Quinoa Jollof

I’ve always been an advocate for African food. When I decided to make 'healthy eating' part of my lifestyle, it was my mission to still eat the foods I enjoyed but just to find healthier alternatives.

Jollof Rice is one of my favourite dishes. Being Ghanaian, its something I grew up eating every week. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jollof Rice, it is a combination of white rice, tomato, onions, scotch bonnet, seasoning and some form of animal protein (chicken or beef).

I decided to get creative and replaced white rice with Quinoa. 

For this delicious dish, you will need:

Ingredients:

4 tbsp coconut oil

1 large onions, sliced

2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes

1 red pepper, diced

4 tbsp tomato purée

¼ tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder

1 scotch bonnett

1 tsp curry powder

1 bay leaf

1 tsp thyme

1 stock cube

2 cups of quinoa

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups of water

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

Method

-Heat the oil in your pot and add the onions.

-Blend the peppers, tomatoes,  ginger and 1 cup of water to form a smooth mixture.

-Add the smooth mixture to the pot, along with the seasoning.

-Stir and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

-Once the sauce turns into a thick mixture, add the quinoa, stirring it well on a low heat. Let it cook for about 20 minutes.

-To tell whether it's cooked, you want the sauce to be fully absorbed by the quinoa.

Happy Eating 

G

Just Geens Brown Fried Rice

Ingredients

 1/2 cup prawns
 1 chicken breast (diced)
 2 cups cooked brown rice
 1 small onion
 1/2 cup of green peas
 1 tsp white pepper
 3 tablespoon coconut oil
 1 tsp garlic
 1 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)

Directions:

-Heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat.
-Add seasoned chicken then stir fry until cooked through and remove to a plate. (If using pre-cooked chicken, skip this step.)
-Repeat this method with the prawns.
-Heat remaining teaspoon oil in the wok then add peas and green onions.
-Stir fry until tender, about 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
-Add cooked chicken, prawns, rice, and soy sauce to wok then toss well to combine.
-Season to taste.

Portion Control

So my mum always tells me I eat too much. My excuse and response is that I’m active so I need to eat a lot in order to keep me going. However, she might actually be right. I’ve been a serious lover of food from when I was a child and on reflection; I can honestly say that I’m quite greedy.

However, that’s all soon to change, because I’ve bought something that will help me adjust my portions.

Meet the Meal Measure …

This brilliant gadget is a plastic portion control guide that fits right over your plate. You can measure your protein, starch, vegetables and fruit for perfect portions. Each hole of the meal measurer has a 1 cup and 1/2-cup mark so you can adjust portions for your individual dietary needs.

What I really like about the Meal Measure, is the fact that you don't have to use measuring cups or scales to figure out just the right food portions for your meals. All you need is your Meal Measure, which will fit in most standard sized dinner plates. It’s easy to use, easy to clean and a handy alternative to an individual portion plate as you can use it to measure more than one meal at once.

The only thing I would say is that it is a bit over priced. I paid £15 for mine on eBay. Also, the product doesn’t come with any guidelines as to whether you should have half a cup or a full cup, but for me, a full cup is less than what I usually consume anyway, so it’s still been a massive help.
I ordered mine from eBay; however they also sell it on Amazon as well.

Using the Meal Measure has shown me how much I’ve been over eating over the years and although it’s a bit pricey, I think it’s a very good investment.  It definitely gets Just Geen’s stamp of approval.

G

GYMS KITCHEN

Gyms Kitchen – the UK’s first protein based restaurant.

They're definitely not lying; this restaurant is every gym go-ers heaven. Since it opened in 2012, I’ve heard nothing but good things. But word of mouth isn’t always gospel, so I decided to take a trip down there and try it out for myself.

My experience was nothing short of amazing. With fitness quotes on the wall such as “eat clean, train dirty”, pictures of the ‘fitness evolution’ and the weightlifting toilet signs, the restaurant's decor was impressive and it won me over, before I had even tasted the food. You can tell that a lot of thought went into creating the perfect atmosphere.

The menu was overwhelming, with so many options to choose from. Porridge, eggs, protein pancakes, wraps, sea food, smoothies anything healthy you can think of; it was all there. What I really liked about their menu was, not only did it provide you with the amount of calories per dish, it also listed the nutritional value contained in each dish, such as the fat content, the grams of protein and grams of carbs, which is pretty handy for a gym go-er, like myself.

