Its that time of year again...when I anticipate and onslaught of various pressures upon my senses. They've already started but I know I'm not in the thick of it yet.
Throngs of people muddling through the isles at Sainsbury's, screeching children in tow...the warming scents of mulled wine spices...the soft crumble of sugary mince pie pastry melting in my mouth...millions of multicoloured fairy lights twinkling in the city's front room windows...the smooth, waxy feel of a holly leaf in the festive centrepiece arrangement on the kitchen table.
So many intense things around to let me know that the biggest date in the calendar is arriving soon whether I like it or not. In my case, I like it. Mainly because of the chance to enjoy some time with my lovely friends and family. But second to that, because of the bountiful array of amazing food on offer.
Why oh why does so much of it have to be unhealthy?! I'm having a near-constant argument in my head of "but Christmas is the only time to enjoy a mince pie with clotted cream"..."but all that sugar and bad fat...your thighs won't thank you for it!"
So I've decided to give myself little treats here and there, to satisfy the recovery sugar addict in me's little voice, but not have a horrible sinking feeling when I can't fit into my favourite jeans come January.
I will have a little bit of what I fancy, every now an then. I'll keep the portions slight, interwoven with a superfood here and there (nuts are in their element this time of year, in their pre-cracked natural jackets) and washed down with plenty of...water! That way I'll avoid the acid reflux and painfully bloated tummy I always regret to have induced, while still enjoying little pockets of culinary delights that only Christmas brings.
Wishing all my friends and loved ones a Merry and peaceful Christmas xxx
Saturday 22 December 2012
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Autumnal Delights
Ahhh...nothing is nicer than a homemade hot soup on a Sunday. My family are enjoying this warming treat throughout the week too!
We can feel hard-done by in the veg department in winter, not being able to get our normal local, seasonal salads and summer veg so easily (and reasonably) after September.
Well, not me...not this autumn.
I experienced the joy of receiving a mixed squash veg box from Riverford Farm last week. I was expecting a couple of butternuts and a pumpkin or two. But instead I got the full array...Green Kabatcha, Red Kabatcha, Harlequin and a lone white one called a Baby Boo (that one's for you Bec)!
Anyway, I decided to make a soup with some of mine. Simple, quick and deliciously nutritious.
I've called it my Scrummy Squash Soup with garlic and rosemary.
Recipe? Ok:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
A couple of carrots (I find the organic ones have the most carrotiness)
A handful of celery stalks (for those that don't like celery, the flavour doesn't come through, it just adds a nice, healthy salty flavour)
8 tsp low sodium, vegetable bouillon powder (really tasty, healthy stock)
A squash or pumpkin of your choice, de-seeded and chopped to 5cm pieces
3 stalks of fresh rosemary
Celery salt (optional)
Cracked black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6/400f. In a large pan, fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes, until soft, in 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add 8 tsp of bouillon, followed by 2-3 litres of boiled water.
Meanwhile, drizzle the squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and roast in the oven for 45 mins or until soft and golden. Its easier to leave the skin on for roasting, so you can peel it off once cooled. I always find peeling it raw, quite a faff.
After the broth has simmered for about 30 minutes, turn the heat off.
Wrap the rosemary in greaseproof paper and roast in the oven for just a few minutes. When you can smell the herby delight...its ready. We don't want a charred stem!
Allow the squash to cool. Carefully peel off the skin and chop the flesh into smaller chunks as you add it to the broth.
Using a hand blender, puree the broth to your desired consistency - chunky or smooth is equally tasty. Add the rosemary, season generously and warm through. Serve with a little crème fraiche spiralled on top and some crusty sour dough bread.
Mmm, my mouth is watering!
We can feel hard-done by in the veg department in winter, not being able to get our normal local, seasonal salads and summer veg so easily (and reasonably) after September.
Well, not me...not this autumn.
I experienced the joy of receiving a mixed squash veg box from Riverford Farm last week. I was expecting a couple of butternuts and a pumpkin or two. But instead I got the full array...Green Kabatcha, Red Kabatcha, Harlequin and a lone white one called a Baby Boo (that one's for you Bec)!
