I actually did not ever eat breakfast, I cannot even remember when I made the change, but I can tell you that it does make a difference to your energy levels and your sugar levels.

Do you tend to just grab a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast ? Well they are generally probably the worst things to keep you full and most cereals contain a lot of sugar, even some of the granolas.

You should try to ensure that you have protein with every meal, especially if you train at the gym or run a lot. Even if you do not work out that much, then you still need to balance the sugars and the protein will keep you fuller and stop you snacking so much.

So here are some of my favourite breakfasts to have:

This is my main go to breakfast, cold porridge or overnight porridge. So easy, if you just put a bowl of oats and some milk in the fridge before you go to bed. Then the next day they have absorbed the milk and you can add toppings, I tend to ensure I add both fruit and nuts. I do not add sugar, but I might add a teaspoon of honey or marmalade! Sometimes I add a teaspoon of peanut butter, or some flax seed or linseed mix, to add some extra nutrients. A dollop of yoghurt and you are sorted.

Eggs is another firm favourite, sometimes I just have some scrambled, which literally takes 3 minutes. Otherwise, if I have a little time, I will poach an egg with toast, and add whatever vegetables I can find like avocado, tomatoes and sometimes something like this salsa above with a little vegan cheese. Eggs really do keep you full until lunchtime and is a great way to start the day.

Eggs again, but this time with corn fritters, I know this is more of a weekend breakfast, as you need a little more time to prepare them. However, if you make a big batch, you can freeze them and they reheat in a frying pan in a couple of minutes. They are delicious, and of course taste so much better than toast!

Homemade granola is a fantastic way to add the nuts and fruit that you like and is quite quick and easy to make. You can batch cook it, and it lasts for about two weeks in an air tight container. Making it yourself ensures you do not have the added extras that shop bought has, like gluten, sugar, those pieces of dried fruit that you do not really like! I do ensure I add nuts, some kind of flavour like cinnamon and something like dates or raisins to give some natural sweetness. It is ok to sometimes add a little sweetness, like some honey, but not too much.

Pancakes are my weekend go to for a Sunday treat, also adding lots of fruit where I can, so if the fruit is a little soft, then fry it off with a little maple syrup and make it into a fruit compote to add to the pancakes. Another great item to freeze, so that you can just reheat to make the breakfast a quick one.

This is a little on the treat side, but if you make a banana bread at the weekend, slice it and then freeze, at least you will not go without breakfast if you are in a rush. This one was straight out of the oven, so I added a little vegan butter, but normally I would not eat with any spread at all. There are so many variations you can do to banana bread and I have made quite a few with a lot less sugar, than the original recipes and again as long as you add something naturally sweet like cranberries, then it tastes amazing. This banana bread was one of my best yet!

So try out new things for breakfast, plan ahead, freeze for another day and make sure you start the day full of energy!!

You can find the above recipes on this website and I hope you enjoy trying them out. Please do send me photos or like my recipes or blog!!

Roast; I love a good roast on a Sunday and what better way to add to any roast, is pumpkin. It is beautiful in colour, looks good on the plate and It is the best way to increase the flavour. So quick and easy to cook, just 20 minutes in the oven with a few herbs.

Salad; roasted pumpkin with that sweet delicious flavour, is great in a salad with green leaves and seeds, its also a great addition with feta cheese (including the vegan kind). I also love beans, like black beans, goes well with pumpkin, with a spicy coating of smoked paprika.

Soup; You can boil or roast the pumpkin and add herbs like sage to the soup. It is such a simple soup to make, with just some stock, pumpkin and onion. Another Pumpkin soup favourite is curry powder and coconut cream, as well as turmeric, which I seem to be adding into everything now, great way to pack in a punch of flavour.

Pie; Who does not love a good comforting pie and pumpkin adds a nice creamy texture to a homemade pie. How about adding some caramelized onions and lentils. You can either make a pie with pastry, even the shop bought, roll out kind, is perfect for this. Or how about adding carrot and pumpkin mash to the top of your pie!

Curry, Pumpkin is absolutely fabulous in a curry, it sucks up all the spices and pairs well with chickpeas. So quick and easy to fry off the pumpkin, adding even more flavour to the curry.

Bolognese; How about a vegetarian alternative, with pumpkin and vegetarian Bolognese mince or lentils. Add a few green vegetables and that is a quick and easy mid week meal. Or of course add a pumpkin mash!

