Chicken with plums

Ingredients:

• 100 ml of chicken stock
• 500g chicken
• 1cm ginger
• 3 plums
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• ¼ tsp Chinese five spice
• 3 cups) mangetout

Method:

• Cut up the plums, remove the stones, throw in a bowl with the sugar and microwave for 6 mins (or pan boil for 15mins)
• Stir fry the cubed chicken in a little oil, when browned, remove
• Stir fry onion and ginger and garlic for 2 minutes.
• Add plums, stock, soy sauce and 5 spice. Stir fry for 2 miuntes or until boiling.
• Return the chicken to the wok.
• Add the mangetout and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Serve with rice

la spaghetti della mezzanotte (or late night spaghetti)

It's going to be late tonight before we eat, so here's a classic late night spaghetti

Ingredients:

• Salt and pepper
• fresh chopped parsley
• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 cup coarse breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 
• 300g spaghetti
• 1/4 cup raisins
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 small packet cherry tomatoes, halved

Method:

• Get the spaghetti cooking according to the pack instructions.
• Meanwhile, heat some oil and half the garlic in a heavy pan over medium-high heat for 30 secs
• Drop the heat to medium and add the breadcumbs stiring often, until the crumbs brown and turn crisp - about 6 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the pine nuts.
• Add a little more oil to the pan cook the remaining garlic, the raisins, and the red pepper flakes until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
• Add the tomatoes, season generously with salt and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes so they start to soften and lose their shape.
• Fold in most of the parsley.
• When the pasta is cooked toss with the tomato mixture, half of the breadcrumbs, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• Taste for salt and pepper.
• Serve up and drizzle each serving with a little oil and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and parsley. Serve immediately

Workout of the day

Back at the day job, which gets me up and out of the house.

Its amazing how physical the day job actually is. I am aching today from two days of shifting and moving stuff around the store, so I thought I'd spend a couple of weeks doing the "functional " thing to get me back into my day to day life.

Using a 50Kg sandbag:

• Clean and Press: 5 sets of 3 rest, 90 seconds
• Bear Hug Squats: 4 sets of 6, rest 75 seconds
• Power Snatch: 4 sets of 6, rest 75 seconds
• Bent-over Rows: 3 sets of 12, rest 60 seconds
• Shoulder Carry: 2 sets of 2 minutes

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 rashers of bacon
• olive oil
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbls of tomato paste
• 2 pints chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp of dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 150g of small pasta

Method:

• Break the cauliflower up into florets and set aside.
• In a large pot sauté the onions, carrots, garlic and bacon, in the olive oil for 10 minutes.
• Add the cauliflower, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, nutmeg and stock.
• Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the pasta and cook for another 10 mins.

Stuff

Very low this week. Not eating, never mind training. The background noise of my life has become incredibly loud all of a sudden and the regulator who can not be named but who destroyed me for calling a complaint "froth" (which means "matter without substance" not "scum" as many people seem to think) whilst as manic as a bag of angry cats is really messing me about at the moment.


I was invited mid last year by this wonderful body to reapply to them, regain my licence and so increase my earnings 3-6 fold. Since then they have t a k e n t h e s l o w e s t r o u t e possible to doing this and keep trying to find every and any reason not to. (It is because of this supposed reconciliation that I took my other site down and applied to YouTube to have the video I appeared in removed)

For 5 years now, this body has undertaken an investigation in any aspect of my life it feels like and criticise any action I have taken at any time because it can. It is especially hung up on my illness - and yet it seems incapable of understanding that much of the extremes of my illness have been CAUSED BY THEM!

The stress and pressure they put on me because I wrote a poorly drafted letter was so extreme in 2008 that I cracked completely.

What is more, in taking away my right to work they also presented a ripe opportunity to my former business partners to take from me the business I had built up without making any payment to me. ("Here sign this, and we'll look after you...")

This in turn left me several hundred thousand pounds in debt - the business had borrowing that I had guaranteed, but I now had no income to support them.
Now it appears that the fine body who applied the single largest individual penalty to me (at the time) for writing my letter, now want to punish me for being in debt, for my company going bust and for my inability to deal with any of this whilst I was clinically nuts (and certified by three different mental health professionals and one GP). Is it me, or can anyone else see the circular logic to this...