Anyway, I decided to make a soup with some of mine. Simple, quick and deliciously nutritious.
I've called it my Scrummy Squash Soup with garlic and rosemary.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, crushed
A couple of carrots (I find the organic ones have the most carrotiness)
A handful of celery stalks (for those that don't like celery, the flavour doesn't come through, it just adds a nice, healthy salty flavour)
8 tsp low sodium, vegetable bouillon powder (really tasty, healthy stock)
A squash or pumpkin of your choice, de-seeded and chopped to 5cm pieces
3 stalks of fresh rosemary
Celery salt (optional)
Cracked black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6/400f. In a large pan, fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes, until soft, in 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add 8 tsp of bouillon, followed by 2-3 litres of boiled water.
Meanwhile, drizzle the squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and roast in the oven for 45 mins or until soft and golden. Its easier to leave the skin on for roasting, so you can peel it off once cooled. I always find peeling it raw, quite a faff.After the broth has simmered for about 30 minutes, turn the heat off.
Wrap the rosemary in greaseproof paper and roast in the oven for just a few minutes. When you can smell the herby delight...its ready. We don't want a charred stem!
Allow the squash to cool. Carefully peel off the skin and chop the flesh into smaller chunks as you add it to the broth.Using a hand blender, puree the broth to your desired consistency - chunky or smooth is equally tasty. Add the rosemary, season generously and warm through. Serve with a little crème fraiche spiralled on top and some crusty sour dough bread.
Mmm, my mouth is watering!
Sunday 11 November 2012
I'm a nut for a nut!
My current love is nuts.
I'm not saying Nathan has gone mad, nor am I referring to a desire for the male genitalia either. I mean, I love eating nuts!
I'm still now finding new facts about these simple, easy-to-miss little fellas! Here are my favourites, along with why you need them in your life...
Almonds
Packed with calcium for strong bones and teeth, vitamin B2 for good skin, red blood cells and eyesight, these smooth, milky tasting nuts not only have the highest level of fibre compared to other nuts, but also have pre-biotic properties meaning they help our healthy bacteria to thrive.
Cashew nuts
A curly nut with a softer crunch to it, have the most iron of all nuts. This makes it a good choice for veggies. It also contains magnesium which among other roles, helps the body to process fat and protein.
Pecans
These are just packed with flavour. They go well with savory dishes (think rocket and pear salad with crushed pecans and balsamic glaze) and sweet dishes (I'm yet to make one myself but I do love a pecan tart). One ounce (20 halves) contains over half your recommended daily allowance of manganese - this helps the body form connective tissue and sex hormones as well as playing a role in calcium absorption and the regulation of blood sugar levels.
Pistachios
These are a good choice for healthy snacking - they only contain 150 calories and 1.5g of saturated fat per ounce, which works out to be 49 kernels! For a healthy swap, replace the Parmesan/pecorino cheese usually used in Pesto, with raw, unsalted or roasted pistachios. Whiz together a big bunch of fresh basil, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2-3 cloves garlic, 2 oz pistachios and a little cracked pepper and sea salt for a tasty, healthy pasta sauce.
Hazelnuts
One of my personal faves. Their skins can be a little bitter, so the roasted ones have the best flavour in my book. I love them in muesli (try making your own!) or just on their own as a snack. I've also seen many delicious fruit crumble recipes with roasted crushed hazelnuts sprinkled into the topping. They contain good levels of vitamin E (good for hair, skin & nails) and also folate (a B vitamin), which helps the body form red blood cells.
Seeds
Seeds are just as amazing when it comes to nutrient content. Smaller but no less mighty.
Pumpkin
This yummy green seed is hulled and dried in the format we know it. A 28g serving provides around a quarter of your recommended daily allowance of iron. That's one mighty seed!
Sunflower
These contain good levels of Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1 - essential for the body's conversion of carbs to energy-giving glucose. Scatter them on your fruit salad for a complex carb and protein combo that will keep your energy levels up.
Flaxseed/linseed
These are a great superfood in my opinion. They have high levels of insoluble fibre, so they'll help clear out any sluggish bowel! They also contain plant substances called a lignans, which when in the body, become phytoestrogens. Ladies: these may mimic estrogen, the natural hormone in our bodies that drops during menopause, which in turn could help to help reduce symptoms like hot flushes.
