It’s been a huge (excuse the pun) part of my life for so long. It’s a love hate relationship that consumes my mind daily. As a life form we can’t survive without it. I’ve tr…
Source: So here goes……
Bugged Out! Comes to Dreamland..
Can’t wait for this in fabulous Margate
Keep this recipe ready for winter!
Urghh I’ve been poorly this week and in this heat a runny nose, chesty cough and sinus pain have not been fun. But I did make some really yummy medicine.
My sweet potato, lentil and spinach soup, now believe me eating a bowl full of hot soup in 30 degree heat was not an easy task but I think it sweated out a lot of my germs! Whenever I am ill I always find that having something like this to eat with loads of onion, garlic and spice really speeds up my recovery, that along with plenty of water and a good dose of Downton Abbey.
Onions and Garlic are often thought to help with colds and flu as they have lots of germ absorbing properties. Sweet Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin C which promote growth and help the immune system. The Spinach adds a good dose of iron, needed for white blood cell production. And let’s face it anything that’s easy to eat, packed full of vitamins, protein and iron is going to help.
Recipe up now, keep this one handy cough and cold season is just around the corner!
Chickpea Chana Masala
I’ve just added my version of a chickpea chana masala to the recipe section for you to try. It’s a really simple dish to cook, it’s cheap and healthy. Find the recipe here
Chickpeas are a great source of protein, especially for a veggie like myself, they are also high in fibre and iron. So you can see why these little beauties are great for you. They are also incredibly cheap at around £0.35 a can!
I served my chana masala with coriander cous cous, roasted spiced cauliflower and a spoonful of houmous…because clearly I didn’t have enough chickpeas on my plate! You could serve this as part of a larger meal as a side dish with other curries or tagines, but I really liked it as the star of my dinner.
Grab and Go Snack
In need of a little pre/post work out snack….or just a tasty snack?
I’m obsessed with these Cheese and Corn pancakes. Now I can’t take any credit for this recipe at all, it is a Jamie Oliver recipe from his ‘Everyday Superfood’ book.
I know what you’re thinking, Cheese? Corn? Pancakes? Where’s the lemon and sugar right? But these are really yummy (coming from a VERY fussy pancake eater) Jamie says they make a great breakfast, but I’ve been eating them constantly for elevensies, foursies or any time of day that I’m feeling the need for something.
The secret is the cottage cheese, which make these really light and fluffy and give a great boost to protein quota. They are really quick and easy to make so would be great to make with children…plus you’re hiding a bit of veg in them and they make great grab and go snacks.
Recipe here now…
New Look, New Love!
Well…I’ve been pretty rubbish at blogging recently and I don’t really know why. I think life just takes over, I cannot believe I haven’t blogged since around Easter. Anywho HI EVERYONE!
New Look –
So to get me back into the swing of blogging again I procrastinated profusely, played around with the settings on WordPress, playing with colours, themes, heading images yadda yadda. My blog now has a fresh new look!
Now the really important thing…the New Love –
No, no I’m not dating anyone new but I have fallen in love…in love with BALLET.
Ever since I was little I have looked at ballerinas with awe and admiration, these graceful ladies and strong gentleman making every move look so effortless and fluid. Never in a million years would I be able to do something like that…
Well at the beginning of the year I thought ahh why not give it a go, I managed to find an adult ballet class for beginners not too far from my home. My first lesson…I was terrified! I had the co-ordination of a drunk toddler, stepping up to the barre for the first time and trying to plie rather than squatting, trying to remember what first, second, third, fourth and fifth position were, trying to remember any kind of sequence of movement. After an hours lesson I felt like I had done 100 pirouettes, there was so much to learn! During the cool down Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake comes on. A shiver runs down my spine and my inner child says “I’m a ballerina”.
I’m 7 months in to ballet now, I’m taking two classes a week, I adore it. If I could afford to I would honestly go to class every day. I finally feel like I’m making some progress. I’m learning to pirouette, all be it a bit wobbly but getting there. My core strength is improving, my legs are toning differently, my memory is improving and I’m making new friends….I even had to learn to sew to attach the elastics to my ballet shoes! My Instagram feed is full of ballet photos and videos. And I’m going to see my first ever ballet in London in January with my class…teeny bit excited!
The morale of the blog, never give up on a dream. I’m never going to be Darcey Bussell or Odette in Swan Lake but every week for two hours that is exactly how I feel.
Do something that you have always wanted to do, even if it scares you. You will be so pleased you did!
Biscuits and salad bits
So I still have Easter Eggs kicking around my house…I’m literally picking at chocolate every day. This is not good! So in my logic I thought let’s bake with it and make something really naughty to use some up! (I give up)
I made some really easy shortbread from a blog recipe by @SuperBusyMum it’s really short and not too sweet which is lovely…however it does mean you can eat far too much with a cuppa.
So following my mantra of everything in balance, I made a nice healthy dinner of griddled chicken (quorn for me), garlic rice, lemon avocado, pickled cucumber salad, tomatoes and spinach and a yogurt and harrisa dip.
Recipe for the shortbread in the recipe section for you to try yourself!
Now, what to do with the remaining 4 easter eggs and Lindt bunny 😩….fancy a run anyone?
Super Soups
I am the self proclaimed soup queen, I literally adore it. I usually have it most days for lunch at work…even in the summer! Why do I love it? Simple, its filling, delicious, nutritious and the combinations are endless.
