Feel fab loves...

....Fruity Ryvitas!

We all know Ryvitas are a great snack when slimming but they can taste a little like, erm, cardboard. Well... not any more! Ryvita Fruit Crunch crispbreads have a lovely top layer of seeds and currants making them actually rather tasty. You can eat them as they are or perhaps with sliced banana on top (a great energy snack) or even with a good old fashioned cup of tea. And what's more, they're only 57 calories each so go on... snack away.

Recipe for not-so-naughty Sticky Toffee Puds!

Here's something novel, a dessert that's actually not too bad for you! And it's secret?...easy, take out the fatty bits. In other words: butter! And in it's place- date puree. It may not sound as tempting but these little puds still taste delicious and come with a lot less guilt! But watch out, they're still quite high in sugar and so should be seen as a treat within a balanced diet (especially if trying to lose weight). Ok thats the prep talk out of the way; time to don your apron, grab that whisk and bake baby bake... enjoy!

What you'll need:
87g pitted dates (fresh or dried)
75ml maple syrup
42g self-raising flour
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, seperated
Food processer or hand blender

based on 2 puddings, takes 1 1/2 hours- simply double up on ingredients if you want to bake 4!

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees c(fan assisted 160)/gas mark 4. Simmer the dates in 90ml water for 5 mins. Tip the remaing into a food processer (or use a hand blender), add 3 tablespoons of maple syrup along with the vanilla extract, and blend until smooth Transfer into a bowl and mix in the egg yolk then the flour.
2. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and slowly fold in the date mixture as above. Spoon one tbsp of maple syrup into both of the pud moulds then add the mixture dividing equally. Cover each mould with foil (nice and tight) and place them in an ovenproof dish. Finally (nearly there!)...pour hot water up to half way up the side of the moulds and wa-la, into the oven it goes. Cook for an hour and/or until you can place a skewer through each pud and it comes out clean.
3. Once you're happy with your puds, take off the foil and run a knife around each one to loosen form the mould. Now place a plate over each mould, quickly flip over and there you have it. Drizzle a little maple syrup over to finish and you could add a very small amount of low-fat ice-cream as an optional extra treat!

Per serving (without ice-cream)- 339 calories, protein 7g, carbohydrates 73g, fat 4g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 2g, added sugar 25g, salt 0.33g.

Feeling fab at 30

Happy Birthday to me!! And this year it's the not-so-dreaded 3- 0! To me, the saying "you're only as old as you feel" has never been so true. And the secret? It's simple...taking good care of myself, physically and emotionally. Exercising and eating a balanced diet is the most obvious way to do this (not always easy but very worthwhile), but also relaxation and/or having fun is important too! Why not make space in your diary and do something just for you- a trip to the cinema, a girls night in (or out!), even just taking a bath- anything that makes you feel good. It'll knock years off you in no time!

Box yourself fit!

How would you like a good fun work-out which burns calories, tones you up AND reduces stress? Why not try a bit of boxing! Boxing is a personal favourite of mine as it's brilliant for improving cardiovascular fitness, toning arms and shoulders, improving balance and co-ordination and relieving stress. It's also great if you don't have much space and/or no equipment. Just 30 minutes of boxing can burn up to 300 calories (as well as the toning!). Check out these 4 options:

1. Let's Pretend! Shadow boxing is perfect if you have no-one to spar with and/or no equipment to use. It's easy, all you need to do is pretend you're boxing... in effect you are simply fighting the air! You can add jumps, twists and jogging-on-the-spot to add more variety and/or increase intensity.
2. Join a class. Most health clubs or leisure centres offer combat or boxing style classes which will teach you the moves (then you can practice the shadow boxing more effectively) and gives you a great work-out. Look out for classes such as 'Boxercise', 'Box-Fit', 'Taebo' or 'Body Combat'.
3. Train together. Another home one (or some gyms may have gloves and pads you can use), all you need is a boxing set (usually about £20), a partner to train with and away you go! Even holding the pads gives a good work-out, remember to push into the gloves a little as your partner punches the pads to reduce risk of injury. I do a lot of pad work in my personal training which many ladies really enjoy and definitely feel the benefits.
4. Turn on the telly! A great way to keep motivation high when training at home is to buy a fitness dvd, but as soon as you start to get bored of it...buy a new one! They cost about £12 each (or older ones can be cheaper, try online) and should last about 2 months before you start to tire of it, so all in all a good cheap way to box.

