But here's the catch - you have to make it yourself...
Worry not though, The Eco-Fitness Book easy no-fat curry is ultra-simple and you may even burn a few calories up during the chopping!
Inspired by my Pakistani and Indian friends as well as Sri Lankan cooking, this veggie curry is delicious and much more authentic than the kind you might buy in the average restaurant. The secret is buying some good quality 'garam masala' - the powdered spice mix used by all Indian/Pakistani families. The ethnic section of supermarkets usually sells it in bags, or try visiting an Indian or Halal supermarket.
You can make it in a casserole dish, or in a large pan on the hob.
Makes approx 3 portions. (If you don't use it all, freeze or refrigerate some). Most of the effort goes into chopping, and having the right ingredients in your cupboard. After that, it's effortless...
Into your casserole dish or large saucepan pour a mug and a half of orange lentils and just cover them with boiling water. Pop in a vegetable stock cube and stir. Add a teaspoon of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Chop a large onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic and chuck those in too. Peel and chop two large organic carrots and 2 large organic potatoes. Cut roughly into pieces about as big as a walnut so they cook through. Pop those in the pot. You can then add spinach (a couple of frozen chunks is great or you can use fresh leaves), brocolli and/or rocket depending on what's your favourite - a mug full is fine. Stir in a mug of frozen or fresh peas too.
Then add some chilli and ginger - either finely chop it yourself from fresh, or use half a teaspoon of each from a jar. (You may wish to add a bit more than just half a teaspoon of chilli if you like hot curry).
Then stir in a heaped teaspoon of wonderful garam masala mix. Finally, roughly chop or tear half a bunch of fresh coriander and chuck that in too.
Cover with a little more boiling water so all the veg is covered by about a cm.
This will take about an hour to cook. If you are cooking in a saucepan, bring almost to boiling point, then cover and simmer for a further 50 minutes.
If using a casserole dish, just put the lid on and place in the middle of a PRE-HEATED oven for an hour - at 200 degrees C or gas mark 6.
There's no desperate need to eat this curry with anything else as it already contains protein, veg and carbohydrates. But if you want to stretch it out a bit, boil up some rice. Be careful with Nan bread - if you do fancy one, try the low fat variety - you can cook from frozen in the toaster... what could be easier than that!
This is a hotch potch curry influenced by many different cultures but most people enjoy it - it has good depth of flavour. It doesn't always look as pretty as a picture but it is a great basic meal to eat a couple of times a week and you don't need to sweat over a stove to make it. The quantities are variable, and as you practise, you may wish to experiment with more chilli, more garlic or more ginger. You may wish to add 5-6 cardamon pods or more/less coriander. And you may wish to try your own favourite vegetables - sweet potatoes and parsnips work really well too.
Friday, 11 June 2010
Friday, 28 May 2010
Jogging can be fun - honest. Part II
Well, here's the other thing that happened on that run this morning...
I touched base with all the loveliest things about nature and being outdoors. There were blankets of bluebells in the forestry - and there's something about the lilac/blue of bluebells which is very calming. I saw a buzzard circling and hovering in the distance. And a pair of blackbirds whistled as they fussed over their nest and chicks.
A jackdaw scattered through branches as I pounded past. The cornflower blue sky was shimmering with 'mackerel sky' mini puffs of cloud. I briefly read an information sign about how the forestry commission is restoring ancient woodlands (ones established since the 1600s). They are felling imported tree species such as Scandinavian conifers, and replacing them with beautiful native oak, rowan, birch and beech.
I also enjoyed the buttercups, clover, small streams, twittering sparrows and smell of pine sap as I jogged along.
It all reminded me once again that us humans already have everything we could want - a delightful, harmonious eco-system with unbelievable beauty and diversity. Quite a nice thought for a Friday morning don't you think?
And at the end, I had a quick chat with a forestry worker who was parked up in his van, about 'borrowing' some wasting felled tree trunks for my wood burner. Bonus! Just don't tell anyone!
I touched base with all the loveliest things about nature and being outdoors. There were blankets of bluebells in the forestry - and there's something about the lilac/blue of bluebells which is very calming. I saw a buzzard circling and hovering in the distance. And a pair of blackbirds whistled as they fussed over their nest and chicks.
