My Favourite Health + Fitness Bloggers in Manchester

There's no doubt that the health and fitness arena is booming but the London scene seems to dominate my timelines so I wanted to highlight the bloggers I follow from Manchester - there are a load of them - in a round up post, so you can add some Northern soul to your social scroll.

I've rounded up some of my favourite health and fitness bloggers in Manchester as I love finding new blogs and people to follow who are on a similar ~vibe~ to me.

Spamella B - 

Twitter brought Spam & I together and we met "IRL" in early 2015. Since then, we've become good friends and are actually going on holiday together soon, with three other health/foodie friends (Sophie, Sophia and Vicki - who all met because of blogging and who, coincidentally all feature in this post..)

I always head over to Pam's blog if my sweet tooth calls - her recipes are really easy to follow and I'm always really impressed with not only how nice they look, but how nice each creation tastes, too.

BBC Good Food have also named her as one of six health bloggers you should follow in 2016, which is amazing.

Vicki Mellard - 

Vicki is a qualified PT at The Gym group in Manchester city centre, and she's recently started doing office PT classes, bringing circuits to your desk, so watch this space... I love her weekly newsletters that always include a cheeky recipe and workout for you to add into your training mix. 

Sophie's Scran - 

Soph has such a refreshing, down to earth approach to gourmet style, easy home cooking and reading her blog is like having a chat with a good mate. Posts like her 'food at the cabin' blog encapsulate everything I love about how food can bring people together - and reminds me of similar posts I've written, such as my weekend away in Dartmouth and an early Christmas in north France with my closest friends. 

Sophia Hall - Nalu Active

Sophia is currently undergoing a major revamp to an amazing new fitness brand, Nalu Active - combining wellness coaching, PT & nutrition packages. Her website isn't live yet but will link to it when it is. In the meantime, feast your eyes on her amazing insta, full of gorgeously glam, strong selfies, easy to recreate recipes and fitness motivation. 

Wedges & Weights 

Hannah was one of the first bloggers I started watching on YouTube. She's got such a 'real life' approach to living a healthy lifestyle and keeps coming back to the word balance. I love how motivating and positive she is on social - scrolling through my newsfeed at 6am on a Monday morning is always made so much better when I've seen a "you got this" memo from this beaut.

Towards the end of last year Hannah ran a lush supper club at The Garden, Hale where she helped create the most delicious three course meal.. I couldn't stop thinking about that chocolate cheesecake for weeks on end. Her infectious laugh and positivity are winners with me...

Vic Spence

One third of the #GirlGains movement; the blonde beauty that truly embodies the fact that the #girlgains clan is most definitely a national thing. Vic's instagram and snapchat are perfect places to go for fitness motivation and inspiration.

I had the 'pleasure' of letting Vic teach me in a HIIT class once, and let me tell you, it was not pretty... she worked us all damn hard! After the HIIT session at the event, all of us girls had a good old chin wag, and it was really refreshing to sit around and talk about 'gal' things, and get away from filters and hashtags. Fair play to MyProtein for organising such a fab event.

That Squat Bot

"Run fast, lift heavy, eat hard." Three phrases I more than wholeheartedly agree with, and it just so happens, the tag line of Sarah's blog. One thing I love about Sarah's blogs are the edgy backdrops for photoshoots she always seems to find, and she's got amazing strength - she's a real inspiration. 

I also remember reading about the importance of washing gym kit with sports detergent on Sarah's blog, to keep your activewear in tip top condition... I'm still yet to invest (it's one of those items that's always 'on the list'), but for more practical tips (and great crossfit vids on Insta) head over to her website and social channels pronto.

Sequin This

Sequins is a firm favourite in my eyes; mingled in with her beauty best buys, restaurant reviews + renovation posts, you'll find a taste of fitness as she dips her toe in the world of healthy living. Sarah's one of those girls who could eat chocolate until the cow's came home and still be trim, but maybe staying slim is down to the fact she always seems to be jetting off to the alps to explore (she's off to review what the Austrian alps is like in the summer in a few days, so keep your eyes peeled...)

Clean Nosh

Rebecca's someone I like for her honest approach to clean eating. She gives truthful appraisals on how she previously struggled with her weight and swears that clean eating changed her life. Her instagram is great for any brides to be looking to get fit for their big day, as she ties the knot in a few months!

