Journalling

One of my favourite passtimes is getting 'my art on' in my journal. I have a few on the go at once depending on my mood. I have been working on a small moleskein one for 2 years and have just finished it. Here's a taste.....

What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit.  ~John Updike

     SALAD WITH  ‘SPRING’

Eating plenty of salad will surely put a ‘Spring’ in your step. Think about variety of colour, texture and taste in every mouthful.  Here is a handy acronym I came up with to help create perfect salads.

j  S  easonal Vegetables and Fruit

k  P  rotien

l  R  ice

m  I   nject Flavour

n  N  uts and Seeds

o  G  laze  ...

j Include a range of diced, seasonal veg: red capsicum, green leaves, radish, spring onion. Include some lightly steamed or finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower or beans.  Don’t forget leftovers like roasted pumpkin or beetroot. Also add some chopped fresh fruit.

k Add healthy protein: a tin of beans or chickpeas; low fat dairy or egg; chicken, fish or lean meat.

l Use brown rice, Quinoa or other healthy grains.

m Put in your favourite fresh herbs (lots of parsley is so good for you!), a handful of dried fruit, some sprouts, chopped jalapeño   or whatever you have that will give it a kick along.

n Chopped nuts, seeds that have been toasted in a dry pan or add Chai or sesame seeds.

o Think glaze not dress – a splash of flavoured vinegar or a spritz of citrus juice mixed with a few seasonings.

Here is a great healthy food site I came across:  http://thestonesoup.com/blog/ It has loads of wonderful salads and vegetarian food :)

Bliss Balls

I wanted to share this recipe with you as I've had a few friends ask for it. I find it's a great little snack, particularly when eating light. I often have a salad for my lunch and I find that I can get a 'sweet craving' later in the afternoon. One of these does the trick providing a natural sugar hit with nutrients too.

This can be adapted to whatever fruit and nuts you have on hand. Just keep the proportions pretty much the same: 250g fruit & 150g nuts/seeds.

You do need a food processor or at least a good stick style blender.

You can substitute the cashew butter (which can be pricey) with tahini or other natural nut butter as long as it doesn’t have any added salt or sugar; And substitute the maple syrup with honey but the Maple Syrup gives a lovely depth. Here is one of my favourite combinations.

Ingredients:

100g dates (make sure the pits are removed)

100g sultanas (or dried cranberries)

50g crystallised ginger

50g Pecans (or almonds)

50g Hazelnuts

50g toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds or combination

1 dessertspoon cashew butter

1 dessertspoon Maple Syrup

½ cup Desiccated coconut

Method:

Get ingredients ready –

If using crystallised ginger, rinse off the sugar and chop finely.

‘Toast’ the nuts by spreading them onto an oven tray and cooking for 8 min in a mod (180c) oven. Cool and roughly chop.

‘Toast’ the seeds by dry frying in a shallow frypan (no oil) stirring often for 3-4 mins until browned.

Spread the coconut onto a dinner plate and put aside for later.

In the food processor, in this order-

Put in the sticky fruit e.g. dates & sultanas.  Pulse several times until well combined but not ‘mush’.

Next add the ginger if using along with the nuts and pulse as before until well combined, but the mix still has small chunks and texture.

Then add the seeds and the ‘binders’: cashew butter and Maple Syrup. Pulse carefully until the mixture comes altogether in a ball or mix by hand at this stage. You are aiming for little bits of identifiable fruit & nuts not puree. 

Making the balls-

Take out about a heaped tablespoon of the mix and roll in your hands (keeping your hands wet with a little water helps here).

Put them straight onto your plate of coconut. When you have done about half, wash your hands and the roll the balls around to coat them. Lift them out and repeat with the remaining half.

Store them in the fridge in an airtight container.

Enjoy X