A jackdaw scattered through branches as I pounded past. The cornflower blue sky was shimmering with 'mackerel sky' mini puffs of cloud. I briefly read an information sign about how the forestry commission is restoring ancient woodlands (ones established since the 1600s). They are felling imported tree species such as Scandinavian conifers, and replacing them with beautiful native oak, rowan, birch and beech.
I also enjoyed the buttercups, clover, small streams, twittering sparrows and smell of pine sap as I jogged along.
It all reminded me once again that us humans already have everything we could want - a delightful, harmonious eco-system with unbelievable beauty and diversity. Quite a nice thought for a Friday morning don't you think?
And at the end, I had a quick chat with a forestry worker who was parked up in his van, about 'borrowing' some wasting felled tree trunks for my wood burner. Bonus! Just don't tell anyone!
Jogging can be fun - honest. Part I.
I just dropped my little girl at nursery and stopped at the forestry on the way home for a quick run.
Just 25 minutes, I'm not in training for a marathon... and here's my tip for the day...
Breathe!
I learned a lot about breathing in childbirth - you'd be amazed what resilience and pain relief can be achieved by good deep breathing. I also learned a lot about breathing from horses. If you hold your breath, due to concentration or nerves, you'll not be riding at your best. Good deep breathing from your diaphragm, rather than little shallow nervous breaths, keeps you calm, makes you feel good, helps you feel 'centred' and fills your blood with oxygen.
When out jogging, it can also be the key to keeping going through that initial laboured few minutes when your muscles start to burn and resist. Take huge lungfuls of air in through your nose and mouth and your labouring hamstrings and calves will soon thank you for it and will settle down, knowing they have enough oxygen.
I've noticed how joggers (OK, myself included sometimes!) like to look cool and unflustered, never revealing their straining breath. They are gesturing to the world, 'I'm so fit, and so polished, you won't find me gasping and puffing and panting.' Well, when starting out, who cares about what others think - if you need to oxygenate your blood, Just Do It!
And if you happen to be in a park or forestry will plenty of trees, you'll be gulping in some lovely fresh oxygen, just recently metabolised by the green leaves of the trees.
If you are totally new to running, here are a few things to bare in mind. Wear good quality training shoes, with podiatry inserts if you need them (see my previous blog post). Start off with some 'interval training' ie 2 minutes of brisk walking then two minutes of running and so on. And take care to stretch and warm up a bit first. Swing you arms, do some star jumps, stretch out your calves and gently touch your toes to lengthen your hamstrings.
Boy, did I feel virtuous after my run. My abs felt tight, my endorphins (the happy hormones) were high and my dog had been walked. That's what I call a result.
Just 25 minutes, I'm not in training for a marathon... and here's my tip for the day...
Breathe!
I learned a lot about breathing in childbirth - you'd be amazed what resilience and pain relief can be achieved by good deep breathing. I also learned a lot about breathing from horses. If you hold your breath, due to concentration or nerves, you'll not be riding at your best. Good deep breathing from your diaphragm, rather than little shallow nervous breaths, keeps you calm, makes you feel good, helps you feel 'centred' and fills your blood with oxygen.
When out jogging, it can also be the key to keeping going through that initial laboured few minutes when your muscles start to burn and resist. Take huge lungfuls of air in through your nose and mouth and your labouring hamstrings and calves will soon thank you for it and will settle down, knowing they have enough oxygen.
I've noticed how joggers (OK, myself included sometimes!) like to look cool and unflustered, never revealing their straining breath. They are gesturing to the world, 'I'm so fit, and so polished, you won't find me gasping and puffing and panting.' Well, when starting out, who cares about what others think - if you need to oxygenate your blood, Just Do It!
And if you happen to be in a park or forestry will plenty of trees, you'll be gulping in some lovely fresh oxygen, just recently metabolised by the green leaves of the trees.
If you are totally new to running, here are a few things to bare in mind. Wear good quality training shoes, with podiatry inserts if you need them (see my previous blog post). Start off with some 'interval training' ie 2 minutes of brisk walking then two minutes of running and so on. And take care to stretch and warm up a bit first. Swing you arms, do some star jumps, stretch out your calves and gently touch your toes to lengthen your hamstrings.
Boy, did I feel virtuous after my run. My abs felt tight, my endorphins (the happy hormones) were high and my dog had been walked. That's what I call a result.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Are your feet giving you a bad back?!
There are a thousand reasons why people get bad backs, but if you are suffering from one right now there may be two things you haven't thought about that could help you out long term.
The first is the shape of your feet and the second is your posture.
