Food for Fuel: Quorn and Red Onion Bolognaise

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quorn-spaghetti-bolognaise

It’s become something of a tradition for me to eat spaghetti bolognaise the evening before a race. Not that I – in my usual place at the back of the pack – think it’s going to help me go faster but just because it’s become part of the lead up to standing on the start line.

Last Sunday I took part in the Pilgrims Hospice Cycle Challenge – a 45 mile hilly route looping around Ashford and Canterbury. Despite this not actually being a race, it involved getting up early on a Sunday and wearing a number (well, actually, it was my bike that wore the number) and therefore spaghetti bolognaise was required the evening before. Unfortunately, Shaun had been at work all day and didn’t get back until 8pm, so it was too late to go to the supermarket for ingredients and start cooking. Yes, I could have been organised and gone myself earlier in the day but… I don’t know, I was probably pissing about on Facebook or something.

Still, had I had my traditional pre-race spag bol, it would have been along the lines of this one, using Quorn instead of cow, what with me being a vegetarian and that.

Quorn and Red Onion Bolognaise (serves 4)
(Taken from Leith’s Vegetarian Bible)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g/11oz Quorn mince
1 x 400g/14oz can tomatoes
290ml/1/2 pint vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons mushroom ketchup

To serve

340g/12oz spaghetti
freshly grated Parmesan-style cheese

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, pepper, carrots and leek. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until softened.
  2. Add the Quorn mince to the vegetables and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.  Increase the heat and allow the Quorn to colour slightly.
  3. Add the tomatoes (these can be liquidized for a smoother consistency, if liked), stock, tomato puree and mushroom ketchup.  Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the liquid is well reduced.  Adjust the seasoning to taste.
  4. Meanwhile, bring  a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.  Add the spaghetti and cook, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes until al dente.  Drain thoroughly and rinse the spaghetti under hot running water.  Drain well.
  5. Place the spaghetti in a warmed serving dish and pour over the Quorn bolognaise sauce.
  6. Serve with Parmesan-style cheese sprinkled on top of the sauce or handed separately.

ActiPatch Knee Wrap – Science, or Sooty’s Magic Wand?

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A while back, ActiPatch sent me one of their knee wraps to try out. This was timely as, since building up my cycling mileage, I’d developed a bit of a niggle which meant each time I cycled, my knee hurt. As soon as I got off the bike though, it stopped hurting; it also didn’t hurt while walking, running or at the gym, so I didn’t get round to trying out the wrap.

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On Saturday though, I went out for a run and my knee began to hurt. Uh oh, I thought – this doesn’t bode well for the Pilgrims Hospice Cycle Challenge tomorrow, so when I got home I put on the ActiPatch to see if it helped.

Yesterday, I completed the 55 mile hilly ride without a single twinge. Yep, not a single bit of pain, even when I concentrated really hard to feel something. I don’t know what’s in the Actipatch (well, I do actually – it’s electromagnetic pulse therapy) but it’s flipping magic. Maybe Sooty’s in there with his  magic wand. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s some scientific technical thingy. But we’ll pretend it’s Sooty, eh?

actipatch

The ActiPatch has an on/off button and apparently lasts for 720 hours. It consists of a wrap and a cable thingy and it doesn’t matter which way on the wrap goes as all the magic bit happens inside the area the cable is surrounding. The instructions say to keep it on for a minimum of 8 hours a day and it can also be worn at night but I only had it on for about five hours. I also had it on over leggings, so the magical powers can get through clothing. It’s safe and drug free and can be worn by diabetics, arthritics, the elderly and bedridden. The ActiPatch is available from Amazon (and other places such as Boots, etc.) for £19.99.




Juneathon 2014 – Sign Up Now!

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Woah, look at me being all Miss Organised. This is what happens when I’m not stressing over assignment deadlines – the Juneathon website gets updated nice and early and in plenty of time, allowing me to spend a whole month pestering people to sign up.

 

In case you don’t know what a Juneathon is; it’s a month of exercise – whether it’s running, cycling, gymming, swimming, extreme sunbathing – in June (you’d probably guessed that bit). Then you need to blog about it or tweet about it or post about it on the Juneathon Facebook Page.

