Happy Christmas!

Honey roast spare ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of pork spare ribs
• honey
• soy sauce

Method:

• Boil the ribs in water for 30 mins
• smother in honey and add a little soy sauce
• roast for 20 mins at 180C

Workout of the day

Rest day

Workout of the day

Rest day

Chanel 5 Advert

I love this advert!

Workout of the day

5 mile walk in the wonderful winter weather

Cauliflower and leek soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of cauliflower, separated into florets
• olive oil
• 1 large leek, sliced and thoroughly rinsed
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 ltr vegetable stock
• sea salt
• toasted almonds to serve

Method:

• Bring water to the boil and add the cauliflower covered, for about 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.
• Sweat off the leek with the garlic and sea salt cooking until very tender; do not brown them.
• Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
• Blend the soup until smooth; serve with toasted almonds

Aubergine curry

Ingredients:

• onion, finely chopped
• aubergine, sliced
• 75g of natural yogurt
• 40g of dried lentils
• 1 large cup of frozen peas
• olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp medium curry powder
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

Method:

• Preheat the oven. Place the aubergine on a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook for another minute.
• Add the lentils and stock, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Add the aubergine and tomotoes and simmer for 15 minutes
• Stir the yogurt and peas into the curry and heat through. Season to taste.

Workout of the day

Squat clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

Cauliflower cheese & bacon quiche

Ingredients:

• 225g plain flour , plus extra for rolling out
• 140g cold butter , roughly cubed
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2-3 tbsp ice-cold water
• 1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 100g thick-cut streaky bacon , roughly chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 284ml carton double cream
• 175g cheese , finely grated
• 2 tbsp snipped chives
• good grating of nutmeg

Method:

• To make the pastry, whizz the flour with a pinch of salt in a food processor, add the butter and whizz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg yolk with 2 tbsp water and pour in. Process until the pastry forms a ball. Pat into a thick disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
• Return the pastry to a cool room temperature. Roll out thinly and line a 4cm deep, 23cm round tart tin. Tuck
• Preheat the oven to fan 180C.
• Line the pastry with foil, weigh it down , then bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove foil and weight, and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the pastry has lost all rawness.
• Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil, add the cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
• Cook the bacon over a low-medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat runs and the bacon's coloured but not crisp. Leave to cool.
• Combine eggs, cream, all the cheese, chives and nutmeg with black pepper and a little salt.
• Stir in the cauliflower and bacon, then pour the mixture into the case.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is set but just trembles.
• Leave for 30 minutes, as quiche is at its best served warm.

The Investment Banker and the Fisherman

I am told this is an old story, but I have never heard it before. I was once this investment banker.

An investment banker stood at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”

The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”

The investor scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, and eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.“The investor continued, “And instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would then sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution! You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The fisherman asked, “But how long will this all take?”

To which the banker replied, “Perhaps 15 to 20 years.”

“But what then?” asked the fisherman.

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”

“Millions. Okay, then what?” wondered the fisherman.

To which the investment banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Ginger Beer

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 unwaxed lemon, thickly sliced
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 3/4 tsp dried fast-action yeast

Method:

• Put the ginger, lemon, sugar, cream of tartar and 750ml cold water into a large pan over a medium heat. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add 1.5 litres cold water and sprinkle over the yeast.
• Cover with a lid and set aside in a cool place overnight.
• Strain the ginger beer through a nylon sieve and divide between bottles bottles – leave a 5cm gap at the top to allow for the build-up of gases. Screw on the lids tightly and leave in a cool place. Check every few hours, unscrewing the cap a little as the pressure builds up, to allow the gases to escape.
• The ginger beer is ready to drink when fizzy, which will be within 12-36 hours.
• Chill, then serve with plenty of ice and drink within 3 days

Workout of the day

Rest day

Welsh rarebit

How I have managed to leave this off for so long I don't know!

Ingredients:

• 200g grated cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 level teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 4 tablespoons beer
• pepper
• 4 slices bread toasted

Method:

• Put the cheese, flour, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, butter and pepper into a saucepan.
• Mix well and then add the beer.
• Stir over a gentle heat until all is melted, and when it is a thickish paste.
• Leave to cool a little, and meanwhile toast the bread.
• Spread the rarebit and brown under a hot grill.

