Fiiiirstly – I won an award 😀
Thank you to wonderful Jess from Healthy Exposures for it! It means a lot 🙂
As per the award rules, I have to give 10 random little facts about myself, and pass it on to 3-5 other bloggers. Sooo the recipients of this most prestigious award:
Jess – you can have it right back :p – most incredible pictures (of food AND horses), and great recipes
Jess number two at The Process of Healing – sweetest girl who is so, so strong and deserves some good stuff
Katie at Health for the Whole Self – always does such well thought and and informative posts
Annd finally – a new blog I’ve just found – Krystina at Organically Me – amazing vegan recipes! I can’t wait to read more of this blog 🙂
All you guys are such lovely people!
Ok, now my 10 random facts…this could take a while!! 25minutes later…..
1) When I was 2, I fell in the pond at home, and my sister ran to get my mum – asking for some clean knickers for me, cos they had pond weed in them :p Never mind the fact I almost drowned..!
2) I didn’t start riding til I was 18months old, cos I was scared of ponies; hard to believe now!
3) When I was younger, my favourite foods were: honey sandwiches, Nutella sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and prawn cocktail crisps. I wouldn’t touch any of them with a very long pole now!
4) When I was younger (again…apparently a lot happened when I was younger), I had a tank of fish – the fish named Sharky got hungry and ate my mum’s [only] fish, Gilbert 😦
5) Since writing this blog, I’ve begun to discover who I really am – throughout High School and my first year of uni, all I tried to do was fit in and be someone I wasn’t. I’m beginning to accept now who I am, and I’m in the process of learning to like that person.
6) If I’m eating (which is often!), I like to have even amounts of food in each side of my mouth – weird much!?
7) During the time Walking with Dinosaurs was on tv, I used to stalk about my house, rarwing like a T-Rex 😀
8) I once tried to run away from home, aged about 12. I packed a pillow and an apple, and got as far as a 1/4mile down the road before I gave up and came home!
9) I used to be totally and utterly obsessed with Paris Hilton – that phase coincided with the same time I was trying desperately to fit in at school
10) My ultimate life dream is to live in America. I have no idea how to get there though! So any American bachelors out there….:p
——
Saturday
Twas a day off today, bar the 10minutes of abs work I did 🙂 which meant……I GOT A LIE-IN! Til 8am, it was raaaather incredible 😀
Breakfast was an EGM, minus the green again:
With some of these..
Those cherries took me forEVER to pit
EGMs without green are actually super nice 🙂 Especially when you add in a huge tbsp of peanut butter, as I did! WHOLE new level folks, whole new level.
Straight up after that was a fab lesson on Chika – she had a slightly sore back before we started, which my mum sorted out in a flash (she’s a horse back physio). We then did 35minutes of good schooling, before having her back done again after. She was fine 😀
I then took the doggeh out for a wonder nd ate an apple for snack-ness while I was out, then made a delightful lunch 😀
Lentils, kale, soy sauce, aubergine, parsnip, celeriac, carrot, green onion, pear, veggie burger – it was a ‘everything-including-the-kitchen-sink-meal’ today!!
Obama stole my photography spot….
Then she decided she’d had enough of me and the kitchen and ran off 😛
It was proper good – pear and burgers go very well together 😛 2 tsps of wheatgerm afterwards was the perfect finish.
The afternoon was spent cooking <- my favourite past time 😀 I made another batch of seitan (which thankfully came out much better than the last lot), as well as apple crisp muffins:
And some oatmeal raisin (& fig & apricot & sunflower seeds – my additions) bars for my mum and sister, as requested:
Both came out fabulous, thank GOODNESS!
Snackwise, I wasn’t hungry but thought I’d do a bit of carb loading for my long-ish run tomorrow ; enter the old cereal and yogurt combo:
Dinner wise, it was more carb loading. I thought I’d finish off my chickpea spaghetti (my last ever time eating it..*sob*), with my favourite veggies. I also made a tomato sauce:
- 1/2 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 raw garlic clove
- about 5 big basil leaves
- 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- cinnamon
- onion powder
- salt (lots of :p) & pepper
Blended in Vincent….
Voila!
I’ll probably have one of my apple crisp muffins for dessert (carbs!) with some yogurt later on 🙂 (*EDIT – I had an apple crisp muffin and some yogurt – muffins were fabulous! Full of spice; bake them guys!)
