Make it Monday

Lettuce

People often state I must get bored eating the same fruit and vegetables all the time. Well actually I don't. They may see a banana and think it's boring, but I see a banana and my imagination runs wild imagining things like smoothies, ice cream, yogurt etc. 

So today I am going to show you what I do with lettuce. I find greens the dullest veg to eat, but it doesn't mean I am bored of eating it :) it's packed with so much goodness that it's essential for it to be on our plates at least 3 times a week.

Keeping it simple

Just chop it up and toss with your usual salad ingredients.

Shred it

This is how I've made it tonight. I have some great kitchen tools and this was the first time I actually used the food processor for it's great chopping ability.

Shredded using Chef Tony's food processor

Mixed in with courgette spaghetti, celery, cucumber, tomato, pepper and lemon juice

Taco style

This has to be my favourite way of eating lettuce. It's definitely a great way to let out your creative side, playing around with the sauces and toppings, and presentation on the plate.

Mini bites on little gem lettuce

Each bite is just so satisfying, this is romaine lettuce

Smoothie

Lettuce goes great with banana smoothies. I have never tried it with anything else and probably never will unless it is highly recommended.

Alone

There is no rule for having to eat lettuce with other vegetables or fruit, so if you just want it as it is then go for it! 

I only have one warning for lettuce...check your teeth after you've finished because there's always a stray piece that has managed to get wedged between two of them!

Enjoy eating your salad!

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Soulful Sunday

Monday

This was my third day at work, but my first one going solo. It went well. Monday is payroll day and I have a deadline at 10am. I work 8am-4pm, which is great as I like early starts and early finishes! I was happy with my first solo day. No stress, no madness, just beaming smiles!

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

These days are a blur to me. I was incredibly tired and my body over worked from the weekend, so I spent most of my free time asleep! I started to eat 1900 calories instead of aiming for 2500 to see if that made a difference in my weight loss. It turns out it made staying awake a challenge! So I am back up to eating as much as I care for to keep me going. I think 1900 would have been fine for when I was jobless, but starting work again took its toll on my body.

Friday

I love Friday. I really like my new job so I don't mind going to work anymore, but it is great when 4pm strikes and I get to leave. My car was packed with my weekend supplies and I was off to Manchester to stay with Steven. When I arrived there was a hot bath and dinner waiting for me! Such a sweetie. Dinner was delicious, it's flavour and appearance resembled a chinese dish. My taste buds were pleased.

Saturday

Morning bliss! Waking up to cuddles and amazing smooches is always the best way to start any day! Steven and I went to New Smithfield Market and I got bananas, Steven got tomatoes and we shared dates. Then we went into Ashton for a wander, as I'd never been before. I said I probably won't be going back either... There wasn't a lot to tempt me back! 

Sunday

We lost an hour today but I was still surprised when I checked the time before getting out of bed. It was almost 10am! Time seems to fly by on the weekend. Steven and I went back to New Smithfield Market, this time we were on a mission to get a specific box of dates.

We got them for £5 a box (with 12 packages inside). There are 2 stalls at the Sunday market that sell them. One is in Block B right at the end, unit 38 and the other stall is on the outside of block B, around unit 20 but I am not 100% sure. These dates have a slight marzipan taste and they are crunchy because the sugar has crystallized in most of them. I will definitely not be buying medjool dates again as they are much more expensive and also very sticky and sweet. I still have about 2.5kg in my fridge anyway.

Aims for this week are to knuckle down and get the last 2 TEFL projects out of the way and then I have to spend the next 2 months revising for the test.

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Shoptastic Saturday

Today I went to New Smithfield Market in Manchester. You wouldn't believe how expensive they were selling bananas for!

My purchases today were:

Fruit
Bananas - 2 repacked boxes around 18kg each - £16 
Barari Kimia Dates - 12 x 600g boxes - £5 

Total spend = £21.00

The bananas are still in my car. They were the cheapest going by far. The boxes are repackaged, I have no idea why. I bought two organic boxes, but due to the fact they're being sold as repackaged I have no idea if they actually are. This was the best I could do, the other sellers were quoting £14-£18 for a box. I'd never pay that! If that's your best offer I suggest going to Aldi.

