Boost Your Energy with these 3 recipes...

I'm on a mission to post more about how I eat, exercise, rest and chill - all in the name of feeling more energised and/or less symptomatic by using all of the anti-inflammatory tools I have learnt over the last 20 years. I've learnt from all angles - from books, training courses, general noseyness and questioning knowledgable people both medical and non medical, and not forgetting I have A LOT of first hand experience.

I was diagnosed with #multiplesclerosis at almost 30, and have recently gone through the #menopause at almost 50, so there's been a fairly wide and weirdly overlapping selection of symptoms to get used to. It's crazy to say it, but I often feel like MS prepared me for this crazy, changeable, inspiring, exhausting, awakening bit of my post-menopause-life in lots of ways. Although that's another topic which is way

too big to go into today.

About me and what I do:I am hugely passionate about approaching health with an "everything appropriate" approach. I include western medicine in that, although the part I do is 100% holistic. I love helping people I work with (and myself!), feel amazing by making some simple changes and additions that fit the person in front of me perfectly. It's an area that I continually learn about and put into practise. Just like my yoga, it never stands still. But one thing remains - it always includes a gentle layer to allow the approach to be more soothing than exhausting.

The individual's specific needs and consitution are always at the top of the list.

Food is so important to our wellbeing, but it is only one area of this whole picture. So if you're new here, why not make a start with a recipe or two - it's often easier to make time and get organised for an upcoming weekend, so if you're reading this thinking about your busy week ahead, start by ensuring you have the ingredients. That's step 1.

Step 2 is deciding when you can realistically make stuff.

Step 3 is giving it a go.

Step 4 is thinking "I like this but I would also add..."

And if you're at step 4 then yay and well done! I'd love to hear from you!

Recipes

I posted these recipes on instagram last week, but definitely didn't have room on there to write as much as I'd like to, so here's the fuller, geekier version with more info on how and why to make them! If you like geeking out on nutrients, it's all below!

Breakfast - This Porridge is Amazing

Fibre is so important for digestion, heart health, gut health and weight management (it helps us feel fuller for longer), so when you take an already fibre rich food (wholegrain oats cooked gently in some almond milk and water) and then add chia and pumpkin seeds (amazing sources of fibre and omega 3's), ground flaxseeds (also amazing source of fibre and omega 3's), frozen berries (antioxidants, vitamins and fibre) and chopped dates (vitamins, fibre, magnesium, iron), you are super-charging your breakfast big time. I like to cook the oats because it's easier on my digestion - much more soothing in the mornings. And once you've got this one sorted, you can vary the brilliant ingredients with some other brilliant ingredients, depending on what you have in.

Lunch - This Plate is Amazing

A plate of food isn't just the nutrients and ingredients. It's the taste, smell, colour and it is so much more satisfying if it looks like care has been taken to feed us properly. This one is pretty straight forward, and a really good example of a non-fussy meal that still contains all the vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, proteins and fibre that we need on our plate.

Ingredients: Sourdough toast (B vitamins, fibre, minerals such as magnesium and iron), poached eggs (protein, B vitamins, vitamin D, folate, iron) large handful of rocket leaves (fibre, vits A, K, C, potassium, calcium, magnesium & iron) 1 x tbsp pumpkin seeds (magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, vits E & B, healthy fats), extra virgin olive oil (antioxidants, oleic acid - anti-inflammatory), apple and orange slices - they taste better sliced - trust me! (both rich in vitamins, fibre and important minerals such as magnesium and calcium)

Dinner - This Curry is Amazing

Quite often, but not always, I throw a few ingredients into a pan and hope for the best. This was one of those occasions and it worked sooooo well. The balance of all the flavours and textures was perfect, and all whilst being an incredibly filling and nutritious vegetarian meal! Added bonus was that it fed me and my husband for 2 evenings. Sadly my kids won't eat my homemade curry. Yet.

Ingredients: 1 x large sweet potato peeled and cubed (vitamins A, C, B, folate, iron magnesium, soluble and insoluble fibre), a large handful of frozen green beans , 3 x frozen spinach discs, 1 large leek chopped and washed(all veg providing fibre, antioxidants, minerals), 1 x tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, vegetable stock cube (I used kallo), 2 x tbsp red lentils (fibre, protein, iron), 1 x 400g tin coconut milk, salt, pepper, flat leaf parsley (full of important vitamns, minerals and antioxidants), about a tbsp each of ground turmeric, cumin, coriander and mild chilli (all beneficial to digestion, heart health and contain anti-inflammatory compounds)

Method: Dry toast the spices until they smell lovely. Add the coconut oil and melt. Add the leek and sweet potato, mix everything together and soften the veg for a few minutes. Once the vegetables are soft, add the red lentils, about 100ml of boiled water and the stock cube (enough to cover the lentils). Mix all the ingredients so that the stock melts and everything is well combined. Cook slowly for a further 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk, chickpeas, salt, pepper and frozen spinach. Leave to cook gently for about 5 more minutes until you can see the red lentils are tender. Taste and season if needed. Add fresh herbs if you have any (I used flat leaf parsley, but love coriander when I have it). Serve with rice, flatbreads, or on it's own as a wonderfully cosy bowl of healthiness.

If you're reading this because you're feeling fatigued, or under the weather, or overwhelmed and under-prioritised, remember you don't have to make all of these in one day. In fact, one recipe at a time is an excellent first step towards feeling amazing!

Hello lovely reader,

Are you looking for some personalised wellbeing including yoga, nutrition, reiki, weekly classes, day retreats, weekend retreats or some simple one to one sessions to see what would support you?

I currently have 2 x spaces for one to one coaching in Shoreham or via zoom.

Get in touch directly if you are up for making a real and long lasting

difference to your wellbeing

Details of my classes, coaching and retreats are all on my website

 or you can contact me directly on lynnejarrettyoga@gmail.com