It's 2015 - and it's going to be your year!

It’s 2015!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!

We are here again, bringing in a new year and I for one can’t wait to sample all that 2015 has to offer! Do you make resolutions? I don’t but that’s just my choice. I’ve realised that I can’t keep a resolution because I don’t take them seriously – I expect to break them and guess what I do? Yep, you got it! I don’t need any of that “new year new you” stuff from weight loss groups either, after all I don’t want to be a new me, I quite like being me! More recently I have worked out some plans for the coming year. Last year I planned to improve my fitness and strength so that I could really enjoy my grandchildren – I did it and intend to keep doing it. This year I have many plans but those to do with me directly include;

·         Blogging regularly

·         Buying a Bodyblade to use on my active rest days

·         To try out new macro and plant based recipes

·         Go to the gym three times a week

·         Complete the South Downs Way path

 

As I am planning to do these things I find myself working out the whens and hows – and that is what stops me breaking them – I will have invested time in planning what I want to do!

So maybe resolutions work for you or maybe like me you’d be more successful if you plan ahead. What plans do you have for 2015?

Don’t forget to make your plans SMART!

Here’s an example; “I will make an appointment to visit the local gym with a view to joining by the end of the second week in January 2015 because I want to improve my fitness.”

If you want a printable sheet to complete with your SMART goals for 2015 email me and I'll send a simple pdf to you. xxxx

 

Don’t get your knickers in a knot about I but do get on and get ready to achieve all that you wish for! The quicker we get on with it the quicker we see the changes we want.

............................... it makes it difficult to walk!

 

Who cares about past “failures”? They aren’t failures by the way they are part of life’s steep learning curve. Look forward with positivity and you sure as heck will make it!

 

A FEW IDEAS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS………………………without spending tons of cash!

Okay so getting fit and eating well is expensive yes? Well actually no it isn’t! Gym kit, warm walking clothes for the winter can be dirt cheap and last as well if not better than a lot of the branded gear out there.

My gym kit cost £30 for my Nike trainers, £8 for my leggings, £4 for my breathable top and £2.50 for 5 pairs of trainer socks!!!!! All from Primani or Sainsburys.

My walking kit includes a long sleeve top (thermal and very pretty) from £10 from Uni Qlo, thermal leggings for £6 courtesy of Primani.

In terms of food go to the website of Marlene Watson-Taras website where she shows you how to make a gazillion deliciously healthy burgers for 99p.

 

I’ve always found that tracking what I am up to in terms of exercise and food consumption is thy key to success for me. Have you tried it? There are sooooo many expensive gadgets out there to do this for you however I always look for a FREE alternative! I loooove Endomondo for tracking my exercise and My Fitness Pal for food. The two apps link together so that all the calories you use in exercise are transferred across to MFP so you know what calories you have for the day in your daily diary. Well worth a look and your bank manager will love you for it! Oh and before I forget MFP has a fantastic library of foods and restaurant food values, a scanner for bar codes and will save your recipes and meals for you.

 

If you aren’t a techie lover grab yourself an inexpensive notebook and track in there each day!

 

There are two books that inspire me and I hope will inspire you too:

Til The Fat Lady Sings by Debbie Flint  A great easy to read book available on Kindle and as a paperback that looks at the true problem of overeating – our brains!

Macrobiotics for all Seasons by Marlene Watson Tara  A fantastic to try something new written by a true expert in the field based around the seasons and will guarantee you a healthier happier life. (and I’m not joking!)

 

MY FAVE CHEAP AND CHEERFUL WINTER WARMING SOUP!

I just love the silky texture of butternut squash soup. It's creamy and soft and fills me up and makes me feel all cosy! It’s wonderfully inexpensive to make and takes no time at all – there’s no faffing with pre roasting or any of that hoopla either – yay! So here is the recipe;

 

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (yes, the shape of them still makes me giggle!)

2 carrots

Dried thyme to taste

Veggie stock cube

Soy sauce

Pepper

 Method

·         Peel squash with your speed peeler, cut in half and remove seeds, cut in to small chunks

·         Chop carrots into small pieces

·         Chuck squash and carrots in your big pan with the crumbled stock cube and the dried thyme and about 1000mls of water or max level on soup maker

·         If using a soup maker follow the instructions to start cooking  and making a smooth soup

·         If using a pan bring to boil and then turn to simmer until squash and carrots are cooked through – about 15 minutes, using your and blender or blender whizz until smooth.

·         Add soy sauce and pepper carefully to season to your personal taste

Delish served with a slice of sourdough bread – yummmmmmmy!