Workout of the day

15 min circuit; 10mins of as many rounds of possiable of:

• Burpees with 5kg weightvest x 5reps
• Pull-ups with 5kg weightvest x 5reps

Finish with 5 minutes of KB swings

Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:

• 8 good quality sausages, sliced into bite size
  pieces
• olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 red pepper chopped
• handful mushrooms, sliced
• 4 tomatoes
• Small glass red wine
• jar of passata
• 1 Tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• handful chopped basil

Method:

• Gently fry the sausage in a large pan in the olive oil until cooked through and golden brown.
• Remove sausage and keep to one side. Now, in the same pan fry the onions and garlic until softened.
• After 5 mins or so add the peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes, cook for a further few mins then return the sausages to the pan.
• Turn the heat up high, add the red wine and cook for a few mins to reduce slightly.
• Add the passata, sugar, basil and paprika and simmer for half an hour.
• Season to taste rice, crusty bread or pasta.

Workout of the day

Complete 30 tabbata intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest where you do:

8 pullups, 8 pushups, 8 situps, 8 squats.

There is no rest between exercises.

Salmon kedgeree

Ingredients:

• 500ml fresh chicken stock
• 150g butter
• onion, chopped
• 15g button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
• 275g rice
• peas
• 50ml double cream
• small bunch parsley, chopped
• 225g cooked salmon, flaked
• 2 eggs, boiled, shelled and halved

Method:

• Pour the stock into a small pan and bring to the boil.
• Melt half the butter in a heavy-based, flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry, stirring, for 2 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms and cook for another minute.
• Rinse the rice, then add to the casserole. Stir well to ensure the rice is coated with the butter, and cook for another minute.
• Pour in the hot stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low.
• Cover the casserole and leave the rice to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grains of rice are soft and separated and all the liquid has been absorbed.
• Gently stir in the cream and most of the herbs, before folding in the salmon and eggs to heat them through.
• Add the remaining butter, a little at a time, until the mix is creamy.
• Season the kedgeree, and then remove it from the heat. Sprinkle over a few more chopped herbs before serving.

Being mindful

Long before I was actually diagnosed with Bipolar, I lived with a "ghost."

It's funny, for much of what my CPN recommends to me now, I had already learnt but had forgotten during my period of being an "Emperor". The lifestyle I adopted I suppose didn't allow me to live the values I knew worked for me, even thought I feel now like I always knew I was living with absurdity.

The title of this article is "being mindful", which is something I came to understand when I realised during a very long army run that there is no such thing as pain without reference to another time. Indeed, everything is beautiful if it is accepted only for what it is in that moment without reference to anything else.

It's the key to Zen Buddhism - the religion I am closer to than any other - and which I came to through martial arts and (although this sounds perverse) the army.

There is a Buddhist parable which goes something like this:

"Fred asks his teacher how to live and the teacher says, 'when you eat, just eat and when you read just read.' Fred thinks this good advice and tries to follow it but one day sees his teacher eating and reading at the same time. 'Aah,' says the teacher when Fred asks him about it, 'you miss the point, for when you eat and read, just eat and read"

Some people I tell this to don't get it at all, but it means much to me; anyway, the point is that Zen Habits has a very good article about living mindfully:

"The holidays are a busy and stressful time for most people — with work and gift shopping and get-togethers and all kinds of other events and worries, it’s a wonder we stay sane at all.
The secret to survival — and in fact to having a wonderful time during these holidays and any stressful situation — is to stay in the moment, as much as possible. This is something I work on all the time, and it’s easy to forget.
However, it’s also easy to do, if you stay conscious of it. Here’s how:

• A simple practice. Take a fruit — an apple, a pear, a peeled banana or kiwi, some berries — and eat them mindfully. Slowly. Take a small bite, and really experience it. Feel the texture in your mouth. Savor the taste. Smell the fruit. Think about how you feel as you eat the fruit. Feel the juices in your mouth. Feel yourself swallow the bite. Eat the entire fruit this way, one bite at a time, really feeling and tasting and smelling and experiencing this fruit.
• A simple mantra. Each time you feel yourself getting stressed or overwhelmed, remember the fruit. Say to yourself “apple” or “banana” or “berries” (or whatever fruit you ate), and remember what it was like to be mindful as you ate that fruit. Now do the same thing with whatever you’re doing right now — whether you’re out shopping, or spending time with loved ones, or doing a work task. Focus on one thing, and really be in the moment with that thing or that person.
• Remember what’s important. During these holidays, think about what’s most important to you. That might be your loved ones, or a loved one, whether that’s a spouse or friends or kids or parents or whatever. It might be your work — what you create and are passionate about. It might be something else. Focus on that during these holidays, and remember that the rest is just noise. It’s not important. Fully experience what’s important to you, and let the rest fade away."http://zenhabits.net/2009/12/how-to-be-mindful-during-the-holidays-in-350-words/

I think this good advice for all the mentally interesting.

