Month: July 2015

Fig, Turmeric and Banana Smoothie

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Turmeric?! In a smoothie?! I hear your doubtful cries, but I shall sit here smugly smirking and enjoying the deliciously creamy banana and fig combination and the multitude of anti-anxiety and depression benefits that turmeric has to offer. I literally sound as if I’m on a TV Channel selling watches. Oh well. As you may have read in my recent Butternut Stew Recipe, I’ve been experimenting with Ayurvedic spicing and it’s benefits for mental health. Ayurveda is a 5000 year old holistic system of natural healing originating from India. It stems from two words: ‘Aya‘ meaning ‘Life’ and ‘Veda‘ meaning ‘Study’ or ‘Knowledge of’.  The knowledge of life! It reminds us that health is a vital balance and integration of mind, body, spirit and environment (which is right up my street!). Turmeric is fast becoming recognized for it’s uses in treating depressive disorders. The active compound in turmeric, curcumin, has a huge range of medicinal benefits including being an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-oxidant. As well as this, curcumin is being looked into for alleviating the …

Roasted Beetroot and Lentil Bounty Bowl

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Sometimes I stand in front of the fridge buzzing with ideas with my mind whirring like an old Acer laptop with a million tabs open. Other days I will look at my wilting veg box with an empty tummy and an even emptier mind. When I created this recipe, I had some pretty old green onions, some sad looking beetroots and a sweet potato going soft on me. I hadn’t thought of anything new for this blog for a while and to be honest, the sorry sight of my veg box didn’t fill me with excitement and joy. Something clicked, though – imagine a camera close up to my eyes looking at the beetroot, darting to the right and looking at the nuts and seeds, then a close up of the lentils and suddenly – ping! Eyes widen and a lightbulb appears above my head. Beetroot and lentils and toasted nuts and green things!!! Enter your new favorite abundance bowl – Roasted  beetroots, parsley, green onions, lentils, toasted nuts, with a ginger and lime dressing. It’s …

Iced Anti Caffeine-Comedown

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You know that tension headache you get 2 hours after a particularly strong coffee…? That weakness of the arms and legs, slight nausea and irritability after drinking caffeinated drinks all day? Knotted stomach, increased heart rate and anxiety? That, my friend, is a caffeine comedown. And it sucks. I have to be careful about my caffeine intake as I know it sets my anxiety off badly. When I worked in Lush during Christmas, when the shop would get so overcrowded and loud, the cup of coffee in the morning was the difference in having an anxiety attack at work or not having an anxiety attack at work. If my heart rate was already increased and my brain whizzing away, I wasn’t doing myself any favours. If you suffer from anxiety, I would recommend limiting your caffeine intake to up to 2 cups of tea or coffee a day. Any more than 100-150mg could put you on edge and increase your anxiety. More affects of caffeine overdose include insomnia, muscle tremors, heart palpitations, restlessness and headaches. Whilst …

Wear Neroli Oil

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I worked at Lush Cosmetics (well known to some as ‘the bath bomb shop’ or the ‘Christmas’ shop!) for a total of 2 and a half years. By the end of my time there, I could pick up any product in the shop, list the ingredients in the product and tell you the benefits that each ingredient will have on you, all off of the top of my head. Impressive, hey! I gained a wealth of knowledge on essential oils and herbs and their benefits on the mind and body. I learnt that I can treat shock with Ylang Ylang, create a meditative state with Frankincense, induce a merry heart with Lemon Balm, and most intriguingly, increase serotonin production with Neroli. Aromatherapy has been used as an aid to emotional and physical well being for thousands of years. There are several ways that we can use essential oils in our everyday lives and regain touch with our sense of smell and links with pleasure. You can mix essential oils with base oils, such as almond or grapeseed oil …

Most Used Kitchen Tools

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I thought I would write a blog post on my most used kitchen tools! This way, you can stock your kitchen with tools, gadgets and appliances that will enable you to make healthy, wholesome and nourishing food for your mind, body and soul. I find myself using these on a daily basis, and I am not sure where I would be without them! Nutribullet This is number 1 on the list for a reason. This blends my smoothies, purees and sauces and grinds nuts, seeds and grains into a perfect flour. I wouldn’t settle for anything else. Garlic press Self explanatory, but if you haven’t got one of these, you need one now. I use the garlic press regularly as it presses garlic into teeny mushy squares, and this stops me from having to blend the garlic, which means my nutribullet won’t smell of garlic either. Result. Peeler Peel vegetables and make vegetable ribbons. No need for a fancy spiralizer. Preserve jars Keep everything in these, from your nuts, seeds, grains, powders, granola, smoothies, cordials, …

‘All-Out’ Wheatgrass Power Pancakes

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This recipe is for when you’ve got a Sunday morning all to yourself. Banana, spinach, buckwheat and wheatgrass pancakes perfectly paired with blueberries, goji berries and a peanut butter sauce. I look forward to my Sunday mornings all week thanks to this recipe – waking up, flannel to the face, clothes on, walk to the beach, come back and stuff myself with green pancakes and cuban coffee. Oh my lord.. it really doesn’t get much better. I’ve called them ‘All Out’ pancakes because I go all out on them. ‘Matilda’ sized pancakes, stacked in the most pretentiously Pinteresty way, and covered in all sorts of goodies like blueberries, banana, buckwheat groats, goji berries, peanut butter and date sauce… the list could go on. You could add your own toppings like desiccated coconut, nuts or seeds, frozen fruit, syrup… oh blimey, it’s really hard for me to write this in the evening just before dinner – I want to leap out of my seat and start making pancakes instead! So – why spinach and wheatgrass? Spinach is …

Carob and Coffee Hangover Cure

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Say hello to your new favorite grogginess-banisher. This is a bit of a spin-off of my Kick-Up-The-Arse Coffee. I say that because this kicks you right back into the realms of feeling human once again. The coffee gives you the much needed zing, the banana and stone fruit clears the head of brain fog, the ice cubes wake you up and the carob, cinnamon and nutmeg provide a sweet, nutty and decadent kiss. Carob is used as a chocolate substitute for people who are allergic to chocolate and dairy. I love it not only for it’s taste, but it’s gallic acid – beneficial as an antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial. It’s good for your insides. If you research the benefits of coffee, you’ll find that it’s becoming increasingly popular due to it’s numerous proven benefits. It pairs perfectly with the carob, nutmeg and cinnamon in this smoothie and gives it a smooth, nutty, caramel-y flavor. The caffeine increases your energy, cognitive function, reaction times and gives you a sense of euphoria. I mentioned in a previous post how I …

Ayurvedic Spiced Butternut Lentil Stew

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I’ve been reading about Ayurvedic spices recently and I am enchanted. I am overjoyed at how simple it can be to turn my kitchen into a little ‘good for you’ clinic, full of spices that help with various ailments such as physical aches and pains, low mood, headaches and even itchiness… Ayurveda is a 5000 year old holistic system of natural healing originating from India. It stems from two words: ‘Aya‘ meaning ‘Life’ and ‘Veda‘ meaning ‘Study’ or ‘Knowledge of’.  The knowledge of life! It reminds us that health is a vital balance and integration of mind, body, spirit and environment (right up my street!). From the Ayurvedic perspective, low mental health is caused by a lack of co-ordination of the individual’s senses, thoughts and emotions. Whilst using spices on their own won’t magically balance you right away, it’s a very forward step on the way to good balance and integration of mind, body and spirit and should be done regularly. I have been experimenting with using Ayurvedic spices in my cooking whilst being mindful and grateful while I …