Tennis Elbow & Not a Racket in Sight

I've suffered with Tennis Elbow for nearly three years and within that time I have had about 3 months respite when I was given a steroid injection. During those three months I was a new woman! Living with pain is hard, I'm normally an upbeat person who is always smiling and rarely down. Don't get me wrong like most of us, I do have down days but it doesn't take much to shift my mood. After those wonderful three months the pain came back, it had intensified and no ice pack was going to alleviate the pain. So, with a heavy heart, I went back to the doctors and had another steroid injection. This time it didn't work!


I was in more pain than ever I couldn't believe it. I was prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, rest (like, how can I rest my right arm when I'm right handed), ice packs and pain relievers. The pain was dulled but it never went away, I was becoming irritable, I was down in the dumps and my smile had disappeared. Typing, lifting anything, walking Marco, gardening were all things that I wanted/needed to do but made the pain worse. I wake up every morning with stiffness in my elbow joint and I can't fully extend my forearm. Typing this has taken me ages and I have done it in short bursts. I nearly didn't publish it but if anyone else out there is suffering I want them to know they are not alone and we can work through the pain and get our lives back on track.

I didn't think the pain could get any worse, but I had no idea what was round the corner. I tolerated the pain in my elbow, and I found ways of doing daily tasks differently, I was pleased with myself, I was coping. As I type that it sounds ridiculous but it was true I was coping, that's not living is it? But I had found ways to carry on doing the things I loved doing, like my allotment. That's where my smile came back I was in my allotment oasis away from the daily grind of work and suffering. It was my little piece of heaven, where I could escape, I carried on gardening and even found ways of digging without causing more pain to my elbow! I can even write with my left hand now, OK it's not neat but you can read it! I was back in control and I shoved two fingers up to pain!

It was during those fabulous days down the allotment that I started to suffer with back pain too, I put it down to the digging on my allotment. I wasn't doing much at all just a little bit here and there and probably no longer than 10-15 minutes at a time. I was lucky as it was harvest time so most of my time was collecting the produce I had grown, which did involve stretching to reach the tops of my bean poles!

The back pain worsened and I suffered with sciatica, it was excruciating but I soldiered on telling myself that there were plenty of people far worse off than me and I was one of the lucky ones. I was constantly going to the doctors and he sent me for an MRI scan. I wasn't expecting it to show anything I just thought I was going through a painful patch! It showed that I had a prolapsed disc and that my nerve was being trapped which was causing the sciatica. No more digging!

To make matters worse I was suffering with some side effects of the drugs I had been prescribed. Enough was enough I stopped taking the drugs and decided I was going to take matters into my own hands. The side effects slowly disappeared as the drugs left my system but the pain was heightened. I can't go on coping like this I had to do something. I want my life back, yes, I'm not suffering as much as others are, I'm luckier than a lot but I wasn't living I was coping.

My aromatherapy is helping a little, I'm using avocado oil with a few drops of essential oils, black pepper, peppermint and rosemary and massaging it into the effected area. I also use a peppermint spray to 'cool' down the area. Even though I am a great believer in aromatherapy I knew I had to do more.

I have been doing a lot of research and I have bought a lot of books, which I'm working my way through. I believe that by making changes in my diet I can help myself more. Now, don't panic I'm still vegan, nothing will change that! I've decided to cut out all refined sugar, yes, all of it! Yes, it's hard extremely hard especially when you're knackered and in pain but I know it WILL be worth it! Sugar is the number one inflammatory food so it makes sense to remove refined sugar from my diet.

I'm only eating whole foods or clean foods so all that processed vegan food is a no no, but I will allow myself it occasionally, everything in moderation. I need to be extremely organised to stay on track. Every Sunday I prepare for the week ahead, yes, it takes time but its definitely worth the effort when you come home after a busy day at work and haven't the energy or are in too much pain to cook from scratch.

Most days I start with a smoothie packed full of anti-inflammatory foods, for lunch I have a whole grain with roasted veggies or salad and a dip or pate to keep it interesting, normally my beloved houmous with added turmeric. To finish the day off I have another wholegrain made into something delicious. Today I am going to share with you my favourite smoothie recipe at the moment.

