Chilli Chocolate Recovery Bites

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Kate

Chilli Chocolate Recovery Bites

Before I go straight to my next recipe, mouth-wateringly delicious Chilli Chocolate Recovery Bites, here’s a quick update on what’s been going on at Go Faster Food over the last few weeks, as it’s been fairly hectic, to say the least…

I’ve had my head down writing and am finally making good progress with my new book, Go Faster Food for Kids, which I’m hoping to launch at the start of the new school year in September 2013.

I’m also been getting heaps of magazine features to write and Q & A’s to comment on, which is great news for Go Faster Food; for 220 Triathlon, Triathlon Plus and Running Fitness this month. Friday was spent in the kitchen doing a photo shoot for my 220 Triathlon monthly recipe slot, with my photographer, Evie; there’s some great recipes to come if you’re a regular 220 reader…and Evie’s images are really appetising.

The talks are going well too. I recently talked on ‘nutrition for race performance’ at BW Cycling, a fantastic new ‘destination’ shop for serious cyclists in Bristol, owned by Xterra World Champ Andy Wadsworth and World and Olympic XC rider, Oli Beckinsale, and ‘practical healthy eating for triathlon’ at the Triathlon Show at Sandown Park, as part of the 220 Triathlon Live! team, where I was rather in awe of being on the same list as one of my all-time heroines, the amazing Chrissie Wellington…still getting over that one!

Chrissie Wellington/Chilli Chocolate Recovery Bites

There’s been some running going on as well! The extremely chilly Tunbridge Wells Half at the end of Feb, and this weekend it’ll be the Reading Half (hopefully a less chilly one), as part of the Mizuno Evos team. I’ll be in my pink evo cursoris, as these are definitely my favourites; with a little cushioning, they tend to propel you forward, I feel faster and lighter in them…and I love the colour!

Mizuno Evos Cursoris and Levitas So, now to the latest recipe, which, I must say went down extremely well at the Triathlon Show (I usually take edible examples along to my talks!) Chilli Chocolate Recovery Bites. Find out why they are so good for recovery and how to make them… click here for recipe.…

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Top 10 ‘back to basics’ Go Faster tips to eat well in 2013

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Kate

Have a Healthy, Happy & Energised 2013!

Top 10 ‘back to basics’ Go Faster tips to eat well in 2013

I’d like to propose getting BACK TO BASICS IN 2013. Why do we work out? It’s simple! It’s about getting into the fresh air, getting fit, working out with friends and having a good natter, working out on your own to regroup your thoughts, pushing yourself to go that extra mile or beat your PB. It’s not complicated.

That’s what a athlete’s diet should be as well!

Use these top 10 ‘back to basics’ Go Faster tips to eat well in 2013! They’ll help with weight loss if that’s your goal, although it will require a little patience, but it’s essentially an easy and uncomplicated ‘way of eating’ , both achievable and enjoyable, which will promote both long-term health and better athletic performance.

1. Would you put diesel into a Ferrari? NO!!

Ensure each mouthful is nutritious

If you are active, your body may need extra calories, but this doesn’t mean that you should just grab the nearest sugar-coated custard doughnut! Don’t waste time with ‘empty’ calories – focus on nutrient-dense foods and try your best to keep to unprocessed; that’s fresh, natural ingredients. You’ll find lots of examples and recipes to use them in Go Faster Food. Of course, with our busy lifestyles processed foods are virtually impossible to avoid, so when you do eat them, check the label for hidden saturated fats and salt.

Know what you are eating, read the label and ask yourself ”Do I really want to put this into my body?”.

2. BALANCE AND MODERATION!

Sounds boring, but this is the key to long-term health. Whether training or not, the ideal diet should include a wide variety of foods. Your body needs balance, so don’t cut out one particular food group, such as carbohydrate, protein or fat. Stick to the standard BDA guidelines of around 60% carbohydrate – that’s bread, pasta, cereal, rice AND fruit and vegetables, with a good mix of protein (around 15%) and the rest from fats. As an athlete, you also need to increase your intake of vitamins and minerals.

Don’t forget the maths! The more you move, the more you can eat!

