A looooong month.

Oh how I do love six week months! They drag and they drag. In fact, I reckon January goes slower than any other month.

You start off hopeful that six weeks is totally do-able. That we will put aside money for each week and that we certainly won't get to week six and be eating crumbs in the cupboards. As organised as I try to be it just doesn't happen! Ever! Something unexpected, like Luke's car needed fixing, pops up out of nowhere. Or Benjamin's playgroup request 12 weeks payment up front with 4 days notice when we believed it would be the following month
.
We told ourselves this would be a NO SPEND JANUARY. And it has been in terms of no unnecessary spending i.e. spontaneous buys, lunches out etc.

However, it is very easy to start forgetting things that we think aren't important but are. Like, I really should have a hair cut and I really ought to top up on my wardrobe. Me and Luke really should have an evening together somewhere, alone. It's so easy for all of that to get pushed aside and I know I sound materialistic but it's necessary to keep on top of things.

So for January, we knew it would be a tough, long month especially as I estimated food bills to go up slightly as I wanted to buy healthier; wholemeal instead of white, fresh berries and organic produce. (When on a budget I still try to buy healthy, wholesome food)

Things are looking positive. By doing our no spend January, we have actually been able to put that extra money in the savings account which has started us off, officially on our savings plan. We have decided to forgo January in a way so that we have things to look forward to in February. I have booked a hair appointment and me and Luke are planning something nice for Valentine's Day.

And when you think about it, there is nothing to do in January anyway so we are seeing it as a time to recharge the batteries before life gets busy again. Pyjama days and lazy Saturday mornings. It gives me time to prepare nice wholesome dinners, to 'spring' clean the house after Christmas. Luke has an exercise DVD which he is doing to get fit and we all go on winter walks in the evenings.

So now we have things to look forward to with savings in the bank. Things are looking good and I feel happy. And I am ready for some lighter mornings and evenings. Please hurry up Spring!

My Inspiration Sign!

A Simple Lunch

Last Saturday I had the most lovely and healthy lunch that I just had to share it with you! The recipe which is in Dave Pinnock's - The Medicinal Chef book was supposed to be a breakfast option but I thought it was perfect for a late brunch or lunch.

I wish I had a DSLR camera to take fancy pictures of my food!! Anyway, MOVE OVER beans and scrambled egg, check out this latest creation. Wilted spinach, shitake mushrooms, warmed cherry tomatoes on wholegrain artisan bread. I know the bread is a bit naughty but sometimes it just needs to be done and I don't suffer from gluten intolerance so now and again I am just going to enjoy it.

Followed by sliced banana topped with  live probiotic natural yogurt, blueberries, seeds and goji berries.

I felt suitably stuffed after this but it was a nice treat for a Saturday.

My Inspiration

As you can tell from my past couple of posts, I am becoming really interested in Nutrition and Wellness and I am quickly becoming aware of the foods we consume and how they affect our bodies.
I am fascinated by it all and as someone who suffers from very bad skin I am intrigued as to how I can make changes rather than turning to antibiotics but rather to lifestyle and dietary changes.
Someone who is quickly becoming huge inspiration to me is Madeleine Shaw. You can check out her website here. She trained as a Health Coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and now gives advice and guidance to people who want to change their eating habits. Her mantra:
                                     'Enliven the hottest you'
Her website is brilliant and she makes eating healthy look effortless and easy. Some people may be put off by nutritionists because of the jargon and science behind it but Madeleine simplifies it all and shows how accessible it is to everyone.
She uploads tantalising recipes and if you follow her FB page, gives daily inspirational quotes.

I also love Sarah Britton from My New Roots who is a Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Practitioner. Her recipes are so enticing and I love browsing through her recipe archive and blog posts.
She travels around the world to offer cooking demonstrations and talks about her training and lifestyle. Just love her style!

Remember Alicia Silverstone? Also known as Clueless? As well as being an actress she is now an activist and conservationist who is now leading a plant based diet. She has emitted dairy and meat from her diet and in her book The Kind Diet she offers insight into her new world and why she has made these choices. She is also about to release another book called The Kind Mama which is kind of self explanatory. Her website The Kind Life shares everything from tasty recipes, to fashion, how to save the planet and raising kids. It's a great all round website with a feel good factor. I definitely recommend this website and book.

Jenna Zoe is my latest love. She is creator of Foods To Love and has a book called 'Super Healthy Snacks and Treats' which I highly recommend. Every page I want to make the recipe and even the sweet treats are good for you! Some of the recipe's contain ingredients which you may not have heard of before but on her website you can order them all in one place.

Last but not least is Therese Kerr, Miranda Kerr's mum. She has her own certified organic personal care line and she believes to have optimum health is to take a holistic approach to wellness and I am starting to believe this too. Her website is full of useful information and she covers all elements: spiritual, mental and physical. Check her out.

