Good afternoon! It's been eight days since my last confession.
I have had a bit of a week to forget, which makes it two weeks in a row. This isn't the start that I had envisioned when I first started this challenge. That being said, I've had a mix of emotions this week, as I have seen the worst, and the best of my running and dedication to 'the cause'.
I started the week with good intentions, to eat smart, and to get a few good runs in. My run last Saturday left a lot to be desired, after all I had a ten minute break in the middle of my run, and still struggled with 2.65 miles. That knocked me quite a bit, and for some reason, also did some damage to my hip. With the sore hip, I decided I would take a couple of days off to rest it, which turned into seven. At this point, I'll accept anything you're going to throw at me, just try not to hurt the legs in the process please.
So... two weeks, with very little results. The beauty of this blog (or so I like to think) is that I am a real person, with real issues. I am not a perfect guy, or someone without any faults, nor do I claim to be, and I think the last couple of weeks has shown that. I don't want to paint a glowing picture around what I and millions of other people are dealing with. It's an everyday struggle for even the best people to focus on themselves long enough to make life better for themselves.
Life is tough enough with work, and 'extra-curricular' activities, or perhaps school for some of you. It's incredibly tough turning your life upside down, and implementing some major changes to the core of your lifestyle, and I am experiencing that now. It's so much easier to say ' I'll do it tomorrow' than to be accountable for what it is you're doing, and therefore get something accompolished. I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought I'd be stronger at this point. Disappointing to say the least.
Yesterday was another day of triumph though, and a great way to close out a forgettable week. Yesterday, I managed a whopping 4.1 miles, or by my calculations, 6.5kms. That is nearly 1/3 of the distance I will need to cover on May 23rd which is incredibly motivating. I say this every week, but I look back across the years of my life, and I don't think there is any time that I ever thought I'd run for over forty minutes without stopping for a break. That alone proves to me that the human body is pretty incredible, and is able to adapt so quickly to any challenge thrown its way! I am proud of myself for yesterday's effort, but disappointed with the rest of the week as I had some issues with my diet as well. I managed to get one good meal into my diet this week that I can share with you, which I will do a few paragraphs down.
Now, I'd like to make mention of a few people have had a great impact on me in the last couple of weeks especially. These people are people that I owe a thank you to for their support, no matter what form it comes in:
- The Facebook Group - This has provided a number of comments that have offered some motivation, and verbal support. Besides that, it is great to see that there are currently 112 people who care enough about what I am doing to join the group. Whether you post or not, knowing that you're catching the headlines I post is good to see!
- My lovely girlfriend Alicia - She has been putting up with my change of schedule, my interest in eating healthy, and offers the odd massage to a strained leg muscle. She's there everytime I hit a new high, and it's great to see, and even better to have such support so close to home.
- Jacqui Rouse, Meredith MacRitchie, and Tracey Wilkie - These ladies have provided me with some great nutritional information which I can implement over the coming weeks, and improve my diet properly without depriving my body of what it needs, or feeding it too much of what it doesn't need. Thanks for the tips, an keep them coming!
- Tina Haining - Tina is the first person to donate to my cause, and has done so by laying down an incredible donation of £200! This is astonishing, and I can't thank her enough for her donation. This is not to say that any other donations need to match that amount. I never expected to see a donation of even a quarter of that sum, so please do what you can to help, quite literally if it only means £1.
- To whoever else is watching, and keeping tabs, keep it up! I love having people see this, and hopefully there are some people who can benefit from it as well. I would love to no end knowing that I've helped someone get off their arse and get it moving. If you're that person, get in touch, and I'll do what I can to help! I had a message from someone on Facebook this week to commend me for what I've done. It was a message from someone I've never met before, so it's great to see that this might start growing arms and legs soon.
Again, a great big 'thank you' to all of you who come back to read these messages, and thanks even more to those who choose to leave a message.
Without further ado, let's do something a bit different, let's set some goals! That way, I can be held accountable for what I haven't done. I think it's only fair that if you guys help me, I need to help you by giving you some results.
I am proposing that for every aspect of a goal that I fail to complete, I will need to chip into the donation fund. Please see below for the goals, and also the associated penalties that will affect me:
Goal 1: I will run four times this week, between Monday and Sunday. Even if it's only a mile, I am getting my arse outside and getting my legs moving. For every run I miss of the four, I will donate £10 to Maggie's.