These are my fave healthy lifestyle and fitness blogs from Manchester at the moment, there are so many more - I'm tempted to do a follow up post...  if you've got any favourites pleeease send them my way as I love finding new people to follow! x

Salted Caramel Nicecream

If you're anything like me then having something sweet after a meal is mandatory (regardless of how full I am) - I just crave it! This salted caramel banana icecream is a beauty - sweet, salty, soft icecream peppered with cacao nibs.

It takes minutes to make (provided you've got frozen banana) so it's perfect for a quick weeknight sweet tooth fix.

For one person, you'll need:

1 - 2 frozen bananas (chopped)
2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup (I use Buckwud)
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Place the banana, almond milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup and sea salt in the blender and mix for a couple of minutes until a smooth, icecream like consistency has formed. Scoop out into a bowl and top with cacao nibs.

ENJOY, it's bloody delicious.

The beauty with this is how easy it is to swap flavours in and out - I did another 'nicecream' blog post here, about a year ago..

Quinoa inspired Kedgeree

If someone had told me a year ago I'd be using the words 'kedgeree', 'inspired' and 'quinoa' in the same sentence, I would have told that hipster to do one. But here we are. And this is a really tasty, hearty recipe that is great either hot or cold so ideal for lunch or tea.

I always thought kedgeree (flaked fish, rice, boiled eggs and curry powder) had its roots firmly grounded in Scotland but after googling various recipes I found out it actually purports an Indian heritage, and my spin on this dish is definitely Asian inspired, with cumin and turmeric powering the flavours.

I've replaced the rice with quinoa as it's a complete protein with all nine amino acids.

This recipe makes around 2 - 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are and what you're having it with.

I used:

3 x smoked mackerel fillets
250g quinoa
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin
1 red onion 
2 garlic gloves 
1 lemon 
3 large eggs 

I have a love / hate relationship with mackerel. I go through phases of craving it, then having too much of it and not touching the stuff for six months. We're going through a good patch at the moment, I've eaten it twice in the past two days... If you don't like mackerel, haddock is widely used in kedgeree dishes.

Fry the onion and garlic in a pan for a few minutes until soft and brown, and then add in your quinoa and water (I used enough to cover the quinoa, probably about 750ml but did top up the pan throughout cooking to keep it moist and to stop it burning). Throw in your spices and allow everything to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed.

After ten minutes, boil your eggs in a saucepan and chop your mackerel. Once the eggs are done (I like mine a little bit runny inside still), peel off the shell and chop into quarters. Chop the mackerel too, getting rid of any bones if needed.

Toss the mackerel in the cooked quinoa and place the eggs on top, squeezing the juice of one lemon over the pan before serving.

Disclaimer: I don't know how you make eggs and fish and quinoa in this arrangement look pretty... don't judge this one on appearances.

Nutty Fudge

Oh my goodness. I came across this recipe on Facebook today, and set out to make it right away. I ended up tweaking a few elements and wanted to share my twist with you as it is obscenely good (and painlessly easy to make, ideal for lazy Sunday cooking).

Thank you so much to Kezia from Supernaturally Healthy for the original recipe - if you like the sound of this then definitely check hers out. As I sit here ploughing my way through this batch, it's safe to say you've made my weekend, Kezia!

I used: 

• 150g coconut oil (melted)
• 3 tablespoons smooth cashew butter (I use Meridian)
• 3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter (Again, Meridian)
• 100g pitted dates
• 1 tablespoon honey 
• 1 generous pinch of salt
• Cacao nibs, to sprinkle on top. 

Melt the coconut oil in a pan. In the mean time, chuck everything else bar the cacao nibs into a blender - but don't turn it on. Once the coconut oil has melted, pour into the blender and turn it on, whizzing until everything forms a smooth paste.

I greased a tupperware box with coconut oil, but an oven dish will work here too, and spread your mixture out evenly. Sprinkle with cacao nibs and place on an even surface in the freezer. I kept mine in the freezer for two hours, but I think it would be fine after an hour.

These are a revelation for me; I crave something sweet after every savoury meal and the creamy, fudgey taste of these sweet nut butter squares is a god send.

