Back in the UK with a bump

We had a lovely 10 days in Greece. My husband's family are from Greece and my in-laws live there for part of the year, so we stayed with them. The Greeks are well renouned for their healthy appetites, in particular, their love of meat! I decided to bite the bullet and live, eat and drink like a Greek.........so it was red meat, fish, pasta, cheese, salami, wine, beer, sugar, honey, fried foods etc all holiday for me. The only thing I managed to stick with, was black decaff coffee, as I truely do hate the taste of milk, and fruit for breakfast. Portion sizes were a problem too, as everyone seems to eat 3 HUGE meals a day, but I'm more of a 'grazer', which meant frequent trips to the fridge for me, which made me look like a greedy cow!

First Bootcamp for 2 weeks last night, and BOY! was it tough! it's only week two of the current block, so I should of been able to handle it. Burpees, resistance band exersises, bear crawls, skipping ropes, line jumps, prison get-ups and press ups.

Today, I don't feel great. My whole body's aching and I have headache and a fluffy tongue. I don't know if it's a bug, or aches from the exersising or from suddenly switching to a detox after my holiday. Or all 3!!!??

Anyway, I'm willing myself to stay positive and trying to do fun family activities with the boys, so I don't load my body with the bad toxins that arise from stress and unhappiness. I'm sticking to a juice and plant based diet, and exersising when I can, so hopefully it's just a blip and I'll be back, fighting fit in no time.

Thinking outside the box and appreciating what my mentor has given me

I said I'd do a blog concerning family meals, making them healthier and keeping them low cost. I won't go into recipes and what-nots, just try to give you a little food for thought and encourage you to expand your culinary skills beyond chicken and potatoes.

Since I've got to know Charlie Wall, of Cambridge Bootcamps, she's always been inspiring and supportive. She gives me nutritional advice, mental strength and the confidence to change myself for the better. I now automatically think of my food in terms of vitamins & minerals, how it will benefit my body, the quality of my food and also to use my imagination and not be held back by traditional views and menus.

So, we all know that good quality fruits and vegetables cost a lot of money. Well, yes they do, but if you are putting quality food into your body, you're less likely to feel hunger between meals, thus saving on chocolate/crisps/fizzy drinks etc. Also if you are getting the correct amount of minerals into your diet, you will find you don't have as many cravings for chocolate, or wine etc. I found a quote not so long ago, that says something along the lines of  “So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” There are many versions of this saying, but it really is true and has inspired me daily to make the right choices for myself.

With regards to specific foods, like legumes, pulses, grains, beans and seeds, the world is your oyster. Just pick a bag of something from the wholefoods section of your supermarket and Google recipes when you get home. Tinned foods are good, like kidney beans for a quick chilli, or cannelini beans for a stew, and tinned chickpeas are great for a quick hummus. Dried beans require a little more planning, as they need a soak overnight and longer cooking time, but are cheaper and keep longer (in their dried form they keep for about a year!!) and lentils are brilliant, especially the yellow or orange ones which can go from bag to table in as little as 20mins.

I make Chilli con Carne with soya mince (dried, then rehydrated at home) and tinned kidney beans. Vegetable and adzuki bean lasagna (I whizz the cooked beans with a hand blender so they resemble meat).
Just think of a good family meal that stretches and that the leftovers can be taken to work the next day, and substitute the meat for something else. Buckwheat Bolognaise, Stuffed Peppers with Lentils, Lentil Soup, Mixed Bean Stew, Quinoa salad, Brown Rice Risotto.

Some of my favourite foods are Chicken Nuggets (made from chicken breast, coated in seasoned polenta then baked), Adzuki Bean and Quinoa Croquettes (whizz beans and quinoa, bind with an egg, roll into croquettes and coat in breadcrumbs, then bake), Home Made Baked Beans (made with tinned haricot beans).......the list goes on!!

The only limits to your family meals, is your imagination and your thoughts on "what makes a meal?" There is more to a meal than meat, as I've found out, and I hope this has encouraged you to blend a little more "wholefood" into your diet.

4 nights in Scotland for my cousin's wedding

I had a fabulous time in Scotland. My cousins are brilliant, my Aunt and Uncle are so hospitable and made us right at home and it was a lovely break for me and John

We arrived late on Weds, went to bed, then went into Stirling to pick up our kilts, which after a little confusion over the sizing, turned out good in the end. We went shopping for a bit and had lunch at McDonalds. (sorry!!!)

Friday was the wedding, it was beautiful. It was in Albert Halls in Stirling. Helen and my other cousins looked amazing, and after the service, the Bride and Groom went up to Stirling Castle for some photos while the guests drank champagne and ate canapes in the sunshine. Then we had the meal, and that was so good!!! Just perfect. Then it was the party, where it was just a good old knees up and let your hair down night. Blow up guitars for the air guitar tunes, like 'Sweet child o' mine' and 'Summer of 69', and glow sticks for dance tracks and upbeat stuff. There was a chocolate fountain with marshmallows and strawberries, a selection of cheeses, and hot stovies, which was yummy. We had such a good time. Saturday was our trip to Stirling Castle, and that was so educational and humbling. Sunday we came home.

It was so nice to see my family and catch up with everybody and I miss my cousins already.

Now, only 10 days til our holiday to Greece to see Johns family.