Goal 2: My next big run will again be 4 miles, which will likely be on Saturday. I am only aiming for 4 miles, because with the added running I know my body will be quite upset with me on Saturday, and to avoid injury I want to match my distance. For every 10th (0.1m) of a mile missed on the big day, I will pay £1 to Maggie's.
This should make me a bit more diligent, and should mean that this time next week, I am happy to post as opposed to being scared to post.
Also, I would like a bit of feedback if possible, I'd like to know what it is that you guys like to see, and what you'd like to see more of. Do I post enough? Would you like to see more recipes? Let me know what you think by either dropping a comment off here, or by jumping onto the Facebook group to leave a message.
And now... onto the recipe:
__________________________
Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Mediterranean Couscous
I wanted to try doing something a bit different this week. Taking into account what some people had told me, and by using a recipe that I have cooked before, I wanted to give you something that is easy, and relatively quick to make that is healthy for you. Again, to those nutrition experts amongst you, tear this one apart! Couscous is a surprisingly good vehicle for flavour, and has some good nutrition behind it. It's a good source of Calcium, and is fairly high in protein which will appeal to any vegetarians out there! It contains no cholesterol, very little fat (no saturates), and has a reasonable calorie count. I love couscous for its ability to pick up flavour, and its ease of cooking. That means that this meal is quick, cheap, easy to make, healthy, and tasty. What more could you ask for out of a meal?
Next, start chopping your chili, your garlic, and your onion. It helps to do this all at the same time because when you're cutting each of them, the oils and therefore the flavour of each item will transfer to the blade of the knife. This means that as you're mincing them, the flavours from all three components will join together, and form one hell of a flavour base for the couscous. Once those guys are nice and small, do the same to the pine nuts and sultanas. To toast the pine nuts, simply get a pan on the stove over a medium heat, and let the nuts brown. You'll smell them when they're ready, but be careful not to burn them.) When you're done mincing these little gems, move them all to one side, and move on.
At this point, hopefully the oven should be close to temperature. Get your peppers in the oven, and give them a ten minute head start before moving on to the next step.
Next we'll get the couscous ready. Get a small pot on the stove with nothing more than thin air in it. Pour in the cous cous, the salt, and the pepper. With the cumin, either use your knife or your hands to break it up, and start the flavour moving as you toss it into the pot. At this point, it's a flavour free-for-all. Toss everything you've got into the pot, and get the kettle on to boil your water. The beauty of couscous is that it just needs some boiling water for a few minutes to cook. No sirring, no waiting, no mess!
While the water is boiling, use your hands and mix up the contents of the pot to ensure that a little bit of flavour goes everywhere. When the ettle is boiled, pour enough water over the couscous to cover it, with about a cm or two to spare. Cover the pot, and let it sit for five minutes. Check again, and if cooked, let it rest.
At this point, open the oven and sniff your peppers if you can't already smell them. Feel the sides, they should be fairly soft to the touch, and if you tried, you should be able to squeeze one side into the other, but don't do this, as it will bugger up the end result... and we all hate ruining the presentation! If the peppers are done, pull them out, and start the next step. If they're not quite soft enough then pop them back in for another five minutes or so until you're happy with them. When they're done roasting, trn the oven down to 180 degrees.
Now we can start stuffing the peppers! I like to layer the couscous and the cheese. Take a Tablespoon and start putting in the couscous, and then a bit of cheese crumbld up as fine, and evenly as possible. Create three or four layers for the best results, and then top it all off with a bit of extra cheese on top.
Pop these puppies back in the oven and get them roasting! Set the table, and in about 6-7 minutes, pull them out and plate them up!
Pardon my presentation as it doesn't exactly make them look amazing, but believe me, these are tasty, and healthy, and really easy to make!
__________________________
Remember, if you decide to make any of my recipes, or have recipes you'd like to share, drop me a line, and let me know!
As always, thanks for dropping by and I'll see you again mid-week with an update on how things are going. Here's a Week 3 Onion-skin... as requested by some!
I have had a bit of a week to forget, which makes it two weeks in a row. This isn't the start that I had envisioned when I first started this challenge. That being said, I've had a mix of emotions this week, as I have seen the worst, and the best of my running and dedication to 'the cause'.