All their goodness is within the seed, so to get the most nutrition from them, grind the seeds using a coffee grinder - they just pass through your system whole otherwise! Keep the grounds in the fridge as their oil content can make them go off. Worth a sprinkle on your cereal if you ask me!
I'm not saying Nathan has gone mad, nor am I referring to a desire for the male genitalia either. I mean, I love eating nuts!
I'm still now finding new facts about these simple, easy-to-miss little fellas! Here are my favourites, along with why you need them in your life...
Almonds
Packed with calcium for strong bones and teeth, vitamin B2 for good skin, red blood cells and eyesight, these smooth, milky tasting nuts not only have the highest level of fibre compared to other nuts, but also have pre-biotic properties meaning they help our healthy bacteria to thrive.
Cashew nuts
A curly nut with a softer crunch to it, have the most iron of all nuts. This makes it a good choice for veggies. It also contains magnesium which among other roles, helps the body to process fat and protein.
Pecans
These are just packed with flavour. They go well with savory dishes (think rocket and pear salad with crushed pecans and balsamic glaze) and sweet dishes (I'm yet to make one myself but I do love a pecan tart). One ounce (20 halves) contains over half your recommended daily allowance of manganese - this helps the body form connective tissue and sex hormones as well as playing a role in calcium absorption and the regulation of blood sugar levels.
Pistachios
These are a good choice for healthy snacking - they only contain 150 calories and 1.5g of saturated fat per ounce, which works out to be 49 kernels! For a healthy swap, replace the Parmesan/pecorino cheese usually used in Pesto, with raw, unsalted or roasted pistachios. Whiz together a big bunch of fresh basil, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2-3 cloves garlic, 2 oz pistachios and a little cracked pepper and sea salt for a tasty, healthy pasta sauce.
Hazelnuts
One of my personal faves. Their skins can be a little bitter, so the roasted ones have the best flavour in my book. I love them in muesli (try making your own!) or just on their own as a snack. I've also seen many delicious fruit crumble recipes with roasted crushed hazelnuts sprinkled into the topping. They contain good levels of vitamin E (good for hair, skin & nails) and also folate (a B vitamin), which helps the body form red blood cells.
Seeds
Seeds are just as amazing when it comes to nutrient content. Smaller but no less mighty.
Pumpkin
This yummy green seed is hulled and dried in the format we know it. A 28g serving provides around a quarter of your recommended daily allowance of iron. That's one mighty seed!
Sunflower
These contain good levels of Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1 - essential for the body's conversion of carbs to energy-giving glucose. Scatter them on your fruit salad for a complex carb and protein combo that will keep your energy levels up.
Flaxseed/linseed
These are a great superfood in my opinion. They have high levels of insoluble fibre, so they'll help clear out any sluggish bowel! They also contain plant substances called a lignans, which when in the body, become phytoestrogens. Ladies: these may mimic estrogen, the natural hormone in our bodies that drops during menopause, which in turn could help to help reduce symptoms like hot flushes.
All their goodness is within the seed, so to get the most nutrition from them, grind the seeds using a coffee grinder - they just pass through your system whole otherwise! Keep the grounds in the fridge as their oil content can make them go off. Worth a sprinkle on your cereal if you ask me!
Sunday 28 October 2012
What's all this about bee pollen!?
So, in my last blog I introduced the idea of bee pollen being a superfood. And it really is as simple as that. Pollen, collected by bees, from the flowers of plants and trees, can be eaten and enjoyed as one of nature's most whole and nutritionally complete foods.
There is a lot of science behind it, but I don't think many of you would be too interested to read the detail around how its molecular composition provides acute levels of almost every vitamin and mineral under the sun. For those that are...although a little basic in layout, this is a good website.
What I've been delighted to discover is that this simple, small product of a beautiful tiny creature is so full of goodness that it blows any man-made vitamin pill out the water!
There are even bigger claims made by some researchers. Check these out (taken from http://www.mercola.com/article/diet/bee_pollen.htm) ...
