Let’s get Nakd!

I can’t be the only one to have used that (fairly incredibly cheap) pun can I?

I feel like, if I were on a stage reciting this post rather than writing it from the comfort of my virtual existence, I would be pelted with rotten tomatoes. Really? A post about Nakd bars? As if vegans had never heard of them? Come, now.

Ew, there’s fitspiration in my internet

The topics of food-shaming, fat-shaming, growing social media pressures, and the obsession with the external physical shape – and all the other topics that they border on – are far too broad for the scope of this blog.

But I have wanted to write something about food shaming and the growing “fitspiration” trend for a while now, because it’s all getting rapidly out of hand.

Tu me racontes des salades!

Excuse my French – literally. But I’m actually not just showing off. The expression “raconter des salades” – literally, “telling salads” – means telling lies, in the same way the English might tell “porky pies”. In this 19th century expression, the French allude to the necessity of combining numerous ingredients to tell a successful lie; some humour, some imaginary excuses, a little truth and a little untruth, all seasoned with a convincing tone. I love a good expression, and I believe there can be much to love about a good salad.

One thing I always say when people panic about eating out is that, if the worst comes to the worst, I can always have bread and salad. Or chips and salad. Basically, salad is something of a last resort to me.

Sunday thoughts: 22nd June 2014

The only way to describe this week is “Stop-Start”.

A couple of busy days spent looking forward to a now-rare midweek day off. A day off that turned out to be busier than my work days. A working day that was meant to be ridiculously busy and ended up being ridiculously quiet.

Ben breaking his foot after a really good run, ending up in an air cast and on crutches.

Sunny day, cold grey day, sunny day, cold grey day. Getting all geared up for a sunny Sunday, only to step outside into overcast mediocrity.

It’s been weird!

Sunday thoughts: 15th June 2014

Sunshine and heat that occasionally approached the right level for summer (to all who complained about it being too hot – you’re wrong), lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, plenty of water and just the right amount of tea and cardamom coffee, something like a good amount of sleep, some heavier lifting than I’ve done in a while, meditation, a pizza, 11 avocados (yes, I got through 11 avocados in a week – and I have bought 6 more), Orange is the New Black, and a bunch of smoothies.

Superfood or superfad?

What is a superfood?

Well, there’s no official definition according to the NHS Choices website. Even the definition found on the Oxford Dictionaries site only describes them as foods rich in nutrients “considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being”.

If you’ll allow me to let you in on a little secret, I often feel a little guilty for not including more “superfoods” in my diet. I don’t use spirulina or wheatgrass, I don’t make açaí bowls or smoothies (though I do eat my Riolife açaí bars because they are delicious and shut my sweet tooth up for a few hours, for only 75kcal), I don’t drink matcha and I don’t buy raw cacao products or maca powder.

Sunday thoughts: 8th June 2014

What an insane week! I feel like I’ve been all over the place this week.

Truth be told, it wasn’t actually all that busy, but all my timings were off – being away on Monday, having a couple of cancellations, training clients in different locations, and starting work with a new client – it’s all just put me out of my comfort zone for a bit. After a relaxing Saturday afternoon and an entire Sunday to myself (and Ben), I hope to be a little better prepared for the workload ahead of me this week. Basically, if I can get into preparing packed breakfasts and packed lunches again, everything will take care of itself!

Strawberry porridge forever

Almost exactly 11 months ago, I wrote a post entitled Delicious Seasonal Confusion. I’m glad I did, as I have been sitting here feeling all hard done by in the midst of “the worst summer ever” (weather-wise). I’m not sure if it’s reassuring or not to know that summer was as un-summery last year… But at least now there’s one less complaint I can use.

So, yes – it’s June and I’m getting back into porridge. And writing about it, because really when a late spring day boasts highs of 16-18ºC, there are more shameful things than curling up in a dressing gown with a bowl of porridge. Such as the time of day at which I tend to have my breakfast when I’m at home, a piece of information I will keep to myself lest you turn away in disgust.

Vegan eats. Everyday.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am not a food blogger.

I talk a lot about food because eating food is something that happens every day without fail, because this tries to be a fitness blog and a vegan blog, and food is a pretty key component of both of those, and because I like love food.

So when Zsu from Zsu’s Vegan Pantry put out a call for recipe testers, I knew it was something I wanted to do. Although at the time I probably could have counted on one hand the number of recipes I had followed to the letter, preferring to cook according to what I have in the cupboards and what I am in the mood for, I always wonder if I am missing out on some new level of flavour experience by not bothering to go through a particular process or add this herb or that spice.

Breakfast on cloud 9bar

I love breakfast.

I love that my tastebuds aren’t awake enough yet to crave intense flavours, and that a banana tastes like cake. I love that I’m never ragingly hungry enough to devour vast amounts of whatever is nearest, so I can take my time crafting to perfect combination of flavours and textures and nutrition. I love that whatever I do crave, I can eat it, because pretty much anything goes at breakfast.