3 minute healthy cooked breakfast

Whatever diet you may or may not be following, this breakfast ticks most boxes, and is super healthy and satisfying.

This is my healthy take on the great full English fry up with no frying or oils involved. I have this most days at work and it takes just 3 minutes in the microwave.

In a microwaveable bowl place a big handful of spinach and then layer with as many mushrooms and tomatoes you want, then season with pepper, cover and cook on full power for 2 minutes (900w microwave)

Next crack two eggs into a shallow microwaveable bowl and cook for 1 minute, or adjust according to how you like your eggs cooked.

Plate up and eat, easy and 3 of your 5 a day and protein to feed your muscles before the days even started.

Watercress challenge - The conclusion

As the years advance, as a runner you need all the help you can get. So when approached to take on this challenge I jumped at it. I mean I didn't realise that Watercress was so good for you and particularly for preventing the damage caused to DNA cells during high intensity exercise.

As you know if you follow the blog, I've included Watercress in my meals everyday for the last 2 weeks leading up to my race, which took place Saturday night. You can see what I've eaten in my previous posts.

Saturday leading up to the race, I had my Watercress and sweet potato soup again (delicious and becoming a regular meal now!) Early evening and it was a lovely piece of Salmon, new potatoes, green beans and a homemade Watercress sauce (1 bag of Watercress, 150g creme fraiche, a dash of water, a dash of lemon juice, salt and pepper)

The race was a tough one (see last post) not due to the distance but the ground conditions. If I was expecting the same affect to what Popeye gets when he eats spinach then it didn't come. But what I have found is the effects of recovery improve.

I've definitely found on some longer training runs that I've felt stronger by the time I run again and recovered quicker. As I've mentioned before I seem to have slept better the last 2 weeks although this is not documented anywhere as a benefit of eating Watercress.

It's been a positive experience because I've found some great healthy recipes and come up with some of my own which has been fun. I now eat Watercress every lunchtime at work along with mixed beans and mackerel so the last 2 weeks has had a positive affect on my diet.

For more information and great recipes visit the Watercress website.

Chicken with wilted Watercress Pappardelle (from the Watercress website)

Last week I tried to come up with my own ideas and recipes incorporating Watercress, so this week I'm going to try some of the delicious recipes from the Watercress website 

We had this dish on Saturday night and it was lovely, perfect fuel for running too, plenty of carbs from the pasta and protein from the chicken...oh and don't forget all the goodness from the Watercress.

It was a double helping of Watercress as we had my Watercress and sweet potato soup for starter. This is a definite new favourite in the household.

Chicken with wilted Watercress Pappardelle

Serves 4

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• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 chicken breast fillets
• 100ml (4floz) red wine or stock
• 1 (350g) jar tomato and chilli pasta sauce
• 225g (8oz) pappardelle pasta ribbons
• 25g (1oz) Parmesan cheese, sliced
• 1 (85g) bag Watercress
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the chicken breasts and fry for 8-10 minutes, turning once until browned on both sides. Add the wine (or stock) and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it has nearly all evaporated. Add the tomato sauce, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is nearly cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 7 minutes or according to packet instructions until the pasta is just tender. Drain in a colander. Place the watercress, nutmeg and remaining oil in the pan, add the pasta and toss to mix, season well with black pepper. Keep warm.

Arrange the slices of Parmesan cheese on top of the chicken and place the frying pan under a hot grill. Cook for 2 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Serve the chicken and sauce on top of the wilted watercress pappardelle.

Watercress and sweet potato soup

This is soup is so easy to make with very few basic ingredients, but tastes amazing and full of flavour and is brimming with goodness.

There's lots of variations of this online but I simplified my version and it was a winner.

The sweetness of the potato makes this a favourite with all the family young and old.

This is Ideal after being out on a cold run and the Watercress is great in aiding  recovery.

Serves 4


Ingredients

• 1 medium sized Sweet Potato peeled and chopped into small cubes
• 1 bag of  Watercress
• 600ml Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• In a large saucepan add the Sweet Potato cubes and Watercress
• Pour in the Stock and bring to the boil
• Add Salt and Pepper to taste (Go easy on the Pepper as the peppery taste of the Watercress comes through) 
• Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Carefully pour the mixture into a blender or use a hand blender, and blend until smooth.
• Serve and Enjoy!

Homemade Burger & sweet potato chips with watercress

I'm quite proud of my homemade burgers, but now they've got even better by replacing the lettuce in the bun and packing it out with Watercress.

 

The peppery taste of the Watercress goes especially well with the beef and making your burgers from scratch is a lot healthier than any fast food or supermarket brought option. Packed with protein and now with all the benefits of the Watercress (see last post).

