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!

Blue Cheese & Pesto Pasta

Picture the scene a couple of Fridays ago. It was pouring with rain the whole way home, it was cold, and all I wanted to do was get in my house, in my pyjamas and eat some stodge. Because I batch cook a lot, I generally have ready-made meals in my freezer, so I figured I'd have something like my mushroom lasagne, maybe a bit of extra cheese, and then flop.

Anyway. I got home, and discovered a problem - I'd worked my way through all of my freezer meals. Nothing left except a rubbish pasta dish that was entirely tasteless. So I was left with a choice - eat the boring pasta dish and be hungry all evening (don't you find disappointing food never really fills you up?), go out in the rain and buy food, or get a takeaway. And I... went out in the rain. I WAS IMPRESSED TOO. But it wasn't actually that bad in the end, and it meant that whilst I walked to Tesco, I could think about what I fancied to eat and work out the points on my phone. By the time I got there, I knew that I wanted pesto, I wanted cheese and I wanted broccoli.

See, this is what happens when you eat healthily for a while. You start craving things like broccoli. Bloomin' love broccoli.

Blue Cheese Pesto Pasta

240g Pasta - 23PP

500g Chicken Breasts - 12PP

150g Danish Blue - 14PP

3 tbsp Pesto - 4PP

100g Philadelphia Light - 4PP

4 cloves garlic

2 red onions

1 punnet mushrooms

200g spinach

Big bunch of Broccoli

=57PP / 10PP per person

To reduce points: Reduce the chicken (it really wasn't needed), less cheese, less pesto

Serves 6

1. Put your pasta on to boil as per the package instructions.
2. Chop up your broccoli and boil in a separate pan for 7-10 minutes until tender (if you're super organised you could use the same pan as your pasta, just do the broccoli first and then use the same water to do the pasta).
3. Chop up your chicken and cook in your pan or wok with a little water to prevent sticking.
4. Add half your garlic as the chicken is cooking so it absorbs the flavour
5. While these are cooking, chop up your onions and mushrooms and set aside for a moment.
6. When your chicken is cooked through, add 1 tablespoon of pesto to it and stir until the chicken is covered.
7. Add the veg, stir well and pop the lid on for 5-10 minutes while the veg softens.

8. Add your Philadelphia and stir well - the liquid in the pan will help turn the cheese into a sauce, but if it's lumpy, add a splash of milk.
9. Chop up your blue cheese and toss it into the pan. Stir well. It's a soft cheese, so it will merge into the sauce easily.
10. Let this simmer away for a while. Your pasta should be done by now, so drain it, then pop it back in the same pan. Add a tablespoon of pesto to the pasta alone and stir until totally covered.
11. Chop up your broccoli and add to the sauce, then throw your pesto pasta in too.
12. Add the spinach to the pan and cover for about 3 minutes until wilted. Make sure you stir the sauce at regular intervals so it doesn't stick.
13. When the spinach has wilted, stir well until combined with the sauce. Add your third tbsp of pesto to the pan and stir through.
14. And you're done! If you fancy, you could then pour all of this into a lasagne dish, cover with a little cheddar, and bake for 15 mins or so to let those flavours all really combine. I served it as it was though with a little extra cheese on top instead... NOM. Exactly what I fancied.

Plus, the benefits of batch cooking - I had five more portions of this to add to my freezer stash. Hooray! If I made this again, I'd definitely bake it, and I'd cut out the chicken as although it was nice, it really didn't add anything. I think bacon could be good though!

As always, let us know in the comments or on Twitter if you make this - we love to see your recipe pics!

Shock Absorber Sports Bra Review

We do love a good sports bra here at Team WAMK, we are all very aware of the importance of adequate support during any exercise.  Hopefully none of you let your babies swing wild whilst exercising!  If you do please do yourself a favour and get yourself a sports bra, you will thank us for it when gravity kicks in.  Shock Absorber sent us two of their sports bras to review, the zipped plunge sports bra and the Active D+ flexiwire sports bra, we put them through their paces and here are our thoughts.

Zipped Plunge Sports Bra - size range: 32-38 B-DD.
Stockists: www.shockabsorber.co.uk

Sarah tested this one and loved it.  It is really easy to get on and off due to the zip front, there is nothing worse than trying to pull a sports bra over your head when you are all sweaty.  I have had to wrestle out of my old one far too many times, almost as exhausting as the actual work out!  It felt really supportive on - in fact my 34C's didn't move a centimetre whilst running, rowing or boxing.  It was really comfortable too, there are no fastenings on the back so it is perfect for mat work.

The zip doesn't come in contact with the skin, there is a tab of fabric to prevent any potential rubbing and there is a hook which you do up first to make zipping that zip up much easier.

The fabric is also moisture-wicking to maximise comfort during exercise.  Apart from providing good support I love the way it looks.  The racer back means I don't have to worry about straps falling down my narrow shoulders and the neon trim adds nice detail.  The zipped plunge sports bra does everything I could want from a sports bra, now to work on the flat tummy so I can wear it without needing a top covering it up!


Active D+ Flexiware Sports Bra - size range: 30-40 D-G, 32-38 GG-H.
Stockists: www.shockabsorber.co.uk

Sarah V tested this one. It's a much more traditional style, and I found it more snug than other sports bras I've worn. I don't think that's about fit, though, I think it's the style and it was still perfectly comfortable. In the past, even the best sports bra hasn't stopped my boobs moving around when jumping up and down at zumba, but this was so supportive. This bra is actually specifically designed for women with larger busts.

Like Sarah's bra, this is moisture-wicking and fully breathable. It's a great sports bra and one I'd certainly recommend.