Anyway, the point is, every so often, the regulator gives me some hope that there may be an end to the nightmare of the last 5 years... and then, they snatch it away completely and I sink back into despair. Why won't they just be straight forward with me and tell me that there is no chance that they will ever let me get my life back, they will never let me rejoin and they don't want a loon to be a member of their club.

Workout of the day

750m swim any stroke in under 16mins

Workout of the day

1.5 miles in under 14 mins

5 rounds for time

• 2 pull-ups
• 6 push-ups
• 10 squats

 

Workout of the day

6 miles on the bike (expected time 22 mins)

Chicken stew

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 500g chicken
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 250g chorizo, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 200ml chicken stock
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• salt and pepper
• handful parsley

Method

• Heat some oil in a large pan.
• Add the chicken and lightly brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
• Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and chilli and cook for five minutes.
• Add a the red wine and simmer until reduced by half.
• In another pan, heat some more oil and fry the chorizo for 2-3 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until the chorizo is crisp. Set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to the vegetables, bring to the boil. Cook for five minutes, add the stock and bring back to the boil.
• Add the chicken, the chickpeas and chorizo and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
• Season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

Workout of the day

max rounds in 20 min

• 1 pull-ups
• 2 push-ups
• 3 squats

Tortellini and Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp of rosemary
• 1 ltr chicken stock
• 2 medium zucchini (courgette), sliced
• 1 chopped tomatoes
• 1 packet of tortellini (any type)
• salt and pepper

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large pot.
• Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary and sauté for 3 minutes.
• Pour in thestock and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer and add the zucchini and tomatoes.
• Cook the soup for about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Add the tortellini and season with salt and pepper
• simmer for 5 mins and serve .

Bread

I love bread. Here's how to make a very tasty, easy, basic loaf.

Ingredients:

• 2 pkg. active dry yeast
• 2 cups of warm water
• 1 tbl salt
• 6 cups of plain flour

Method:

• Soften yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water
• Let yeast stand for at around 15 minutes until foamy.
• Meanwhile put 1 3/4 of cup of warm water and the salt in a large bowl.
• Blend in 3 cups of sifted flour.
• Add softened yeast to flour water mixture and mix well.
• Add about 1 half of the remaining flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
• Mix in a little more flour to make a soft dough.
• Through the dough on a floured surface and let it sit for around 10 minutes.
• To knead the dough using the heels of your hands for about 5 to 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place in a large greased bowl.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for around 2 hours until dough has doubled.
• After 2 hours punch down the dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for about 2 minutes.
• Cut into two equal balls and cover for another 10 minutes.
• Shape the balls into loaves and place on a greased baking sheet.
• Cover loaves loosely with a towel and set aside in a warm place for around 2 hours until dough has doubled again.
• Pre-heat oven to 180C. Place a flat bowl of boiling water at the bottom of the oven through the baking period.
• Bake bread for 20 - 30 minutes.

Workout of the day

Bike 7.5 miles for time (Aiming for 27 mins)
Swim any stroke 1Km (aiming for 22mins)

Tomato & cucumber salad

A little something to go with the gnocchi...

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber
• 2 beef tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 1 Tbls dried basil
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of red wine

Method:

• Cut tomatoes and cucumber into cubes
• Cut onion into slices
• Add oil and vinegar
• Sprinkle with basil
• Toss and serve

Gnocchi with boozy mushrooms

Ingredients:
For the Gnocchi

• 500g waxy potatoes
• 15g fresh basil leaves
• 200g plain flour
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mushrooms

• 30g butter
• 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 200g chopped fresh mushrooms
• handful chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• 1 tablespoon Scotch whisky

 

Method

• Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until tender then drain. 
• Mash potatoes well
• sprinkle with basil, plenty of salt and black pepper and the flour.
• Using a wooden spoon or your hands, bring together to make a firm dough.
• Knead the dough gently for a couple of minutes then roll out into sausages about 1cm thick. Cut the sausages into pieces 2.5cm long. 
• 
  
  Gently cook the gnocchi in a pan of simmering water for a minute or two until they rise to the surface
• In the meantime, in a large frying pan over medium heat, melt butter and saute rosemary and garlic until tender.
• Stir in mushrooms and saute until juices run.
• Add parsley and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
• When mushrooms are tender, stir in stock and mix well before adding cornflour.
• Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add whiskey and cook for 1 minute more.
• Bring together with the gnocchi and serve with Parmesan.

Workout of the day

Run 1 mile in under 10 mins

Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Proper Italian snack food today - roasted Garbanzo (or chickpeas) - yum! Just what I fancy for lunch with some good bread and a cold beer.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
• 1 tbls olive oil
• 1 tbls chili powder
• 2 cloves grushed garlic
• salt & pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Place all ingredients on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes ~ turn oven off, but leave pan in oven until there is no longer any heat.

Workout of the day

Rest day

Insalata di Riso

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 cup diced Mozzarella
• 2 cooked sausages in thin rounds.
• 1/2 cup diced ham
• Canned tuna drained
• 20 green olives
• Handful of capers
• 20 small pickled onions, diced
• 20 small Gherkin pickles, diced
• 1 cupful of peas
• 1 cupful of sweetcorn
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 4 tablespoons Olive oil
• 4 tablespoons Lemon juice

Method:

• Cook the rice for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the rice used, until it is ‘al dente’. Drain the rice and run cold water over it to cool it down fast.
• Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 6 mins.
• Drain the corn, onions, pickles and tuna
• Slice the sausage.
• Put sausage, corn, onions, pickles and tuna (broken into bite sized bits) into a large salad bowl
• Dice all the other ingredients and add to bowl. Peel and slice the eggs into rounds and add
• Add the cold rice, olive oil and lemon juice and stir thoroughly. Adjust the olive oil and salt. to taste.
• Garnish your ‘insalata di riso’ with a few sprigs of fresh basil and serve.

Workout of the day

750m swim in 16 mins

Workout of the day

45 min run (easy pace) [about 4-5 miles]

Pickled Pork with Lentils

Don't often cook French - too fussy and I much prefer Italian - but this receipe picked up from a bistro in Borme les Mimosas many years ago when I was travelling a lot caught my eye from my diary so thought as I has time today I'd give it a go...

Ingredients :

• 500g pork spare ribs
• 1 knuckle of ham
• 450g pork sausage
• 100g bacon lardons
• 1 large onion 
• 500g of shallotts, peeled
• large bouquet garni 
• bayleaf
• pepper
• Olive oil
• 500g green lentils, soaked 2 hours in cold water
• 5ml of of mustard vinaigrette

Method:

• Put the large whole onion, the bouquet garni the pepper and the meat in a pot and cover with water.
• Bring to a boiling point and leave to cook for about 2 hours.
• After one hour add the sausage
• Remove any froth that forms on the surface as you go along.
• In a pan, saute the the bacon and the shallots for 5 mins.
• Add the lentils, bayleaf, some pepper and cover with twice the volume of water.
• Cook this lentil mix for 1/2 hour and drain.
• Place the drained lentils in a dish and add the pieces of meat and sausage. Top with the vinaigrette, stir trough and serve in pasta like bowls, with crusty bread and a light red wine.

Workout of the day

Good Mornings: 5, 5, 3, 3 Rest 2min between sets

Rest 3min
Shoulder Press: 5, 3, 3, 3 Rest 2 min between sets
Rest 5min
10 Burpees

No endurance activity today

Chicken Breasts with Tarragon and Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbls flour
• 2 tbls butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 2 tbls dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 2 tbls chicken stock
• 2 tbls cream

Method:

• Coat the chicken with flour, salt and pepper. Set aside remaining flour.
• In a large pan, heat a little of the butter butter over medium heat. Brown chicken on both sides,
• Remove chicken; keep warm.
• Add onion to panand sauté for 1 minute.
• Add wine to pan; increase heat to high and cook until liquid is almost evaporated, stirring to loosen browned bits.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; add reserved flour, stirring to a thick paste.
• Add tarragon and chicken stock.
• Return chicken to skillet; cover and cook until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove chicken breasts.
• Add remaining butter and cream. Heat through.
• Pour sauce over chicken breasts. Serve with simple veg and potatoes

Fettucine Alfredo

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup cream
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 box dried fettuccine
• salt and black pepper for seasoning

Method:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add in the fettucine. Cook according to the directions on the box. 
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.
• Pour in the cream and let simmer for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the crushed garlic and cheese, whisking thoroughly until the sauce is heated through.
• Stir in the chopped parsley and seasonings.
• Add the pasta back into the sauce pot. Serve with a side salad.