Podiatry is the study of feet and how they affect gait and the skeleton. The science of podiatry tells us that dropped arches (flat feet) and other problems in foot shape and structure, affect the whole angle of the ankle, calf, thigh and hip. As the vertebrae of your back sit on top of the hip girdle, you can see that unbalanced feet can have an impact right up into your hips and back.
This could lead to health issues in the discs between vertebrae and protective spasm in the muscles around the hips and lumbar back area. It can even lead to aches and pains right up as far as the shoulders and neck!
A podiatrist can mechanically asses your footfall and foot structure and make precise adjustments using inserts for your shoes (called orthotics or orthoses). Gradually, with other remedial work, you should notice less strain on your back and less back problems.
There's some useful information on a colleague's website: www.podiatrywales.com
So what's the remedial work necessary?
This is where Eco-Fitness comes in... Through learning how to improve your posture, sit and walk straight and engage your core muscles, you will be taking even more pressure off your back. Your spine isn't just held upright by your back muscles. Give your abdominals and core muscles a chance to share the job and watch the back pain ease gradually away!
Chapter 2 of the Eco-Fitness Book, teaches you everyday posture improvements and ways to engage your tummy muscles so that you take the strain off your back, flatten your stomach and burn hundreds of extra calories. Click on the link to the website www.theeco-fitnessbook.com
Chapter 1 of the Eco-Fitness Book is completely free of charge and the other chapters are just 79p each, that's just the same as one iTune and less than a can of Coke! Easy and safe Paypal payment allows you through to the link to download a PDF for each chapter.
Posture correction can help you walk tall, improve your body shape, burn calories and improve self esteem... as well as potentially easing your back pain.
If you have a medical condition, tingling down your legs, numbness and/or loss of bladder/bowel control it's important that you get this checked out by your regular GP first. You could also try getting the advice of an experienced chiropractor.
The first is the shape of your feet and the second is your posture.
Podiatry is the study of feet and how they affect gait and the skeleton. The science of podiatry tells us that dropped arches (flat feet) and other problems in foot shape and structure, affect the whole angle of the ankle, calf, thigh and hip. As the vertebrae of your back sit on top of the hip girdle, you can see that unbalanced feet can have an impact right up into your hips and back.
This could lead to health issues in the discs between vertebrae and protective spasm in the muscles around the hips and lumbar back area. It can even lead to aches and pains right up as far as the shoulders and neck!
A podiatrist can mechanically asses your footfall and foot structure and make precise adjustments using inserts for your shoes (called orthotics or orthoses). Gradually, with other remedial work, you should notice less strain on your back and less back problems.
There's some useful information on a colleague's website: www.podiatrywales.com
So what's the remedial work necessary?
This is where Eco-Fitness comes in... Through learning how to improve your posture, sit and walk straight and engage your core muscles, you will be taking even more pressure off your back. Your spine isn't just held upright by your back muscles. Give your abdominals and core muscles a chance to share the job and watch the back pain ease gradually away!
Chapter 2 of the Eco-Fitness Book, teaches you everyday posture improvements and ways to engage your tummy muscles so that you take the strain off your back, flatten your stomach and burn hundreds of extra calories. Click on the link to the website www.theeco-fitnessbook.com
Chapter 1 of the Eco-Fitness Book is completely free of charge and the other chapters are just 79p each, that's just the same as one iTune and less than a can of Coke! Easy and safe Paypal payment allows you through to the link to download a PDF for each chapter.
Posture correction can help you walk tall, improve your body shape, burn calories and improve self esteem... as well as potentially easing your back pain.
If you have a medical condition, tingling down your legs, numbness and/or loss of bladder/bowel control it's important that you get this checked out by your regular GP first. You could also try getting the advice of an experienced chiropractor.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Welcome to a new you
Welcome to the brand new Eco-Fitness Book Blog.
Regular postings will offer advice on how to get fit, slim and healthy using natural techniques and surroundings. No gym membership necessary!
It will offer unfolding new information and scientific insights into why natural eco-fitness is the way forward. Just as nature intended!
Watch out soon for the newly designed website where The Eco-Fitness Book is available to download for little more than the cost of a few iTunes! Chapters one and six are completely free of charge.
www.theeco-fitnessbook.com
Eco-Fitness Book author Gina Groom looks forward to helping you reach your ideal weight and fitness levels using Eco-Fitness. It works!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)