Mint Chocolate Chip Macaron Ice-cream Sandwich

I really have been slightly addicted to making these macaron ice-cream sandwiches after I went to a macaron making class a few weeks ago. The lesson was at the 'Smart School of Cookery' down at St Katherines Dock and it was around 3 hours long, but I really recommend it. We were a slightly smaller group of 12, so were able to have a bit more attention than the usual bigger parties. I am genuinely quite a creative person and love trying new things and I knew I wanted to try these macaron ice-cream sandwiches, but I had to start somewhere so I knew a lesson was very much needed. Since then I have been practising making them on my days off. 

The mint chocolate chip ones in the above picture have been my third attempt and I was so proud of them! The macarons turned out perfectly and all the same size which is what I was struggling with. I was used to making tiny little macarons rather than a hand size therefore I had to try out different temperatures, lengths of cooking time and colouring. So far I have managed to get the first two going well, but the colouring not so much. I have now realised that I need certain colourings, as the ones I tried actually discoloured when heated. Can you believe these ones were meant to be green! They were to start off with, but after about 10 minutes in the oven, they quickly went brown in colour. They taste absolutely fine (not burnt), but I wanted to make them more visually appealing and Instagramable! 

Once I have got them perfect I will let you know how to make them. At the moment it is very much trial and error!

Virgin London Marathon completed!

Well, me and Meghan finally completed the Virgin London Marathon 2016. Unfortunately, I ended up hurting my hips at mile 14 which was really annoying, but I powered on through during the immense pain and completed it in 5 hours and 9 minutes. This wasn't the time I wanted at all, but under the circumstances I felt it was a good time. My sister did absolutely amazing and finished in 4 hours and 30 minutes which she was really chuffed with and I am so proud of her! 

I had a great support team with me as well, who I saw first at mile 7 where they were wearing 'This Bush Can' t-shirts which certainly put a smile on my face. When the toughest last few miles were approaching towards the end, I was truly thankful and blessed to have them all there on the side lines cheering me on.

I feel so overwhelmed by all of the support from my friends, family and co-workers who helped me reach my target of £1250 for The Docklands Settlements. The charity is so thankful to everyone who raised the money, and it will go towards helping a huge amount of people, so thank you so much again.

I have to say that due to my injury I am definitely not in a rush to run another marathon, but I certainly won't see never! 

Oakley 20 Mile Race

So, my final long distance run of 20 miles was on Sunday the 3rd of April and lets say I certainly didn't have the best nights sleep the day before. The race was in Oakley just outside of Bedford, so there was going to be lots of countryside to run around in. I have been doing lots of long distance training, mainly around London, and sometimes I find it hard to know exactly how well I am doing. There are always traffic lights I have to stop at, I am aways pedestrian dodging or topping up on water by popping into local supermarkets on route. Therefore, i'm never able to exactly judge how well I'm doing. That's why I wanted to do this organised race of 20 miles, so I would know where I was at and what time I would (roughly) do the London marathon in.

I did the race with my little sister Meghan who is just as keen about running and keeping fit as me. She has done two previous marathons and like I have said in previous posts, she is also doing the London marathon with me as well. She is, annoyingly, a lot faster than me, so during this race we kept together most of the time. When it got to around mile 15/16 she sped off while I slowly made my way up one of the many hills on the route. I think this was one of the hilliest runs I have done ever, which was good for my training, although my hips afterwards felt the burn. We were told beforehand that there was a 4 hour limit to complete the race, so it gave me the momentum to finish as quickly as possible! We didn't get a medal after completing and surviving this race, instead we got a really cool red hoodie, which when finishing was totally needed due to how cold you get afterwards! I was really happy with my time considering the hills that I had to conquer and I did it in 3 hours and 28 minutes. My sister did hers in an amazing 3 hours 20 minutes, so we are both on track to hopefully complete the London marathon in 4 hours 30.

 We have just under 3 weeks to go (ah!!) and I would love for you to help raise money for my amazing charity 'The Dockland Settlements.' You can do this by donating on my just giving page at:

https://www.justgiving.com/Hayley-Bushell2

Thank you!

Marathon Running Gear

With the marathon creeping up on me quicker than I would like, I received my charities running top. They kept it really simple and didn't put their logo on it in order to maximise their name. It's also to help spot and cheer me on (which I will definitely need!) when I'm running around the course near the Isle of Dogs and Rotherhithe.

