How to make a Club Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Chicken
• Bacon
• Hard boiled eggs
• Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Mayonnaise
• Bread, toasted

Method:

• Place some lettuce and a generous layer of mayonnaise on the first slice of toast, top with the chicken then place another slice of toast on top
• Place the bacon, egg, tomato slices on the 2nd piece of toast, spread with more mayonnaise, then top with the last slice of toast.
• Secure the sandwich at the four sides by spearing through all the layers with long wooden toothpicks before cutting into quarters which helps keep the fillings in order....and in place.

Week of workouts - Week 2

Week 2


Each day stretch all of the major muscle groups using 6 mins stretching program



Sunday

It’s a sandbag day!
25 - 15 - 10 of Sandbag Thrusters, Knees-to-Elbows and Sandbag Round-the-Worlds


Monday

Rest day


Tuesday

Kettlebell swings 1 minute
10 getups (5 for each side) alternating sides
30 burpees
pullups to near failure
kettlebell swings 1 minute


Wednesday

Rest day


Thursday

30 sky to ground squats

30 sky to ground squats
10 wall ball
30 sky to ground squats
30 sky to ground squats
elastic band rows 1 minute


Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Hindu squats 15 reps
box jumps 15 reps
jumping lunges 15 reps
hindu squats 15 reps
backward lunges 15 reps
forward lunges 15 reps
squat thrusts 15 reps

repeat 3 times

Perfect beef stew

Ingredients:

• 400g shin of beef
• 1 tbsp flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 300ml beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprigs of thyme
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky slices
• 2 small turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4 potatoes cut into chunks

Method:

• Trim the beef and toss with the seasoned flour to coat.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and add the oil.
• Brown the meat in batches, adding more fat if necessary – be careful not to overcrowd the pan, or it will boil in its own juices – then transfer to a bowl.
• Scrape the bottom of the pan regularly to prevent any residue from burning.
• Once all the meat is browned, add some more oil to the pan and cook the onions until soft and slightly browned.
• Add them to the beef and then pour in a little stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.
• Add the beef and onions, the rest of the stock, season, and add the herbs.
• Bring to the boil, then partially cover, turn down the heat, and simmer gently for two hours.
• Add the potatoes, carrots and turnips, and simmer for about another hour, until the meat is tender enough to cut with a spoon.
• Leave to cool, overnight if possible, and then lift the solidified fat off the top and bring to a simmer.

Bacon and Avocado Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of milk
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1 cup grated cheese
• small bunch spring onions
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ripe avacado, sliced
• 3 well cooked bacon rashers, chopped
• 1 pie case
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Combine milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Add cheese, mix well.
• Stir in onions and tomatoes
• Lay avocado slices on the bottom of pie case
• Sprinkle over chopped bacon. 
• Pour cheese mixture over avocado and bacon and spread out evenly.
• Bake 35 mins, until set and golden and puffy. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

  
  

Week of workouts - Week 1

Each day stretch all of the major muscle groups using 6 mins stretching program

Monday

• lunges for reps of 20
• timed elastic rows 1 minute
• heavy bag 1 minute
• burpees for reps of 20
• leg lifts 25 reps
• rest 1 minute

Repeat 3 times


Tuesday

• 1 minute of kettlbell swings
• 10 pushups
• 1 minute plank

Repeat 4 times


Wednesday

• Rest day

Thursday

• Rest day

Friday

• 10 incline rows on gymnastic rings
• 1 minute of kettlebell swings
• 30 seconds of pushups
• 1 minute of kettlbell swings

Repeat 3 times

Saturday 

• 30 bleacher jumps
• 30 walking lunges 
• 50 meter sprint

Repeat 3 times

• 50 squat thusts

Late night Haddock soup

Ingredients:

• 2 leeks, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• butter
• 3 medium potatoes , diced
• 400ml milk
• cup of peas
• 400ml chicken stock
• 500g skinless smoked haddock fillet, diced
• 200g cooked, peeled prawns
• 1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped

Method:

• Cook the leek and onion in a large pot with a knob of butter for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.
• Add the potatoes, milk and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook gently for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
• Drop in the haddock and prawns and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes to cook the haddock and heat the prawns.
• Season, add the chopped parsley, and serve in deep bowls with crusty bread.