Pasta; Add some bold spices and chilli and crank up the flavour, in a pasta dish, with pumpkin. The pumpkin will give a sweetness to the dish, to calm down some of the chilli.

Cupcakes; Yes pumpkin is a fabulous addition to cupcakes and goes well with brown sugar, so it is really good in desserts. Try it out in your next bake!

Hope you enjoy some of the ideas and do not forget to ‘like’ the recipes, if you have tried them out, or follow me on instagram!.

Well it is not all about eating fresh fruit and vegetables, but it certainly helps. Get that colourful food in your diet, every day!! Its hard, I know, so easy to turn to the processed, quick and easy, snack all day kind of food, but you know it really does not make you feel good or energised.

I cannot tell you how much better I feel in myself, from cutting down on processed foods and eating a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The simple things really do make a difference. So change up the foods you eat and eat a wider variety.

You might say that you are quite healthy, you eat vegetables every week, but do you change it up? It is so easy to get in to the same habit of buying the same vegetables, the same items of foods every week, yet if you make even a simple step to change a little each week, this will produce amazing results. From battling food intolerances, to increasing energy and feeling so much better in yourself mentally.

Just cooking a couple of times a week and bulk cooking, will ensure you cut down on buying processed food. The hidden sugars in processed food and additional additives, are not good for your diet or energy. Changing habits is fundamental to success in changing your everyday. You need to keep changing the food that you buy, every week, different fruits, different proteins, swapping foods constantly I believe is what helps produce a nutritional balanced diet and energised life.

You need to eat protein with every meal, to ensure you stay fuller for longer, so include nuts, eggs, beans, lentils, fish, mushrooms, any protein that you can think of, keep changing what you eat.

There are so many things to take into account with processed foods, such as pesticides, additives, nutrients, high sugars, you name it, generally it is in there.

You do not realise how much more energy you can have with increasing the good stuff and reducing the bad, that includes bread and wheat products. How many times do I turn to toast or some form of bread, cake, pastry, for a snack, I cannot tell you, they are so addictive, but definitely not filling! An hour later and I could eat another three.

If I cook for myself, plan my meals, balance my diet with the right protein, carbohydrates and fruit and vegetables, I get maximum energy and health out of my diet, it is hard to be regimented, I can assure you I do not find it easy. I regularly break from being regimented, but over time, I am quite controlled at eating at least the right amount of good stuff each day, instead of all bad, high sugar, quick fix kind of foods.

Like I say, its not even about the amount of processed foods, as I barely buy much, but if I overload my system with too many carbohydrates, such as bread, then I get sluggish, my body does not work properly!

The more colourful foods you eat, the better they are, so try different vegetables, fruits, cheeses, nuts, beans, you get the vibe, increase your fruit, vegetables and protein and reduce the carbohydrates, because I am sure you are probably eating too many carbohydrates, as they are so comforting!!. Not only will you increase your taste buds, allowing you to be more adventurous with foods, but it will increase your enjoyment, energy and you will be fuller for longer.

It seems hard at first, but cook for two instead of one, or four instead of two and put in the freezer for the next week. Keep doing that and before you know it, you will not want processed foods and you will have meals already prepared, which are nutritious and save you time the next week to prepare.

It is all about preparation, motivation, dedication and changing habits. Once you get into a good habit, you will not stop.

So that is my take on getting healthier and beginners guide to nutrition, change your habits!!. Hope it helps you too.

Well I am totally getting back into soup season. I love a bowl of soup for lunch, or even for some evenings. There are so many varieties that you can do.

I tend to use what leftover vegetables I have in the fridge that need to be used up, but sometimes I do plan what I am going to make to. It is my go to batch cook, which I tend to make enough for 3 meals, use two in the week and then freeze one, so that when you are super busy, or you just do not feel like cooking, then you have a delicious and healthy meal ready to eat.

So for most of the soups, I do the basic, stock, onion, carrot, some people add celery into the basic soup, but it is one vegetable, I am not that fond of, so tend to leave that out. I then add whatever flavours I like, so sometimes chilli or curry flavours. Then I add what vegetables I have left over.

I do tend to choose the flavours to go with the vegetables, so if I have mushrooms and broccoli, I would probably choose just stock a little chilli, maybe some garlic, italian herbs.

If I have vegetables like pumpkin or beetroot, then I would roast them first, as the flavour is so much better and as I have a sweet tooth, then roasting them brings out the sweetness.

