Health and fitness apps for the Kindle Fire

I was chuffed to bits last Christmas when I unwrapped a Kindle Fire that had been sat under the Christmas tree, courtesy of Father Christmas (okay, the boyfriend!) We both had tablets on our Christmas lists and not wanting to spend as much as the iPad we looked at more affordable options, and after an awful lot of researching and comparing I decided to plump for the Kindle Fire from Argos.

I'm definitely glad I did - it's easy and intuitive to use, with a brilliant and bright touch screen, long battery life and tons of apps that you can download (it uses the Android operating system so if you have an Android phone you'll be familiar with the wealth of app options on offer.  There are so many health and fitness apps available for the Kindle Fire that I thought I'd write a list of the best ones I've found for anyone else who already owns one or is lucky enough to find one in their stocking this year!

1. Daily Workouts - £1.86

This app - as the name suggests, has suggestions for over 100 workouts you can do daily, from 5 minute to 30 minute long workouts, including ab, arm, butt and cardio workouts and lots more.  You can use their bank of workouts, or make custom workouts from all of the ones available.  The app uses videos so you can follow along, along with a timer so you know where you are in your workout.  This is great for helping you fit exercise into your day, and also perfect for people who travel and want to do exercise whilst on the move.

2. MyFitnessPal - Free

Unless you're relatively new to dieting or food tracking, you'll probably be aware of MyFitnessPal, a calorie counter and food and exercise diary.  This is the app version of the website and offers all of the same functionality; the ability to search for and enter foods, scan barcodes, save your favourites, and track your progress.  You can also backup your diary so that you don't have to risk losing all of your records.  I have used MyFitnessPal a lot in the past to track my calorie intake and help me make better choices and using the app really helps me keep track of things whilst on the go.

3. Weight Watchers Points Calculator and Tracker - Free

Another great, free app for tracking on the go.  This provides points calculators for Points Plus and Original Points as well as keeping track of your points whilst out and about.  It takes the guesswork out of pointing and would be really useful for Weight Watchers members or dieters who don't use the online tracking tool.

4. Slimming World - Free, then £14.99 for an annual subscription

This isn't an app in the true sense of the word but is an app version of the popular Slimming World magazine. The app features a free trial period and then has the option of paying £14.99 for an annual, app based subscription to the magazine.  I think having the magazine as an app would be really useful for accessing the eating plans and recipes - I love propping up my Kindle Fire in the kitchen and following a recipe, so much easier than trying to weight down cookbook pages!

5. Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson - £1.91

For me, a good night's sleep is the foundation of any good health and fitness routine.  Dragging myself out of bed in the morning for a run, or even making healthy food choices throughout the day, is hindered hugely for me on any days when I sleep badly.  This app helps people beat insomnia and provides guided meditation to help you get to sleep.  You switch it on when you get into bed and it helps you relax and unwind.

Personally I love my Kindle Fire and I think using tablet apps are a great way to keep on top of health and fitness and give you an extra bit of motivation.  Do you have any great app recommendations that I've missed off the list?

{ post written in collaboration with brand }

Chickpea and spinach curry recipe

My normal lunch of salad or sandwiches just doesn't cut it in the cold winter months and having soup every day gets dull despite the endless flavour combinations. I've been batch cooking on Sunday's so I have varied, hot lunches to take work in the week and this curry is one of my favourites.

This recipe serves 3-4 depending on how much rice or naan bread you serve with it. 

You will need:

1 tin (420g) of cooked chick peas, drained and rinsed

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tin (420g) of chopped tomatoes
4-5 handfuls of fresh spinach (I used waaay more because I love spinach)
1 large onion, finely sliced
Oil for frying

For the curry paste:

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 red chilli, finely sliced (I used the frozen cubes of chilli)
Juice of 1/2 lemon (I used lime because it was all I had)
2 tbsps oil
1/2 tsp sea salt 

Making curry paste is pretty easy but if you don't have all of those ingredients it tastes just as good without one or two and you can always just buy some curry paste. 

Method

1. Make you curry paste by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and smooshing them together. Ideally you would do this with a pestle & mortar but I don't have one.
2. Fry your onions in a little oil in a large pan until golden. Add the garlic and fry for a minute or two.
3. Add the curry paste to the onions and fry over a gentle heat for about 2-3 minutes before adding the chickpeas and tomatoes to the pan.
4. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Add more water or stock if it gets a bit dry. I add a lot of water because I like my chickpeas to be soft.
5. Add the spinach to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Without rice this curry is around 200 calories and contains 2 of your 5 a day. You can add some yogurt to serve or some coconut cream to make it a bit more saucy. Enjoy!