Apple and raisin no flour pancake

Makes 2 small pancakes

3 large eggs

3 apples, peeled, cored

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

Handful raisins

Tablespoon coconut oil

Put the eggs, Apple and ground cinnamon into a blender, and blend until smooth. 

Heat half the oil in the frying pan and pour in half the mixture. 

Sprinkle half the raisins over the top. 

When you think the bottom side is cooked, finish it off under the grill, as this pancake cannot be flipped as its too fragile!!! 

Enjoy :0) 

Turmeric, black pepper and coconut oil savoury pancake (no flour)

Makes 1 pancake

1 banana, mashed

1 egg, whisked

1 tablespoon fresh grated turmeric or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Black pepper mill

Salt to taste

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Mix the whisked egg and mashed banana together till it smoothish, then mix in the turmeric and about 10 turns on your black pepper mill, and salt to taste. 

Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan and cook the pancake for a couple of minutes on each side. 

Turmeric is one of those 'super foods' which is being mentioned a lot lately. It has Curcumin and other curcuminoids (key which are chemical compounds in turmeric) offer numerous health benefits since they are powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial agents. 

By adding fresh ground black pepper you are increasing the magic of the turmeric by a staggering 2000%!!! 

Coconut oil also has many health benefits to it, and despite being full of saturated fats, has been shown to improve health and help you slim your waistline! 

Read more: http://www.turmericforhealth.com/turmeric-benefits/health-benefits-of-black-pepper-and-turmeric#ixzz3ce6UqY5z

Oriental Chicken, sweetcorn and olive salad

Serves 2

For the marinade

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon paprika 

70g pineapple chunks

1 tablespoon coconut aminos

1/6 vegetable stock cube (I used kallo organic gluten free)

1/4 medium onion

1 tablespoon finely grated ginger root 

100ml water

400g chicken, diced

200g mixed salad leaves

1 carrot, finely grated

200g cucumber, sliced

2 large tomatoes, sliced

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 small tin of sweetcorn

1 small handful olives, sliced

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

For the marinade, throw all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until most of the lumpy bits are gone and it makes a slightly watery paste.

In a bowl, add the chicken, cover with cling film, and leave to soak in the fridge for a few hours, preferably over night.

In a frying pan, melt the coconut oil and fry the chicken unti, cooked through. add the sweetcorn and the olives, and fry until they turn slightly browned. Leave to cool down in the pan while you arrange the salad.

Split everything in half and arrange on your plate however you wish! 

Please note: the chicken is very moorish! My 4 year old ate all his and then came and ate all the chicken off my plate too! It's a good job he's so cute :0)

Banana and cinnamon pancake (No flour)

Makes 1 pancake

Calories 216

1 banana, mashed

1 large egg, whisked

1 teaspoon coconut butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Mix the whisked egg into the mashed banana, then add the cinnamon and coconut butter and mix well.

Using a frying pan, melt the coconut oil and cook the pancake as you would a normal pancake, taking care when tossing as they don't stick together quite the same as a normal pancake.

Quail egg, sweet potato and aubergine salad

Serves 1

Calories 500

1 medium sweet potato (approx 200g) peeled and diced

1 small aubergine (approx 230g) diced

5 quail eggs

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

100g mixed salad leaves

1 celery stick, chopped

1 large tomato, sliced

100g cucumber, sliced

For the salad dressing

1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon melted coconut oil

1/2 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Whilst pre-heating the oven to gas mark 5, peel and chop the veg and salad.

Cook the sweet potato and aubergine in the oil until soft and slightly browned (approximately 20 minutes)

Boil the quail eggs in a pan of water for around 8 minutes, then drain the water and replace with cold water. Once cool, peel the eggs and chop them in half.

Add salad dressing to mixed salad leaves and toss well. 

Arrange salad however you feel like it!

Please note: due to using coconut oil, you need to make the salad dressing as late as possible, (as in before eating!) otherwise it starts to solidify again!!!

6th June 2014

Week 5

Weight 11 stone 8.6 pounds

Weight loss 3.6 pounds

Total weight loss 13.3 pounds (ooh so close to a stone!!)

