Green Smoothie- Current Favouite :-)

                     

There are green smoothies and there are green smoothies and then well..... The options are endlessly green ... My current favourite protein potent smoothie is this..... 

1 1/2 cups Oat milk

Ice/ water 

Teaspoon Matcha Green tea Powder

2 teaspoons green powder of choice -the Pukka Clean Greens packs a serious punch giving you your daily umph in the form of Nettles, Wheat Grass, Barley Grass, Parsley, Spirulina, Chlorella, seaweed, Kales sprouts, the list goes on!  (I think I need to write a whole article on this amazingness!!) 

2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

1/2 courgette?! 

I scoop of Sun Warrior plain vegan protein powder 

Cinnamon

Handful Chia seeds

Vanilla essence

Dash of coconut palm sugar if you need a little sweetness or a bit of banana is tasty too 

All ingredients can be modified to your taste buds so feel free to experiment 

It's a brilliant breakfast but also makes for an amazing afternoon pick you up. Enjoy it in all it's divine wild greenness 

X

Wild Nettle Soup.

I have seen a few posts about wild foraging so I thought I would share mine!
Nettles are packed full of health benefits, way too many for me to list without taking up too much of your time and space but the most relevant to us all are these:
-Stimulate the lymph system to boost immunity
-Help Support Adrenals
-Reduce inflammation in the body
-Supports the endocrine system by helping the thyroid, Spleen and Pancreas

I have tried a few nettle recipes but this is my favourite from Susan Jane White at The Extra Virgin Kitchen
On asking my mother where the best place for nettles was she replied "Everywhere! On the drive, up the dairy, down by the cottages, Everywhere!" so I wasn't short of picking spots. Armed with rubber gloves and a plastic bag I set off. The small tender nettles are the best, but they are also the stingiest, so watch your ankles!

You need………..

Half a carrier bag of nettle leaves
1 leek
4 white onions
1 head of Garlic
2 litres Veg Stock
1 cup of frozen peas (optional)
Olive or coconut oil
Your best salt and Pepper

I wrapped the Garlic in Silver foil and put in the aga for 20 mins or until sguidgy, Your oven will need to be at about 180'
Sweat the leeks and Onions in a little oil until they look tender and translucent, add a little water if needed.
Wash the nettles well, remember to wear your rubber gloves, don't get this far and forget they sting!
Place the nettles in the pan with the onions and leek and add the stock.
Add a little salt and pepper and then bring to the boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 mins
Add the peas if you are using them, they add delicious creaminess and will cook quickly as you prepare to blend your soup.
Once the soup is blended squeeze in your roasted garlic and stir it through.

This a brilliant soup as part of a spring clean or any time with a hunk of rye bread and some soft Pecorino
Please share your wild recipes with us :-)

Detox with Delicious Soup

I'm not big on Juicing at this time of year but long to feel clear headed and clean again so with some inspiration from Mind Body Green I made this divine vibrant Soup.

4 courgettes
2 sticks of Celery
double handful of green beans
Large handful of Parsley (no stalks)
Salt or Braggs amino acids to taste

Simply chop all veg and fill the saucepan half way up the veg with filtered water and simmer until tender.
Place in the blender with the parsley and some Ghee if wanted and blend until smooth.
I added a little braggs in the blender and then some Mallorcan salt flakes to serve.
The brightest, greenest, healthiest, simplest soup I've ever made
Happy Monday  

2014……..To give up or to take up

That is the question!
Do we give up something we love or take up doing good for humanity? Do we give up being lazy or take up being proactive?
What ever we choose for our new year's resolution there is always a positive, so even giving up is taking up and something or someone will benefit from your commitment….It might be your lungs if you've given up smoking or your best friend if you've given up complaining ;-)  if your new years dedication
feels like a hardship, don't focus in on "you" and what you're lacking but broaden your perception, widen your awareness and know that you are doing good.

