Green Smoothies (banana free smoothies and workshop coming this way)

Green smoothies are simply awesome IMHO.  However for those people who dislike bananas you do tend to find that most of them use it or at least often find so.  So I thought it was time to share some banana free smoothies for people wanting to get started.

Smoothies are often mentioned as a weight loss tool and whilst I agree to some extent the can be used to this end, it isn't what I would consider their main potential by any means.  I feel they can be a great weight regulator.  They provide a brilliant way of getting vitamins and minerals into the body without having to sit and chomp through a lb of spinach, a pineapple, 3 bananas.  I think they're as valuable for anyone whether they be under or over weight, or at their ideal place to be.  And whilst we're on the weight thing - I think partly because you're satisfied with genuinely good food you're less likely to snack on 'bad' stuff.  Winning all round really.

Without further ado - a couple of smoothies I've loved for all the banana less than lovers out there:

2 cups pineapple, (about half a medium pineapple) cubed
2 mangoes peeled and pitted
1/2 avocado
4 cups baby leaf spinach
1 cup water

Put everything in the blender except for the spinach and blend until mostly blended, then add the baby leaf spinach and blend until smooth.

3 peaches
1 mango
4 cups baby leaf/spinach
3/4 to 1 cup water

Blend the peaches and mango with the water til nearly smooth then add the spinach and blend until smooth.

1 apple, cored
2 cups pineapple
2 cups kale or spinach
3/4 to a cup of water

Blend the apple, pineapple and water until nearly smooth - add the kale or the spinach (newbies I'd advise to start off with spinach and move onto kale once you're more used to green smoothies) and blend.

1 cup strawberries
1 mango
1 peach
1 orange
2 cups spinach
1 cup water

As before, blend everything except for the spinach until nearly smooth then add in the spinach and blend until deliciously smooth and yummy!

...and for more smoothie info I've a workshop coming up on the 20th March 7.30-9.30 on juices and smoothies - get in touch for more details.

Enjoy!  My last tip - unlike juicing there's so little to wash up but I do always try to wash the blender first then I can really relax and enjoy my smoothie with nothing (haha) left to do!!

Who wants to live forever?!

Anyone? Not me, I'm more than sure of that.  However I most definitely would like to live the rest of my time here in this body feeling vibrant, healthy, sexy, happy, well balanced (ish), ready to dance, laugh and love. Really, what I'm trying to say I guess is to feel as good as I possibly can.  I would argue that we're wasting an opportunity not to.

Each day is precious, none of us know what is around the corner (OK well maybe some clever intuitive magic types do but definitely not me) and each day is one that we'll never get back. So we could moan about how bad things are or we could get on and make them better.

Which was part of my motivation behind changing my diet. The other thing I became conscious of was that if I was told I was so unhealthy my time was more limited than I'd believed - how would I eat to try (and live) to change that.  Both questions led me to where I am today.  Day 12 of my high carb, low fat raw vegan diet. And I LOVE it!  I've just had my dinner which was 2 mangoes, 2 oranges and a banana.  It was fabulous. I started the day with a 4 banana, 4 cup spinach and cup of strawberries smoothie. It too was fabulous. And in between I snuck in a cucumber soup and large greens (and reds, pinks and orange) salad at lunch (both soooooo tasty!)

I struggle to see why or even how I ate meat previously when there is so much available nutrition in the fruits and veggies out there.  I can't imagine the satisfaction I used to get from drinking a glass of milk. Both seem crazy and so far removed from my current life.

The more I read about LFRV diets the more it makes absolute sense to me and seems to work in harmony so well with the teachings of Hahnemann* around diet (how come more than 200 years later we're still stuck on the same thing....?), and with my work on a day to day basis.  To feed the body what it needs, craves even (sugar from fruits), and to listen to yourself have to be far more aligned with our true purpose than any other way of eating.


I wish you a life filled with love to listen, laugh, learn, to discover, do and desire.

Em x 

*Hahnemann for non Homeopathic readers was the founder of Homeopathy and the following is from his Organon of Medicine:

Stanza 266 a
  Substances belonging to the animal and vegetable kingdoms possess their medicinal qualities most perfectly in their raw state. (1)
  (1) All crude animal and vegetable substances have a greater or less amount of medicinal power, and are capable of altering man's health, each in its own peculiar way. Those plants and animals used by the most enlightened nations as food have this advantage over all others, that they contain a larger amount of nutritious constituents; and they differ from the others in this, that their medicinal powers in their raw state are either not very great in themselves, or are diminished by the culinary processes they are subjected to in cooking for domestic use, by the expression of the pernicious juice (like the cassava root of South America), by fermentation (of the rye-flour in the dough for making bread, sour-crout prepared without vinegar and pickled gherkins), by smoking and by the action of heat (in boiling, stewing, toasting, roasting, baking), whereby the medicinal parts of many of these substances are in part destroyed and dissipated. By the addition of salt (pickling) and vinegar (sauces, salads) animal and vegetable substances certainly lose much of their injurious medicinal qualities, but other disadvantages result from these additions.
  But even those plants that possess most medicinal power lose that in part or completely by such processes. By perfect dissication all the roots of the various kinds of iris, of the horseradish, of the different species of arum and of the peonies lose almost all their medicinal virtue. The juice of the most virulent plants often becomes an inert, pitch-like mass, from the heat employed in preparing the ordinary extracts. By merely standing a long time, the expressed juice of the most deadly plants becomes quite powerless; even at a moderate atmospheric temperature is rapidly takes on the vinous fermentation (and thereby loses much of its medicinal power), and immediately thereafter the acetous and putrid fermentation, whereby it is deprived of all its peculiar medicinal properties; the fecula that is then deposited, if well washed, is quite innocuous, like ordinary starch. By the transudation that takes place when a number of green plants are laid one above the other, the greatest part of their medicinal properties is lost.