It’s as simple as that. Don’t eat more calories than you can burn. Fad diets such as Atkins, Paleo, Blood Type, Fasting, Dukan promise great things, but are best avoided unless recommended by a medical expert. They are complicated, difficult to sustain and can affect health in the long term.

Regular exercise and sensible, balanced eating will be far more effective in the long term that a diet.

3. Beauty comes from within, thank goodness!

Don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t got the ultimate 6-pack, or if you’re not the perfect size 10 with abs to die for…

Being active, fit and healthy is more important than having the perfect figure!

4. It’s not just about the race

Fuelling for endurance sport is not just about carbo-loading before a race; it is equally important to be smart about eating throughout your training schedule. If you don’t train well you won’t race well. Fuel yourself with the right foods during training, you’ll prevent injury and improve both your performance and your recovery times.

For general training, use the recipes, meal plans and advice in Go Faster Food.

For pre-race fuelling advice, meal plans and recipes, get yourself a copy of FuelSmart for Race Day

5. You don’t have to be a millionaire to eat well!

Eating well doesn’t have to break the bank! Good quality, nutrient-dense foods such as fruit, vegetables and wholegrains are easily available at the local supermarket, so don’t worry that you’re not visiting the farmer’s market, speciality health food store or deli every week.

Keep it simple! Avoiding processed wherever possible is the key to good long-term health. Avoid the ‘so-called’ healthy sports drinks and energy bars and make your own instead. You’ll not only be healthier but you’ll save ££££$$$$$. You’ll find easy recipes for these in FuelSmart for Race Day (£3.99)

6. Keep well-hydrated

Keeping well-hydrated throughout the day will make you feel energised and focussed. If you wait until you feel thirsty you’ll be slightly dehydrated already, so keep bottles of water with you, at your desk, in the car, on your bedside table. Take a big bottle of water to work with you and make sure you finish it by the end of the day. Read more about hydration.

Don’t waste money on expensive sports drinks when you can make your own – see hydration. Use your savings on a £3.99 copy of FuelSmart for Race Day instead!

7. Don’t train on empty

Try to plan your training sessions so that you can eat 1-2 hours before setting off, especially if you are planning an intense or longer workout. You’ll train stronger and feel better. Eat something which is low in fat, easy to digest and high in carbohydrate that will gradually release energy to your muscles; click here for pre-workout recipes….

8. Good recovery is the key to success!

Eat and drink to refuel within the 15 minute magic window to speed recovery

Carbohydrate is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Glycogen levels become depleted after a workout and the quicker they are topped up again, the quicker your recovery will be and the better you will feel for your next session. You also need water and electrolytes to replace fluid loss, and protein to repair your muscle cells. Grab something as soon as you finish your workout like a honey sandwich, a bowl of rice pudding, a slice of toast with scrambled egg, peanut butter or hummus, an energy bar or flapjack, a piece of fruit (melon is good) or a refreshing home-made smoothie made with skimmed milk or yoghurt.

Eat and drink to refuel within the 15 minute magic window to speed recovery. Click here for recovery recipes…

9. Eat well on rest days

Rest days are highly important for recovery as this is the time when your muscles are at their most receptive – it can take up to 20 hours for muscle glycogen stores to be fully replenished and it is often when the hunger starts to kick in with a vengeance.

Make the most of rest days, replenish your depleted energy and feed your muscles by eating well.

10. Don’t be too boring and obsessive about what you eat!

Follow the 80:20 rule

Athletes can often become body conscious and this can sometimes lead to eating disorder. Please don’t get too hung up on your exact food intake; a relaxed attitude to eating will help you stay focussed, feel good, exercise better and enjoy your training without starting to feel that it is a chore. Eating well for around 80% of the time means that you can afford to stray for the remaining 20% without feeling guilty.

Enjoy your food! It’s what makes all this training worthwhile!

Not so naughty but very nice desserts

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Kate

Not so naughty but very nice desserts

I’ve just been sent this tasty dessert recipe post from Holland & Barrett today. Greek Yoghurt with Honey and Lychee and Lime Sorbet; simple, nutritious and delicious desserts which make excellent post workout snacks, packed with carbs, protein and vitamins to replace depleted glycogen and help your muscles repair and recover.

