The Healthy List – April

28th April 2015

I had been thinking that this last month or so hadn’t been a great one in terms of how healthy my eating has been; but actually I have made some healthy food swaps recently that have just become part of my routine and which have replaced less healthy options.

I haven’t had any chocolate from a shop for a little while now and instead have been enjoying (and enjoying and enjoying) my raw chocolate that Ava and I have been making (and making and making!). In the evenings when I am hungry and want something other than chocolate (or let’s be honest – after I’ve already had some) I have been having some almonds and Golden Berries which I love (more below). I always found almonds a bit boring for some reason but I really like them now.

Of course I am not eating perfectly all the time; last Friday evening we had an Indian takeaway which I managed to not feel guilty about eating for once, and I can’t keep away from my fridge if there is Prosciutto in it. I also drank wine more nights that I wanted to (not that I was forced!) last week, but I just can’t help it when I’m so tired, and it does help me relax.

I have also been exercising pretty much every day over the last month. I feel like I have finally got into a routine with it and I actually want to do it every day. I never thought I would say that! I also went for my very first run in a year down by the river not far from where we live and I actually quite enjoyed it and ran way more than I thought I would be able to. I found it easier than I thought I would too; last year I struggled to get round the block but I managed 2.5K with some fast walking this time. I can really tell that all the exercise I have been doing has made a difference to my endurance which is really nice and keeps me motivated.

Here are some things I have been loving in the world of healthy this month….

Golden Berries (or Incan Berries): Golden Berries are a superfood that come from a plant which is native to South America. They are the dried fruit of a Physalis (those yellow fruits with leaves that always come on top of desserts!) and they taste sweet and sour and they are so nice. They are a bit like having a sweet because of the sourness and I think they are way more tasty than most dried fruits. I love them. They are source of several vitamins and minerals, particularly Phosphorous and Potassium.

Healthy Cookbooks: I now have quite a few what I call ‘healthy cookbooks’, such as Deliciously Ella, I Quit Sugar for Life, Oh She Glows, and I have just got Madeleine Shaw’s new book ‘Get The Glow‘. I love them. I love that a lot of them have the writers story at the beginning of the book, as well as store cupboard essentials and tips for eating more healthily. I love a cookbook with something to read other than recipes! I also love finding little, simple recipes in them that I already have the ingredients for, can make really easily and are so tasty but even better – healthy. I am a pretty crap cook so I love simple recipes.

Homemade Raw Chocolate: I have talked about this a few times now (here, and here), but it is SO easy to make and so yummy. Ava’s loves it and it means she can have a bit of chocolate without me feeling bad about it. All it has in it is raw cacao powder, raw cacao butter, coconut oil and a bit of rice malt syrup or honey. Ava loves eating it but she also loves making it with me and because it’s so quick and easy with minimal mess (and you get chocolate to eat as a result!) I don’t mind making it with her regularly.

Fitness Blender YouTube Videos: For the past couple of months I have been using Fitness Blender’s videos to exercise. Kelli and Daniel are a couple who provide really bloody good, high-quality workout routines for free on their site and on YouTube. They have hundreds of videos of all different lengths and intensities and there are no gimmicks or cheesiness which I love. They are a really natural, nice couple and I am so glad I found them. They really know what they are talking about and I have seen a difference in my body and my strength since I have started following their workouts.

The Primal Pantry Bars: I have talked about these healthy snack bars before but there is a new flavour in town; Apple and Pecan which is very nice and apple-y, but not too much! All this flavour contains is Dates, Almonds, Organic Apple, Pecan Nuts, Cinnamon and Almond Oil. How great is that? I love how few ingredients these bars contain rather than most ‘cereal bars’ that are full of sugar and crap. I recently tried the Brazil Nut and Cherry bar again and I think I must not have been paying attention when I tried this one last time (don’t you hate doing that?) as it was SO NICE. It was so soft and flavourful and it literally has four ingredients in it: Dates, Brazil Nuts, Cherries and Almond Oil. And even better Ava didn’t like that one which is grand because she always tries to steal my bars! (The good thing about that is that I don’t have to worry about her eating them because they are good for you.)