Curves, the world’s largest fitness franchise, offers a unique 30 minute express workout just for women. The 30 minute circuit is based on a mix of cardio vascular exercises, resistance training and stretching which works every major muscle group.

From 1st July until 31st August Curves is running a special promotion as part of the MoreActive4Life summer campaign, which aims to get the UK more active, more often. During this time you can join Curves for six weeks for just £39, with absolutely no commitment to join. Plus if you work out three times a week during the six weeks and then decide to join Curves as a full member they will waive the joining fee.

There are around 235 Curves clubs throughout the UK so to find your nearest Curves club just call 0800 130 0544 or visit www.curves.co.uk.

I’ve been really wanting to go to to a pick your own farm and today we made a day of it. We went to Parkside PYO which was only about half an hour so unlike some of our other day trips (ahem, three hours in the car each way to Brighton) we had an easy journey. Parkside was a massive, well-organised and friendly farm and it was a really lovely day!

We picked strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, tayberries (apparently a blackberry-raspberry hybrid) and then headed to the veg patch for courgettes, beetroot and french beans. Blackcurrents were also in season but a bit picked over and onions, spinach and swiss chard were available too.

Here is a picture of our haul:

We started out by accidentally picking off-limits strawberries (I guess they’d just been sprayed with pesticides–eek!) so we got some REALLY nice ones. Otherwise the strawberries were a bit picked over. Blackberries had literally just come in season today so we got lucky on that. We were told the best day to go is Tuesday because the farm is closed Monday.

This really is such a brilliant thing to do with your kids. Every query of “shall we pick some (insert vegetable)?” was met by “I love (insert vegetable)!” and finding ripe raspberries was like a treasure hunt. It was really fun. Maybe I had the most fun!

Afterward we went home to make jam. I’ve never made jam but this recipe by Jamie Oliver looked super-easy and they sold jam sugar at the farm. I’m just not sure we cooked it all long enough because nothing is quite firming up. The jars are all in the fridge now so we’ll see…

Here are our lovely clean strawberries.

Here they are mashed up on the stove.

And once they’ve been cooked up.

This is the mixed berry jam before cooking. I mean, YUM.

We made LOTS! I followed Jamie’s preserving method mentioned in the barbecue sauce recipe from the Jamie’s America cookery book. Submerge the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. The lids all popped down, so I’m hoping this won’t kill us later…

Finally, we made labels.

Highly recommend!

I’ve been wanting to go to a pick your own (PYO) farm ever since it started to warm up and strawberries came in season. I haven’t done this since I was a kid and although it basically amounts to manual labour, I seem to have fond memories of it. I love the idea of picking buckets of strawberries and turning them into homemade jam and ice cream (see my strawberry recipes post here!) This weekend is meant to be lovely so we might give it a go!

Taking kids to a farm and showing them how food grows is a great way to get them excited about eating healthfully. Not to mention it is GREAT value for money. You can expect to pay around £3.50-£4 per kilo for PYO strawberries (almost half what you’d pay in many supermarkets).

It seems like a brilliant coincidence that my Netmums Camden newsletter came with a link to a section on PYO farms. If you’re in Camden, here are Netmum’s closest recommendations. For everyone else, PickYourOwn.info offers a map of every farm in the country!

SummerActivitesforKids.co.uk also has some great ideas for getting kids excited about the day out, like planning a menu of what you’ll make with your fruit. It also offers a checklist of tips (don’t forget the sun cream!)

And if you can’t get out to a PYO this summer remember it’s not all about strawberries – you can pick other crops throughout the year–just check the websites for details.