It’s fun, it’s free and you’ll make lots of friends.

Off you go then – pop over to the www.juneathon.com website to sign up.

Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2014

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My mum took to me Scotland to visit one of her friends when I was about nine years old. We visited a few places but what I remember most were the jumping salmon in Perth and a brown and white stripy woollen jumper from, um, somewhere. The next morning, before anyone else awoke, I quietly got out of bed just so I could wear my new jumper. When my mum got up, she said, ‘You only got up early so you could wear your new jumper, didn’t you?’ Busted, dammit! Was this when my love of stripy clothes began? Or maybe it was just the novelty of having new clothes that weren’t hand-me-downs from two brothers who were both about ten years older than me.

Another place we went to was Edinburgh to watch the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. I remember another girl accompanied us, the daughter of a family friend, I assume, and blankets were handed to us on the way in because they didn’t want us southern softies to freeze to death in their cold castle. That blanket came in handy; it certainly was cold in the environs of Edinburgh Castle that night and our appreciative clapping was drummed out by our feet instead as no way José were we going to take our freezing fingers out of those blankets, no matter how many acrobats were skipping and somersaulting and strutting their stuff below us. I’m slightly ashamed to admit that the somersaults are the only thing I can remember; I was obviously still in my ‘When I grow up, I want to be Olga Korbut’ phase (which came a few years before my ‘When I grow up, I want to be Toyah’ phase; a phase I haven’t really quite grown out of yet).

Still, this is a running blog, not a ‘What I did in the holidays thirty-five years ago’ blog and as you all probably know, Edinburgh is also famous for its marathon.

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The Edinburgh Marathon is part of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival, which takes place this year on Saturday 24 May and Sunday 25 May. The Saturday is for the lightweights taking part in either the Junior Race, the 5k or the 10k, while the Sunday is for the hardcore taking part in the marathon, half-marathon or the intriguingly titled Hairy Haggis Team Relay where you can run in a team of 4 (as far as I can tell, dressing as a haggis is optional).

All the races have reached their capacity but if you are going up there for the weekend (and it’s the Bank Holiday Weekend, so why not stay on an extra day?) and haven’t booked your hotel yet, there are a couple of Holiday Inns in Edinburgh you might want to consider. I’ve only stayed in a Holiday Inn in Portsmouth, which is a *few* miles south of Edinburgh but, as it was for the Great South Run, they’re obviously used to hordes of runners. To find out if there’s availability to check in, check out the Holiday Inn Edinburgh and the Holiday Inn Edinburgh – City West. Alternatively, you’ll find information about accommodation on the Edinburgh Marathon Festival website.

Fitness For The Over 60s

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fitness-elderly- sport-weights-gym

Lots of pensioners workout at my gym. Although they’re walking or using the stationary bike, not pounding out 6 minute miles on the treadmill, it’s great they’re in there keeping fit and active instead of sitting at home knitting in front of whatever it is old people watch on the telly these days.

After all, there’s no upper age limit to keeping fit – just ask Fauja Singh, the world’s oldest marathoner. Fauja (also known as the Turbaned Tornado) took up running at the age of 89, ran nine marathons and only retired from taking part in races in 2013 at the age of 101. Even now, at the age of 103, he still runs for pleasure, health and to raise money for charity.

Another pensioner who runs for charity is Floella Benjamin, who those of us of a certain age will remember from Play School (I loved Humpty; Hamble gave me the creeps). Floella, 64, promised Barnados she’d run the London Marathon ten times for them and, true to her word, she did. Previously to that, she hadn’t run more than 200m. Go Flo!

Legendary children’s TV presenters and Sikh Supermen aside though, it’s never too late to get fit. Keith Simpson, who blogs at Not Just Another Running Blog started running in his late 50s, purely to up his fitness levels, but soon progressed to racing and has – just this week, at the age of 65 – run a sub-4 hour in the Düsseldorf marathon. Impressive, huh?

But for most mere mortals, taking up running in later life might not be the best option, therefore low impact exercise might be the way to go; just not so low impact that you never leave the sofa. According to the NHS, to stay healthy or to improve health, older adults over 65 need to do two types of physical activity a week: aerobic and muscle-strengthening. Aerobic exercise can include walking, cycling and even housework.