Guest Post - Gym Strength VS Real World Strength‏

Just watched The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) and I watched two brawlers go at it, toe to toe.

But what I witnessed was NOT good.

If you follow the fight game, you know the names:

Houston Alexander

Kimbo Slice

I used to watch Kimbo on some underground web sites beating the tar out of dudes in back yards.

He scared me back then and still scares me today.

But, Kimbo and Houston just exposed their weaknesses, BIG Time.

The other dudes in their weight class can now prepare against their weakness and come back to dominate them because of their "Gym Strength".

Their Weakness?

They have Gym Strength.

It's ALL show and no go.

The muscles shut down.

Both of these guys are built like brick sh*t houses.

But their power and strength only last so much. No matter how mentally tough they are,
the muscles eventually shut off.

What I witnessed with these pro fighters should NOT have happened.

These two professional fighters were hurtin' BIG time come 2nd round.

In the Real World, you never know if your fight will last 5 seconds or 5 minutes.

In MMA, you better be ready to go balls out for 15 minutes.

In the real world, you never know.... you need to be ready for anything and everything.

The commercial gym can't prepare you for the real world.

Train in the gym and do all the machine Bull Sh*t and fancy exercises and you have what we call "Gym Strength"

All Show and NO Go was the problem with these brawlers.

It messed with their mind as well. You could see the fear in their eyes as they started to realize the body wouldn't do what they wanted it to do.

Don't let it be the problem with you. Even if you're NOT a fighter, you NEVER wanna be caught dead in your tracks with gym strength.

I've been jumped by more than a handful of dudes in my time....

This was back when I was a gym rat. The outcome was NOT good.

I had Gym Strength..... my mentality certainly didn't have that animal instinct that
it does today.

The training I personally use as well as my athetes not only gives Real World Strength, but it cultivates and shapes the mentality into that of a warrior, ready for battle and ready to endure serious pain.

I see police men training at the commercial gym next door.

Concentration curls, 20 lb side raises and all kinds of machine exercises allowing them to sit down and lay down.

How will this help them when lives are on the line?

There are those who fear the Underground and those who chase it, without fear, and understand that the training methods we use are what shape us into Gladiators.

If I was ever in a dangerous situation.... a bar brawl, or being jumped, or stuck in a dark alley....

I'd want an Undergrounder on my side.... someone who has REAL world strength. Someone who has been through physical and mental war and understands the battle.

But as you can see, this is not for everyone.

There are pro fighters, law enforcement and others who have their own life on the line and still go the wrong way.

Which way will you choose?

Real World Strength is the road less traveled, but I've been on the other side and the results ain't pretty.

Stay Strong.

Peace.

Zach Even-Esh
Click HERE to step up and transform your mind and body.

The Darwin Awards 2009

If you haven't come across this before, the Darwin Awards are named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, and commemorate those who improve the gene pool by removing themselves from it.

This years winner is typically American and come from Louisiana:

"Annoyed at how slowly her boyfriend was driving, Tamera Batiste, 22, encouraged him to pick up the pace so she could get to work on time.

Joking that it would be faster to walk to work, she opened the door of his pickup truck, stuck her foot out, and fell to her death on Interstate 12.

Deputies of St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office believe the truck was traveling at highway speed at the time of the incident. Other drivers saw the woman open the door herself before falling out. Her death was ruled accidental."

The website - on which you can spend MANY hours - can be found at: http://www.darwinawards.com/

Workout of the day

The 10 basic Pilates Mat exercises:

• The Hundred
• The Roll Up
• The Roll Over
• One Leg Circle
• Rolling Like a Ball
• Single Leg Stretch
• Double Leg Stretch
• Spine Stretch
• Open Leg Rocker

This should take about 20 mins to do. I will do this twice.