Save money and eat well by choosing food that is in season. Here is what to buy in July, according to BBC GoodFood:

Fruit
At its best: apricots, blackcurrants, blueberries, broadbeans, cherries, gooseberries, peaches, raspberries, redcurrants, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon

Coming in: figs, plums, peaches

Veg
At its best: asparagus, aubergines, basil, beetroot, cavalo nero, courgettes, fennel bulbs, garlic, globe artichokes, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, new potatoes, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, samphire, sorrel, spinach, swiss chard, watercress

Coming in: broccoli, cabbage, celery, sweetcorn

Meat
At its best: lamb

Coming in: autumn lamb, grouse

Fish
At its best: crab, halibut, salmon, tuna

Guest post by Joe Fraser, author of Joe’s Rough Guide to Diabetes and the website www.joes-diabetes.com

1. Take responsibility for your diabetes

As a diabetic, this is the first and biggest step to achieving good control. Other people won’t always be around to look after you if things go wrong, and the sooner you take ownership of it the sooner control should improve.

2. Talk about it

The best way to make diabetes yours is to understand it, and a good way of getting to know what’s going on is to talk about it. Obviously tell your child’s school teacher for safety reasons, but encourage your child to talk to their friends about it too.

3. Always carry something sweet

Even if your child’s really well controlled, hypos can happen. Having a high Glycaemic Index food or drink will quickly bring the levels back to normal: make sure you’ve always got something to hand.

The following raise blood sugars quickly and are ‘user-friendly’: GlucoGel, Lucozade Sport gel, dextrose tablets, sweets, Boosts.

4. Check the back of packets

If it’s possible, always check the back of food packets to see what your child’s eating. The balance between the insulin dose and the amount of carbohydrate is very delicate and can be changed by lots of factors.

A great way to know this relationship is carbohydrate counting. Note the insulin dosage, the amount of carbohydrates, and other factors may affect the levels (such as exercise). Measure the blood sugar just before and about an hour afterwards. If it’s too high, take slightly more insulin the next time or vice versa. This should provide the foundations for excellent control.

5. Record your blood sugar levels and what you eat

Recording what and when your child eats, how much they’ve injected, and whatever activity they’ve done or will do is tedious. There’s no getting around that, and it can be really frustrating when the blood sugars aren’t going the right way. However, recording is the best way to learn how to manage diabetes and means you can start to notice patterns in your readings.

6. Vary injection sites

Injecting can be quite weird at first – not many people enjoy it (!); hitting a nerve can be really painful. The best places to inject are where there’s the most fat, usually the stomach and legs. Most people find it easier on the stomach, but you shouldn’t inject too much in one spot as insulin can make fatty ‘lumps’ grow! These can slow up the absorption of the insulin. To get rid of them, just stop injecting into that area for a week or so.

I inject in my right thigh for breakfast, the left side of my stomach for lunch, the right side for dinner, and into my left thigh for the night time dose.

7. Exercise

Exercise lowers the blood sugar level, which makes managing diabetes more complicated but can really improve control. One of the complications of long-term high blood sugar is getting smaller, stickier blood vessels which cause lower blood flow and problems in the extremities. Keeping fit helps to stop these complications from taking place by increasing the heart’s strength and the size of the blood vessels.

8. Alternate Site Testing

This won’t save a diabetic’s life, but it should improve control and make diabetes a lot less painful! Some glucose meters can only measure blood taken from the ends of the fingers. This isn’t much fun and can stop people measuring as frequently.

Alternate Site Testing allows a diabetic to measure their glucose using blood taken from less sensitive areas like the forearm. Not only is it less painful but since the extremities go wrong first with diabetes, damaging your fingers is not good in the long-run.

9. Always carry your equipment

Carrying all the equipment needed to stay in control can be a real hassle. For just going out in the day you’ll need the glucose meter, test-strips, lancer, insulin pen, spare lancets, needles, and a glucose supply to stay well-controlled. If your child’s staying the night somewhere they’ll need to add more needles and another insulin pen.

Only taking some of what’s needed is not a good idea. It unwittingly puts the people they’re with under a lot of pressure: not having the right equipment means they’re probably going to be in worse control.

10. When you travel take double your supplies

Travelling is brilliant fun: a chance to relax, explore, and get a tan. It’s no different for diabetics, but you need to think a little ahead, especially about supplies. How many needles/lancets/insulin cartridges will your child need? Whenever I travel I take twice as many supplies as I think I’ll need. You never know what will happen, and you don’t want to be stuck without supplies.

