This month we are holding a competition to find the best client recipes!

The Easyfit team will be the taste testers (yes we are willing to risk food poisoning and disease!) and at the end of the month the winner can select 1 prize from the following: 

- a free 1 hour sports massage.

- a free personal training session for a family member or friend, or

- a free Biosignature assessment – for more details see

http://www.easyfit-personaltraining.co.uk/biosignature-modulation.asp

Here are 3 to give you an idea of the competition so far….

Peter Donoghue’s Lamb Koftas in Spicy Tomato Sauce

This month we are holding a competition to find the best client recipes!

The Easyfit team will be the taste testers (yes we are willing to risk food poisoning and disease!) and at the end of the month the winner can select 1 prize from the following: 

- a free 1 hour sports massage.

- a free personal training session for a family member or friend, or

- a free Biosignature assessment (see http://www.easyfit-personaltraining.co.uk/biosignature-modulation.asp for more details)

Here are 3 to give you an idea of the competition so far….

Peter Donoghue’s Lamb Koftas in Spicy Tomato Sauce 

Serves 4
 
3              Tablespoons  Olive oil
2              Large Onions, finely chopped
3              Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1.5          tablespoons of garam masala
½             teaspoon of chilli powder
400g       (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
1              tablespoons tomato puree
500 ml   (17fl oz) beef stock
270ml    (9 fl oz) tin coconut milk
500g       (1lb 2 oz) minced (ground) Lamb – organic
1              large handful mint finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
1              large handful coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
1              egg, lightly beaten
Juice of 1 lime
 
Heat the oil in a large heavy-weight frying pan. Cook the chopped onions for 5 minutes, or until lightly brown. Add the garlic, garam masala and chilli powder. Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes, or until aromatic. Remove half of the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool.
 
Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to the remaining onion in the frying pan, stirring. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat cover and set aside.
 
Add the minced lamb, herbs and beaten egg to the cooled onion mixture. With clean, wet, hands, roll the meat into 28 balls (Walnut size). Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
 
Heat the sauce to simmering point. Add the Meatballs and cook over low heat for 1 hour, or until cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Gently stir the balls occasionally. Stir in the lime juice and garnish with herbs and serve with roast veg.

Rosemary Fay’s Mediterranean Fish Stew

Serves 2

1              Tablespoons  Olive oil
1              Large Onion, finely chopped
1              Garlic Clove, finely chopped
1              Carrot diced           
1              Celery stick diced   

400g       (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
1              tablespoons tomato puree
1               Red pepper diced (you can add any additional vegetables here too)

400g       Mixed fish cut into 2 cm chunks
1 Large handful of chopped basil

Heat the oil in a casserole pan. Cook the chopped onions for 5 minutes, or until lightly brown. Add the garlic, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes.   
Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, pepper and any additional vegetables you want to use. Bring to the boil then reduce and simmer for 20 mins. Add the fish and basil and simmer for a further 10 mins or until the fish is cooked through.

Charlotte Bird’s Chicken with Turmeric and Prawns 

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic
2 chicken breast
1-2 tsp of turmeric
A couple of tbsp coriander leaves roughly chopped
Small pack of cooked prawns
2 small glasses of White wine
Juice of 1 lime
 
Sprinkle the turmeric over the cicken and marinate in the fridge for as long as you can a couple of hours is perfect. Fry onion and garlic in some olive oil in a pan, add the chicken , seal, lightly brown then season. Add half the coriander leaves,  the lime juice and the wine and allow to simmer until cooked through but do not allow the juices to dry out. . Add the prawns and allow them to heat through, sprinkle the remaining coriander over the top and  serve with brown rice or salad.

Summer Events List

This Summer, easyfit’s event list is action packed! If you’ve not been along to an event before we urge you to come along and give it a go. A good laugh is guaranteed and each event will provide a good workout for you….

Toughguy Summer 2010 – Easyfit will be taking a team of 12 down this Sunday led by Rachel (I know, the easyfit men should be very embarassed). We are raising money for Francis House so please go to www.justgiving.com/summereasyfit to support team easyfit and an extremely worthy cause.

Summer Rounders Match – Sunday August 8th at Manchester Rugby Club. All clients and guest are welcome to the annual grudge match. We all need to make sure Steve’s team don’t win for the 3rd year running. See your trainer for more details.

