Happy Days! The sun is shining and the sky is blue..........
Okay, so we had a couple of duff days but let's be happy about the good stuff and not mull over the less positive! I think this is a mantra I need to rememember given that every time I watch the news I just want to cry with despair over the sheer cruelty in the world. I have to try and remind myself that actually there is so much good in the world and so many wonderful people. You only have to think back to Stephen Sutton whose work still reaps rewards for the Teenage Cancer Trust in his highly regarded memory.You can still donate to his fund here . There are thousands of people out there doing good deeds like my cousins son Jamie Bond who participates in voluntary work in Africa, my son who has walked miles every day to deliver cooked meals to a relative who has had an operation recently. You see? the world is great but these stories don't make the headlines. Do you have an unsung hero in your family? If you do id love to hear about them.
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| Jordan - my son |
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| Jamie - proud |
In this weeks blog:
* The world is pretty fab actually!
* J is for..
* Try something new this week and expand your recipe repertoire!
* Perfect Pickles
* Myth Buster - Diets have an end date!
Jerusalem Artichoke
Jojoba
Jack Fruit
Juniper
Jalapeno
Jamaica Plum
Flipping heck! This fruit and veg alphabet malarkey is more challenging by the week!!!
Choosing a recipe for the letter J this week has been difficult however I have always enjoyed Jerusalem Artichokes and there are myriad recipes out there for these lovely veg.
Jerusalem Artichokes
These are also known as Sun Artichokes which seems pretty fitting. I think they look like those wonderful Anya Potatoes that you can often find at the green grocers. They can be eaten raw or cooked and when cooked can be used just like potatoes , for example, mashed. I love them sliced with wholewheat pasta.
JA are nutrition dense. One cup has 25% of your daily fibre requirement, 10% Vitamin C, 30% of Thiamine, are mineral dense for strong bones and have a role as a pre-biotic. To top it all they are low calorie at only 73 kc per 100g and fat free too!
The part we eat of this vegetable is the tuber which we peel to prepare.
I love the recipe below and I hope you do too. For more gorj recipes like this go to Yummly.
Sun Artichokes with Baby Toms, Lemon and Thyme
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| photo courtesy of Saveur |
INGREDIENTS
1½ lb. small sunchokes, washed, dried and sliced about ¼" thick4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 sprigs thyme
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
6 tbsp. olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
15 baby tomatoes slice in half
1 tsp. agave
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 425°. Toss sunchokes, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest with half the oil, plus salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, until tender and beginning to caramelize, 35 to 40 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and transfer sunchokes to a bowl with tomatoes. Whisk lemon juice, remaining oil, agave, salt and pepper in a bowl; pour over sunchokes and toss to coat.I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.
Okay, so this week I wanted to bust the myth about the word "diet"!
So many people tell me that they just cant diet and that all diets fail.
I used to be a leader for a major slimming club and I heard this refrain so many times. One morning I woke up and knew I couldn't be part of the dieting industry farce any more.
So why do I think the dieting industry is a farce? Firstly its all about making money from the desperate. No one walks through the meeting door without having reached the end of the road. Now the average expected life cycle of a member is 12 weeks! The number of members who reach their goal weight is incredibly low and there is a reason for this....... members believe that they are "on a diet" and it's all about what they can't have rather than following a healthy lifestyle for life that will reward you with great health and a trim body. The first thing they do at a meeting is give you a "goal weight" - again there is an end date! Also the meeting talks that are prescribed are repeated on a 13 week cycle - so that tells you how successful the dieting industry expects their "diets" to be!!!!!
Diet is define by the Oxford English Dictionary as " the kind of foods that a person, animal or community eats habitually". It comes form the Greek word diata which means way of life. Have you noticed that it doesn't mention end dates, deprivation or anything else horrible? It doesn't mention buying "diet food" full of crap or paying membership fees? Dust anybody?!
So the modern day usage of the word "diet" has been created by those who want you to fail and hand over your money on a regular basis so they they can keep their shareholders happy. Trust me they will keep making money out your insecurities - most people who joined my meetings were previous members often several times over!
The true meaning of the word diet is all about lifestyle without a destination. Imagine a life where you are not deprived and your health improves significantly? Instead of setting yourself up to fail choose the right definition and adopt a healthy way of living for life.
Perfect Pickles
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| Photo courtesy of Marlene Watson Tara |
Our western diet doesn't offer enough fibre and frequently causes horrid digestive issues. You hear people constantly discussing how bloated they are or are struggling with indigestion, wind etc. The thing is it doesn't have to be like that! Having suffered from IBS for years and having a stressful stint in hospital I know that making some alterations in my diet cured it! One of the biggest revelations was discovering the probiotic power of homemade pickles. We already eat them without knowing it - think dill pickles, pickled cabbage and sauerkraut. There are so many amazing pickles we can make and enjoy an amazingly healthy gut. I do believe its better to make your own - it doesn't take long and you know exactly what goes in to your body. Just add 1 tablespoon a day to your diet. Simples.
Marlene Watson Tara has made a great video to explain more and show you how to make your own gut loving pickles in your own kitchen! Marlene's Gut Busting Pickles Video . If you want to read more click here for great easily digestible (geddit?!) info'. Okay, I shouldn't give up the day job to become a comedian!!!
Your Winter Snuffle Cures!
I am writing a blog later in the year about natural remedies for those pesky things like the common cold and all those horrid nasties that you get with colds. The only proviso is that it needs to be vegan please. I know recently when I had a sore throat I was offered lots of brilliant ideas to ease it. This inspired me to put an article together to prepare you just for the winter in the unlikely event you suddenly get struck down!
ACT NOW and mail me here with your fab ideas. Please let me know the name you want your idea accredited to in the blog! THANK YOU! xxxx
Coming on Monday...
* Can we reduce our cancer risk through healthy eating?
* K is for...
* Your scrumptious weekly recipe
* Move More, Chill a Bit Less
* Myth Buster
* Guest Blog By Veg Growing Expert Karen Housby
Have the most wonderful weekend, love yourself and all those awesome cells in that extra special bod of yours!
Janie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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