The fit foodie: Sticky Chicken and Chicken and Lemon Stew
Longer days make everything so much better. It’s far easier to get out and get moving when there is more light in the day.
I’ve been doing lots of running recently which makes me happy but unfortunately I’ve been getting a bit of hip pain.
This week I wanted to chat about minding your body and going to see experts. I spent most of my career on the physiotherapy table dealing with an injured body.
These days I’m often bad at dealing with little niggling injuries. It’s the combination of years of treatment and life being busy that holds me back.
For all you fitness nuts out there here are my top five tips on minding your body when injury or a niggle strikes (I’m trying hard to take my own advice on these!).
- 1. If in pain STOP!
I regularly trained whilst in pain during my athletics career. I was always trying to push the boundaries and get those extra few inches better. Looking back I know that this was a terrible idea and that I should have been stricter on stopping when I was in pain. For the everyday athlete I feel that’s key, do not keep exercising in pain. If running is causing you pain then stop until you can resolve the issue.
- 2. Go to an expert
Rather than sitting on your bum and waiting for the pain to get better, go to see an expert. Ask around and see who has a good reputation on getting results. There are lots of experts but some are better than others. Also consider what your pain is and who is good at dealing with that specific area. I found some experts brilliant with backs whilst others were great with ankles or Achilles injuries.
- 3. Keep moving
This might seem like it contradicts the top point but I swear it doesn’t! Just because you can’t do one form of exercise it doesn’t mean you can’t do something else. If I can’t run I tend to go swimming or go on a bike. Different exercises will cause different reactions so try to keep moving and doing the exercises that you can do.
- 4. Do your bit
When you’re trying to recover from an injury or a niggle there is often lots you can do yourself. If you have been given specific exercises to do make sure you do them. Find out from whoever is treating you what you can do to help yourself outside of appointments. At the moment I have a hip issue but if I do extra core strengthening exercises I know it will make it much better, so basically I just need to do my bit!
- 5. Consider your budget
Physio and treatment can be expensive. It’s worth checking if you get any physio appointments with your insurance policy (if you have one). I would always ask the service provider for a rough guide as to how many visits you need, this helps to keep track of the progress and of your spending. If you are struggling to get better after a certain amount of visits then review your approach.
Fitspiration
My fitspiration this week is a great Irish physio Sarah-Jane McDonell @sj_sportsphysio.
She is an Olympic team physio and tweets some interesting links to physio related posts.
This week I’m in a real chicken mood so both recipes are made withchicken, please forgive me non-chicken lovers!
2 minutes (and time to marinade if possible) Cook time: 20 minutes
- 4 free range chicken fillets
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Place the chicken in an oven proof dish.
Cover with soy sauce and honey. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds.
If you have time leave this to marinade.
I tend to cover it with cling film and leave to marinade for a few hours in the fridge.
If I don’t have time I skip this step and it really isn’t a deal breaker!
Pop the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with a large green salad.
I tend to gravitate towards stews because they are easy to do and tasty.
This stew can be done in one big pot, making nicely low maintenance.
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp paprika
- 4 free range chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 peppers, de-seeded and diced
- 10 apricots, halved
- 10 stoned green olives halved
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- ½ courgette, chopped
- 300 ml chicken stock
- salt and pepper
- a handful of mint leave, chopped
- brown rice to serve
Heat the oil in a large casserole over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for three minutes.
Add the cinnamon, cumin and paprika and cook fortwo minutes.
Stir frequently and add a splash of water if the pan gets dry.
Add the chicken and cook for five minutes.
Stir in the peppers, apricots, olives, lemon, courgette and stock.
Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
When you are ready to serve, season to taste.
Ladle the stew into warmed serving bowls and sprinkle over the mint.
Serve with brown rice.