Summer Gym Sports Days – These are open to all easyfit clients at the gym they train. Members of the gyms will also compete. There will be gold, silver and bronze medals so lets make sure easyfit clients dominate the events. The day will include sprint and middle distance races as well as throwing, thumping and a suprise silly event. More information and the chance to sign up will be emailed over the next 10 days. See below for the times and dates at your gym and put it straight into your diary:

Saturday August 21st at 11am

Wilmslow and Manchester Clients – 11am at Manchester Rugby Club
Congleton Clients – 11am at FX Congleton
Warrington Clients – 11am at Total Fitness Warrington

Saturday September 4th

Bolton Arena Clients – 11am at The Arena Track
Bolton Total Fitness Clients – 11am at Total Fitness Bolton
Leyland Clients – 11am at FX Leyland
Poulton Clients – 11am at FX Poulton

Snowdon Trip – 25th and 26th of September

There are only a few places left for this trip. If you would like to come along please let us or your trainer know asap

Dressings

Vinaigrette—Combine 1 tsp djon mustard with 2 tbsp of extra virgin oil and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar. Add a large pinch of Himalayan sea salt. Whisk with a fork until it makes an emulsion.

Spicy Citrus dressing— whisk together 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of orange juice, 1/2 a small chilli seeded and chopped, 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp of fresh mint. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pesto— Combine 1 tbsp of fresh pesto with 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

Balsamic— Whisk together 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy French dressing— Combine 1 tbsp of organic good quality mayonnaise with 1 tsp of Dijon mustard, 1/2 a clove of garlic cruched and 1 tbsp of chopped parsley.

Salad Extras

• Bacon bits
• Toasted nuts and seeds
• Sundried tomatoes
• Olives
• Grilled peppers
• Pickled onions
• Avocado
• Capers
• Chunks of cheese—if you’re allowed!

Vitamin D3: Best…Supplement…Ever!

by Charles Poliquin

An osteopathic physician recently asked me, “What’s with all this hype over vitamin D3?” It was a good question. There have been countless supplements that have failed to live up to their promises. But vitamin D3 is the real deal. Write this down:

“Vitamin D3 may be the single most important supplement we can take for our health.”

I’m serious! Fish oil also has amazing properties, but it takes a backseat to vitamin D3. Listen, I get a lot of feedback from the field. I hear from experts from all over the world. There is consensus among the best practitioners: They have verified over and over that just about everyone is deficient in vitamin D3 and that supplementation is essential.

The evidence is indisputable. The scientific literature is overwhelmed with data that confirm what all these experts have seen. I see the truth of it every day and have been teaching about the importance of vitamin D3 supplementation for some time now.

The bottom line is that virtually every disease and adverse health condition is associated with low vitamin D3 levels. Consequently, many of these problems may be fixed with adequate vitamin D3 supplementation, or can be avoided by keeping vitamin D3 levels in the high normal range.

For a long time vitamin D3 was simply regarded as the anti-rickets and bone health vitamin – an underwhelming bit of knowledge. Because it was originally labeled as a vitamin, it was assumed that it wasn’t that important. Now it is more properly recognized as a prohormone that is essential to life. Even if it were only good for bone health, vitamin D3 still would be an important supplement, but the benefits go way beyond just bone health.

Let’s look at this in another way. What if a big pharmaceutical company made a revolutionary breakthrough and announced they had come across a compound so important that it could improve the lives of virtually everyone in the world? What if they told us that for less than 20 cents a day (or about 0.15 pence) we could significantly reduce our risk for some of the most widespread diseases? What if they also announced that the side effects were actually good and that we would receive all these benefits without any real risk of adverse conditions? And that we wouldn’t even need governmental intervention to make it affordable? The answer is that this would be the biggest blockbuster drug ever to hit the market. Everyone would want a prescription and wouldn’t even mind paying for it themselves.

Now the question becomes “How do I get my vitamin D3 to optimal levels?” This is the best part, since it’s very easy to fix vitamin D3 deficiency. There are a couple of different approaches that have been shown to work very well. One way is to just supplement with 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day and it’s likely your levels will be at least in the normal range within about three months, but remember, high normal is better than mid normal. Expect it to take another couple of months to reach high normal.