Trying new flavours is great, so the soup above I used turmeric and roasted pumpkin. Using fresh herbs and spices where possible is another fantastic option. Fresh turmeric tastes completely different to the dried variety and although I really love both, the fresh spice, gives a milder different flavour.

Adding protein to the soup is another way to ensure you balance the meal and make the soup a more filling meal. Carbohydrates are quick release energy, whereas Proteins are slow release, so keep you fuller for longer. So try adding chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans, or green or red lentils. Remember if they are tinned, then they are already cooked, so only need 10 minutes to be heated. If they are from the dried variety, then make sure you wash beans thoroughly. With red lentils, they tend to make a soup thicker and go a little mushy, which I love. If you want a lentil to maintain its shape and texture, then use green or black.

So check out my Soups page and start getting adventurous with your winter warmer!

Let me know if there are any recipes that you like and if you make it, then send me a picture!

Believe it or not, I did not cook that much when I was younger and when I did, it was the standard spaghetti bolognese, macaroni cheese, anything with cheese or pasta. I did not eat that many vegetables, even though I have always mainly eaten a vegetarian diet.

It is not always healthy food, just because you eat a vegetarian diet. There are a lot of processed foods that are not that healthy. There is however, a lot more healthier alternatives than there used to be, as well as a lot more choice in plant based products. There does tend to be a lot of additives, which if you are like me and have a lot of problems with food intolerances, then it is much better to cook from scratch.

It doesn’t always have to be a laborious task. I would say if anything, its all about planning. If you batch cook and plan your meals better, it is much easier. I do not cook every day, but as I make a bulk lot, I can just mix and match my meals, making them interesting and different every day, with very little effort.

I started cooking more, when I expanded my fruit and vegetable intake. I have never been a big lover of fruit, so initially I had to make myself eat fruit, even when I didn’t feel like it. Over time it started to become a habit and then I started to enjoy it more. I bought vegetables that I didn’t quite know what they were, even the most simple vegetable, that I had not cooked with. This then made me look at more recipes and start to broaden my recipe ideas and eat more types of foods.

Batch cooking has been my life saver, when you have a busy life and are short of time, this is a good option. Sometimes I am cooking for the next day as well, which I know some people might find difficult. However, if I roast a big batch of vegetables, whilst cooking a roast dinner, then I can toss them in salads, or through rice and make the cooking process a lot quicker, throughout the week.

So for example this week, I made a soup, which is for three lunches; roasted some pumpkin, which I can use for three meals, and I baked some healthy-ish flap jacks, well they have fresh raspberries in them and slightly less sugar!!

I do understand that at times, it is another chore, but if you start to enjoy what you are eating, then you start to enjoy the cooking process.

So all I can say is keep buying different fruit and vegetables every week, keep looking at recipes, even once a week. Try different spices, or sauces and you will start to love food and love to cook. Plan your meals for the week, which helps with shopping and eases cooking. Batch cook, so that you can either have three lunches, or freeze some, so that when you do not want to cook, you have a healthy lunch or dinner, that will only take the time to heat it. This also helps with healthy eating, as we all have times when we do not want to cook, or have little time.

I hope this helps! Let me know if it starts to help you improve.

Well I thought I would give a quick update on what I am up to as it has been quite a while. I am very busy, I do a full time job in the day and in the evenings I have a lot on, mainly creative and sporty.

So as you know I do a lot of exercise and I love it, I recently did a 3 hour combat style boot camp session and I do a few sessions of boot camp each week. I also love the gym, so try to get to that once or twice a week and do either weights or boxing. I would be there more, but I have to reign myself in. Sometimes I fit in a run or Yoga session too. I really do try and do Yoga or stretching when I can, as its important to allow your body to stretch, rest and recover. As I have gotten older, I appreciate the stretching so much more, I have found if I stick to doing just 10 minutes every day, it makes a massive difference. I know I do a lot of intensive exercise, but everything hurts now a days, unless I stretch!

Hence why I try to have a balanced diet as well, as I am hungry all of the time and it is so easy to eat badly! However, it really does not do you any good, if you do not eat enough of the right foods. I really do try to reign myself in on the bad stuff, but I do have a sweet tooth, so I am not good all of the time! But I do try and make sure I get in the nutrients and healthy options, most of the time.

On the creative side, I am still painting, currently doing an octopus on canvas. Not sure why I chose it, but I do love nature and the sea, so that’s what I am doing. I find it really relaxing, but I am not very good at finishing a piece, it takes me ages!