Obviously, oldies in care homes need to take things easy. A friend of mine who is the senior carer at a residential care home told me her residents have weekly sit down exercises for those able and willing to maintain joint mobility and coordination. They also have static pedals to help with leg and hip movement.

Other care homes also offer a variety of activities, such as tai chi, which is one of the activities offered at Rosetti House nursing home in Frome. Tai chi combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow and gentle movements. It’s associated with health benefits for all ages and fitness levels, but especially older people.

I’m hoping to be healthy enough to stay fit and active in my 60s; not sure I’ll be running marathons at 103 though.

(Please note I am not a doctor and nothing on here should be construed as medical advice.)

The Sock Mine: Running and Cycling Socks

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I have real trouble finding decent running socks. My favourite are my Reebok ones but they’re so old and hard now, they can almost stand up by themselves and are only my favourite because they a) fit; b) don’t give me blisters; and c) don’t fall down at the back. I bought a few pairs of Puma which were supposedly in my size but are way too big; other running socks I have either give me blisters or are too short and fall down at the back into my trainers.

So, hurrah for The Sock Mine. The Sock Mine are a family-run UK-based manufacturer and have just launched a range of technical running and cycling socks. And guess what? Yep, they fit and they don’t fall down into my trainers and they don’t give me blisters and they’re comfy and they have that left and right thing going on which only serves to make me spend more time than necessary putting socks on as I try and remember my left from my right.

 

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I wore my running socks again today (I use the word ‘running’ loosely) and they still had that soft-and-clean-new-socks feeling (although anything has a soft-and-clean-new-socks feeling compared to my crusty old Reebok socks) despite having been through the washing machine.

If you’re into your technical blurb that accompanies a lot of socks, you’ll find plenty on the Sock Mine website. For example, these Cool Runner socks “provide soft cushioning in major contact areas, whilst the moisture management system from the COOLMAX yarn wicks away moisture from the skin leaving feet comfortable and dry”.

There’s even a little diagram for people like me who, when they see the technical blurb, actually see, ‘blahblahblahstuffnooneunderstands’.

technical-blurb

Ah, it all makes sense now.

Janathon Pyjama Plank Challenge: Winner Announced!

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I know, I know, this is looooooooooooooooooong overdue but I’ve been working hard (okay, and pissing about on Facebook) on finishing my university assignments. But, they’re all done now and I am no longer a student. Yes, it’s gone quick, hasn’t it? I think I’m not a student anymore, anyway – or am I officially not a student until I get the official results in July? Or maybe I can pretend to be a student until my 16-25 Railcard runs out in October.

Anyway, the pyjama planker with the most friends – sorry, I mean votes – is Tor (who blogs at Running From The Zombies) for her gorgeous happy smiley-faced plank. Tor wins a pair of eGloves.

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In second place, is Mark (whose blog appears to be down at the mo), who planked over his little doggy friend. Mark wins a copy of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

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Unsurprisingly, this was one of my favourites, too. I’m not going to say which is my other favourite but it might be the one of Pete (who blogs at Running Still) with his kit off. But it might not be, as obviously I am not that shallow.

Well done to Tor and Mark – please email me your addresses and I’ll get your prizes sorted.

Thanks to everyone else who joined in the fun and posted their Janathon Pyjama Planks. Shall we do it again for Juneathon?

Quorn Ambassador: Quorn Chilli non Carne

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Quorn asked me to be their ambassador. I liked the sound of being an ambassador as I reckoned it means I can get people to curtsy and stuff. It also involves free Quorn, so of course I said yes.

As I’ve been vegetarian for over twenty years, I’ve eaten a lot of Quorn and one of their most versatile products is the mince. I’ve used it in enchiladas, lasagnes, tortilla stacks, spaghetti bolognaises, stir fries, cottage pies, Singapore noodles and chilli. The chilli is especially great as you can have chilli with rice, on jacket potatoes or even make a chilli cheese pie (just pour the chilli into a ready made pastry case and bung a load of cheese on top).

