Juicy

I'm feeling much better thanks, I was released from hospital after a couple of days convalescing and several failed attempts to draw blood. This has never happened to me before. I keep being told I have terrible veins. TERRIBLE ones. If they weren't blue already they surely would be after this many insults. (I''m sorry, I've been spending too much time with DadJokes).

So, I'm back at work today, such is the healing power of three things.

1. My friend Sam came round with the best present ever, a Jamie Oliver book, signed to ME from HIM. I think if I had this in hospital I could have done 12 less hours on the drip. Its amazing how shiny an exciting gift can make you feel. Hint? Moi? Yes of course.

2. Two roast dinners in a row. One home cooked, organic perfection from a very good friend who I haven't seen for a year. The other the very next day at a delicious pub in the (freezing) sun; vitamin D plus gravy overdose is no bad thing.

3. Juice.

Since I was diagnosed and advised to juice 5 times a day (this is mental. Even if you can get your head around the cost of that many organic fruit and veggies, the washing up is worse than chemotherapy), I have religiously had A juice a day, and, like the magic honey, swear by the energising effects. On my worst days I still manage to coerce my mum or man into making one for me, and I think I can feel it spreading its nutrient goodness from my insides out. But those days I am a bit out of it anyway.

In of it, or out, juicing is the way forward. When you struggle to stick to your '5 a day' recommendation (don't we all), think of me, trying to at least double that in the name of speedy recovery. The thing with all the healthy stuff is a lot of it tastes rubbish. My juice equation threatens to in theory (1 part fruit to 2 or 3 or 4 parts veg), but, with the clever inclusion of a basic sweet juice foundation, its always delicious. Even with my recent addition of wheatgrass shot, which frankly is 100% disgusting.

This does not work for such juice repellent veggies as whole leeks - DadJokes, PLEASE take note, lets not repeat that episode. ever.

My basic recipe is this:
1 x apple
1x carrot
1 x 1cm chunk of ginger
2 or 3 veggies of your choice (I normally do a weird combo of beetroot, broccoli, celery, spinach, red cabbage, kale, pepper, and/or cucumber)

From experience I wouldn't recommend raw garlic, half lemons, anything with rind still attached. Or whole leeks DadJokes, but apart from that, the rules are there are no rules.

Aside from the following:

Drink through a straw. This much fruit acid is not strictly great for your teeth. You can't even brush them clean straight away because they're vulnerable to erosion for about 5 - 10 minutes after. And if like me you've had them whitened at any point, the straw is as essential as retail therapy. i.e. very.

Drink within 3 minutes of juicing. The quicker the better, you want to get maximum nutrient and enzyme payout, and as soon as you cut a fruit or veg, you're already losing some.

Wash up juicer straight away. This is just my helpful tip for the chore aversive like me. If I don't do it immediately I won't do it, and no one wants broccoli pulp lingering in their kitchen for any amount of time. Believe me.

Don't make more than 2/3rds of a cup, this is some weird body anomaly that means yours will make use of only a little bit of juice, but the rest just gets wee'd away. So if you like the taste, go for it, but health and economy wise - no point.

I'm know there are skin glow properties in all these veggies too - if for no other reason than the, er, regular cleansing it encourages - a bonus, chemo or no chemo. I just know my required volume is easier to drink than eat, and I'm always one for an easy option.

And look at the pretty colours nature makes...

Bake Good Feel Happy

This makes me sound like I can bake, I really am (was) the worst cook on the planet. More on that later, but for now, a bit on how I have been drastically altered to LOVE cooking programmes, cooking, kitchen appliances - I bought a flipping pestle and mortar the other day - ingredients and lots of trial and error. More error really...

Jamie Oliver is my hero. I could watch 30 Minute Meals on repeat for days, in fact I do. He's just a genius at teaching through the telly. I've learnt so many tricks by osmosis, that my healthy living ineptitude and resultant depression has not only lifted, but become a fully fledged hobby. I even 'adapt' some of his recipes - how accomplished is that?  I do draw the line at 'pukka', and he does have questionable measuring skills (a tiny bit of olive oil my ar*e), but at this point, it is true love.


This recipe, that I adapted this evening (get me) has nothing to do with Jamie Oliver, but after three adaptation attempts over a four week period, I felt the final success story was worth celebrating. Oh and I promised the buckwheat banana pancake one too...


When you read the food post (imminent) you'll get my need for adapting, but basically, I love food, I love sweet things, I love biscuits, but I want to be healthy, so:

'Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Oat, Maple, Pecan, Banana Cookie Cakes'. I told you I was new to this.


Get: 
1/2 cup organic oats
1/2 cup gluten free flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinamon
1 organic egg
2 mashed bananas
1/4 cup maple syrup or agave - but if agave use less. Don't ask me how much less, just use Maple.
1 small handful crushed whatever you like organic nuts - In this case, pecan


Do:
Mix in a bowl, add some more oats (are you sensing my cooking style?) spoon onto baking parchment,  stick in oven for 20 minutes.


I say cookie cakes because they always stay a bit spongy, but hey, it worked for Jaffa Cakes.


Dadjokes' verdict (he doesn't particularly like healthy): "I had three, can I have more?"




Buckwheat Banana Pancakes


Get:
1 mashed banana plus one for serving
1 organic egg
250 ml rice or oat milk
100g buckwheat flour
125 ml water


Do:
Whisk, cook, eat with maple syrup.


(A very happy NB on Maple Syrup: It's natural, sweeter than sugar, but with less calories, has more minerals than honey,  is a good source of  zinc, and manganese, which are good for your immune system - very important for chemo patients.  This is the best food news I have heard so far. And Beyonce got skinny on it, although I'm not recommending that...)