 

DID YOU KNOW?
That the pub chain Wetherspoon have published a great chart about what’s in their food? It shows everything they serve with full nutritional and allergen info. It’s a good step forward in helping you make the right choices when eating out. It’s available in all their pubs to pick up.

If you visit the JDWetherspoon website there is a really helpful page where you can indicate your dietary requirements (very detailed) and it will build a menu for you.

BTW I’m not affiliated to this pub group but I had a rather nice emergency 5 bean chilli there today and spotted how much effort they are putting in to their menus and making sure that the consumer can make choices knowing the facts.

I just had to show you this article! It’s about the colour of your plate affects what you eat. Apparently if you are served your food on a blue plate you will also eat less! 
 

Soooooo next week we're going to get savvy about alternatives to sugar and fall in love with beautiful beans (not the Jack in the Beanstalk story!), as well as usual updates on what’s going on in the media re food and fitness.

If you fancy sharing your 2015 plans for fitness and health get in touch here as I’d love to know how you are getting on xxxxxxxx

See you next week xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxjaniexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

Thoroughly Thrilling Thursday 02/07/2014

Hey you!

You know what? sometimes I find Oprah Winfrey a bit too sugary for my taste but she got it spot on with the above quote. We can all achieve, whether it's learning a smattering of a new language for a long awaited holiday or getting fit and healthy. No-one who achieves has been handed it on the proverbial plate. They aren't lucky, they worked for it! But that is fabulous news because it doesn't matter who we are, where we live, how much money we have, we can all achieve of we are willing to work for it!

Have a little, but not too long, think about it! Come on lets all shout together "WE CAN DO IT IF WE REALLY WANT TO"

More Marvelous Miso

On Monday we talked about the magic of miso and I promised you a super awesome recipe. Not one that will taste like restaurant dish water but like fragrant, yummy, "can I have some more" Miso soup. It's a really easy recipe, can be made in bulk and stored in a glass jar in your freezer for several days so its always there for you, will freeze well and best of all it is so kind to your body.

Here goes....................

Ingredients

* 1 x 5 inch piece of Kombu (Kombu is a seaweed)

* 1/4 cup shitake mushrooms

* 2 Spring Onions - diced Finely

* Freshly grated ginger juice (grate a good 2 inches or more on a fine grater. then squeeze the juice out)

* 1 heaped tsp miso paste per bowl

To garnish

* chopped coriander                          

* finely sliced spring onion
* toasted seaweed

* gomassio (click here for recipe

Kombu is bought dried

Method

* Soak your piece of Wakame and shitake mushroom in 2 cups of water for about twenty minutes. 

* After twenty minutes, remove form the water (keep the water) and slice mushroom and seaweed finely

* In a soup pan add the scopped items, soaking water and another 4 to 5 cups of water. bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

* Add spring onions and simmer for a further 5 minutes.If you are planning to put some in the fridge or freezer do it now without adding the miso. 

* Remove from heat and using a strainer like a seive or tea strainer place your miso paste in it. Lower into the soup and using a spoon pus the paste through into the soup. Don't boil the soup with miso in or you will kill all the lovely living microorganisms.

put the ginger juice in and stir through.

Shitake are dried too!

Voila!

You now have a basic miso.

Serve with a sprinkle of uncooked spring onion, a few coriander leaves and gomassio.

You can add lovely small pieces of firm tofu to bulk it up.

Why not add some cooked noodles to the bottom of the bowl before pouring in the soup.

NOTE; when you take soup out of the fridge or freezer, heat it through thoroughly. In your soup bowl place a teaspoon of miso. Pour hot soup over and stir. Serve.

The Great Dorks Weekend
"Food is the problem AND food is the answer" by Marlene Watson-Tara

Well I promised you a review if the macrobiotic workshop so here we go.................................

Firstly hello to Marlene, Jane D,Jo, Debbie C, Debbie F, Sharon, Glynn, Vanda, Jill, Zoe, Louise, Arline and last but not least NESTA the Wonder Dog!

The Event was organised by Debbie Flint  who was ably supported by Sharon Harvey.

Our host for the day was Marlene Watson-Tara, the doyenne of Macrobiotic cooking and well-being. She is a macrobiotic practitioner who helps her patients to improve their lives through good nutrition and the the co owner of the Wellness Academy  with her husband the world renowned William (Bill) Tara. With a pedigree like that I figured I would be in for a great day and thankfully I wasn't wrong.

Marlene greeted us all as we arrived at the hall and offered us bancha or green tea to settle us down for the off! I have to say it was delicious and I am a firm believer in using teas as tonics. She also offered us handmade organic almond and pecan nuggets. Believe me once you've tried one of these you wouldn't ever need a bar of choccy again! One nugget gave us the satisfaction of a couple of big bars of fruit and nut and of course it was also nutritionally sound. Believe me one was more than enough to satisfy any sweet cravings - brilliant!

