Honey Glazed Roast Chicken

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Honey Glazed Roast Chicken
Honey Glazed Roast Chicken
Servings:4
Preparation Time:10
Cooking Time:25
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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

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

Quinoa Salad

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Quinoa Salad
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
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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

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. When the quinoa is at room temperature, stir it into the vegetables.
  5. 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

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Saucy Spanish Omelette
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
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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

  1. Heat your grill to high.
  2. Boil the potato slices in a saucepan for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
  4. Fry the tomatoes for 2 minutes.
  5. Then add the onions and garlic and fry for a further 3 minutes, mixing everything well.
  6. Drain the potatoes and mix into the frying pan. Using kitchen tongs, position the potatoes so they are flat and overlapping.
  7. 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!
  8. Now pour this egg mix over the potato and tomato mix. Move the pan around so that the egg is evenly distributed.
  9. Crumble the feta cheese over the top.
  10. Fry for 8 minutes.

Luscious Breakfast Bagel

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Luscious Breakfast Bagel
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:
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Ingredients

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

Method

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

Half Marathon Race Prep Tips

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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

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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

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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).

Preparation is the key to success

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Being excited and nervous all at the same time are normal feelings for anyone going into either a new situation or into something that you want to do well at. So I’m not put off by these feelings that I have, and would probably be more worried if I didn’t have them before a running event. 

My teachers used to tell me before exams if the work isn’t already done there’s no point in trying to do it now! That is a little bit true, if you haven’t done much training in preparation for your running event, trying to fit in too much training in now will do more harm than good, but if you have been preparing, then the work has been done and now a few gentle training sessions will set you up nicely. If you race is on a Saturday, my last training session is done on the Thursday evening and this is a little session about 50% of what I would normally do, I will then do a light warm up on Friday and then relax before the race.

Clothing

Make sure that your clothing is comfortable and light, it’s best not to wear brand new items if you are going to be sweating a lot as you want to avoid chafing, speaking from experience! I like to have the clothes I’m going to run in ready and set out well before the race so that I’m not panicking and getting stressed out beforehand. This also means having a few spare items packed as well. I like to change my socks just before the start of a race so my feet feel fresh and light, and then have a clean top to change into when I have finished, it’s nice to put on something that’s not all sweaty but also stops you getting a chill even on warm days as your body starts to cool down.

Food and Drink

A light healthy breakfast a couple of hours before should be sufficient and be well digested for the start of the event and also keeping yourself hydrated.

Pre-Event

There is nothing worse than being late for a race, as you use up a lot of nervous energy even before the start of the event! I like to be there with enough time to find where the toilets are, even if I don’t need to go you can bet your house that I will need them before the race starts! So plan to get there early in order to get warmed up properly!

The Benefits of a Running Buddy

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You will have heard the saying the loneliness of the long distance runner and that can be true, some people love the isolation of running alone but most people enjoy company. After a long day either at home or at work and if the weather isn’t very nice the last thing you feel like doing is putting on your trainers and heading out the door! But if you have arranged to meet someone you are more likely to lace up those trainers and go, as you don’t want to let running buddy down. There are loads of positives that coming from having a training partner, both physical and emotional.

The Physical Benefits

Studies show that people run 5-10% quicker when they are doing a workout with a partner than when they are doing it on their own! The same applies for the distance people can run. It increases if the person is doing a run with someone that is fitter than them. Training with a partner also helps you gauge how hard you are working, no one is able to go as hard as they can for as long as they can every day and not expect to plateau or get injured. Having a training partner helps with this and can be done by using the simple conversational test to gauge how hard you are working during a run. If you are able to have a conversation then that would indicate that you are working at an easy pace, if the conversation is reduced to a sentence then you are working a bit harder and finally if that is reduced further to a one word answer or a grunt then you are working very hard! You should have all three types of exercise in your training program.

The Emotional Benefits

Running is a great time for us to have family time together, when I had Sarah I wanted to be able to run with her so I bought a running pram. Sunday afternoons Ian and I can run together with Sarah in the pram. It can be a time when we catch up or simply just spend time together doing something we both love. This has a real positive influence on us as individuals and as a family. Equally I find it is good to train with a friend so I can have a chat or just let off some stream! Running together also gives you a sense of being part of a team, having support when things get tough and also someone to share the good times with. There is a sense of togetherness when you complete a common goal.

Essential Nutrition for Runners

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Have you ever put the wrong fuel into your car? After driving off you probably didn’t get too far down the road before you knew that something was wrong and you had broken down. Just like cars, it is important that we fuel our bodies with the correct fuel, if we don’t this affects our body’s ability to perform and over time we will start to have issues. There are 3 areas that I would like to highlight with regard to nutrition; fluid intake, balanced healthy diet and then post exercise recovery.

Fluid intake

Fluid intake is very important, the human body is made up of approximately 60% water, part of the body’s cooling system is to sweat so it doesn’t overheat, as you exercise you will heat up and as a result the body will start to cool itself down by sweating, and now coming into the warmer weather you will sweat a bit more during periods of exercise. It only takes a small drop in the body’s fluid levels for it to affect optimal performance. The daily recommended water intake for adults is 2-3 litres. This can seem a lot but this also includes tea, coffee and you also get fluid from the food you eat. If you are going to be doing exercise you should try and drink extra water throughout the day, drinking small amounts of water at a time helps the body to absorb it better than drinking large amounts all at one go. It should also mean you not having to go to the toilet as often when you start exercising, very important if you are exercising outside! If you have been staying hydrated during the day this should mean that you only require a small amount of fluid during exercise.

Healthy Diet

Having a healthy balanced diet is also very important. When we go on an air plane we have confidence that the air plane has been filled with jet fuel so the engines will run as efficiently as possible producing enough power to get the plane in the air, the same applies to the body, if you want it to perform well it needs to be filled with the right fuel! The body needs to be fuelled with fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates, proteins and fats, taken in proportionate quantities for the demands that are put on it. The majority of people don’t need to make drastic changes, a lot of the time this can be done by simply replacing the unhealthy snack with a healthy one with these changes being easier to maintain over a longer period of time. The body stores the food you eat and then turns that into energy that is used to power the muscles, healthy foods are a more efficient fuel supply for the body enabling it to produce energy when needed. During normal exercise the body doesn’t need food to be taken unless it is doing continuous exercise longer than 90 minutes.

Post Exercise Recovery

Once you have finished exercise that is when the preparation for your next workout begins. What you eat and drink post exercise will determine how well you recover from that workout. As mentioned previously you sweat during exercise, so you need to replace the fluid and salts that have been used during exercise, if your workout has lasted longer than 60 minutes you probably need a sports drink rather than plain water. These beverages are designed to keep you well hydrated, but they also provide electrolytes to replace those lost in your sweat. Care should be taken in selecting the right one as some of these are quite high in calories. Exercise puts stress on your muscles, joints, and bones, and your body “uses up” nutrients during workouts so post exercise foods are all about putting back what you’ve lost, and providing the raw materials needed for repair and healing. It is important that protein is part of your post workout meal, protein is vital to the human body and is essentially what you are made up of, as well as the other food sources as this will help with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Primary sources of protein are meat, fish, dairy and eggs. We hope that you have enjoyed this blog and given you a few ideas on nutrition for your training.