If you're going to Manchester market you should check out Barton & Redman Ltd they are in block C unit 6/7.

The dates were bought from one of the Asian stalls in block B. There are few in that block so you cannot miss it. I'm splitting this box with Steven and we're going back tomorrow for the public car boot sale. There are 2 fruit stalls on Sunday and they sell another variety of dates for £5 too. I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Favourite Friday

Quote

“Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Follow your path and enjoy your journey. Live, love, laugh and have good times along the way.

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Think Thursday

Choices

We all have to make our own choices.

With the exception of a small minority, every human being faces choices on a daily basis. It is up to each individual to make it, but we may ask others for help with our decision.

I have struggled for years to make my own choices. I have always doubted myself to the point where I stop trusting my own judgement! To me, this is crazy and I now realise where I have been going wrong.

First and foremost, I should take full responsibility. If after some serious thought a decision cannot be made, the next step would be to ask someone I trust to offer advice. Again, some serious thought must go into making the decision based on the advice. If I'm still in doubt then research is vital or experience by trial and error. 

I personally believe that we should never let anyone make a decision for us and we should never blame anyone else for something that we did. At the end of the day we have to accept that whatever path we have gone down, it is because we have made that choice. Even if we made the choice based on someone else's ideas, we still made that choice. No one is forcing us to do anything. Yes, we may feel pressured into something, but at the end of the day we could have just walked away.

What do YOU want out of life? Where do YOU want to go? What do YOU want to do? 

I seem to be saying this a lot, but we live for ourselves. No one else is living for us. So stop stalling and look at your life. What are the choices that you are facing or have faced in the past? Are you taking responsibility for them?

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Wishful Wednesday

Heal the World

Lyrics copied from AZ Lyrics

There's A Place In

Your Heat

And I know That It is Love

And This Place Could

Be Much

Brighter Than Tomorrow

And If You Really Try

You'll Find There's No Need

To Cry

In This Place You'll Feel

There's No Hurt Or Sorrow

There Are Ways

To Get There

If You Care Enough

For The Living

Make A Little Space

Make A Better Place...

Heal The World

Make It A Better Place

For You And For Me

And The Entire Human Race

There Are People Dying

If You Care Enough

For The Living

Make A Better Place

For You And For Me

If You Want To Know Why

There's A Love That

Cannot Lie

Love Is Strong

It Only Cares For

Joyful Giving

If We Try

We Shall See

In This Bliss

We Cannot Feel

Fear Or Dread

We Stop Existing And

Start Living

Then It Feels That Always

Love's Enough For

Us Growing

So Make A Better World

Make A Better World...

Heal The World

Make It A Better Place

For You And For Me

And The Entire Human Race

There Are People Dying

If You Care Enough

For The Living

Make A Better Place

For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were

Conceived In

Will Reveal A Joyful Face

And The World We

Once Believed In

Will Shine Again In Grace

Then Why Do We Keep

Strangling Life

Wound This Earth

Crucify Its Soul

Though It's Plain To See

This World Is Heavenly

Be God's Glow

We Could Fly So High

Let Our Spirits Never Die

In My Heart

I Feel You Are All

My Brothers

Create A World With

No Fear

Together We'll Cry

Happy Tears

See The Nations Turn

Their Swords

Into Plowshares

We Could Really Get There

If You Cared Enough

For The Living

Make A Little Space

To Make A Better Place...

Heal The World

Make It A Better Place

For You And For Me

And The Entire Human Race

There Are People Dying

If You Care Enough

For The Living

Make A Better Place

For You And For Me

Try it Tuesday

Sleep

In 1910 adults got an average of nine hours sleep each night; in 1795 it had decreased to seven and a half; and in 2000 it has decreased further, to seven hours. Making a Good Brain Great, D. G. Amen, M.D

Since discovering the raw food lifestyle, I have put a lot of emphasis on sleep. In the height of summer it is more normal to sleep less because we have more daylight hours, whereas in winter it is normal to have more sleep. 

