EYES, HEALTH AND BEAUTY

It’s Pancake Day and why should vegans miss out.  Pancake Day is the day before Lent begins. Lent is traditionally a time of abstinence and Pancake Day was a way of using up any eggs and milk.  Try these easy to make vegan pancakes ! Recipe-' It's Pancake Day!! '- Gluten free, vegan, no added sugar Recipe-' Healthy start 3-Choc chip and banana vegan pancakes ' Happy Pancake Day!!

Last week I visited a local market where they were selling a box of big tomatoes for only 50p!! I used them in this recipe for vegan Moroccan stuffed tomatoes - a light but satisfying lunch with warming spice to keep out the cold wind and rain of late winter (Ras el hanout is a spice mix containing black pepper, cardamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger). Moroccan stuffed tomatoes  Serves 2  You will need 6 large tomatoes 75g dried couscous 2 tsp Ras el hanout 2 dried apricots, chopped (optional) 1 small courgette, chopped 1/4 red onion, finely chopped 1 can chickpeas, drained Olive oil cooking spray Place the couscous in a bowl and just cover with water from a recently boiled kettle - leave for a few minutes until the water is absorbed.  Slice the tops of the tomatoes off and remove the seeds. Mix the Ras el hanout, courgette, red onion, chickpeas and apricot if using into the couscous. Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture.  Spray a baking tray with olive oil cooking sp

Without stability in our lives we do not feel balanced. In this #yoga video we focus on the root chakra to gain stability in our yoga practice and our lives. Please see my 'sister' blog-  http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/rebalance-stability.html Skin on homemade chips!!! Approx 200 calories per portion! Recipe- Cut potato into wedges. Allow 200 grams of potato per person. Spray with olive oil spray and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 mins. Sprinkle with salt. Go on treat yourself! #Nationalchipweek #chips The brain is greedy for oxygen and glucose- it consumes around 20% of the body's oxygen and glucose.It is therefore important for optimal brain function to have a good circulation to the brain and optimise the entry of oxygen into our bodies.  This yoga sequence opens up the chest with back bends to ensure a good supply of oxygen to the body and inversions bring oxygen to the brain. Please see my 'sister' blog- http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017

Spring is on the way but while we still have these stormy days of February (we have just been battered by storm Doris) comfort food is still very welcome. Fruit slumps have their origins in America and is similar to a fruit cobbler but a fruit slump is usually cooked on the hob.  It is called 'slump' because of the topping slumps together as it cooks. My fruit slump is rhubarb which is just coming into season so you should be able to find some at your local supermarket . I am using some we have frozen which we grew on the allotment last year. Nice served with banana 'nice cream'  or a dollop of coconut cream. The dessert is also dairy free, gluten free and has no added sugar. Rhubarb and orange fruit slump Serves 4  For the base 800g rhubarb cut into chunks  5g stevia (or to taste) juice one orange For the topping  100g rice flour 2 tsp baking powder  20g dairy free spread  5g stevia  (or to taste) zest  one orange 100ml almond or soy milk (approx) 25g flaked almonds Pl

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I believe inflammation is the underlying cause of most of what ails us.  So where does all this inflammation come from?  Acute inflammation is a protective mechanism and is a very necessary response to pathogens, irritants and injury.  It is when inflammation becomes chronic that problems manifest.  Chronic inflammation can be the result of environmental pollution, food sensitivities, stress or diet (inflammatory foods include sugar, transfats, dairy, refined grains etc).  Over time such chronic inflammation can lead to a variety of diseases in the body including asthma, chronic pain, skin problems such as roseacea, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, wrinkles and even cancer. When I started seeing a Chinese doctor for acupuncture, as a compliment to my yoga, she recommended serrapeptase which is often described as the 'miracle' enzyme. The more I learned about serraepeptase, the more smitten I was by it - this is an e

This week's Meatless Monday is healthy and quick to make but tasty.  Just remember to soak the tofu ahead of time - you could do this in the morning before you go to work. Make life easier for yourself and use frozen stir fry vegetables which are usually frozen straight after harvest and so have more nutrients than ones that have been hanging around your fridge.  The mix I used had sugar-snap peas, bean sprouts, julienne carrots, red pepper, broccoli and squash.   Serves 2  You will need 1 x 400g firm tofu 2 - 3 tbsp tamari  olive oil spray 2 tbsp sesame oil 1 small onion, peeled and chopped   2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped 600g stir fried vegetables 1 tbsp lime juice 1/2 tsp stevia pinch powdered ginger 1 tbsp curry powder 2 portions rice noodles cooked according to directions.  Drain well. Drain the tofu well and squeeze gently between kitchen paper to remove any remaining water. Dice into small squares and place in a bowl with the tamari.