'Can I have food today?'

Yesterday, feeling massively grateful for all I have, the choices available to me and the questions I don't even need to ask such as 'can I have food today?', puzzling over my random act of kindness that I felt inspired to make (do I leave a £5 note somewhere with an anonymous note? a £1 coin outside school for a child to find and treasure....?) it came to me.  I would donate a haircut. Obviously to Homeopathy for Health in Africa.  A haircut might not be the most useful thing for them right now (although you never know) but I would give the cost of a haircut to the NGO.

So then today browsing on facebook I see Camilla (who heads up the project with her husband Jeremy Sherr) posted that the centre they were just about to open has been robbed and all the furniture taken.  My memory was jogged and one (price of) haircut got donated.

Just to let you know what moved me so much, my friend Naomi who's out with the project at the moment writes...

'Before we could get going on the third chap, we were told about a boy who used to go to the school but had not been since August then came this week and it was apparent that he was critically ill. He had come because each day he is at home on his own; his mother goes out to earn 80p a day picking rice, and he knew he was getting worse. His little friend got in the car and showed us the way.

As we drove along the dusty, cratered roads there was a ravine along one side where men were digging out the clay. Further on we drove through a brick works where the clay was being combined with straw, then baked in stacks to make bricks. All the houses were made of these bricks which we were told are 12p each compared to the other bricks which are 60p each. I suspect that the local bricks are less durable.

The house was a small brick building with a tin roof and old pieces of cloth covering the windows and separating out a sleeping are and cooking area from the sitting room. The boys sat on a sofa and we crowded in, recognising that this was not a jolly trip but a serious attempt to save a life. The boy had a swollen face, ankles and feet. The belly button protruded from a distended stomach, reminding me of the starving children we are shown on TV. It was clear he was malnourished and there was nothing in the house; a remedy might stop the vomiting and diarrhoea, but he still needed food to live. After clinic Jeremy went and bought food for him – the charity www.homeopathyforhealthinafrica.org does not have money for this, but what else can you do?

These children are on the Edge of Life in so many ways.'

So if giving up something might be an option - it's popular to talk about a cup of coffee (I can't do that as I've never started on coffee), or even just donating what would be loose change in your pocket, I know there's so many people who would appreciate it so very much.  This project inspires me in so many ways. Naomi's blog gives much much more insight than I ever could - have a browse here.

I thank you for reading this,

Much love,

Em x

Feeling the love

It's a funny old world.  My parents (lovely, kind, considerate people) got left a particularly condescending and arrogant note for parking in a neighbours car park space.  Whilst I understand it can be irritating (I'm not immune to the odd 'they're in my space' sigh, temporary grouch - and then moving quickly on) I've always felt it's really important to be relatively reasonable (in fact even to the people who were parked for a considerable period of time blocking the road exit from my work recently - maybe that's taking the British politeness too far I wonder?) but especially to my neighbours in our little community.

Anyway it got me around to thinking about telling people what we think of them.  I think so often we cruise through life on autopilot assuming everyone knows what we think it because we know it.  So, armed with the one rule my dad drilled into me and my sister growing up (Thumper's daddy's rule - if you don't know it it goes 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all') I thought I'd do just that.  And told a few people what I thought about them.

It was a great feeling - I did get some lovely replies (which wasn't the point of the exercise but a nice added bonus) and to feel that I was able to be honest and open with people for no reason other than I was feeling gratitude for having them in my life.  Some people I texted, some I spoke to - it ddn't really matter I just felt an overwhelming urge to say thank you.

Yes my parents 'shouldn't' have parked there but I'm very glad they did and inspired me to feel this way. And yes, I've written to the person concerned to thank them too.

The stuff dreams are made of (well mine anyway)!

I'm 10 days into my raw food 21 day transition and have to say (well OK maybe I don't HAVE to say but it's my blog and I'm going to) I feel fantastic!

I decided to go with a slower approach for a few reasons but probably one of the main ones would be that I've some veggie meals from leftovers in my freezer that I'd like to use - and as I have a feeling that I'm moving towards a way of life as opposed to a temporary diet then there's no time like now.

