RawRunnerBean

I've moved!!

2011-10-26T04:59:00.001-07:00

From now on catch me at http://thequirkykitchen.wordpress.com

xoxo

On the move

2011-01-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all!
How's your weekend been? I've been feeling kinda "Bleurgh". A little low on energy, tired and just a little out of sorts....but hey, we all get days like that :-)

I'm currently sipping on a coffee with amaretto syrup, made by my gorgeous boyfriend. We've had a lazy kinda day, only leaving the house for a couple of hours to have a look around the local shopping centre. I'm currently feeling quietly content wrapped in a blanket, pressed up against the radiator :-)

My last couple of hours have been spent creating a new blog. I'm moving over to wordpress, just to see how things go on that side of the fence :-) I made a resolution to myself to blog more and experiment more in the kitchie...and that is what I shall do! I got the urge to turn over a new blog leaf....come and see me at http://runnerbeangreen.wordpress.com To the few girlies that drop by regularly, I love ya loads and hope to see you in wordpress world!

Big hugs to all
xoxo

Bowen Therapy

2011-01-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Happy Saturday! I hope you're all having a great weekend. I'm sitting in my usual spot on the sofa, sporadically dipping my hand into a bowl of green grapes :-) My head is a little fuzzy after the Lychee Martini I sampled after completing a charity danceathon a few hours ago. The cocktail was pretty good....but I think I was a little dehydrated after a monster workout! :-s

My weekend started by having a Bowen treatment. One of my besties is a holistic therapist and asked me to be one of her "case studies" for her Bowens course. Yesterday I had the first of three treatments...it was very interesting and after the therapy, I fell into bed and slept for 15hours!!!!

My job as a dentist means that I often have a sore neck and my right shoulder gets sooooo painful! Today, things feel a lot easier and less achy. I'm really looking forward to seeing how my body responds to the remaining treatments.

How are y'all doing anyway? Have you tried Bowen therapy before?

Much love xoxo

The Dairy Debate

2011-01-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

As I sit here typing this blog, having just finished a quick dinner of avo and tomato puree on wholemeal, I have a copy of "Skinny Bitch" to the left of me. I have turned to this book as my source of evening reading because I want to sort my head out when it comes to dairy. I want to make an informed decision about adopting a vegan diet/lifestyle.

So let me see....."Chapter 5 - The Dairy Disaster".....woah! If you've ever read "Skinny Bitch" you'll know what I mean when I say these girls don't pull any punches! The authors present a damn good argument against dairy consumption, mentioning that dairy products have been linked to a host of diseases. In addition to this, they assure us that we can definately obtain enough calcium from a vegan diet (i.e from kale, greens, cabbage, chickpeas, broccoli, red beans, soybeans etc).

For all you vegans out there, did you miss or crave any non-vegan foods? How did you overcome this? Any advice on transitioning to veganism?

I hope you're all good in your part of the world :-)

Comfort Food :-)

2011-01-26T14:11:00.001-08:00

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! That may involve dragging herself outta bed really early to wash her hair because she couldn't be bothered the night before. Sometimes it's rushing around the house doing a mad cleanup because mum called to say she was on her way. Sometimes it's just sitting in your PJs, eating beans on toast :-) That's what I did tonight. Baked beans on wholemeal with a side salad to get my veggie quota filled. Perfect comfort food after a super long day at work.

I've been thinking a lot about veganism lately. I've been wanting to try it out again. Go the whole hog and veganise my life. It's something I believe in. It's something that fills me with happiness, positivity and energy. I've done it before. I lasted 6 weeks before I succumbed to some cheese. Yes, cheese is the problem. I really enjoy it - it's the reason that I have remained as a veggie since the age of 6. Cheese.

I think the trouble is that here in the UK, all our cheese substitutes taste like used gym socks. They barely melt and leave a horrible aftertaste. I need a good cheese substitute!

Anyone recommend a good vegan cheese in the UK?
Much love xoxo

Cut Loose!

2011-01-23T03:19:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! How is everyone? Happy Sunday! :-) I'm currently sitting in my typical blogging position, in my usual blogging attire (PJs!). My boyfriend's little pupper is curled into her niche in my bent legs....and all feels right with the world :-)

I've been having the BEST weekend! On Friday night I hurried down to the cinema to meet my Phil. We joined the busy queue and snapped up two tickets for "Black Swan" just before the movie started. Luckily, "The King's Speech" was the main was the cause of the humongous crowd in the ticket office.

I didn't quite know what to expect from the movie, having read some of the opinions of fellow American bloggers but it's safe to say that I was captivated from beginning to end. It was dark but beautiful, dramatic but delicate, inner torment and outer beauty, all summing up the contrasting facets of the dance world. I would say, go and see it if you love dance and films with a bit of grit.

Last night also featured a good old bit of dancing! I took two of my best friends to see "Footloose" at the theatre. It was so great! One of my favourite places in the world is the theatre :-) Cut loose! Footloose!

Song.Stuck.In.Head!

Gotta dash....got a lunch date with my man! Back later with piccies :-)

xoxo

4 Things.....

2011-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

Here goes.....

