HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sorry I'm late! I actually can't believe that its the 10th January already!

Veganniversary - A look back over the last 2 years and how my health and wellbeing has improved.

New Year is also my veganniversary and this year I am celebrating two years. The main benefit I've noticed is my health. I used to suffer with headaches, there wasn't a day that went by without me suffering. I was also prone to getting a head cold or worse as soon as I stopped. Every year when I broke up for a holiday or Christmas instead of enjoying my time off, relaxing and filling each day with fun, I was always warding off a cold or bug of some sort and the worse thing I suffered with was cold sores!

Whenever I got run down, which seemed a lot when I look back I didn't just get one cold sore but I'd get a whole fat lip covered in the little buggers, inside and out. It was so painful and it hurt to drink, which was always through a straw let alone eating! There was no over the counter medicine that would even touch the little blighters, it always meant a trip to the doctors where I was prescribed tablets to help clear them up! 

Since turning vegan I haven't suffered massively with cold sores although I did have a rather nasty break out in May 2013, five months into transferring to a vegan diet. I did however combat the breakout with food. Back in May 2013 after doing a lot of research I created a couple of cold busting smoothies; 1) using strawberries and 2) using pineapple. Did they work? Yes they did without taking a trip to the doctors, my preference was the Pineapple smoothie. Thankfully since that last outbreak I haven't suffered another apart from one little cold sore which was nothing compared to what I used to get.

Another great thing is that I no longer suffer with headaches, OK I have the odd one now and again who doesn't, but these days I wake up feeling great and I have more energy. One thing I love is turning that energy into growing my own food.

Some of you may know that leading up to Christmas it was a very stressful time. My Dad was very poorly and after 3 months of worrying times where he was rushed into hospital 4 times, had two operations and had to stay in hospital for over a month, we were all pleased that he managed to be home for Christmas. After daily visits from the district nurses I'm pleased to report that he is making good progress. Thankfully even though it was an extremely stressful time my health didn't suffer and I managed to stay in tip top form to support my Dad along side my Mum and sister.

These Christmas holidays I have been surrounded with people who are ill, hubby has had a nasty chest infection which made him ill all over the Christmas holidays and is only just starting to feel better. All my friends and family have been prone to an illness of some sort too, mainly with nasty colds and coughs. Everywhere I go I seem to be the only one who isn't ill! When I went back to work earlier this month it was like walking into a doctors surgery waiting room!

So, I am very fortunate not to have succumbed to one of the nasty bugs flying around. Don't get me wrong there have been days where I have thought "O-oh I'm coming down with something" but after a good nights sleep I wake up the next day feeling fine.

So, what do I put this down to, diet? sleep? exercise? aromatherapy? 

All of the above! My diet is the healthiest it has been for years, 5 a day is no problem for me and its normally like 10 a day! My sleep pattern is getting better and most nights I manage to drift off not long after climbing into bed. My exercise regime is better too thanks to my wonderful furry friend Marco! A bouncing border collie who is always up for a walk or a game of football or fetch.

Then there is aromatherapy, some time back I did a course on aromatherapy blends and it was one of the best things that I ever did. I always have an oil burner on the go or I use a room spray that I have made to combat bugs. I love my aromatherapy baths where I can soak for what seems like ages in total relaxation. I also use it to help me sleep and a quick spray of one of my blends on my pillow always helps me drift off into dreamland.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am nowhere near where I want to be with my health and wellness but I've started my journey and I'm enjoying the ride.

I could still be healthier in what I eat, yes I do fall off the wagon and indulge in a whole family size bag of crisps or a whole packet of biscuits, always vegan of course! Sometimes I wish there was no vegan junk food to tempt me! But then again, a little every now and again can't be too bad for you. You would only end up craving it more. My one big thing with my diet is portion size! I just LOVE food! There I've said it, if something tastes good then I want more of it! 

The Journey Continues - 2015

Looking to the future and how my journey to becoming a happier, healthy and less stressful individual continues. How I am going to do this? 

Diet
I'm working to get my cravings in check, by understanding my triggers and knowing how to combat them, I will control my portion sizes, and learn to identify when I am full! I hope to ditch refined sugar by utilising natural sweeteners such as dates. The benefits of doing all this is to hopefully lose some weight. 

Exercise
I also need to find some other form of exercise! Ideas in the comments please! 

The excuses: I've tried running but I get bored, running with Marco is not ideal as he always wants to go faster than me! I love Orienteering but its an expensive sport and in order to partake in an event each weekend you need to travel a lot, and I mean a lot!

The enjoyed: Walking Marco, sometimes we are out exploring all day so its a great way to burn up calories. I also enjoy my gardening which is a great calorie burner, but I need to find another form of exercise that I enjoy. I'd love to be able to start up my yoga again, which I had to stop due to injuries which meant I didn't enjoy it as much. Every time I try to start it up I inflame one of my injuries. It's a catch 22!

Well-being
One other thing I want to master or improve on is my meditation, I truly believe those that meditate are less stressful and more healthy individuals. You don't need any fancy equipment to meditate and you can do it anywhere so there are no excuses, you should give it a try if you don't practice already.