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Burgers

• 450-500g of minced beef
• 200g of Natural Breadcrumbs
• 1 Onion finely chopped/grated or 2 tablespoons onion granules
• 1 clove of grated garlic
• Dried mixed herbs
• Salt and Pepper
• A dash of milk
• A squirt of ketchup or 1 tablespoon of mustard (OPTIONAL)
• 4 Wholemeal Rolls
• Watercress
• Sliced tomatoes
• Sliced cheese (OPTIONAL)

For the Chips

• Sweet Potatoes cut into chips with skin left on (Amount to suit own requirements)
• Vegetable Oil spray
• Salt and Pepper

Method

For the Burgers

• In a large bowl mix the minced beef, onion, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, milk and breadcrumbs. I always find this works better done with your hands.
• Add the tomato sauce or mustard if you are using either and mix in.
• Divide the mixture into four and create your shaped burger patties.
• Place on a baking tray and cook in a 200 degree preheated oven and cook for around 20 minutes depending on how you like your burgers done.
• Five minutes from cooking time add the cheese to melt on top of the burgers.

For the Chips

• Place the sweet potato chips on a baking tray, spray with the oil and season well. Make sure the chips aren't overcrowded on the tray. 
• Give the tray a little shake to ensure the chips are fully coated.
• Place in the oven and cook till golden brown and crunchy.

 

• Slice the buns and on the bottom half of each bun add plenty of Watercress
• Place your burger on the Watercress bed and top with more Watercress and the tomato.
• Serve with the chips and a dollop of mayo is great for dipping.

Perfect post running grub, enjoy!

Green Smoothie - The Sequel!

Since my last post I've been working hard in my Green Smoothie Factory and I've now fine tuned my Supercharged Green Smoothie; I've swapped water for Soya Milk and added Strawberries and Flaxseeds. The result: A tastier and even better for you smoothie! I now try and drink everyday for breakfast and its surprisingly filling...Enjoy.

Ingredients

• Handful of Baby Spinach leaves
• Handful of Curly Kale
• 4-5 large Strawberries
• 1 Kiwi fruit (peeled)
• 1 Apple (chopped)
• 2 inches of Cucumber (sliced)
• 300ml Soya Milk
• Squirt of Lemon juice
• 1 inch of fresh Ginger (grated)
• 1 heaped tablespoon Flaxseeds

Method

•  Blend and enjoy and become supercharged! It's that simple.

Warning: Drinking too many Green Smoothies can cause side effects!!!

Supercharged Green Smoothie

It seems green smoothies are all the rage at the moment in the world of nutrition. If like me you turn your nose up at the thought of drinking raw vegetables and that these drinks were only for tree hugging hippies, then think again and try my recipe below. Its a simple and quick and easy way of getting a good portion of fruit and veg and are chocked full of goodness....you may just be surprised how great they taste.

Ingredients

• Handful of Baby Spinach leaves
• Handful of Curly Kale
• 1 Kiwi fruit (peeled)
• 1 Apple (chopped)
• 2 inches of Cucumber (sliced)
• 300ml Water
• Squirt of Lemon juice
• 1 inch of fresh Ginger (grated)

Method

• I tend to blend a few ingredients at a time so not to burn my little blender out, but basically it is throw it all in, blend and enjoy and become supercharged!

...and don't forget...it's good being GREEN :-)

 

Chitty Pasta with Tomato and Basil sauce

A super easy quick nutritious classic dish ideal for carb loading with low GI wholewheat pasta. (Remember keep your pasta and breads brown and not white)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g wholewheat pasta
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1000g of chopped tomatoes
• 2 heaped tablespoons of muscovado sugar
• Bunch of fresh basil chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of Olive oil

Method

• Cook the wholewheat pasta to instructions on packet
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan
• Add the onion and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add the chopped tomatoes, cook for 3 minutes before reducing heat to simmer
• Stir in the muscovado sugar
• Add salt and pepper to taste (Lots of pepper works well)
• Add the basil and continue to simmer for a couple more minutes
• Drain the pasta and then add to the sauce and mix together well
• Serve and enjoy

This dish is low in saturated fat but for a treat you can added grated cheese. Tastes even better the next day reheated.

Chitty Breaded Chicken Breast Burgers wrapped in Parma Ham and Peppered Potato Wedges

This is my favourite recipe that I have come up with, and when you enjoy eating your own cooking, you know things are not so bad! 

Despite this being 'Burger and Chips' This is quite a healthy version and not a deep fat fryer in sight!!!