The problem we have nowadays is most people do not make any seasonal changes.

I often get questioned about my long sleeping hours at home and they are often disrupted too because my family play the TV too loud or use raised voices. These are problems if you live with other people, so discussing your sleeping patterns with your house mates is a good idea. Also, I have been told to buy ear plugs, so I will give that a try.

Sleep is so important so I hope that you can try to get as much as you can. 

Try to go to bed earlier. Make sure you don't watch TV or be on the computer just before you want to sleep. It is important to wind down. I know this and I still manage to distract myself with my smart phone. Therefore, turn your phone off or place it somewhere far away from your reach when you get into bed!

Purposefully leave lights off in your house. This will allow your body to become tired naturally and you will have no problem going to sleep!

Read a boring book. This tried and tested method does work!

Have a partner? It is very important that you can agree on a specific bed time. There is nothing more disturbing than having your partner go to bed after you. They may turn on lights, make noises undressing, shake the bed when getting into it, be cold, which you may feel, etc. If you cannot agree then sleep separately! Seriously, there are many times in the past when I would have preferred to sleep in a different room. Sharing a bed is so important that you need to get it right!

I haven't scratched the surface, but I will leave it here.

Start small if needs be, get at least 15 minutes more per night. We often forget who is important in this life. It's not your boss, your mum, your dog, etc, it's YOU! Only you can live your life. 

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Make it Monday

Encouragement

I am here to offer encouragement today. I want you to make one change this Monday.

Have you been wanting to go 100% raw or try raw? New to veganism and feeling lost? Perhaps you want to change your personality because you feel low or negative.

I am encouraging you to make just one change. It's rare for a person to change their entire life overnight, but if we don't make subtle changes over time we never make it to our goal.

So if you want to be 100% raw, but are still struggling to cut cooked foods, I suggest you speak to Steven. He's experienced in this area.

If you're new to veganism I suggest that you read as much as you can and watch videos. Then make an informed change in your life regarding it.

I cut out meat, then dairy, then shampoo and anything tested on animals, now I've been doing oil pulling and brushing with bicarb and drinking distilled water. I'm constantly making these small changes daily, weekly and monthly. Once you start you cannot help but to keep making them for an even better, cleaner way of living.

So for Make it Monday, consider what you'd like to change and do it!

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Soulful Sunday

Ecstasy

Bliss, sensuality and love.

I've experienced many things in my life but nothing compares to this weekend. I am so grateful to have met Steven and he has taught me so much in so little time.

I have never felt such love before, from another person and within myself. It is amazing and I feel so blessed to have been given this gift.

I wrote a list for my perfect guy and I was presented with more than that, I got Steven. I was given the opportunity to learn and grow and have a friend for life. I want to cherish every moment we have together.

I want to spread the loving feeling because it is wonderful.

Grab your loved one and squeeze them tight!!!

Lots of love, hugs and kisses for Steven xxx

Jennifer x

Shoptastic Saturday

What I bought this week and how much it cost

My purchases today were:

Fruit
Oranges - 70 fruit - £8 
Lemons - 35 fruit - £3.50
Sharon fruit - 2 x 28 fruit - £5
Free bananas - it helps to chat with the other customers, if they like you enough they might give you some of their left overs ;)

Veg
Courgette - 5kg - £4.50
Cucumber - 12 - £3
Little gem lettuce - 9 packs (18 heads) - £4
Tomatoes - 6kg - £3.50
Red peppers - 10kg - £8 (I am splitting this with Steven)- 5kg - £4
Celery - 14 stalks - £5.60

Total spend = £41.10

Top to bottom:
Cucumber, Courgette, tomatoes, red pepper, celery, little gem lettuce, lemons, oranges, Sharon fruit and bananas

There were no organic bananas, so I will have to either go back on Monday before work (at 5am!!) or go next Saturday. I have enough dates and Sharon fruit to survive, but having bananas as a staple is the easiest and most convenient because I am rather OCD about washing fruit and that is quite time consuming.

I plan on eating the oranges whole and also juicing them with a basic hand juicer, as the machine is a pain to clean and prepping the oranges is also nail breaking!