Record of Progress
Of course, my blog will be a place where I will record my progress to becoming a happier, healthier and less stressful individual. It will also be full of tasty healthy food for you to try as I share my 'improved health through food' journey with you. This month I'll be focusing on nutrient rich food and how you can incorporate them into your diet.

Refried Black Badger Peas & Hodmedods Review

Recently I was asked if I would like to review Hodmedods, a company that sell British beans and peas. I jumped at the chance especially when I saw they sold a pea called black badger! They sounded so intriguing, I just had to check it out.

Hodmedods source produce from British farms and are particularly interested in searching out less well known foods. I'm ashamed to say I had not heard of the black badger pea before. Their range is growing all the time and currently they have the following products:

• British Grown White Quinoa
• Canned Baked Beans 
• Canned Whole Fava Beans
• Vaal Dhal
• Split Fava Beans
• Whole Fava Beans
• Black Badger Peas
• Kabuki Marrowfat Beans
• Split Yellow Peas
• Split Green Peas
• Whole Yellow Peas
• Large Blue Peas

The range won't stop there either, they have big plans to launch other beans such as red fox peas, ying yang beans and Gog Magog beans. See what I mean don't they all sound so intriguing?

If you're stuck for ideas what to make with their peas and beans there website has lots of recipes for you to try. Go check it out here 

The great thing about dried beans and peas is that they store for longer periods of time. I used to be put off with the cooking time needed for dried beans but now I have my freezer it's a doddle. All I do now is soak the beans over night, then cook as per the packet instructions the next morning, drain and then freeze into small portions. Then, when I want to use beans in a recipe I just open my freezer and take out a portion. Easy!

I couldn't wait to get stuck in and the first dish I made was my take on refried beans using Black Badger Peas.

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Refried Black Badger Peas

Ingredients  

100g Black Badger Peas
1 Tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Garlic, minced
¼ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Cumin seeds
1 Tsp Dried coriander
1 Tsp Chilli powder
Juice ½ Lemon

Method
The night before prepare the Black Badger peas by soaking in water. The next morning rinse and add to a saucepan with clean water and the bicarbonate of soda. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Leave the lid tilted as they easy boil over.

Once cooked, drain and set to one side whilst you prepare the remainder ingredients.

Fry the onion in a little oil for 5 minutes or until translucent, add the garlic and fry for another minute. Stir through the salt, cumin seeds, coriander, chilli powder and lemon juice.

Add the beans and stir to combine, cook for another 5 minutes stirring all the time being careful not to let anything burn.

Transfer to a blender and blitz to your desired texture. The refried Black Badger Beans will keep in the fridge for 3 days if they last that long!

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I, for one will never buy refried beans again, the Black Badger Beans make a fantastic refried bean puree.

The next dish I made was a chilli, how could I not? I mean, all those fancy beans were just dying to be made into a chilli to warm me up!

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Hodmedod Bean Chilli

Ingredients 

100g Kabuki Peas
100 Fava Beans
100g Soya mince
1 Onion, diced
1 Red pepper, diced
1 Tsp Cumin seeds
1 Tsp  Ground coriander 
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Smoked garlic
½ Tsp Salt
100l Water
1 Tin plum tomatoes (400g)
2 Tbsp Refied Black Badger Peas

Method

As with the Refried Black Badger Peas, you will need to soak the Kabuki Peas and Fava Beans over night.

Drain the peas and beans and cook as per packet instructions. Drain and set aside, I cooked more than this recipe needed and froze the rest.

Fry the onion in a little oil for five minutes or until translucent. Add the pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add the soya mince with a little water to stop it sticking.

Add the cumin seeds, coriander, paprika, smoked garlic and salt and stir through until combined, cook for another minute. Add the tin of plum tomatoes and the 100ml water and stir through, breaking up the plum tomatoes as you stir. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the refried Black Badger Beans and stir into the chilli, this will thicken the chilli slightly. Cookfor another 5 minutes or until everything is cooked through.

Serve with rice.

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Hodmedods snacking range is also delicious, I've been lucky enough to try Horseraddish roasted peas, unsalted roasted fava beans, lightly sea salted roasted peas and lightly sea salted roasted fava beans. Great for Christmas nibbles!

Notice Board: The Konjac Sponge with Red Clay Review

Its been a while......................

I've had a lot going on during the last 2½ months in my personal life, with loved ones in and out of hospital and a few worrying moments. We're not out of the woods yet but things are starting to get back to normal. Let's just hope 2015 can bring us all health and happiness :o)

In a previous post I told you I spent a couple of hours at the West Midlands Vegan Festival, which was a welcome distraction. I came away with so many goodies, I was a human pack horse!

One of the items I came away with was a konjac sponge and I'm in love with it! I chose the red clay one, which is perfect for dry, mature or sensitive skin.

I got mine from the fabulous I Choose What I Use, go and check out all the vegan products they sell on their website http://ichoosewhatiuse.co.uk/shop/category/vegan/ 

I've been using my konjac sponge in the morning so I have no make up on, and I would recommend taking off your make up before use. You don't need any soap when using the sponge as it naturally cleanses your skin, but you can if you want. One word of advice reduce the amount of soap you use as it keeps on giving!

