Freezer cookies and Smiles :-)

Hey!

I hope you're all having a wonderful day......I would class the majority of my day as...how shall I put it....AWFUL!! You know when lots of things happen and you can't believe they've all happened at once? Well that's how it's been.....but hey, I couldn't control or prevent any of them so what's a girl to do? Well I know what I did....I made some of Pure2Raws' freezer cookies and did a mad cleaning blitz in the flat! Result? The scrummiest little bundles of nutty goodness I've tasted in ages and sparkling floors ;-)If you happen to find yourself wondering what to do with some pumpkinseed butter then try some of these babies!http://www.pure2raw.com/2010/07/freezer-nut-butter-cookies-and-raspberry-mint-kombucha/ I added a little hemp protein powder and used some "Sweet Freedom" natural sweetner, made from 100% fruit.

Mine are currently in the freezer as the perfect, protein packed, post-run snack :-).

You know how I said MOST of my day has been bad?....well the good bits, actually had the power to transform things completely. I'm currently on a high after finding out that I came second in Heathy's Summer Parfait Challenge. I'm soooo happy to have won a copy of her up and coming ebook. THANKYOU SO MUCH HEATHY AND COURTNEY!!

Anyway guys....I'll love you and leave you for now. You are all wonderful! :-) xoxo

Raw Candy's AMAZING watermelon slushy :-)

Hey girlies!

I'm currently slurping on the most amazing watermelon slushy a la Raw Candy ;-) What a delightful, refreshing drink and waaayyy better than those awful "Slush Puppies" of childhood. It is proving to be a great post-workout pick me up.

Ok so I've just been looking at all the wonderful parfait entries for Heathy's summer challenge. They're all amazing! I'd love to try a bit of every single one of them! Good work girlies!

Oh and I'm in love......with ZUMBA!!! I went to my first ever class today and I'm hooked already! What an amazing workout. It's now gonna be my new Monday thing :-) If you like dancing and sweating then you'll love it!

I hope that you're all having a wonderful day XOXO

Black Forest Sparkle

Hey! Today my post is a little more exciting, as I have been working on my Sweetly Raw Summer Parfait. Heathy's latest challenge is nothing less than perfect in these warm summer months.

The inspiration for my parfait, that I have named, "Black Forest Sparkle" was drawn from some of my happiest childhood memories. My birthday falls on New Years Eve and each year my mum would have guests over to bring in the New Year, complete with a party buffet for all to enjoy. Knowing that Black Forest Gateaux was my ultimate favourite, mum would always decorate one with pink candles and get me to make my birthday wish before the clock struck midnight. This cake is associated with family, friends, good times, birthday surprises and, of course, that little bit of wishful sparkle :-)As well as the raw honey and morello cherries that I added to Heathy's original parfait recipes, I added a bit of sparkle of my own by decorating the "cherries on the top" with some glitter - the raw honey came in useful as a glue, as well as an addition to my white chocolate vanilla mousse"cream" layer.

One of the things I've always loved about a raw/vegan diet is that it allows you to be creative with the most random of ingredients! I mean...who thought of using seaweed as a thickening agent for desserts?!

One of the things I've been most curious about during my reading, is Irish Moss so I ordered some online, in preparation for my "cream" layer.

After soaking, the moss was weighed..............and blended......

Can you imagine drinking this blend of Irish Moss and spring water? Moss smoothie! Hmmmm..... not as tastie as their fruity counterparts I think!

I dug out the frozen morello cherries that I've been saving for something special and created my first layer by spooning some into two different shaped glasses - I wanted to try both :-) These were left to thaw out and soften into squidgey delightfulness as I whizzed around making the rest of my "gateaux".

I had fun breaking into my 2 coconuts! I'll let you in to a shocking secret....I've never opened and eaten fresh coconut before! I know - shoot me right?! The only thing missing was the tropical island backdrop.....aaahhh....one can dream :-)

Hammer at the ready!

As many of you know, Heather Pace is an amaaaaazing raw food chef. Check out her blog on http://www.sweetlyraw.com/ if you haven't already. Here's my blender in full swing, blending my milk chocolate parfait layer - the full recipe can be found in Heathy's fab Summer Parfait ebook :-)

I'll tell you something - this tasted scrummy! Here's the pre-blended mixture.

Making Heathy's simple chocolate sauce. I added a drizzle of this between each of my parfait layers - to keep the surprises coming as you work your way through :-)

Heathy's cookie crumbs - these were used to add a bit of texture and to separate some of the layers. Great if you want to stop different coloured layers from mixing with one another.

I love getting my hands in there!

Chocolate sauce, fresh cherries and cookie crumbs

My chocolate and cream layers chilled and fresh from the fridge.....good to go!

The "cream" layer was made using Heathy's white chocolate mousse recipe and the "cake" layer, from the milk choc mousse one. I added a dab a raw honey to the cream recipe :-)
Now came the fun bit.....layering up!

Cherries, cream layer, cookie crumbs..............chocolate sauce, milk chocolate layer, cookie crumbs......

........cream, cherries, choc sauce, milk choc layer......

And a cherry on the top!! :-)

After my first attempt at layering.....I decided to add some cherry sparkle by dipping my cherry stems into raw honey, followed by a tub of fairy glitter!