4 TV shows I watch

- Friends

- The Inbetweeners

- The Hills

- Any Attenbrough wildlife programme

4 things i'm passionate about

- running

- dancing - especially ballet

- healthy eating/raw and vegan cookery

- helping my patients at work

4 things I learnt form the past

- talk to people - don't bottle up your worries

- take a break now and again and say no sometimes

- things don't have to be perfect

- eating is not something to be feared or feel shameful about - eating healthy, norishing food keeps me happy and healthy

4 things I did yesterday

- took a zumba class

- found brown rice syrup and coconut flour in the health store (and proceeded to get very
excited about this!)

- saw a whole tree full of waxwing birds - a rare site

- met my boyfriend for lunch after my workout was cut short by a powercut in the gym

4 things I'm looking forward to

- seeing "Black Swan"

- getting married and having children

- trying out some vibrams on a sandy beach run

- seeing my man!

4 things I'm craving

- a run

- a rainbow salad

- a good book

- peace at work

4 places I'd like to visit

- Canada

- Anywhere in America!

- Fiji

- New Zealand

4 things I love about Winter

- bright, snowy days

- running in the snow

- going out for a winter drive with my man and his camera

- cosy nights in under my fleece blanket

Chocolate Dreams and Fab Friends :-)

2011-01-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hiya!

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great start to your week. My lack of posts in the last few days were a sure sign that this gal was one busy bee!

I had such a great weekend :-) I had some friends stay over on Saturday night. Girls nights rule! We had wine, I made DIY fajitas and we chatted about the most random of things :-s

Friday night's meal was very "student days". I'm not one for pasta usually - like I said, it takes me back to my days as a poor student. Well on this occasion, I really fancied a simple pasta dish so I added vegan pesto, chopped tomatoes, sweetcorn and peppers to some wholewheat penne. Hit the spot after a long run :-)

On a more chocolatey note.....as soon as I read Angela's Choc Almond Butter recipe, I knew I just had to give it a go....

Almonds + vitamix

Good quality dark choccie + a bit of coconut oil = melty deliciousness :-) :-)

Whizz em all together

Three words......yum, Yum and YUM!! :-)

I dipped strips of wholemeal pitta into the spread......and scraped the chocolate bowl with clementine segments. Soooo good!

Check out www.ohsheglows.com Angela is fab and her recipes will rock your socks off!! Go make this!

Much love

xoxo

Vegan Summer Berry Ice Cream

2011-01-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Even though the ground is frosted outside, Summer returned to my kitchen this evening, when I whipped up a vegan berry ice cream in the Vita-Mix. I served it with some almond flakes and fresh fruit. Just the job!

Summer Berry Ice-Cream
- 1 cup of frozen berries
- 1 cup of ice cubes
- 1 cup of soya yoghurt
- a splash of almond milk
- a squirt of any sweetener if desired (I didn't use any sweetener as the berries were fine and dandy!)
- fresh berries/nuts/sauce/whipped soy cream to serve - pick and mix your toppings to enjoy a variety of combinations :-)

My boyfriend and I had mini bowls of this summery dessert whilst parked in front of the TV, discussing where to hang a newly bought painting. I actually bought the picture as a gift for a friend but couldn't part with it in the end! Oops!

Today also marked my first outdoor run since the start of our snowy period in November.....and what a fantastic run it was. I downloaded an app on my iPhone that turns it into a GPS tracker, providing details on your speed, distance, pace, route....it's so great! It really helped to keep me motivated and keep track of my distance. I did a killer 7.3 miles, averaging at 8.57mph. I was a sweaty mess when I got home!

What type of runner are you? Speed or long distance? I'd rather run a marathon than do sprints up and down the sportshall....I hate sprints!

Anyway.....off to read a few bloggies and then sleeeeeeeeeeep!
Much love xoxo

Salad Gleek :-)

2011-01-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

Hi guys. I write this post from the familiar comfort of my sofa having just eaten this simple salad. I was totally craving salad! I hope you all had a good Monday. I've had a lovely day, despite the fact that it started with a whole lotta cleaning! Yep....that's right...I got up early and made a long list of "to dos". Take rubbish out - check. File all paperwork - check. Iron huge pile of clothes on chair - check. Do more washing - check. Sort out spare room.....still on with that task! My spare room has been nicknamed "the dump room". One little room, one big job on my hands to sort it out! Phew!

Anyway....cleaning aside, I ventured into town to meet one of my best friends. We had starbucks americanos with sugar free vanilla syrup and a dollop of foamy milk on the top :-) You can't beat starbucks and friend chats.

Whilst on a caffiene high, I shopped for gifts for the friends that are coming to visit me on Saturday (girls night - woop woop!). I bought cute ice cream dishes and quirky fondue sets for them :-) Happy with my gifts, I headed to the gym and filled in time on the elliptical before zumba class. It was an amazing class tonight with lots of new routines. Lurve <3

Now....now I'm snuggled on my sofa, cup of hazelnut low cal cocoa in one hand, typing with the other and Glee playing on tv - Emma is a happy bunny :-)

Much love to all xoxo

Lazy Sunday mornings

2011-01-09T03:50:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! I just totally slept in! Oops! Didn't intend to but I feel rested so no worries :-) I'm currently munching on cereal and have a date with Zest magazine once I've finished this post. I love the occasional lazy Sunday :-)

Here are my oat bars all sliced and ready to eat. They definately passed the taste test! They're moist, bouncy and you can taste a hint of all the flavours, notably pecan, banana and maple syrup. These'll make great additions to my boyfriend's lunchbox throughout the week. No doubt his boss will get some samples too!

