Family Frittata

Posted on at 11:46 am.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Family Frittata

Servings:4

Preparation Time:5

Cooking Time:20

Ingredients

75g cheddar cheese grated
8 Free Range Eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
200g Potatoes peeled and sliced
3 Spring Onion Sliced
1 tsp Mustard
4 Bacon Rashers lean

Method

Turn on your grill to a medium heat.
Put the sliced potatoes in a pot, cover with water and bring them to the boil. Then turn them down and simmer for 10 minutes. Then drain them and put them in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and added the chopped bacon.
Cook until it just starts to go crispy then add the spring onions and cook for about 3 minutes
Put the bacon and spring onions in the bowl with the potatoes.
Keep the pan on the heat and add a little more oil.
Beat the 8 eggs together with the mustard, half of the cheese and some pepper.
Add the egg mixture to the potatoes and bacon and mix well. Then pour everything into the pan over a medium heat and cook for 6-8 minutes without stirring.
When it looks like the egg has mostly set and there is a little liquid still on top, pop the pan under the grill to finish cooking.
Grill the frittata until it is golden and set.
Serve cut into wedges with a salad.

Beef Stew

Posted on at 12:45 pm.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Beef Stew

This is one to make the night before and then you can just reheat it when you get home the next day. Stew tastes better the next day anyway…

Servings:4

Preparation Time:10

Cooking Time:3

Ingredients

beef stock cube
2 carrots
400 g Fresh Irish Diced Beef
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Omion Chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tbsp Redcurrant Jelly optional
1 tsp Thyme Sprigs
700 ml water

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160oC
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat.
Put it into a casserole dish
Add the onion to the pan and sauté over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Add the flour to the onions, mix well and cook for about 3 minutes.
Put the onions in the casserole dish with the beef. Then add all of the other ingredients and enough boiling water to cover the beef and vegetables by about 1 inch.
Put in the oven and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Serve with boiled potatoes or wholegrain bread and a side of green vegetables – broccoli or green beans.

Avocado & Egg

Posted on at 12:18 pm.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Avocado & Egg

Could be served with some chopped tomatoes, coriander or ground paprika.

Servings:2

Preparation Time:5

Cooking Time:20

Ingredients

1 Avocado
2 Medium Free Range Eggs
Pepper a pinch

Method

Make sure your avocado is ripe and ready to eat
Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed and carefully place in an ovenproof dish.
Carefully remove a little more of the avocado from the centre and then crack your egg into the hole.
Bake in a hot oven 230C/Gas 8 for 15-20 minutes.
Remove and serve with a little freshly ground pepper.

Honey Glazed Roast Chicken

Posted on at 11:07 am.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Honey Glazed Roast Chicken

Servings:4

Preparation Time:10

Cooking Time:25

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts halves on the bone with skin
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 cloves garlic Minced
0.25 jar honey
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Paprika
0.25 tsp Cayenne
salt a pinch
Pepper Freshly ground

Method

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl, stir together the honey, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, paprika and cayenne.
Put the chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet.
Using a sharp knife, make 2 deep slashes in each breast.
Season the breasts with salt and black pepper, then brush most of the honey glaze all over them.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Brush the remaining honey glaze over the chicken breasts and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until just cooked through.
Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and preheat the broiler.
Brush the juices from the baking sheet onto the chicken and broil for about 1 minute, or until the chicken skin is crisp.
Serve the glazed chicken right away.

Quinoa Salad

Posted on at 10:22 am.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa has become very popular among vegetarians as a source of protein and with everyone for its nutty flavour. This is a tasty, Summer salad with fresh flavours.

Servings:4

Preparation Time:5

Cooking Time:15

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
1 Pepper chopped
1 Lemon juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
5 scallions sliced
3 Vine tomatoes diced
1 handful Fresh Parsley roughly chopped
170g Quinoa uncooked
300 ml water

Method

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the quinoa with a pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a low simmer (about ‘2’ on most hobs).
Put on the lid and cook for 15 minutes. It should soak up all of the water. Allow the quinoa to cool down and then fluff it with a fork.
Using a large bowl(big enough to hold all of the quinoa and the vegetables) mix the vegetables with the lemon juice and parsley and add a little pepper.
When the quinoa is at room temperature, stir it into the vegetables.
This is ready to eat but If you can leave it for a while before eating, the flavours will develop and it will taste even nicer.

