Wonderful Watercress: The Health Benefits of this Seasons Salad

I’ve really been enjoying watercress recently, its fresh but peppery and it’s flavour is versatile enough to be matched with many different dishes including salads, pasta, soups, pies, stir fries, smoothies and even breakfast! (Think watercress omelette or watercress and tomatoes on toast)

Watercress in the uk is in season from April right through to October. On the ‘Eat the seasons’ website they advise that watercress is at its best when the leaves are dark green. I agree! I’ve seen bagged watercress before with a yellowish leaf and it.did.not.taste.good!

Tofu and Garden Pea ‘quiche’ with watercress

This post is to share some of my recent reading about watercress, such a brilliant little salad leaf it deserves some attention this season! (Click on the photos to see the recipes for these dishes!)

Water cress is grown in large “watercress” beds which are constantly watered, hence it’s name ‘watercress’. The website for ‘The Watercress Company’ (growers of watercress in Hampshire and Dorset since 1850!) has loads of really interesting information including how watercress is grown, the history of watercress and some great information on their efforts in wildlife conservation. I always thought watercress was grown in places near huge sunny Asian lakes or something similar so it was very interesting to see it is also successfully grown in England

Baked Artichoke, Quinoa and Watercress Salad

When I visited a Bio Sig dietician back at the end of last year he actively encouraged me to eat lots of watercress as it lowers levels of estrogen. This can help fat loss, mood swings and general well being in men and women. I already eat a lot of dark greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli but I happily found a place for watercress in my diet. It can enhance any dish which suits a kick of sharp flavour.

Watercress also contains vitamin A, C, E and B, it is anti cancerous and it has been shown to increase productivity of white blood cells (information from Livestrong)

As with a lot of vegetables and fruits it is most beneficial to your body when eaten raw and organic, it is so strong in flavour (similar to rocket leaves) it is best mixed simply with some lemon juice and … You guessed it.. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Courgette, Watercress and Melon Bruschetta

What’s your favourite watercress recipe? Feel free to share recipe links in the comments!

Wild rice salad with pine nuts and avocado

I’ve been eating wild rice instead of brown rice recently, it’s got twice the amount of protein, it is high in fibre and it is high in anti oxidants! It is more expensive which is annoying as it is so good, but because it is hard to grow, often harvested by hand and needs to be treated to remove the inedible green husk to reveal the shiny black rice then the price is justified. You can buy packs where it is mixed with white or brown rice to make it cheaper, or you can mix it with other grains yourself at home to make it go further! You can find out more about the health benefits of wild rice here

The great thing about wild rice is that it is perfect in rice salads because it keeps its shape and doesn’t stick together once cooked. I probably slightly undercooked it because I liked it quite chewy but ideally you boil it until it really puffs up and has popped out of its ‘shell’.

Wild rice salad

This salad is really a basic and delicious combination of everyday salad items! Spring onions for a zing, peppers for crunch and colour, avocado to add some creaminess and pine nuts to top it all off. I then piled it up on top of some baby gem lettuce leaves to make it look pretty and to complete the salad.

A basic vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon and white wine vinegar gives it a freshness or you can just drizzle over some balsamic vinegar, whatever you fancy.

Serves 6 as part of a ‘lunch spread’

200g wild rice
6 spring onions
3 peppers
2 large avocados
Large bunch parsley
Handful pine nuts
12 baby gem lettuce leaves

Cook the rice according to packet instructions, it needs quite a long cooking time similar to brown rice. Allow to cool. Slice and dice the spring onions, peppers and avocados and mix into the cooked rice.
Spread out the lettuce leaves on a big plate and pile the rice salad in the middle. Sprinkle over the parsley and pine nuts and drizzle over your choice of vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar.

Magic Mushrooms – The health benefits of mushrooms you may not know about!

Mushrooms for sale at my local farmers market

Did I get your attention, or did you see that title and run away in case I had embraced a slightly more bohemian lifestyle than I’d let on don’t worry, I haven’t! I’ve just done a lot of reading about mushrooms recently and I never realised how good for you they are.