A guide to the exercises can be found here: http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/pilates/h_pilates_classic.htm#34

baked honey mustard salmon

Ingredients:

• 2 salmon filets
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tablespoon mustard
• olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180c.
• Place salmon filets on baking sheet.
• In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Spread evenly over salmon.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes

Reuben's sandwich

Ingredients:

• a little corned beef
• sauerkraut
• cheese
• thousand island dressing
• two slices of rye bread
• a little butter

Method:

• for toasting sandwiches, I use a Breville toastie machine, but you could do this in a grill..
• Assemble, toast eat!

Making exercise fun

Good post - captures my own beliefs:

http://zenhabits.net/2009/12/48-fun-exercises/

Sweet potato, chickpea and chilli soup

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 600g sweet potato, peeled, diced
• 500g carrots, peeled, sliced
• 1 lt chicken stock
• 300g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 1/2 small lemon, juiced

Method:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
• Stir in coriander, cumin and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Add sweet potato and carrot. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
• Add stock. Cover. Bring to the boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
• Add chickpeas to soup and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Blend soup until smooth.
• Return to saucepan over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Heat, stirring, until hot.
• Serve.

Workout of the day

Complete as many rounds as you can in twenty minutes of:

• 500 step skip
• 25 Turkish Get-ups with 17.5kg dumbbell

Carrot and pepper soup

Ingredients:

• 150g leeks, chopped
• 300g carrots, sliced
• 50g butter
  300g roasted peppers, skinned and seeds removed, sliced
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 100g cream
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

• In a large saucepan, gently soften the leeks and the carrots in the butter for about 3 minutes.
• Tip in the peppers and pour in the vegetable stock; season with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes on a medium heat.
• Using a blender, whiz the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the pan, stir in the cream and reheat gently.

Dauphinoise Potatoes

Ingredients:

• knob butter , for greasing
• 1kg waxy potatoes
• 150ml full-fat milk
• 150ml carton double cream
• 1 garlic clove
• thyme
• pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 25g parmesan

Method:

• Heat oven to 160C. Line tin with greaseproof paper, making sure there are no holes for the liquid to seep through, then butter the paper.
• Peel and slice the potatoes to the width of a £1 coin and pat dry.
• Pour the milk and cream into a pan, then add the garlic and thyme. Heat to boiling point, cool a little and strain into a jug. Sprinkle with nutmeg and keep warm. You can prepare this in advance and reheat.
• Layer half the potatoes in the tin, overlapping the slices, sprinkling each layer with a little salt and pepper. Pour over half the liquid and finish layering, then add the rest of the liquid and scatter over the cheese. Bake for 1-1¼ hrs until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden.
• Leave to stand for 5 mins, then serve.

Workout of the day

Rest day - do some cooking instead!

Fudge

Ingredients:

• 300ml milk
• 350g caster sugar
• 100g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

• Grease an square cake tin.
• Put the milk, sugar and butter in a heavy-based saucepan.
• Heat slowly, stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter melted.
• Bring to the boil and boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring all the time.
• When the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
• Beat the mixture with a spoon for a few minutes until it starts to thicken and the gloss disappears.
• Pour into the prepared tin and leave to set at room temperature (do not put it in the fridge).
• Once set, cut the fudge into small squares and store in a sealed container.

Make your own Avocado Skin Scrub

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons cornmeal
• 2 tablespoon fresh mashed avocado

Method:

• Mix both ingredients in a small bowl until they form a meal-like mixture. Use as a skin scrub. Will kep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Make your own Shaving Cream

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon of sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup of unscented glycerin soap
• Double boiler
• A cup or mug for the cream

Method:

• In the double boiler, melt chunks of the glycerin soap.
• Stir in the sunflower oil.
• Move the mixture into a mug as soon as all of the glycerin chunks are melted. This formula will set quickly. When you need to shave, simply work water against the soap until a lather builds and use it the same way you would regular shaving cream.