Also, take spare insulin pens and divide up the supplies between two bags, otherwise a lost or stolen case could mean the end of your holiday.

We’ve been eating loads of stir fry lately because its pretty quick and so good for you. I love trying to get as many colours of veg in the mix as possible. Last night we tried this brilliant, easy and healthy stir fry recipe from Waitrose, which turned out to be SO much better than stir fry with a packet of sauce (as we usually make it).

We altered the recipe by cooking it with one chicken breast (it was a big one) and two packets of veg which comes out a bit cheaper. Now that we have the ginger and spices, we can make this a bunch of times for even less than the £2.40 estimated. And of course you can find cheaper veg at Tesco, but I did really enjoy the rainbow mix this recipe called for.

Overall this was so delicious and fresh and the flavours are perfect together. I highly recommend it!

Ingredients:

2 essential Waitrose British chicken breast fillets
1tbsp plain flour
½ tsp Chinese Five Spice (we could only find the paste version, but that was nice too)
1tbsp sunflower oil (we used sesame)
180g bag Waitrose Ready Prepared Rainbow Vegetables
¼ tsp crushed chillies
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
20g piece Chinese Stem Ginger in Syrup, chopped plus 2 tbs syrup

Method:

1. Cut the chicken into thin slices. Mix together the flour, five spice powder and seasoning, then place in a plastic bag. Add in the chicken strips and toss to coat.
2. Heat half the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the chicken to the pan and stir fry for 3–4 minutes until cooked through, with no pink meat, and golden. Remove and set aside the chicken, then pour the remaining oil into the pan. Add the rainbow vegetables and chillies and fry for 4 minutes until almost tender.
3. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the lemon zest and juice, ginger and syrup and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes to give a sticky sauce. Serve with fresh noodles or steamed rice.

Save money and eat well by choosing food that is in season. Here is what to buy in June, according to BBC GoodFood:

Fruit
At its best: apricots, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon

Coming in: blackcurrants, blueberries, broadbeans, cherries, peaches, redcurrants

Veg
At its best: asparagus, aubergines, courgettes, fennel bulbs, globe artichokes, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, new potatoes, peas, peppers, radishes, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, watercress

Coming in: basil, beetroot, cavalo nero, garlic, potatoes, samphire, swiss chard

Meat
At its best: lamb

Fish
At its best: crab, halibut, salmon, tuna

Today is a big day for the football in our house as we’re nearing the end of the season and today’s Chelsea and United matches could determine which team will claim the Premier League Championship (I think that’s right, I’ve been trying to pay attention!)

To be supportive of E I decided I’d make a game day feast with beef burgers, sweet potato chips (if I can figure out how to make them) and sweetcorn on the cob. But the sweetcorn was £1.99 for two, which seems absolutely outrageous. It dawned on me that sweetcorn is probably out of season and that’s why it was so expensive.

That’s a roundabout way of saying I’m going to start featuring the list of seasonal fruit and veg (and meat and fish) on this site, to remind myself, and you, what we should be buying each month. Hopefully this will help us save a bit of money plus everything always tastes nicer when it is at its peak.

Here is the list for May, courtesy of BBC GoodFood:

Fruit
At its best: apricots, gooseberries, strawberries
Coming in: blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, watermelon

Veg
At its best: asparagus, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, new potatoes, peas, peppers, radishes, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, watercress
Coming in: aubergines, courgettes, fennel bulbs, globe artichokes

Meat
At its best: lamb

Fish
At its best: crab, halibut, salmon, tuna

Guest post by Annabel Karmel, child nutritionist, for Disney

• Snacks are an important part of a toddler’s diet as they need to keep up their energy and are usually very active, they have small stomachs and cannot eat enough at mealtimes to get them through the day. It’s important to include a wide range of wholegrains such as rice and oats or wholemeal bread. Complex carbohydrates like these satisfy the appetite for longer and provide the body with a more sustained release of energy.

• Whole fruit in a fruit bowl tends not to get eaten but if you thread bite sized pieces of fruit on to a straw to make a fruit kebab, your toddler is much more likely to eat it.

