I am back again...again

You may have wondered where I have been and what I have been doing and I will reveal all in due course but for now I just wanted to let you know that I am still here and fighting on despite a very hard few weeks on the food front.

Here is a little video that I wanted to share with you from a few weeks back and I will be back again..again very soon.

Nicola x

Sicky me

I got sick last Thursday (11.2.10) I could feel it coming and hoped it would just go away but promptly came down with a cold and migraine and did not manage to shake it off properly until Monday (15th) So that in part is why it has all been a bit quiet on the blogging front, but I am feeling much improved now and so am back with full force.

I don't think that I told you about my avocado dessert adventure either...I love this dessert so simple and so tasty but I forgot - like completely forgot that this combination does not like me...at all. I spent most of the evening that I had it, running up and down the stairs to the loo, my stomach was not happy and was looking for the fastest way to remove it from my system. It tastes so good...it is so wrong that it does not work for me, but I must learn my lesson!

Avocado Mousse

You blend one avocado with the juice of one lemon, a third of a can of coconut milk and sweetener of your choice - I use xylitol, and a pinch of salt. Once this is smooth remove half of the mixture and fill two small bowls. with the remaining half, add two desert spoons of cocoa - taste it and if it needs more continue to add until you are happy with the flavour - you may need to add a little more sweetener to balance the taste. I also like to add a pinch of cayenne pepper at this point for a bit of zip. Re- blend and then once smooth layer on top of the mousse already in the dishes. If you can wait pop it in the fridge to firm up a little - a couple of hours is usually enough if you can bear it!

Food 16.02.10

Breakfast

rooibos tea

Lunch

thai style vegetable soup with broccoli

Dinner

vegetable and lentil pattie, pastry made with buckwheat and gram flour served with steamed cabbage

Snacks

corn chips and more humus

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing

Water Intake

Still rubbish 1/2 litres water and about x 4 large herbal teas

Sleep

woke up at 8.50am went back to sleep for 1 hour as slept badly

bed 12.20am

Feeling

Bit tired but in good spirits

Food 15.02.10

Brunch

buckwheat base pizza with olive paste, tomato sauce and goat and nettle cheese served with huge green leaf salad

Lunch

none

Dinner

vegetable and lentil pattie, pastry made with buckwheat and gram flour served with steamed calvo nero

Snacks

none

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing

Water Intake

Still rubbish 1/2 litres water and about x 4 large herbal teas

Sleep

woke up at 10.50am

bed 12.30am - very broken sleep

Feeling

Tired but in good spirits

Food 14.02.10 - Happy Valentines!

Brunch

rooibos tea, spinach and goats cheese galette served with green salad

Lunch

none

Dinner

buckwheat base pizza with olive paste, tomato sauce and goat and nettle cheese served with huge green leaf salad

Snacks

tried to revive a buckwheat chocolate cake that i made but put too much baking powder into, it tasted horrible and was not special at all!

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing

Water Intake

Still rubbish 1/2 litres water and about x 4 large herbal teas

Sleep

woke up at 9.30am

bed 1.00am

Feeling

Bit tired but in good spirits

Food 10-13.02.10 overview

Breakfast

rooibos tea, millet porridge, green smoothie with mint and lemon

Lunch

humus sandwiches on rye bread, lentil burger and vegetables

Dinner

sauteed vegetables with buckwheat pasta, soup

Snacks

corn chips and humus

avocado dessert - i must learn!

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing

Water Intake

not enough water and about x 4 large herbal teas daily

Sleep

very broken sleep and needing to get up to go to the loo most nights at least twice

Feeling

very tired

An evening at the Tate

A few weeks back, we had the good fortune to be invited to the Chris Ofili private view at the Tate Britain. It is a wonderful collection and retrospective of his work. It comes highly recommended as a day out to absorb yourself in the beauty and detail of his work. Well being is definitely about more than food and with all on show at this exhibition, I felt well-er and well-er!

Food 08.02.10

Late breakfast

1 x bowl of millet porridge made with water, coconut milk, spices and xylitol.

Late lunch

sprouted green lentil burger with coleslaw salad (with a bit aioli not mayo and lemon and olive oil as dressing) sauteed onion and peppers with a buckwheat and gram flour bap

Late Dinner

Goji berry and ginger cake-cuit!