Feel fab loves...

Mini Straighteners!
They're cute, they're stylish and at just 15cm long, they even fit in your handbag! Mini Straightners are great for quick touch-ups, extra precision getting to your roots or just for doing your fringe (perfect after exercise!).

Remington do a great little pair called Straightini's (approx £15-30) or there's the Ice Diamond (approx £49.99) which has different heat settings, come in black, pink, purple or gold and are encrusted with diamantes (see pic). Gorgeous!

New Year, New You?

Happy New Year everyone! It's the dreaded first week of being back to normality; the hang overs have gone, the kids are back to school, our belly's are still full from all the festivities and our minds focused on one thing and one thing only... New Years Resolutuions. Yes it's that time again- time to ditch the stodge, quit the cigs and/or alcohol and embark on a wonderfully healthy lifestyle which will transform our flab to fab in no time! But will we actually stick to them? A few weeks (and excuses) later and we discover that the answer, in many cases, is er...no. "Oh well" we say "...there's always next year".

For most, this becomes a cycle year in year out, mainly because our resolutions are unrealistic in the first place. My advice? Get healthy, stay healthy! Start by making gradual changes to your lifestyle, such as doing 2 or 3 30 min work-outs per week or cutting down the amount of biscuits you eat in a day, and take it from there. Like in personal training, you could write down these goals with timescales too e.g be doing 3 good hour work-outs by March then 4 by June. Keep reviewing your goals and write new ones every couple of months or even every few weeks if you need the extra motivation. And remember, keep them realistic! If you love chips (or any other naughty food!), don't cut them out altogether. Instead, limit yourself to eating 1 portion every 1 or 2 weeks... this way you still get to enjoy them but without feeling guilty. If you work long hours then fit in exercise only when you know you can stick to it and even write planned sessions and times as appointments in your diary. Remember even 2 lots of 30 mins per week is much better than none at all! Last but not least, enjoy what you're doing. Find healthy meals or treats that actually taste good and try different activities until you find some you enjoy e.g classes, swimming, running, even walking the dog. i.e If the gym bores you... don't go!

And Wa-la.... your lifestyle is much healthier and, without even knowing it, you keep your resolutions all year long. Didn't you do well!

Recipe for Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup

Delicious and nutritious, this low-fat soup is easy to make, packed with goodness and tastes much better than soup out of a tin! It'll leave you feeling all warm inside...perfect for the British winter!

What you'll need:

300g carrots, washed and grated (un-peeled)
70g split red lentils
1 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
500ml hot vegetable stock (using stock cubes is fine)
60ml semi-skimmed milk (make dairy-free by using reduced fat coconut milk instead)
wholemeal rolls or pittas to serve (no butter)

based on meal for two, takes 25 mins (1o mins prep, 15 mins cooking time)

1. Heat a large saucepan and quickly dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for approx 1 minute, or until they start to dance around the pan! Spoon out about half of the seeds and discard. Measure 500ml boiled water and add stock cubes (to own desired strength or taste). Add the olive oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have softened.
2. Pop the soup into a food processor (or use a stick blender if you have one) and blend until smooth. Serve with warmed pittas or rolls and enjoy all winter long!

Per Serving (without roll or pitta) - 238 kcals, 11g protein, 34g cardohydrates, 7g fat (1g saturated fat), 5g fibre, 0.25g salt and no added sugar.