SmarterFitter Daily

A variation of my Vegan Breakfast Tacos (no jalapeno or green pepper, alas, but Trader Joe's Corn Salsa made up for it). Side of cabbage salad (shredded cabbage, fresh lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper).

This was deeelicious. I bought the red gurnard on a whim, knowing it was amongst the fish you can eat with a clear conscience, but having no idea how it tastes. Then I saw this recipe for gurnard pan fried in chilli with a rustic avocado salsa and was inspired.

This is definitely something I'll be making again. The fish gets coated in this terrific spice mix that would be just as good on pollock or other white fish.:

• 2 tsp salt
• a good grind of black pepper
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (I skipped this as I was planning to have some super-hot mango chilli sauce on the side)
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp oregano (I used Mexican oregano)

This spice mix was also stunning on the potatoes: I had some leftover baked potatoes which I cut into wedges, sprinkled with the spices and pan-fried in a bit of oil. So good. 

My avocado salsa consisted of red chilli, red romano pepper, avocado, tomato, lime juice, cilantro, spring onion, salt and pepper.

Had a glass of red vino to drink, followed by a cold pear. Stellar meal.

This was pretty outstanding. From Ottolenghi's first cookbook, the recipe is also available on metro.co.uk: Grilled Mackerel with Green Olive, Celery and Raisin Salsa.

Had this with some boiled new potatoes and rocket. Will make again.

Haven't made these in a while - they really hit the spot. Recipe: Vegan breakfast tacos.

• Breakfast: Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes with blackberries, strawberries, strawberry jam, bananas and walnuts; decaf coffee to drink
• Lunch: Salad with roasted beetroot, apple, red onion, walnuts and feta
• Snack: Banana protein smoothie
• Dinner: Veganomicon's cornmeal-crusted tofu with mole sauce, pico, avocado and sauteed kale. 
• Dessert: Apple & tea

• Breakfast: Bircher muesli with yogurt, blackberries and walnuts
• Lunch: Loaded omelet with red onion, broccoli, tomato, parmesan and balsamic; served with salad, toast and avocado
• Snack: Banana protein smoothie (consumed in the car en route to apple pressing)
• Dinner: Mexican Supperclub at the Vegetarian Cookery School in Bath. Amazing spread: homemade corn chips, salsa, sweetcorn soup, tamales, mole sauce, stuffed poblano peppers, ancho cream, homemade corn tortillas, refried black beans, tequila guacamole, sorbet, chocolate torte. 

Breakfast: Banana and strawberry smoothie, sourdough toast with almond butter, decaf coffee.

Lunch: Epic salad nicoise with "Fish 4 Ever" tuna and anchovies, leftover pink fir potatoes from yesterday, tomato, red onion, sundried tomato, olives, raw broccoli, leaves and french beans from the garden, balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack: Apple, yogurt, a few walnuts.

Dinner: Grilled tofu, pepper and onion kebabs with salsa cruda and more leftover pink firs, plus some salad leaves and avocado.

So August is here. Part of me thinks that these notions of kicking off a lifestyle change at the start of a new year, month, or season is completely arbitrary and pointless. But at the same time, I can't help but feel a sense of renewed motivation this month. It began well. I didn't drink on Sunday evening and had a terrific sleep. I went to the gym. I got a walk in. I ate well. I felt good. The only hitch was caffeine. I really made no intentions to quit caffeine (though I think about it occasionally). However, for lack of caffeinated coffee in the house, I stuck to decaf. I was fine all day but had a killer headache in the evening - so I went to bed with my book and a few ibuprofen.

The gym was good and the knee is coming along in leaps and bounds (okay, more like longish strides and faint hops). I did 20 minutes of walking on a very steep incline and didn't feel at all awkward or strained. I followed this with some bench presses, rows, deadlifts, crunches, and TRX bicep curls and chest presses. There are days when I go to the gym and I feel absolutely exhausted before I even get there. Today was not one of those days. It felt great.

I also got my daily walk in during the afternoon at lunch. It was sunny and hot today in England - glorious weather - and I decided on my stroll to have a bbq that evening. Something clean, whole and vegan. Tofu kebabs. I'm loving the salsa cruda we had at Sunday's cookery course, and I majorly scored by being given the leftovers. Tomatoillos, tomatoes, chilli, spring onion, coriander, lemon juice, a dash of sweetener. Delicious. It makes me want to do more with fresh salsas and sauces.

Breakfast: Muesli, yogurt, banana, raspberries, blueberries, oolong tea

Snack 1:Sourdough walnut and raisin toast from Thoughtful Bread, served with butter and coffee

Snack 2: Fruit smoothie with frozen berries and raw milk

Snack: 3 Spinach malfetti with herb, lemon and pinenut sauce

Late Lunch: Pumpkin walnut and feta salad with wild herb and edible flower salad; stuffed field mushrooms with parsley pistou, roasted pink fir potatoes with harissa; courgette fritters with raw salsa cruda; rhubarb cheesecake.

Light Dinner: Farinata, leftover pumpkin salad, lots of rocket.

A fairly awesome day of food on Sunday. I spent the morning and afternoon on a food outing / cooking course at Rachel Demuths' Vegetarian Cookery School in Bath. We started at Castle Farm Organic Produce where we picked loads of beautiful fruit and veg like swiss chard, mizuna, horseradish, pink fir potatoes, a massive pumpkin, loads of salad leaves, parsley, lovage, borage, sage, thyme, mint, raspberries, plums... then we took the lot back to the cookery school and spent the day cooking at eating, hence the large quantity of snacks today. The highlight for me was the refreshing raw salsa cruda, made with tomatoillos, tomatoes, chillies, spring onions,coriander, lemon juice and a dash of apple juice concentrate (amazing what a little sweetness does for a salsa). We had our late lunch at around 4pm. I didn't think I'd be hungry for dinner but by 8pm I felt a tad peckish so had a bit of farinata, leftover pumpkin salad (both scores from the cookery school), followed by fruit and yogurt.  In retrospect, I wish I had given the yogurt/fruit a pass. I was really looking forward to going to bed on a not full stomach for a change, and the yogurt pushed me over the edge. Oh well. This is how we learn!

Oh, I got my walk in first thing in the morning before class. And did a fair bit of gardening when I got home from Bath.