Saucy Spanish Omelette

Posted on at 4:44 pm.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Saucy Spanish Omelette

Also known as a tortilla, this deliciously quick and easy to make spanish omelette will add an exotic twist to the start of your day.

Servings:4

Preparation Time:5

Cooking Time:20

Ingredients

4 Centra Free Range Eggs
1 tbsp Centra Olive Oil
8 Cherry Vine Tomatoes washed and halved
1 clove garlic finely diced
25 g Greek Feta Cheese
1 small onion liced into thin half-moons
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 large Potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 cm slices
1 tsp salt

Method

Heat your grill to high.
Boil the potato slices in a saucepan for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
Fry the tomatoes for 2 minutes.
Then add the onions and garlic and fry for a further 3 minutes, mixing everything well.
Drain the potatoes and mix into the frying pan. Using kitchen tongs, position the potatoes so they are flat and overlapping.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the salt and pepper. Finish off your omelette by putting the frying pan under the grill for 2 minutes. Be careful when you take it out from under the grill – the handle will be hot!
Now pour this egg mix over the potato and tomato mix. Move the pan around so that the egg is evenly distributed.
Crumble the feta cheese over the top.
Fry for 8 minutes.

Luscious Breakfast Bagel

Posted on at 4:33 pm.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Luscious Breakfast Bagel

Add that little bit of luxury to your morning with this tasty classic – a mouth-watering bagel filled with smooth cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Servings:1

Preparation Time:5

Cooking Time:

Ingredients

1 Bagel
1 Lemon
Cream Cheese
50 g Smoked Salmon
Black Pepper

Method

Cut the bagel in half and toast both pieces.
Once toasted, spread generously with the cream cheese.
Top it off with the smoked salmon,
dust with some black pepper and coat with a squeeze of lemon juice.
You can add extra toppings to suit your preference
Then sit back and enjoy.

Half Marathon Race Prep Tips

Posted on at 10:33 am.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Tip 1 – Nutrition

If you think of your body as an engine it makes logical sense to make sure that you are putting top quality fuel into the engine. For exercise the fuel you need to pay attention to is the food and liquid that you consume. Make sure you’re getting 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats in your diet, as well as some good, nutritious food to keep you strong. Make sure you eat well in the days leading up to the Half Marathon and work out your nutrition plan for the morning of the event, for during the event and of course post event to replace the energy you have expended

Tip 2 – Hydration

It is very important to keep yourself hydrated before, during and after your Half Marathon. Drinking little and often during the event is the best advice. Water is the safest and easiest drink to take but if you are drinking other drinks only consume those that you are used to. Do not try new products for the first time during the event in case they cause you problems and discomfort .Avoid fizzy drinks totally.

Tip 3 – Your running shoes and socks

Having a good pair of running shoes which you have already worn in during training is important for your Half Marathon. Running in shoes which aren’t broken in can cause injury and pain. Wearing a comfortable tight fitting pair of socks is also advisable.

Running in comfortable clothing that doesn’t rub or chaff on your skin as well as being suitable for the weather conditions on the day of the event is important and once again it is worth seeking professional advice when buying any clothing.

Tip 4 – Start Slowly

Hopefully you are feeling enthusiastic and excited about the Half Marathon but it is important to begin cautiously, no matter what your current level of fitness. Don’t set off too fast and find you are struggling by the time you get to half way.

Tip 5 – Set yourself a pace

It is advisable to decide upon a pace that you will run per kilometre or mile in your Half Marathon . Work out a comfortable pace that you can use to get you to half way and if you are feeling good at that stage you can increase the pace slightly for the second half of the run. Running in this fashion, which is known as running a negative split, will help you to avoid “hitting the wall” and having a negative physical and psychological experience from your Half Marathon.

Tip 6 – Warming Up, Cooling Down and Stretching

It is essential to include a warm up, cool down and stretch before and after the event. This will only add about 10 minutes to your preparation / recovery but is invaluable in preparing your body for the event and for aiding recovery.