There is a lot of science behind it, but I don't think many of you would be too interested to read the detail around how its molecular composition provides acute levels of almost every vitamin and mineral under the sun. For those that are...although a little basic in layout, this is a good website.
What I've been delighted to discover is that this simple, small product of a beautiful tiny creature is so full of goodness that it blows any man-made vitamin pill out the water!
There are even bigger claims made by some researchers. Check these out (taken from http://www.mercola.com/article/diet/bee_pollen.htm) ...
- Bee pollen is more rich in proteins than any animal source. It contains more amino acids than beef, eggs, or cheese of equal weight.
- Cultures throughout the world use it to aid recovery from chronic illnesses, to reduce cravings and addictions, to regulate the intestines and in preventing infectious diseases like colds and flu.
- Experiments have shown that bee pollen contains an antibiotic factor effective against strains of bacteria, like salmonella.
It contains high levels of B vitamins, vitamin E, rutin, iron, magnesium, folic acid and potassium.
I tend to add a couple of teaspoons of it to my porridge in the morning. It has a very mild taste, slightly sweet and a little fragrant. You could mix it into salad dressings (it dissolves easily), or perhaps powder it and combine it with cinnamon and add it to toast.
For those of you that are wondering how they actually collect the stuff, here is a simple break down (taken from www.durhamsbeefarm.com):
Honeybees will travel a two mile radius to retrieve nectar and pollen from flower blooms. The honey bee has hair on each of its hind legs which collects the pollen as she walks around bloom. The pollen will literally ball up on her leg and will usually be about the size of a be-be that you see used in a pellet gun.
When pollen is collected for human consumption, "pollen traps" are placed on the hive. These traps remove the pollen granules from the leg of the bee and allow it to fall down into a tray for removal by the bee keeper. The honeybee has to crawl up through a series of 1/4" wiring to enter the hive and in the process of doing so, the pollen is scrapped harmlessly from the honeybee's leg and it drops down into the tray for collection later.
WARNING: In some rare cases, consuming bee pollen can induce anaphylactic shock and so is dangerous for anyone that may have shown sensitivities to pollen, asthma or bee stings before. Please be very cautious in using bee pollen as it could give some people nasty side effects or reactions. I would suggest trying a very small amount to begin with and building up the amount you use gradually.
So there you have it! If you're curious to try some, you can buy it in most health food stores or using various online retailers.
And next time you see a bee...thank her!
Thursday 18 October 2012
Eating Clean
A recent discovery of mine (thanks to my beautiful, healthy Canadian friend Rebecca Young) was The Eat-Clean Diet (www.eatcleandiet.com) - or should I say lifestyle.
This is not another fad diet where you cut out this food group and calorie-count till the cows come home! If you know me, I am really not into fad diets. So if you thought this blog would be all the latest on how to lose 10 pounds in a week...think again!
I'm in the middle of reading one of Tosca Reno's 12 books on her Eat-Clean phenomenon that has sold 2,000,000 books worldwide - The Eat Clean Diet Recharged. Tosca is a model, spokesperson and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner that turned her life and health around at the age of 40 by shedding unwanted pounds and sharing how she did it in a magazine article. Now 53, she was recently awarded first place in a body-sculpting contest!
Anyway, although it's very inspiring and commendable, I'm less fussed about her story, as I don't relate to it all that much. What I love is the values and knowledge she so passionately writes about.
(If you are interested to read more about her journey click here.)
The main principles to the diet lifestyle are very sensible and in my mind, if you want it enough, very achievable:
Eating Clean is not a new idea though - it is practised by the physique and body building industry - that is, fitness gurus and those building a lean physique through fitness training and exercise.
Anyway, enough of the science. I've been following this lifestyle for about three weeks now (fairly strictly: my only four moments of weakness being a homemade lasagne that won me first place in a cook-off competition, a small and very worthy-of-the-indulgence slice of homemade carrot cake, a little home-made fruity cheesecake pot and local grilled fish and chips). The results have been great! I feel good in myself - less bloated, more energetic in the afternoons, my skin has got clearer and I've lost 5 pounds!