Healthy food recipes can scare some people into thinking that they aren’t tasty or interesting, especially when it comes to sweet desserts and so today’s post is all about

changing this perception! It’s quite a common thought for people to consider pudding as a ‘treat’ and a chance to be ‘a bit naughty’ but that doesn’t mean that your sweet course can’t still be a treat.

There are so many desserts out there that are healthy and yet still taste just as good – if not better – than other puddings considered a treat. Here are two puddings perfect for solitary dining or if you’re entertaining guests

Greek Yoghurt and honey

If you’re looking for a quick and easy alternative to ice-cream then you’ve found your match. This dish will take you seconds to prepare so it’s perfect if you’re craving something sweet after your evening meal.

You’ll need:

200g Low-fat Greek yoghurt
3 tsp honey, drizzled on top
A handful of walnuts

Place the yoghurt in a bowl and drizzle the honey on top. If you would prefer the honey mixed in, spoon together. Sprinkle a handful of walnuts on top.

Greek yoghurt is low-fat, high in protein and really thick and creamy so you won’t feel like you’re skimping on taste. Honey is a fantastic way to naturally sweeten up any dish, as it contains natural sugars. If you don’t like nuts, swap them for blueberries, strawberries, bananas or any fruit combo you like – it’s delicious.

Lychee and Lime Sorbet

This dish is perfect for refreshing the palette and satisfying your taste buds, and because it sounds so exotic it promises to wow your dinner guests.

You’ll need:

(Serves 6)

3x 400g can of lychee in syrup
50g caster sugar
Two egg whites
Zest from two limes
Juice from one lime

Drain the syrup from the lychees into a pan and add the sugar. Dissolve over a gentle heat and bring to the boil for one minute.
Use a food processor to blend the lychees until they are very finely chopped. Add the lime juice and syrup. Tip into a container and freeze for at least six hours until frozen.
With an electric whisk, beat the egg white and lime zest until thick, pale and smooth. Take the frozen mix out of the freezer and break it up with the whisk. Fold in the egg white and lime zest mixture. Freeze overnight.
Serve and scatter the remaining lime zest over for effect.

The lychee contains an impressive list of vitamins and the fruit is low in calories, and egg white is high in protein which makes this dish a great option for dessert.

Hopefully this post has helped alter the stipulation that healthy desserts are boring and dull, and to any healthy food-phobs out there – try it and see what you think!

Butternut Squash Cake

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Kate

Whilst playing around with butternut squash recipes I fell upon the idea of grating it up and making a cake, just like you might do with carrot or courgette. It works! In fact, it works really, really well and what’s even more surprising, my daughter, who will normally extract any trace of butternut squash from her meal, absolutely adores it!

I think butternut squash is a fabulous vegetable and an excellent addition to any training diet. Bell-like in shape, it has a beautifully smooth, creamy-coloured skin which protects its dense, rich golden-yellow flesh. Its texture is deliciously soft; its taste sweet, buttery, nutty. It’s hard to believe that as little as 10 years ago few people in the UK barely knew what a butternut squash was. Now it’s widely available and has gradually become a much-loved and versatile staple in our shopping trolleys.

We may consider this beautiful tangerine-hued vegetable as just another starchy ‘comfort food’, but butternut squash is in fact a powerhouse of nutrients. It’s a complex carbohydrate loaded with the anti-oxidant beta-carotene, which can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, boost immunity and help the healthy funtion of the reproductive system. It’s low in fat, and rich in fibre, vitamin C and potassium. It even contains folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1 and a plethora of essential minerals. Weight Watchers endorses butternut squash as one of its ‘zero foods’ because of its low content of calories and saturated fat.

To cook a butternut squash, peel the skin with a good, sharp vegetable peeler. Cut off the stem and then slice in half lengthwise, from stem to end. Scrape out the seeds and the stringy membrane with a spoon. If you’re roasting or baking squash you don’t need to peel.

Butternut Squash Cake

It’s a rare ocassion that this deliciously moist cake gets iced in my house – it’s always wolfed down as soon as it comes out of the oven. That’s fine! It’s packed with goodness. If you do get to the icing stage you’ll find this cake keeps very well for a few days.

