This couscous recipe isn’t the greatest for kids (at least, based on my five-year-old…the baby likes it so maybe less picky eaters will go for it) BUT it’s a great lunchtime option for working parents or a good quick cheap-and-cheerful meal.
One of the best parts is it can totally be customised for your own tastes. Here’s couscous two ways. Continue reading “Recipe: Healthy couscous two-ways”
This morning I watched The Labyrinth with my five-year-old. (Aside: I am so happy he’s really old enough to appreciate and watch it with me!)
And one of the scenes that has always stuck with me, and which struck me even as I watched it today for the thousandth time, is when Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) finds herself in the junkyard.
A hunched woman with piles of junk on her back tries to convince Sarah that her material possessions is what she was looking for. But as Sarah handles her various possessions – a teddy bear, a wind up dancer, a lipstick – Sarah remembers she is looking for her baby brother, who she needs to save from the Goblin King (David Bowie).
I am deeply repulsed by this image, of the darkening sky over a land of junk as far as the eye can see, as solitary figures dig to add more junk to their hunched and overloaded backs.
And whilst the metaphor is heavy handed and made for all ages to get, it remains powerfully apt for me.
We are drowning in junk
From the plastic piling up in our landfills and oceans to the rise in self storage because we have more stuff than we can fit in our homes, there is too much stuff.
And our homes have also become bigger than they once were. The 1905 workers cottage where I live was originally even smaller than it is now, having been extended during its lifetime to build a third room upstairs and a tiny kitchen and bathroom downstairs. I can’t imagine how a family of four might have lived here when it was just two rooms downstairs and two upstairs.
And the junk isn’t what we’re looking for. Continue reading “Simplify and getting rid of the junk”
There have been several times when I’ve caught myself telling my five year old something and feeling like a hypocrite. Like when I tell him to calm down and yet I know how much I struggle to contain my emotions at times (a work-in-progress I write about here frequently).
It got me thinking about all of the lessons I (try to) teach my son regularly that I could do with following myself. A bit like the popular Everything I Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. And the more I thought about it, the more things sprang to mind. Here are a few of my favourites. Continue reading “Do as I say, not as I do”
This is a quick, easy, nutritious and delicious salad I’ve lived on this summer. The recipe below is for a smaller side salad, but you can easily scale up. I regularly make a double portion and have it as a main. And as you can read below, it’s actually super healthy for you.
Nourishing health benefits
Flax seed oil is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, low in saturated fat, and has been shown in laboratory studies to reduce risk of certain cancers (1).
Spinach is rich in iron and a good source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, manganese, magnesium, and vitamin B2 (2).
Strawberries are a good source of potassium as well as vitamins C and K, folic acid, fibre and manganese (3) and have been shown in numerous studies to contain significant levels of protective phytochemicals and micronutrients (4).
Cottage cheese is a complete protein and rich in vitamins B2 and B12 (5).
Studies have shown balsamic vinegar can stabilise cholesterol, blood glucose levels and blood pressure, and is low in calories (6).
So basically, EVERYTHING IN THIS SALAD IS BENEFICIAL – and yet it tastes delicious, and is quick and easy to throw together. Continue reading “Recipe: Spinach and strawberry salad”
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates
As I recently wrote, health is fundamental to happiness and something I’ve been borderline obsessed with lately. I have recently been trying to eat much more whole, unprocessed foods, as well as monitoring my nutrients.
It’s. Been. Brilliant.
Here are some of the things that have made a big difference for me, resulting in losing a few extra pounds (despite weight loss not being my focus), more energy, better sleep, and an all around better mood. Continue reading “Eating for wellness”
I caught myself the other day thinking, “Once ______ happens…” or “When _____, things will be easier.” The present moment can sometimes feel like the moment waiting in the wings, about to go on stage.
But hang on, I realised. This is it.
This is my life. It’s not a practice round for the real life that lies ahead. And waiting around the corner isn’t some utopia that answers any of the niggles of my present predicament. Continue reading “This is it”
It’s been a rainy Sunday and lazy by my standards. Sure, I’ve baked some cupcakes and we had a family disco at my son’s request. But it’s been a lot of sitting around, the boys playing somewhat on their own while I worked on my website copy and wrote in my journal.
And despite being able to be kind and loving and patient towards my son, I’ve had a few instances of losing my patience with him, too. We’re cooped up in the lounge together, and he insists on jumping from one piece of furniture to another, or pushing his baby brother using his face and head, or jumping and kicking, or basically doing the very thing I’ve just asked him not to do.
When this happens, I feel angry, then guilty. Then he does it again and I’m angry again. It’s been a vicious cycle. Continue reading “The objective of anger”
Of all the coaching exercises I’ve done, this one has been one of my personal favourites and most insightful. I’ve done it a few times, and was inspired to do it again most recently after reading the May 2018 issue of Psychologies magazine (okay, so I’m a little behind, because when do I get a chance to read a magazine with a baby?).
The idea is simple. You envision your future self, and your future self helps you find the path from where you are to where she is. Continue reading “Find your inner mentor”
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about health, and particularly nutrition and exercise.
Good health is a non-negotiable. So much of what makes humans happy starts with good health.
So I want to talk about why health is so fundamental to happiness. Continue reading “Health is a non-negotiable”
It’s early in the summer holidays and already I can sense how the change in routine is impacting both my five year old and me. He’s been demanding – alternating between, “what can we do now?” and, “can I have a snack?”, usually while I am still cleaning up from the last activity/snack/meal we had.
And I’ve been feeling homesick. Well, I say ‘homesick’ but it is actually a mix between genuine homesickness for my small beach hometown in Florida; nostalgia for said-hometown circa 1989; and holiday wistfulness now that I tend to experience the place on holiday.
The prolonged heat wave we’ve enjoyed in Britain all summer creates a sensory reminder of Florida, and at first I thought that was the main cause for this mood. But I could sense something else at play.
I did some reflective work today to help me centre. A combination of breathing meditation, paying attention to my body, and journaling conjured snapshot images and sensations: drinking an iced coffee in my favourite beach coffee shop…the feeling of a storm about to break over the ocean… the feeling of a good full body massage.
Amid the random assortment, a truth surfaced: pleasure can act as a gateway to purpose if I know how to listen to myself. Continue reading “Wants and needs”
Happy Parent UK 