Oat bars in the morning light.

I think I'll chill for a bit more and then head out for a run. It's a really cold but bright morning here. A day to enjoy by going outdoors for sure.

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday :-)

Much love

xoxo

Road trip, tea pots and banana pecan oat bars

2011-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope things are good in your part of the world. Check out the gift my bestie gave to me - a recipe folder. So cute! Can't wait to come up with some new culinary creations :-)

Today has been a wonderful day because my boyfriend and I decided to take a mini road trip to the Lake District. For those of you who don't know, the Lake District is a beautiful place bursting with mountains, walkers, wildlife, quiant little cafes and spectacular lakes.

We had a car picnic, took photos, went for tea and scones and wandered through a variety of great shops specialising in outdoor and running gear. I spotted some vibram five fingers but they didn't have my size :-( I'm really intrigued by the barefoot running thing...I'll definately give it a try one day.

Phil and I bought matching teapots after a discussion over lunch about how loose leaf tea is waaayyy better than teabag tea :-) I currently have amaretto tea leaves brewing in my little pot. Mmmmmm!

Speaking of mmmm.....ever since Angela over at OSGs posted her recipe for "Healthy Banana Cranberry oat bars", I've been looking forward to making some banana oat bars of my own. I altered the recipe a bit to suit what I had in my cupboards. Needless to say....they're yummy! Thankyou Angela!

Banana Pecan Oat Bars

- 3 cups oats

- 1/2 cup chopped pecans

- 2 large bananas, mashed

- 1/2 cup cherry/raisin mix

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup applesauce

- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp cinnamon

Fresh and frothy almond milk in the Vita-Mix. Yum :-)

I <3 Maple syrup :-)

Homemade applesauce in the Vita-Mix

Mix the wet ingredients together then throw in these babies! Mash your naners by hand or with a fork first.

Add your oats.....

And then bake at 190degC for 25 mins.

By this point your house should smell like christmas and Thanksgiving all rolled into one! Mmmmmm!

It's just cooling down before I cut it into bars :-)

What have you been up to today? I'm just about to watch "Bruno" and I'm slightly uneasy after the whole "Borat" experience (I really didn't like it!). However, my boyfriend really wants to see it so I'll give it a go. Fingers crossed it's not too cringeworthy!

Much love xoxo

Ouinoa Salad with Sundried Toms :-)

2011-01-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!

How are y'all? ;-) I'm currently snuggled under a blanket on my sofa having just finished taking the christmas tree down. It's so sad and bare :-( After a mad hoovering marathon, the trail of pine needles is no more and the cosy glow of the christmas tree lights has diminished.

In amongst the havoc of cleaning, running a bath, folding washing, taking the rubbish out, packing away baubles (and subsequently tripping over the neatly packed decorations box, flying across the room and sending baubles everywhere!), I managed to rustle up a healthy dinner from "Everyday Vegan". I didn't follow the recipe exactly (I missed out the olive oil and pine nuts) but the result was yummy! The different flavours come together wonderfully - the kick of the mustard, the lemony lemon juice :-), cool and crunchy cucumber and sundried toms. Perfect! In fact, anything with sundried tomatoes is always fine by me :-)!

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup quinoa

- 1/2 cucumber (slice and dice it baby!)

- 1/2 cup rehydrated sundried toms (soak these little dudes and then mash em up!)

- 1/2-1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

- splash of lemon juice

- fresh basil, chopped

- a mashed up garlic clove (I missed this out as I've got patients to see at work tomorrow and don't want their dentist giving off garlic fumes!)

- 2 chopped spring onions

- salt to taste

Mix it all together!

Ta-dah! Yummalicious!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a complete protein and a great source of the 8 essential amino acids. It makes a great substitute for rice and pasta. I'll definately be makng this dish again. Pity I didn't have any pine nuts as I think they would have added great taste and texture. I just can't bring myself to buy pine nuts at the moment because they have recently become hideously expensive in the UK. I'm talking £5 for a 100g bag! On yer bike mate! ;-)

Ooh....I went to see "Love and Other Drugs" at the cinema last night. LOVED IT!! If you like chick flicks and men with cute butts then this could be the movie for you!

I hope all is well in your world. I'd love to hear from you if you're passing. Have a great day!

Much love x x x

Broccoli stuffed tomatoes and first day back

2011-01-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!

How is everyone today? I'm pretty good considering I had "first day back" syndrome last night. There's always something comforting about getting back into a routine I guess. Anyway.....I just had a wonderful dinner, adapted from "Everyday Vegan". A light and nutritious meal that would be great as a starter if you used one tomato per person.

This recipe called for fresh basil but the shop was void of all varieties of fresh herb. I used vegan basil pesto instead and it was a tasty substitution...in fact if I made this dish again, I'd probably still use pesto!

