HELMSLEY AND HELMSLEY

 A few weeks ago i had the pleasure of meeting the Helmsley and helmsley girls who were in Dublin promoting their new book 

Hemsley

Hemsley

the Art of eating well 

They gave a demonstration in the Cooks academy in Dublin

You could feel their passion for what they do 

and they are certainly the best possible advertisments for what they preach

Bursting with energy and glowing 

They were so warm and relaxed.

I have made quite a few recipes from the book

and every one has been delicious

I have boiled up some good batches of bone broth

something I used to do all the time but somehow fell out of the habit of.

The bliss balls recipe is now a real favourite and in the demonstartion they made it into a fudge 

sprinkled with cacao nibs on top 

This is now my go to snack 

simply 220g bar  creamed coconut warmed through, 

2 tablespoons tahini 

and a tablespoon raw honey mixed together with a pinch of salt 

and poured into a 8" x 8" square tin 

sprinkle with cacao nibs and refrigerate 

simply delicious

I have also tried their raw avocado chocolate mousse

I loved it but little mouths were not so sure 

have to work on that sugar habit 

The sesame chicken salad was a big hit

Ok so I am not eating like this all the time 

and as I write this a batch of cinnamon pulla dough is resting in the kitchen

But i figure if i can add some of this philosophy into my day 

and swap out 40% of my meals with something they recommend i will be striking a good balance 

In other news summer is here 

and the garden is bursting 

the lake is calling for a swim 

 my garden 

Out for a walk

SUNSHINE! AND A PEAR TART

 we recently had a spell of very fine weather here in Ireland 

It is amazing how the landscape changes here when the sun comes out 

and the humour

when the weather is 24c suddenly all kinds of things are possible

A dip in the lake 

An evening walk collecting wild garlic becomes a thing of beauty

you can stop and blow the dandelion clocks

You can potter in the garden until 11pm 

because in summer, in Ireland it stays light until then

Or you can go for a dip in the pool!!

All of this "hard" work calls for a little refreshment 

 Some mint, lemon balm and nettle tip tea

Pear and Almond tart

If you read this post 

You will know that I am attempting to make some healthy changes

the running is going well

after a few stalls I have kept going and am really starting to see and feel a difference

I downloaded the couch-5k app

I try to get in 2 runs a week

The no sugar thing is tough but i have definitely cut down considerably 

and i have also tried to adjust some of my favourite recipes 

to up their nutrition and make them a treat but a slightly healthier one 

so here is a slightly healthier but incredibly delicious pear tart 

Spelt Flour Shortcrust

250g whole spelt flour

95g cold butter

Tbspn sugar

1 egg yolk

preheat oven to 180c

butter and line a 25cm tart tin

Rub butter into flour until you get breadcrumbs

add sugar, stir

add eggyolk and bring together to form dough

wrap in plastic and pop in fridge for an hour

remove from oven and *grate into a prepared tart tin 

push and flatten evenly to create crust

refrigerate for 10 mins

prick the base with a fork 

line with parchment paper and add baking beans 

cook for 15 mins

remove beans and parchment and cook for a further 5 minutes

allow to cool

Topping

3 ripe pears peeled, cored and sliced into quarters length ways

200g soft butter

 200g ground almonds

2 large eggs lightly beaten

200g honey

preheat oven to 150c

cream the butter for 3 mins until light and fluffy

add almonds, eggs, honeyand fold carefully until combined

place the pears on the cooled tart case

spoon mixture over allowing pears to stand proud of the mixture

bake for 50 minutes until golden brown

serve with Greek yoghurt with a little honey added

* The method of grating a cold pastry dough into the tin is one which i think works incredibly well and it is much simpler than rolling and lining the tin
also because you are not pulling the dough it remains very light and crumbly
I will never go back

Pear Back

I cook to relax

Currently I am away from home 4 days a week working in Dublin

and when I come home at the weekends I bake

Baking, for me, is a form of meditation

I can concentrate on what I am doing and not worry about anything else 

It is also a great activity to do with my 4 yr old son, who is very happy to help

The problem with this is 

All this baking leads to a lot of baked goods

and a lot of baked goods in the house leads to a lot of snacking on baked goods 

This, in turn leads to me no longer fitting in to my jeans .........

So, I am at a turning point

The last week I have been on a Staycation

There has been a lot of baking......

So, if you follow me on Pinterest you may have noticed my pins in the last 24 hours

 have changed from this 

To this 

I have decided it's time for a change 

This is my plan 

1 Start Running 

2 Go back to Bikram Yoga

3 Cut out refined sugar

4 Eat a healthy breakfast

5 Cut down (way down) on Carbs

6 Add more fresh fruit, vegetables and seeds to my diet

It's not rocket science......

This is what I have achieved so far

1 Start running

Bought new sneakers, I actually went to a sports shop and did a fitting where they video you running and recommend the correct shoes for you. 

I have heard too many injury stories from cheap sneakers.

I downloaded the  "couch-5k" running APP

Yesterday did my first run EVER!

I did enjoy it

although it was tough at times and I wouldn't say I LOVED it

2 Go back to Bikram Yoga

I used to practice Bikram and I did love it but I haven't done it in 6 years

I did a little research online and found out 

there is a bikram studio literally 3 mins from my office

signing up when i return from Far East trip next week 

Bought a Yoga Mat 

3 Cut out refined Sugar

I had a little chocolate yesterday 

Hey it's progress

Bought Agave syrup 

4 Eat a Healthy breakfast 

This morning had a delicious smoothie

frozen raspberries, frozen banana, clementine juice (didn't have any oranges), natural yoghurt, oats and chia seeds (both were soaked for 30 mins) 1 tsp agave syrup

yum! and a good by product is everyone else in the family had some too

(i didn't tell them bout the oats or chia seeds)

I also made Granola 

I followed this recipe

but substituted flaked almonds for the nuts (only because this was what I had)

I added the flaked almonds 10 mins before end of cooking time 

I substituted Agave syrup for Maple

I also added apricots and raisins to final cooled granola

This is delicious 

I love ginger though 

If ginger isn't your thing simply leave it out 

This is a very simple and very delicious granola 

5 Cut down on carbs 

I am not cutting out carbs completely

but none after lunch 

I will eat bread but only brown and seeded

I will also eat Short grain brown rice

 

6 Add more fruit, vegetables and seeds

Doing well so far

(see 4) 

I also find that simply cutting out carbohydrates makes me make better choices 

that is, not a croissant for breakfast 

not a white bread sandwich for lunch 

not a cake for a snack

It takes a little more thought and planning though. 

Yesterday i bought Chia seeds and lots of fruit and veg

This is an easy one for me really as I actually love fruit and veg and all kinds of salads 

I just forget sometimesor I fall in to the trap of waiting

until I am absolutely RAVENOUS 

before I eat 

this almost always leads to a bad decision  

So, that is it 

Stay tuned for my progress

xH