A bit of sparkle! :-)

I had a go at creating my parfait in a wine glass too......I liked the final look of this one more because I put waaaay more cherries in :-)

I originally wanted to go to the beach to photograph my parfait but I settled for the communal garden outside the back of my flat. I think a wooded/garden area is much more fitting for my Black Forest Sparkle.....I may make a beachy parfait at some point tho :-) The garden is a great place to sit and read when the weather is nice....plus we have some pretty flowers at the moment.

3 Little maids :-)
Life is like a bowl of cherries :-)
I had so much fun with this parfait challenge. I got to play with Irish moss and glitter all in one go! Thankyou Heathy for setting this inventive challenge!

xoxo :-)

Lazy Sunday..........

Man!! It's almost 1pm and I'm currently sitting in bed, in my PJs, munching on a plate of fresh berries that my boyfriend just brought in for me :-) He knows me too well! yuuuummmyy! Blueberries, raspberries and the nicest cherries ever!
After a long, lazy morning I'm gonna get my ass into gear and go for a long run later. I'm currently in training for Amsterdam Marathon and need to start upping my mileage....12 miles later I think :-)
I'm also gonna get started on Heathy's summer parfait challenge so I'll update later with some kitchen adventures.
I hope you're all having a great Sunday. Later guys!! xoxo

Polenta lasagne

Hey girlies!

Sunday night already...oh how the weeks fly by. Today has consisted of a lazy morning followed by a super workout. Running, hill climber, stepper and a long walk back home. All cardio I know....must've just been a cardio day!

Here's what I had for dinner last night - polenta lasagne with alfalfa sprouts and vegan chive cheese. Not raw but all vegan :-) I topped the lasagne with homemade basil pesto - it was majorly garlicky!

I really fancy taking up a new fitness class or home workout programme....what do you guys recommend?

It's sooo hot here right now....I'm scared to open the window in case the midgies come and bite me!

Night all.....tomorrow I will begin my search for raw parfait perfection in Heathy's parfait challenge :-)

xoxo

Health store spree and salad monster

Hi guys!

How was your day? I'm feeling really inspired today.....I love those days when nothing gets you down and all the little things in your daily routine fill you with happiness :-) I just had a pretty normal day at work, a great pre-work run and a great workout post-work. I saw my friends, my colleagues and then came home to a hot bath and dinner. I was a salad monster tonight!

I also managed to pop into the health store tonight....they had some great offers on so I bought a few new things to try

1) Some hemp protein powder - with my marathon coming up in October, it's tiime to up the mileage and add a bit more protein into my diet. I thought I'd give this veagn version a try :-)

2) Pumpkin seed butter

3) Almond butter

4) Flaxseed with cocoa and berries - I thought this might make a great addition to my post workout/breakfast smoothies

As for my salad bowl, it was full of soya beans, orange plum tomatoes, little gem lettuce, yellow peppers, alfalfa sprouts, sundried toms and a vegannaise dressing - not raw but yummy all the same!

What are your plans for the weekend girls? I'm totally excited because "Eclipse" is released in UK cinemas tomorrow!!! Yey!!!

Love and hugs xoxo

Socca special :-)

Hi guys!

I would like to dedicate this post to the Pure2Raw twins who inspired me to make socca. I managed to find some chickpea flour in my favourite health store - it's hidden away from the main shopping area in Newcastle....it's like a little gem tucked away :-)

Anyway, having just finished my dinner all I can say is that I'll definately be having socca again soon. Yummy! I sprinkled it with vegan chive cheese, chilli flakes and served with green salad, orange plum tomatoes and salsa.

I'll need to perfect my socca skills, however, I loved it as a first try. My attempt was slightly dry but the salsa sorted that out :-)

Another great gal - Heathy Pace - has just released her new ebook and raw dessert challenge. Can't wait to have a go at the raw parfait challenge :-) Check it out at http://www.sweetlyraw.com/ Now.....all I need to do is hunt down some irish moss.....hmmmm.........

I love the "hunt" involved in being raw. Searching far and wide for ingredients - love it!

Love and hugs x x x

Spanish adventures

Hey :-)
I'm just sitting in the car after disembarking from the ferry. Current location -Devon. Our twenty hour crossing from Santander to the uk was pleasant. Only a little bit of rocking thank heavens! I'm really not good with bobbing boats! We saw dolphins by the dozens, watched "valentines day" in the little cinema and I munched on salad from the salad bar, whilst slurping on my new addiction -peppermint tea :-)
I feel a little sad as I type this blog because already I am missing the mountains and glacial streams that surrounded our magical campsite. Every morning I went for a run, surrounded by beautiful scenery, listening to water gushing in waterfalls down the mountainside......
....of course I have missed being at home at times. Mainly at night when zillions of bugs descended upon us! I love nature but I hate mosquito bites! :-) I also found it impossible to maintain a raw diet whilst in Spain. Even veganism is pretty tough, however, I took plenty of porridge, crackers and salad ingredients to keep me happy.
One of my favourite nights was spent in some nearby meadows, doing some macro photography. Photos to follow :-)
I hope you are all well. Has anyone got any exciting summer trips planned?
Wishing you all a wonderful day xxx