I started the week with good intentions, to eat smart, and to get a few good runs in. My run last Saturday left a lot to be desired, after all I had a ten minute break in the middle of my run, and still struggled with 2.65 miles. That knocked me quite a bit, and for some reason, also did some damage to my hip. With the sore hip, I decided I would take a couple of days off to rest it, which turned into seven. At this point, I'll accept anything you're going to throw at me, just try not to hurt the legs in the process please.
So... two weeks, with very little results. The beauty of this blog (or so I like to think) is that I am a real person, with real issues. I am not a perfect guy, or someone without any faults, nor do I claim to be, and I think the last couple of weeks has shown that. I don't want to paint a glowing picture around what I and millions of other people are dealing with. It's an everyday struggle for even the best people to focus on themselves long enough to make life better for themselves.
Life is tough enough with work, and 'extra-curricular' activities, or perhaps school for some of you. It's incredibly tough turning your life upside down, and implementing some major changes to the core of your lifestyle, and I am experiencing that now. It's so much easier to say ' I'll do it tomorrow' than to be accountable for what it is you're doing, and therefore get something accompolished. I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought I'd be stronger at this point. Disappointing to say the least.
Yesterday was another day of triumph though, and a great way to close out a forgettable week. Yesterday, I managed a whopping 4.1 miles, or by my calculations, 6.5kms. That is nearly 1/3 of the distance I will need to cover on May 23rd which is incredibly motivating. I say this every week, but I look back across the years of my life, and I don't think there is any time that I ever thought I'd run for over forty minutes without stopping for a break. That alone proves to me that the human body is pretty incredible, and is able to adapt so quickly to any challenge thrown its way! I am proud of myself for yesterday's effort, but disappointed with the rest of the week as I had some issues with my diet as well. I managed to get one good meal into my diet this week that I can share with you, which I will do a few paragraphs down.
Now, I'd like to make mention of a few people have had a great impact on me in the last couple of weeks especially. These people are people that I owe a thank you to for their support, no matter what form it comes in:
- The Facebook Group - This has provided a number of comments that have offered some motivation, and verbal support. Besides that, it is great to see that there are currently 112 people who care enough about what I am doing to join the group. Whether you post or not, knowing that you're catching the headlines I post is good to see!
- My lovely girlfriend Alicia - She has been putting up with my change of schedule, my interest in eating healthy, and offers the odd massage to a strained leg muscle. She's there everytime I hit a new high, and it's great to see, and even better to have such support so close to home.
- Jacqui Rouse, Meredith MacRitchie, and Tracey Wilkie - These ladies have provided me with some great nutritional information which I can implement over the coming weeks, and improve my diet properly without depriving my body of what it needs, or feeding it too much of what it doesn't need. Thanks for the tips, an keep them coming!
- Tina Haining - Tina is the first person to donate to my cause, and has done so by laying down an incredible donation of £200! This is astonishing, and I can't thank her enough for her donation. This is not to say that any other donations need to match that amount. I never expected to see a donation of even a quarter of that sum, so please do what you can to help, quite literally if it only means £1.
- To whoever else is watching, and keeping tabs, keep it up! I love having people see this, and hopefully there are some people who can benefit from it as well. I would love to no end knowing that I've helped someone get off their arse and get it moving. If you're that person, get in touch, and I'll do what I can to help! I had a message from someone on Facebook this week to commend me for what I've done. It was a message from someone I've never met before, so it's great to see that this might start growing arms and legs soon.
Again, a great big 'thank you' to all of you who come back to read these messages, and thanks even more to those who choose to leave a message.
Without further ado, let's do something a bit different, let's set some goals! That way, I can be held accountable for what I haven't done. I think it's only fair that if you guys help me, I need to help you by giving you some results.
I am proposing that for every aspect of a goal that I fail to complete, I will need to chip into the donation fund. Please see below for the goals, and also the associated penalties that will affect me:
Goal 1: I will run four times this week, between Monday and Sunday. Even if it's only a mile, I am getting my arse outside and getting my legs moving. For every run I miss of the four, I will donate £10 to Maggie's.