My skin looks and feels amazing, I even feel like I'm glowing! Normally during the winter months I suffer with dry skin and with all the stress I've been under, worrying about my family and over two months of hospital visits I thought my skin would suffer. 

I know my diet is obviously better than it has been previously thanks to the amount of goodness a vegan diet provides but I really do believe that the konjac sponge has helped too. I've used it nearly every day and your skin feels clean and refreshed after using. You really won't believe how soft it is against your skin, I just love it!

The konjac sponge looks rather shrivelled when it is dry but don't let that put you off.

Once you've soaked in water it will look more like a sponge. 

If you've never heard of them, konjac is a type of potato from Asia and over the last century its properties as a beauty treatment has been recognised. We're some what 1,500 years behind the Japanese with this one! The Japenese originally used konjac as a medicine in the sixth century.


The konjac is a naturally moisture rich plant fibre which is alkaline, which balances the acidity of the skins impurities and oils. Red clay is said to help with regeneration so a fabulous combination.

The konjac sponge is 100% natural, colour free, additive free, biodegradable, environmentally safe, naturally sustainable and it moisturises naturally. Why would you not want one? 

There are four different ones to choose from, click here to take you to the page

• The Konjac Sponge Co - 100% Pure Sponge (All Skin Types)
• The Konjac Sponge Co - Pink Clay Sponge (Tired/Devitalized Skin)
• The Konjac Sponge Co - Red Clay Sponge (Dry/Mature/Sensitive Skin)
• The Konjac Sponge Co - Green Clay Sponge (Combination Skin)

There's still time to order too as the last post is Thursday 18th December for 2nd class and Friday 19th December for 1st class, but I personally wouldn't leave it that late, so drop on by I Choose What I Use and go and treat yourself and your loved ones to a konjac sponge. 

Suma Bloggers Network - Homemade Vegan Cheese x 3

How do you start a post when you've been off line for nearly 2 months? 

Dive straight into the recipe or in this case recipes, I'm a little late posting my Suma recipe due to circumstances out of my control but better late than never eh?

Suma Recipe - Homemade Vegan Cheese x 3

This is my third recipe for the Suma Bloggers Network, please check out my other two recipes; Vegetable Tagine and Blueberry Cheesecake and the other bloggers recipes, there are lots of tasty creations waiting for you to try.

Suma is the UK's largest independent whole food wholesaler/distributor and are a workers' co-operative committed to ethical business. They have a fantastic range, everything they sell is vegetarian and many products are vegan.

When I first transferred to a vegan diet I thought I would miss cheese the most, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't. There are many vegan cheeses out there in case you do miss the taste but its far more rewarding to make your own. You can play around with flavours there is no limit, whatever flavour takes you fancy.

I decided to make three different ones with the ingredients that I chose from Suma. Two spreadable and one you could slice.

The herb cream cheese uses cashew nuts, the cheddary cheese uses almonds and the third which is baked uses almonds too, although you would never know.

Herb Cream Cheese

Ingredients
100g Cashew nuts
400ml Water
2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
½ Tsp Onion granules
½ Tsp Smoked garlic granules
½ Tsp Herbamare
2 Tbsp Fresh herbs, finely chopped
I used parsley, coriander and basil (predominately basil)
1 Garlic, crushed
60ml Almond milk (unsweetened)

Method
Soak the cashew nuts in the water overnight and then drain well. Add the drained cashew nuts to a food processor with the remaining ingredients and blitz to a thick paste.

Add the mixture to a small bowl lined with clingfilm, press the mixture down and fold over the clingfilm adding a weight to the top. Place in the fridge for 4 hours or over night and remove the herb cream cheese from the bowl and the clingfilm to a board.

Spreadable Cheddary Cheese

Ingredients
75g Ground almonds
2 Tbsp White miso
25g Nutritional yeast
¼ Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp English mustard
½ Tsp Smoked Garlic powder
½ Tsp Herbamare
200ml Almond milk 
1-2 Tbsp Agar agar

Method
Add the ground almonds, miso, herbs & spices and 100ml of the almond milk to a food processor and whiz to a paste.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and whisk in the remaining almond milk.

Sprinkle over 1 Tbsp of the agar agar and slowly bring the mixture to a simmer. When the mixture starts to bubble, the agar agar will have melted a little and you can stir it in. Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes.

If the mixture is still a little thin, add the remaining agar agar and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Transfer to the fridge and let set before turning out onto a board.

Baked Almond Cheese

Ingredients
1 Lemon - juice only - about 45ml
2 Tbsp Olive oil
120g Ground almonds

1 Garlic clove

1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

40ml Water

Method
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and whiz until you have a thick paste. Spoon the mixture out onto a piece of clingfilm and wrap tightly shaping into a circular mound.

Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up a little more. Spritz a baking dish with olive oil and turn the 'cheese' onto the dish, removing the clingfilm.

Bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes until a crust has formed.

Slice and eat with crackers.

So, if you're spending Christmas with loved ones who aren't vegan, why not make and take your own cheese board. You don't have to be vegan to enjoy delicious food.

Back again soon

Jasmine x