Snacks

cake-cuit

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nope nothing

Water Intake

poor, maybe 1 glass water and 4 herbal teas

Sleep

woke up at 3.40am couldn't go back to sleep until just before my husband's alarm went off at 5.30am...oh joy!

Feeling

Bit tired but in good spirits

Food 09.02.10

Breakfast

1 x bowl of millet porridge made with water, coconut milk, spices and xylitol.

Lunch

Falafel, humus and a few sauteed potatoes from Yalla Yalla

Dinner

Vegetarian Thali from Masala Zone

Snacks

Goji berry ginger cake-cuit, purple corn chips and more humus

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing

Water Intake

Still rubbish 1/2 litres water and about x 2 large herbal teas

Sleep

woke up at 8.50am

bed 1.20am - less than ideal

Feeling

Bit tired but in good spirits

I am a naughty girl...

I am a naughty girl. No I mean really naughty. It has been 12 days since I last posted and I know that the hoards of you currently reading this blog (so far 1 follower) have been missing me immensely. What have I been doing you ask? Well, it is funny you should ask as I have not been doing an awful lot but I was feeling pretty awful. It was no specific thing more a lack of sleep, a feeling of wierdiness that is quite hard to explain other than that feeling of when you spin round and round and you feel dizzy and outside your own body for a moment, well I felt like that without the dizzy part. My other major beef with the blog was that I was so bored of my food and writing about it and thought you all must be too. I have moments like that when eating just gets to be a chore because of my limitations but all I need to do is generally find some inspiration and I am back on track once more.

I have been experimenting with a few new food items reintroduced back into my diet to see what happened and so far this is the outcome:

sprouted black beans - good

vegetable crisps - itchy when eaten in excess - which of course is what I do

spelt flour mixed in with the buckwheat bread - not a winner - completely shorted me out

tomatoes - may have shorted me out, may be fine I had them in the spelt/buckwheat sandwich so can't be sure

pineapple - fine i think

percorino cheese - no obvious issues

nut roast - fine with digestive enzymes - my new bessie mate

So there you go a few new things to widen the scope of flavour. I am going to have to be a bit of a cheater and summarise my food intake as I really can't remember that far back and me been me, well I didn't note it down.

Nicola x

Food 27.01.10 -

Breakfast

smoothies, millet porridge, humus on toast, fruit and herbal tea

Lunch

Included a buckwheat tortilla with black bean filling, guacamole, oat sour cream, and sauteed peppers and onions....now that I remember!

Dinner

Kale and black bean stew, red skin jacket potatoes and humus, omelettes, nut roast from the pub in Olney, buckwheat pasta and vegetables, salads, gram flour pastry spinach quiche with percorino cheese - it was so delicious, it got my groove right back on!

Snacks

Vegetable crisps, corn tortillas,lemon almond cake and various cake-cuits including, almond and lemon, ginger and gogi berry

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

walking around Brixworth Country Park for 7 miles, yoga, capoeira, steaming for 20 mins, body scrub

Water Intake

as rubbish as always....as I sit writing this I am parched but will I go and get a drink?

Sleep

a few too many late nights and disjointed sleep, it was just starting to get back on track then like a slap in the face at 3.40am this morning my eyes were open!

Feeling

Bit tired but in good spirits better than the week before and 100 x better than the week before that!

Rise and shine...

Hey,

Just a short note from me today to post my daily intakes and also to give you a little recipe for a morning pick me up that has been working for me for some time. I hope it helps you rise and shine!

Nicola’s Morning Mint Mojito

Ingredients

1 cup Coconut water Kefir, plain coconut water or filtered water

Half cucumber with skin

I-2 peeled and chopped limes Pinch of Himalayan or Celtic sea salt

2 Handfuls of mint leaves

1 handful of parsley

Xylitol, stevia, honey or agave to taste

1-2 tablespoons of flax, omega or olive oil

a 5cm slice of Aloe vera peeled and rinsed thoroughly (no traces of skin as this is what will give it a bitter taste.– use the gel left in the aloe skin to rub on your skin)

Optional extras

1/2 a ripe peeled and chopped avocado

1/2 cup of Irish moss paste

1/2 cup Elixir tea

Green powder of choice

Method

Place all in a high-speed blender and mix until smooth.