Goal 2: My next big run will again be 4 miles, which will likely be on Saturday. I am only aiming for 4 miles, because with the added running I know my body will be quite upset with me on Saturday, and to avoid injury I want to match my distance. For every 10th (0.1m) of a mile missed on the big day, I will pay £1 to Maggie's.
This should make me a bit more diligent, and should mean that this time next week, I am happy to post as opposed to being scared to post.
Also, I would like a bit of feedback if possible, I'd like to know what it is that you guys like to see, and what you'd like to see more of. Do I post enough? Would you like to see more recipes? Let me know what you think by either dropping a comment off here, or by jumping onto the Facebook group to leave a message.
And now... onto the recipe:
__________________________
Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Mediterranean Couscous
I wanted to try doing something a bit different this week. Taking into account what some people had told me, and by using a recipe that I have cooked before, I wanted to give you something that is easy, and relatively quick to make that is healthy for you. Again, to those nutrition experts amongst you, tear this one apart! Couscous is a surprisingly good vehicle for flavour, and has some good nutrition behind it. It's a good source of Calcium, and is fairly high in protein which will appeal to any vegetarians out there! It contains no cholesterol, very little fat (no saturates), and has a reasonable calorie count. I love couscous for its ability to pick up flavour, and its ease of cooking. That means that this meal is quick, cheap, easy to make, healthy, and tasty. What more could you ask for out of a meal?- 2 Red Peppers
- 1 cup of dried couscous
- 2 cups of boiling water
- 1/4 small red onion
- 1 Small Red Chili
- 1 clove of garlic
- Spices: Cumin, Salt and Pepper
- 1tsp of tomato purée
- 1 small handful of sultanas/raisins
- 1 small handful of toasted pine nuts
- 3oz of crumbled greek goat's cheese
Next, start chopping your chili, your garlic, and your onion. It helps to do this all at the same time because when you're cutting each of them, the oils and therefore the flavour of each item will transfer to the blade of the knife. This means that as you're mincing them, the flavours from all three components will join together, and form one hell of a flavour base for the couscous. Once those guys are nice and small, do the same to the pine nuts and sultanas. To toast the pine nuts, simply get a pan on the stove over a medium heat, and let the nuts brown. You'll smell them when they're ready, but be careful not to burn them.) When you're done mincing these little gems, move them all to one side, and move on.
At this point, hopefully the oven should be close to temperature. Get your peppers in the oven, and give them a ten minute head start before moving on to the next step.
Next we'll get the couscous ready. Get a small pot on the stove with nothing more than thin air in it. Pour in the cous cous, the salt, and the pepper. With the cumin, either use your knife or your hands to break it up, and start the flavour moving as you toss it into the pot. At this point, it's a flavour free-for-all. Toss everything you've got into the pot, and get the kettle on to boil your water. The beauty of couscous is that it just needs some boiling water for a few minutes to cook. No sirring, no waiting, no mess!
While the water is boiling, use your hands and mix up the contents of the pot to ensure that a little bit of flavour goes everywhere. When the ettle is boiled, pour enough water over the couscous to cover it, with about a cm or two to spare. Cover the pot, and let it sit for five minutes. Check again, and if cooked, let it rest.
At this point, open the oven and sniff your peppers if you can't already smell them. Feel the sides, they should be fairly soft to the touch, and if you tried, you should be able to squeeze one side into the other, but don't do this, as it will bugger up the end result... and we all hate ruining the presentation! If the peppers are done, pull them out, and start the next step. If they're not quite soft enough then pop them back in for another five minutes or so until you're happy with them. When they're done roasting, trn the oven down to 180 degrees.
Now we can start stuffing the peppers! I like to layer the couscous and the cheese. Take a Tablespoon and start putting in the couscous, and then a bit of cheese crumbld up as fine, and evenly as possible. Create three or four layers for the best results, and then top it all off with a bit of extra cheese on top.
Pop these puppies back in the oven and get them roasting! Set the table, and in about 6-7 minutes, pull them out and plate them up!
Pardon my presentation as it doesn't exactly make them look amazing, but believe me, these are tasty, and healthy, and really easy to make!
__________________________
Remember, if you decide to make any of my recipes, or have recipes you'd like to share, drop me a line, and let me know!
As always, thanks for dropping by and I'll see you again mid-week with an update on how things are going. Here's a Week 3 Onion-skin... as requested by some!