Saturday Workout

100 Skips, 10 Pull Ups, 20 Push/Press Ups, 30 Sit Ups. 3 rounds.

Update posting

It was April when I last did a personal post.

My circumstances are such that I do not have the publishing freedom that I once had, but I want to put some things down just for my own record as much as anything else.

You know who, is, for me, finished. If I possibly can, I never wish to contact them again. To help me in this, I am in discussions with another organisation who are considering my position. If I can do a deal with them, I am where I once was.

I have delayed the MBA decision until next March. I am still thinking about it, am interested in it, but don't know if I have the time and don't know if I have the need, if I can do the deal I am in the process of negotiating.

I am no longer a retailer, but quite miss it. The company I worked for were very nice (on the whole) with only a few "difficult" people to contend with.

As ever, I would very much like to pursue the interests I have identified here previously and have considered over and over karate, formal Yoga and PT'ing again, bike licences and painting. I am doing none of them at present and am lacking the umph to just get stuck in, but then, maybe that's reflective of my more normal energy levels nowadays rather than the hypermanic energy of old.

I am generally well and have experienced no irregular mood swings this year (so far) and have been off all meds since March. Long may that last!

2011 is proving to be the year of niggling injuries, with my neck (right side), right shoulder and right forearm all causing me problems at some point this year - actually, its my right knee that also plays up, so I assume that it must be the result of some muscular imbalance.

On the physio front, I still intend to return to it when my other big fight concludes, I have just tried to put it to the back of my mind so as to be able to live on a day to day basis for the past few years and again for the coming few years.

I have to say I am quietly confident in regard to my big fight and have been buoyed by some silly mistakes that the other side have made which has demonstrated to all concerned that they do not believe in their own story. Living with it on a day to day basis is still, of course, quite miserable but then I have learnt to accept it and endure.

Short terms, I must get myself organised again. I need to up my water intake, take the fish oil and the vitamins and eat home made food more regularly during the day. I also need to do some regular exercise of the less is more school. My weight today is 209lb at 22% body fat. I never did manage the slim down after the 5x5 sessions of earlier this year, but I retain the strength gains from that time, if not the conditioning. If I can get 6 weeks of 15-20 mins a day under my belt, I will hit the 5x5's again for the xmas and new year period.

Next update at Christmas.

Cook Wednesday - White Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

• 150g white chocolate
• 250g cream
• 2 tbsp rum
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp sugar

 
Method:

• Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and place in a glass bowl together with the cream, finely grated rind of half an orange and the rum over a pan of boiling water and heat for 3 mins stirring constantly.
• Place the mixture in the fridge for 2 hours then whisk everything until the mixture becomes light and airy 
• Separate the egg and beat the egg white until stiff then add the sugar and juice of half a lemon 
• Mix everything together and chill thoroughly before serving

Cook Wednesday - Courgette Frittata

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 courgettes, finely sliced
• 6 eggs
• 75g cheddar, grated

Method:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan, add onions, fry for 2 minutes until soft.
• Add courgettes and fry for 4 minutes until golden.
• Beat eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour eggs into pan, cook stirring until egg has lightly set.
• Shake pan to level surface, cook for 1 minute.
• Sprinkle on cheese and cook under hot grill for 2 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
• Serve warm in wedges sprinkled with basil

Cook Wednesday - Spicy Lentil Soup

My version of a workmates favorite:

 

Ingredients:

·         Olive oil

·         1 inch ginger, peeled and grated

·         1 tsp cumin

·         Pinch chilli

·         1 onion, chopped

·         2 carrots, chopped

·         200g red lentils

·         1 ltr Chicken stock

·         1 Lime

 

Method:

·         Heat a little oil in a large pan and fry the ginger and spices for a couple of minutes.

·         Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes

·         Add the lentils and stock.

·         Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender.

·         Blend until smooth.

·         Stir through a squeeze of lime

 

 

Saturday workout

• Do countdowns 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Jump Squats and Plyo Pushups

ie: 10 Squat Jumps Followed by 10 Plyo Pushups, 10 sec rest and then 9/9 and so on…until you get to 5’s then there is no rest..great workout when short on time or great finisher