I hope this gives you something to have a look at and draw some inspiration from these woman who have all made changes to create a holistic approach to life.

Morning Ritual

As we all know from having it drilled into us, it is crucial we all start the day off with a substantial breakfast as this is the most important meal of the day. For me this has never been an issue as I instantly wake up starving and can't go very long until I start to feel sick.

Anyway, aside from food we can also drink certain things to get our body up and running and ensure we induce ourselves with the right nutrients and vitamins etc.

As it is winter I am currently addicted to this Morning Super Cleanse drink.

Take a mug of warm water and not boiling water. Boiling water will instantly kill the goodness of what you are putting in the drink e.g. lemon. Add the juice of half a lemon, 1tsp ginger, 1tsp turmeric and 1tsp cinnamon.

The reason this is so great to drink in winter time as it is full of immune boosting ingredients to fight off any bugs, colds etc. Obviously try to use fresh and organic where possible such as fresh ginger but ground will be fine otherwise.

Ginger is an anti inflammatory and one of the most powerful around.
Cinnamon is great for maintaining blood sugar levels and in turn can boost energy levels.
Tumeric is known as 'one of the kings of medicinal food'  according to XXXX. It is also an anti inflammatory and has been compared to certain pharmaceutical drugs. It is also great for liver health (drink after a big night out) and is good for your heart and circulation.

It honestly tasted better than it sounds. It's quite a spiced drink that warms your body. Perfect on winter mornings.

The next drink which is a great addition to your morning routine is Spirulina Powder mixed with water. They recommend you consume 3-5g a day so you might want to split it between two drinks throughout the day. If you want you can sprinkle the powder over salads or in juices but if I'm honest the taste is vile so I like to hold my nose and drink it fast.

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that forms in warm, fresh water bodies and the Naturya brand which I have bought is Organic. As it is mostly found in ponds you can imagine it smells and tastes like a fish tank basically. But please don't let me put you off. Spirulina has been labelled a 'super food'.

Research has been made to show that Spirulina can:

• Boost immune system
• Reduce cancer risks
• Reduce stroke risks
• Contains more protein than red meat
• Balances blood pressure
• Controls Candida

It contains all the essentiall amino acids, has high levels of vitamins and minerals, has a protein content of 56% and is a good source for B12 (keeps the blood and nerve cells healthy)
It is currently £6 with free delivery on Amazon and will last you ages. What are you waiting for?

What do you like to drink in the morning? Have you got any DIY recipe's you could share?

January Blue's - 6 Ideas for a Fun Free Night In

Craft Night

Why not meet up with your girl friends, all bring some fabrics, crocheting, knitting or whatever craft you are into. Maybe take some snacks and drinks and have a natter whilst you learn some new crafts or see what everyone else is creating.

If you and your friends haven't done any crafting yet then now would be a good time to all decide on one to learn. You could make it a regular event once a month at different people's house.

I love nothing more than to surround myself by inspiring people.

 

DIY Face Mask Night

Check out this previous post here for some ideas on natural, DIY face masks. All of you can chip in to buy the ingredients and have a lovely pamper night.

You can have fun making the masks and then if you all try a different one and rate how they work.

Me and some friends did this recently and it was so much fun!

 

Retro Games Night

When was the last time you got those board games out the cupboard, dusted off your pack  of cards or decreased your Twister sheet. Probably Christmas I know ha! But why not make a night of it? Switch off the telly and immerse yourself in good old simple fun.

 

Tea and Cake Party

Like I said on this post, why does afternoon tea need to be only in the afternoon? I'm sure near enough everyone can rustle up a Victoria sponge of some sort from what is in their cupboards. Get your lovely teapot out and enjoy the high life!

 

DVD Night

Popcorn (even better, make your own). DVD. Duvet. Says it all.

 

Book Club Evening

If you and your friends are avid book worms then why not set up your own book club? All of you could choose a book in advance and set a date to meet up and discuss. Pick books you would never normally read and genres you would usually avoid. You never know what you might discover.

6 Savoury Snack Ideas

In the first stages of weaning yourself off sugar you will have those moments where you feel shaky and your body is craving sugar. Most likely in the afternoon slump period where you usually opt for tea and biscuits or a chocolate bar.
Here I have collated my favourite savoury snack ideas:

Chickpea Bombs - Taken from Sarah Wilson - I Quit Sugar

1) Mix 1tbsp garam masala and 1tbsp olive oil mix together with 1 tin of chick peas.
2) Lay in a single layer on an oven tray and roast for about 30 mins at 160 fan oven. (The actual recipe says 45 minutes but mine were done in 30 mins)
3) Keep for up to one week in an airtight container. Nibble as you please.