It's Valentines Day - it is equally important to receive as well as give love. In this yoga video the intention is to open our hearts to give love and to reach out to receive love. In this week's meditation we will be working with the breath to give and receive love. Please see my 'sister' blog-  http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/rebalance-giving-and-receiving-love.html Stress negatively affects the brain but this forward bending yoga sequence on my 'sister' blog will help-  http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/yoga-for-brain-part-1-stress.html Earlier this week we talked about the detrimental effects stress has on the brain. Today, we are practicing some mudras to help reduce stress in your life. Please see my 'sister' blog-  http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/mudras-to-help-reduce-stress.html

The gut flora helps the digestive process and produces vitamins B and K which our bodies can then use. They also help neutralise the toxic by products of digestion. More recently however we have come to realise that the gut flora can influence the way we store fat, our blood sugar levels and how we respond to leptin and ghrelin which we discussed a couple of weeks ago. For my blog post on leptin and ghrelin please see my blog post on sleep and weight below. Exactly how they exert this influence is still the subject of research but one thing is clear - the greater the diversity of the gut flora the better it is for our wellbeing and our weight.   To some extent our gut flora is influenced by our genes but we can do a great deal to influence gut diversity through our diet. Our diet should be low in saturated and transfats but high in soluble and insoluble fibre. Avoiding sugar and alcohol will help ensure that a yeast, Candida albacans does not proliferate - this can cause intolerances w

It's Valentine's Day and the last thing you want is cracked, dried or chapped lips but the weather seems to be determined to make sure this is exactly what you will have.  Winter sun, cold, drying winds make for less than perfect lips but it needn't be like this. Firstly look to your diet as nutritional deficiencies can do as much damage as the weather. For luscious lips your diet needs to include vitamin A found in carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, kale, broccoli, fortified milk and cereals. Vitamin A keeps the delicate skin of your lips healthy and moist - the skin of your lips does not have the protective layer that the rest of your skin has.  A source of essential fatty acids helps too so make sure you get your omega 3s. Please see ' Where do vegans get their Omega 3's from ?'.  B vitamins, vitamins C and E, zinc and iron are also essential for kissable lips so ensure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds.  Vegans may need to sup

This reminds me of the bread pizzas my uncle from Sicily used to make.  There is nothing like freshly baked bread and paired with a 'meatball' topping, well it's a marriage made in heaven! Just right for sharing on Valentine's Day. Make life easier for yourself by using a bread mix, but make sure the ingredients are vegan and there is no sneaky sugar in there (dextrose is a sugar) and prefereably crusty wholemeal.  There will be more meatballs and sauce than you need for the pizza so that you can save half to have with pasta - yum! Vegan sharing 'meatball' bread pizza Serves 2 very generously For the bread base 500g pack crusty wholemeal bread mix oil for greasing dish For the 'meatballs' 120g dried soya 1 egg equivalent (I tbsp rice flour, 1/2 tsp oil, 1 tbsp almond milk) 50g breadcumbs oil for greasing For the sauce 1 tbsp organic olive oil 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 tsp pink salt 1 tsp stevia 200g tomato puree 1 t

In this week's blog post and yoga video on my 'sister' blog the intention is to balance feminine and masculine energies, yin and yang. Whether we are a woman or a man we all have both energies and this is essential for our wellbeing - http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/rebalance-yinyang.html It's Valentine's Day next week so love is in the air, but just as important as the love we have for others is the love we have for ourselves. When you indulge in a little self care, everyone around you benefits. The yoga poses on my 'sister' blog will help encourage self-love-  http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/yoga-poses-for-self-love.html It's great to have a yoga buddy to help you with your yoga. This week our partner is helping us EASE into Bow pose.  Please see my 'sister' blog-  http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/with-little-help-from-friend-bow-pose.html