But best of all, I just love knowing what I'm eating is fueling and nourishing me from the inside out. I love that my organs and blood and brain and heart and hair and nails and eyes and muscles are all saying, 'Yey! Just what I've been after!'. It just feels right to be eating right.
Plus I'm making lots of new discoveries about weird and wonderful foods that nature has created, which I didn't know existed! Did you know bee pollen was a superfood?! Keep reading to join the discovery...
This is not another fad diet where you cut out this food group and calorie-count till the cows come home! If you know me, I am really not into fad diets. So if you thought this blog would be all the latest on how to lose 10 pounds in a week...think again!
I'm in the middle of reading one of Tosca Reno's 12 books on her Eat-Clean phenomenon that has sold 2,000,000 books worldwide - The Eat Clean Diet Recharged. Tosca is a model, spokesperson and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner that turned her life and health around at the age of 40 by shedding unwanted pounds and sharing how she did it in a magazine article. Now 53, she was recently awarded first place in a body-sculpting contest!
Anyway, although it's very inspiring and commendable, I'm less fussed about her story, as I don't relate to it all that much. What I love is the values and knowledge she so passionately writes about.
(If you are interested to read more about her journey click here.)
The main principles to the diet lifestyle are very sensible and in my mind, if you want it enough, very achievable:
- eat to maintain a healthy metabolism: 6 small meals each day
- eat breakfast every day, within an hour of rising
- eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal
- eat enough healthy fats each day (2-3 servings)
- drink loads of water (2-3 litres)
- eat lots of varied fruit and veg to get all the vitamins, nutrients and fibre you need
- carry your snacks and meals with you in a cool bag, with the above in mind, so you don't find yourself succumbing to the nearest fast food restaurant when you’re peckish!
- eat foods that a pure in their form - no processed junk with e-numbers and ingredients you've never heard of, nor can you pronounce!
- adhere to proper portion sizes.
Eating Clean is not a new idea though - it is practised by the physique and body building industry - that is, fitness gurus and those building a lean physique through fitness training and exercise.
Anyway, enough of the science. I've been following this lifestyle for about three weeks now (fairly strictly: my only four moments of weakness being a homemade lasagne that won me first place in a cook-off competition, a small and very worthy-of-the-indulgence slice of homemade carrot cake, a little home-made fruity cheesecake pot and local grilled fish and chips). The results have been great! I feel good in myself - less bloated, more energetic in the afternoons, my skin has got clearer and I've lost 5 pounds!
But best of all, I just love knowing what I'm eating is fueling and nourishing me from the inside out. I love that my organs and blood and brain and heart and hair and nails and eyes and muscles are all saying, 'Yey! Just what I've been after!'. It just feels right to be eating right.
Plus I'm making lots of new discoveries about weird and wonderful foods that nature has created, which I didn't know existed! Did you know bee pollen was a superfood?! Keep reading to join the discovery...
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Can't escape the comfort of carbs!
So, Autumn is well and truly settling in and its the time we turn to the joys of homemade cooking to comfort us when we need to be cosy...steaming soups, bubbling stews and warm, stodgy porridge! Let's face it - it's hard to get excited about salad in October (although I generally do all year-round)! And it's hard to fancy a chilly fruit salad over a couple of rounds of buttery toast with a lovely brew for brekko!
So, in an attempt to be extra healthy and try to cut back on the nasty yeastiness and generally preservative-full standard supermarket loaf of bread, I am trying out some other, lesser-known loaves to see if they step up to the mark in the morning!
In September, whilst enjoying the sights and shops of one of my favourite towns, Totnes in Devon with my gorgeous friend Rebecca visiting me from Canada, we stumbled upon a locally made bread stall. It sold all varieties of spelt, sourdough and rye bread. Spelt is a grain that is known to be more easily digested than normal wheat, due to its more brittle and water-soluble make-up. Rye is another very healthy grain that has quite a delightful nutty flavour.
Becky and I enjoyed some lovely sunflower seed wholemeal sourdough toast, spread with almond butter the next morning over a nice cup of tea! The toast was quite dense, so every bit as satisfying as normal toast, but with lots of extra goodness!
Another that I've recently discovered is a bread that is made from only one ingredient! Yep, I know it's hard to believe - one ingredient! It is called sprouted wholewheat bread and you can get it in specialist health food shops or online.