Plenty of Protein and Carbs and tastes as good as KFC with half the fat!

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken Burgers

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• 4 Slices of Parma Ham
• 1 egg
• 200g of Natural Breadcrumbs
• Dried Basil
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 Wholemeal Rolls
• Lettuce

For the Wedges

• Potatoes cut into Wedges with skin left on (Amount to suit own requirements)
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Method

For the Chicken Burgers

• Lightly beat the egg into a bowl
• Wrap a Chicken Breast with a slice of the Parma Ham and dip into the egg insuring the Breast is fully coated.
• With your Breadcrumbs poured out onto a plate, Fully coat the Breast in the Breadcrumbs
• Set to one side on to a baking tray and repeat the above for the remaining Breasts.
• With all 4 Breasts lined up on the tray, sprinkle over the Basil.
• Next sprinkle over the Salt and Pepper to taste.

For the Wedges

• Par boil the Wedges in salted boiling Water for a few minutes
• Remove and then pat dry the Wedges to remove the excess water

• Next spread out the Wedges on a baking tray.
• Drizzle over the Vegetable Oil
• Grind over the Salt and plenty of Pepper
• Give the tray a little shake to ensure the Wedges are fully coated.

• Place the Chicken Breasts and Wedges into a preheated oven (220 degrees C)
• Bake for approx 35 minutes, or until the Wedges are browned and the Chicken is cooked throughout.
• Serve the Chicken Breast in a Wholemeal Bun with lettuce and any sauces of your choice. (A little Mayo and Ketchup is good)

Chitty Celery Soup

This is the Best Soup in the World, Simple, Easy, Totally Nutritious...and Delicious! And all credit goes down to......My Mum x.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Bunch of Celery (About 14 sticks) chopped
• 1 Onion (Chopped)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Potato (Cut into small Cubes)
• 600ml Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock)
• Tsp of Vegetable Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• Heat the Oil in a large Saucepan
• Add the Celery,Onion,Garlic and Potato and fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add the Stock and bring to the boil
• Add Salt and Pepper to taste (Quite a lot of Pepper tastes good!)
• Let simmer for about 40 minutes.
• Carefully pour the mixture into a blender or use a hand blender, and blend until smooth.
• Serve and Enjoy!

Chitty Christmas Lasagne

The Turkey gives this dish a Christmas feel! Packed with Protein and Carbs a great twist on the traditional Lasagne recipie, and Great for a Post Run Meal.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 500g Turkey Mince
• 100g Baby Spinach Leaves
• 800g of Chopped Tomatoes
• 1/2 Chopped Onion
• 2 Gloves Garlic
• Mixed Herbs
• Jar of White Lasagne Sauce
• Pasta Sheets
• Grated Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon of Cornflour
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Method

• Heat the Oil in a large Saucepan and add the Onion, Cook on a high heat for about 1 minute

• Add the Turkey mince and cornflour and brown the mince.

• Add the Spinach until it has wilted (It will reduce in mass!)

• Next add the Tomatoes and stir.

• Add the Herbs
• Season to Taste

• Grab yourself a large sized retangular Lasagne Dish and pour half the contents into the dish
• Layer the Lasagne Sheets and top with half the White Sauce

• Repeat the layering process with the remaining ingredients
• Finally top with the grated cheese and a sprinkling of Pepper
• Put in a preheated oven (200 degrees C) for 40 mins or until nicely browned.
• Serve with a nice Salad and Enjoy!!!

Thai Green Chitty Curry

Another of my recpies based on the Famous Thai Green Curry. Packed with Carbs and Protein, another great and tasty dish for us runners. I've tried this before using a reduced fat version of the Coconut Milk to try to be more healthy but it creates a runny sauce at the end. Far better to go for the full fat version and a nice thick creamy sauce....well we're allowed a few treats are we not?

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Bunch of Fresh Corriander Leaves
• 1 tbsp of Fresh chopped Mint Leaves
• 2 sticks of Lemon Grass
• Bunch of Spring Onions
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Red Chilli's
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 inch Fresh Ginger
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tsp Corriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Ground Cumin
• 75g Dwarf Beans (or Green Beans)
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 400ml Coconut Milk
• 500g King Prawns (Cooked)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thai Fragrant Rice

Method

• Firstly you need to prepare your paste. Finely chop the Garlic Cloves and Lemon Grass sticks and put into either a food blender or mortar bowl. Add the Fennel Seeds,Corriander Seeds,Gound Cumin and Lime Juice and with your blender or by grinding with a Pestle crush the ingredients together until they combine to form a rough paste.
• Finally Chop your Cilli's, Spring Onions,Dwarf Beans and Mint. Your preperation is done. Now for the quick and easy cooking part.