I kind of always categorised them in with things such as iceberg lettuce, cucumber, cauliflower and pears…..things I thought tasted ok but had little nutritional value (maybe because of their pale complexion), I am now informed that they all actually have qualities which are good for us! Well, does cucumber?? (Wow apparently it does!)

In this post I have gathered together the research I’ve done so you can see some of the benefits, and some great ways to enjoy mushrooms (not the magic kind!!)

Did you know that mushrooms are the only known plant based food source that contains vitamin D, other sources include eggs, oily fish and then the non edible source – sunshine! You’d have to eat ALOT of mushrooms to take in enough vitamin D so make sure you get outside (put your sunblock on) and soak up that goodness! Vitamin D helps you grow strong and healthy bones.

They are also a great source of vitamin B2 (needed to boost energy metabolism and metabolism in proteins) and B3 (can help reduce cholesterol)

That’s not all, mushrooms have been found to contain anti oxidants which can help decrease your risk of cancer and they contain iron and calcium.

The thing I love about mushrooms is that there are so many types available and they are so versatile so it would be hard to grow tired of them. I have been adding sliced chestnut mushrooms to stir fried kale in the mornings and it helps bulk up the meal without many added calories. You can get all different kinds of mushrooms but make sure you know what you are eating, don’t just pick mushrooms you find growing outside and eat them if you’re not sure as they can be extremely poisonous. I like to just buy a mix of mushrooms from the supermarket although one day I would love to go out foraging (with someone who knows about mushrooms).

In fact mushrooms are low carb, very low fat and they have zero cholesterol.

Ok so on to cooking them – well you can literally do anything with them! Why not start off by grilling field mushrooms and then add some garlic and herb butter and enjoy as a light brunch.

I like adding them to Omelettes, Quiche, pies, kebabs, stirfries, soups, burgers, on top of pizzas etc and they can even be the main star of the recipe such as in this Rich mushroom ragu. or this Mushroom Lasagna

Open Mushroom Lasagna topped with Chanterelle mushrooms and Parsley!

Ingredients which compliment mushrooms include garlic, hard herbs such as rosemary and thyme, other herbs such as parsley and sage. They go great with strong cheeses and my favourite is grilled or sauteed mushrooms served with a drizzle of rich truffle oil…Delicious!!

So there you go, make sure to include mushrooms in your diet on a regular basis to stay healthy and slim! What are your favourite types of mushrooms? I like chestnut and Enoki mushrooms and then for visual effect of course you can’t beat the beautiful chanterelle!

Wheat and Gluten Free: Week One

More changes for me!! At the moment this is just a change I have been advised to make for three weeks to see if it is something I should eliminate or not, kind of like a trial and error test I guess. Although I think it will last for 5 weeks because Christmas falls in these three weeks so my next appointment with the dietician/ personal trainer isn’t untill mid Jan!

When I became vegetarian I repeated the same reason for this change over and over “I have started learning and reading about nutrition, the treatment of animals and health in general and I feel like I need to remove myself from the whole picture and only re introduce things if I feel I can believe and trust in them. I will spend my time learning about the meat industry and also what I should be eating for optimum health and over all I will do whats best for the environment and for my self”.

Well over a year later and I’ve learnt a lot but I have not really pin pointed what my ideal diet is, and I mean for myself as an individual not what someone else has written, and I have been reading a lot about the meat industry but I still don’t know where I stand other than I still do not eat meat. Although I now only buy Scott free range, organic meat which is more expensive but much better for the animals and for him!

Anyway so my wheat and gluten-free week – well! I have lost weight again, but this seems to be something that happens every time I make a change and then slowly it levels out again. I have found it easy during the week because I am good at being disciplined when I have a strict routine. It’s the weekend I’m nervous about when I have no structure and I do more snacking and I don’t have set times of the day where my meals fall like I have during the week.

It hasn’t necessarily been hard but I realised that I need to be vigilant with my label checking! This week I have eaten soup for lunch every day and I also had soup for dinner one night and it was only yesterday when I went to make a new batch that I realised the stock cubes I have been using contain wheat and gluten!! I hadn’t even thought about it and I felt annoyed at myself because I know I should follow my own advice and make my own stock! So this is what I’ll do this weekend.