It is made by soaking and then repeatedly rinsing whole wheat berries (in a container with a lid and air holes), allowing it to 'sprout' in a dark place, just like an average seed would. You then grind the sprouted grains and mould the dough into rounds, and bake!
I think it's a little like malt loaf in texture but perhaps more crumbly, with a similar sweet taste to it, but with no added nonsense!
Try it - you might be surprised!
So, in an attempt to be extra healthy and try to cut back on the nasty yeastiness and generally preservative-full standard supermarket loaf of bread, I am trying out some other, lesser-known loaves to see if they step up to the mark in the morning!
In September, whilst enjoying the sights and shops of one of my favourite towns, Totnes in Devon with my gorgeous friend Rebecca visiting me from Canada, we stumbled upon a locally made bread stall. It sold all varieties of spelt, sourdough and rye bread. Spelt is a grain that is known to be more easily digested than normal wheat, due to its more brittle and water-soluble make-up. Rye is another very healthy grain that has quite a delightful nutty flavour.
Becky and I enjoyed some lovely sunflower seed wholemeal sourdough toast, spread with almond butter the next morning over a nice cup of tea! The toast was quite dense, so every bit as satisfying as normal toast, but with lots of extra goodness!
Another that I've recently discovered is a bread that is made from only one ingredient! Yep, I know it's hard to believe - one ingredient! It is called sprouted wholewheat bread and you can get it in specialist health food shops or online.
It is made by soaking and then repeatedly rinsing whole wheat berries (in a container with a lid and air holes), allowing it to 'sprout' in a dark place, just like an average seed would. You then grind the sprouted grains and mould the dough into rounds, and bake!
I think it's a little like malt loaf in texture but perhaps more crumbly, with a similar sweet taste to it, but with no added nonsense!
Try it - you might be surprised!
Sunday 14 October 2012
And so it begins...
As a near-constant pipeline dreamer, I have thought, pondered, wondered and procrastinated over this blog for many months now. What's my aim? What do I want to say? Why?
Well, now is the time and here are the answers.
I love food. I'm always thinking about what my next meal will be, when it will be, how healthy it will be (or not). If I'm not thinking about it, I'm making it...or eating it! My husband laughs (and growls) at the volume of various tupperware containers I bring home from an average day in the office, with the food remnants he has to wash up!
As well as the beautiful and vast variety of tastes, smells and colours that food brings, it can be teaming with life: toxin-fighting vitamins, energy, minerals and tasty goodness that keeps the blood pumping through our veins. On the other hand, we could be eating heavily processed 'foods' that have been through so much manufacturing, with lots of horrible man-made chemicals added, that they could be doing the opposite!
I wholeheartedly believe that what we put inside our bodies directly affects what we will get out of them. Our health and well being really is impacted by our diets - positively or negatively - so why not give it a few more minutes thought each day?
My aim for this blog is to share with you the knowledge, musings, tips, ideas, discoveries and pitfalls that I've acquired so far in life, in the world of food, health and nutrition.
I hope you enjoy it...as much as I enjoy food!
Well, now is the time and here are the answers.
I love food. I'm always thinking about what my next meal will be, when it will be, how healthy it will be (or not). If I'm not thinking about it, I'm making it...or eating it! My husband laughs (and growls) at the volume of various tupperware containers I bring home from an average day in the office, with the food remnants he has to wash up!
As well as the beautiful and vast variety of tastes, smells and colours that food brings, it can be teaming with life: toxin-fighting vitamins, energy, minerals and tasty goodness that keeps the blood pumping through our veins. On the other hand, we could be eating heavily processed 'foods' that have been through so much manufacturing, with lots of horrible man-made chemicals added, that they could be doing the opposite!
I wholeheartedly believe that what we put inside our bodies directly affects what we will get out of them. Our health and well being really is impacted by our diets - positively or negatively - so why not give it a few more minutes thought each day?
My aim for this blog is to share with you the knowledge, musings, tips, ideas, discoveries and pitfalls that I've acquired so far in life, in the world of food, health and nutrition.
I hope you enjoy it...as much as I enjoy food!
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