Ginger Carrot Salad

I am completely in love with this. I’m not ashamed to say that I ate it all at once. This would be lovely with tofu, fish, meat or any type of protein really. Or on it’s own. Whatever takes your fancy. It’s pretty simple really, the most time consuming thing is peeling the carrots into strips, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy. 

• 3-5 medium carrots
• 1cm piece of ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• a pinch of chili flakes
• a sprinkle of sesame seeds to eye

Pretty much all you do is throw it together. Peel and top and tail the carrots, then peel in inside into strips. You can see that I’ve cut the core into chunks, just to make my life a little easier. Once you’ve done that, just add the rest of the ingredients and combine. It’s easiest to use your hands for this. That’s it really, now all there is to do is eat. The chopsticks are optional.

(Credit)

8:26 am  •  1 June 2012  •  2 notes

Pesto

What is this you see? Fresh pesto? Not from a jar? Nope, it’s actually in a plastic cup. I got this at my local market. It’s Chili and Coriander (Cilantro to you across the pond) Pesto. It’s the second time we’ve got it, and it’s delish. The Owner of the stall says that it’s good as a marinade on fish. So if you’re partial to a bit of fish, why not give it a go? Anyway, I’m an avid pesto fiend myself and I’m in love with chili/coriander so I pretty much reached nirvana when this entered my mouth.

I’m sure we all know how to make pasta, but here a few tips for cooking pasta

• ALWAYS salt your cooking water generously (I cannot stress this enough, it will NOT make your pasta salty, but it will bring out the flavour wonderfully)
• Cook the pasta for 1 minute less time than it says on the packet, taste, and then cook for longer if it’s needed
• Take out half a cup or so of the cooking water before you drain the pasta, in case your sauce needs to be more … saucy
• If you’re serving with cheese, don’t go too overboard on the salt when seasoning your pasta
• Eat lots of it

In attempt to make this dish more healthy I used Gluten Free (and vegan, wahey) brown rice pasta, and added some frozen peas. I just chucked the frozen peas into the pasta water at the last minute just to defrost them really. No need to fully cook them since you heat them up when adding the sauce. Peas really added a nice sweetness to the dish, and yeah I would just really recommend it basically. 

(Source: becausefood)

6:20 am  •  1 June 2012

Good afternoon my sweets, hope you’re all doing good.

Today I had an appointment with my psychologist and it was really nice. I’ve been seeing him for a couple of years now, and it’s only recently that I think we’re on the same wave length. We’re both into meditation and the importance of mental well being (obviously, since that’s his job), and it’s just really nice to have someone that really fully understands what I’m talking about. I don’t think many people really do understand things like, for example, living in the moment. Whenever it’s spoken about, it’s always along the lines of drinking, drugs, doing shit because YOLO etc. For me it’s not about that, and it’s only a few days ago that I had this realisation. Living in the moment is about not worrying about the past or the future. The past is unchangeable and the future doesn’t even exist yet. I suppose it varies by each person, but for me it really works and keeps me balanced/happy. I think I’ll end up making a whole post on this, but I’ll save that for another time when I’m more experienced and given it more thought. Anyway, I just wanted to share my contentedness with the whole situation. I don’t think I’ve ever had that sort of understanding with someone else, not on that level at least.

Hopefully my mum and I will be starting weekly yoga classes which will be lovely. I’d like to, at some point, be at a place where I can practice yoga by myself, once I know some moves well. I’ll start researching along side the classes. 

Side note on Buddhism. I bought a book from my local Oxfam book store called Buddha for Beginners, and it’s brilliant. Now, you’re not going to become fully enlightened by reading it, but it gives you a general outline and story of how Buddhism came to be. So if you happen to be interested, here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Buddha-Jane-Hope/dp/1874166188. It’s a beautiful, fun and easy to read book. I would really recommend it.

Have a great rest of the day!

(Source: becausefood)

11:15 am  •  31 May 2012

Brown Rice

EVERYONE I’VE UNLOCKED THE SECRET OF BROWN RICE. Ok, I can’t take credit for it, but seriously this is the best brown rice I’ve ever eaten. It doesn’t even look like brown rice, but it is. I would be hesitant to believe from the picture that it’s brown rice BUT IT IS. Can you tell I’m excited about this? It takes longer for this to cook and prepare but it’s so worth it. It has the texture of white rice, but still has the nutty flavour and oh my god I need to world to try this. Not to mention, it still has all the health benefits. What’s not to love?