Ingredients 

100-150ml coconut water,
depending on how thick you
like your smoothies
1 Orange freshly squeezed
1/5th of a fresh pineapple
1 Banana
1 Medjool date, stone removed
Handful of spinach/Kale*
Handful of frozen raspberries*
Handful of frozen blueberries*
1 Tbsp Chia/Flax/Hemp seeds

*Grown by me!

Method
Place the ingredients in your blender in the order above and whiz until you have a thick and glorious smoothie. My vitamix is fabulous for this as frozen fruit is no problem. Don't panic you won't even taste the spinach and it doesn't really change the colour of the smoothie either it just makes it more an intense colour.

Background to the ingredients used

Tennis elbow occurs as a result of tiny tears in the surrounding tendon and muscle coverings. Once the initial injuries heal, the tears repeat. These injuries leak out a protein called collagen, which in turn leads to inflammation.

Pineapples, Oranges and raspberries are all high in vitamin C, which contributes to cell growth and repair. They are also high in vitamin A which helps build collagen with tendons and other connective tissue. Pineapples also have an enzyme called bromelain, which is great to reduce swelling. Raspberries, blueberries and spinach also have anti-inflammatory benefits.

Bananas will help keep you fuller for longer as they help control your blood sugars, so no need to reach for the vegan biscuit tin mid morning! They also have high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin, which helps to elevate your mood.

Increasing your intake of food that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids is also advised which will also help reduce the inflammation and provide pain relief. Chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds are all fantastic vegan foods which are high in omega 3's.

Put all these ingredients together and you have a fabulous tasting smoothie which is helping you to heal!

Jasmine x

Notice Board: Savvy Spreads Review

A while ago Katie from Savvy foods got intouch with me to ask if I was interested in reviewing the two vegan spreads Savvy foods make. The two varieties are Chocolate Super Spread and Date and Sesame Luxury Spread. 

Of course I wanted to try them and I was more than happy to review, who wouldn't want to, chocolate was involved! So earlier on this month a parcel arrived and I couldn't wait to try them.

The spreads are 100% natural and have no added sugar, oils, dairy, gluten, additives or GMO's, which makes them a healthier alternative to other sweet preserves on the market.

Both spreads use tahini (sesame) as an ingredient which provides depth to their flavour and balances out the sweetness of other ingredients used. The tahini used in the Chocolate Super Spread (yes, it lives up to its name) is combined with carob, agave nectar, cocoa powder and spices to give it an individual taste which is not too sweet and has a hint of bitterness, not unlike a piece of good quality dark chocolate. The tahini used in the Date and Sesame Luxury Spread is combined with dates, carob syrup, agave nectar and spices and has a rounded taste which was luxurious and therefore also lives up to its name. It reminded me of toffee, with the added benefit of not breaking your teeth! 

My favourite of the two spreads was the date and sesame luxury spread but it was a close call, a very close call! I'll let you into a little secret; the jar is sitting next to me, well what's left, which is not a lot and I keep dipping into it for another quick sample, it really is hard to stop going back for another taste!

Suggested uses for the spreads include spreading on toast, crackers or pancakes and stirred into porridge or drizzled over ice-cream as a sweet topping. I wanted to go one stage further though, and try them out as an ingredient of a dish, could I cook with them and what could I make. I wasn't disappointed! The first dish I made didn't even need cooking, I was too eager to see what it was capable of and I made banana and chocolate ice cream and wow did it taste good! Even better it was actually good for you!

Using my favourite piece of kitchen equipment I was able to knock this wonderful dessert up in seconds.

Banana and Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)
3 Tbsp Vanilla yoghurt, I used Alpro
1 Banana, frozen
3 Tsp Chocolate Super Spread
6 Ice cubes

Method
Put the ingredients into your blender (make sure you can use ice in your blender) in the order listed and blend until a soft serve ice cream is made. 