My Protein: #GIRLSONLY

Last Saturday, the girls at My Protein invited me and a load of other gurlz for an afternoon of protein, HIIT, and a bloody good natter.

The HIIT class was taken by none other than MyProtein ambassador and #GirlGains co-founder Vic Spence, aka @healthyfitvic and my GOD, it was a tough one (I'd been for curry the night before, so to say I was feeling a little 'heavy' is an understatement!)

We did three rounds of three exercises, forty seconds on ten seconds off. Each round focused on different body parts and there was no one move easier than the other; it really was a killer... sweaty, hilarious photos below to document...

How nice are Vicki's yellow & green leggings?! 

You know you've probably overdone it on the naan bread front when Vic singles you out, laughs and congratulates you for being so sweaty - a high point in my gym life, I will admit...

Once we'd sweated out shed loads, it was time to refuel and dose up on some serious 'gAiNz' in the name of salted caramel protein shakes and a mountain of MyProtein treats, nut butter and some amazing CAKE from Heebs:

We then had a bit of a q&a with Vic about her training regime, general fitness advice and how she found competing, and before long, all of us were sat cross-legged on the floor, eating treats and having profound conversations.

It sounds stereotypical, but the 'sleepover' feel to this part of the event was by far my favourite (over a post-curry HIIT session, really?!). It was so nice to feel comfortable and chatty with a bunch of like minded girls. We discussed our issues with the health industry, the perception of perfection in our social media saturated lives and the concerns around influencers preaching knowledge without the right qualifications (bloggers, aka me, included - I won't ever pretend to kid anyone that I'm a dietician or PT; I just eat and exercise what I feel works for me to stay healthy and happy!). There was no judging, no competing, just a group of girls putting the world to right!

It was such a refreshing, chilled afternoon, so massive thanks to Sarah, Lucy, Hebe and Laura for organising it.

They're also offering a cheeky 20% off all products on the site for the next month with the code: GIRLSONLY - so feel free to pop this in the checkout!

Sweaty Sequin This & I

Who Doesn't Love Eating Out..?!

 

I absolutely love eating out; it’s hands up without a doubt one of my favourite pastimes ever.

There’s an old Italian phrase “buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici” which roughly translates as ‘good food, good wine, good friends,’ and it’s a motto I’ve strived to live by (hard times). If I was a tattoo person, I’d get it inked on me (maybe). Apart from being stupidly simple, I think it captures the essence of what eating out is all about; enjoying the company of people you care about, and celebrating with food and drink.

          .  

Although we can’t always have our meals in the warm Mediterranean sunset, bathed in a twinkling glow from fairy lights in mason jars (as much as my Alfresco Pinterest board suggests I want to), eating out in the UK is something I can do pretty well too. Seven times ‘pretty well’, apparently, as that’s how many times I had the pleasure of eating out last week. Oops. 

It wasn't a 'normal' week; those particular seven days were a whirlwind of visiting friends in London, date nights, restaurant launches and catching up with friends…including brunch at Jackson &Rye (smoked salmon, avo & eggs & a white peach bellini), dinner at Double ‘00’ Zero – a really, really good new artisan pizza place in Chorlton, more dinner / different day at Busaba Eatthai, a hotel buffet breakfast (croissants for the win), tasty ramen and red wine at The Alchemist, and a tasting menu (copious amounts of flatbreads, pizza, pasta and a gorgeous hazelnut cheesecake) at the launch of the new Prezzo restaurant on Deansgate.

Delish selection of flatbreads at the Prezzo launch on Deansgate

Red wine & Ramen @ The Alchemist, Spinningfields

Although that’s not a normal week, I do eat out quite a bit, so I thought I’d share with you the four little things I usually do in restaurants to achieve that ‘balanced’ approach…

S.O.S –

Which stands for Sauce On the Side. I don’t know why restaurants insist on smothering eggs and bacon in hollandaise sauce. Yes, it’s quite nice, but Christ I can’t think of anything worse than my precious golden yolk being overshadowed by that buttery sauce.

I’m the same with buttered spinach, or anything else (like salad dressing) that sounds like it’s going to drown what's on my plate. You’re more likely to eat less of the stuff if you’re dipping in to it every now and then, and heck if you do eat it all at least you can choose which parts of your meal are covered in it!