Once again, there are no excuses for not eating fully raw in the UK. The only problem we may have is buying all organic produce. What I have bought today will last me over 2 weeks and now spring and summer are just around the corner you should definitely start growing some vegetables!

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Favourite Friday

Flavour

There is no competition here, vanilla beats all flavours.

It's funny for me to say that considering I've never bought a vanilla pod, but I have always favoured vanilla flavouring over anything else, sweet and savoury.

One day I hope to enjoy it where it's grown. Until then I'll just enjoy what I can get my hands on.

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Think Thursday

Organic or conventional?

"Organic crops must be grown in safe soil, have no modifications, and must remain separate from conventional products. Farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers." Source

I hear organic is the way forward, but it can cost a lot more than conventionally grown produce. So what do we do when we are on a strict or inflexible budget?

Below is a list of heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables that ideally we should be buying organic:

• Apples
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Kale
• Spinach

I do not buy apples for this reason and also because I find other fruits more enjoyable. I do like apple juice though, very refreshing if chilled.

I never knew about cucumbers or celery being heavily sprayed though. I grew my own cucumber last year and the fruits I got from the plants were HUGE! If you have your own garden or have access to an allotment I seriously recommend growing your own veg. There are so many benefits including new skills, vitamin D (from being in the sun), great satisfaction and achievement. 

Below is a list of fruits and vegetables that are not so heavily sprayed that you can buy conventionally:

• Avocado
• Cantaloupe
• Kiwi
• Grapefruit
• Mango (according to the source above but I heard differently in Australia)
• Papaya
• Pineapple
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Sweetcorn
• Sweet potatoes

I buy conventional produce and I have often wondered whether I will see or feel a benefit to going organic. The problem I have is that I go to the wholesale market in Liverpool and they don't really sell organic as they don't have an audience for it (I suppose I could demand it!). I could start shopping else where, but then the cost is not only of fruit, but the transportation that I will have to take to find places to get my produce.

I only have a couple of months left in the UK anyway, but I will make it my mission to eat as much organic produce as I can when I travel.

What are your opinions on organic versus conventional?

Jennifer x

Wishful Wednesday

Money tree

I wish that money did grow on trees. Wouldn't it be amazing? We would earn money by putting effort into the care and tender of our own trees. I suppose theft would be a major concern. Hmm... perhaps this idea is flawed, but still it's good to dream!

This is just my excuse for not wanting to have a conventional job working in an office :P

Jennifer x

Try it Tuesday

Oil Pulling

What is it?

An ancient practice that strengthens and whitens the teeth and nourishes the gums.

What are the benefits?

It removes toxins from the body and can increase the metabolism and the rate at which fat is burned.

How do I do it?

I use 1 teaspoon of raw organic coconut oil and swish it around my mouth for 20 minutes. It is good to incorporate it into your morning routine. So I usually have a drink of water, go to the bathroom, put the oil in my mouth and get in the shower.

After 20 minutes you should spit it out. Do not swallow! Then rinse out with distilled or mineral water (if you don't have a distiller) and brush your teeth with sodium bicarb. Do not rinse with tap water and do not clean your mouth out with tap water after brushing. Also, once you rinse your toothbrush with tap water do not put it back in your mouth.

Tap water contains disgusting chemicals and the whole point of oil pulling is to get rid of toxins, so do not use tap water!!!

This is what is left after distilling tap water!!

When should I do it?

You need to do it first thing in the morning before you eat anything. My suggestion is to drink some water first and then swish the oil.

Why should I do it?

If you want healthier teeth and gums and overall better oral hygiene then I recommend oil pulling. 

There are many websites out there with more information and a lot of videos too if you need more convincing.

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube  

Make it Monday

Smoothie

I watched a video yesterday that was in response to seeing a long term high-carb low-fat (was raw but now promotes cooked) vegan pouring sugar onto "cardboard" cereal and topped with soy milk. The message in the response was something I had not considered and I am taking on board.

I admit that I am a person who often does not try to see something from every angle and this has caused naivety and ignorance in the past. I will do my best in the future to look at everything objectively and from every possible angle.

