Imperfectly Paleo

The stuff of chocolate-centric dreams... Top with a handful of gluten-free granola and a few berries or spoon over a pud. Chocolate Beetroot Cashew Cream Chocolate Beetroot Cashew Cream Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free, Nut-free Serves 1 Ingredients : 1/4 cup (35g) raw unsalted cashew nuts, soaked overnight in filtered water 1 medium (65g) cooked, cooled and peeled beetroot 1/4 medium ripe avocado flesh (40g) 1 large (15g) soft medjool date, pitted 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder 6 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk (plus extra if needed) Optional toppings: grain-free granola, berries, edible dried flower petals Instructions : 1. Blend all ingredients (not toppings!) until smooth and creamy, adding a dash extra coconut milk if needed). 2. Decant into serving bowl and add toppings if desired. Eat immediately.

I have been re-reading Gretchen Rubin's 'The Happiness Project' in a bid to reboot my own happiness level. Much of what she says strikes a poignant chord. Happiness: my children on a beautiful spring day Depending on the individual, the route to DIY contentment will vary wildly and not many of us can attest to having 12 minutes free let alone 12 months to experiment with all the facets Gretchen explores in her book. My five key personal takeaways to unlocking my gateway to happiness lie roughly in the areas of: 1. Sleeping and exercising better 2. Decluttering and organising 3. Launch a blog and enjoy the fun of failure (you are reading the evidence of this!) 4. Mindfulness 5. Practising gratitude The problem is that every time I have tried to build good habits to tackle and enforce each of these areas, correlating bad habits have an uncanny knack of sneakily sidling their way to the forefront, eventually obscuring all trace of existence of their bett...

When I am 'cooking' for just myself I revel in the freedom of not worrying about juggling all the likes and dislikes of every member of the family. This is one of my favourites - and every single ingredient is hated (not just disliked) by at least one if not all of my lovely family! And the best thing about making this for myself is that it's a doddle to prepare and doesn't even require cooking. Seaweed Cucumber and Radish Salad Seaweed is a great source of iodine, good for gut health and full of nutrients eg calcium, folate, magnesium. It also aids detoxification and has been claimed in studies to help regulate hormones. Whatever the benefits I love the natural saltiness and it always tastes great with a sesame oil and ginger based dressing. Seaweed Cucumber and Radish Salad Grain-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined Sugar-free Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side Ingredients: 10g mixed dried seaweed, hydrated and drained 2-3 inch cucumber, finely sli...