Birthday fun then the year is done!

Hi!

I just wanted to wish everyone an early HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Have fun celebrating tonight, enjoy some time with your loved ones and a glass or two of vino ;-)

It's actually my birthday today and I've had a lovely time. A killer gym workout, followed by lunch and a glass of sparkly stuff with my best friends and then boyfriend time :-) I'm typing this as boyf is in the bathroom makng his face baby soft. Woop woop for non-prickly new year kisses!!! :-) Actually....he's just making himself respectable before we head off for new years dinner with my parents!

I hope 2011 is amazing for you all!

Much love
x x x

Lentil and tomato salad

Hey! How is everyone? I'm feeling good after another great treadmill workout. After a pretty busy day in the surgery, I hit the gym for a sweaty betty hill/interval run, followed by some sprints alternated with upper body weights. Fab! :-)

My workout was followed by a great post-workout dinner - lentil and tomato salad, served with a couple of slices of cracked black pepper ciabatta. A great protein-rich dish to aid muscle recovery :-)

For this salad, I basically threw in loads of chopped cherry tomatoes, onion, green lentils and capers. I mixed everything together along with salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and a splash of lurvely olive oil. My tummy is happy :-)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is currently on TV....love that movie :-)
xoxo

Back into the exercise groove

Phew!

I just had a great 90 minute treadmill run in the gym below my flat. Just what I needed after 3 days of sedentary christmas celebrations. It's amazing how quickly you can start to feel different when you're used to exercising most days. I usually find that after a couple of days off, I'm dying for a run to stop me getting fidgety!

Are y'all back into your exercise routines yet? Has anyone got any specific goals for 2011?

xoxo

Vegan cupcakes and mince pie madness!

Hi guys! I hope you all had a wonderful christmas. I had a lovely time....my boyfriend and I decided to have a go at making our very first traditional turkey dinner. I ate vegan....he ate pork stuffing, turkey, bacon and sausage!!! Needless to say, we did good!!

One of my christmas pressies from a friend was this wonderful box of vegan cupcakes...they are soooo yummy! Must get the recipe :-) My batch of mince pies also came out quite well....still, there's stiff competition from my boyfriends mum!

Hmmph! I'm back at work tomorrow :-( Why does time speed up as soon as it reaches christmas? One good thing though....I can't wait to get back into my exercise routine again. 4 days off and I've got itchy feet!

I need to start planning for the year ahead. I like to set myself goals when the end of each year comes around....some new fitness goals are in the pipeline I think. What are your new year goals/resolutions?

I think one of mine is to update my blog more regularly! :-)

Much love xoxo

Christmas trees and mince pies....priceless :-)

Hi Guys!
How are y'all? :-) Writing this blog marks, for me, the end of a wonderful Sunday. I started the day with a clean up of the flat and then headed to the gym for a fab workout. Hills on the treadmill and a spinning class :-) Just what I needed.

Then I met up with my man and we had a long lunch in a local organic cafe. Soooo nice! I love just sitting, chatting and holding hot mugs of tea. Then.....we finally got our christmas tree :-) We were the last customers of the whole year and we turned the last little christmas tree into something to be proud of. We drank mulled wine and I made a batch of traditional mince pies for my boyfriend to enjoy in his lunchboxes. They were a hit!

To round up we decided to watch "Priceless" with Audrey Tatou in it. It was fab! I love a good movie night!

Are you all feelinig christmassy yet? I'm definately feeling more festive after today :-)

x x x

Fluffy dressing gown to the rescue!

Hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've had a lot on my mind recently and haven't had the energy to muster up the words for a blog entry.....needless to say, here I am, making a return at 4.15am!!!

I just woke up to a snow scene outside the window. Yes, it's blummin snowed AGAIN, meaning more two hour commutes to work on ram packed buses....sigh. We may have a white christmas after all.

Anyway, I'm currently wrapped up in my new, thick, fluffy dressing gown. It saved me. I'm toasty now :-) I'm under my duvet thinking about the day to come and of the one just passed - I actually had a great saturday :-) Slept in late, gym and spinning, lunch with my man, christmas DVD shopping (we decided we needed to have a back up plan for the imminent bad TV over christmas) and then a trip to see my little grandma who was 90 years old yesterday! Breakfast today was half a wholemeal bun, toasted with PB and maple syrup, and a clementine. Scrummy. Ive been instructed by my doctor to eat 3-4 small meals a day at the moment as my appetite has recently suffered due to a prolonged episode of depression (hence the insomnia). It's amazed me how "physical" depression can be. I've suffered from it in the past but this time round it wiped me of everything I had. I'm now on the road to recovery and am working towards a nice christmas :-)

One of my new years resolutions is to blog more regularly. Gonna put it into action now though!

What are your new years resolutions?

much love x x x

My first Thanksgiving :-)

Hey Guys!