If it starts to melt just return to the freezer for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with a drizzle of the Chocolate Super Spread over the top and a sprig of mint.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next recipe I created had to use the Date and Sesame Luxury Spread before I ate it all just out of the jar! My first experiment was to mix it with warm almond milk and it actually made a pleasant drink, but I knew this spread could be pushed further.......

Quick & Easy Oat Bars (with chocolate and nuts)

Ingredients (makes 12 bars)

1 Tbsp Flax Seed
3 Tbsp Cold water
100g Date and Sesame Spread
1 Banana
125g Rolled oats
50g Mixed nuts
50g Dark Chocolate drops

Method

Turn on your oven to a medium heat, around 180 - 190°C.

Next mix the flax seed with the water and put in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Line a baking tray or oven proof dish with grease proof baking paper so the oat bars are easy to remove.

Place the date and sesame seed spread into a large glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds just to loosen the spread. 

Slice the banana into the bowl with the date and sesame spread and mash.

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients; oats, mixed nuts and chocolate drops.

Take the flax mixture out of the fridge and add to the bowl of wet ingredients; date and sesame spread and banana and give everything a good stir. 

Transfer the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined.

Spread the mixture into the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling. The cooking time will depend on the size of your baking tray and the depth of the oat bars.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes to cool down then tip upside down on to a board and peel off the baking paper from the bottom of the oat bars.

Wrap individually in baking paper and store in the fridge or freezer if you want to store for longer.

I'm so pleased I had the opportunity to try these two spreads and I'll definitely be buying more as they are so versatile. If you want to try them for yourself you can purchase them from a range of health food shops and more recently Suma! For a full list of stockists please visit their website.

Thank you Jonathan and Katie :o)

Nutrient Rich Foods - Spirulina Fruit Shakes

Personally, I don't like the term superfood, especially how it has been banded around the media over the last few years. You don't hear the terminology "superfood" referred to with carrots do you? But to me carrots are one of the healthiest foods out there, if you don't believe me do some research yourself, you'll be amazed at the power of a carrot!

This month I am focussing on "nutrient rich foods" which are high in a number of vitamins and minerals, which are said to have a number of health benefits. They are the most potent and super concentrated foods you can find, which will improve your overall health. Now, I'm not a dietician or medical expert but an individual who after undertaking research for myself has decided to include some of these foods into my diet. 

Today, I'm focusing on Spirulina, which is a blue-green algae which is found on water. In other words its like pond scum, but that doesn't sound appetizing at all does it? So lets stick with calling it Spirulina, it sounds far more appealing and kind of exciting! 

Spirulina provides a vast array of minerals and my research has unearthed that it is the worlds highest source of complete protein! In fact around 65% of Spirulina's dry weight is protein. Spirulina also has over 100 types of nutrients including B complex vitamins, which is great news for vegans.

There are many reports of health benefits associated with Spriulina although it appears that more research is needed before it can be determined whether or not Spirulina can treat certain health conditions.

Personally, after the research I have undertaken I have decided to include Spirulina in my diet for the following health reasons:

• To strengthen my immune system so I'm less likely to experience colds and other winter bugs.
• To help with inflammation, it is said to be one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory agents in nature.
• To ease the symptoms of pre-menstrual tension, it is said to be one of the leading sources of Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) 
• To help my body detox naturally, and provide a boost in energy, Spirulina has a very high concentration of chlorophyll, a natural detoxifying agent 
• To ease my heyfever symptoms, it is reported that Spirulina can alleviate allergies. Since transfering to a vegan diet my heyfever is mild into comparison what it has been previously so I'm all for an extra boost to make it disappear altogether!

So, how can you introduce Spirulina into your diet? The easiest way is by adding a teaspoon into your juices, smoothies or just adding it to a glass of water. But I wanted something a bit more exciting than that, enter fruit shakes.

Fruit shakes have the consistency of a milk shake but use frozen fruit instead of milk.Thanks to my beloved Vitamix I can make fruit shakes in 2 minutes flat, which includes cleaning up afterwards! Any powerful blender should work though, just make sure it is suitable for ice!

