Riding the Wave of Temptation

If you’re on a weight loss or healthy eating campaign and find yourself fighting the temptation of food that could jeopardise your chances of success, it might be time to do a bit of Urge Surfing! Never heard of this phrase before? Neither had I until a few weeks ago, although I was already familiar with some of the principles.

Years ago, one of my roles as a personal trainer was presenting workshops for an organisation designed to provide practical solutions for families dealing with obesity.

Part of the course suggested ways to manage the cravings that adverts for snacks, confectionary and ready meals induced. One of the solutions was to use some other activity to create a distraction for at least 20 minutes to avoid acting on the impulse to eat junk. In theory, this timeframe was enough for the desire to fade and eventually pass.

‘Urge Surfing’ is a similar idea. Attributed to the late Alan Marlett Ph.D., a pioneer in the eld of psychology, he used this method for the treatment of addictions, but the principles can easily be transferred to managing food cravings as well. The idea is that urges are like waves; they rise in intensity, reach a crescendo and eventually crash. Managing these urges by ‘surfing’ them helps you to harness and override the desire and ultimately eliminate it altogether.

To fully understand and practice urge surfing, a more in-depth study is needed than I can provide here but, as a very simplified overview, urge surfing involves focusing on the sensations felt throughout the body as you experience an urge, then, by concentrating on your breathing, you move through the sensations until the wave passes.

Once you reach this stage you have successfully surfed an urge and swerved around a potential diet catastrophe!

Keep the technique in your healthy lifestyle kit bag and see it as another way to get a step closer to your 2025 goals.

Fast Food - Tasty Treat or Dinner of the Devil? - Howard Clemmow

I'm not a huge fan of social media; in fact, despite having a facebook account for more than a decade, I have never posted on it, although I do occasionally comment on other people's conversations. Some people might find this strange; after all, social media has played its part in giving us so many wonderful things; Donald Trump as president, Brexit, riots from Cardiff to Southport to Tamworth, a huge rise in teenage mental health problems, Andrew Tate... and so much more besides. In addition to all this,  and the billions of hours constructively spent scrolling through other people's  inanities, it provides an endless source of gossip - some of it is even true! It's not just celebrities and influencers either, you can find out what's going on in your local community right now, always handy for people like me who have to churn out hundreds of words of vaguely entertaining nonsense every month.

Top of the pecking order right now are rumours of plans to convert a local Chinese restaurant that has been there since the ark into a McDonalds and Starbucks. The proposed site is actually at the side of a major trunk road seven miles away, but in a small town like mine, you have to take your sources of outrage where you can find them.

Overall, I'd have to say that the view of the Facebook folk tend towards the negative. People are concerned about excessive traffic, though I though that was the purpose of a trunk road, to carry traffic away from towns and villages. Others are worried about parking problems, though the existing restaurant has a carpark big enough to serve a decent size shopping mall. But for some, the most damning indictment of this unholy pairing is that they are purveyors of JUNK FOOD. Within days of McDonalds opening, an epidemic of obesity will sweep the town, or so the thinking goes.

I think that now is the time to express my own opinion on the matter - this is absolute nonsense. There is nothing inherently  about McDonalds. Take that iconic culinary legend, the Big Mac; nutritionally it constitutes healthy eating, containing a suitable balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates, an acceptable amount of salt, little sugar and just 500 calories. Admittedly, it's light on the green stuff - a few scraps of lettuce and a couple of slices of gherkin hardly amounts to your 5 a day - but add a side salad, also available from your friendly neighbourhood MaccyDs, and you could practically live on it.  In addition, they offer plenty of vegetarian options and meals with less than 600 calories - there's even a vegan burger. You can't say they aren't trying.

As for Starbucks, they basically sell coffee and cakes, though I'll admit that the White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino is a tad on the calorific side. But seriously, if you denied planning permission to local eateries on that basis, half the business premises in the town would be boarded up. Maybe there's an element of snobbism to all of this, I don't know.