I have given up sugar but what I have actually done is taken up better health, the ability to think clearly and looking 10 years younger!! In my weaker moments I feel I am denying myself a great love, ss a self certified Chocolate Addict I feel abused and abandoned as if I am being punished; but in my sane moments I know I can't allow an entire bar of Amelia Rope's Rose Ecuadorian Milk Chocolate in it's divine pink foil and brown wrapping to get the better of me and I am in fact making conscious choices, rewarding myself and honouring my wellbeing.
So when you waver and that glass of wine is calling you, just take a few deep breaths and remember you are honouring yourself, your health and wellbeing.

We are still living for the moment, seizing opportunities as they come…. just in a conscious, healing, healthy way.
Good health both mentally and physically brings great happiness :-) So don't give up, I promise you, you will feel amazing!!

What is your Wild Abandonment?

What does Wild Abandonment mean to you? If you are a mother it could mean leaving your baby at the coat check while you dance the night away and if you are a gardener you have an image of your flowers ravaged by weeds. At first glance it can seem like a negative, something frivolous, to be ashamed of but really the image that is conjures is one of release, freedom and total nakedness!

As I walked bare foot in the park today I told my friend Siobhan that I was obsessed with wild abandonment, a sense of exploring with no limits, loving with no shame and experiencing a life that stimulates all your senses.  It is I added "quite an intense way of living" leaving few moments when the mind is happy with what is and a feeling of always wanting more.
Over the past few year I have become aware of my thrill seeking tendency and made my 2013 mid year resolution..... "to be present in every moment" because otherwise I am always somewhere else!


I spent much of this year "about to go...." or "....just back" and it consumed my life. Everything squeezed into three week blocks. So in an attempt at not being homesick for being away  I chose to spend the summer here, me myself and I, no escaping, just being, no bungee jumping, just being and it has been an interesting journey to the wild abandonment within.


My yoga life teaches me to be present, to breath and be present, to move and be present. Mindfulness, awareness and connection are words I use to guide people to a sense of stillness and ease. And there is something so beautiful about not having a need for anything other than what is, to be content with the here and now.

I will never loose my thirst for adventure and why would I want to?! but it is essential to find a sense of wild abandonment in our every day life. In the freedom we give ourselves, the choices we make, the friendships we keep, our teaching and our passions. We don't need to be climbing a mountain or tight rope walking to feel that sense of adventure, we just need to be present and true.  

Wild: Not tamed or domesticated
Abandonment: to yield (oneself) without restraint or moderation; give (oneself) over to natural impulses usually without self control.

In Short......Get naked, mind body and soul.

x

Cleanse with a Spring in your Step

It has been a long winter and some time since a chilly leafy green salad has seemed appealing. So after five plus months of stodge my body is actually craving a cleanse even if my mind thinks it's craving chocolate. In fact for me this uncontrollable urge to eat  a huge bowl of pasta followed by a large apple pie shortly pursued by a latte and a praline truffle is a sure sign something has to change.
So before my insides slowly grind to a halt and my bottom permanently parks itself, I have in writing, by way of my diary, committed to doing a 7 day cleanse starting monday. 5 raw days followed by 2 Just green veg Juice. My preparation usually entails me eating as much pastry in the week running up to D day so that I will be guaranteed to feel like death as I initiate the Detox. But I will endeavor to behave and have as of tomorrow decided to cut sugar and eat my dinner early. Nothing too traumatic. Not only does sugar cloud our brains it is lethal to the blood sugar and can play havoc with our health. The myth that we need Sugar for energy has been blown out of the water. There is an Incredible book called Sugar Blues by William Dufty that will alter the way you view sugar forever, bar the odd cocktail or dark chocolate of course!
For those of you who feel like you are wearing a winter coat you can't take off why don't you join me in some healthy days and start your Spring clean. From One day of fruit and veg, to 2 days Vegan or a week being veggie, what ever suits your lifestyle and helps you feel better. It should not be impossible and make you miserable, you should feel like you are honoring your body and respecting your life. I will post some recipes and ideas to help along the way so watch this space.............................