The videos I am referring can be watched them here and here.

So with the message that Hannah delivers I am taking things back to basic.

Are you new to raw foods? New to a vegan diet? Finding your current food routine boring and want to switch it up a bit?

Well today I want to give you all some smoothie ideas and I want to make it as simple and as cheap as possible. The excuse that fruit is too expensive or it is unsustainable is nonsense and I will not accept it!

The base for these smoothies is simple, ripe bananas.

Make sure they are spotted, soft but not squidgy and easy to peel.

Depending on what you're adding to your smoothie I recommend using as many bananas that will provide you with 90% of the calories you require from this meal. Want a 1000 cal smoothie, then you will need just over 1kg bananas and then you can make up the rest of the cals with some of the following.

Berries

I love my berry smoothies. Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry and blackberry. I'm sure there are more, but these are the most common ones I buy. I buy frozen berries in winter and fresh berries in summer. I use about 100g mixed berries in my banana smoothies and this is quite affordable.

Dates

If you are using dates, my recommendation is to go 50/50 with the calories, so for 1000cal you'll need just under 600g bananas and 200g dates.

Mango

Personally I tend to only add one or two mangoes to my smoothies because I am not a lover for prepping this fruit. I like it when they are juicy enough to just squish and then suck!

Persimmon with a hint of cinnamon

A perfect combination if you have any left over juicy persimmons. Most people have cinnamon in their cupboard so just add a half or full teaspoon depending on your taste for cinnamon.

Spinach/lettuce

Always a winner to make banana smoothies green. You can have this at any time of the day and sometimes I would have it for breakfast and then again for dinner. I find that if you are too busy to make a salad in the evening then adding lettuce or spinach to your smoothie is a great alternative.

Home made almond milk

This is to make your smoothie creamy and fatty. It's a real treat and delicious to drink. Read my post from last year for the instructions on how to make it. Probably not on the cheaper side of things, but if you want to try something new then I recommend it.

I hope that you are able to enjoy your smoothies. There are so many more different combinations that you can try with other fruit as the staple, but I find bananas are the most versatile fruit and combine well with others (I wouldn't use melon though). I can get organic bananas for £4 - £8 a box for 18kg. It is the most reliable fruit and the best staple around. 

Jennifer x

Soulful Sunday

It has felt like the longest week of the year in a really good way.

On Monday I had a clear out and donated items to the local Women's refuge, Tuesday I started studying again and got a project out of the way, Wednesday and Thursday I also studied and did another 4 projects (all of which I have passed with A's), Friday I met up with a friend I've not seen for months and Saturday I went to a potluck in Stoke.

It feels like I have achieved so much and I am so grateful for being unemployed as it has given me time to do the things that I need to do for my future goals. I've been able to focus on myself, eating clean and studying and I am feeling much better about travelling to Thailand.

Getting the results back from my projects has definitely boosted my confidence, which was my wish on Wednesday, so it seems that wish is slowly being fulfilled.

I am also getting there slowly with my cleaning, I have some art supplies that I might donate as I may not have chance to use them before I go travelling. I also need to make a decision about my sewing machine. It's not a big named brand, but it seems a shame to keep it boxed up in storage. I haven't used it since last May. Although I have had it for 13 years and the first 8 years it remained unused! I have some fabric that I want to make into a skirt though so I need to do that soon.

I am on day 31 of being fully raw, so I hope to keep this going. I tend to binge after 30 days, so a suggestion was made yesterday that I trick my brain into thinking I have binged and then pretend that this is actually my first fully raw day. It seems to be working as I haven't had major cravings yet. Although I am sure a certain person can say that my attitude today is a sign that I am likely to snap at any moment. I have said that I do not wish to do another juice cleanse anytime soon so I want to remain fully raw.

I only have two projects left for TEFL and then a final exam. I want to do my best this coming week to finish the projects and then start revising for the final exam. I may have a job interview and I also want to finish reading the book Making a Good Brain Great.

No doubt I'll keep you updated!

Jennifer x

Facebook 

YouTube