For me, once I had made these the flavour was a bit too plain so I added some Buillon powder, some cumin and extra garam masala. They are delish.

Roasted Parsnip Chips - Sarah Wilson - I Quit Sugar

I haven't got a photo of these because we devoured what we made in one sitting.

1) Peel and chop the ends off 3 parsnips. Cut into chip like sticks.
2) Combine with unsweetened and unsalted almond butter and 1tbsp olive oil. Add sprinkle of salt.
3) Roast in pre-heated oven at 200 fan oven for 40-45 mins.

Homemade Soup

Why does soup just have to be for lunch? I like to enjoy a mugful as a snack when I get a craving. Try to use sugar free versions for example Sally Bee and Dave Pinnock - The Medicinal Chef.

Unsure as to why it is bubbly. Hmm..

3) Hard Boiled Eggs. Sounds silly but if you boil a few eggs they will keep in the fridge for around 5 days. Then when you are hungry, take one out and slice it up. Lots of protein goodness.

4) Avocado. When ripe just eat a whole avocado (obviously NOT the stone!). The benefits of avocado are wonderful.

Sourced from My Green World

I saw this not long ago and thought it was really interesting.

5) Oat Cakes and Almond Butter

Spread a thin layer of almond butter on oat cakes will create a substantial, filling snack.
Almond butter can be found in health shops.

6) Eat RAW. Sliced pepper, carrot, cucumber, celery. Dip in homemade hummus if necessary. Celery with a thin layer of unsweetened peanut butter is also yummy.

Hope these give you some inspiration on ideas to curb those sweet cravings!

NEWS FLASH

It is estimated that 50% of Britain's will be obese by 2050!

 

At the moment two thirds of adults are obese and this is set to increase over the coming years.

 

Why are people not understanding? If I have put so much as 2 or 3 pounds on I feel utterly disgusting and quickly get on the health bandwagon again and move a bit more to get myself back to normal. How can people put stones and stones on and not feel the need to make changes?

 

I appreciate there are so many fads and diets out there that it must confuse people but we all understand that eating healthy and doing some exercise is the best for most people.

 

The next issue is financial. The whole 'does eating healthy cost more money?' well no not really. Like I've said before, I'm on a major budget at the moment and I make, wholesome, healthy meals every day. Check out Frugal Queen for example who was on a mission to rid her debt and created a whole recipe file on cheap, tasty meals.

Also, you don't need a gym membership to do exercise. You don't need a home gym either. The way I see myself exercise for example is I just like to be constantly on the move. I walk everywhere I can, I have a really cheap Pilate's DVD that I think was £3.99 off Amazon that I have started doing, even cleaning the house is a work out! Have a run on the street, start a walking group with your friends or go climbing some hills at the weekend including Dovedale or Black Rocks for Midlands people.

 

Following these few simple steps can have a huge impact on your daily intake and will make you rethink what you put in your mouth.

• Opt for savoury snacks if you need to have a snack. Sugar is the devil. I will be uploading a few quick savoury snack ideas soon.
• Read labels- ingredients are listed on labels in order of what the most used item is. If you see sugar or salt as the second or third listed item then we know that they make up a high proportion of the food.
• STOP having takeaways, fast food and microwave dinners. No cheap supermarket food either such as ginsters pasties/supernoodles/pot noodles etc. Avoid them even if you are in a rush.
• GET moving. The only time of the day I really sit down and relax is once Ben is in bed, not that I choose to but it's the only chance I get. However, this works for me as I feel I have had a busy and productive day.
• AVOID your usual habits. Do you always put brown sauce on your beans on toast? What about tomato ketchup on your scrambled egg? Love dipping bread in balsamic vinegar? All these sauces and condiments are full of sugar. Just taking away these unnecessary extras eliminates extra calories and sugar.
• PLAN your weekly food menu so that there are no last minute bad food choices. If everything is planned in advance and you have all the ingredients already in then a) you don't have to go to the shops and spend unnecessary extra money and b) you will feel happier knowing you have had a wholesome, proper dinner for the family.
• STEAM your veg instead of boiling. It reduces the amount of nutrient loss.
• LIMIT your caffeine. Swap to herbal teas. I only allow myself one cup of coffee a day as a treat.
• REMEMBER fruit isn't always the best option. Research shows that one glass of apple juice compared to one glass of coke has MORE sugar in. See it as a treat.
• SIMPLE SWAPS - white rice to brown, white pasta to wholemeal, fizzy drinks to water.

What I am trying to say leading a healthier lifestyle is accessible to everyone. All it takes is a little motivation, a dash of preparation and a blob of creativity.

 

My local Aldi now has a healthy section in with brown pasta and other items in for half the price of other supermarkets. So there really is no excuse for this new accusation and I hope people can start to make the right changes.