Personally, I hope there's some truth in the rumour and the McBucks campus gets the go-ahead. if I travel north, which I do with some regularity at the moment, the proposed site is on my way home, and the idea of popping in for a crafty Big mac is highly appealing. It could also solve the conundrum of what to have for a family dinner, not to mention giving our bored teenagers somewhere to hand out of an evening.

That's the thing with fast food, it is perfect as the occasional treat but total unsuitable as a long term diet. There are far too many calories on offer, a woeful lack of fruit and vegetable and, in many cases, way too much salt, sugar and fat - the unholy trinity of processed food. But you can't blame fast food for that' blame the people who live on it.  Howard Clemmow

The 80/20 Rule! Healthy Food ....

Ever heard someone say (or even said it yourself - yikes!) “I’ve done a spin class today, so I can eat this cake!” Or how about this one? “I haven’t done a workout today, so I won’t have a glass of wine tonight.” This type of relationship between food and exercise makes what is or isn’t consumed a reward for exercising or a punishment for not exercising. 

Both are unhealthy attitudes that could lead to you oscillating between bingeing and restricting diets and exercise habits, leaving you nutrient poor and feeling burned out physically.

We need to employ the ‘B’ word... no, not Boring - Balance! It would be boring, though, if we never had a piece of birthday cake again or a pudding on a special occasion. An equal balance is of course 50/50, but in this instance, to make sure we keep our waistline measurements in check, we need an 80/20 ratio between eating healthily the majority of the time whilst the remaining 20% gives us a little leeway to indulge in the things we enjoy every now and then. 

That doesn’t mean to say we have to be literal about it and eat rubbish for two days every week; see it as more of a buffer zone that’s there for when parties, holidays and weddings come along.

The other aspect of balance here is to see exercise as something we do to remain healthy, acknowledging all of its benefits and not something you do because you over-ate at the weekend. Look for a type of exercise you really enjoy; this may mean thinking outside the box a little; for instance, if you hate the gym but love being out in nature, get a dog with lots of energy that needs plenty of long walks, or, if you prefer to swim but find lane swims dull, challenge yourself to try open water swimming. 

The options are endless but, ultimately, remember we need exercise regardless of what we’ve eaten and vice versa!

String Theory ... Why My Waist Size ....

Measuring your waist is a good way to check you are not too fat around your stomach. Eating too much calories than we burn, stored in the body as fat over time, if you are trying to lose weight, it is good to eat less and be more active.

Any idea what your waist measurement is at the moment? Did you know that, regardless of your height or weight, a healthy waist measurement should be under 80cm (32”) for a woman and 94cm (38”) for a man? 

Any measurement over these guidelines indicates that you are carrying too much visceral fat and when fat is stored around your internal organs, such as your heart, liver and pancreas, it could mean you are significantly increasing your risk of developing a serious illness. 

These include heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and all sorts of other nasties, so it’s really important to keep tabs on the status of your stomach!

If you don’t have a tape measure to hand but you do happen to have a humble piece of string, there is another method you can use to determine if you have too much pudgy stuff around your midriff - without resorting to any arithmetic. The ‘String Test’ - which measures your height to waist ratio, could be a more accurate way of determining if you as an individual are packing too much paunch.

Here’s how to do it: 

First of all, cut a piece of string long enough to measure your height. Measure from your heel to the top of your head, then fold the string in half. The folded string should then be able to fit around your middle; the ends of the string must at least meet but preferably overlap. If the two ends do not meet, you are carrying too much belly fat. A healthy waistline should measure less than half your height.

The good news is that once you start to apply the simple rule of less calories consumed + more calories burned, the visceral fat is consumed by the body for energy, which equals less excess fat stored around your vital organs, keeping you much healthier and potentially adding years to your life. Remember to keep your piece of string handy for regular check-ups around the stomach area!

Heathy Lifestyle

Take the ownership of your health, you are responsible for your health, make the lifestyle changes, control your acidity, eat well, move away from toxic people, have a good night sleep and do the things you love; exercise and meditate.

Pistachio and parsnip Cake

Serves 12
This is a slightly odd pairing of ingredients, but it works surprisingly well.

