Hello lovelies! I hope you have all had a fabulous and restful weekend. 😀
First things first, I would like to say a huge thank you to Becky for her amazing guest post. Such an amazing journey and so many great tips for us all to implement into our lives. I love hosting guest posts on the blog. It means that we all get to know the people behind the blog a little bit better. So if you want to write up on here then just drop me an email at celeryandcupcakes@gmail.com!
Now for some foodie delights. I haven’t posted my eats for a few days so I will try and whizz through them all as quickly as possible. Fasten your seatbelts guys and girls…
Breakfast
Kale, celery, a banana, ground flax, wheat germ, chocolate oat milk, water, maple syrup, xanthan gum topped with Dorset Cereals Tasty Fibre Flakes, golgi berries and coconut.
Spinach, PB, chocolate oat milk, dates, a frozen banana, water, ground flax, blueberries, xanthan gum, wheat germ topped with dried cranberries, omega mixed seeds and coconut.
Lunch
Mixed leaves massaged with avocado and lemon juice, tomatoes, olives and topped with my Sweet Chilli Hummus.
Ingredients
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400g of green lentils drained
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2 cups of butternut squash
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1 tbsp of tomato puree
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4 chestnut mushrooms sliced
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half a red pepper diced
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1 small onion diced
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1/2 a leek diced
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100ml of soya milk
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250ml of vegetable stock
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1 cardamom pod
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2 star anise
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1 tbsp of garam masala
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1 tsp of cinnamon
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1 tsp of dried chilli flakes
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1 clove of garlic grated
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1 inch of grated ginger
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seasonings
First sauté the onions in a little oil until softened, add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 3 minutes. Next add the butternut squash, leek, pepper, and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the veg stock, tomato puree and all of the spices and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lentils and soya milk and season to taste. Add a little more stock if the mixture becomes too dry. Cook until the butternut squash is tender and the stock has reduced so you are left with a creamy lentil mixture.
Snackage
Dinner
Yeo Valley fat free vanilla yoghurt, figs, blackberries, dates and Dorset Cereals Simply Delicious Muesli.
I also had my first taste of my RAW Health orange zesty raw chocolate last night after dinner.
I’m not sure what to think about this just yet. It was much grainier than my current favourite RAWR raw chocolate, but that maybe more due the shed loads of orange zest running through it. I think I need to have another taste to make my final decision. It does have an amazing ingredients list though and is sweetened with agave nectar.
After Thursdays toning workout and Friday nights cardio session: 45 minutes of interval training on the adaptive motion trainer and cross trainer and 15 minutes on the bike, I was feeling slightly sore and a little stiff. Not to be deterred I still set out on my run this morning and managed exactly 6 miles in 1 hour and 2 minutes- almost 10k!!!! I don’t know how I did it, but I was seriously happy with myself. I’m going to run the same route next weekend to make sure it wasn’t just a fluke, but I do actually have the ability to run that far,
A serious refuel was needed after that run and that came in the form of some chocolate and banana quinoa porridge.
This chocolate heaven in a bowl included 1/2 cup of quinoa oats, 1 cup of chocolate oat milk, 1 cup of water, 1 banana, 2 tbsp of wheat germ, 1 tbsp of ground flax. I topped this with dates, omega mixed seeds and Nutella.
I baked the most amazing mid-morning snack of Black Bean Brownies, based on a recipe by the Happy Herbivore.
These brownies are so dense and fudgy, you can’t even taste the beans. Bonus is that they are super healthy for you too. I swapped out the oats in the recipe for the brazil nut mush that was left over from making brazil nut milk this morning. They reminded me of my Choco, PB and Nana Pudding…total yumfest!
I was dying for a green smoothie so when lunch time beckoned I whipped up a blackberry and apple green smoothie…
I mixed hispi cabbage, blackberries, a pink lady apple, celery, agave nectar, brazil nut milk, water, xanthan gum, wheat germ and ground flax. Toppings included cranberries and coconut and a sliced nectarine…yum!
My dad popped over this afternoon so we headed to a Chinese buffet restaurant. I stuck to my rules and steered away from the rice and noodles so I could fill my plate and make room for all of the other delicious eats- and delicious eats they were! I do love this restaurant, such a great variety of food and a beautiful setting.
Check out the chandelier…
Christmas 2009 in front of said chandelier…
I look like I was about to head out into the Arctic, but style tends to go out the window when its freezing outside. 😀
I’m still buzzing and surprised about my run this morning-I didn’t think I would be able to run that far so soon. It’s so great to run outside again. BRING ON THE SUMMER!!!!