I've been playing around with fruit shakes for a while now and I have three out right favourites, strawberry, raspberry and a combination of mango and pineapple. Just add a teaspoon of Spirulina to the mix and there you have it a green fruit shake.

When they are first made they are the thickness of soft serve ice cream, in fact I can hold my jug upside down and they don't budge. But after transferring to a glass they soon start to melt a little and are easy to drink through a straw.

I make one every morning, transfer to a plastic cup so I can transport it to work and as soon as I get to my desk its ready for drinking, delicious. In fact I'm drinking my green fruit shake right now!

Green Fruit Shake
Take any of the recipes below and add 1 teaspoon of Spirulina to your blender and whiz up! My favourite to add the Spirulina to is the mango and pineapple fruit shake as you get such a vivid green colour. The raspberry and strawberry fruit shakes are more brown than green in colour. Any recipe you choose though is delicious.





Mango & Pineapple Fruit Shake

Ingredients
4 Tbsp Lime and Lemon yoghurt
(I used Alpro)
1 Frozen banana
150g Frozen mango & pinapple pieces
(great if you can freeze your own but a bag from the supermarket works well)
100ml Cold water

Method
Add the ingredients to your blender of choice in the order above and blend until you have a smooth consistency similar to soft serve ice cream. I have to use a tamper with my Vitamix machine to push the frozen fruit down towards the blades. 





Raspberry Fruit Shake

Ingredients

4 Tbsp Rhubarb and Strawberry yoghurt
(I used Alpro)
1 Frozen banana
75g Frozen raspberries
(great if you can freeze your own but a bag from the supermarket works well)
100ml Cold water

Method
Add the ingredients to your blender of choice in the order above and blend until you have a smooth consistency similar to soft serve ice cream. I have to use a tamper with my Vitamix machine to push the frozen fruit down towards the blades. 



Strawberry Fruit Shake

Ingredients
3 Tbsp Vanilla yoghurt 
(I used Alpro)
12 Strawberries (frozen)
1 Banana (frozen)
200ml Coconut water

Method

Add the ingredients to your blender of choice in the order above and blend until you have a smooth consistency similar to soft serve ice cream. I have to use a tamper with my Vitamix machine to push the frozen fruit down towards the blades. 

          

Green Fruit Smoothie

I'm hooked on Green Smoothies and my favourite green ingredient to use is either kale or spinach. But what happens when you have neither, or put it another way it is absolutely chucking it down and the last thing you want to do is go into the garden and fetch some!

Today I fancied a pure fruit smoothie, so I added apple, grape and banana to my blender and gave it a whizz up. I'm not a massive fan of banana but I can cope with banana in smoothies, it gives the smoothie a creamy texture and taste. My favourite banana smoothie is with strawberries or pineapple, but this one surprised me. Even though it was very "banana-ey" I liked it, perhaps it was due to the green grape sweetness?

Ingredients

1 Apple, cored & chopped

20 Green grapes

1 Banana

150ml Water

Method
Whizz all ingredients in a blender, simples!

Strawberry Picking & Strawberry Smoothie

I decided that I wanted to go out for the day on Saturday and I wanted to fill it with things that you can't normally do on a work day, because work gets in the way. So I asked Mum (aka Superwoman) if she fancied a day out. 

Our first point of call was to the local library, where I found and subsequently hired another vegan cook book that I not seen before, called "Vegan Cookbook - The Essential Guide", by Isobel Hood. It will become my bed time read for the next few days as with all vegan cookbooks. I read them all from cover to cover but rarely follow a recipe. Maybe I should start reviewing the books I've got and post the results here. Problem is I really struggle to follow a recipe, I always manage to steer off course! I did however find another little gem at the library, a book called "The Flavour Thesaurus", by Nicki Segent. It details "pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook". Under each food item or ingredient is a summary of that item, including a history of an ingredient through to a description of the flavour, almost like a wine tasting summary. Te book then identifies other foods that compliment the item or ingredient and suggest how the two foods can be combined.