Ingredients
220g Olive Oil
3 Large Eggs
310g Sugar
5g Baking Soda
Pinch of Ground Cinnamon 280g Plain Flour
5g Salt
360g Grated Parsnip
110g Ground Pistachio Nuts

Method
Use an electric mixer to beat together the olive oil and the eggs until completely combined.

Place all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, add half the grated parsnip and mix in well. 

Add the rest of the parsnip but don’t mix it in. Use your hands to form the mixture into dough but don’t over-knead - the mixture must be loose.

Fold the parsnip mixture into the oil and eggs and mix well.
Line a deep baking tray with greaseproof paper. Pour in the mixture, level with a spoon or spatula and cover with tin foil. 

Preheat the oven to 160oC and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to bake until the cake springs back when pressed (another 10-20 minutes). Take out of the oven and allow to cool.

Cut into slices and serve. At my restaurant we serve this with dark chocolate and marinated cherries to make a sumptuous dessert.

Roast Fillet of beef, Wild Mushroom Pearl barley, Black Truffle Hollandaise

Rather than serve up a steak with chips and mushrooms, try this luxurious recipe. Go on, you’re worth it!

Ingredients

4 x 200g Fillet steaks

150g cleaned Wild Mushrooms


150g Pearl Barley                            

Olive Oil

2 Shallots, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

200g Dried Mushrooms

 Sea Salt/ Pepper
Black Truffle Paste


2 Egg Yolks

200g Butter, melted

250g Butter, diced White Wine Vinegar

                                           

Start with the pearl barley. Place the dried mushrooms in a saucepan and add 3 pints of water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Pour a little olive oil into a large non-stick saucepan on
a high heat, add half of the diced butter and once
it starts to foam, add the diced shallots and garlic. Cook until just soft, then add the wild mushrooms and continue to simmer for a few minutes. Toss in the pearl barley and give it a good stir. When the rice starts to take on a little colour, start pouring in the liquid from the dried mushrooms. The barley will absorb it quickly so keep stirring and adding more until it is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid. Put to one side to cool.

For the Hollandaise, bring a medium sized saucepan of water to a simmer. Place the egg yolks into a mixing bowl and add a tablespoon of water and a splash of vinegar. Place the bowl on the pan of water and whisk the egg mixture vigorously, making sure it doesn’t solidify on the sides of the bowl. When the mixture has doubled in volume, gradually blend in the melted butter. Remove from the heat, add the truffle paste and season with salt and pepper.

Add a little olive oil and a knob of butter to a large frying pan over a medium heat, then cook the fillet steaks on all sides to give a nice even colouring. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for 8-9 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, re-heat the pearl barley with the remaining mushroom liquor. Add a little truffle paste and season to taste. Spoon onto four warm plates, place the fillet steaks on the barley and top with a generous spoonful of Hollandaise sauce.

Roast Red Leg Partridge, French Style Peas, Confit Legs, Puy Lentils

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

8 Breasts and 8 Legs of Red Leg Partridge

2 Gem Lettuce


100g Diced Smoked Bacon or Pancetta

 100g Garden Peas

500ml Chicken Stock

50ml Double Cream Small Tin Duck Fat

4 Cloves Garlic


2 Sprigs Thyme


100g Puy Lentils


2 Carrots, finely diced and blanched


1 Shallot, diced


Sea salt


50g Unsalted Butter

The first Job is to comfit the Legs of the Partridge. Place the duck fat in a suitable saucepan so that, once melted, the fat will cover the partridge legs, Add two garlic cloves and thyme, then season with a little sea salt. Place in a pre-heated oven at around 85oC for 11⁄2 - 2 hours or until the meat comes away from the bone.

For the French style peas, first fry the bacon ensuring a nice colour and place to one side. Once cooked, keep back the oil for later. Reduce 100ml of the chicken stock by half
and add the double cream.
Add the Diced Bacon and
keep until later. Place the
Lentils in a big saucepan
with the diced shallot, two
garlic cloves and the remaining chicken stock. Simmer until the Lentils are just cooked, then add the diced carrot.