Have you ever been surprised by your own abilities? What made you smile this weekend?
Congrats on your run!! I’ll be attempting a full 6 miles/10k next week, can’t wait, it’s a real achievement 🙂
Your figgy, blackberry brekkie bowl looks so good!
Thanks Becky! 😀 Good luck with your run! I know you will be great!
WELL DONE again!! That’s amazing! 😀 It is SUCH an achievement!! I love that feeling when you totally surprise yourself!! CONGRATS 🙂
Thank you! I didn’t think that I had it in me, hopefully I can do the same next week! 😀
uM FOOD PORN MUUCH??? love it! and i LOVE those brownies- so glad you made them!! and seriously congrats on your run!!
The brownies are amazing!!! Thanks for the heads up on the recipe! 😀
Wow well done on your run!! No wonder you’re buzzing! 🙂
Your butternut and lentil stew sounds delicious!! I make one similar but with red split lentils. And those brownies look gorgeous – I love Happy Herbivore.
Ohh and I’ve been meaning to mention for sometime – it’s goji berries not ‘golgi’ 😉 just to let you know hehe!
Thanks! 😀 Opppps! I’m such a science geek I never realised I was spelling it wrong. In our cells we have something called ‘golgi apparatus’ that must be where I am getting it from. Thanks for pointing it out! 😀
Definitely bring on summer! The beautiful sun made me smile yesterday, as did managing to make my own coconut butter today 🙂
Well done for the run too, brilliant.
Thanks! I’m loving wakingto sunshine streaming through the window. It makes getting out of bed so much easier. I really want to try making coconut butter, but I fear my poor food processor may explode on me!
Ooooooo those brownies sound great! I definitely surprised myself a week or so back by doing 2 Bikram classes one after the other……it was intense! Well done on your run x x
Two Bikram classes in a rown. WOW! That is hardcore Tam! x
Nice run! And fab food, but that’s no surprise 😀
I’m surprised whenever I do anything and manage not to mess it up. When you’re as dozy as I am, that’s a major achievement.
Thanks for posting the lentil/squash recipe: looks really yum!
xxxx
The stew was yummy! Jess your not dozyat all. You’re so talented- your blog and your artwork are proof of that! 🙂
YAY!!! That’s incredible, great job on the run! omg super good food porn I see:) your posts always make me hungray!!
Thanks! I was so happy afterwards. I hope I can do the same again next week.
Hey! Your breakfasts are amazing! Can I beam you here too be my personal chef? 😉
Me and my man went looking at houses today and in one of them lived a little girl who was so lovely! She made us both laugh and we smiled at eachother in the knowing that we were having the same thoughts about starting a family of our own 🙂
Ha! Thanks! Cute little kids always make me broody too. 😀
Wow great job with the running Jem~the yogurt bowl with figs looks amazing! I should give that a try sometime.
Thanks! The figs and yoghurt were amazing. I’m sure you would love it!
Well done on your run! I am constantly surprised by my own abilities – every time I go out and run without stopping really! plus any time I make something in the kitchen that actually tastes good. Loving the green monster action x
What are you talking about crazy lady!?!? All of your food looks delicious! 😀
Congrats on the run, that’s awesome. I think I am going to make your squash and lentil stew this week, it looks yummy
Thank you! The stew is yummy and so comforting!
I am not at all surprised you could run that far: you are pretty fit! Congrats though — it’s a great feeling to make a distance PB 🙂
And after my success with your date and coconut slices, I’m feeling emboldened and might give those brownies a whirl. I LOVE brownies!
Congrats on the run!!! Nice work 🙂
I love all the crazy concoctions you think of! I’m always so bland with my smoothies, using the same mix of fruits and nuts. You always mix things up!
Well done on the run … and on nevigating the Chinese buffet! I always derail at those things – too much yumminess 🙂 Steering clear of rice and noodles was probably a good move.
That’s awesome that you did better then you thought you would!!! Being able to dance my friday night away definitely made me smile!!
Yay excellent work on the (almost)10K! Brilliant! 🙂
Those brownies look amazing too- I have seen the recipe before but the thought of the beans put me off- you can never quite tell how much you will actually taste them. SO its good to know that you cant basically 🙂
Just made the lentil stew…really yummy!
Ahhh glad you liked it! 😀