• In the summer fresh fruit ice lollies make wonderful snacks. Simply blend fresh fruit with fruit juice or yogurt and then freeze in ice lolly moulds. Sucking on something cold also relieves sore gums. Pureed watermelon sweetened with a little icing sugar to sweeten if necessary makes a refreshing lolly.

• Many young children prefer raw vegetables to cooked so it’s a good idea to have some carrot and cucumber sticks or strips of sweet pepper with a tasty dip. Try mixing together 2 tbsp of Greek yoghurt and mayonnaise, 2 tsp ketchup, half a tsp lemon juice and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce to make a Thousand Island Dip. Alternatively buy a dip like hummus which is very nutritious. If you want to take raw vegetable sticks out with you, then wrap them in damp kitchen paper to keep them fresh.

• Avoid empty calorie snacks like crisps or chocolate biscuits and keep a supply of healthy snacks on hand. I have designed a brand new healthier snacking range using Disney’s popular characters Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. Available nationwide from Waitrose, Asda and Morrisons and competitively priced, they are perfect for ‘on the go’ families, and individually packaged, so good for a quick snack. Additional information on the range can also be found at: www.annabelkarmel.com/disney

• Children like to assemble their own food, so you could put ingredients in bowls and let your child fill and fold their own wraps. Keep left over roast, grilled or barbecued chickens. Spread a tortilla with a little mayonnaise and fill with combinations like slices of grilled chicken with strips of tomato and shredded lettuce.

• The trick to good sandwiches for toddlers is not to have too much bread or too much filling. It’s a good idea to flatten the bread slightly by rolling with a rolling pin. Try mixing tuna with a little mayonnaise, tomato ketchup and sliced spring onion. Cream cheese and cucumber or peanut butter with mashed banana are popular fillings. For toddlers it is best to cut the sandwiches into bite sized pieces but as your child gets older it’s fun to cut the sandwiches into shapes using cookie cutters.

• Often big pieces of fruit are easier for your toddler to hold than small pieces. Try giving wedges of cantaloupe melon or mango. Dried fruits are good too. Organic dried apricots are delicious and they are also a good source of iron as are raisins.

• If your little one is teething, they may be off his food. It’s a good idea to put a little petroleum jelly around your baby’s mouth and chin as this will prevent soreness if he dribbles. Pop some cucumber sticks into the fridge as biting on the cool cucumber will soothe sore gums.

• You can bake your own healthy mini muffins that are the perfect size for little fingers. Flavours like Apple and Carrot or Courgette and Raisin are delicious and easy to prepare. You can also bake healthy mini cookies like Oat and Raisin or Cranberry and oats. Even children as young a two can help in the kitchen by mixing ingredients or flattening small balls of the mixture to make cookies.

Looking for an easy way to get your kids into the great outdoors during the school holidays? Then Chewits has the answer with sports courses running over the school holidays.

Chewits Sports Courses, managed by leading children’s coaching organisation, Premier Sport, are a super fun and energetic way of entertaining kids, aged between five and 11 years old, during the Easter holidays. Fully qualified coaches supervise and run the courses where boys and girls of all abilities can get stuck-in and learn skills in a range of different sports including: athletics, hockey, football, netball, dance, cricket, tag rugby, basketball and multi-sports.

The courses are a great way to spend a day during the school holidays, your child will love this cool and healthy, sporting experience with loads of other kids in their own age group.

If you’d like a voucher for a free course over April or May school holidays,  please let me know in the comments and I’ll get you sorted!

To locate a course near you please visit www.chewitspremiersport.org

T & C’s
· All winning places are redeemable until 16th April 2010.
· Each day course, requested at time of booking, is available for up to 2 children, subject to availability
· Courses may vary by location and differ from day to day
· No cash alternative
· Children require permission from a parent or guardian to attend a course.
· The courses are available for Boys and Girls aged 5-11 years
· Anyone attending will need to bring a packed lunch, plenty of non-fizzy drink, a change of footwear and suitable clothing for changing weather conditions.