——–
Sunday
Attempt Two at 7miles was on the cards today. I was SO nervous last night, after what happened last Wednesday…but I took everyone’s advice, and packed in the salt last night 😛
Before I left, I had a big apple, 2 tsps of wheatgerm and a date. During the actual run, at about 4.1miles (just before a big hill :p) I had 2 more dates. I think it did the trick! I felt pretty good; no walking, no feeling like I was about to keel over and die….all in all, a good run! It took me 1hr1minutes, with an extra 15minute/1mile walk at the end to cool off and stretch out. I’ve noticed having a walk after a long run results in my feeling much better later on (ie less burn if I walk up the stairs after a tough one!). Plus it’s lovely to walk in the sun 🙂
Breakfast was an EGM, minus the green again…
…I seriously need to top up on spinach! Anyway, I topped the…Epic Monster (?) with cherries, dates, granola and jam, as well as grated cacao:
BEAUTY.
During the morning I ran some errands for my mum (as well as walking the whhoooolllee way round a huge store to find a cool bag/box, only to be told they were right next to the door I walked through. Hurrumph.), and baked some chocolate courgette muffins 😀 I was a little bit short of courgette though, so I topped the mix up with some grated beetroot:
Such gorgeous colour 🙂
The result was part of my lunchtime dessert. Talking of lunch – it was SCRUMMEH today! A 4 course meal in fact…Part 1 – cereal and blackberries (reduced to clear, 75p!):
A smoothie, made from cantaloupe melon, a very ripe pear and strawberries, with mixed spice and xanthan gum:
AMAZING combination!!! Part 3- soya mince, cooked in water and milk, with curry powder and 2tbsp nooch, as well as mushrooms, on a bed of roasted kale:
Oh my. I didn’t have particularly high hopes for that part of the meal, but it was actually really really delicious! I haven’t had soya mince (textured vegetable protein) for soooo long; I’d totally forgotten how much I LOVE the texture! And nooch – well, that’s always a win.
The final part of the meal was a courgette chocolate muffin:
YUM!
The afternoon was spent walking Poppy, cleaning my car out, mucking out, doing washing..pretty dull really 😦 I hoped I’d work up something of an appetite for an afternoon snack, but alas- I did not 😦 Soooo I had Bear granola nibbles:
With some yogurt:
I’ve no idea why, but carb + yogurt is a snack I find really easy to eat, even if I’m full. Verrrh peculiar.
Dinner was rather fine – I had a lone plum sitting in my fridge, so I chopped it up something silly, then mixed it with balsamic vinegar, water, date syrup, s+p, cinnamon and cocoa powder, to create a simply fabulous sauce:
The sauce went over baked tempeh, and was accompanied by corob durum wheat, mixed with one of my aunt’s funky home grown purple potatoes:
As well as kabocha (almost run out :(), parsnip and celeriac:
*Happy Dance* That’s all that needs to be said 😛
I’ve now got Gossip Girl to watch, and a muffin (peanut butter? Apple crisp? Chocolate courgette? Quinoa? Black bean brownie? Too many choices!) and some yogurt to have for dessert 😀 *Ecstatic Dance*
Have a lovely evening guys!
—-
Sooo I don’t think I’ll be able to blog tomorrow – I’m going to zee most VUNDERBAR store in zee WURLD – Londres Town’s BIGGEST WHOLE FOODS!!!! Ohmygod. After hearing sooo much about it, I can’t believe I finally get to go….I literally want to fall over with excitement 😀 So anyway, I’m going in the afternoon so I’ll be back pretty late 😦 But you never know, maybe I will summon blogging energy 🙂 If I don’t, come to the blog anyway and read Hannah’s Uganda post! It’s super good 🙂
QUESTION: Have any of you ever won an award? What for?
Hey dear, I´m a great fan of soya mince too… love that stuff… you have to try it with tomato sauce and italian herbs… so tasty
That does sound good!
I have that American dream too! It’s my mission to live there one day 🙂
p.s So glad I discovered your blog, am loving reading all your posts
Have you worked out how you’re going to get there? They are SO freaking strict about who gets let in! INFURIATING!!!
And thank you, I’m glad you like it 🙂
Hmm, it is tough! I’m hoping my hubby gets sent to one of the american branches of his work and I can somehow tag along!
You need to get yourself a job out there! Thats how. Or meet an american when you go to HLS and marry him! ha ha ha!!
I was loving your Paris Hilton fact by the way – I was. and still am, a little obsessed with HEIDI MONTAG of all people…. before she had 10 procedures in one day – thats a bit odd!!
Julia
http://www.britbride.com
Oh noooo, not Heidi!!??
Ahh you can only get a job if no other American is able to do it, ie you’re the last option. Infuriating!
Love that cute Snoopy mug! I don’t think I’ve ever won an award but well done getting yours – it’s well deserved!
Awh thank you 🙂
Have so much fun! and be prepared to spend lots and lots of money!! lol
I always always get the vegan brown rice sushi and edamame but they have such wonderful things like maca powder and cacoa nibs and the hot bar and the salad bar and amy’s…mmm amy’s
I’m on a budget ’til August so will live vicariously through your shop tomorrow!! Enjoy!