Obviously, I am doing lots of cooking and I am loving doing the photography of the food. Really like the styling and making creative images, I can see they are getting better already, as I have been picking up tips.

I have also done quite a lot of baking and have been trying to practice doing floral buttercream, which seems so much harder than I imagined. I am loving it though and every time I actually do something I am proud of, I feel quite excited! I am working towards launching a home baking business. So I am hard at work, learning everything I need to know to make it a success. So I am doing a course for that, baking to perfect my cakes, practising buttercream and thinking of ideas for future bakes.

I am also thinking of Christmas creative ideas, yes I know, I do not like to hear about Christmas either, I cannot believe there are adverts already and I think it every year. I even saw some people have their tree and lights up! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

The more creative I am, the more productive I seem to be. I am also doing this…. writing. Something I never really thought I would like, as I definitely do not always flow with words, but I am actually enjoying it!

Well its that time of year again, when I am sure we would all rather see some more sunny days.

Its seems to be raining all of the time and it feels like its dark outside morning and night, which is enough to make anyone feel sad. To fight the blues of the long winter months, you need to ensure you are getting enough of the Happiness chemicals!

You need to ensure you get enough of each of the chemicals to boost your happiness, so this includes Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins and Oxytocin. Hence why I always say it is good to have a balanced diet, as this supports a lot of these chemicals.

Dopamine : This is the feel good hormone, also helps enhance concentration. You get dopamine from completing goals, getting enough sleep and including tyrosine rich foods. You can boost dopamine, by completing something, doing self care and eating food. Tyrosine rich foods includes Soy products, fish, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yoghurt, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.

Oxytocin : This is the cuddling hormone, for which you need bonding, physical touch, compassion, trust and amino acids. Oxytocin can be increased by playing with a dog or baby, holding hands, hugging and giving compliments or helping others. The top foods to obtain amino acids are Quinoa, Eggs, Cottage Cheese, Mushrooms, Fish and Beans.

Serotonin : The Happiness chemical, you can obtain from sunshine, a walk in nature, a happy gut and include tryptophan rich foods. Serotonin can also be boosted by meditating. Some of the tryptophan rich foods include milk, canned tuna, oats, cheese, nuts and seeds. I have read that including probiotics in your diet may increase tryptophan, as it helps to aid your gut health, which has definitely helped me.

Endorphins : The pain reliever, you need to exercise, include laughter, dance and include B vitamins. You can enhance endorphins by watching a comedy, listening to music and eating dark chocolate. B Vitamins (other than meat) can be obtained in Marmite, Malt extract, fortified cereals, tempeh (fermented soya beans), peanuts and peanut butter, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, muesli, rolled oats, mushrooms, avocado, sunflower and sesame seeds.

So I hope this helps keep you happy throughout the winter and many years to follow!

Well the weather has changed and what a shock that was, it just went from sun to rain and cold overnight. I am more of a summer person myself, so am escaping into any sign of the sunshine, which is now fleeting moments.

So with the change in the weather, are also the change in what foods are around and in season. You always get the best flavours out of vegetables and fruit if they are in season. There are a lot of different fruit and vegetables in season at the moment, but here is a few of what is around at the moment.

Leeks: Great addition to the base of any meal and great in soups, packed full of flavour and full of fibre and vitamin K.

Pumpkin: Pretty obvious, they are everywhere. There are a lot of varieties around now though, butternut squash being my favourite. High in Vitamin C, B6 and potassium. I love pumpkin as they are great to add to salads, make gnocchi with, add to a curry and a variety of other meals.

Figs: These are so colourful in salads, or for toppings and in desserts and taste delicious. High in fibre and are apparently recommended to help aid digestion. It is better to eat them fresh, as dried figs have a lot more sugar and taste completely different.

Broccoli: One of my favourite vegetables, so quick and easy to cook, in 5 minutes, seems to go with everything, as a side dish, in quiches or pies. High in Vitamin C, K, Iron and Potassium.

Apples: Great to add to a salad, or toss through cous cous, or of course in an apple pie. There are always people trying to get rid of apples, as they have too many, so they are easy to find. Mainly contain vitamin C and fibre.

Mushrooms: Another absolute favourite of mine, I have to be careful not to eat them all the time! There are so many varieties, from oyster, shitake, chestnut, button mushrooms and several others. They can also be foraged, but be careful what you are picking, some are poisonous! They contain protein, potassium and traces of other vitamins like B6.