Now let’s go back to our “what if” scenario and ask the question again: What if there were one natural supplement that had been shown in scientific research to improve bone health, improve the development of babies’ brains, reduce the incidence of skin problems like psoriasis, prevent or remedy multiple sclerosis, reduce the risk of cancer, improve blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance, improve neurological conditions including depression and bipolar disorder, enhance immune defense against cold, flu and other infections, lower blood pressure and protect the heart, improve muscle function, increase the ability to lose bodyfat and even help people live longer? What if that compound existed and could be manufactured properly at a very affordable price? I’m happy to give you an answer that is not hypothetical and that you can believe: Vitamin D3 is, literally, the best supplement ever!

You would think that something this important would be expensive wouldnt you…and there probably are some people trying to charge lots for a sub-standard product!  But, for just 30 pence per day you can have it delivered to your door…And, for the month of July only, Easyfit are offering 10% off Natures Sunshine VitaminD3. Click on the link below to receive your special offer

https://www.naturessunshine.eu/uk/easyfit/index.asp?act=moreinfo&id=4977&subcat=

Again, we are pleased to show the fantastic results of some of our clients.  Hopefully you will be inspired by these great results and we want to see your pictures up here in months to come.  I’m sure you will join us in a big congratulations  to these  individuals.  Keep up the good work…

Dave graham went from 18% body fat down to an amazing 12.6%:

Steve Cale built 15lbs of muscle while losing 10% body fat:

Rosemary has lost 4 stone, gone from a size 18 to a size10….! and now looks great:

Waqas also showed massive improvement in just 12weeks by increasing muscle and shedding his body fat:

Fantastic pictures and the best thing is that they are determined to carry on getting great results!  Keep working hard and it will be you next time!

We all occasionally get bored of sausage, bacon and egg for breakfast so this week we put our heads together and came up with some alternatives for you to try.

Pork and Pepper stir-fry

Heat 2 tblsp of olive oil in a wok, add 1/2 a chopped onion and 1 tblsp smoked paprike, cook until softened. Add 100g of minced pork and brown. Add 2 chopped peppers or any other vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Scrambled Eggs with Basil and Pinenuts

Whisk 3 eggs in a bowl. Heat a little butter in a frying pan, add the eggs and stir constantly until cooked through. Add a small handful of chopped basil and 1 tbsp of pinenuts.

Grilled Garlic Mushrooms with Bacon

Combine 5 large chopped mushrooms, 3 rashers of bacon chopped, 1 tbsp of chopped parsley, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 chopped garlic clove, salt and pepper. Place under a pre-heated grill and cook until the bacon is crispy and the mushrooms have started to brown. Add more salt and pepper as necessary.

Salmon and Courgette Fritters

Whisk 1 egg with 3 tbsp of ground almonds. Add 50g of smoked salmon, 1/2 a courgette roughly grated,1/2 a tablespoon of chopped dill and salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, add the mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.

If any of you have any different breakfast recipes please let us know!

A number of you have asked us recently about the best ways to stick to your eating plans while you are out and about. We realise how challenging this can be and knew we had to intervene with some advice after one of our new clients nearly throttled a woman who sat beside her on the train.  Apparently the lady took half an hour to slowly dunk her way through a cup of tea and a dairy milk as our nameless client (Ann Marie) suffered in silence beside her. This article comes in two parts and should really help you.

Part #1 – Explains how to eat when travelling

Part #2 – Explains how best to eat out at restaurants

#1 Tips to help when you’re travelling

You only have to look around a train station to see the types of food that most people grab when they are in a rush. Convenience foods such as sandwiches, burgers, crisps and sugary snacks are readily available and are the foods of choice for today’s busy commuters. Next time you are at the station take a second to observe these people. You will quickly realise that “they all look like crap!” The simple highly scientific reason for this is:

RUBBISH IN = RUBBISH OUT

So how can you make sure you don’t fall in to this trap? How can you make sure that you have stacks of energy and keep on track with your goals? How can you do this without taking too much time out of your busy schedules? See below for easyfit’s top tips:

• Be prepared – put together a Tupperware box of high quality proteins, fruits and veggies
• Left over’s – take a box of left over’s from the previous nights dinner
• Find an M&S simply food shop and buy the best salads you can find along with some cooked chicken or fish
• Make some home made protein bars (click here for recipes)
• Research the area you are travelling to. Check for good quality cafes and restaurants
• Always have a bag of nuts and an apple in your bag – these are energy essentials and will get you through until you find somewhere to eat a decent meal.