To cook the partridge, use a non-stick frying pan with a little butter and duck fat. Once the butter is foaming, add the breast and cook for 2 minutes on each side, then take out of the pan to rest. Serve the partridge slightly pink. Take the legs from the duck fat, place in the pan and cook until they have a nice glazed colour. Season with sea salt.

To serve, re heat the cream sauce and add the peas and bacon. Dice the gem lettuce and add to the cream. Now season with a little bacon oil. Place the cream sauce in the middle of 4 warmed plates, re-warm the lentils and spoon around the plates. Top with the breasts and the legs.

Serve with duck fat roast potatoes or creamy mash.

Savoury Bread Pudding with Spinach and Parsnips

Eating healthy food and keeping active helps maintain a healthy weight /body. Good food provides the body all the nourishment for growth and repair, it also help to prevent diet-related illness. 

Here is another good recipe:

Ingredients

250ml Milk


1 Bay Leaf
    

1 Clove Of Garlic, Chopped


2 Cloves
Zest of 1⁄2 A Lemon


Pinch Ground Nutmeg


250g White Bread, Chopped


1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped

1 Egg


1 Egg White


Chopped Spinach


150g Grated Cheddar


4 Parsnips, Peeled And Cooked

Salt and Pepper

Method

Place the milk, onion, bay leaf, chopped garlic, cloves, lemon zest and nutmeg in a large saucepan. bring all the ingredients to a simmer until the onion is just cooked.

Mix the chopped bread with the grated cheddar and the spinach in a large mixing bowl. pour over the milk mixture and stir in well, then dice the parsnips and fold into the mixture. season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven
to 180oc, pour the
mixture into a deep
baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until just set.

You can either serve straight away or chill in the fridge until needed. to serve, simply warm through in a little butter for ten minutes at 180oc.

At my restaurant we serve this dish with roast root vegetables and smoked almond pesto. it makes a perfect vegetarian main course.

Bubble and Squeak

This recipe makes a delicious brunch on Sunday mornings when you don't have to worry about rushing off to work. I use pancetta, chorizo or ham hock but if  you are veggie just leave the meat out. The vegetables you use are down to personal choice.  This is a great simple dish for using up leftovers.
Great Fast 'fit' Food! Serves 4.

Ingredients:
75g Pancetta Lardons
2 Red Onions
4 Carrots
2 Celery Sticks
150g Brussel Sprouts
150g Peas
1 Garlic Clove Crushed
400g Chard, shredded
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
Sea Salt and Black Pepper
4 Large Eggs
Handful chopped flat parsley

Method:
Fry the pancetta over a medium heat along with the onions, carrots and celery for two minutes

Add the peas and sprouts and stir until everything is a bit crunchy

Reduce the heat and add the garlic and chard, ensuring you don't burn it as this will impact an acrid taste.

Splash in the Worcestershire sauce and give it a good stir.

Season and set aside

Fry or poach the eggs and serve on top of the mix  sprinkled with parsley

Beetroot Risotto, Spring Onions and Goats Cheese

Ingredients
400g Arborio Rice


1 small Onion, chopped


2 cloves of Garlic, chopped

200g Butter


3 pints Vegetable Stock


100g Goats Cheese


3 large Beetroot


100ml Red Wine
100ml Red Wine Vinegar


200g Sugar
1 bunch Spring Onions, chopped

Method

Start by peeling all the beetroot; dice two of them and place in a saucepan, cover with water and add a little salt. Slice the third one as thin as possible and then into thin strips.

Add the vinegar, sugar and red wine to a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and stir in the shredded beetroot. Chill until needed.

For the risotto, heat a large non-stick saucepan. Add a splash of oil with half of the butter. Once the butter is foaming, add the onion and garlic. Stir until soft, then add the Arborio rice and continue cooking until lightly coloured. Pour in the vegetable stock a bit at a time until it is completely absorbed and the rice is just cooked. Check the boiled beetroot is soft and then add to a blender. Blend till smooth and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, re-warm the risotto adding a little more vegetable stock if needed and a little of the pickling liquid. Fold in the Parmesan and then the beetroot purée to taste.

Divide between four plates. Sprinkle over the spring onion together with a good spoon full of the pickled beetroot. Finish the dish with some crumbled goats cheese.

