to make unexpected moves, they are not considered the best road users but are speedy for the most of it, and likely to be attempting time trials accross parks and along the Victoria Embankment.
3. Fixies: Without wanting to generalise too much, I believe that these mostly originate from east London where gears are considered unfashionable and quiffs, plimsols and buttoned up to the collar shirts are definitely in. What they lack in gears they make up for in style and surprising speed. Fixies will always try to beat roadies off traffic lights and move through the streets of London with speed and swiftness, despite not wearing a helmet (as it ruins the quiff).
2. Roadies: Well seasoned bike snobs, roadies believe they are the kings (or queens) of the road. From classic steel frames to the highest spec and newest carbon model (I hope these guys have secure bike parking at their office), roadies will never want to be overtaken, especially by numbers 10-3, and will always make a sprint from the lights. They cockily ride through reds, overtake in the cycle lanes and sprint up hills to 'get into zone 4'. They believe they are the cream of the crop but I disagree...
1. Courriers: And at number 1, an unexpected candiate - the bicycle courrier. Whilst working in Soho this year, I came to know a little bit more about this specimen. These guys ('tis true I have seen very few/ if any female courriers, please correct me if I'm wrong) literally live and breath the streets of London. Their trusty steeds are indeed not shiny but boy are they fast. They know every back street, short cut in town and always blend into the streets and pavements as their clothes and faces are specked with London's finest road dirt. I will always be overtaken by courriers with ease, and believe they really do rule the roads.
Warning to fellow commuters: there is always a white van/ red bus/ minicab/ scary lorry out where ready to make an unexpected turn, countless passengers flinging open their doors and pedestrians updating their Facebook status as they cross the road (without looking). Have fun out there and be safe!
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