• Heat the oil in a pan and when at a good heat add the Spring Onions and Chilli's. Keep the pan moving so the ingredients don't burn or stick in the pan.
• After about a minute, grate in the Fresh Ginger and continue stir frying for another minute.
• Add the paste and give that a little cook through for a further minute.
• Add the Coconut Milk, Beans, Mint and Fish Sauce, give a good stir and season, allow to come to the boil and then reduce the heat and Cover.
• You can let the Sauce simmer from anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes.
• In ths time Cook and Prepare your rice.
• Finally add your Prawns to the sauce and let them warm through for 5 minutes.
• Plate up the Rice and spoon on your Prawns and Sauce.
• To finish, add a sprig of Fresh Corriander and sprinkle over the Sesame Seeds.
• Serve, Enjoy with a nice Glass of White Wine (Just a small one! Remember you have that 6 miler tomorrow!!!)

This can just as easily be made using Chicken. Just add cubed Chicken Breast at the beginning when you heat the oil and add the Garlic and Chilli's.

Chitty Con Carne

My second recipe posting, I'm not sure how long i'll be able to keep going with the meals beginning with 'C' so I get to prefix with Chitty!

This is my take on the classic dish which packs a protein and carb hit idea for the night before a run or for recovery after. Packed with tomatoes which contain lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants plus the benefits of chiili and garlic.

Traditionally this is made with beef mince but I like to use Lamb mince. I also use sweet pointed peppers, a little more expensive than the more common bell pepper but a lot more tasty.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g Lamb mince
• 1 Onion finely chopped
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons of Mixed Herbs
• 3 red chilli's finely sliced (seeds optional, but be warned they add the heat!)
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• Splash of Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon Cornflour
• 1 Beef Stock Cube
• 800g of Chopped Tomatoes
• 160g of Sweetcorn
• 200g of Kidney Beans
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 8 Button Mushrooms sliced
• Splash of Red Wine
• Long grain Rice 75g per person

Method

• Heat the Oil in a large Saucepan and add the Onion, Cook on a high heat for about 1 minute.
• Add the Lamb mince and cornflour and brown the mince.
• Next add the Tomatoes and stir.
• Lower the heat and add the Mixed Herbs,Chilli's, Stock cube and Mushrooms, stir well.
• After a couple of minutes add the remaining ingredients (Sweetcorn, Kidney Beans,Wine and Worcestershire sauce.)
• Give it one last stir and lower the heat to it's lowest and lit simmer for 1 hour.
• 10 minutes from serving, cook the rice (Tip: Add Tumeric to the boiling water and not only do you get vibrant coloured rice but the health benefits of the tumeric.)
• Enjoy with a nice glass of the remaining Red wine and some Garlic Bread....Lovely.

Chitty Chicken

This is a dish I have come up with myself, and one in which all the family enjoy. It's particually good for me as it's loaded with Carbs and Protein.
It's also packed with B vitamins from the Chicken, Vitamins C and B6 from the Garlic and Onion. The rich tomatoes in their sauce, Vitamins C and K. The mixed herbs Vitamins K and A. Minerals in the dish include Selenium,Phosphorus,Chromium,Manganese,Iron,Potassium.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Breasts cut into small cubes
• 1 Onion finely chopped
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons of Mixed Herbs
• 1 Teaspoon of Chilli Flakes
• 1 Teaspoon of Corriander Seeds crushed
• 2 Tablespoons of Ground Corriander
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 1 Chicken Stock Cube
• 400g of Chopped Tomatoes
• 300g of Tagliatelle
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Fresh Chopped Coriander Leaves (Optional)

Method

• Heat the Oil in a large Saucepan and add the Onion, Garlic and Crushed Corriander Seeds, Cook on a high heat for about 1 minute.
• Add the cubed Chicken Breasts and cook on the high heat for a further 3 to 4 minutes.
• Next add the Chopped Tomatoes and cook for about a minute.
• Lower the heat and add the Mixed Herbs,Chilli Flakes and Ground Corriander, stir well
• To finsh the Sauce, crumble in the Stock Cube and Salt and Pepper to taste.
• Turn down the heat to low cover and let simmer for 35 minutes.
• After 25 minutes, cook the Tagliatelle for 10 minutes.
• Serve the Tagliatelle on a plate and top with the Chicken and sauce.
• You could also add some fresh chopped corriander leaves at the end if you choose.
• Voila! Enjoy Chitty Chicken.