As this trip was after a workout, myself and @bigboatstrainingroom were keen to fuel our muscles with as much protein as possible. For starters, we were served carrots and celery with homemade hummus. If you’re a hummus fan, then you’ll appreciate the authentic taste, in comparison to the store bought ones from places like Tesco and Asda.

For our mains, we decided to share the mixed grill platter. The platter was protein heaven and contained 268g of protein, split between both of us. The feast included Chicken Wings, Lamb Cubes, Chicken Cubes, Butterfly Chicken and, of course Lamb Chops, which we washed down with a Banana and Peanut Butter protein shake. The portions were generous and accompanied by a garnish salad and Gym’s Kitchen sauces. I wasn’t too fond of their chicken, but I would highly recommend the lamb. The lamb did not disappoint, they were perfect, succulent yet crispy and rightly seasoned.

To seal off the occasion, we decided to share their Protein Pancake Tower combo. The tower consisted of three different types of pancakes; Apple Crunch Protein, Banana & Chocolate Protein and Blueberry Protein. They were topped with fresh fruit and served with honey drizzle and peanut butter. The pancakes were a perfect way to end my experience and are a good alternative for those with a sweet tooth.

Overall, my experience at gyms kitchen was 10/10. The restaurant is a prime example that you can eat out and enjoy a healthy meal without having to restrict to a salad. Their nutritional balanced menu doesn’t hold back on taste and I would highly recommend this to anyone.

They currently have two locations:

Restaurant 1- 388-392 High Road, Leyton, E10 6QE

Restaurant 2- 376 – 378 Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill, Essex, IG2 6HW

For any non-east Londoners, I suggest you give either branch a visit. Trust me; it is definitely worth the journey.

G

How to avoid weight gain over Christmas

Christmas is only a few days away ecccckkkkk! Which can only mean one thing…CALORIES!!!

Personally, nothing sucks more than additional inches to your waist line after a Christmas binge. I mean, you didn’t work hard all year round, just to have to start all over again in the New Year, did you? Well I know I didn’t, that’s for sure, so I’ve come up with a few things to try and do over the festive period, to avoid unnecessary weight gain.

1. Have a weight maintenance goal

Let’s be honest, trying to lose weight over Christmas is just torture, so why not set your goals over the next 2 weeks to maintain your current weight. That way, you won’t be bothered if you don’t lose any weight and if you do, that will be a bonus.

2. The 80/20 rule

Aim to eat clean 80% of the time. The extra 20% will allow you enough room to enjoy yourself, without there being any harsh consequences.

3. Exercise more

Why not counteract the extra calories with more exercise.

4. Plan your eating habits for the week ahead

This is basically like planning your cheat day or cheat meal. For example, if you know that you are going to have to go out one evening and it’s likely that you are going to misbehave with your eating, plan ahead so you make the right food choices for breakfast and lunch or days leading up to that day

5. Set a date to get back on track

Aim to get back on track with your usual diet and exercise habits by January otherwise, you may find yourself leading up to spring still holding onto the extra Christmas weight.

6. One handful rule

When it comes to snacks, only have one handful.

7. Drink Smart

I think this is the most important one of them all. Christmas time comes with lots of alcohol and we often find that we drink more than we usually would. What people don’t really realise is the amount of calories they are drinking per glass. Alcohol tends to increase your appetite and interrupts your blood sugar levels, which is why people tend to crave sweet things when recovering from a hangover. Personally, I would rather eat my calories than drink them, but if you are going to drink:

- Eat a nutritious meal or snack with some protein before you have a drink as the protein should help stabilize any swings in your blood sugar level and should prevent you from craving sweet things.

-If you’re a wine drinker, opt for red wine over white. Red wine is better because it has higher amounts of the powerful antioxidants resveratrol, which is found in red grape skins.

- Choose sugar free or low calorie mixers for cocktails or stick to spirits.

-Drink water or low calorie soft drinks between alcoholic drinks. This will help reduce your calorie intake and will help reduce the amount of units you’re drinking.

So why not try these over the next two weeks and resume your normal routine in the New Year.

G