Minimalism.

Maybe you don’t need to purchase the latest electronic device in order to feel fulfilled. Maybe you don’t need to buy the newest skincare product, promising to meet society’s expectations of beauty. Maybe you don’t need that latest fast fashion piece to give you a fleeting moment of happiness. Maybe you don’t need to live up to the expectations laid down for you not only by society but also by that little voice in your head that says you’re not enough. Maybe it’s okay to be happy with less. To want less. To live with less. To be happy with what and who you have.

Fulfillment will never come from material items. It will never come from spending. You might feel exhilarated when purchasing something new but that feeling rarely lasts. Perhaps this momentary high is filling a void that exists for another reason. Maybe that reason is anxiety, not being content with oneself, attempting to live a life in line with society’s ideals, unaddressed issues in ones personal life, not taking time out to do nice things for yourself – the list of possibilities goes on.

Be gentle and kind to yourself and most importantly, try to be content with simply being.

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Exploring Nature for Wellbeing

Take a walk. Walk in the early morning, when there’s no one about, except you. Enjoy the sound of your footsteps, appreciating every step that you get to take and every moment that you are fortunate enough to experience on this earth.

Take a walk at night, when the buzz of the day is receding and allow a wave of peace to wash over you. Know that a new day awaits you tomorrow.

On your walk, take in your surroundings and appreciate the small details which you may have overlooked before. While these details may be small and previously insignificant, they can be incredibly impactful and thought-provoking.

During Winter, notice the snap of branches beneath your feet, the crunch of frozen grass. Feel the crisp air against your skin, the cold breeze making you feel alive.

During Autumn, become aware of vibrant leaves falling to the path laid out before you. Hues of brown, orange, yellow, red and green – all presenting their beauty to you, adding a pop of colour to your day.

While in Spring, notice the birdsong, the soft colouring of newly blossoming flowers as they prepare for their awakening – another wondrous opportunity to bloom – both for them and you.

Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin during Summer and allow it to fill you with happiness and gratitude. Allow it to warm your heart.

On your walk, know that you are a part of nature. You are the earth and the earth is you.

Ballyvooney Cove, Co.Waterford photographed by Loren O’Brien

Beetroot Brownie Love

I’m very enthusiastic about simple recipes that are quick and easy to prepare. If they contain something as nutrient dense as beetroot, it’s a bonus. Beetroots contain fibre, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamins B9 and C. They can be incorporated into both sweet and savoury dishes. Some of my favourite ways to use them are by pickling them, adding to salads, blending in a smoothie and of course, casually using them to make a cake. They contribute a wonderful richness to brownies and they also add sweetness due to their natural sugar content. As a result, you can add less artifical and refined sugars to your brownies without compomising on flavour. My favourite beetroots to use are purchased from Ardkeen QFS and grown by Tom Cleary, a local Wexford vegetable producer. They are deliciously sweet and abundant in flavour, derivatives of being grown with love and care. I’ve attempted to do them justice through my beetroot brownie recipe. The recipe and method are as follows:

Let’s get this kitchen party started and turn up the beet!

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

• 2 medium beetroots, cooked & peeled
• 150 ml golden/agave syrup
• 150 ml sunflower oil
• 180 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 50 g cocoa powder

For the frosting:

• 100 g dark chocolate
• 100 ml boiling water
• 100 g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Recipe (Makes around 9 brownies)

For the brownies:

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Line a square baking tin with baking parchment.
• Cut the cooked and peeled beetroot into chunks and add to a blender/chopper with 150 ml syrup of your choice. Blend until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the oil. Sift in the dry ingredients (plain flour, baking powder, cocoa powder) and mix until combined. The mixture should be a dropping consistency (add more oil if required), which will result in a more dense, fudgey brownie. You can add more flour if you prefer a brownie with a more cakey consistency.
• Add the mixture to the prepared baking tin and spread out evenly for a consistent bake.
• Cook for around 18-20 minutes. The brownie will continue to cook as you remove it from the oven and leave it to cool. Once I remove the pan from the oven, I normally pick up the brownie using the baking parchment and place it on a wire rack to cool, leaving it in the parchment until you have cooled, frosted and sliced it.

For the frosting:

• Add 100 g dark chocolate and 100 ml boiling water to a pyrex jug or bowl and mix until melted.
• Sift in 100 g of icing sugar and 2 tbsp cocoa powder.
• Either whisk in by hand or by using a mixer (with a whisk or paddle attachment) and mix until the frosting has a whipped, velvety consistency. You can alter the consistency of the frosting by either adding more hot water (for a softer frosting) or by adding more icing sugar (for a thicker frosting).
• Spread the cooled brownies with the frosting and dust with icing sugar, if desired.