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a great time...I did! Yes, you heard it right, I celebrated Thanksgiving here in Blighty :-) I spent the night with some American friends, a Canadian beauty, a Mexican lady, a French comedian, a German German and a few guys from Cambridge :-) It was so great! We had lots of laughs and the food was AMAZING! God bless the cooks :-)

Well.....the snow is currently about 7inches thick here in Newcastle. It's snowing like crazy as I type this post! The cold weather has definately brought with it dreams of roast veggies and squash. I made this chickpea/squash/veggie mix the other night and chased it with some clementines. I've managed to work my way through two whole bags of clementines in the last week!!!

I've also been taking simple skincare measures in the last couple of weeks. My stress levels have been so high recently and my skin broke out big style! No matter how stressed I get, my skin doesn't usually brake out....yeah I hate spots! I'm loving St. Ives apricot scrub at the moment, along with "food for the skin" in the form of a goji berry body lotion I managed to get on sale in a local health store. It's definatley keeping the winter dryness at bay :-)

What did you give thanks for yesterday? What's your favourite skincare product?

Much love xoxo

The Little Things

There are a few little things that keep me right. You know the little things that make you feel free, happy and content?

Like eating fresh, juicy strawberries (or even better going strawberry picking and eating more than you take home :-)


Like making healthy treats like these date and walnut truffles :-)

Painting at 4am

Taking pictures of the natural world

And the thing that sets me free the most.....dancing

What are your "little things"?

Much love xoxo

True colours shining through

Hi guys. To all those who take the time to read my blog, thankyou. You're all so great. I'm currently lying on the sofa with my sister's little puppy. I'm looking after him whilst she's in Gambia. He loves climbing up on the back of the sofa and then falls asleep right by my head. Super cute :-)
Once again, I've been struggling to blog. I've been exhausted. I've been dreading getting up each day, I've lacked motivation, I've slept for England.....and so it goes on.....
For those of you who have struggled with depression, know that you're not alone. Today I have a little bit of hope. Hope that wasn't there yesterday. Hope that will grow tomorrow.
My intention is to get back into blogging and show you some of the recent things I've been creating in the kitchen. Until that happens, I'll still be reading about all you guys and your wonderful talents :-)
Love to all
Emm x x x

Halloween Nightmare

Hi guys....excuse the above photo - It just doesn't want to rotate! This is my version of one of chocolate covered katie's vegan cupcakes. I used all the same ingredients but made frosted fingers instead :-) http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/10/26/healthy-vegan-cupcakes-for-one/

I've spent the last two hours having a halloween nightmare. See this little gal - little Poppy...well we had to rush her off to the vets for emergency treatment. I've never heard such a little thing squeal so loud...just horrible :-( Fingers crossed that this little precious will be a bit better by morning. It was horrible having to leave her at the vets......I can't imagine what some people have to go through at the vets' office.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL! I hope your treat bags are full of lots of fun stuff :-)

xoxo

Life is like a box of chocolates.....

Hi guys :-)

I know, I know....I've been a bad blogger. No posts for ages. I've still been reading all your fabulous blogs but haven't been able to muster up any words of my own....

To be honest, I've been battling with depression. My diet always changes if I'm struggling mentally....I need warm food! The other night I made a beany-tomato-spinach mixture and served with a peppery sweet potato. It hit the spot :-)

Every time I feel low, I can always pick myself up by thinking of the amazing friends I have. I like to write notecards to my nearest and dearest whenever the feelng strikes - just so they all know how special they are.

Today I made some raw vegan choccies for some of my girlfriends. Superfoods galore went into these babies! :-) I think they're my best batch yet!

I'm hoping the dark cloud will lift more by the day so that I'll start to feel more motivated. I hate the feeling of "I can't be bothered!" I'll be back soon so that I can finally tell y'all about my new vitamix!

Love to you all. x x

London Adventures :-)

Heyyyyy! How is everyone? It's currently 1.11am in the UK! I know, waaay too late but hey, I just had to post about my cool, mad day :-)

Last night I had a simple mixture of courgette, onions, beetroot and cucumber mixed with tahini, cider vinegar and nutritional yeast. It hit the spot....as did the macaroons I pulled out of the dehydrator. I only made a handful as it was my first time at macaroon making....but yeah, the Ani Phyo recipe makes for a pretty scrummy coconutty delight :-)

Oh and there's my finished granola. It's pretty awesome nutrition-wise but next time a little more cinammon methinks.
Anyway.....guess I went today?.......London! Ta-dah! And here's St Pancras station - pretty cool eh.

I decided to head to the "Festival of Life" to see the lovely Laura from http://www.coxetersfayre.com/ Check out her AHHHMAZIN creations. (Laura it was SO GREAT to meet you - may there be lots of future fun ahead :-)

Here's a cool statue in the train station - it made me want a man hug :-)The festival was pretty awesome! Lots of wonderful people all coming together to celebrate healthy and eco-living. Lots of raw and vegan emphasis and smiles all round!