The only other time I cheated (!) was when we went to a gig Tuesday night and everyone was having a drink, usually I’d join in and have a beer but I wanted to do well so I had a cider (which I checked before hand was wheat and gluten free friendly). Unfortunately the bar ran out of cider (not because of me!!) so I caved in and had a pint of beer! *Slaps own wrists*

So you may think “why go on a wheat and gluten free diet if you’re not allergic”. Well I’ll be very honest, I suffer from bad skin and I’ve tried so many different ways to clear it up and it’s never really gone away. This dietician I have seen a couple of times said that according to the Chinese Meridian charts problems with your digestion in your intestines and stomach can actually show on your skin, particularly your jaw line! So he suggested I cut it out to see if this is something which has been irritating my stomach and therefore irritating my skin!

Source: http://www.health-science-spirit.com/meridians.html

Source: http://www.health-science-spirit.com/meridians.html

As you can see from the above pictures problems with the small and large intestines and the stomach all focus energy around your face and jaw line! This is why I need to make sure that next week I am conscious of making my own stock, avoiding beer!! and throwing myself into this change to see if it makes a difference.

Also cutting out wheat and gluten or at least cutting back on it can be good for weight loss. Ive been carrying around a comfy extra 5 pounds since I got married and so the changes I keep making are also to help me get this off and keep it off! The website Apt Personal Training said “Avoid all wheat and gluten products. Many of us eat too much bread and many other foods that we don’t even realise contain wheat. Over exposure to wheat and gluten can lead to an intolerance, which can cause bloating and feel quite a discomfort at times. Give your body a rest from it and you will soon notice the difference”.

This week I have noticed that my stomach has been much flatter even though I am still eating the same amount of food, just different foods! I’ve also had a few comments from people saying I looked a bit slimmer so I think it’s working usually I’d say “oh no thanks but I’m still trying” but I found this quote from my workout guru Jillian Michaels and it made me think we should all follow this advice more -

When friends tell you how awesome you look, drop the “I still have more to go” crap.  You worked hard and you deserve the compliment!  ~Jillian Michaels

Homemade Baked Beans: Vegetarian Breakfasts

I knew I had achieved my goal with this recipe when Scott walked over whilst I was photographing it and said “You can’t put heinz baked beans on toast on your blog!!”. I had based this recipe on re-creating my favourite baked beans on toast but with so much more nutrition and depth! The taste isn’t exactly there because my beans are much more savoury however I like the smooth sauce and simplicity of the beans.

I used natural flavours to bring out the sweetness of the beans. The sauce is made from roasted red pepper and sweet potato which adds  a sweeter tone without any need for sugar but also the sweet potato works brilliantly as a thickener so there is no need for any ingredients such as flour etc.

Sweet potatoes are really good for you so I kind of see these beans as having hidden nutrition, yes tinned beans are low fat and a good bit of protein, but my beans are like… super beans!

They’re not technically baked as I just made them in a pan but I felt the need to call them baked beans since that was what I was trying to emulate.

Since Monday I have been following a wheat and gluten free diet so although usually I would eat my beans on a slice of toast this morning I had my beans on a big pile of stir fried kale with an egg on top and it worked really nicely.

I used one can of borlotti beans for this recipe and it served 4 (the added potato and pepper makes it go much further!) however I think the sauce was enough to feed 6-8 so I froze the extra sauce to add to some beans next weekend when I fancy a nice brunch.

Serves 4 with extra sauce

1 Large Sweet Potato
1 Red Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil
Smoked Paprika
1 Can Tomatoes
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 cup Water
1 Can cooked Borlotti Beans (or any white bean of your choice)
Splash Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat your oven to 190c. Peel your sweet potato and chop it into large chunks then place on a baking tray with the whole pepper (don’t cut the pepper) and coat the pepper and the sweet potatoes with the oil, salt and smoked paprika. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Allow them to cool down slightly then to prepare the pepper pull the green stem away from the body and most of the seeds and juice should pour out. Slice the pepper open and scrape away any remaining seeds then peel off any tough blackened skin and slice roughly.