Work out of the day

Clean & Jerk: 50kg 5×2, 2-3min Rest between sets (see how to video below)
Rest 5 min
Front Squat: 50kg 3×2, Rest 3min between lifts
Rest 5min
30 sec on, 20sec off : Double Unders




 
 
3+ hours later
 
Run 3 mins fast, walk 3 mins repeat x 3

Workout of the day

10 mile cycle ride for time

Done on average course in 28:36. Felt good to be back on the bike in the outdoors!

Bacon, vegetable and Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 rashers of bacon finely chopped.
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained.
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 pints vegetable stock
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• pinch of dried thyme
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and pepper
• 2 tbsps finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

• In a large saucepan fry off the bacon, add the onion turn down the heat and cook slowly until translucent, stirring constantly.
• Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Add the carrots and celery and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the stock, beans, tomatoes, thyme, sugar, bay leaf and bring to the boil.
• Reduce to a simmer. cook gently for 30 mins, or until the carrot and celery are tender - avoid over stirring to prevent the beans breaking up. Remove the bay leaf.
• Place half the soup into a food processor and purée. Stir the purée back into the pan and season to taste. 
• Serve with the parsley

Bored

I have lost interest in the training plan I am following. I have clearly gained size, but I also feel fat. Whats more, my program lacks the variety I love. So, bearing in mind also that I am running the Manchester 10k again this year, its time to start a 12 week leanout and get ready for the run.

From tomorrow, the program refocuses. In 12 weeks when the runs over, I'll look again, but with a summer beach holiday just around the corner at that stage, I think it's going to be August until I start heavy lifting again.

For the record, my current 1 rep max are:

Bench: 82kg
Squat: 104kg
Deadlift: 110kg
O/H press: 62kg

It will be interesting to see what they are when I pick it up again.

Whats also going to have to be rained in is the "see-food diet". Unlimited forced feeding is sickening and boring, but will take a few days over coming (today I am starving on ONLY 3000 calories!)

Eating for the next 12 weeks will be based on the same type of stuff but in smaller quantities and less often.

It also means a return to the "workout of the day" posting as I have done here before based on the classic combo's of 2 runs, 2 swims, 2 bikes, 2 gyms each week, coupled with yoga and rest days.

But most of all, I look forward to having abs again!

Cannellini bean and red onion risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
•  large red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 500 g risotto rice
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 1 litres hot chicken stock
• 800 g tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• handful of finely grated parmesan 
• freshly ground black pepper
• butter

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion, garlic and thyme for 5 minutes until softened. Add the rice, stir for a few seconds then pour in the wine. 
• Fry rapidly until the wine evaporates, then slowly add the stock in batches, letting the rice absorb the liquid each time before adding more.
• Add the beans about halfway through - keep the heat fairly high and the whole process should take about 20 minutes. 
• Season with pepper. Once all the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are soft and creamy, add 25g butter and the cheese. Leave of the heat for 5 mins before serving.

French beans

Ingredients:

• 450g green beans
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 100g/4oz slivered or whole almonds
• 2 tbsp soy sauce

Method

• Drop the beans into boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
• Drain and pile into a warm serving dish.
• Gently heat the oil with the garlic until it is just turning golden, quickly toss in the almonds and the soy sauce, stir and brown a few minutes longer.
• Tip over the green beans. Serve immediately.

The accountant cat

Leek and goats cheese tart

Ingredients:

• One pastry case
• 500g leeks
• 175 g firm goats cheese
• olive oil
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 200 ml double cream
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced, including the green parts
• salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method:

• Heat the oil, add the leeks and cook gently, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes
• Transfer to a sieve to drain off the excess juice.
• In a jug, mix the beaten eggs with the cream. Season.
• Arrange the leeks and cheese over the pastry case and sprinkle with the spring onions.
• Pour in the cream and egg mixture
• Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes - allow it to settle for 10 minutes before serving.