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Quorn Chilli non Carne (serves loads)

500g pack of Quorn mince
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
2 bay leaves
400g can chopped tomatoes
300ml vegetable stock
1 green pepper, de-seeded and chopped
400g can kidney beans, drained
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion and garlic until soft and golden. Add the Quorn Mince, spices and bay leaves and fry for 3 minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock and green pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Stir in the kidney beans and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Mix the cornflour with the water to a smooth paste. Stir into the Quorn chilli to thicken.
  5. Cook gently for 5 minutes.
  6. Remove the bay leaves and discard.

Review: TomTom Runner GPS Watch

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Although Garmins have got more attractive over the years, no one’s ever going to accuse them for putting looks before functionality. So, when a pretty watch comes out, there’s a collective gasp of (at least from the more shallow amongst us) ‘ooh, pretty watch’.

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The TomTom Runner GPS Watch definitely comes under the ‘ooh, pretty watch’ category, despite it being not exactly dinky. I do like chunky watches though. Just not as chunky as my old Garmin 301 which took up most of my arm. The Garmin being compared below to the TomTom is a Garmin 405.

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(Now is probably a good time to confess – as you’ve probably spotted the date in the photos – this review is a bit overdue. Oops. If you didn’t notice the date in the photos, well, um… as you were.)

If you get bored of your chosen colour, the screen snaps out of the strap so you can change this, as I found out when I was playing with it (I’m assuming that’s why it snaps out, anyway – it could be for a far less girly reason than this).

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It’s easy to set up. You just plug it into your computer and set up TomTom MySportsConnect desktop application and it asks you a load of stuff like what do you want to call your TomTom Runner. I unimaginatively called mine Tom. I know, I know… It also asks you your date of birth so your performance is measured more accurately, and if you have an account with one of the MapMy thingies (Run, Fitness, etc.) it’ll link you up automatically.  If you don’t have a MapMyThingy account, you can see your stats in MySports or download them in various formats.

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But what about the actual functionality of it? The actual ‘how does it work on a run’ bit? Well, it got a signal as quickly as my Garmin and gave a little vibration when it was ready to go. This means you don’t have to stand there staring at your wrist – you can just stand in your front garden in your running gear like that’s a perfectly normal thing to be doing.

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As you can see from the photos (no, not the one with the girl staring at her wrist – the ones further up the page), it’s got a big, clear screen which you can change to show the usual distance, speed, calories, etc. I wore my Garmin and the TomTom together and the results were almost the same, only the calories burnt were shown to be higher on the TomTom.

The TomTom doesn’t have the multitude of functions a higher spec Garmin has (it’s purely for running, no option for cycling) but if you want a basic GPS watch for running, then the TomTom is a good choice and not just because it’s pretty.

Flowery Vegetarian Dr Martens

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As a goth in the 80s, if I wasn’t wearing black pointy boots with silver skulls for buckles, I wore black Dr Martens. As I became less goth and more indie, I progressed from black and introduced some colour into my wardrobe (only red and purple though, to be honest), which filtered down into my footwear. I had black docs, red docs, red and black docs, silver docs, purple docs and – my favourite ever – bright orange docs.

When I stopped wearing leather, I stopped buying DMs. Vegetarian Shoes in Brighton sold vegetarian ones but they were out of my budget at the time. I started wearing Converse and now have a collection of colours that puts my old DM collection to shame. I’d sort of forgotten about DMs until Cloggs got in touch and asked me to have a look at their website.  As they had a Dr Martens category, I thought I’d have a nose for a bit of nostalgia, then saw these beauties.

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The blurb said they were canvas. Eh? Canvas? VEGETARIAN FLOWERY DR MARTENS? I wouldn’t have been seen dead in flowers when I was a goth (actually, that’s not true – a goth would have loved to have been seen dead. That was kind of the point. They just wouldn’t want to be seen wearing flowery shoes.) But I’m no longer a goth and can wear flowers if I want to. So I ordered them and they arrived the next day.

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They fit perfectly with plenty of room for my toes but although they’re canvas, they’re just as stiff as I remember leather docs being and will take some breaking in. 

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Pretty pretty pretty shoes.

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