Serve and drink straight away for maximum nutrient value. This is a great drink for a summer’s day served with a small amount of crushed ice with extra lime and mint leaves.

Food 26.01.10

Breakfast

1 x large glass same green smoothie and 1 x bowl of millet porridge made with water, coconut milk, spices and xylitol.

Lunch

steamed broccoli, hemp seeds, few sunflower seeds, nori flakes and aioli

Early Dinner

butternut soup and a side serving of buttered kale from the Riverfront Bar and Kitchen in the BFI London and a piece of coconut buckwheat bread I had in my bag - handy!

Snacks

chocolate ginger cake-cuit

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

walking around London

Water Intake

Still rubbish 1 and 1/4 litres water and about x 4 large herbal teas

Sleep

woke up at 7.09am

bed 4.20am - say nothing...I know!

Feeling

Bit tired but in good spirits

A Guided Foodie

So I recently had the good fortune to happen across a copy of The Foodie Guide at my local health food store.  It is full of lovely places to eat or buy lovely food....of course I had to try one, and so a trip to Beckworth Emporium was made.

Food 25.01.10

Breakfast

1/2 litre of green smoothie - cucumber, lemon, parsley, mint, liquid chlorophyll, barley grass powder and probiotics

Lunch

lentil burger in buckwheat bread with a green salad, alfalfa sprouts and a kind of coleslaw made from  last nights steamed cabbage, chopped parsley, mint and a bit of aioliand a touch of jerk sauce

Dinner

Needed a protein meal to be able to have some almond cake...imagine organising your dinner around cake - well I did.  So I ate a 2 egg omlette - and now I am egged out with 2/3 large head of broccoli steamed, nori flakes and a bit of aioli

Snacks

Almond lemon cake x 1/2 slice..So much fun I had making the above film clip that I forgot to eat the said cake until late but when I did...bloating - my own fault really too late and I insisted on having a bit of oat cream.  Protein and a bit of cars no matter how small is never really going to work for me is it? 

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

1 hour yoga and 7x20m lengths, jacuzzi, 20 mins in the steam room. 

Water Intake

1 and 1/4 litres of water and 2 x herbal tea

Sleep

woke up at 9.20

bed 1.00pm 

Feeling

Not bad at all - except for the chocolate cake-cuit headyness is the afternoon.

Grow it in your Window

I am a firm believer in the school of make your own but have yet to venture into the foray of growing my own.  Windowfarms is an excellent idea for a little DIY project and I just saw another little film clip on Daily Candy (http://www.dailycandy.com/new-york/video/79514/Windowfarms-Urban-Gardens). By the way I love this site as it has loads of great ideas and features many inspiring companies.  

Growing stuff in your window is nothings new, but a farm in your window - such a fab idea and what a great way to get people moving toward self sufficiency in the city and more urban areas!

I would certainly like to undertake  a growing garden project this year and change our garden and home into somewhere that helps feed and nourish us as well as contribute to doing our bit for the environment.

Keep it green!

Food 23.01.10

Breakfast

Millet Porridge with xylitol

Lunch

Kind of skipped it as I was working

Dinner

Carrots and humus followed by red skinned jacket potatoes with a bit of olive oil and a monster salad of green leaves, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, nori flakes and a bit of aioli

Snacks

A buckwheat ginger and choc chip (chopped up xylitol chocolate and cacao nibs) cake-cuit 

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing today

Water Intake

not great...about 3 glasses water maybe a herbal tea

Sleep

woke up at 10.00

bed 1.30pm 

Feeling

Exceptionally tired today

Food 24.01.10

Brunch

3 egg Omlette with green leaves, alfalfa sprouts and nori flakes with bit of aioli

Lunch

Kind of skipped it as I was out and had late brunch

Dinner

Waitrose spinach and dahl curry with steamed cabbage with mustard seeds and coconut

Snacks

1 1/2 x slice of lemon almond cake...this cake is soooo good and I will post the recipe very soon

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing today

Water Intake

not great...about 2 glasses water and x 3 herbal tea

Sleep

woke up at 10.00

bed 12.00pm 

Feeling

Exceptionally tired today and very grouchy, oh and a 3 spot break out - great!  I think it is the chocolate and maybe the corn chips too.  But I just has some cake-cuit (25.1.09) and got really heady from it...think I might need to dump my friend Choccy.