– CJ
OK – I am so excited now!! I’ve heard great things about their salad bars – I sure know where dinner will be 😛
That plum sauce looks awesome!! And I can’t wait to hear about your WF trip. I can only imagine the goodies you’ll find.
That’s so cool that your mom is a equine back physio. Must come in handy when it comes to saddle fit issues and the like. Have her do a guest post!! 😛
Also – very glad to hear that your 7 miler went well for you!!
Oh gosh it is SO handy!! Every time Chika doesn’t go quite perfectly, I can just get her to check her back 🙂 it’s the best!
Awww thanks for the award girl, you are SO sweet! Awards make me happy 🙂 Now coming up with 10 random facts is going to be QUITE interesting!
Yay about WF!!!! SO exciting!!!! Can’t wait to see all of your finds 🙂
The whole carb/yogurt thing? ME TOO. There’s always room for that in my book. Always.
I want some chickpea spaghetti!!! It looks delicious!
Love you girl!
Awh no problem 🙂 I hoped it would cheer you up a little better!
Your dinner looks amazing as usual! And I love your #10… I hope you can come to American! GIANT BLOGGER MEETUP! haha
HAha that would be amazing!
Congrats on your blog award – you definitely deserve it! And thanks so much for passing it along! I’m so thankful that we’ve become “blog buddies,” if you will. 🙂
No problem 🙂 I love making blog friends! Are you HLS-ing?
Oh my goooshhh that kabocha, parsnip, celeriac combo looks heavenly! I love all your wonderful meals, you got me to buy BEETS! So yummy raw, I’m excited to eat ’em in fun dishes like you! Have a great week, excited to read the Uganda post 🙂
Hhaha, I’m glad I got you to buy them! They’re so colourful, everyone needs pink food in their life 😀
Congratulations on your award! And thanks for sharing the oatmeal raison bars, I’m obsessed with mueslli and all things resembling. Will definitely try them out 🙂
My mum said they were the ‘best ever’ so I think they’re worth a shot!
First of all, hi! Freya, right? (I only know that because your sister mentioned it in the last post!). I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I REALLY enjoy your posts. They lift me up and put me in a good mood. Also your recipes look delightful — I don’t think I’ve tried any of them yet, but I did pick up some dates to start putting on my oats in the morning (inspired by you!).
I am commenting regarding your cherry pitting comment. I also had that problem before, and it would drive me mad. I was using a chopstick to push the pits out (which is SO messy) and then I finally gave in and bought this:
and I am WAY happier to pit cherries (or olives, or anything else with pits). The splash guard keeps the juice from making a mess, and it’s super compact and actually kind of fun. I would highly recommend it because not only does it cut down on the mess, it considerably cuts down on the time.
Congrats on the award, and it was fun reading your facts 🙂
Yep, Freya 🙂
I’m so glad you like the blog and the food! That seriously makes me smile 🙂
THANKYOU for the link – a cherry pitter!! I didn’t know such things existed! So genius 🙂
Enjoy the dates! They’re a superfood :p
Congrats on the award and interesting facts! I hope you have fun at Whole Foods, it sounds amazing. 🙂
Those muffins look amazing as well!
They were :p
snap for number 6!
I’m so glad someone else does it!!
how on earth do you manage to pit those cherries so spectacularly?!? ive tried and mine always end up a splodgy red mess! (not that i mind, as long as they still taste goooood!)
i have been wondering if there is such a device as a cherry de-stoner, it wud make my life alot happier 🙂
Hope you enjoyed whole foods today, it truly is a wonderstore! i love the bakery section and the cool escalators that take your trolley downstairs for you. too cool :-p
xxxx
AAaah I sliced a neat little line all the way around them, twisted, and then could just pop the stone out 🙂 simple!
Whole foods was amaze 😀
oops, forgot to ask… where do you get applesauce from? its in both the muffin recipes and i cant find it anywhere. do you sub it for something else??
x
I get some from a local health food store – except it’s called ‘apple puree’ where I am. But the ingredients is just 100% apple – if you stewed some apple to soften it, theen blended it, that would be fine 🙂 Courgette, beets, bananas..I think they can all be used instead, but the flavour/colour would change 🙂
Congrats on your award! I loved some of your facts.
You will get to America, just be positive and it will happen (i’m just wondering how you will post your beautiful horse over to the states? – you may want to start saving stamps now!) LOL
Haha, I’ve wondered that too…either she’ll have died of olde ageee by that time, or my mamma will keep her 🙂 I really hope the latter! Chika’s gonna live forever :p
Those muffins look SO good, yum! Loving your cherry topped bfasts – so tasty.
They were 😀
I’m new to your blog and really enjoying it so far, but please put me out of my misery… What does EGM stand for?!??!
Haha – an epic green monster 😛