A Happy Little Jogger (and other musings)

Yesterday it felt like the bottom had fallen out of my world.... do you ever get those days when you feel like giving up on everyone and everything? I feel lucky that I have my little girl... who makes me feel so alive and is a ray of sunshine on days like these... which come once in a blue moon! And invariably as a reaction to something... or because I haven't done enough! "Why am I not making leaps and bounds with my music?" "Er, because you're not doing enough!"

Anyway!

By the end of the day, it all cleared... I actually had a lovely day on the outside - playing with my daughter, reading with her, horsing around. I had a five-minute power nap and when I awoke, she was by my side, with a plate of raw chocolate almond cookies... she had walked past her daddy who was busy tapping away on the computer, taken a chair to the freezer, got the cookies, transferred them to her special dolls' set tea tray and lovingly brought them to me in bed. And then it was all ok... I WILL continue to write and perform my music, I will NOT delete my Facebook account and I WILL take up jogging... tomorrow - which is now today!

So my first point for today's post is... when the world seems to be crumbling, even momentarily, around your feet, what can you do?

First up, be with someone you love. Maya was there, she was amazing... she thought I was just a bit tired but she was so unconditional with her sweetness, it brought me right back to where I wanted to be.

Second up, get some light into your life - no matter from which lamp it may shine! Later on yesterday, we had a spiritual gathering in our home. I like to say prayers daily (food for the soul!) and I serve on a Local Spiritual Assembly, which is part of the administrative order for the Baha'i faith. Last night's meeting was amazing. We opened, as usual with prayers and then consulted for nearly two hours, no-one speaking over one another, everyone happy, humourous and respectful... then closed with another prayer. This further kindled my own light... I felt a warm, loving spirit in our home last night.

Third up - get cuddling! Maya woke up just after the meeting and I lay with her for lots of cuddles (head-sniffing, optional). I love being near her little body. I feel so empowered being her mother as she gives so much back! If you don't have children, you can cuddle your pet, your partner, other people's children (if they don't object), yourself or if there is no-one around, some kind of childhood teddy!

Fourth up! Make something delicious at night! For me, last night, it was a most amazing raw chocolate that tastes better than a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup!

So, here's a quick recipe... it is an adapted one from a really, really wonderful book called Sweet Gratitude.

Mix in a bowl

1 jar nut butter of your choice (I chose hazelnut)

1 tbsp cacao powder

1 tbsp lucuma

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp honey (mine was Mexican and gorgeous - you could use any sweetener of your choice)

5 tbsp melted cacao butter

pinch sea salt

Put the delicious praline mixture in the freezer for half an hour or until you can scoop it with a spoon.

Meanwhile...

In a blender pour:

150g melted cacao butter

3 tbsp melted coconut oil

pinch sea salt

3 tbsp honey

2 heaped tbsp cacao powder

5 tbsp shelled hemp seeds

2 heaped tbsp lucuma

Blend well

Leave at room temp until slightly thicker, then pour half of the mixture onto a tray

Set until almost hard in the freezer

Then spread the nut butter mixture over as a second layer.

Set for five mins

Then pour another layer of chocolate over the top.

Set in the freezer until hard.

Break into big chunks.

This was and is so incredible (nibbling some right now)... and what's more it made loads of chocolate! I also had to use up three extra mould trays (hearts, triangles and animals!) - each one has a little bit of the praline mixture and then covered in chocolate.

Hello!

So, make that too..

Then get jogging!!!

This morning, I was determined! I took my angel girl to her nursery (sang rhymes with them all for 20 minutes!) then came home... and went out in the wind and rain and jogged!

And this, my friend, is another reason why I feel pretty fabulous right now! And I am already looking forward to jogging tomorrow (day two of exercise for me!)

So, let's re-cap!

1. Be loved, give love

2. Have faith, say prayers, light a candle, meditate, spare a thought - SOMETHING to feed your soul.

3. Get close to someone - cuddle and cuddle them!

4. Make chocolate. No really, do! It is so therapeutic, it tastes amazing, and you can send some to friends!

5. Get moving! Jogging, hooping, dancing, walking... anything! Just do it - like I did this morning. I have been putting it off for months, and all it took was for me to step outside of my home and start moving my legs.

Much love xxxx

Pudding of the Chocolate, Lucuma, Purple Corn, Baobab Variety

Ok, so it has been many months since I blogged last... for anyone who has been counting the days, welcome back!

I am having a real trip down memory lane at the moment, listening to The Smashing Pumpkin's finest album, Gish, from the past, whilst eating a superfood pudding of the future... something I just whipped up in my humble kitchen!

This is far and away one of the tastiest 'Angel Delight'-esque puddings I have ever tasted and whilst it varies from time-to-time, it features the basic ingredients of:

1/2 an avocado

1 banana

half a cup of a nut milk - in this instance, freshly-made almond milk (whizz up a cup of soaked almonds to three cups water, pinch of sea salt and some agave to slightly sweeten - you can use honey, dates etc!)

Then it gets interesting!

In my blender, I already have the aforementioned avocado and banana, and the sloosh of almond milk...

then I add in:

1 tbsp lucuma fruit powder (delicious sweet and mealy powder... get it from (Detox Your World) - I have tried other powders from other places - this is the best one in my opinion)

1 tbsp baobab fruit powder (awesome taste - get some from Raw Living)

1 tbsp purple corn flour (Detox Your World)

1 HEAPED tbsp choc powder (you can use raw - I used my Waitrose pure choc powder)

three squeezes of agave nectar (or honey or three dates) (Detox Your World)

then BLEND!

And serve in the prettiest bowl.

I tell you, this is incredible!

And eating it whilst rocking out in my chair to The Smashing Pumpkins.... yeah!!!

If you make this, do post and let me know what you think!!!

Meanwhile, I am waiting for my almond fudge brownies to become ready for coating in raw chocolate... but more on that one tomorrow!