Broccoli Stuffed Tomatoes
- 1tsp olive oil
- broccoli
- 1tbsp vegan pesto
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large tomatoes
- vegan or regular cheese to melt on the top if desired

Dressing
- the insides of the scooped out tomatoes
- olive oil
- cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste

This was absolutely SCRUMMY! I'd deffo make it again. Dead easy too!

After my dinner and a super sweaty workout at the gym, I'm currently relaxing on the sofa. PJs - check. Huge fluffy socks - check. Cherry-cinnamon tea - check :-) I'm one happy bunny :-)

love and hugs
xoxo

I wish, I wish, upon a star......

2011-01-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

......that it was only Christmas Eve so far......

.....I really wish it was only Christmas Eve and we could do everything again! I'm currently sitting in my little flat, looking at my wonky christmas tree and thinking about how wonderful the festive season was this time round. I guess thrown into the mix is the dreaded "I REAAALLLLY don't wanna go back to work" feeling. Yeah, I'm not too enthusastic about setting my alarm for an hour earlier tonight :-(

One of my goals for 2011 is to consult my cookbooks more. I currently have many fabulous vegan recipe books but haven't put them to optimal use yet. I plan to try and make 2 new recipes per week in 2011. The ones for this week shall be "Quinoa salad with sundried tomatoes" and "Broccoli-stuffed tomatoes", both from "Everyday Vegan" by Jeani-Rose Atchison. Will let you know how they turn out :-)

Ok....I'll leave this post as a short one as I'd better get myself ready for work tomorrow. I always have the WORST nights sleep on the last night of a holiday so I guess hitting the sack early wouldn't do any harm.

Night everyone x x

Birthday fun then the year is done!

2010-12-31T10:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

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 :-)

2010-12-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-12-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

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 :-)

2010-11-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

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.....

2010-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

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 :-)

2010-09-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

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......

2010-09-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-16T15:17:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

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

Socca sunday :-)

2010-09-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Heyyy! I hope you're all having a great Sunday. I decided to celebrate "Socca Sunday" by making some mini socca pancakes for brunch :-) Well, one of them was actually just a miniature version of Pure2Raw's almond butter fig flatbread - tres scrummy I must add - and the other was covered in a chunky applesauce and fresh blueberries. Apple and blueberry socca

Almond butter and fig socca (www.pure2raw.com)

My boyfriend came home with some "Cheer me up" pressies on Friday - I know, how lovely :-)

A selection of nut butters that I can't wait to try. I'm looking forward to the hemp and linseed one as I'm intrigued as to what it'll taste like. Will let you know :-)

Anyway...I have to get up at 5am to go on a course :-( I'm not too enthralled with the idea as I've been tired recently. Fingers crossed I don't sleep through my alarm!

Hugs x x x

D Day :-)

2010-09-04T02:20:00.000-07:00

Heeeyyy!

Don't you just love waking up early, feeling refreshed and lively?
This morning I got up and headed straight to the kitchen to prepare a simple breakfast of naner, blueberries and almond butter, followed by some chilli and sundried tomato flax crackers. I also whipped up some of Ani Phyos tomato wrappers and some honey and sesame seed bana chips. They're all in the dehydrator as we speak :-)

Ani's tomato wrappers pre-dehydration

Chilli and sundried tomato cracker mix

Breakkie :-)

Off to zumba now. Can't wait to shake it!

Have a great day girlies xoxo

Pure2Raw girls you Rock!!!

2010-09-03T13:36:00.001-07:00

Heeyyy!

Don't you think the twins at Pure2Raw actually rock?! If you haven't checked out their site then do! www.pure2raw.com Every time I read their blog I feel inspired to try something new and today that was an avocado pudding. I had it for dinner and it was DELISH! I simply blended up the following

- 1 avocado

- 3 inch length of cucumber

- large handful spinach

- 1/3rd of a small banana

- a small squirt of natural apple sweetener

Blend blend blend! Serve sprinkled with raw cacao nibs for a bit of crunch.

RESULT - a yummalicious meal that's full of goodness! :-) I'll definately be making this dish a regular part of my diet - lots of good fats and great for the skin.

I'm off to do some yoga and take a sauna. I LOVE FRIDAYS!!!!

Hugs x x x

Brain freeze and mesquite virgin

2010-08-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I hope you're all doing great. I'm posting after another "one of those days". I feel ok now but this morning became one of those awful womanly battles. Cramps, sickness, migraneous headache, dizzy spells. Great. And yes....I surrendered to a box of high strength painkillers whilst cursing all men for not having a womb.

Anyway. I don't know about all you ladies but do any of you struggle with a 100% raw diet when your hormones cut loose? I have struggled big time in the last week. So much so that I just gave in to my cravings for wholegrains and roasted veggies. I don't think I'll ever be able to be 100% raw - my hormones won't let me!!

Needless to say, I will eventually start my 10 day raw food detox and I'll be 100% during this time - I really just want to see how I feel energy and fatigue wise. I just haven't been able to commit to this just yet due to the mentioned reasons. Man!

On a good note, I have tried to incoorporate as much raw food into my diet as possible. Today I tried MESQUITE for the first time. It was a bit caramelly. I enjoyed it sprinkled onto a chopped apple :-) pretty good! I'm looking forward to trying it in a smoothie some time soon.