These are wonderful served with vegan cream or yoghurt and some berries. Beetroot bliss.

❤

The goods.

Spiced Lentils

Healthy AND tasty!

Hi hi!

Plant-based recipe incoming!

I have to say, I have become obsessed with lentils since I became conscious of the need for more plant-based, natural whole foods in my diet. They’re not only rich in B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, protein and fibre but they also give dishes a depth and richness that you typically get from adding meat. This dish consists of spiced lentils, sweet potato, radish and yoghurt. Healthy, simple, tasty and also ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. Recipe is as follows (serves two):

What you’ll need:

• 2-4 sweet potatoes
• herbs of your choice, dried or fresh
• oil
• garlic cloves, 2 chopped
• onion, 1 chopped
• pepper, 1 chopped
• mushrooms, 1 handful, chopped
• ground paprika, turmeric, ginger
• coriander, dried or fresh
• salt, pepper & sugar
• 1 x 400 g tin of cooked lentils
• tomato purée
• water
• natural/vegan yoghurt
• shallots, sliced, to serve
• pickled onion, sliced, to serve

For the sweet potatoes 🍠:

• Using 1-2 sweet potatoes per person, cut into chunks and parboil for ~ 10 minutes or until slightly soft (these can also be microwaved for 3-4 minutes).
• Toss the sweet potatoes in oil, herbs and turmeric and roast at 180C for 20 minutes.

For the spiced lentils 🍛:

• While the sweet potatoes are roasting, fry the following for 2-3 minutes in a splash of oil: 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped pepper, a handful of chopped mushrooms with 1 tbsp each of paprika, turmeric, ginger and coriander, salt and pepper to taste and a shake of sugar.
• Add 1x400g tin of cooked lentils, 50 ml of water and 2 tbsp of tomato purée. Cook for around 10 minutes or until the liquid reduces down. Add 3 tbsp of yoghurt (natural or vegan) at this stage to make the base creamier. This ingredient can be omitted, if desired.

Serve with sliced radish, a dollop more of yoghurt, sprinkle with chopped pickled onion and delight in your wonderful, plant-based lentil creation.

Enjoy!

❤

Yoga for Mindfulness & Wellbeing

Photo by Bekir Dönmez on Unsplash

When I truly began to take an interest in the environment and about the things that I could change in my life that would have less of an impact on the earth, I felt as if I needed more focus. It was as if I couldn’t fully invest myself in the present moment, as my mind was busy with a traffic jam of thoughts. It was chaos in there.

In order to become more focused, I began exercising regularly and eating well. A while ago, I ended up beginning a two hour daily commute for work. I allowed myself to fall into a habit of neglecting exercise and not eating as well as I should have. When I would return home from work I would make up excuses as to why I wouldn’t exercise, blaming the commute for how tired I felt, instead opting to lie on the couch, munching on treats and indulging in mindless tv.

Realistically, it was when lockdown occurred that I took a step back and wondered what I had been doing for a year. I had been treating my job as if it was the only thing that mattered, as if it was on a pedestal above all else. I would tire myself out in work, and even further on the commute home. At no stage did I even consider that my physical and mental health might be suffering, the two being interlinked. When Covid happened, even though I was still working as normal, I realised it was imperative that I make some changes in my life. These didn’t need to be changes that required a massive commitment, but ones that I could insert easily into my lifestyle and daily routine and that I wouldn’t dread doing.

I began by going on a 20-30 minute run after work nearby my home, in order to increase my energy levels for the rest of the night after the commute. I soon realised how unfit I had become, which actually motivated me to increase my fitness level. Feeling very adventurous, after a week or so, I introduced a 20 minute daily yoga session. Since beginning my yoga journey, I feel much more focused, clear-minded and calm. I am definitely a person who gets stressed quite easily, so I find that practicing yoga definitely helps me.

My experience with yoga has been a positive one. After time, you’ll become much more flexible and at ease during your yoga practice. At the beginning, I was stretching in ways I never thought possible. My utter confusion at being instructed to go into the ‘downward facing dog’ was no doubt plastered across my face (luckily nobody was present to see). I soon learned that ‘child’s pose’ would be my favourite (my inner laziness strikes again).

When beginning my yoga journey, I was lucky enough to have stumbled across Boho Beautiful – a yoga channel on Youtube which is perfect for beginner yogi’s and which is free and accessible here. Juliana is a wonderful yoga and meditation teacher and her practices are incredibly relaxing and peaceful. I’ve tried numerous yoga channels on Youtube, with this one being by far my favourite.

If you haven’t already introduced yoga into your daily routine, I promise that you can only benefit from doing so. All you need is yourself, a yoga mat and 20 minutes out of your day. A small commitment for something that’s both good for your body and mind.

Namaste ❤