As I have been very disappointed with myself over deciding not to do the juicing diet, I have been looking at other options.

As of today I have decided that I will be mainly aiming for an organic paleo diet, but will be allowing myself to eat dairy and occasionally gluten, for now at least anyway!

I have noted today that my pins and needles have dramatically improved, and I am hardly aware of them. 

The tremor I get in my right hand seems to currently be non existent too!

This is a huge breakthrough for me!!!!

However my time of the month is still going on, which makes it over a week now, which is not like me.

I have developed an incredibly itchy rash that is mainly on my arms, I'm certain it is due to sun exposure, and the duloxetine that I am on. I will have to make an appointment with my GP to ask. An attempt to come off the duloxetine on my own accord ended up with me being in a really foul mood within 2 days, so I started taking it again and will wait to see what my GP has to say.

Headaches are still on and off. At the time of writing this I have a really bad one, so no improvement there as of yet.

Joints are incredibly painful, I can barely touch certain parts of me as they feel really bruised and painful.

Still a definite increase in my energy levels though.

Onwards my journey continues :0)

BBQ chicken and halloumi kebabs

Serves 4

400g chicken, diced

150g halloumi, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

Cherry tomatoes, halved

2 medium onions, chopped and cut into 8ths

Melted coconut oil

Soak the bamboo sticks in water for at least half an hour. This helps prevent them from burning.

Thread the ingredients on to the kebab sticks however you wish.

When the BBQ has cooled down enough that it's not blackening everything really quickly, cook the kebabs for approximately 10 minutes while turning occasionally.

Check the chicken is cooked throughout before serving.

Aubergine, courgette, fennel and sweetcorn bolognese

Serves 2

Calories 244 (doesn't include pasta)

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 courgette (zucchini), diced 

1 aubergine, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 fennel bulb, diced

1 small tin sweetcorn

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 vegetable stock cube (I used knorr organic gluten free)

1 tablespoon tomato purée

1 teaspoon garlic purée 

Fry the courgette, fennel, aubergine and onion in the coconut oil until softened and slightly browned.

Add the sweetcorn, tin of chopped tomatoes, garlic purée, tomatoe purée, and stock cube.

Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Serve with pasta of your choice.

Chicken and mushroom coconut curry

Serves 2

524 calories per serving (doesn't include rice or alternative)

400g chicken thigh, skin optional, diced

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

1 red onion, chopped

200g mushrooms

2 tablespoons curry powder

400g tin coconut milk

1 vegetable stock cube (I used knorr gluten free, organic)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a frying pan, gently fry the onion and the chicken in the coconut oil until chicken is cooked throughout and slightly browned.

Add the mushrooms and curry powder and fry for about a minute.

Add the coconut milk (don't worry if it's separated! It will stir back together!) and the stock cube and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve with rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or alternative of your choice.

Note: my 4 year old loved this so much that he ate the lot and then some of mine! :0)

Sweet Potato, tomato and sweetcorn quiche

Serves 8
374 calories per slice

You will need
Approx 8" by 2" round tin
Baking beans
Grease proof paper

For the pastry
100g butter, softened
225g plain flour
A pinch of salt

For the filling
One sweet potato, peeled and diced
One red onion, chopped
Small tin of sweetcorn
2 large tomatoes, diced
5 large eggs
375ml whole milk
100g mature cheddar, grated
50g Parmesan, grated
Ground nutmeg

For the pastry
Rub the butter and the flour together with your fingers until it all resembles fine bread crumbs, next add just enough water to turn it into a dough (approx 2 tablespoons) you will know when it is right as it won't be sticky and there won't be bits of flour not wanting to stick. Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for around an hour (I'll be honest and say I've never bothered with the resting stage...)
Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4, or equivalent.
Roll out the pastry to the desired thickness and width. I decided to make a side less one, but you can add sides if you want! To make a side less one you just place the tin on top of the pastry and use it to cut around, then place the pastry into the already greased tin. Or you can just put the pastry in, mould it up the sides with your fingers, and then cut away any access.
Place great proof paper over the top, and then your baking beans on top of that, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the baking beans and the grease proof paper and bake for another 15 minutes.

For the filling
Fry or bake the sweet potatoes and onion until softened and slightly browned.
Tip into ready prepared pastry case (still in the tin!) along with the sweetcorn, and tomatoes, and spread evenly.
Whisk the eggs with the milk, and then carefully pour over the top.
Sprinkle over the cheddar and Parmesan, and then sprinkle a bit of nutmeg over the top of it all.
Place in the oven until the egg has completely set. Takes around an hour, but you can check by wobbling the tin to see whether it has set completely or not.
Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving with a salad of your choice.

30th May 2015

Week 4

11 stone 11.8 pounds

2.8 pounds gain

Total weight loss 10.1 pounds

So this week wasn't so good, I have put weight on this week, but to be fair I am a woman, and sadly I have some which is often referred to as 'that time of month!'

Now I wasnt due it for another week, so I was a little surprised that it has come a week early, but I am also aware that it is a full moon tomorrow night, and I used to always have my cycles fitting in with the moon cycle, so hopefully this is a sign that things are returning to normal?!

As for my health wise, I have noticed a dramatic increase in my energy levels this week, and I have managed to get so much done! Not without suffering though, I have had to take some painkillers as sadly the extra weeks has caused my joints to flare up and become painful.

Hopefully I will reach a point when I can do things again without causing flare ups, as they can be quite upsetting and incredibly painful!

On to another week :0)

Courgette, fennel, aubergine and asparagus Thai green curry

Serves 4

1 courgette, halved and sliced

1 fennel bulb, diced

1 aubergine, diced

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

1 jar Thai green curry paste

1 400g tin coconut milk

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1) in a large frying pan, fry the veg in the coconut oil until just starting to go soft. 

2) add in the amount of curry paste as the instructions say on the jar and fry for about a minute. 

3) add in the coconut milk, and stir until melted and mixed in. 

4) simmer for approximately 20 minutes 

5) serve with rice or quinoa. 

Aubergine and mozzarella wraps

Makes 8

2 aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways 

4 tablespoons sundried tomato paste

2 teaspoons garlic paste

200g mozzarella, thinly sliced

2 beef tomatoes, cut into 8 slices

4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1) carefully plunge the aubergines into a pan of boiling water for 4 minutes, then drain well. Lay them flat on a clean board or work surface. 

2) mix together the tomato paste and garlic paste and spread a little over each aubergine slice. 

3) top with mozzarella and tomato slices and fold over, securing each with a cocktail stick. 

4) brush wish the coconut oil and grill on a high heat for 2-4 minutes per side. 

5) serve with salad

Salmon, asparagus and sweetcorn spaghetti

Serves 4

1 pack of fresh egg spaghetti

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped into pieces

1 Romano pepper, diced

1 small tin organic sweetcorn 

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

125g pack of smoked salmon flakes

1) bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the spaghetti as the packet instructions then drain well.

2) meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the asparagus, Romano pepper, garlic, and sweetcorn for 5 minutes.

3) toss with the drained spaghetti and smoked salmon flakes, season and serve at once.

This recipe was delicious!

Despite my children telling me that it looked horrible, all of them had seconds, and there was non left in the pan!!

Speaks for itself really :0)

23rd May 2015

Week 3

Weight 11 stone 9 pounds

Weight loss 4.5 pounds

Total weight loss 12.9 pounds

I am so close to losing a stone in weight already, and I have only been doing this for 3 weeks!!!

Health wise I have noticed that my energy levels seem to be improving, and tonight I have fancied alcohol, which for anyone who knows me, is a very rare occurrence these days!

Roasted sweet potato and orange salad.

Serves 4

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed.

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 tablespoon clear honey

2 oranges, peeled and segmented

100g any salad leaves

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon clear honey

1 orange, juice and finely grated zest only

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1) heat the oven to 200*C/180*C fan/Gas 6. Toss the sweet potato with the coconut oil, honey, and a little seasoning, spread out in a non-stick baking tray and roast for 25 minutes until softened and slightly caramelised. 

2) mix together the dressing ingredients, pour over the salad leaves, and toss well with the sweet potatoes and orange segments.

3) serve with optional additional salad items 

Sounds unpleasant, but was actually really nice!!!

I got the recipe for this from the morrisons magazine that they give away for free, but I changed it to suit my needs more and added some fish.

If I were to make this again I would definitely miss out the radishes... Yuck!! 

18th May 2015

Veg box deliveries

Nothing cheers me up more than my veg box deliveries.

Here is an example of one of my fruit boxes that I get delivered!

The contents changes weekly.

This is an Abel & Cole box.

I get their boxes on a Monday, and on a Thursday I get a Riverford delivery, so I am getting healthy, fresh, organic fruit and vegetable delivered to me twice a week.

17th May 2015

Sunday dinners

I have recently been adding back meat as I have been worried about my protein levels, despite taking a natural organic hemp protein as a precaution.

This is what I had for my Sunday lunch today.

I have been having roasted sweet potatoes rather than normal potatoes, and tonnes of vegetables.

Instead of cooking the cabbage and potatoes in butter, I have been cooking them in organic coconut oil and adding a bit of fresh ground Himalayan salt and freshly ground organic black pepper for taste.

I hope to write an article on the health benefits of coconut oil once I am feeling more up to it.

16th May 2015

End of week 2!

Weight 11 stone 13.5 pounds

This weeks weight loss 2.7 pounds

Total weight loss 8.4 pounds

So another week of being really good and trying to eat as clean and as healthy as possible.

I have become more adventurous and even been making my own stir-fries, rather than buying the pre-packaged ones in the shops.

I have to also say that this stir-fry was way nicer and much more yummier than in the shops too.

I can't really report on any health changes as of yet, but I have been cooking and baking more than I have been recently, so I will take that as a good sign.

11th May 2015

Here's me starting my day with a green juice.

Although I'm not solely drinking juices, I have still been having one for my breakfast every now and again.

This was my tea. A nice, large organic egg salad.

One good thing about ordering veg boxes, is the fact that each box can become a challenge, new things to try, or a new way of blending ingredients to make something tasty. :0)

9th May 2015

Well, it's a week since I started this blog, and the decision to start recording my journey into he unknown.

I am pleased to report that I have already lost 5.6lbs!!!

Wow!!

That's just in my first week!

My intention wasn't tolose weight, my intention is obviously to get better and start having a life again, but I won't lie, the weight loss is a bonus.

I am hoping that as time goes on, I will be able to start blogging about what things I have been eating, and maybe even start writing down some of my recipes.

8th May 2015

So today started off really well, I had a juice for breakfast. A pint of coconut water for my mid morning drink, a juice for dinner, a juice for my mid afternoon snack...

AND THATS WHERE IT ENDED....

I'm not gonna lie, it was HORRIBLE!!!!

I'm a massive foodie, I love food, I love cooking food, I love becoming a food scientist and concocting wonderful creations in my kitchen lab. I find cooking my therapy, it's relaxing and a place where I can just forget about my worries.

Throwing away all the pulp, or waste, from the juicing was making me feel bad, like REALLY bad!!

The diet itself wasn't too bad, but some of the stuff I was juicing, would have fed my whole family.

I decided on the very first day that I could no longer do the juicing diet.

I will continue with my quest, it isn't a failure, I just need a new way to start, a new way to look at it.

So I have decided that from now on I will be eating mainly fruits and vegetables, with pulses too. I am aiming to have as much organic products as possible, and to steer away from putting anything chemical related inside my body.

I'm sure that sounds a lot easier than done, but to me that is a much more sensible approach than feeling like I'm wasting a tonne of food.

All the starving people in the world, and I'm having enough food in one meal to feed my family...

NO! Just NO! Lol

7th May 2015

After looking in to ways on how to help my health return, I have been watching the 'Fat, Sick, and nearly dead' programmes, and have also purchased 2 of the books. 

I have decided that I am going to start a 60 day juicing diet, starting tomorrow, and have today received a wonderful, vast quantity of fruits and vegetables, from Riverford, the organic veg box home delivery company, ready for my challenge.

The aim is to drink nothing but juices for the next 60 days, following the plan in one of my 'fat, sick, and nearly dead' books.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been weaning myself off things like caffeine, sugar, dairy, and trying to eat as 'clean' as possible. I have been starting my mornings off with a juice, to help prepare my body ready for this massive challenge.

As you can see from this picture, the challenge requires a LOT of fruit and vegetables, and this is just FIVE DAYS worth of food for myself!!!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I have started this blog because I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

In September 2014 I was diagnosed with M.E./CFS (Myalgic Encephalitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). It wasn't that much of a surprise to me.

In 2009 I started with pins and needles in my hands. I was a regular knitter and crocheter, so it was believed that I had carpel tunnel, but after seeing a nerve specialist I was diagnosed with paresthesia.

My pins and needles remained the same up until 2013. My youngest son had just been discharged from a 5 month stay at hospital, and I had admittedly been comfort eating and put an awful lot of weight on.

One of my friends is a homeopath, so I went to her as my first port of call as I believe in treating things as natural as possible. I was given a few different homeopathic remedies, and was encouraged to do E.F.T. (Emotional freedom techniques) but the latter made me feel like an idiot, and I began to dread my sessions, so after deciding it wasn't for me, I gave up on my treatment.

I had started getting regular migraines and my pins and needles were becoming more noticeable and had begun to spread up to my elbows, and had started in my feet and were up to my knees.

I began seeing an Osteopath in hopes that they would find a trapped nerve and help release it.

The Oesteopath couldn't find anything that could be causing a problem, so I went back to my doctor, who said my symptoms sound like I was lacking in my B vitamins, so gave me a blood test to check. My blood test came back normal, but said that although my iron and folic acid levels were 'normal', that they were on the low side, so gave me 3 months worth of tablets to take.

My symptoms began to get worse, I was now having irregular periods, severe mood swings, becoming easily fatigued, sounds were becoming 'louder' and smells were getting more obvious, and all meat was smelling rotten, no matter how fresh, and I started suffering with insomnia.

The doctor referred me to see an orthopaedic consultant and an audiologist.

The orthopaedic agreed with the osteopath, but sent me for electrical nerve testing, which all came back fine.

The audiologist diagnosed me with hyperacusis, and I was adviced to 'ignore' the overbearing sounds, which were causing me sensory overloads, and to 'just get on with life'... Easier said than done when you have 4 kids and 2 dogs...

It was now early in 2014, and I had just had an umbilical hernia repair done. I remember the operation took much longer to complete than was expected, and I woke up with an oxygen mask on a few hours later. As to why I had the oxygen mask on was unclear, and I was never told the reason why.

The operation took it out of me a lot more than I was expecting, and I struggled for quite a while afterwards, needing to take regular pain relief, and a lot of bed rest.

My worst time was when I went away for the weekend, shortly after my operation, and I became very unwell. As soon as I got out of the car I began to feel very dizzy and like the room was spinning. I spent the rest of the day in bed.

The next day we went to a theme park, and I felt very weak and like I was struggling to stand. I started with bad diarrhoea, and again spent most of the day in bed feeling rotten.

The next day I remember going to the onsite shop to get some tablets to help my tummy, and I started slurring really badly and staggering like I was drunk! I was embarrassed because people were staring at me like I was drunk!

When I got home from holiday I went to the doctors, where I was rushed to the hospital, to a stroke clinic, for assessment.

The consultant said that I didn't appear to have had a stroke, but was showing sluggish movements in my reflexes.

I managed to get an MRI of my brain and neck, and after waiting for a while, I was told that apart from a couple of slightly bulging disks, everything was 'normal'.

I was then referred for a neurologist.

In the meantime I had started to get swollen and painful joints, and my bones sometimes felt like I had knives running down them, scrapping them.... I was becoming even more fatigued by the slightest things. The pins and needles was now in my entire body and I often felt like bugs were crawling on me and in my hair...

In September 2014 I finally got my M.E. Diagnosis, and began an assortment of different pills to try and help my symptoms....

It's now May 2015 and, although my health has improved slightly, I have decided that enough is enough, and I am going to try and find my own cure, starting with my diet.

My weight is currently 12 stone 7.8 pounds and my waist is 42 inches!