Talking of smoothies......Dinner was a random concoction - an icy cold, slushy bowl of smoothie soup. It froze my brain but tasted great. Banana, frozen mixed berries, fresh blueberries, ice, water. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs....ta dah!!! :-) Sometimes a girl's just gotta have berries :-)

much love xoxo

Eat to da Beet :-)

2010-08-23T15:33:00.001-07:00

Heeyyyyy! Happy Monday guys and gals! Guess what came today?......ZUMBAAAA! Last week I thought "What the heck!" and decided to treat myself to the zumba dvds. I'm soooo excited to give them a go. I've been enjoying the classes so much - they always make me smile :-)

Anyway, I'll be sure to tell you all about them. Zumba party here I come!!!

Don't you just love it when the postman comes bearing gifts :-)

On a food note...I was intending to start a 100% raw plan today but I'm gonna do that tomorrow instead. I had a few items that I wanted to get used up and needed to stock up on some groceries.

One of the things I wanted to do today was to make the beet hummus that my 2 favourite Pure2Raw twins came up with :-) It's pure garlicky yumminess! I'm gonna put it with some dehydrated veggies tomorrow :-)

My hands smell or garlic soooo badly right now! :-) Hope you're all well. Back tomorrow with day 1 on raw!
much love xoxo

Raw cleanse here I come!

2010-08-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hey guys :-)

Before anything else I just want to say thankyou to all the amazing people who create the blogs I read each day. You're all very special ladies :-)

Right.....I'll be honest. I've been mega stressed recently. Work, life, self esteem issues - all stressing me out. As a result I've been tired, teary and not myself at all. I don't know about you guys but when I feel low my stomach churns and my sleeping patterns go haywire. Needless to say, I haven't been concentrating much on a raw, vegan, pure lifestyle :-(

I've sailed on a sea of caffiene in the last week. I've had low energy. I've slept only sporadically....total nightmare!

As a result...I have decided to go 100% raw for 10 days, to see if it helps me feel energised and sparkly again. Not only will it give me a chance to delve into my new Ani Phyo book but I'll be able to share my experiences with you wonderful peeps :-)

See you later alligator.....back tomorrow with raw day number one xoxo

Zombie Thursday :-s

2010-08-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Heeeyyyy! How are all you wonderful people? How was your Thursday? I've been zombified for most of the day. Tired, floaty and not quite with it! Thursday is definately the day of the week that my energy levels begin to dip and my brain cries out for the weekend.

After dragging my butt through a busy day at work I had a walk around town, followed by a pretty good workout considering I required a fire cracker to get me there! I took my "Health and Fitness" mag with me for some inspiration. I'm not usually in favour of the whole reading at the gym thing...but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do ;-)

This was how I started the day....1/3rd cup oats, rasps, blueberries, cacao nibs all soaked in a little homemade almond mylk over night. Oooh and look at these little chaps - choccie flapjacks for the girls at work. A welcome Friday pick me up methinks...oh and they're totally non raw and non vegan ;-) They'll love em tho :-)

My pre-gym snack....I prefer the raw variety. This one was made of pressed dates and cashews. That's it! Scrummy!

I also picked up this in town....100% of the cost goes to charity. And it smells delish! Cocoa butter based body lotions are my ultimate first choice.

I also grabbed a couple of these...always good to rehaydrate after a booty shaking zumba class!

Much love xoxo

Insomnia

2010-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Zzzzzzz......no I'm not asleep. That's what I should be doing right now. Instead I'm typing a quick blog entry. Something to calm the brain and focus on the good parts of the day.

I've been feeling underconfident today. I randomly get days when I dislike myself. What I'm like as a person. My body. My own abilities. They all come into question....I've ended up with a swirling brain and a distinct lack of sheep counting ability.

Anyway....I did have a great zumba class. That pretty much made my day. Oh and I had a ncie dinner - open wholewheat tortilla with beef tomato, bell peppers, spinach, basil. Simple yet lovely!

I guess I'll try to sleep now. I dread the morning alreaday. Things always seem a millon times worse when I'm sub 6 hours of sleep. Zzzzzzz...........

Funday Monday :-)

2010-08-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

I've had such a great day today. I had the day off work so took the opportunity to catch up with my younger sister and her new puppy :-) We watched "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and enjoyed some scrummy veggie wraps with mixed berry fruit tea. Little Monty, her new Havanese puppy jumped all over the place and decided to go to the toliet on my carpet!! (I let him off because he's too cute for words :-)

After a very sweaty bootie-shakin zumba class, I decided on a simple dinner of salad and tamari-tofu, followed by some scrummy cantaloupe. Life is good :-)Gonna head off to drink lots of water and maybe watch a little TV, which is something I rarely do. I'm just in the mood to settle on the sofa with my blanket...bliss :-)

Hugs to all xoxo

Breakfast cookies, Tofu tricks and Zumbalicious!!!

2010-08-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!

I've kinda dodged blogworld this week because I've been feeling kinda BLEURGH! Just one of those weeks I guess.