Tip 7 – Taper properly

It is important to taper – ie reduce your training load – in the 10 days or week leading up to your Half Marathon. Rather than having long runs in your legs once you get to the start line try to be well prepared but feeling fresh and ready for the run.

Tip 8 – Plan your day

It is important to plan your travel and parking plans for the Half Marathon. One sure way to undo all of your training and effort is to arrive at the start line in a flustered state of panic. Check to confirm the best place to park which allows you easy access to the start line and an easy exit postrace or if travelling by public transport the most convenient bus stop or station.

Tip 9 – Car Keys, Mobile Phones and Bin Bags

How many people have you seen at the start of races asking the organisers where they can leave their car keys and/or their mobile phones only to be told that the organisers , understandably , won’t accept or take responsibility for them? Pre plan to work out where you are going to leave them or who you are going to leave them with and how you will get them back after the event.

You are most likely going to have some time standing around waiting for the event to start once you have warmed up. In order to keep warm and dry bring old clothes which you are happy to leave behind once you have started your run or bring a large bin bag and simply make some holes for your arms and head. This will keep you warm and dry.

Tip 10 – The Week before the Half Marathon

Whatever training you have completed by the time the week of the event is what you have got to work with. Suddenly putting in extra training / different training in the last few days before the event won’t be of any benefit and in fact may be detrimental to you performance . Trust yourself and follow the advice re pace, nutrition and hydration and relax and enjoy the experience.

Defining your fitness goals

Posted on at 12:29 pm.

Written by Kristam Moffett

When starting a health and fitness program the most important thing is to know what you want to achieve or what your goals are first and foremost.
There are those people who are actually unsure what their goals are and therefore fail to achieve much and become demotivated.

So let it be said that vague goals produce vague results, or to quote legendary baseball star Yogi Berra “if you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up some place else!”. On the flip side there are also many people who perhaps have too many goals and try to achieve too much, ending up spreading themselves too thin and achieving none of them!
So focusing on just one or maybe two goals means more focus and a likelihood to achieve them.
Establishing a goal needn’t be complicated and can be as simple as you like for example, fitting
into a dress you haven’t been able to in a while or simply reducing resting heart rate if better health
is your concern. Having a clear and specific goal is a great motivator which makes achievement of
it more likely.

This is where the SMART goal principles can be of use, SMART being an acronym that means the following:-
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time based
To give you examples on this Specific might be either a set body weight you wish to achieve, a dress or jean size, a contest you are training for or even just to train 3 times per week on a consistent basis. It’s important to remember your individual goal is YOUR goal and even if it’s simple being specific can help you achieve it.

Measurable relates to how you measure success for example, if training for a particular body weight then the scales could be your measuring tool. If training to improve overall health then lower blood pressure and resting heart rate readings might be better? Once again no need to complicate things just having something relevant to measure success is beneficial.

Achievable means it should be something that will push you out of your comfort zone a little but not to be unrealistic. This should speak for itself but maybe not a good a idea to have a goal of training 5 days a week having been inactive for the previous 10 years!

Relevant means a goal should be important to YOU! Training for a goal someone has set for you be it a spouse or partner for example can be a recipe for poor motivation. If you have set the goal and it’s relevant to you then the likelihood of you achieving it is greater!

Time based simply means a time frame in which you intend to complete your training goal for example, wanting to fit in to a particular dress for an occasion or event.

Hopefully the above gives you some clarity regarding your fitness goals and don’t feel you must stringently use ALL the SMART principles either. Even if they give you some guidance or feel only some of it is relevant to you then that’s great, just focus on the points that work for you!

Northern Ireland to Live Well Every Day

Posted on at 1:53 pm.

Written by Kristam Moffett

Leading convenience retailer Centra has teamed up with Carl Frampton’s award-winning and highly respected coach, Shane McGuigan, along with a top team of Ambassadors, to help inspire the people of Northern Ireland to Live Well Every Day.

Centra’s ‘Live Well’ strategy, which forms an integral part of the brand’s new ‘Live Every Day’ campaign, launching today (Tuesday 17th January), represents an investment of £1 million and has been designed to address serious health issues in today’s society.