Put the cooked sweet potato and red pepper into a blender with the garlic and water untill it is a smooth paste. Depending on the size of your potato you may need a splash more water but keep the sauce thick.

Drain the canned borlotti beans and put them into a saucepan. Pour enough sauce in to cover the beans and add a splash of balsamic vinegar then give it all a good stir and heat through untill piping hot. Check your seasoning and then serve either on toast or with your breakfast items of choice.

Garlic, Ginger and Lemon Lentil Soup with a Fresh Spinach and Tomato Topping

I’ve always preferred chunky soups to the smooth blended variety because I like a bit of texture to my soup. This soup is a beautiful way of getting in between a chunky soup and a smooth soup as the lentils break down to create a creamy texture but they also keep some bite to them.

I think the topping to a soup is just as important as the soup itself, being creative with the toppings can transform both taste and texture significantly. For example I used some walnuts as croutons in my recent mushroom and celeriac soup, or you can use fresher ingredients as I have here to create a light, healthy and vibrant finish to the soup.

Garlic, ginger and lemon work perfectly with red lentils and are great for this time of year when your fighting off a cold or feeling a bit blue from the colder weather. You should have no need for lemsips and cough sweets if you eat this soup regularly

I wasn’t sure Scott would enjoy this soup as he said it looked like lentil porridge however after eating a big bowl of it I was really happy because he said he thought it was delicious and actually tasted a bit like chicken soup! Another husband approved vegan dish for the repertoire

The best way to eat this is to stir the topping through the soup and then enjoy piping hot! It tastes even better the next day.

Serves 6 – 8 (freezable)

2 Onions
2 Garlic Cloves
1 thumb sized piece Ginger
1 Red Chilli
1 tblspn Cumin Seeds
300g Red Lentils
1.5 litres Vegetable Stock
1 Lemon (Juice)
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

For the toppings-Large handful Spinach per person
1 Tomato per person
1 tspn Paprika
1 Lemon thinly sliced

To prepare your veg – Peel then finely dice the onions. Peel and crush or finely slice the garlic. Peel and roughly chop the ginger. Slice the chilli (I leave the seeds in but depends how hot it is).

In a large saucepan heat some oil/ butter/ Veg stock (whatever your sautéing weapon of choice is) and add the onions, garlic, chilli and ginger and cook over a medium heat for approx 6 mins. Add the cumin seeds and stir for another 1 minute to allow their flavour to come out from the heat.

Add the lentils to the pan, stir then add the vegetable stock. Put a lid on the pan, turn the heat down to low and leave for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile take a frying pan and heat a little dash of oil. Chop your tomatoes roughly and wash the spinach then add both to the pan with the paprika and a little salt if desired and stir untill the spinach is wilted and the tomatoes are soft and their juice has reduced slightly.

Check on your soup – once cooked the lentils will have expanded and will be soft but still with a little bit of bite to them.

Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon and give it a good stir then serve in large bowls topped with some spinach and tomato mix and a couple of slices of fresh lemon.
We woke up to snow this morning (in the UK that is always a big deal!). It took me an hour and a half to drive a 20 minute journey to work and there was probably 2cm of snow if that anyway the combination of snow and me seeing the coca cola truck advert last night means it is now officially christmas in my mind!!

Some Udderly Great Ideas for Milk Alternatives

Following on from my “Some Gouda ideas for Cheese alternatives” post I am now looking at milk alternatives. Sorry about the cheeeeesy titles, am I milking the situation?

As you all know by now I struggle with dairy products, especially milk and cream, so I moved on to drinking herbal teas and made a conscious effort to cut a lot of dairy out of my life. But for things like breakfast cereal I moved straight on to using unsweetened soya milk. I hadn’t even thought about other types of milk available or whether soya milk is good for me etc.