Laura packed me off with a box of treats - THANKYOU SWEETIE!

And I bought her last bit of tarte :-) I resisited the urge to sample this on the way home so I can share it with the boyfriend during our afternoon tea tomorrow...it's our little Sunday thing :-)

Ooooh and I bought some yacon syrup - low GI and prebiotic. Bonus! Pure2raw girlies - this purchase was inspired by you. Love to you both - I hope things are working out for you.

And I tried hemp milk for the first time ever. Loved it so now have this carton in my fridge :-)

To top off a cool day...I got back home to a little package....the one and only SPIRALIZER! Wohoo! I'm so excited to make courgette spaghetti. Ok that's it.....I'm officially getting excited about a kitchen implement!

Love to all....I hope you all had a great Saturday

xoxo

My day in pictures......

Sundried tomato and spicy linseed bread straight out of the dehydrator...it sure has quite a kick!A batch of http://www.pure2raw.com/ gluten free, wheat free, dairy free brownies. YUMMALICIOUS!

A fresh batch of superfood granola - apple, gojis, mesquite, agave, millet flakes, almond flour, whole organic almonds, dates, pear and apple sauce, chia seeds, sunflower and pupkin seeds - all dehydrating as we speak :-)

A bargain at the local health store - goji berry body lotion on half price :-) Food for the skin.

Sleeeeppppp is calling xoxo

Raw days, happy days

Hey girlies! :-) There's one thing I can say for sure now that my diet consists of mainly raw, living foods....raw days are happy days!! I'm beginning to realise that all the talk about the "raw glow" and the bountiful raw energy is absolutely true. Despite my blip at the weekend I can safely say that the green smoothies are kicking in!! :-) I can feel my brain fog clearing and my mood rising on the moodometer :-)

Dinner tonight was roasted squash, salsa and cucumber rounds - simple and tasty. Lunch....a sloppy avocado pudding. Still yummy tho ;-)

Breakfast - fig and grape juice. Tres nice!

Ooops! I totally posted everything the wrong way round today. Dinner first, breakfast last :-s

Workout today:

- 6 mile run before work

- 1 hour gym sesh after work (hill climber for 45 mins and arm weights 15mins)

A pretty good day if you ask me! Now must go and dry my soggy wet mullet!!

Hugs x x x

My little dude

Hi guys....I hope you're all well. This is my little dude. He's currently on my bedside table gently changing from green to blue to purple. My boyfriend bought him for me last week - a children's lamp from Ikea - so relaxing :-)

I'll be honest with everyone...today has been a bad day. I'm currently sitting in bed, the place that I've spent most of the day. I've slept and cried and slept some more. Yes....today has been pretty awful.

For anyone that has suffered from depression at any point, you'll understand me when I talk about the sadness of a wasted day. Today the sun was shining so brightly, it was warm outside - the perfect day to celebrate - and yet I was in bed feeling blue. I couldn't even force myself to get up and smile at the thought of a great day ahead. Low self esteem, low body confidence, day to day stresses and a tendency to worry have recently started to reak havoc upon my life. I know what is happening to me....I've been here before. In fact, I was on antidepressants for some time....I definately don't want to take them again. I just need to pick myself up.

How do you help yourself feel better on bad days?

On the plus side, throughout this week, I've been gradually transitioning to a higher percentage of raw in my diet. My low mood of late has been making me tired and reach for more caffiene. In the last week I ditched it and have been starting the day with a green juice or smoothie instead. My hydration has improved and my tummy certainly feels more comfortable.

Last night I made a cucmber lasagne and roasted squash squares based on recipes by my favourite twins at http://www.pure2raw.com/ My boyfriend and I both enjoyed these and we both agreed that it was one of the nicest things we've had in agggeesss! Thankyou girls for once again being an inspiration :-)

Right....more sleep I think. I am officially the incredible sleeping woman x x x

Green juice and a tired bunny

Heyyy! How are you all doing? I hope your day has been a good one. I'm playing catch up a bit from yesterday, when I went on a dental course in Manchester. I had to get up at 5am in order to get there on time - does that time even exist?!

After the course I bagged myself this AMAZIN superfood salad from EAT. I munched it on the train whilst absorbing the pages of my current read, "Fit for Life". So far, I'm loving this book. It's great for veggies, vegans and raw foodists alike :-) Will give you a full review when I'm done.

Dinner tonight was inspired by Pure2Raw's cheezy noodles. I had buckwheat noodles, spinach and red/yellow plum tomatoes mixed with a tahini/nutritional yeast/cider vinegar sauce mix. SCRUM! :-) Girls you did it again - another great recipe idea.Loves xoxox