• 1 cup brown rice
• water for soaking
• 2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
• seasoning to taste (optional, I didn’t season at all but I did use vegetable stock)

Soak rice in water for a few hours or overnight.  Drain.  Add rice to a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Add 2 cups of vegetable broth (or water).  Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes.  Check the rice.  If the rice is slightly chewy, remove the lid and cook until the rest of the water is evaporated. If the rice is still hard, replace lid and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, until rice is chewy. 

When rice is ready, remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

Credit goes to here, I am in love with this woman.

1:57 pm  •  30 May 2012  •  9 notes

healthymeansbeautiful:

How to have a good relationship with food

Who wants to hate eating?D: It’s one of the best parts of a day:D Here are Izzy’s 10 ways to make your relationship with food as meant to be as Ross and Rachel:’)

1. Stop dieting. 
Just reading that sentence might have sent you into a panic. Relax — I’m not telling you to forget everything you know about healthy eating, I’m asking you to change your perspective. Diets are temporary (“I want to lose weight for my wedding.”). Diets are about numbers (“I want to lose 10 pounds.”). Diets are a metaphor for what we really want in life (“When I lose weight, I’ll finally be happy.”) Let go of these ideas. Instead, think about the long haul (“I want to be able to play with my grandchildren someday.”). Think about how you feel (“Eating quinoa gave me so much energy!”). Think about what you really want out of life (“I want to run a 10K.”). The tools, tricks, and mentality of dieting won’t fix your life or solve your problems, but thinking about what you want out of life and making decisions based on that will. 

2. Change your vocabulary. 
Can we all just agree that you were not “bad” if you had a piece of cake? That you were not “good” if you resisted seconds? These words are laden with the kind of judgment that’s the last thing you need when you are trying to learn how to approach food from a healthier point of view. You made a choice that either supported your health goals or it didn’t —- but that choice doesn’t make you “bad” or “good.” 

3. Think, shop, and eat like a French woman. 
There’s a reason why French Women Don’t Get Fat became a runaway bestseller, and it’s not because we all wanted to figure out how to be skinny and eat croissants for breakfast. With our focus on restrictive diets and punishing workouts, we’ve completely divorced food from pleasure. On the list of great pleasures in life, food is up there right after sex. So when you’re in the grocery store, really appreciate the sensory aspects of the food on sale: the colors, smells, the feel of the wet spinach leaves between your fingers. Visit a farmer’s market and chat with the growers about how they like to cook their crops. Taste your food and experience the deep delight of eating something delicious. 

4. H.A.L.T. 
Are you Hungry? Or are you Angry, Lonely, or Tired? Try to pinpoint what’s sending you the fridge. Is it a physical hunger or is it just boredom? If it’s hunger, by all means, eat up! But be aware if your desire to munch away is fueled by something else. 

5. Sit with a feeling. 
If find yourself about to cuddle up with a box of chocolate cookies and you know it’s not because you’re hungry, try to just pause for a minute. Whatever the feeling is you’re attempting to eat away, sit with it. Feel all its discomfort. It feels bad doesn’t it? (No wonder we eat to get away from it!) Instead of masking those feelings with a binge, write down how you’re feeling or call an understanding friend. The feeling is still going to be there after a snack attack, but if you confront your emotions head on, you’ll find a better way to ease the pain. 

6. Start a food journal. 
Most of us have no idea what we eat in a day or how much. Start writing down what you eat, not necessarily as a way to lose weight, but just to see how what you eat makes you feel. After each meal or snack, jot down your post-eating sensations: Do you feel like you need a nap? Did you wait too long to eat and then overdo it? By connecting the way you eat with how you feel, you can notice patterns and, if necessary, change them. 

7. Ask yourself what you really want. 
You know when you’re not even hungry anymore, but dinner was good, and the lure of a second plate is right there within reach? You find yourself shrugging and thinking, “Ah, why not?” Instead of going for the second helping of food you don’t really want, ask yourself what you really want. Do you want a piece of dark chocolate? Do you want to get up from the table and go back to your kitting? Do you really, really want a pair of skinny jeans? Let what you actually want inform your decisions. 

