Healthy Habits

Delicious breakfast smoothie (Freshly made with natural ingredients and keeps me full until lunchtime!)

Well you have guessed it, going back to healthier habits features on my long list of resolutions. For different reasons, in the past year I gradually moved away from healthy eating and more or less stopped exercising! Not good and now I do feel the difference.

I have never been on a diet as I don't believe in them. I love food! Having healthier eating habits is the answer for me. I went on a raw food course in 2008 and found it fascinating, I learnt so much about the importance & benefits of increasing the percentage of raw food in our diet. I wish I had kept it up...in a way it has proved to me how much better I felt when I ate more raw foods and ate fewer cakes and sugary things!

I am going back to increasing my intake of raw foods and having more smoothies and green juices for breakfast. It also means replacing some cakes and chocolate bars with alternatives such as 9 Bar & Nakd (Sainsbury's and health food stores stock them) Meals are important and I will not be skipping any. I am going to cut back on foods which are not helping such as pre-cooked meals, cakes, biscuits and sweets. Oh yes, I do have a very sweet tooth! I won't cut out sweet things all together (Moderation...) but will reduce them by quite a bit.


Maca Powder.
Viridian Organic Beauty Oil
Udo oil
Are some of the ingredients I use in my smoothies & green juices. I can't recommend these oils highly enough.


I don't usually like snack bars but I like these, they are very filling too.

More info on raw foods (Some sites may appear as a bit 'New Age' but don't let that put you off)
Detox your World
Funky Raw
The Fresh Network
Books on Raw Food

Walking is the other important factor. I used to go on a brisk walk an hour a day (3 miles). I must go back to doing that and make the time for it somehow. That will REALLY help make a difference. You do feel so much livelier afterwards and I do miss not feeling as energetic as I used to.

BACK IN SNOWLAND
Alan and Miss P were at home because of snow on Wednesday. We took advantage of this by going sledging in a field not far from the house.

It was so peaceful...


We had the field all to ourselves


The peace and quiet was soon shattered when Miss P shouted WHEEEEE down the hill!


Our house can just about be seen in the distance to the right of the tallest tree.


Walking back.

The snow is beginning to melt slowly and today we've had our first postal delivery in 10 days!

Have a fantastic weekend what ever you are up to.

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Juicy Apples

Blue sky at last! Today I took the opportunity of picking some apples from our garden. Something I love doing on a day like today. We've had grey skies and drizzle over the past week and it's not quite as much fun picking fruit in those conditions.


This apple tree is in our back garden. They are cooking apples.


This field is to the left of the apple tree. I sometimes like to pause for a while and look out in to the distance. You can sometimes see deer and foxes crossing the field. At other times you hear the distant sound of church bells on a Sunday morning or some evenings in the week when they have bell ringing practice. I never take all this for granted, I still appreciate it all.


Larry having his idea of fun with Lilly. Lilly is a lot more gentile and her brother can be a bit too boisterous for her sometimes. They do get on nevertheless!


This apple tree is in our front garden, these apples are the ones which I picked today as I wanted to make some apple juice.


Off I went with my basket. That should be enough for 2 or 3 days worth.


In they go, chopped up in to the cold press juicer. This is the best juicer I've ever had. So easy to use and hardly any mess. It also produces more juice and more goodness. Not cheap though.. I believe it is a lot cheaper in USA. It is particularly good if you drink green juices or are on a raw food diet. You can also make ice creams, pasta and other things with it too.


Et voila, freshly pressed apple juice. Delicious!


A bientôt!

Isabelle x