#2 – Tips to help eating out

Eating out is a great experience and should be enjoyed without worrying about piling on the pounds.  Here are some great tips to help you succeed. There is also a list of typical calorie levels of some popular take away and restaurant foods.

• Have light regular meals during the day so that you’re not starving when you reach the restaurant.  Keep using your 1-10 hunger scales.

• Choose regular restaurants that you know will have choices that suit you. It helps to choose what you are going to eat before you arrive.

• Skip the breads.

• Don’t be tempted to over order.  Avoid the extra chips, potatoes and rice side orders.

• Look for dishes described as grilled, chargrilled, poached, stir fried, steamed or cooked in its own juice.

• Half fill your plate with veg or salad

• Go for fruit (preferably berry) based deserts (if having a dessert!)

• Share – Sharing entrees, appetizers and desserts with dining partners is a great idea. It allows you to sample something that you really want to have while also helping you avoid the temptation to overindulge. If you are sharing with a friend or your partner, your portion size is automatically reduced and there is less available to eat. It is still important to make good menu choices,

• Order sauce and dressing on the side – If you ask for sauces and dressings on the side, you can control the amount that you eat. Often you can use less than is normally used and still enjoy the same taste.

• You don’t have to have 3 courses!

• Always go for high quality food.

• Avoid all you can eat buffets.

Chinese Tips:

• Go for steamed dishes
• Avoid rice and noodles
• Order soup
• Ask for your food to be MSG (monosodium glutamate) free.

Indian Tips:

• Go for tandoori dishes
• Avoid naan breads
• Avoid rice (order a side dish of vegetables)

Italian tips:

• Avoid pasta
• Go for thin crisp pizza if having pizza

Spanish tips:

• Careful not to order too many tapas
• Pick a combination of dishes that has protein, fat and low starch carbohydrates.

These are a few ideas but never be afraid to ring up any restaurant and ask about their food, ingredients and any special requirements.  A good restaurant will be willing to accommodate you and be happy to speak about their food.

Calorie and Fat Counts for Popular Chinese and Indian Dishes

Calorie counts are based on typical portions from takeaways and in restaurants. This information is a guide only, since restaurants serve different portion sizes and use different amounts of added fat.

There is no right or wrong here and we don’t you to worry too much about counting calories and fat, it is just to give you an idea of the amount of calories that are in popular foods.

Chinese

Prawn crackers – 385 calories, (approximately 15 calories each)

Seaweed (per plate) – 720 calories

Sesame prawn toasts – around 70 calories, 7.5g per small square

Meat spring roll (55g) – 125 calories.

Whole portion of spare ribs – 875 calories (so just have one!)

Chicken and sweet corn soup – 100 calories, 1 g fat

Crispy duck, made into 4 pancakes – 650 calories

Sweet and sour chicken – 585 calories

Sweet and sour pork (battered) – 715 calories

Chicken chow mein – 515 calories

Stir-fry beef with green peppers and black bean sauce – 375 calories,

Stir-fry vegetables – 185 calories

Szechuan prawns with vegetables – 310 calories

Chicken chop suey – 390 calories

Chicken with cashew nuts – 530 calories

Egg-fried rice – 550 calories, (73 calories per tablespoon)

Steamed rice – 410 calories, (40 calories per tablespoon)

Indian

Poppadom, plain, fried – 65 calories

Poppadom: spiced, grilled – 27 calories

Onion bhaji ( 2 medium) – 350 calories

Meat samosa (2 medium) – 335 calories,

Chicken korma.- 660 calories, 51g fat

Chicken tikka – 240 calories, 9g fat

Chicken tikka masala – 550 calories, 40g fat

lamb rogan josh – 505 calories, 35g fat

Vegetable balti – 290 calories, 28g fat

Chicken biryani – 985 calories, 44g fat

Chicken dhansak – 505 calories, 30g fat

Chicken jalfrezi or dupiaza – 415 calories, 27g fat

Prawn Madras – 400 calories, 29g fat

Pilau rice: per portion and (per tablespoon) – 290 (60) calories, 5g fat

Boiled rice: per portion and (per tablespoon) – 245 (55) calories, 2.4g fat

Chappati – 110 calories, 0.5g fat (made without fat)

Naan – 540 calories, 20g fat – but size varies a lot