I think also it's probably hard going to tell myself that's it - no more cooked food but now that I'm allowing myself this time for cooked evening meals I'm chomping at the bit to get going on 100% raw (which if I stick to my plan is this Saturday onwards).

So this week which is my week 2, I'm having a green smoothie for breakfast (largely fruit - bananas, peaches, blueberries, strawberries or mangoes - mixed with greens - most days baby leaf spinach) and then a raw meal for lunch. Today's lunch was spaghetti (made with grated courgette) marinara and a tomango soup - both of which were delicious.

Week 1 was merely swapping a breakfast for a green smoothie - all of which I enjoyed. I can tell that my tastes are changing as they seem even more delicious second time around.  They were also filling and I was never hungry - an easy way to start the process.

The last couple of days I've woken at 6 (once from my alarm and once just before 6) and felt really energised and ready to start the day.  It's a feeling I remember well but I've not had for some time (maybe juicing detoxes excepted).  I feel energised - and more motivated to get out and do things. Such as run at lunchtime in the rain.  Liking it. A lot.

It might be raining outside but it's sunny in my kitchen :)

Juicy Lucy?

Juicy Lucy? Not here (although with 24,000 people in 45 countries taking part I imagine there must be a few) here though Juicy Em is loving the World's Biggest Juice Detox.  The great news is it's not too late to join in - or if you wanted to start and go from a Monday to a Sunday just get going on Monday 14th January for an insight into how light - mentally and physically, how nourished and toxin free you can feel.

For some the first couple of days can be tough as you withdraw from caffeine (not lots of fun but when I did it it really showed me what a powerful drug caffeine is), maybe also from drug-like foods such as sugar and overly processed morsels.  However this behind you, the energy boost, clarity and general all round well being is phenomenal.

I've been juicing on and off for a few years now which you'll probably know if you've read my blog before.  The World's Biggest Juice Detox ran for the first time last year and, taking part this year I can really recommend the motivational videos, inspiring messages and support from, not just Jason Vale but other's taking part on the facebook and twitter pages. Stepping away from the 'norm' can be hard and everyone wants to know if you're getting enough food, if it's healthy, where your protein is coming from and a multitude more questions.  Having this reinforcement through these channels goes a long way towards not feeling so isolated.

So if you're sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and looking for a spring board into better health and an amazing 2013 consider joining in.  Having followed the same program before I know I've felt amazing, my eyes have sparkled, I've had lots of energy and felt GOOD!

Simply raw, juicy goodness. Thank you world :-)

Festive Frolics and Seasonal Survival Tips

Just a few ideas for a happy, healthy Christmas.  Although I do keep wondering if tips for a healthy Christmas, and, well Christmas go together for most people? 

I think they can without difficulty though.

I plan to keep on drinking green juices to keep my energy up, get some great nutrients and maybe help neutralise the bits I might pig out on now and again.  Better than the many energy drinks on the market I think you can mainline great live enzymes and vitamins from a 2 minute juice to make.  Fair enough the washing up may take a moment or two longer but there's no can to recycle and the only waste is compostable.  Green in more ways than one.  I've blogged several times about green juices but if you want any recipe ideas or advice on how to get started there's lots out there on the net or do feel free to get in touch.

Keep hydrated.  Often we mistake thirst for hunger and surrounded by salty foods in a centrally heated house we may dehydrate faster - 6-8 glasses of water a day is the ideal although do listen to your body here too. Too much water isn't all that great either.  A glass of water per glass of alcohol is a good tip too - and you'll appreciate it the morning after.

Sleep. A little now and again. Ideally a minimum of 4 hours a night although I think we all know what amount works for us and as near to this as possible is great.  Maybe a cheeky afternoon nap can help balance out those late nights and great parties.

Get moving!  The temptation to stay in on these grey, rainy days is much easier to listen to than on those bright, sunny summer ones but your body will thank you.  Exercise helps the body to digest food more effectively and with an increased intake a bit of moving about will help all round.

Curb the carbs... it'll help you have more energy into the afternoon instead of your body needing to shut down it's functioning ability so that it can take time out to digest your dinner.

And it couldn't be a seasonal survival blog without the mention of homeopathy could it?
Nux Vomica is a great morning after remedy - and some recommend to take it on going to bed after a drinking session too.  Worth having some to hand for those pesky hangovers. Great for over indulgence of both drinks and food and can antidote heartburn, nausea, vomitting.

Also worth remembering is Pulsatilla for when you've indulged in more fats than you're used to - you may see heartburn, heaviness after eating and a coated tongue - and cold drinks appear to help the person.

The tissue salt Nat Phos 6x is a simple remedy for overindulgence and indigestion.  Just take 3-4 tablets when the symptoms strike.  After 15 minutes if the symptoms aren't gone then repeat - up to three times.

Not to eat the 'bad stuff' is a great way to go but sometimes we want to and so to do so without guilt, enjoying your food and savouring it. Appreciating the work behind the meal, both that day and in the past is a great contemplation and way to really enjoy the food on our plate.

Wishing you most merry, fabulous festivities,

Love,

Em