M.I.A – missing medical student, last seen drowning in a sea of notes

Summer time rolls around once again , weather gets warmer , days get longer and hair gets lighter …. sadly for most students summer also means upcoming exams and that is precisely what the past 10 weeks have been like for myself and thousands of other poor medical students nationwide. Because of this any time spent not in the library has been split either between sleeping/eating or attempting to maintain some level of physical fitness in the gym.
Despite my exams beginning tomorrow I felt the need to remove myself from the world of medicine if only for 15 minutes to try a food fad which has taken over the fitness instagram world …ZOATS.Much like Peter Kay with his Cheesecake I was initially repulsed by the idea of combining courgette and oats , I like both individually but the concept of combining them baffled me immensely but with motivation at an all time low and having spent all day in a library that could double for the arctic circle I decided to give it a whirl.

Recipe:

• 50g Rolled Scottish Porridge Oats
• Half a grated courgette
• 200ml milk
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 25g Myprotein Chocolate mint whey
• Toppings:
  • Handful frozen blueberries
  • Myprotein caramel zero syrup

Result

In a stroke of luck my haphazard/ DIY zoats recipe worked, I decided to make them on the hop to avoid exploding courgette covering the inside of my recently cleaned microwave (a clean microwave is a big deal in a student house)and the result was far better than I imagined , the courgette was not even noticeable and the chocolate mint protein gave it a slight minty aftertaste like eating an Aero. Overall rating 10/10 , easy to make , cheap and the courgette provides much needed added volume to the bowl ……Would certainly recommend!!!

Next time I’m adding chocolate chips because in the words of Aristotle “If in doubt , chocolate it out”

Kyodan legging review

As a great philosopher once said “whoever said diamonds were a girls best friend had clearly never worn yoga pants” and this was my exact thinking when I first tried these full length gym leggings by Canadian based company Kyodan (http://kyodan.clothing/). For months I had been on the hunt for a pair of full leg length leggings that didn’t go see through after one wash or look like the sizing was meant for the BFG (at 5ft 3′ this is a regular problem). Well up step the Kyodan lightening bolt sports leggings , not only were these bold enough to stop traffic but at £19.99 in my local TKmaxx it was too good an offer to pass up.

The leggings bio reads “Complete with four way stretch fabric, breathable mesh inserts and flat lock seams, they will pull moisture away from the skin to help keep you dry”  and they really do exactly that , a few sets of static lunges in the changing room to check mobility showed that the lightweight leggings really do move in all directions with ease, another added bonus of the material is that its thickness (designed to keep you warm during winter) means no risk of a VPL situation in the gym!!
With a slightly higher waist band than other leggings on the market these sit comfortably around the upper hip / waist area without digging in or creating the muffin top look we all love so much.

But functionality in a small 5×5 changing room is no accurate measure of how they will cope in the real world and so down to the beach they went for a real test drive. Though catching the eyes of a few dog walkers due to the striking pattern yet again they did not disappoint , running / jumping / climbing all proved an easy task for the Kyodan legging even if they didn’t for me (see third picture of my less than graceful landing). The meshing that runs down the back of the angle allows much more movement also and adds a nice element to the already noticeable pattern.

If I had to find one negative to comment on for the sake of my review being complete it would be that the great idea of keeping you warm in winter , though a saving grace when down my the beach (legs felt nice and toasty the entire time) , the same could not be said when worn to the gym and the insulator featured proved too strong for an already poorly air conditioned gym = very very warm legs.
Tip maybe save for a day where you won’t be going that hard/ the temperature is a little cooler inside 🙂

Quest bar review

If like me you honestly believe chocolate makes the world go round then trying to satisfy your sweet tooth can be something of an issue. Last year after months of hearing my favourite fitness bloggers rave about Quest bars I was gifted with 3 of the cookies and cream flavour hand delivered from Colorado and without wanting to exaggerate my life was changed forever. I had trialed a plethora of different protein and health bars in the past but I never enjoyed the sticky texture that most offer and the flavours just never really matched up to what it said on the packaging, that was until I took my first bite of the cookies and cream quest bar.
Sadly 3 measly bars does not go a long way and now every other bar on the market paled in comparison but retailing at over £20 per box of 12 , Quest Bars were always a far off dream for someone on a student budget. That was until I stumbled across musclefood.com , muscle food are a UK based retailer specializing in ‘nutrition for healthy living’. Before I knew it like a woman possessed I had ordered 2 boxes of the Mint chocolate Chunk and I waited with anticipation for their arrival.

At only 190 calories and only 4 net grams of carbohydrates (9F:20P:4C) its not hard to tell why quest are such a big deal when it comes to supplementation. Nutritionally quest bars really do deliver the whole package ; gluten free , less than 1 gram of  sugar and 15 grams of fibre not to mention the 20 grams of protein per bar they really are ideal for anyone looking to increase their daily fibre and protein intake but also needing to satisfy those chocolate cravings, but the main question is taste and boy these did not disappoint.

Unlike protein bars I’ve had in the past quest bars are actually easy to chew and don’t pose a slight choking risk. No chewy , plastic like composition and no powdery aftertaste coating your mouth. The chunks of brownie and chocolate resemble that of the cookies and cream bar and the bold green minty parts give a subtle mint taste (despite resembling something you might find at the dentists). Only negative finding on my part was the slight salty aftertaste that sometimes occurred when the bars were eaten raw (straight from packaging) , the labels though do specify that sea salt is used as an ingredient and the taste was not over powering or necessarily unpleasant , just more a shock to the mouth.

As with all quest bars the microwave test is a must , 10-15 seconds in the microwave (out of the wrapper of course-PSA!!) and suddenly the solid bar is transformed into a gooey mint brownie , the dark chocolate pieces and the mint melt giving a melt in the mouth texture that is hard to put into words but seriously a must try.

Rating:

• Texture 9/10
• Taste (raw) 7/10
• Taste (Microwaved) 8.5/10
• Nutritional value 9/10

Top tip

1. Heat the bar for 10 seconds in the microwave
2. Cut into 4 or 6 pieces and flatten out
3. Place on baking tray into a pre-heated oven (160 celsius)
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes then leave to cool
5. Voila mint chocolate chunk cookies