Very last minute Christmas Cake

I have to admit, when I was a catering college, baking was my least favourite area. What's more, I have left this very late as the last couple of weeks have past at blinding speed because of the background noise in my life:

Ingredients:

• 450g raisins
• 300g sultanas
• 100g currants
• 150g glacé cherries (halved)
• 100g ground almonds
• 225g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 225g soft brown sugar (pale)
• 285g plain flour (sieved)
• zest of a lemon
• 5 eggs
• 2 tsp of mixed spice
• 2 tbsp of pale runny honey
• 200 ml of ale

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160c (140 fan)
• Line the base and sides of the 8″ cake tin with a double thickness of baking parchment. Cut the paper an inch deeper than the tin so that it is sticking above the top rim.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Beat the eggs well and add them gradually to the mixture, a little at a time, beating them well. If the mixture curdles beat in a teaspoon of the flour before continuing.
• Using a tablespoon, gently fold in the flour, lemon zest and spices.
• Fold in the beer and honey and stir gently.
• Add the fruit and ground almonds and stir gently.
• Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and make a hollow in the centre of the mixture (roughly 2″ wide and 1″ deep).
• Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for about 2.5 hours depending on your oven, it may need a little longer.
• Check that it is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle – this should be clean when removed. The centre should feel firm and springy if touched.
• Turn out onto a wire rack.
• When it is cold, make a few holes in the top and bottom of the cake (using a skewer) and feed the cake with the brandy.
• Wrap the cake in baking parchment and store in a tin or cover with foil until you need it.
• If you are going to cover the cake with marzipan and ice it, put the marzipan on a few days before it is iced so the surface of the marzipan can dry. Otherwise the marzipan can bleed through and stain the icing.

How to make a sandbag

A sandbag and a kettlebell are the two ESSENTIALS of functional fitness and home workout training; and of the two, if I had to choose between them, I would say the sandbag has to be your first choice as it is the more flexible and the cheaper!

You can make a sand bag with a few simple things for under £10. Here's how:

Ingredients:

• 1 Army surplus duffel bag
• 1 or more 20kg bags of building sand
• 1 large roll of duct tape.
• 10 - 20 heavy duty plastic rubble bags.
• A pair of scissors.
  

Method:

• Make your sandbag using a series of small sand weight packages. In this way it is easy to adjust the weight by simply adding or removing packages.
• Partly fill a plastic rubble sack with sand using 1-2kg of sand per sack.
• Squeeze as much air out of the sack as possible and twist shut approximately 6 inches below the top of the sack, duct tape the neck.
• Place the rubble sack inside another rubble sack, squeeze as much air out as possible, twist and seal again using duct tape.
• Repeat this procedure until you have used the desired quantity of sand.
• Fill the duffel bag with the sandbag weights. (Start at about 20kg and work up)
• Gather the neck of the duffel bag and close up.
• Your sandbag is now ready to train with!

Proper French Omelette

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 2 knobs butter
• 1 tsp finely, freshly grated Parmesan
• 2-3 chopped tarragon leaves
• 1 tbsp each snipped chives and chopped parsley

Method:

• Warm a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat.
• Crack the eggs and beat them so they break up and mix.
• Drop one knob of butter into the pan.
• Season the eggs with the Parmesan and tarragon and a little salt and pepper, and pour into the pan.
• Let the eggs bubble slightly for a couple of seconds, then take a wooden spatula and gently draw the mixture in from the sides of the pan a few times, so it gathers in folds in the centre.
• Leave for a few seconds, then stir again to lightly combine uncooked egg with cooked.
• Leave briefly again, and when partly cooked, stir a bit faster, stopping while there's some barely cooked egg left. With the pan flat on the heat, shake it back and forth a few times to settle the mixture. It should slide easily in the pan and look soft and moist on top. A quick burst of heat will brown the underside.
• Fold the omelette in half, rub the other knob of butter over to glaze. Serve immediately with chives and chopped parsley .

Workout of the day

Using a 40kg sandbag, perform a snatch ladder:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

How to discipline your cat

We have recently adopted two new friends from the cat shelter. One is an angel, the other is... rather less so. Cats are vocal creatures and will "talk" to each other and to you all day long, but they don't understand the words you say and can easily be frightened if you shout at them. You should also NEVER hit a cat.

So, here's what I think you should do:

Stage 1

Hiss or growl, shake a can of coins or clap when they do something wrong. Its a universal language and your cat will understand it immediately; but be sure to do it ONLY when they misbehave and never close to their ears.

Stage 2

Stand up and use your size to "intimidate" them when they ignore stage 1. If your cat is doing something wrong and you are sitting down, stand up with a sudden stand up motion and get their attention, then repeat stage 1. DO NOT chase them.

Stage 3

If they just bitten or scratched you, apply stage 1 and then ignore them completely for 10 mins.