I have had my fair share of spectating and taking part in many running events over the years, and one thing I have found is that it can be fairly difficult to spot runners when it's a busy course. So, in order for all of my friends and family to see me I bought myself some funky new running gear. I'm a big fan of Nike when it comes to my sportswear, as they are always comfy and non-irritable (we all know that awful chaffing feeling). I got my running shoes from them a few weeks back which were mega bright so wanted clothes that would work with them, and what better colour than coral! Nike also had a sale on at the time so was able to grab lots of bargains. I had to think about different weather situations such as cold, hot, rain, wind etc, as with London I just don't know what the day will bring. But, after doing a few runs in the different clothes, I am going to wear the outfit which you can see in the pictures above for race day. The running leggings are nice and eye-catching and I'm also hoping to wear a bright headband so its even easier to spot me. So, if you see a coral zebra girl run past you if you decide to watch the marathon, and I suggest you do, give me a good old cheer as i'll be needing it!!

Forest Fruit and Acia Berry Smoothie

This has to be one of my favourite all time smoothies. Acai is a deep purple fruit that can be found deep in the Amazon rainforest. Not only is it delicious, but the acai berry has many added benefits such as boosting energy levels, supporting your immune system and helping to promote a healthy digestive system. It has been known recently as a 'celebrity superfood' with many supermodels, actresses and celebrities alike, are all hot on including in their diet.

I tend to add the acai to smoothies, but it can also be added into porridge and yoghurt. You can buy the powder in most health food stores, but make sure it's 100% acai berry to get the full benefits. I used Greens Organic Freeze Dried Acai Berry Powder and I love it! Below is how I made my smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 chopped frozen banana 

Handful of frozen forest fruits (blue berries, strawberries, black berries, raspberries)

1 teaspoon acai berry powder

I didn't add this into my smoothie, but if you want a more creamy smoothie, just add a heaped tablespoon of fat free yoghurt. I then placed all the ingredients into my Nutribullet and then topped it with cold water to the maximum line. Blitzed it till it became a smoothie like texture. Pour into a jar and serve! Delish! 

6 Week Progress BBG

I thought I would post a progress pic of me so far on the Bikini Body Guide. It really is a great idea to take before and after pictures as it gives you such a big boost and great motivation to keep going when you see results. The picture on the left is the before BBG and the one on the right is 6 weeks  after. I am really chuffed with the progress so far. I am also training for the marathon so find the circuits that I do in Kayla's training are really helping to strengthen my legs. I'm going to stop after a few weeks, around week 10, as it will be getting too close to the marathon and I can't risk doing too much leg work.

I will keep you updated with my progress!

Courgetti Burger

 

I have been getting really into using my spiralizer and wanted to try something different using the courgetti. I love my burger in a bun, but sometimes the bread can make it to heavy and stodgy, so I thought I would give this idea a go. It's really easy and makes using the courgette slightly more fun and using it in a different way, rather than just a substitute for spaghetti. You can add a regular hamburger to put inside, but I made it with a veggie Quorn one instead.

Ingredients:

1 courgette

2 eggs

splash of milk

salt

cracked black pepper

tablespoon of olive oil

Firstly, you will need a spiralizer but don't panic if you don't have one, as now you can get ready made courgetti in supermarkets which will work just fine. If you have a spiralizer then sprialize the courgette into a bowl. Next, crack the eggs into a bowl with a splash of milk and whisk with a fork until all mixed together (about 10 seconds). Add a pinch of salt and the cracked black pepper to the omelette mix and whisk again. I used a small ramekin dish to put a handful of the courgetti in, then added the egg mixture to soak the courgetti. Add the olive oil to a frying pan and put on a low heat. 

Take the courgetti out of the ramekin and place in the centre of the pan. I used a spatular to compress the courgetti as it gives it more of a patty shape so easier to handle. Do this 3 more times (or more depending how thick you want the patties). I kept them in the oven on a low temperature whilst I was doing each one so they didn't get cold.

Like I said before, you can use a regular burger but I like the Quorn burgers as they are lighter and less calories. I added some sliced tomatoes and lettuce to make it feel like a 'proper' burger. For the sweet potatoes fries I got two medium sweet potatoes and cut them into thin strips. Then, place on a baking tray and sprinkle two tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil so each one is covered. Then sprinkle over paprika, salt and pepper. I then put in the oven at 180 degrees for around 30 minutes (but keep checking to make sure they don't get over cooked).

Enjoy!