Chocolate and Clementine Tart with Amaretto Whipped Cream

Serves 6)

Ingredients 550g 70% cocoa Chocolate, broken into small pieces
3 whole Eggs
220ml Milk
300ml Double Cream 250g Sweet Pastry

15 Clementine Oranges, squeezed for their juice
50g Sugar
400ml Whipping Cream A splash of Amaretto

Preheat the oven to 1800C. Start by rolling out the pastry thin enough to line an 8-inch tart mould. Line the mould with grease proof paper and sprinkle a handful of baking beans on top. Bake the pastry until golden brown. Then pour the juice from the oranges into a saucepan, add the sugar and reduce the mix to a thick syrup. Once thickened, pour the syrup into the pastry shell and spread out evenly.

To make the tart mix, place the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Pour the milk and double cream into a medium size saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the eggs and whisk quickly until incorporated into the cream, then pour the mixture over the melted chocolate and again whisk together thoroughly. 

Pour the chocolate mix over the syrup and fill to as close to the top of the pastry shell as possible. Pop it back in the oven and then turn the oven off. Leave the tart in the oven until the chocolate mix takes on a texture like custard. Remove and cool until you’re ready to serve.

Whisk the whipping cream until it forms soft peaks and then gradually add the Amaretto to taste. Serve a generous slice of the tart on to dessert plates. (You can glaze the tart using a blow torch if you prefer) Spoon on a dollop of Amaretto Cream and tuck in – gorgeous!

Wild Mushroom, Parsnip and Sprout Mac and Cheese (serves 4)

This hearty winter warmer is perfect for a lazy Sunday veg out or as an easy dinner.

Ingredients
250g Wild Mushrooms

(cleaned)

2 Large Parsnips

250ml Milk

8 brussel Sprouts,

blanched (with a pinch

of bicarb of soda)

300g Fresh Macaroni

200g Reggiano

Parmesan

Salt/Pepper

50g Chopped Chives

50g butter

Start by making a parsnip puree. Peel the parsnips and slice lengthways into quarters so you can cut out the stalks. Place in a saucepan and pour over the milk, topping up with a little water if there isn’t enough milk to cover them. Cook until soft, then place in a food mixer and blend until smooth. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Add the butter and a splash of oil to a non-stick pan. once the butter starts to foam, add the mushrooms, sauteé for one minute and set aside. 

Meanwhile, take the blanched sprouts and slice to about 3mm thick. 

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the macaroni and cook until soft, then drain in a colander. 

Just before serving, place the parsnip puree into a saucepan big enough to hold all the macaroni. 

Warm it until hot, add the macaroni and stir into the puree until it is well covered. If the puree becomes too thick, add a little milk. Place the macaroni into four warmed serving bowls. 

Warm through the wild Mushrooms and add the sprouts, seasoning if necessary. Spoon the mushrooms and sprouts over the four dishes, then sprinkle plenty of grated Parmesan on top. Finish with the chopped chives and tuck in!

Grilled Cornsih sardiness, seaweed mayonnaise, lemon, sea salt crisps

(Serves 6)

For the mayonnaise 

2 free-range egg yolks 

1 free-range egg

1 tbsp French mustard

1/2 lemon, juice only

1/2 tsp caster sugar

400ml vegetable oil

Salt and freshly grounded black pepper

Blend all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor for 10-15 seconds, or until well combined. While the blender is running, pour the oil into the food processor very slowly until it is well combined and the mixture is thick and glossy.

Season, to taste, with salt and freshly grounded black pepper, then add the seaweed powder - keep a little bit of the seaweed powder to dust the plates.

For the crisps

Thinly slice a large marris piper potato and then fry in hot oil until golden brown. When done, put the crisps on to a tea towel to dry and season well

Sardines

You will need 12 good sized sardines. Fry the sardines in a hot pan for around 2 minutes on each side, then finish in he oven at 180 degrees  for 4 to 6 minutes depending on size.

To serve

Place 2 sardines on the plate with a nice blob of mayonnaise, then garnish with half a lemon and a few crisps. A perfect starter, whatever the weather!