Stage 4

This is a longer term strategy, but you probably need to play with your cat more if they are continually scratching or jumping on things or nipping at you. It won't take much out of your day to give them the attention they want, and once you do you might see a more calm and happy cat

Workout of the day

Rest day - go for a walk, get some air and do a little stretching

Panna Cotta

Ingredients

• 150g double cream
• 150g milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 and a half gelatine leaves

Method

• Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 10 minutes, until softened.
• Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds.
• In a saucepan,combine the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat.
• Squeeze excess water from the gelatine leaves and add to the cream mixture. Stir until dissolved.
• Pour the mixture into ramekins or moulds and refridgerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
• Turn out onto plates and serve with a fruit coulis.
  

Tokyo Runner Beans

This is another "at home with the cats and what can I make with what I've got" recipe. It is an adaptation of a dish I was served when travelling in Japan when I was trying to make it as a "Kumite." Nevertheless, its a pretty good version, even if I do say so myself! (By the way, runner beans are just out going out of season)

Ingredients:

• 200g runner beans (again bought cheap from the day job!)
• 1 medium onion
• 100g kidney beans
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 inch fresh ginger, finely sliced

Method:

• Wash the runner beans. Trim the ends and remove the stringy bits.
• Slice them diagonally into 1 cm wide strips
• Peel and finely slice the onion.
• Mix together the soy sauce, honey, sesame seeds, lemon juice and ginger.
• Heat the oil in a wok and add the onion. Stir regularly and cook on a medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until nearly soft.
• Add the runner beans and the kidney beans and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the runner beans are tender.
• Add the sauce and heat through and serve.

Workout of the day

• Chin-up Plus Knee-up - As Many Reps as Possible
• Standing 1-arm DB Shoulder Press - 10 reps per side
• Renegade Row - 10 reps per side
• DB Triceps Extension - 12 reps

Repeat x 3

Honey roast carrots

Ingredients:

• Carrots
• Honey
• Balsamic vinegar
• rosemary

Method:

• Chop the carrots in chunks
• cover with a good measure of balsamic vinegar and honey
• roast slowly for 2 hours at 140c

Courgette and lemon pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 courgette, grated
• olive oil
• a pinch of chilli flakes
• pine kernels
• zest of a lemon
• spaghetti
• Parmesan cheese

Method:

• grate the courgette and squeeze dry
• fry the courgette for 5 mins, add the chilli, pine nuts and zest and cook for a further 3 mins
• cook spaghetti according to packet, drain.
• tip the courgette into the spaghetti, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Workout of the day

Using a 20kg kettlebell:

• 1 min jumping jacks
• Windmills 1,2,3,4,2,3 (per side)
• 1 min jumping jacks
• cleans and press 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 (per side)
• 1 min jumping jacks
• turkish get ups 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 (per side)

repeat x 3

One pot chicken pilaf

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 small chicken fillets, cut into chunks
• 2 tsp curry paste
• a third of a mug basmati rice
• two-thirds of a mug chicken stock
• 1 mug frozen mixed vegetables
• half a mug frozen spinach

Instructions:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan, then fry the onion for 5-6 mins.
• Add the chicken pieces, fry for a further couple of mins , then stir in curry paste and rice. Cook for another 3 min.
• Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil, lower the heat, then cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 10 mins
• Stir in the vegetables.
• Scatter over the spinach
• Cover and cook for 10 mins more until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender.
• Give everything a good stir, season to taste and serve.

Workout of the day

Rest day

Workout of the day

It's a sandbag day - 40kg

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:

• 5 Sandbag get ups
• 10 Clean + zercher squat
• 100 - 200m carry

Mulled wine

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle red wine
• 6 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks broken in half
• juice of 1 lemon
• 200g brown sugar
• 500ml orange juice
• 100ml vodka
• oranges slices

Method:

• heat the wine gently with the spices and lemon juice.
• Stir in half the sugar, then the orange juice, heat for 5 min
• Add the vodka and the second half of the sugar. Warm for another 5 min.
• Add the orange slices to the glasses before serving.

Sweet potato and squash soup

Ingredients:

• one diced butternut squash
• two sweet potatos
• 750ml chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• pepper
• cream

Method:

• Put the diced butternut and sweet potato in a saucepan with the chicken stock and spices.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add pepper to taste.
• Blend the soup.
• Pour the blended soup into bowls, garnishing each with a swirls of cream.