Dinner tonight was baked chilli tofu, sweet tater, romaine, spinach and santini tomatoes. Just what Emma ordered :-)

Anyway, it's Friday now and boy have I got the Friday feeling! You can't beat it! One of my fave blogs is http://www.fitnessista.com/ Gina you rock! As a proud Fitnessista follower I decided to jump on the breakfast cookie bandwagon and came up with these babies!

Wednesday's goji berry hemp cookie and Thursday's blueberry surprise :-) Result! Totally loved them - so inventive and a change from my usual morning eats.

I also have to admit something.....I'm addicted to Zumba. It's week two and I'm hooked. Zumba makes me smile (and sweat a lot!). As soon as I come out of one class I look forward to the next....simple pleasures eh? Oh and thanks for that one too Gina :-)

What's your favourite workout? I love anything where you can prance around to good tunes. Dance, aerobics and, of course, Zumba ;-)

xoxo

Freezer cookies and Smiles :-)

2010-07-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

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 :-)

2010-07-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

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..........

2010-07-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

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 :-)

2010-07-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-02T04:17:00.000-07:00

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

Late to bed, Early to rise

2010-06-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't think I'd be able to wake up this morning, after my spell of late nights and yet here I am having woke up an hour before my alarm, sipping a cup of hot water with lemon slices :-)

Here's the painting I was inspirerd to paint earlier this week. A sunny seascape for my surgery. It reminds me of a little scottish island called Iona that I visited a few weeks ago. Happy times :-)

After reading "Raw Magic" I decided to purchase some Dulse. I'm normally a bit funny with sea vegetables because I think they taste like the smell of fish! On this occasion, however, I quite enjoyed the mild salty taste....not fishy at all so a great addition to future salads.
Right girlies.....gonna add 30mins onto my morning run....
With love xoxo

The Raw Magic Cupboard :-)

2010-06-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's really late again and I've just finished tidying my kitchen cupboards. Man! Why do I always get the urge to clean so late at night?! Here's my raw magic cupboard...it has lots of magic things inside it ;-)
Recent additions to my raw food kitchen have included: raw oat groats, buckwheaties, raw pumpkin seed butter and chia seeds. I am looking forward to playing around with chia creations :-) Oooh and I picked up some amazing looking Eternitea tea from www.rawmagic.eu - coplete with reishi mushrooms, gojis, cinammon and schizandra berries, it'll make a wonderful warming treat - reviews to follow :-)
Lots of love to you all xoxo

Zzzzzzzzz.....

2010-06-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all :-)
It's just past midnight and I really should be getting to bed....just wanted to say a quick hello. I'm loving reading everyone's blogs each day....the world really has some wonderful people in it :-)
I've been experimenting more in my raw kitchen and the dehydrator has been on a few times in preparation for my holiday to Spain. I've just picked up a great idea from the twins' blog - the mason jar salad. Fab! That way I'll be able to carry a healthy lunchtime salad with me each day :-)
I must head to bed but I'll post some piccies tomorrow
With love xoxo

Christmas comes early!

2010-06-13T16:18:00.001-07:00

Hey there! I can't believe it's Sunday night again....well actually Monday morning! How time flies. I hope you've all had a great weekend.

I've had a lovely day. I had a great workout this morning, a gym session followed by the best aerobics class ever! It was brill!

After that I was buzzing so decided to use my new found energy to tackle the shops and hunt out some holiday clothing. I usually hate holiday shopping - I know - strange for a girl - but today I loved it! I had so much fun trying on new things :-)

I also finished the mince pies that I started a few days ago. I know it's not christmas yet but I saw the recipe on www.coxetersfayre and thought my boyfriend would love them. He could eat mince pies all year round! I haven't had one yet but I've tasted the filling and it's delicious :-)

I made a few modifications to the recipe:

Crusts:

- ground buckwheaties

- soaked and dehydrated cashews ground into a flour

- leftovers nut pulp from almond and sesame mylks

- raw honey

Fill silicone moulds with the mixture, and dehydrate overnight

Filling

-raisins

- gojis

- juice of 1 orange

- juice of 1 lemon

- peel of 1 orange

- lots of cinammon!

leave for all the fruit to absorb the juice and fill the cases with the delightful mixture once they are removed from the dehydrator :-)

Just been painting....feel so relaxed now.

Goodnight everyone xoxo

Weekend bliss :-)

2010-06-12T02:29:00.001-07:00

Just munching on my breakkie before heading into to town for a workout/spinning and a spot of holiday shopping. Need to find some new sandals as one of my current pair has vanished into a black hole!

Yummm! Buckwheaties, gojis, pollen, a few cocoa nibs, almond mylk and soy lecithin. Oh and some maca power!! All washed down with some summer fruits herbal tea :-)

I ordered some things from www.rawliving.eu and now I'm ready to make some truffles for my dad's birthday. He's diabetic so I'm gonna get him on the raw bandwagon :-) That'll be my job when England play their first match later today. My boyfriend will be in his little nest in the longe so I'll retreat to the kitchen and play around with some cocoa :-)

I hope you're all having a wonderful day,

With love x x x x

Scrummalicious!