These choc chip nice cream sandwiches would make a great Valentine's Day dessert - you can even do some of the prep ahead of time. If you have a heart shaped cutter, that's even better!  Have you ever wondered why chocolate (made healthy here using the sheer wonderment that is raw cacao) is so much a part of Valentine's Day?  Cacao contains phenethylamine, which releases endorphins from the brain stem.  These 'feel good' hormones are also released when you fall in love! The choc chip cookie is filled with choc nice cream - with no added sugar, gluten and dairy free yet delicious, it's almost magic! Let it put a spell on you this Valentine's Day ❤ 🍫  Choc Chip Nice Cream Sandwiches  (Serves 3) 🍪 For the Biscuits (Makes 6)  125 g dairy free spread plus extra for greasing 10g stevia 1 egg equivalent (1 tbsp rice flour, 1/2 tsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp almond milk) pinch salt 1 tsp vanilla 225g rice flour plus extra for rolling 70g cacao nibs  6tbsp almond milk To

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I often blame inflammation for all sorts of ills but weight gain?  Even here inflammation has a part to play.   Now inflammation can be beneficial - it is necessary to prevent invading microbes causing you harm when you injure yourself for instance but if it becomes chronic, that is the inflammatory response is too active over a long period of time, that's when problems occur.  It happens like this - if you have chronic inflammation which may be due to food allergies, food sensitivities, smoking, lack of sleep, poor diet, stress, in fact some of the things we have talked about over the last few weeks, then the release of the hormone leptin is reduced.  This is because anti-inflammatory substances produced in response to the inflammation, attack the leptin. If you remember, leptin is the hormone that indicates you have had enough to eat so if leptin levels are lowered you are more likely to overeat.   That's not all - yo

Valentine's day is coming soon, and whether your partner is vegan or not, this dish will be enjoyed by you both. The chargrilled vegetables add to your daily quota of fruit and vegetables and make a tasty addition to the sauce. You may wonder why I use pink salt in my recipes-it's because it is richer in minerals and it does not have the negative effects on blood pressure that ordinary salt does (plus pink is my favourite colour!). 💗  Vegan stuffed pasta shells  💗 20 pasta shells + 4 to allow for breakages! For the vegan 'ricotta' cheese 100g cashews 120 ml water  1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast - optional - the vegan cheese (see below) is quite strong so it depends how 'cheesy' you want it. For the chargrilled vegetable sauce 1 tbsp oil 1 red onion, peeled and chopped 2 cloves garlic, sliced 250g frozen chargrilled vegetables 150g tomato puree 1/2 tsp stevia 1 tsp pink salt  1 tsp mixed herbs Other ingredients 70g vegan cheese, grated Soak the cashews in the water

At this time of year our energy levels can be low. In this week's yoga video the intention is to give our energy levels a boost.  Yoga blog post and video on my 'sister' blog- http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/rebalance-replenish-your-energy.html When you start a meditation practice, you may think at first that it's not working but stay with it! Read more on my 'sister' blog- http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/starting-meditation-practice-it-doesnt.html If you enjoyed practicing boat pose with a partner last week, I have some more poses that you can practice with a partner this week. Have fun!  Please see my 'sister' blog- http://flexiladies.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/with-little-help-from-friend-seated.html

In this series I show you how to make breakfast nice creams that pack a serious treat factor- whilst still being healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free, no added sugar and vegan. This post combines the flavours and textures of a comforting plum crumble with the smoothest and creamiest nice cream. Although this nice cream needs a bit more prep than some of the others in this series, the results are totally worth the effort. On the plus side, you do the time-consuming bits the night before- it's just a case of a quick blend and stir through in the morning.  🍈 Plum Crumble Nice Cream 🍈  3 1/2 ripe bananas 2 plums 1/4 teaspoon allspice 30g oats (if gluten is an issue, make sure your oats are gluten-free) 30g mixed nuts 1/2 cup of dairy-free milk of your choice Stevia Coconut oil  The night before, use a small saucepan to stew the plums and allspice in a little water. Place the stewed plums in a blender and blitz until you have made a smooth plum sauce. Once it has cooled, transfer the sauc

You have been dieting and exercising but the weight is not shifting - how frustrating is that!? The first thing to do is get yourself checked out by a medical practitioner, as certain conditions such as under-active thyroid can get in the way of your efforts to lose weight.  If your doctor gives you the all clear, however, it's time to look at other factors that may have affected your weight. Did you know that the same part of your brain that signals hunger also signals thirst and it is easy to confuse the two.  So before you reach for a snack ask yourself if you are hungry or just in need of a drink.  You are unlikely to be hungry if you have eaten in the last 3-4 hours.  You should feel empty if you are ready to eat and may start to feel a little irritable. Try this test - if you feel hungry but have only recently eaten, try drinking a glass of water or herbal tea.  If you still feel hungry after 15 minutes, then eat.   It is often best to avoid thirst which can easily be mistake