So….right…..how to start……here goes

Recently I was asked by work to fill in a "person on a page" on what my interests are… I put Netflix, cooking and seeing family - all fairly generic - and I asked a good friend what he thought and he said "what about health and nutrition?”. Then the following week my boyfriend asked me what I was passionate about, without realising it I do have a passion - over the years it has become about self-improvement… call it mindfulness, living in the present, self-control... whatever name works for you: this is what I think about, read and try to practice. I have gone through a number of challenges with anxiety from a very young age, which finally culminated in a stint on anti-depressants. From my lowest point my brain rebooted and I started looking at ways I could change my life without the need for continuing medication. I do not regret going on medication in the slightest, I fought the depression for over a year with exercise, food, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and focus - but it was not going to shift - my nurse practitioner at the time "you have a chemical imbalance in your brain….its science and the pills will level it off".

So I am starting my blog, in the hope that this might help even one person who is or has struggled. My ongoing story might be some comfort or just give you something to troll!

So who am I? I am a 30 year old women living in London, on the career train. I am from a nuclear family with a lot of love. Whatever the reason for my anxiety, constantly biting my fingertips, the root cause has long gone. I made the decision around five years ago to try and tackle it in the present, not focus on the past. The first thing I did was focus on what I put in my body… ditch the fags, and living on wine and chips for the previous year and sort my sh*t out. For me, cooking was a saviour for me, I love to cook now - and it is what my dad calls a "small win". "Small wins" are the little jobs, tasks which are achievable… put a wash on, make a healthy dinner, hoover etc., which may all sound trivial but to me those small wins are so satisfying and uplifting. The last five years have flown by in a haze of getting older but also being happy, working out a coping mechanism and not be scared to say I feel anxious today or I am only going to put 40% into what I do today as I need the other 60% for me. I am a massive people pleaser and will easily run myself ragged. I am learning the word no is a sentence! Being selfish is not a bad thing at times and eating bad food makes me feel bad.

This is for anyone out there who is looking for mainly recipes and life hacks that might work for them. I will do my best to not be self-righteous as a lot of what I read and digest is my own learning. I have tried stuff which is just not for me… counselling being one but I will come to that at some point!

So to sign off from the intro I am going to share one of my go to feel good meals to cook for an boost, it is simple and one of the first I did after researching how to feel better through food.

Salmon in less than 30 minutes

Health Benefits

Wild Salmon

Why Salmon and why wild? Salmon's high omega 3 content contributes to mood improvement. Salmon is linked to helping with diabetes, helping facilitating sugar absorption, also helping with heart disease, joint pain and eye health.  Wild has 32% less calories and 50% less fat than farmed, wild contains more calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and less sodium.  I am also concerned about the antibiotics used in any farmed meat as a whole (doesn’t mean I don’t eat farmed meat but where I can I get wild or organic meat).

Celeriac mash

Celeriac is high in vitamin C, vitamin K (key for bone health), B-6, potassium, phosphorus and fibre all which contribute to a healthy heart and body

Spinach

High in vitamin K, vitamin A, magnesium and folate. Spinach has been labelled a "super food" for a number of years now and has a number benefits such as being an anti-inflammatory, increasing circulation, helps immune system, helps fight infection and many more.

Ingredients - feeding 2 people

1 tsp cold pressed rapeseed oil

2 Wild Salmon fillets

Celeriac

Spinach

Himalayan or table Salt

25g of Butter

1 garlic clove

Chilli flakes (optional)

Method

1. Peal celeriac, with a sharp knife. Chop into 20cm cubes and put in boiling water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and leave for 15-20 mins until a knife will easily glide through it
2. Whilst the celeriac is on the boil, wash the spinach leaves and set aside and peel a clove of garlic
3. In a frying pan, put one tsp of rapeseed oil and bring to a medium heat and place the salmon skin down.  I cook the salmon for 12-15 mins with a lid on pan and do not turn the salmon to make sure it is cooked evenly also limit the chance to over cook or dry out
4. In a separate pan (frying or saucepan) add a knob of butter (10-15g), a crushed garlic clove and a pinch of chilli flakes (to your taste) and put on a medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the spinach with a large pinch on salt. Cook until the spinach wilts and switch off.  This will not take more than 1-2 mins.
5. Once the celeriac is cooked, drain and put back into the saucepan. Add a knob of butter, a pinch of salt and using a potato masher or fork mash until like rough mash potato. 
6. Plate and eat!