Since the loose theme of my vegan Mofo month is “making the transition” to being vegan (looking at what I may need to think about if I made the jump) I thought I would look at different types of dairy free milk available…and their pros and cons! I’m going to look at taste, ingredients (i.e. how processed they are), and good and bad health aspects.

I have photographed the brands I purchased in Sainsburys however there are other brands and other types of milk I’m not discussing today. Also I am not a nutritionist or a doctor etc so if you want further information into how different milks may affect your own health then please seek further advice. Oh and also just because I think something tastes disgusting doesn’t mean you will! So give it all a try

Soya Milk

Unsweetened Soya Milk

Taste Test: I’m not the sort of person who would sit and drink a glass of milk so I’ve never really tasted soya milk without it being mixed into a smoothie or cereal. It was interesting as it tasted creamy but slightly ‘woody’ with a slight after tang. I actually didn’t like it much on its own it was a bit strong for me but I have never found it too over powering in cereal.

Ingredients: (Sainsburys unsweetened soya as pictured) - Water, Hulled Soya Beans, Inulin (a plant extract commonly used in processed foods because of how adaptable it is. It can replace sugar, fat and flour in a recipe), Tri-calcium Phosphate (the added calcium, derived from in organic sources such as mineral rock),  Sea Salt, Gellen Gum (also known as E418!!! It is sourced from bacteria that grows on an aquatic plant and it thickens the milk), Natural Flavouring (whatever this is?), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Bitamin B6, Ribovlavin, Folic Acid (good for women), Vitamin B12.

Pros: Most brands I looked at have added calcium which can provide up to 3 times the amount of calcium than unfortified soya milk which is great because I wasn’t sure I was getting enough calcium when I cut out all dairy (although some research suggests that dairy is a bad form of calcium for your bodies anyway). It also contains protein, folic acid and vitamins.

Looking at the ingredients it seems a bit too processed for my liking but also everything is sourced from nature. I was worried it would all have been created in a lab somewhere.

It is lactose free which was my main reason for moving over to it, but it’s also vegan which is obviously another good factor! It is also lower in saturated fat than normal milk!

Cons: It can upset your stomach and a lot of people are allergic to Soy products so be careful if you’re not sure.

I found a  really interesting article on The Guardian highlighting health issues such as the raised levels of plant oestrogens “a woman drinking two glasses of soya milk a day over the course of a month will see the timing of her menstrual cycle alter. It has been estimated that infants who are fed soya formula exclusively receive an amount of oestrogen equivalent to five birth control pills every day” also causing infertility in men, increased risks in cancer and environmental issues such as the effect of growing soy on the rainforest – “Soya now occupies more land in Argentina than all other crops added together, covering more than half the country’s arable land. It is predicted that 10,000 hectares of forest is being lost every year – the equivalent of 20 football fields an hour. If this continues, in five years’ time the country’s native forests will disappear completely.”

I’m someone who has struggled with hormone balances over the last 5 years so this does worry me. Also I had noticed that after drinking a soya smoothie every day my skin flared up (again something I’ve struggled with since being 15!) This may be a coincidence but I’ve decided to cut out soya for a few weeks and diarise any differences!

Rice Milk

Provamel Organic Rice Milk

Taste Test: I didn’t find it as strong as soya milk, it was kind of just non descript! It definitely wasn’t offensive but again I would never sit and drink a glass of it alone. Texture wise it was a bit thin but over all not bad

Ingredients: Water, Organic Rice, Organic Sunflower oil (I’m guessing to give it a glossy finish?), Emulsifier: Rapeseed Lecithin (apparently rapeseed is used instead of soya lectihin due to allergies and also for GMO issues in soya beans), Sea Salt

Pros: Ok so a much smaller list of ingredients for this milk which I like! It is very low in fat and it is cholesterol free which is always a bonus however I would never want to sacrifice high nutrition for low fats so I’m not sure if this really is an advantage. If you are only swapping your milk choices to lose weight then consider this little fact from Fitday website “rice milk still contains more fat than skimmed cow’s milk, which contains less than half a gram of fat per one cup serving.“ 

If you’re swapping because your vegan/ lactose intolerant then this is a good choice as it is completely devoid of animal products and it does contain some calcium.

