Over the past week I've made some extraordinary food. This statement isn't meant to sound boastful or act as an attempt to 'big-up' my culinary skills. I'm using the word 'extraordinary' in the context of unusual but delicious.
One of the challenges I face - as a pescatarian - is trying to find new ways to bring variety and nutrition into my diet. As a 'have-a-go' home baker I've also been missing the 'Will it rise/Won't it rise?' excitement of making cake over the past three months, especially to enjoy with a Sunday afternoon cup of tea.
At an recent event I was offered beetroot burger canapés. Not only were these extremely tasty but they were also a complete revelation. I'd never contemplated making my own veggie burgers before, but a quick search around the Internet and I had a vegan beetroot burger recipe to try out. What's more it was packed with several protein-rich ingredients - so Mexican Waves all round.
Similarly I found a recipe for a "healthy" fruit cake* - if it is possible to make such a thing. The most interesting concept about this cake was that it contains zero fat and zero sugar. Reduced dates and water become the main binding agent, whilst the fruit provides the natural sugars that sweetens the mixture. I have to honest and say that I was slightly sceptical about whether this would work - but once I'd made it and tasted it, I knew it was a bit of a winner.
Since dropping the Moves app a few weeks ago - please see the footnote on my Squeeze, Ease and Hold blogpost for more info on why - I've since been recommended, and started to use, Argus from Azumio Inc. This is an altogether more comprehensive app. Not only does it record when I'm walking and when I'm working-out, but I now use it to monitor my sleep as well as heart-rate through paid-for bolt-on apps.
The most fascinating aspect of Argus is food though. There's a whole merry band of us around the globe who share photos of what we're eating with each other via Argus's News Feed. As we're all located in different time-zones I'm getting used to looking images of people's evening meals whilst I'm eating breakfast, and peoples' breakfast when I'm tucking into a late afternoon snack.
Of course looking at other peoples' food isn't just about being nosey - although if I'm totally honest there is an certainly element of that for me. I'm also using this feature to gather inspiration for dishes that I could try here at home. In addition I'm using the app to engage with others, who are also on a fitness regime, by chatting to them about their food.
The "healthy" fruit cake certainly got quite a bit of interest when I posted a photo of it onto my activity feed. Carolyn, who is based near the eastern seaboard of the US, and I struck up quite a rapport about the cake. I even provided her with the list of ingredients and instructions when she told me that she couldn't access the recipe via the URL I'd given.
If you're in the market for a pedometer, calorie, nutrition and activity tracker, then I can certainly recommend Argus. It's an app with so many parts to it, that it feels like I now have a Swiss Army Knife for health and fitness on my smart phone.
*There is a bit of confusion with the healthy fruit cake recipe. The instructions contain more fruit ingredients than were listed. I decided to opt for 400g mixed fruit and 50g figs and apricots - and this certainly worked for me.
Similarly I found a recipe for a "healthy" fruit cake* - if it is possible to make such a thing. The most interesting concept about this cake was that it contains zero fat and zero sugar. Reduced dates and water become the main binding agent, whilst the fruit provides the natural sugars that sweetens the mixture. I have to honest and say that I was slightly sceptical about whether this would work - but once I'd made it and tasted it, I knew it was a bit of a winner.
Since dropping the Moves app a few weeks ago - please see the footnote on my Squeeze, Ease and Hold blogpost for more info on why - I've since been recommended, and started to use, Argus from Azumio Inc. This is an altogether more comprehensive app. Not only does it record when I'm walking and when I'm working-out, but I now use it to monitor my sleep as well as heart-rate through paid-for bolt-on apps.
The most fascinating aspect of Argus is food though. There's a whole merry band of us around the globe who share photos of what we're eating with each other via Argus's News Feed. As we're all located in different time-zones I'm getting used to looking images of people's evening meals whilst I'm eating breakfast, and peoples' breakfast when I'm tucking into a late afternoon snack.
Of course looking at other peoples' food isn't just about being nosey - although if I'm totally honest there is an certainly element of that for me. I'm also using this feature to gather inspiration for dishes that I could try here at home. In addition I'm using the app to engage with others, who are also on a fitness regime, by chatting to them about their food.
The "healthy" fruit cake certainly got quite a bit of interest when I posted a photo of it onto my activity feed. Carolyn, who is based near the eastern seaboard of the US, and I struck up quite a rapport about the cake. I even provided her with the list of ingredients and instructions when she told me that she couldn't access the recipe via the URL I'd given.
If you're in the market for a pedometer, calorie, nutrition and activity tracker, then I can certainly recommend Argus. It's an app with so many parts to it, that it feels like I now have a Swiss Army Knife for health and fitness on my smart phone.
*There is a bit of confusion with the healthy fruit cake recipe. The instructions contain more fruit ingredients than were listed. I decided to opt for 400g mixed fruit and 50g figs and apricots - and this certainly worked for me.
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