2010-06-08T16:07:00.001-07:00

I just had a bite of my layer loaf from yesterday....it was yummy! So nutritious and tasty :-)
I've popped a slice in my lunchbox for tomorrow, along with a big beef tomato and a scoop of trail mix to munch on before my gym workout.
It's getting late here so I'll keep it short but I just wanted to say thankyou to all those wonderful people out there who take the time to create the fabulous blogs I love to read :-) You all inspire me to lead a happy, healthy and more fulfilling life. Pure2raw, Sweetly raw and Coxeters Fayre - you guys make me smile every day.
With love and gratitude x x x

Raaaawwwwwww!!!!

2010-06-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hi guys.....I've had the day off work today. Soooo good! Today has been good for several reasons

- I found some sprouted ground flax in the health food store :-)

- I had a great workout with a great friend

- I painted my toenails pink

- I had a monster raw sesh in the kitchen :-)

- I read some of Kate Magic's "Raw Magic".....

.......and drumroll.....my buckwheat sprouted!! :-)

Yes I know I'm sad, simple pleasures and all, but after a few sprouting issues, my first successful batch of buckwheat sprouts are now sitting in the dehydrator. Buckwheaties here I come!

A pretty good day so far :-) Anyway, like I said, I had a pretty fab un-cooking session using my new found sprouted flax powder. I consulted one of my fave sites, http://www.coxetersfayre.co.uk/ and decided to try Laura's super-sounding layer loaf. I made a 3-layer loaf with the following ingredients

Layer 1 - broccoli, garlic, spinach, chives, ground flax

Layer 2 - red bell pepper, chilli, garlic, sundried tomatoes, ground flax

Layer 3 - beetroot, ground flax

As suggested, I topped with thinly sliced mushroom, mixed seeds and gojis. It smells lovely!

I also made a concious decision to drink more today. In "Raw Magic" Kate says we should drink lots! Therefore I'm glugging my way through my second bottle of water and can hear the chai tea calling!

I hope you are all well and having a lovely day, wherever in he world you may be :-)

xoxo

Cheers to Chai

2010-06-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hey :-)

I'm just cuddled up on the sofa with my favourite blanket and a mug of chai tea - my current obsession. I love the stuff! It's been a pretty hectic day at work and even though it's almost midnight, I still feel like I haven't fully settled on the inside.

This last week I've been enjoying lots of big beef tomatoes and chunks of fresh pineapple. Yuuuummmmm! Ive been sprinkling my tomato wedges with pink salt to help replenish the salt I've been losing during my marathon training. I'm enjoying my running so much now that the weather is bright.

Ok...so here's my first ever raw loaf. It tasted pretty good although next time I'll be using milled linseeds to give a finer texture.

I hope you're all having a wonderful day xo

Missing..but still in action

2010-05-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone :-)
I haven't been blogging recently, as you can see, however, I've still been experimenting in the kitchen with raw recipes. I have a raw loaf in the dehydrator as we speak....spicy tomato ad linseed :-)
I'll start blogging more regularly from now on. Please do leave a comment if you drop by...would love to chat with some other raw foodies :-)
Love to you all - I hope you're having a wonderful day xoxo

Moonie Madness!

2010-04-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hey! Here's the chocomaca smoothie I made for breakfast the other morning - YUM! I simply blended a glass of water with 1 banana, 1 tbsp of raw cocao powder and 1tsp maca. Blend and serve sprinked with cacao nibs for some extra crunch :-)

I made this dinner a couple of nights ago....I've really got a taste for tahini at the moment so I chopped a beef tomato and drizzled with tahini. I love this combination. I served it with a side of purple cabbage soaked in cider vinegar and my own "RawSlaw". A simple, crunchy dinner :-)

This was followed by perfectly ripe mango topped with cacao nibs, gojis and bee pollen :-)

And now it's time for a drumroll.............TA-DAH!!!! I finally finished my Moonie Pies for Heathy's Moonie Pie Challenge. As I'm new to the raw choccie game, I simply followed the Vanilla Pie recipe but I plan to experiment with some sour cherries and bee pollen in the next batch :-)

This is my first taster of a Moon pie type dessert - truly SCRUMALICIOUS!!!

I'd love to hear from fellow raw foodies. I'm gonna try going 100% raw soon so I may need some advice!!!

Love and happiness x x x x

2010-04-05T16:27:00.001-07:00

To all raw foodies in the blogosphere, I hope you had a wonderful easter :-) I've currently got a batch of "gRAWnola" in the dehydrator. It smells wonderful! I mixed around 1 1/2 cups of chopped nuts (I used peanuts, walnuts, almonds and pecans) with 2 tbsp maple syrup, 2 green apples, a sprinkle of goji berries and 1/3 cup of mixed seeds.

So...what has everyone been up to over the easter break? I must say, I really needed a few days to rest and re-balance and the last few days spent running, reading, cooking and enjoying the first signs of spring, have done just the trick ;-)

I made some salad wraps for dinner last night. My boyfriend had steak and coucous with his but I kept it raw ;-)

Today's lunch was a simple fruit salad with banana, blueberries, raspberries, purple and green grapes and sprinkling of raisins......

.......and here are the crackers I made. They're great served with a crispy green salad.