Cons: It really doesn’t have much nutritional value. If you want everything you eat to do some good in your body then maybe choose a different milk. My mum’s homeopathic doctor (guru) who also happens to be Indian said that rice milk is a waste product from over boiling rice and has no nutritional value.

Oat Milk

Oatly Organic Oat Milk

Taste Test: It tastes very sweet and the texture is very watery (as you can see in the photo). I’m not sure I liked it but I’m starting to wonder after writing this if actually I just don’t like milk in general – woops! I think this milk would be great on some plain muesli to perk it up or even used to make some sweet porridge! It didn’t have an after taste like soya milk which is good.

Ingredients: Oat base (water, oats* 10%), sea salt.

Pros: I’m shocked by the ingredients because I generally thought it would have some added sugars etc. Three simple ingredients – oats, water and salt! Yay!

According to Oatly’s website it contains a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, fibre and beneficial fats. They also say oats are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat but they’re a little bias!

Over all though this is a seemingly low processed, natural and healthy milk option.

Cons: Nutrition Diva points out that “Oat milk offers fiber as well as a moderate amount of protein, about 4 grams per serving. However, it is on the higher end in terms of sugar and calories.”

I don’t think there are any dangers in over doing the oat milk, so far apart from the watery look to it and the slightly sweet taste (most people would like this but I don’t have a sweet tooth!) I think this is a good option and I’ll be trying it more often.

Almond Milk

Alpro Almond Milk

Taste Test: This was the one I was most excited about trying because I have heard so many people talk about nut milks and how good they are for you etc. I was surprised at how sweet it was (I wasn’t surprised when I saw the ingredients) and that it didn’t taste nice and nutty like I wanted it too. Don’t get me wrong you could taste almonds but they were masked under sweetness. The texture was nice though and it felt creamy.

Ingredients: (remember these ingredients are listed by largest amount first) Water, Sugar (!!), Almond (2%), Tri-calcium phosphate (the added calcium, derived from in organic sources such as mineral rock), Sea salt, Stabilisers (Locust Bean gum, Gellan gum), Emulsifier (Sunflower lecithin), Vitamins (Riboflavin (B2), B12, E, D2)

There is more sugar than almonds in this milk! How can they market this as a healthy option?!

Pros: If you have a sweet tooth this tastes great and would be perfect for desserts or stirring into a hot chocolate. Puttin the actual brand aside and looking purely at almond milk then it’s good to remember that Almonds are one of the most nutritious nuts you can eat, they are a great source of protein and Nut Farm website says - “20 – 25 almonds contain as much calcium as 1/4 cup of milk. They contain a lot of protective nutrients, help fight heart disease and lower cholesterol”

You can make your own nut milk using just nuts and water! Here is a great step by step guide from Choose Raw – Home made Almond Milk

Cons: Almonds (like most nuts) can be high in fats, some brands of almond milk are reduced fat which is handy if you are watching your weight. For me I don’t drink a lot of milk so a small amount of nutritionally dense fat can be excused. 1 cup of almonds can contain up to 47g of fat but don’t forget that for every cup of almonds you are using you add 4 cups of water – so to consume 1 cup of almonds your having to drink a whole lot of milk!

Sooo that is my little look at dairy free milks. I hope you found it interesting! Do you have a favourite dairy free milk? Did I miss off an important health aspect? Do you prefer a sweeter milk or something a bit more earthy?

A Beginners Guide to Juicing: How to make it fuss free

Juice the grapes (25-30) and then the figs (2) then squeeze in half a lemon to make a glass of sweet delicious juice

It was only after staying with my mum in August that I started juicing. That trip to stay with her inspired me not only to start juicing but also to start growing my own herbs and to start sprouting seeds! These are all things I have read about from all the amazing food bloggers I now follow religiously but also from reading up more about health and the benefits of a raw diet. The reason the trip to see my mum kick started all these things for me was that she showed me some tips on how to make it all really easy and how to do it properly.

