Saturday, January 30, 2010

It's been a rough week!

Hello again! This week has been a bit of a tough one! Since my three mile run last weekend, I just haven't been feeling the same! I have felt short of breath, and tired most of the time. I think that I need to make some more changes to my diet to include some natural sugars, as at the moment, I have cut out all fizzy juice, and no longer take any milk or sugar in my coffee. I have some dried cerial with my breakfast every morning, but besides that, most of what I am consuming are carbs... mostly pasta.

I've been told that carbs are great for running energy, but the flip side is that starchy carbs don't seem to be a great way to lose weight. Perhaps if anyone has some more information about either of these statements, please let me know, as I would love to find the energy, and and lose weight at the same time!

SO what have I accomplished this week? Not much if I am honest! I had a decent run on Tuesday (2.04 miles), and then another run today (2.65) miles, and have lost one more pound. I am hoping to get measurements up by the end of the weekend to see where I stand this week. I'd also like to get another run in tomorrow to ensure I make my initial goal of three per week.

In addition to the running related accomplishments and issues, I have had a fairly busy week at work including a trip to London for the day on Wednesday which kind of did me in for running on Thursday. Perhaps that is what has slowed me down for the end of the week? WHo knows, but hopefully it won't be affecting me this coming week, and I can get more than one blog post done, and up for you guys!

I was also able to get in touch with Maggie's again in regards to sponsorship this week, and got some great information back from them. It's because of this that I have added a JustGiving widget to my blog, and to my Facebook page. This means that I am officially running in aid of Maggie's! I have set myself a goal of raising £1000 for Maggie's, and would greatly appreciate anyone who can afford a small donation! If you'd like to donate, you can click on the 'donate' button on the JustGiving widget on the right hand side of the page, or visit my JustGiving page.
Beyond Maggie's, I'd also like to add a recipe to the blog, as it's been quite some time since I've done that, so without further ado, I present my latest healthy creation...

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Spiced Turkey Burgers with Pesto Mayo, Home-style Chips and a Carrot and Cucumber Salad

I've been fighting the fight for turkey for quite some time now, and again, I fly the turkey flag with this recipe. Turkey is a great meat, and a great source of vitamins. In fact, only a five ounce serving of turkey meat contains your daily recommended intake of folic acid, and includes good amounts of Vitamin B, B1, B6, Potassium, and Zinc. Studies show it has effect on reducing cholesterol, blood pressure, and helps the prevention of cancer, and heart disease! It really is a magical bit of meat! That being said, ensure tha minced turkey that you're buying is in fact minced turkey breast, and doesn't include any dark meat or skin, as that's where the fat, cholesterol, and sodium lies. This recipe boasts a healthy alternative to a commonly enjoyed North American treat, hamburgers!


  • 1 package of minced turkey breast (250g)
  • 1 small red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Spices: Cumin, Corriander Seed, Mustard Seed, Smoked Paprika, Salt and Pepper
  • 3oz bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 healthy rolls/buns
  • 1oz light mayonnaise
  • 2oz Low-Fat Basil Pesto
  • 1 Gem Lettuce
  • 1-2 Large Carrots
  • 1/2 a Cucomber
  • 1Tbsp Fresh Corriander
  • 1Tsp Apple Vinegar
  • 3Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3-4 Maris Piper Potatoes
First we'll need to create our burger patties. To do this, finely dice half of the red onion, and the garlic. Add them both to a pan on medium heat in some of the oil until they're soft, which should take about five minutes on low-medium heat. Allow the mixture to cool on a sheet of paper towel to eliminate as much of the oil as possible.

While the micture is cooling, we can get our spices mixed. Get a pestal and mortar or if you don't have one, you can use a cup and a rolling pin, or use the side of your chef's knife to crack the spices together in a plastic bag. Add 1/2tsp of each of the spices to the mixture, and grind them until you've got nothing more than a powder, taste, and season accordingly. Note the mixture will be quite potent, so don't taste too much of it.

With your spices ground, and the onions and garlic cool, add both to the minced turkey, and use your hands to combine all the ingredients into one big party! When you're happy with the mixture, add the breadcrumbs and the egg. Again, use your hands to squish everything together, ensuring that the egg and the breadcrumbs are distributed evenly through the micture.

Shape the mixture in your hands into burger patties, trying not to make them too thick, as they'll have trouble cooking. When you've shaped all the required patties, place them on a plate and cover them with cling film. Fire them into the fridge to set for a half hour.

To prepare the carrot and cucumber salad, take a potato peeler, and use it to peel both the carrot(s) and the cucumber. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, and use a small spoon to remove the watery seeds from the center of the cucumber. Continue to use the peeler to peel thin sheets of both carrot and cucumber into a mixing bowl.

Next, for the vinegraitte, combine the apple vinegar, and double the amount in oil. Season with salt and pepper, and taste. Finely dice the fresh corriander, and add half to the dressing, and leave the remainder to top the salad when it's on the plate.

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

By this point, the burgers should be set. Pull them out, and let them relax at room temperature for thirty minutes prior to cooking if possible. This ensures that the centre of the burger is already warm enough to start cooking, ensuring a uniform cooking heat across the entire burger.

While the patties are warming up, simply add the pesto to the mayonnaise in a bowl in order to ready it for the buns. Slice the gem lettuce, as well as the rest of the onion for garnishing the burger. Next, slice the rolls, and get them ready to go in the oven. Pop the chips in the oven in a pan with a small bit of oil, salt, and pepper, and some rosemary if you've got it. Allow them 20-30 minutes to go crisp and golden, flipping them every 10-15 minutes.

Once all of the prep work is done, get your pan ready to go with a thin film of oil, and a low-medium heat again. When the oil is up to temperature, get the patties in the pan, and move them around to ensure they don't stick to the bottom. Allow 5-6 minutes to cook on each side, or until golden brown, and not burning.

When you've cooked both sides of the burger, pop it into the oven with the buns as well. This toasts the buns, and finishes the burgers.

At this point, you should be able to begin plating the salad, and the chips, and get the crisped buns out of the oven, and onto the plate, dressed with the pesto mayo, and the veg garnishes. When the plate is ready, remove the burgers from the oven, and check the centers are done cooking. If they are fully cooked, sit them atop the freshly toasted bun, and present to your loved ones.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
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Thanks for staying tuned, and I will be back in touch shortly!

3 comments:

Jacqui Rouse said...

Hi Evan! Good work so far - wanting to change and making the first initial steps is great. I'm always up for sharing my 'insight' on health/fitness related things.

First off, yes carbs ARE good for energy but you really have to watch what kind of carbs you are eating. Refined sugars, found in white pasta, white bread, white rice, white.. anything..? are not a good source for carbs. You want to switch to either a vegetable based pasta or whole wheat pasta if you want to see improvement. You still have to watch your portion sizes on that. Whole wheat bread is great too, but there are some kinds that appear healthy and really aren't. Read the back to make sure there is less than 6g of sugar per slice. The more natural ingredients, the better.
Watch how much fruit you have in a day. Although it's 'good' for you, too much is too much sugar and you will not lose the belly fat.

That's all I have for now. Good luck, you can do it. Once you've made healthy food part of your regular lifestyle, gradually you'll want the crap less and less. You always have to decide, is this fattening cookie REALLY worth how bad I will feel later? Is it worth 20 minutes of cardio? If not, have a glass of water or green tea and feel good for making the right choice for your body.

Remember, we eat to live, not live to eat.

All the best,

Jacqui

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