During the morning we discussed the role of balancing our hormones and the biome to be super fit and healthy. There was no phoohey, just Marlene's straight forward common sense approach. For more info about hormonal balance and weight loss and to read Marlene's article. click here.
We then took part in a cookery demonstration - the fragrances were divine! Some ingredients may have looked odd to non experienced vegan macrobiotic aficionados but they soon got the hang of them.
The Lunch Menu was divine;

Miso Soup

Fragrant Crispy Tofu Balls with Lemon/Tahini sauce served on Steamed Greens, Spelt Couscous and topped with Sauerkraut.

Apple Kanten and Date and Nut Chocolate Balls

OMG! Gorgeous or what! Even the meat eaters were bowled over with such great tasting food.. Once you've tried quality macrobiotic food there's no turning back!

Just writing about it is making my mouth water!

In the afternoon we looked at the role of laboratories creating so called food and how many big corporations pay to have research carried out to mock so called alternative ways to eat other than mass produced Frankenstein foods. Of course we also continued to examine the role of macrobiotic diet for good health and avoiding illness.
Mid-afternoon we made daikon tea. Now that raised some giggles! Daikon tea is a fab fat burning tonic but when making it one does get a smell like you do cooking sprouts on Christmas Day! However, when you drink it, it is the most delightful sweet teas and incredibly palatable.

1 tsp to 1 cup of water, boil for approx 20 minutes.
a fab fat burner

We finished with a lively and informative Q and A session which was most useful.
Jo from The Kind Food Company brought along a whole range of foods for attendees to look at, feel and purchase. This was a real bonus for the people there who hadn't come across some of the ingredients before.

 Marlene has true passion, tells the truth without fear, holds your attention the whole time, is a fantastic ambassador for macrobiotic living and a superb cook! On top of that I met amazing people who I would love to meet up with again. Thank you girls and Glynn for making it such a memorable day.

I've already recreated the recipes we made at the workshop and my husband looooooooved it all. (Btw for people who think real mean don't eat this type of food my hubbie is 6'1" of leanness, a runner and a sailor, my son is 6'5" and built like a brick privy and walks miles every day! ).

Marlene's workshops are well worth attending and truly are life changing - just ask Zoe! She runs them mainly from Glasgow but you can approach her to organise an event in another part of the country. She will of course be able to discuss this possibility with you.

Weekend Wanders

You know me I like a good wander at the weekend! i love discovering new places and walking around and learning new things. Nourishes the soul and the mind.

This weekend's suggestion is Eyam in Derbyshire.

You may well know Eyam as it is often referred to as the plague village. A London cotton merchant inadvertently introduced the plague in to the village in August 1665. Eyam means islands. This is really appropriate because the village isolated itself to prevent the plague spreading further.Supplies were dropped at pre-determined points around the village boundaries.

I know that all sounds a bit miserable! (I'm pretty sure it was, I remember watching The Roses of Eyam by Dan Taylor as a little girls), BUT, it is a very pretty village in the divine Derbyshire countryside and forms a huge part of our social history.

Eyam is a thriving place with plenty of stops for eating, drinking and making merry. After lunch why not stroll around the village and see:

* The Cool Stone

* The Plague Cottages

* Eyam Church

* Eyam Museum

* The mightily impressive Jacobean Eyam Hall (1671)

* The Anglo Saxon Cross.

Eyam's Jacobean Hall

One of the plague cottages

The Saxon Cross

Move more chill a bit less

Okay, so you have had it easy lately with marching etc. Its time to up the ante!

This week your challenge is to walk 10000 steps a day. That is a recommended minimum for good health. I can't make you do exercise, you will when you are ready.......but remember exercise gives you power, vitality and a far reduced incidence of serious illness. Unless you are in a coma you are more than capable of moving more and chilling a bit less!! I was watching "A year to save my life" yesterday and a thirty stone woman who was bed bound climbed 27 flights of stairs in one go! So whats your excuse? If you are worried or have concerns about exercise please always consult your doctor.

If you want to know more about moving more, checkout this newspaper article. Once you have read it you can make your own mind up. x

Will You?

Anyway time to sign off now but before I go...............................

On Monday I am launching a BIG competition with a super special prize!
We will be looking at F for...
Weekly recipe
Moving our bods
Real Men Eat Macro/Vegan (wait til you see some of the piccies I've got lined up!)
Kate tries the £30 challenge.

Cant wait ..............................weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
janie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx