My food plans have always been the subject of other people's amusement. Who on earth plans what they are going to eat weeks in advance? That's right, I do. Now that's not to say I stick to these plans all day, every day; if I'm really craving something for dinner one day then I'll have it, regardless if the plan says so or not. The whole point of my food plans are not because I'm an organised control freak who needs to know what I'm eating 6 weeks in advance, they're to make sure I have a variety in my diet and they're a guide to help me stay on track with healthy eating. I first began writing food plans in my second year of University with one of my housemates - we cooked all of our meals together and to make sure we didn't have the same thing for dinner all the time we decided to take a more organised approach to our eating by planning our meals in advance. I must admit, food plans are definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. I love sitting down on a Sunday afternoon to review all of the delicious looking dishes I have screen-shotted from Instagram and deciding what I'm going to eat and when. There are SO many recipes that I'm desperate to try and I personally think I would never get round to trying them all if I didn't schedule them in. Along with my food plans, I also try to schedule in my workouts too. If I'm planning on eating something slightly more indulgent one day, I'll be sure to hit the gym that day too to compensate for the extra calories. Additionally, if I know I'm going to go to the gym after work, I'll make sure I pencil in a late afternoon snack to give me that extra burst of energy. As I mentioned above, food plans really help you to maintain a healthy lifestyle and they're also fantastic when it comes to making your weekly food shop a breeze. Paperchase sell some great weekly planners that look perfect for creating an almighty food plan and they also sell some fabulous looking shopping lists that I can't wait to get my hands on too. So next week, why not create a food plan of your own? You won't be disappointed!
Last January I took a 5 week trip to Australia and one of my favourite things about the place was the health food culture there - I'd never seen so many superfood cafes in my life! Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and being the most important meal too, I always like to have something which I find satisfying - and Acai bowls definitely tick that box! In essence, Acai bowls are basically a smoothie (made from Acai berries, ice, coconut water/apple juice and banana) topped with buckwheat granola and a multitude of superfoods ranging from fresh fruit to chia seeds and nuts. I tried my first Acai bowl in a cafe called Coco Bliss in Brisbane and it was absolutely delicious! One of the things I find so indulgent about these bowls is the fact that Acai doesn't taste like your traditional berry; Acai has a deep taste as opposed to sweet and sharp and it actually has some undertones of dark chocolate - so if you're a chocolate lover you can't go wrong with this breakfast choice! As mentioned in my post last week on Herbal Teas, Acai berries are full of antioxidants and have a number of fantastic health benefits, but unfortunately for us Brits they can only be found overseas. However, with thanks to health stores such as Holland & Barrett, one thing we can get our hands on is Acai Berry Powder. Acai Berry Powder is a dehydrated, freeze-dried version of the berry itself and although relatively expensive at £22.99 per pot, it's worth the investment. I have managed to recreate my own Acai bowls using this powder and although it will never be as good as the real thing it's definitely the next best thing. Recipe: 2-3 TBSP Acai Powder 1 Frozen Banana Handful of Frozen Blueberries 200ml Coconut Water/ Apple Juice Berries, Banana, Granola, Chia Seeds, Goji Berries & Flaked almonds to top!
With the health industry growing in London, Acai bowls are becoming more prevalent with cafes such as the Good Life Eatery in Sloane Square and food van Sweetly Simple selling the best Acai bowls I've tried in England. Apparently it's possible to buy frozen Acai smoothie packs too, but I'm yet to get my hands on these badboys! - Megan
"You can't buy happiness but you can buy tea and that's the same thing."
With September well underway and the typical cold English weather taking its toll, there's nothing I look forward to more than getting into bed with a nice hot beverage. I'm a serious hot chocolate fan but being full of sugar it's not something I let myself indulge in everyday. Enter the tea! I've never warmed to actual tea - actual tea being your typical English breakfast tea or Earl Grey. I've always thought it was a bit watery and flavourless so it's never been my go-to. However over the last few years I have really got into herbal teas and considering there's so many, I never feel limited for choice. Anyone who knows me will know that I have an endless stream of tea options in my food cupboard and I'm always adding a new one to my shopping basket whenever I get the chance! Below are my Top 5 teas to try if you're looking to experiment with something new this Autumn! 1. Clipper's Acai & Blackcurrant Tea
This tea is an absolute winner if you're looking for something sweet, sharp and flavoursome. Acai berry is fast becoming my favourite berry and being packed with antioxidants you can't go wrong! Unfortunately you can't get the actual berries in England, so this is the next best thing to get your kick! 2. Clipper's Orange and Coconut Tea
Another delight for the taste-buds is Clipper's orange and coconut tea. This tea is sweet and comforting and unlike a lot of fruit teas, the flavour is actually really strong. This tea is great for transitioning into the winter months as even though your body is in the cold, your mouth is definitely on an exotic holiday! Clipper's teas are a great investment as not only do they come in a number of delicious flavours, they also use unbleached teabags so they're a more natural option too.
3. Twining's Caramelised Apple Tea
As part of Twining's indulgence green tea range alongside salted caramel. gingerbread, fudge melts and cherry bakewell, the caramelised apple tea is by far my favourite. When you're looking to satisfy your sweet tooth but want to avoid putting your hand in the biscuit tin this tea is the way to go. With warm apples being the taste of winter, Twining's caramelised apple is a great shout for a Saturday night in.
4. Twining's Intensely Blackcurrant & Rhubarb I received this tea as part of a birthday present and it definitely didn't disappoint! Albeit less strong in flavour compared to the other teas listed above (despite being named intensely!) this tea has a real smoothness to it and it fast became by before bed go-to as it made me feel really calm. I really love rhubarb and combined with blackcurrant you can't go wrong!
5. Lipton's Strawberry Cupcake Green Tea
This is hand's down the best green tea EVER. A friend of mine gave this to me as a gift from France and I couldn't believe how strongly it tasted of cake even though it's a healthy tea! This is a fantastic tea if you really want to satisfy your sugar cravings and it's definitely well worth a try. However like all good things, it's not so easy to find unless you're in France! You can order it online though if you're willing to pay for the shipping fee (and it is definitely worth it!) So there are my top 5 teas to try this Autumn and if you're looking for more fruity delights, take a trip to your nearest Holland & Barrett, Wholefoods or Tescos - my greatest finds always seem to come from these places! Next on my list to try is: Twining's Raspberry & Dragonfruit, Twining's Intensely Buttermint, Clipper's Apple & Elderflower, Pukka's Night Time and Clipper's Blueberry & Elderberry tea. Happy drinking! - Megan
As with every holiday, one of the main things I look forward to (other than sun, sea, and relaxation!) is completely cutting off from the world by engaging in a digital detox. Although the technical revolution is a great one, I firmly believe that we are becoming far too dependent on digital devices and as many of these online videos (ironically) depict, by being so engrossed in the digital world we are forgetting how to live. Below is a particularly powerful video that went viral within the last year or so and it really made me evaluate the time I waste looking down instead of up.
Now that's not to say that I'm not guilty of having the millennial 'hand claw'; iPhones are absolutely fantastic, I love sharing a good Instagram post, and my train journeys to work often consist of mindlessly scrolling through social media pages to see what other people are up to. Nevertheless, if there's any time to cut off from the digital world it's definitely on holiday. For the last few years I have engaged in this little holiday tradition of mine and I have to say it really does work wonders for me. Being a former psychology student, I have learnt about the vicious link between social media and mental health, and I can 100% see why. More often than not, social media only ever shows the glamorous snippets of peoples lives which can lead us to believe that other people are happier than ourselves. I know so many people who constantly upload a stream of photos whilst on holiday and/or spend a good portion of their day whatsapping friends back home. Why can't we just enjoy being on holiday? What's the urgency with sharing photos online? Can we really be having such a #greatholiday if we have the time to post about it 24/7? Upon arriving home from my sunny getaway to Menorca this year, I received an influx of messages and notifications across the digital sphere, which yes, I admit, was exciting. However, my digital detox seemed to have a complete rebound effect as I spent the next couple of days completely engrossed in catching up on everything I had missed out on. Consequently, these days were also accompanied by the mother of all headaches and I can only blame this on staring at a little, bright screen for hours on end. Case in point - digital is detrimental. I could go on for hours about my thoughts on the digital takeover but for now, I'll call it a day. I really wish I could have a digital detox more than once or twice a year, but it really isn't that easy. My mission for the next few months is to cut down the time I spend on my phone by enforcing a 'curfew', i.e. switching my phone off an hour earlier each month. I'd love to attend a retreat or the 'Wilderness Festival' next year, which both embrace digital breaks and restoring balance. With any hope, my holiday companions next year will join me for a digi-break too! - Megan
The end of August signals festival mayhem and this year I decided to try something completely different with Jamie Oliver's 'Big Feastival'. For those of you who haven't heard about the Big Feastival before, it is basically a food-music hybrid festival with everything from live music acts to cooking demonstrations, cooking classes and the usual festival shebang of markets, stalls and funfair rides. What attracted me the most to this festival (other than the prospect of the mass consumption of delicious food!) was the introduction of the new 'Healthy Living Zone'. Being a massive health foodie myself and seeing the lineup of my favourite health food bloggers (including Deliciously Ella, Madeleine Shaw, Hemsley & Hemsley and Olivia Wollenberg), I thought this festival would be an absolute winner, and it was! Throughout the day I attended various cooking demonstrations, tried an abundance of different tasters, and EVEN petted a rabbit in the children's mini farm (yes I am a big child!). My personal highlights of the day had to include the delicious sourdough cheese toastie I had from the Hobbs House Bakery popup, the demonstrations from Deliciously Ella and the Hemsley sisters, and of course, seeing Jamie Oliver in the flesh showing his enthusiasm for great food! Anyway, getting to the main point of this post, the Big Feastival coupled with Jamie's shocking 'Sugar Rush' documentary aired on Channel 4 last night, has inspired me to do my very own #100daysofhealthy for the following reasons: 1. I have been a little too indulgent these last few months 2. I'm a firm believer of the healthy body = healthy mind ethos 3. September marks the start of a new academic year so it's the perfect time to start afresh! With health bloggers revolutionising the food industry all over the world, I look forward trying out lots of healthier alternatives over the next 100 days - plus, the end of my 100 days will mark the beginning of the festive period, which couldn't be better timing! Wish me luck! - Megan