After the library we decided to grab a bite to eat and we visited the Barley Mow which is pretty good for vegans. The pub itself has been there for years and fairly recently was taken over by the chain called Eating Inn. What I like about this particular chain is that they publish the nutritional and allergen information of their website (as do many other companies). The information is broken down by item/ingredient of each dish and whilst no one dish is vegan you can ask for ingredients not to be added and therefore the dish becomes vegan. I chose the Vegetable Fajitas and asked them to not provide the cheese or sour cream, it was a bonus when my food came with extra salsa and guacamole! There are other dishes which can be made vegan on their menu too so no doubt another visit soon will be in order.

After lunch was devoured we visited a nearby garden centre where I managed to pick up a curry plant and a chicory plant for my garden, which had been knocked down to half price. All they needed was a little TLC and they will bounce right back. 

Finally we visited a farm shop which had lots of local fruit and vegetable produce, I was in vegan heaven especially when I found out you could pick your own strawberries! I used to pick strawberries as a teenager for some extra pocket money and it was back breaking work, bending over for hours on end. After one summer I remember thinking that I would never eat another strawberry again as long as I live, I'd seen enough of them, every time I blinked I saw strawberries floating by. But today, strawberries are no longer grown on the ground but at shoulder height, no more back ache. I couldn't believe how excited I was at the fact you could pick your own, I was transported back in time and my punnet was filling fast. I had to tell myself to stop as there was only so many strawberries I could eat!

The strawberries were so tasty I couldn't wait to get home and whizz up a smoothie, but I was so full from lunch it had to wait till breakfast the next day.

Strawberry, Banana and Orange Smoothie


Ingredients
Handful of strawberries
1 Orange
1 Banana
Splash of water, if needed

Method
Juice the orange and add the juice to your blender, Add the strawberries, if you have big fruits it may be worth while cutting them up a little, especially if your blender is not that powerfull. Slice your banana and add to the blender, top with the soya yoghurt and a splash of water and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass, add a straw and enjoy.

Blueberry & Pineapple Smoothie

This morning I fancied a smoothie, the sun was sort of shining and my blender had rested for over a week, so I thought it was time to put it back into action. I checked what fruits I had on hand and came up with a Blueberry and Pinapple Smoothie, which was delicious, even though my blender couldn't handle the blueberry skins. 

Ingredients

1 Orange
1 Banana
¼ Pinapple
¼ Punnet of blueberries
Water (if blender not powerful)



Method
Squeeze the orange and add the juice to the blender, then add the pineapple, banana and blueberries. Blend, adding a touch of water if needed to get everything going. Oh one day I dream of owning a Vitamix!

Banana Breakfast Mousse

During a stock take of my kitchen store cupboards (yes I do this quite regularly, sad but true) I came across a packet of silken tofu which needed eating as it had passed its best before date. I'm not that keen on silken tofu but I heard that it is used as an ingredient in vegan mousse. So I thought I'd give it a try. Now I was making breakfast so to make me feel a little better I needed to use some other ingredients which I deem breakfast ingredients, so here's what I did:

Ingredients
½ Pack of silken tofu
1 Banana
4 Tbsp Vanilla soy yoghurt
1 Tbsp Agave nectar
2 Tbsp Oats
¼ Pineapple



Method
Put all ingredients bar the pineapple into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Whilst the mixture is blending chop up the pineapple into chunks. Serve the mousse in a bowl and scatter the pineapple chunks over the top.

When I make this again I will let it sit for a while before eating, which will let the oats marinade in the liquid so to speak and become soft.

Caribbean Pineapple Smoothie

Today when I awoke, bearing in mind its very early (even on a weekend) because of one fluffy friend, the sun was shining for a third day in a row and I thought Spring has finally arrived!


Today, the marmite or strawberry jam on toast would not be a suitable for breakfast for a spring morning. I needed a smoothie. I still had some coconut milk left from making the satay sauce so I used that as a base for the smoothie. 

Ingredients
1 Banana
1 Kiwi Fruit
½ Pineapple
½ Can of coconut milk


Method
Add all the ingredients to a blender and press the button after you've put the lid on of course!

[Edit post: - Although as I found out on my morning stroll the sun was playing tricks on me, it was freezing!]