When I got home I cleared our breakfast bar (which had become a ‘dump all the post/ paperwork/ cds/ keys/ phone chargers etc etc bar’) and all it has on it now is the juicer, a blender, 2 chopping boards and two big fruit bowls. It is my new pride and joy! Me and Scott now enjoy a fresh raw juice each evening after work for a much needed energy boost and also the breakfast juice bar faces the tv so I can catch up on my cooking programmes whilst preparing our juice.

Here are some great tips to ensure that your juicing experience is fuss free:

1. Have a clear space to make your juice. This will make it easy to prepare your fruits and vegetables, easy to wipe down and it also means your more likely to keep juicing as you won’t have to clear room to even begin.

2. Wash and prepare your vegetables in advance. Before you’ve turned the juicer on make sure you’ve washed all of the fruits and vegetables and topped and tailed any thing that needs it (i.e. carrots). Slice it all into manageable chunks and pile it all onto the chopping board ready to go.

Cut everything into pieces that will fit into the juicer

3. Fill the sink with water and washing up liquid. This was the best tip that my mum gave me and it is the main reason that I have managed to keep up the routine of having a daily juice. Firstly make sure that your draining board is clear then fill the sink ready to wash the juicer immediately. After you’ve made your juice scrape the pulp into the bin (or a tub if you keep it) and wash all of the removable parts then place on the draining board to dry. Later in the evening when its dried I put the juicer back together again and the next day it’s ready to go! I’m quite lazy so if the juicer wasn’t washed when I needed it I’d probably skip the juice!

Ok so now your prepared to juice you have to think about what you are going to juice! Here are some great tips on some basic combinations to get started:

1. Apples and Carrots. These two are the base of 95% of my juices and excellent on their own or combined with other fruits and vegetables such as beetroot, ginger, melon, radishes etc. As long as you have apples or carrots in your kitchen you can make a delicious juice.

2. Herbs. Adding herbs such as parsley adds a high hit of nutrition and also turns the juice a brilliant green colour. I found that pushing the leafier herbs through with a piece of apple helps get the most juice out of the herb. The juice from the apple washes it all through the juicer and into your glass.

3. Ginger. Adding a few pieces of fresh root ginger give the juice a fantastic spiciness, great for keeping away colds and calming a poorly stomach. My favourite is a nice and simple carrot and ginger juice.

4. Beetroot. I love adding beetroot raw into the juicer but Scott finds it a bit earthy, beetroot goes very well with sweeter fruits like apples to tone down the flavour. Also it’s such a pretty colour!

Beetroot and Apple Juice

4. Lemons and Limes. After juicing I sometimes add a squeeze of lemon to the glass for a fresh kick to the juice. You don’t need to put the lemon through the juicer it can be squeezed and stirred in, it adds even more nutrition and another flavour level.

5. Green Vegetables. I’ve tried juicing broccoli, asparagus and celery but I found that mixing them with a sweeter fruit such as melon or apple helps tone down the earthiness of the juice.

Just experiment and have fun! Me and my mum would juice everything into a jug and try a bit each, if we decided we didn’t like it we’d try adding another apple or another flavour untill we liked it.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a juice that’s tasted the same twice!

Vegan MoFo Begins!

Ok so along with hundreds of other bloggers I’ve signed up for the 2012 Vegan Month of Food writing challenge (see more details here). The aim is to write at least 20 posts this month which is a lot more than I usually do so I hope you enjoy everything I am going to try to discover in this month and hopefully I’ll manage to get the content together for you all

I haven’t chosen a strict theme for the month but instead as a non vegan who is always considering going vegan I wanted to focus this month on what sort of things would need to be considered, how it can be easier than you think, some myths unravelled and also plenty of vegan recipes! It’s actually World Vegan month in November and before hearing about Vegan MoFo I had already decided to go vegan for the month to try it out, so I’m going to use the month of October as a nice warm up to the real thing!

All posts during October will be either vegan recipes, about vegan things or I guess just my usual chatter but if you look further through my blog you will find recipes which include eggs and cheese etc because usually I am not vegan – so please feel free to browse but please take note that this is not normally a vegan blog.