Blasted the Yeasty beasites

So, today I went to see Beverley the blood lady to assess where I am out with my yeasty stuff and general health...so the good news is, all the yeast and heavy metals appear to have cleared up in my blood.  The bad news is that my blood is totally acidic and I cannot understand why as I eat such a lot of alkalising foods.  Beverley has two thoughts about it.  I have some digestion issues and am either super low in essential fatty acids and minerals, which is causing havoc with my cell walls and they are not holding nutrients that I am taking in through food and supplementation or, well she thinks that it is possible that I may have methanogens.  Super nasties - related to the gas methane and living in the gut doing all kind of horrible things.  They can be helped by digestive enzymes and probiotics.  I will keep you posted as to what I find out about these beasties.

Gone are the yeasties but now I have beasties....doesn't seem right.

Nx

Food 21.01.10

Breakfast

A few cubes of xylitol chocolate whilst out buy materials for a workshop  - don't judge...

Lunch

Steamed cauliflower, broccoli and carrots from M&S that tasted bland - like zero flavour and some millet with cinnamon and cumin. Oh think I had a bit of ailioi or humus with it.

Dinner

Courgettes and greens, bit of  coconut milk and some jerk sauce with buckwheat pasta

Snacks

None I don't think as I got in late

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

2 hours of Capoeira training

Water Intake

Still rubbish 3 glasses water and about x 2 large herbal teas 

Sleep

woke up at 10.00

bed 12.30pm 

Feeling

Tired as usual

Food 22.01.10

Breakfast

Millet porridge made with water and sweetened with xylitol and spices with a bit of coconut milk

Lunch

Carrot sticks, humus and corn chips - I know...they are not my friend at all and now I have a skin break out!

Dinner

Ethiopian meal of ground chickpeas, lentils, cabbage and spinach - I didn't eat the injera

Snacks

corn chips

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

nothing today

Water Intake

1 x litre or more of water and about x 2 large herbal teas 

Sleep

woke up at 10.30 as I was exhausted and completely aching from Capoeira

bed 1.30pm 

Feeling

Super duper tired

Anthony, Gordon, Hugh and Jamie Oliver too

Did anybody see Gordon Ramsay's Great Escape on Channel 4 the other night?  I watched it on channel 4od and it is still there if you fancy a butchers.  I love watching cooking shows...no I really do.  I know it is sad and other people get their jollies from sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll - and I am not adverse to any of that...maybe the drugs bit but I love to watch a cooking show.  

So my all time favorite has to be Anthony Bourdain with his wry sense of humor and willingness to put literally anything - no I mean ABSOLUTELY anything in his mouth and give it a try.  I have to say my man Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall  follows closely behind with his upbeat cheery disposition and keenness to try the unknown.  He has an eagerness to partake in all kinds of customs near and far and through him I have developed a deeper appreciation for things local, hearty and farmed with kindness.

All that been said Jamie Oliver is such a go to man in times of a crisis.  Mom and Dad coming over for dinner and need a bit of inspiration - Jamie Oliver,  need to make your brother a batch of brownies to keep him happy and sugared up over the festive season - Jamie again.  You can't beat the simplicity of his recipes and the straight forward manner in which they are presented.

Girls, don't feel left out I will post my foodie heroines in the near future but I just wanted to make a note about the boys as I was watching Gordon in action yesterday.  The problem about the whole show was whilst the content was amazing and the recipes and access to culture that Gordon was exposed to was also amazing, he managed to continue to be overly familiar and coarse with the politest of people who all seemed to be left slightly perplexed by his oafish gestures.  We know the guy can cook but he was there to learn - surely a little humility in this situation would not have gone amiss?

Food 19.01.10

Breakfast

1/2 a litre of green smoothie with aloe, lemon, cucumber, blah blah the same other stuff I normally stick in, oh and some cranberries

Lunch

Sauteed spinach, garlic, mange tout with boiled red skinned potatoes with a bit of curry powder and olive oil on

Dinner

Sauteed spinach, garlic, mange tout with boiled red skinned potatoes with a bit of curry powder and olive oil on

Snacks

A slice of amazing lemon, almond essence and cacao chip buckwheat and xylitol cake-cuit a kind of a cross between a cake and a biscuit.  I had a biscuit intention but it came out cakey and oh so delicious that of course i had to have seconds and then got the gurgle tum!