How to treat a cat's cold

One of my new friends from the cat shelter has a cold. From past experience, this is the best way to look after the fella:

• If you have more than one cat, separate them - a cat's cold is highly contagious to another cat
• If your cat is having a hard time breathing or has runny eyes and nose, put them in the bathroom with the shower on hot and get the bathroom steamy and leave the cat in for about 20 min - this will loosen things up.
• Take a warm cloth and wash your cat's eyes and nose again to loosen things up.
• If your cat has a cold they won't have much of an appetite as they can't smell their food. It is important for your friend to eat in order to keep their strength up, so offer your cat canned food rather than dry or a little canned tuna, sardines or roast chicken.

Workout of the day

30 min bike ride

Lamb Ragu

Ingredients:

• tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. of lamb (I have chops bought cheaply fom the day job)
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 28 oz. can tomatoes
• coarse salt
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Method:

• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot add the olive oil.
• Season the lamb with salt and sear it in the olive oil, allowing for about 5 minutes per side.
• Remove the lamb and add the onions and carrots. Sautee for 3 – 5 minutes.
• Add the meat back in and cover with remaining ingredients. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce it to low and let simmer for about an hour.
• After the hour, remove the lamb to a plate. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart to a shred.
• Once all of the lamb is shredded, add it back to the pot and simmer for at least another 30 minutes.
• Ladle over pasta and sprinkle with freshly ground Parmesan cheese.

Workout of the day

max rounds in 20 minutes:

• chest slap push ups x 5
• lunge jumps x 10
• pull ups x 5
• 60 secs heavy bag

Orange Trifle

Ingredients:

• 4 Egg yolks
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1 tablespoon Corn flour
• 2 1/2 cups Milk
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
• 5 large oranges
• Almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 18 Ladyfingers
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 6 tablespoons sherry
• 2 cups cream, chilled
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method:

• In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar, flour and corn flour until thoroughly blended.
• In a heavy medium saucepan, combine the milk and the orage zest and bring to a boil over moderate heat.
• Gradually whisk the boiling milk into the egg mixture.
• Clean the saucepan and strain the custard into it. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes longer.
• Pour the custard into a clean bowl and whisk until slightly cooled, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temp, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin forming. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Using a small sharp knife, peel the oranges.
• Spread 1 side of each ladyfinger with the raspberry jam.
• In a deep serving bowl, arrange 1/3 of the ladyfingers in a single layer, jam side up.
• Sprinkle 2 tb of the sherry over the cake.
• Scatter 1/3 of the orange section, with their juice, on top.
• Spread 1/3 of the custard evenly on top. Repeat the layering of sponge cake, sherry, orange sections, walnuts and almonds, and custard 2 more times.
• Cover the trifle and refrigerate overnight.
• In a large bowl, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the trifle. Refrigerate until serving time.

Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• 1kg of starchy potatoes
• 1/4 cup egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• salt

Method:

• Cook the potatoes until tender and save the water
• Peel the potatoes as soon as possible and mash them whilst hot.
• Let the potatoes cool
• Pull them into a soft mound, drizzle with the beaten egg and sprinkle 3/4 cup of the flour across the top.
• Very gently knead the dough; it should be moist but not sticky.
• Cut it into 8 pieces and gently roll each 1/8th into a log roughly the thickness of your thumb.
• Use a knife to cut pieces every 3/4-inch.
• Dust with a bit more flour.
• Press the fork into the gnocchi to create ridges that will hold a sauce.
• Reheat the potato water. Cook the gnocchi in batches by dropping them into the boiling water. When they are cooked they will pop up to the top of the water.
• Fish them out of the water a few at a time with a slotted spoon ten seconds or so after they've surfaced.
• Gently toss a sauce or pesto and serve immediately.

Workout of the day

Using a kettlebell:

3 rounds, 15-12-9 reps of:

• thrusters right arm
• thrusters left arm

3 rounds, 50 reps of:

• swings

3 rounds 0f 2 mins of heavy bag

Workout of the day

10 sets of 30 x KB swings

Winter Coleslaw

Ingredients:

• 1 large carrot
• 150 g white cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 leek, shredded
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp low-fat yogurt
• pinch white pepper
• 1 apple, cored and diced
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp walnut pieces

Method:

• Peel and finely grate the carrot and mix with the cabbage, leek, olive oil, yogurt and pepper.
• Mix the diced apple with the cider vinegar and leave for a minute or two; this stops the apple from oxidising and turning brown.
• Mix everything together. Leave to infuse for 5-10 minutes. Before serving, mix in the walnuts