Currently 60% of the adult population are overweight and obese, whilst 28% of adults do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week and one in five showed signs of a possible mental health problem. *

The new Centra Live Well programme, which the Ambassadors are a key part of, aims to educate and inspire consumers to make healthier choices and encourage communities across Northern Ireland get active.

McGuigan, the youngest son of former world boxing champion Barry, is a top signing to a roster of four Ambassadors spanning nutrition, fitness and mindfulness. The 28-year-old, who also coaches boxing stars David Haye, George Groves and up and coming talent Josh Taylor, will be creating a fitness plan and tips for Centra’s customers, housed on the Centra NI Facebook page.

Joining McGuigan in the Centra ‘Live Well’ team, Centra Nutritionist, Jane McClenaghan will build on her work with the brand in 2016, designing a programme of healthy recipes and nutrition tips that will help people to make long-term positive lifestyle changes. Jane, who has a passion for good food and runs a busy nutrition clinic in Belfast, is committed to helping people avoid fad diets and making healthier choices every day.

With mental health very much on the agenda, Bridgeen Rea is Centra’s Mindfulness Ambassador. Bridgeen is a qualified Mindfulness Meditation and yoga teacher and a wellness expert. She is the only person in Northern Ireland to have a Masters in Mindfulness Based Approaches and will design a 10-week course, which will guide people through key tips on how to manage busy lives and associated stress and anxiety, including the importance of a regular digital detox.

Completing the four-strong team, two time Olympian and Commonwealth Games champion, Johnny Davis, has been revealed as Centra’s Run Together Ambassador. In 2016, Centra launched Run Together – a new running initiative that encourages people to get out and run in pairs, hosting a series of four events in Belfast, Antrim and Derry/Londonderry. The programme will expand in 2017, with running events coming to new locations in Tyrone and Fermanagh, driven forward under Johnny’s expert eye.

Alongside the Ambassador programme, Centra customers will see real and effective change in-store with over 200 new healthy lines introduced across a number of key areas. These include Healthy Hydration, Healthy Snacking, Health & Wellbeing and Chilled Convenience.

Speaking from Las Vegas, where he’s preparing Carl Frampton for his big World Title fight against Leo Santa Cruz, Shane McGuigan said: “I am very proud to be Centra’s Fitness Ambassador for 2017. For the next 12 months, we are going to work together to help get the people of Northern Ireland moving.

“I started getting into fitness and nutrition when I was 13 years of age, when I started putting on a little bit of weight and started to get a little bit self-conscious and felt like I needed to do something about it. I took up running and boxing to get my weight down, and a long time after that, at 28 years of age – now 15 years later – I am in the fitness industry training the likes of Carl Frampton, George Groves, David Haye, Josh Taylor – all big names in boxing,” he continued.

“Boxing is one of the toughest sports when it comes to fitness. It’s got both of the energy systems, the aerobic system and the anaerobic system. I am really excited to be part of the Centra Live Well campaign, getting the people of Northern Ireland up on their feet and healthy. Your health is so important you have to look after yourself; you only get one body and one life,” Shane added.

Commenting on the launch of Centra’s new brand repositioning and ‘Live Well’ campaign, Michael McCormack, Managing Director, Musgrave NI said: “Over the past few years, we have been on a journey of discovery with the Centra brand; we have taken the time to listen and learn from our customers and understand their needs.

“Customers today don’t want convenience at any cost. Consumers are increasingly health conscious and as a convenience retail brand, we’re committed to helping our customers make better and healthier choices. This has been the driving force behind our store refresh programme, as well as the introduction of healthier product ranges across our stores.

“Our new strapline is Live Every Day. It’s all about living in the moment and seizing the day. Our Live Well Ambassador programme which we launched today is a key part of this. Centra and its team of ambassadors will lead Northern Ireland towards a healthy “mind, body & soul” through giving them the advice, knowledge and tools to help them make healthier choices, get active and achieve balance in their life,” he added.

For further information about Centra’s Live Well campaign visit www.centra.co.uk or Like Centra NI’s Facebook page (facebook.com/CentraNI).