Tap water –

Guzzle it. Drink a few glasses before the bread and olives arrive, and have another one for luck before you clink your wine glasses and cheers. Every time your wine glass is topped up, fill up your water glass. Keep hydrated.

Swap it –

If you’ve eaten out a fair few times over a short space of time and want to rein it in a little, I always find swapping stuff goes down well. Try a naked burger, where the bun is swapped for a green salad, change your chips for couscous, or swap out sweet chilli mayo and just ask for a tomato sauce. It’s the little things in life!

And finally…

Have what you WANT –

Seriously, there is nothing, nothing worse than wanting the pulled pork burger with thrice fried spicy battered fries and ordering the basa fillet with swiss chard and bulgur wheat. Even if that basa is the tenderest little fish you’ve ever had, it just won’t compare.

I almost always make a rule to go with my initial pick, my ‘gut’ instinct, as it’s usually what I want. You’re out to enjoy yourself, so don’t regret your choice. There is nothing unhealthy about balance and a Diavolo pizza won’t ruin your gym plan or make you pile on the pounds. Just don’t do it every night.

Anyway, I’m off – I need to get ready for a brunch date with friends at Foundation Coffee; buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici indeed!

image creds: http://emmadime.com/2013/11/lovely-lady-sarah-samuel/ 

http://www.stefanoscata.com/view/20409

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/293789575665771651/

Cinnamon & Nutmeg Protein Loaf

I'm not going to lie to you, I find baking with protein hard. Does anyone else think that it can make your tray bakes / cakes / loaves and cookies dry and a bit 'claggy' sometimes?

I've been wanting to post a protein bake recipe for a few weeks but the last two rounds haven't been up to scratch (apart from when smeared in butter.. oops!), however, I think I'm on the right tracks with this one though as I've added Greek yoghurt to make it more moist, and it definitely makes it taste a lot less dry, which is great!

The nutmeg, cinnamon and sweetness from the dates is 10 on 10 for flavour, and the size of these slices means you don't need too much before feeling satisfied.

This recipe makes 12 chunky loaf squares:

• 100g ground almonds
• 100g Impact whey vanilla (I'm using MyProtein)
• 60g chopped dates
• 30g coconut sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tea spoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 100g Total Greek yoghurt

Simply; combine all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, pour into a loaf tin and pop in the oven.

I'd initially set a timer for 15 minutes but it turns out this chunky loafer needed about 25 minutes, so keep your eye on it - if it looks soggy after fifteen minutes set another timer for 5 minutes and check it again, and so on.

They make a really good snack if you're craving something sweet in the evening or, (if you're anything like me) when you get home in the evening and *couldn't possibly* wait fifteen minutes for your tea to cook.

Macro wise, per loaf chunk:

131 calories
11g protein
8.2g carbs
5.8g fat

Relaxing @ The Victorian Warehouse Hotel

A couple of Sunday's ago on World Yoga Day, I was invited for an afternoon of relaxation by Ocean Finance at the (v quirky) Victorian Warehouse hotel.

The thinking behind the event was to completely unwind from everyday stresses, including finance worries, daily pressures from work and just generally feeling freed from our fast paced lives.

It was such a fantastic afternoon, and back massages (and gorgeous Thai food) aside, it certainly made me stop and think about how often I stress. Not just about work or money, but about pretty much everything and anything - and how I don't really do anything constructive about it.

Focusing on de-stressing is something we rarely do as humans; and I don't know about you but I let things build up and add little things together, so it was lovely to actively focus on breaking all that down - if you're thinking this all sounds a little bit indulgent, don't! It was great to have 'me' time and be somewhere that encouraged just being 'present' in the moment without stressing about anything.

www.victoriawarehouse.com/content/yoga-centre-and-spa.aspx

After introductory drinks and a bit of a mingle (who doesn't love a mingle), we settled into the spa and got to choose a treatment - I opted for a neck and back massage as that area of my body always seems soo tense no matter what I do.

Needless to say it was d-vine and sorted me out a treat, she absolutely went to town on all these weird, tough knots, and told me afterwards she could have spent another hour knuckling them down. A sign I need to book massages more often..?! I'm fine with that.

So happy about Reflexology

I also had a reflexology treatment. I'd never had it before but let me tell you this, when I could tell the session was coming to an end I could have cried, it was that soothing.