I googled “What is a vegan” and here is what I found (Source – Vegetarian Resource Group):

What is a Vegan?

Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.

I hadn’t thought about all the non foodie things that vegans need to consider and I’m not really in a position to comment on whether people should be wearing wool or not so I’m more excited by sharing how creative vegan food can be and not pointing out everything in this world which has harmed an animal to be made. Lets keep focused on the positive!!

I’m not a massive fan of using vegan replacements such as vegan cheese/ cream etc because it all sounds horribly processed but I know for convenience it would be good to try, I am partial to the occasional veggie sausage or burger when I’m feeling the need for something junky! I’d rather have a cheeseless pizza topped with tonnes of tasty veggies and a rich tomato sauce to be honest! So I think that is where I will start for this month – A beginner’s guide to not eating cheese!

Any vegans out there who have a favourite vegan cheese? Anyone else joining in with Vegan MoFo?

NB – If you want to see who else is taking part in Vegan MoFo then check out this HUGE Blog roll can’t wait to start browsing!

The day I faced my fear….and won!

Apologies in advance because this isn’t a food related post but it is about me. Infact it’s about something which has consumed my life since I can remember – my fear of blood, gore, needles and hospitals! I remember going to the gym with my mum many years ago and the ‘Give blood’ van was there, she said she was going to go and give blood and then I turned green…then I turned grey….then I lost all colour completely! It felt like I had lost my vision and my ability to breath all at once and all I could concentrate on was this blanket of nausea and fear which had taken me away from the world.

This has happened to me many times over the years and most of the time it is triggered by an innocent comment from someone or I catch sight of something which instantly takes me back to that feeling. I hate it because I don’t know how to explain it to the people around me and I’m sure I’ve looked like a drama queen when I’ve had to stick my head between my knees and focus on my breathing because someone mentioned their gran had an operation!

When I was in my late teens I began to realise that I was really encouraging myself to behave this way, not voluntarily or consciously but I found myself imagining the worst or picturing things which made me feel ill when talking to friends about it and then I would feel sick again. I stopped watching anything which would set me off (including hospital dramas!!) and everyone knew not to mention recent gory events when I was around. It was my thing…my fear!

Over the last four years I have had a few health problems which has meant I have needed regular blood tests. Now I think my fear of needles is rediculous because I have had numerous piercings without fainting or being sick, but mention blood test to me and I instantly begin to well up and lose colour. My mum always came with me and held my hand, it was always a big deal and we’d have to warn the nurse I was upset. I’d fuss and pull my arm away frightened of the impending event and begin to get myself into a state of panic. I would imagine that the needle was going to break, or my arm was going to fall apart and I would start thinking of every horrible thing I’d ever seen and before I know it I’d be crying and desperately clinging to my mum (I’m 25 by the way this is not when I was younger). Then it would be over…pain free and no need for further medical assistance…and I would instantly feel embarrassed and apologetic, but also a massive sense of relief.

One day I had a blood test booked and no one was free to come with me. The night before I started to talk myself out of going and then I thought No this is my chance to be brave and start to get over this. The morning of the appointment I rang my mum crying but hopeful and she said that sometimes people cling on to their fears because that’s who they have made themselves, that’s what everyone knows about them and to them that’s normal. But it is something I can let go of and I don’t need to be that person any more. It was such an enlightening moment because I knew she was right, I instantly react in a scared way because that’s what is now expected of me and that is my reaction of habit.

I went to the appointment feeling a bit numb and as I walked in I began to cry but I saw the nurses face and the familiar feeling of embarrassment and I just stopped. I sat down, looked away and then breathed a sigh of relief when it was over so quickly. I know it may sound silly to some but to me that was a really defining moment. I practically skipped home with the biggest grin on my face and I knew that I would be able to do it again on my own when the time came.

I still cringe at gore and I’m not quite ready to give blood (I know its an amazing thing to do Im working up to it) but I can now listen to someone mention an operation without fainting, I can write this post without feeling sick and I can get on with my life as an adult! I faced my fear…and I won