You will need a 20cm round cake tin, greased or lined with greaseproof paper

For the cake

125g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
200g butternut squash, peeled and grated
50g walnuts, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 orange
125g self-raising wholemeal flour, sifted
75g raisins or sultanas
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
small handful whole or chopped walnuts to decorate

For the icing

110g full-fat soft cheese
20g unsalted butter, at room temperature
40g icing sugar
squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3–4.
Cream the butter, sugar and orange zest together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, beating well as you add each one.
Fold in the grated butternut squash, raisins and nuts, and add the orange juice.
Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spice and salt.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes – you will know the cake is done as the cake comes away from the side of the cake tin and is springy to the touch.
Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
Cream the cheese and butter together. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and beat until smooth. Spread the icing generously over the cake.
Decorate with whole or chopped walnuts.

Try my great pre-event dish for carbo-loading too – butternut squash risotto with maple syrup almonds

Cod wrapped in parma ham with lemony basil salsa

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Kate

Just a quick post about the most delicious, healthy and, most importantly, FAST, 10-minute supper we had tonight. An excellent training meal, cod is an really good, tasty and low fat source of protein. I served it with potatoes in their skins, crushed with a little olive oil and fresh spinach with a little nutmeg and crème fraiche:

Serves 4

4 fillets of line-caught cod
8 slices of parma ham
30g basil leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
dessert spoon capers
zest of a lemon plus a little lemon juice

Heat the oven to 200C.
Lay 3 basil leaves onto each cod fillet and season with a little salt and black pepper
Wrap two slices of parma ham around each cod fillet.
Lay the fillets in a baking dish, drizzle with a tbsp olive oil.
Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cod is just cooked through and the parma ham begins to crisp up.
Meanwhile finely chop a handful of basil and the capers. Put this into a small bowl and mix in the lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice and another tbsp or two of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve the cod fillets with the basil/caper/lemon zest mix drizzled over.

Pomegranate – a 'super-fruit'

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Kate

Pomegranates – health boosting benefits

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I did my longest run so far in my training for London – only 13 miles, but things have unfortunately been delayed with the snow. It was OK, although the wind seemed to be in my face the whole way…never behind me! I stoked up a couple of hours before the run with a delicious bowl of Go Faster Porridge – click for recipe – sprinkled with demerara sugar and some mixed red fruits. Then I discovered a pomegranate in the fridge - blood-red and leathery - which I had opened up earlier for the kids to pick at over breakfast, (f.y.i. two had porridge, one had weetabix then all had slice of granary toast).

Of all the fruits in the shops at the moment, Pomegranates are just packed with a mind-boggling array of fantastic health-giving nutrients! What’s more, they’re said to have anti-ageing qualities such as reducing the risk of alzheimers, certain cancers, heart disease, arthritis and they can contribute towards healthy, youthful,wrinkle-free and glowing skin! More please now!!!!

I prefer the eat the seeds of the fruit – I relish picking them out one by one, each seed bursting its flavour into my mouth – or sometimes I sprinkle the seeds onto salads and couscous or even onto something like a lamb tagine. However, you can also buy pomegranate in juice form from most health shops and supermarkets now. Studies have shown that drinking 100 ml pomegranate juice every day provides 16% of an adult’s vitamin C requirement.

Pomegranates are also brimming with anti-oxidants, vitamin A, vitamin B5, vitamin E, potassium and iron. In fact pomegranates are said to contain more anti-oxidants than red wine, green tea and other juices. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating pomegranates can reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and they provide an anti-oxidant which acts in a similar way to aspirin by keeping blood platelets from forming clots.

I could go on but I think you have probably got the point by now…not only are pomegranates delicious, they are also versatile, add a little exoticism to all sorts of dishes and….pomegranates are a fabulous superfood and worth including in your diet, whether training or not!

You may also want to try pomegranate molasses, a thick, fragrant and tangy reduction of the juice which adds an absolutely delicious sweet/sour taste to middle eastern dishes, dressings and marinades, or simply to baste a duck or chicken for a fabulously crispy and tangy skin.

For more information, see the BBC write-up on pomegranates by Jini Reddy