My boyfriend and I went to "Butterfly World"yesterday, a little tropical paradise where they breed and care for an array of beatiful butterflies. Amazing! I felt like I was on holiday. It was so lovely to have warmth on my skin after such a cold winter. I managed to take a few piccies during our visit.....as you can see, the plants were full of love!

Lots of love to you all xoxo

2010-03-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Well I've just had so much fun in the kitchie :-) To accompany my dinner time salad, I made raw bell pepper and sun dried tomato soup. I blended 3 tomatoes, half each of a red, yellow and orange bell pepper, a few soaked sun dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of himalayan sea salt. I served with a sprinkle of hemp seeds on the top.

After that I prepared my salad lunchbox ready to take to work tomorrow, along with some sun dried tomato and mixed seed crackers that are in the dehydrator as we speak :-)

Perhaps the most exciting thing of all is that I started my MOONIE CAKES. Check out http://www.sweetlyraw.com/ to find out about the moonie cake challenge, download the recipes and thus recreate "One Lucky Duck's" sellout raw treat.

Love and hugs x x x

2010-03-30T02:07:00.000-07:00

Hi guys!!
I'm so excited because I'm gonna join in the "Moonie Pie Challenge" :-) I guess many of you will have heard of the famous MOON PIE from "One Lucky Duck" in NYC......well, dessert queen extrordinnaire, Heathy Pace has come up with 3 fantabulous "Moonie Pie" recipes for you to try. Check out http://www.sweetlyraw.com/ and join in the fun challenge that she's come up with...so great!
Anyway.....I kinda slipped out of raw world for the weekend as it was my best friend's hen party. We had a great time but my body can definately tell that it needs more green stuff inside it! I was craving a big salad the whole time!
I'm off for a long run now....will be back later with some new piccies :-)
Loves x0x0

Nuts and raisins

2010-03-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

Hi!

I guess it's kinda late to be typing up my blog but I'm all nicely snuggled up in bed after blitzing my kitchen cupboards. Everything got it's own little tub - there were gojis, nuts and seeds galore! I also have to wonder...why do bags of seeds always tear the wrong way? It was like a seed explosion in there!

Anyway...here's a quick pic of my dinner. Veggie crudites, a blob of cashew cheese and a cranberry/blueberry/cherry smoothie :-)

Night all.

x x x

2010-03-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Me (left) and my best friend Laura

Heeeyyyy!

Ok.....so I know it's been a long time but I'm still here and still loving raw :-)

In the last few months I've done lots of experimenting in the kitchen and have read so many wonderful blog entries on the raw food lifestyle. To all who's words I have stumbled upon, thankyou :-)

My first port of call when surfing the net is always http://www.rawgoddessheathy.com/. Heathy is a huge talent in the raw food world. How amazing are those desserts?! Thankyou Heathy :-)

In the last few months I've become addicted to raw veggie crackers and green smoothies, I've had D-days galore, mountains of salad and I've impressed my man with raw ice cream and choccie :-) You know what?....It's all amazing!!!

After all this time, I finally feel like I want to share my raw journey with others and where better to start than the green smoothie I had for breakfast this morning!

1 banana, water, large handful of spinach, a few raisins, 1 green apple - blend together and sprinkle with a few goji berries - Yummy!!

See you soon guys!

Cut it out!

2009-07-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

Yeyyyyyyy! I'm so excited :-) I've just placed an order for a dehydrator. I'm itching to get going in the kitchen! In the meantime I will continue on my raw quest with a food processor and ice cream maker to my name :-)

I've had a really great week actually. Raw foods have been the centre of most meals and I've noticed a reduced urge to snack after work. I've been doing more pilates and yoga and feel slightly more at ease with myself than last week. I guess I feel calmer :-)

This week I'm going to transition to purely raw breakfasts. Some nice, fresh fruit each day should do the trick........oh......and I'm going to ditch caffiene. Herbal teas and headaches all the way! Every time i give up tea and coffee, I feel great. However, I've been known to reach for a coffee at work when he going gets tough. Definately not the best solution. I'm currently sipping on a raspberry tea, supposedly good for muscle cramps.

The picture shows my first attempt at some raw "truffles". All you have to do is blend dates and almonds together, preferably in eqaual amounts and then shape into balls. Voila! These are great for an energy boost just before or after exercise.

Anyway.....off to sleep now. Can't wait for dehydrator days! xoxo

And here my adventure begins...............

2009-07-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
I'm currently sitting in my flat feeling totally inspired and excited about life! I've spent the last hour reading several raw food blogs and can't wait to try out some of the recipes :-)
I'm currently in the transition phase when it comes to raw food. I've been a veggie since the age of 6 and have been experimenting lots with vegan cuisine in the last couple of years. I hope to embrace the raw food lifestyle and meet some wonderful people along the way. If any of you have any advice about going raw, then I'd love to hear from you!

Before I go, I'll tell you a bit about myself. My name's Emma, I'm 26 and I live in the UK. I love running and I ran the London Marathon for charity in April of this year. I'm currently training for another charity run - only a half marathon this time though! I love to sing, dance, read, go to the theatre and spend time with my man :-) What else......hmmm.....I'm a dentist by profession but have secretely wanted to be a dancer since I took my first dance class at age 6.

Anyway....I'm going to continue on my quest for new raw recipes!
Hugs x x x