Beetroot: This is the one vegetable I cook up, to use in salads and also in soups. High in Iron and B9, vitamin C and a variety of other nutrients.

Pomegranates: I love adding this fruit through quinoa or cous cous, or adding to the top of porridge. Contains vitamin C and potassium.

Cabbage: Lots of varieties around at the moment, so I try and choose different ones each week. Very high in vitamin C and fibre.

Pears: There are lots of varieties around, so it is good to try different ones. Another great fruit to add to salads and quinoa and also tarts. High in vitamin C and contains vitamin K, potassium and copper.

So I will be making lots of recipes with these ingredients and anything colourful that I can find or afford! Check back for more recipes.

Well unfortunately there is no protein in Jelly Beans! But I am sure one day there will be.

So we obviously know that there is protein in meat and fish, but if you want to have a vegan or vegetarian diet, you will have to find alternatives. There are lots of alternatives out there now, that are processed and some are actually really good, but if you are looking for what is in your everyday food sources, then here is some information.

Beans are one of the best proteins, so Soy beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, all the beans, so its good to have beans, as well as adding hummus, tofu, seiten and anything made from beans. Soy beans contain 29g protein per cup and most other beans contain about 8-15g per cup, but do not forget, processed items like hummus will have a lot less.

Another great source is lentils, they are also high in iron, but they contain 13G protein per 1/4 cup.

There is also protein in some vegetables, which is quite good when you are trying to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you are eating, so eating more protein to replace this. Protein is a slow release energy, so it tends to keep you fuller for longer.

The best option is to have a varied diet, introducing new and different vegetables into your diet, not only for protein, but for fibre and the variety in vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

Although generally a lot less protein than in beans, here are some of the vegetables that contain protein:

Broccoli, this is one of the best with protein (4.6 per cup), vitamin C, B and A and fibre.

Spinach, is an excellent source (5.3 cup cooked), also with iron, vitamin B, A and Fibre.

Avocados, contain protein (5g per cup), but they are also quite high in fat content (although healthy fat).

Bananas have 4G protein per 100G which is about one medium banana, which is also high in potassium.

A lot of other foods sources contain protein, but some are quite minimal, but these include mushrooms, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, dates, asparagus and apricots.,

This is something I am struggling to get away from as I love eggs, they are easy in baking and I eat them all of the time!!

They are obviously great in a lot of cooking as they help bind ingredients together, they help leavening, so trap pockets of air in foods, they add moisture to the ingredients and they help with flavour and appearance of foods, so help with browning.

However, as I am trying out alternative options, it becomes easier to use different products, but they definitely take some trials and errors. I have not used everything that is available yet, but here are some things I have found out, whilst doing some research.

Aquafaba, is the liquid from chickpeas (or any other bean), it is a great alternative for egg whites and so far, I have used it for mousses. It is actually great and does not taste of anything, so you can flavour it with cocoa powder or other delicious things. I have not used it in baking yet, but apparently it is good in that too. You do need to whisk if for about 15 minutes though and occasionally a tin of water does not seem to whisk, I have no idea why! (once so far!!). You need about 45g for 1 egg replacement.

Apple sauce is a good alternative to eggs and 65g equates to one egg. So you need to cook the apples down before using. I have used apples in one bake so far and it did taste good, although it was an apple cake, so I couldn’t really tell if it worked as it was just a moist cake, but I guess it held together fine. I have not been too adventurous yet, but you will see more recipes soon, I promise.

Other food alternatives are bananas, which I have made banana bread quite often and it is a great bake. It does make the cake moist, which is perfect for banana bread or cake.

You can also use avocado or pumpkin, which I have not yet tried. I have baked with pumpkin, which is fabulous but not yet without the eggs.

The other two final ingredients I have found you can use and I am a bit dubious about the first one which is carbonated water 60g instead of one egg. The carbonation, is suppose to do the same as eggs, so a leavening agent. We will see….

The other one is flax seeds, which will be a great alternative as they are high in Omega 3 and fibre. 1 tablespoon mixed with 3 tablespoons of water replaces one egg. This will give a nutty flavour to whatever you use it in, so I can see that I will be making a nutty bake really soon.

So I hope you enjoy trying out something new in your cooking and baking. Its great to try out different things and although sometimes a disaster, you don’t know until you try. Sometimes the disasters still taste good!!