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

1 hour of Body Combat - still cheesy but a really great work out

Water Intake

Still rubbish 3 glasses water and about x 2 large herbal teas 

Sleep

woke up at 9.40 

bed 12.30pm 

Feeling

Super tired! Didn't sleep at all well again - woke up loads and was really hot during the night even though the window was open - a first for me as I am usually the one that is cold!

Food 20.01.10

Breakfast

A mouthful of green smoothie but more importantly more cake-cuit...I know for breakfast! BUT i have run out of millet for porridge and had to go down to London and needed something to take with me and it was still oh so delicious!

Lunch

Sauteed spinach, garlic, mange tout with boiled red skinned potatoes with a bit of curry powder and olive oil on - cold still it did the job

Dinner

Sauteed spinach, brown lentil dahl and poppadoms from Masala Zone

Snacks

a few handfuls of naughty make me itchy corn chips, and a few kale crisps and flax crackers from Saf

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

Zip

Water Intake

Still rubbish 3 glasses water and about x 2 large herbal teas 

Sleep

woke up at 8.00 

bed 12.30pm 

Feeling

Rubbish...Super tired!  Didn't sleep at all well again - keep waking up and found it hard to go off to sleep.

A Bronner a day keeps the Dr. away....

I have been using Dr Bronner's  liquid soap for about 7 or 8 years and now that I think about it I can't exactly remember when and how I came across it or it became such a staple part of my skin care routine.  I say skin care routine like there is some type of orderly regime that I follow but I basically wash my face with Weleda Iris Lotion and then my body with Dr Bronner's - the rose one and the peppermint ones are my faves but you have to mind out for the peppermint in those more sensitive areas!  I had a number of favourite soaps before but now I am convinced that natural, organic and planet friendly are the way to go - and it smells really nice, you can use it as shampoo, you can even clean your teeth with it - I tried this and it is a bit soapy tasting so try this with caution but it does leave those little pegs pearly white.  You can get it from most good health food stores in the UK.

Wash well!

Nicola x

Food 17.01.10

Breakfast

3/4 of a bag of Waitrose roasted almonds...I was starving and we were shopping!

Lunch

3 egg plain omelette and loads of green salad leaves with a tiny bit of aioli

Dinner

Green lentil burgers with red and yellow peppers, onions, smidgen of humus, aioli and buckwheat bread bap served with a huge amount of green salad

Snacks

A slice of amazing lemon, almond olive oil cake - recipe coming soon! Wow is all I can say - yes I do say so myself but my hubby vouched it top notch too!

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

20 mins fast walking on the treadmill as the yoga lady was sick....aggghhhh

Water Intake

Still rubbish 2 glasses water and about x 3 large herbal teas 

Sleep

woke up at 10.40 

bed 11.30pm 

Feeling

Super tired!

Food 18.01.10

Breakfast

1/2 litre of green smoothie with handful of cranberries, lemon, 1 x cucumber, barley grass, liquid chlorophyll, flax and hemp oil

Lunch

bit of buckwheat bread with smidge of humus and veg sautee of cauliflower, carrots, spring onion and sugar snaps and nori flakes

Early Dinner

Bit more buckwheat bread with smidge humus and veg sautee of cauliflower, carrots, spring onion and sugar snaps and nori flakes

Later Dinner

Green lentil burgers with red and yellow peppers, onions, smidgen of humus, aioli served with steamed savoy cabbage and nori flakes

Snacks

A slice of amazing lemon, almond olive oil cake - recipe coming soon! Wow is all I can say - yes I do say so myself but my hubby vouched it top notch too!

Exercise/good stuff to encourage detoxing

1 hour of yoga

Water Intake

Still rubbish 4 glasses water and about x 2 large herbal teas 

Sleep

woke up at 09.40 

bed 11.30pm 

Feeling

Super tired as I kept waking up in the night and was super dehydrated not surprising looking at my liquid consumption the last little while.  I was also really really hot all night.