8. Reconsider “treats.” 
When your boss tells you your TPS reports weren’t up to snuff and you still made it through the day without tears, it’s tempting to treat yourself to a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels. But is this really a treat? Or is there a chance that deep down, you know you’ll feel worse-off than you did before? Think about treats that will actually make you feel better: a new lipstick, painting your nails, stopping to pet every puppy you pass on the street. 

9. Nix peer pressure. 
Dinner with friends after work is one way to catch up, but there are so many other options that don’t involve food and that annoying dessert tug-of-war. Go to a yoga class, bundle up and take a walk through the park, see that art exhibit that’s about to close, or bond over your embroidery and a cup of tea. 

10. Slow down. 
When I am so hungry that I am literally wolfing down my food, I’ll notice that I’m practically holding my breath. The same mindful breathing that can get you to relax is absent from hurried eating. Slow down. Take a bite. Take a breath. Pay attention to what’s happening right now: the tastes, the smells, the textures, the conversation you’re having over dinner. Take it all in mindfully and slowly…and enjoy! 

I’m absolutely in love with this post. The second point has really helped me, and actually has made me more aware of other peoples relationships with food. I really think it’s one of the most important things you can learn. For myself, finding a good place with food and not feeling guilty about anything I eat is really helping me to like and accept myself more. Food and the right mindset is much more valuable than you might think.

(Source: getfuckinfit, via mission-to-nutrition)

12:01 pm  •  30 May 2012  •  5,359 notes

Gluten Free Rich Chocolate and Hazelnut Gateau

Nothing like starting healthily is there? This certainly isn’t one to eat everyday, especially if you’re on a calorie controlled diet, but indulgence is important every now and again I think. I suppose you could class this as a nutella cake since it uses chocolate and hazelnuts, but it’s a lot richer than that. If you’re not a huge dark chocolate fan, I would leave out the “icing” or use milk chocolate (don’t hold me to that though, I haven’t tried it).

• 200g plain chocolate (I used 70%)
• 75ml milk
• 175g very soft unsalted butter
• 175g caster sugar 
• 175g ground hazelnuts
• 50g gluten free flour
• 5 eggs, separated

Grease and line a 23cm/9in round cake tin. Melt the chocoalte with the milk, stirring occasionally until smooth. Transfer into a mixing bowl and add the butter, sugar, ground nuts, flour and egg yolks. Stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until peaking. Using a metal spoon, transfer a quarter of the whites to the chocolate mixture and fold in. Fold in the remainder. Turn into the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or until the surface feels just firm to the touch. Leave to cool completely in the tim before turning out.

• 100g plain chocolate (I used 70%, again)
• 15g butter
• 25g blanched hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

11:04 am  •  30 May 2012  •  1 note

Hello lovelies, consider this my official return to my blog. It’s been about a month I think, and I still have pretty much all of my followers, so thank you for sticking around! I’m currently sat in my bedroom with a green tea face mask, so what better time to write this than when I’m visually impaired? (I’m not wearing my glasses, just to expand on that) So I’m sure this blog will stay pretty much the same, but I will most likely be posting more lifestyle and personal things. For example, I’m taking a huge interest in Buddhism, yoga, vegetarianism etc etc., so expect some content along those lines. We’ll see I suppose. I hope you’re all doing well, I’m very excited for this!

9:52 am  •  30 May 2012

brianafahey:

Bring Back Food Education (by JamiesFoodRevolution)

(via mission-to-nutrition)

8:12 pm  •  1 May 2012  •  7 notes

Spicy chick pea and tomato curry with coconut brown rice. I learnt the rice recipe from work, but it didn’t taste how I wanted it to so it needs adjusting and then I’ll post a recipe. It might be because I used brown rice. The chickpea “curry” is really simple and you can personalise it to your taste really easily, I will post a recipe for you lovely people tomorrow. Hope you all had a good day.

2:44 pm  •  30 April 2012  •  3 notes

This, my friends, is Chia seed Granola. Super easy and delicious, I could eat it for days on end. It would be great for breakfast, or stirred into yoghurt or whatever you folks like to do with granola. All you need to do is mix 1 cup of oats, 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 2 tbsp honey (or agave nectar like me) and 1 tbsp flavourless oil (I used vegetable), spread that evenly on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes in a 170 degree (Celsius) oven. You might want to give them a quick stir half way through cooking to make sure they get evenly cooked. So yummy. You could add raisins, that would be lovely. In fact, I might just do that to mine right now!

10:17 am  •  30 April 2012  •  8 notes