Part deux of the event was an invigorating Hatha yoga class, focusing on aligning breath with a multitude of poses - I hadn't done any yoga in a few weeks and so doing downward facing dogs and child's pose felt all the more relieving; I've made a conscious vow to myself not to leave it that long as it feels so good!

We then had a workshop on relaxation from Rachel Watson, a lifestyle coach. She offered us key advice on dealing with stress and also useful tips to help you relax, which I'm going to post on here soon, as they rung true and have stuck with me, so watch this space.

To round everything off, we enjoyed a tofu Thai curry and left with an amazing goody bag;

(..and that's with a looot of things already having been devoured..)

The venue was really cool (if not a little bizarre - as a former Warehouse Project venue it was odd being there sober!), and the spa inside the hotel is great: our yoga class was run by Nikki Hambrook from Manchester Yoga & Holistic Central, and their class schedule can be found here.

Paprika Salmon & Lime Swiss Chard

This is a great meal option if you're after a low carb, high protein lunch or light dinner. The salmon & hemp are full of essential fatty acids, omega 3 and protein, the pumpkin seeds offer magnesium & zinc, Swiss chard is packed with vitamin K, E and protein, plus the tomatoes give you loads of vitamin C and A.

It tastes so summery and if you leave the salmon to crisp up a bit too it goes perfectly with the sweet tomatoes.

To serve one you'll need;

1 salmon fillet
2 large handfuls Swiss chard
A dozen or so vine ripened tomatoes
1 tablespoon shelled hemp (I use Linwoods)
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1/2 lime
Salt & pepper to season
Paprika

Dust your fillet with paprika and put in the oven at 180 degrees. I set a timer for 20 minutes as I wanted it to be really crispy. When there is about 5-7 minutes left on your timer, pop the tomatoes in the oven too. Wash two generously sized handfuls of Swiss chard and place in a steamer.

Once the chard is wilted, serve on your plate and squeeze the juice of half a lime over it.

Place the salmon over the chard with the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the hemp and pumpkin seeds on top. Voila!

Madeleine Shaw Event: Supper Club @ Harvey Nichols

Last week, Pamela, Nadia & I enjoyed a delicious evening of food with Madeleine Shaw at her Supper Club hosted by Harvey Nics. Her Get the Glow evening promised four plates and a pudding from her cookbook, cocktails and a talk about the new book, and I'd been looking forward to it for ageees. We were even more excited (read: giggling with massive grins on our faces) to see on the seating plan that our names were on Madeleine's table!

Green Goddess Bowl

We kicked off with soft poached eggs, avo, kale, sesame seeds and a gorgeous dressing. Look at that yolk! 

Mexican BBQ Grilled Corn & Quinoa with chilli salsa

The creamiest quinoa I've ever tasted (it was mixed with natural yoghurt). I'm not usually sweetcorn's number one fan but this was lush, the BBQ flavours brought it to life and the salsa was fresh and tangy.

Thai Beef Salad, salt & pepper cashews

This dish was my favourite. The beef was so tender and juicy, mixed with the chewy salted cashews and wilted greens the textures were spot on! Cannot wait to recreate this.

Spicy Salmon, Cucumber & Yoghurt

I loved this one - it looked so delicate but the flavours were punchy and there was a nice mix of crunch (the cucumber, the salmon edges) and smoothness (the yoghurt and the juicy meat).

Raw Chocolate Cherry Fudge, Vanilla & Coconut Dairy-free Ice-cream

This dessert was insane, I can't do it justice in words - the richness of the dense, yet almost gooey chocolate paired perfectly with cooling creaminess of the icecream. Yes I realise I'm gushing here, but I've attempted to make raw chocolate before and not gonna lie, it tasted rank, so this is a recipe I can't wait to try as it was incredible.

The evening was just what I needed; relaxed and chilled - a room full of people chatting over really, really decent & nourishing food. As well as the food being spot on, both Madeleine and her boyfriend Kieran were so lovely to chat to - a very humble happy couple!

I was gutted as I'd ordered the book from Amazon and it didn't arrive in time - it still hasn't arrived! - but once it's here I can't wait to start bookmarking recipes, especially the raw chocolate fudge...