Now, I’m talking about home made soups of course. The ones in the cans, although they are quick, convenient and easy they also contain a lot of added salt and sugar. The best way to know what is in them is to make them yourself, they are so quick to make and use up all the leftovers in your fridge so its also a great way to save a bit of money….Christmas was expensive!
As I said the combinations are endless you can never get bored.
I have added a couple of soups in my recipe section, my Parsnip, Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup is a great Christmas leftover soup. Cauliflower, Parsnip and Blue Cheese Soup
My Pumpkin and Lentil is a great lunch getting a nice bit of protein from the lentils and the pumpkin is a great source of of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Its also a very low calorie vegetable with just 26 calories per 100g and rich in fibre and minerals such as potassium and calcium. Lentil and Pumpkin Soup
Get your saucepan out, chop up some veg, add some stock and chuck in some herbs…you cannot go wrong!
Enjoy.
I’m Back!
It’s been some time since my last blog…but a lot has been going on for little old me. I’ve bought a house with my awesome partner so we have been moving house. Even though I have been super excited about the new house, moving for me is one of the most horrendous things to do. I absolutely hate it. I have felt very unbalanced and lacking in routine, have lost all motivation, energy and will power….not good in preparation for the party season which will soon be upon us in a few days.
But that’s just it, I feel like I have missed my favourite time of year Autumn to packing, cleaning, signing, unpacking etc. I’ve missed those lovely runs through fallen leaves, I’ve missed endless pumpkin recipes, I’ve missed lovely woodland walks collecting autumn foliage (ok this is something I don’t normally do, but I’d like to) I feel like I’ve been cheated a season. Anyway moan over all the stress of moving has resulted in something positive, I have a wonderful new house with an awesome man in a new town – which I can’t wait to explore!
But I have lost my motivation to put on my running trainers and get out in the wind and the rain! Cheesy pasta and red wine are far more appealing right? I’ve done a few runs since being in my new abode and I’ve got to say the new route is a lot more challenging as I’m slap bang in the middle of a rather large hill.
So in a desperate attempt to try and find my motivation (after eating about 8 fruit shortcake biscuits today) I used the ever knowledgeable friend of mine and yours “Google” and searched ‘How to get my motivation for fitness back’ and what I found was actually really helpful and some really simple little things that will hopefully get me back on track. Have a look at some of the suggestions below if you’re in the same boat as me and need a little nudge to get going again before you and the stuffed turkey on Christmas Day look like long lost relatives!
- Try a shorter workout.
Even 15 minutes is better than nothing at all, there are some great little videos on YouTube for free fitness workouts you can do in your living room. I like the 10 minute 100 squat challenge!
- Try a new recipe.
I’ve dug out my recipe books that haven’t made their way to the kitchen yet to get some inspiration for some different/healthy dinners this week. We got into a quick and easy rut of eating the same meals each week. I’m aiming to try one new dish per week.
- Drink your water.
So simple but I really have been rubbish with this lately and having a coffee rather than the all important H2O. Gives you more energy, clears your skin, keeps you hydrated the reasons to drink more water is endless.
- Bring Back Breakfast
I know this is the most important meal of the day and a decent brekkie stops those mid morning saunters to the biscuit tin. Why have I forgotten this!
- Take a walk.
Doesn’t matter how long for or how far you go, but walking really calms the mind and hell its good for you. Take some gloves and a scarf though brrrr!
- Track your food for one day.
Such a fantastic way to shock you back into a healthy balanced diet…nobody wants to admit to 8 fruit shortcake biscuits in black and white.
- Take the stairs.
Every little helps
- Get out in the garden.
Sweep the leaves, put the garden furniture away or get rid of some weeds. Not only does it make the approach to Spring easier but its an activity that you need to do anyway and gets you out and moving.
- Go shopping for some healthy foods.
Add a few extra veggies in your shopping trolley and knock up some vegetable soup for lunches. Not only will this save you loads of money and add to your 5 a day quota but it will save you pilling on the pounds from your Boots Meal Deal Festive sarnie.
- Find a workout buddy.
This is something which I need to do living in a new town, not only do you motivate each other to get off the sofa when its dark and cold outside but you also keep each other safe!
Now after those 10 SIMPLE little changes I think I might be ready for a run…wish me luck!
#SugarRush
So I wrote a blog back in June called “SUGAR the original legal high” pointing out the serious problems that sugar is causing our society.
It has been a week since Jamie Oliver’s Sugar Rush programme aired on Channel 4 and my goodness was it hard hitting. It is truly frightening some of the statistics that were featured on the show.
- 26,000 children a year admitted to hospital for rotten teeth costing the NHS £30 million
- 3.5 million people with Type 2 diabetes costing the NHS £9 billion
- 7000 lower limb amputations last year because of diabetes
This has to stop!
Please please please get behind this campaign and sign the petition for a tax on sugary drinks. 7 pence a can could raise a potential sum of £1 billion. This will make a difference!
The money that is raised through the tax will help so many people. It will ease some of the pressure that our, already overstretched, NHS is facing and will continue to face in the future.
It will educate children in schools about food and nutrition in primary schools to allow them to make better choices. Which is another subject I have touched upon in my blog posts. “We are facing a global epidemic”
It will help you, the more understanding we have of sugar and added sugar in foods the more you can make the educated choice about your diet.
Get behind this please, educate yourself and find out more here Jamie Oliver’s Sugar Rush
little changes to life changing 